//------------------------------// // Being the first part. // Story: Time to be Awesome. // by Thylacine Nightmares //------------------------------// Tempest Berrytwist, or had she’d been known once as Tempest Shadow and even further back as Fizzlepop Berrytwist, walked slowly from the Ponyville train station towards the town with a small smile on her face. She had decided to change her last name back to her original one at the suggestion of the Princesses, but decided to keep Tempest as her first name as she was used to it after all these years. She always enjoyed visiting her new friends in the town and especially Twilight who had been the first Pony in years to show her the true meaning of friendship. She gave a slight giggle as she walked towards the town square and one of the objects of her visit, the ‘Brown Bean Cafe’. Just as she reached the front of the cafe a loud explosion was heard from the edge of town. Tempest paid it no never mind as she sat and waited for Freshly Brewed, the mare who owned the cafe, to take her order. She didn’t mind the fifteen minute wait she was expecting, good coffee was worth the wait, unlike the burnt swill they served at ‘Astra Buckers’ and Princess Luna herself had recommended this place to her. She was just flicking through the ‘Canterlot News’ when she saw the Cakes chasing a rapidly vibrating Pinkie Pie down the road and yelling something about ‘sugar’. Tempest looked out on the square just in time to see the CMC run past, Scootaloo stuck on her back on top of the backs of the other two by what looked like tree sap. Tempest just shook her head. “Thursday,” she mumbled, “it has to be a Thursday, I could never get the hang of Thursdays.” She then was glad to see the owner return with her cappuccino, and she gave a contented sigh as she saw it had the perfect amount of foam on the top. She gazed at it lovingly, drinking in the aroma of the coffee with a smile. Tempest just shrugged at the goings on and went back to reading a forecast concerning love matches from ‘The Love Doctor’ and giggled at the stupidity of some ponies for believing in this. This idiot, ‘The Love Doctor’, had even predicted she’d find love within two months. Tempest gave a snickering snort of disbelief. “Like that’s going to happen.” She thought. Just then, as she flipped a page she heard Rainbow Dash’s voice yelling at some ‘pervert’ to stop and give back what he stole from her. She went back to her paper to be further surprised to hear Twilight yell out. “What the buck? Who just feathered my plot?!” It sounded like it came from her megaphone. This guess was confirmed by the high pitched squeal of it being shut down. Her eyes went wide as she saw Applejack racing along, towing her brother behind her like a water skier, while the large stallion had hold of her tail mumbling out the word ‘nope’ as he did so. One thing she noticed was Applejack was missing her hat. Tempest gave a sigh and lifted up her coffee to take that first blessed sip, when the cup was shattered in her hoof and the object that shattered it turned out to be a pair of dress making sheers which had buried themselves into the post of the cafe door. She carefully placed the handle of the cup, the only part of the blessed brew container left, onto the saucer with a slight whimper and stood up. She walked out into the centre of the town square and yelled out. “Alright you bunch of misfits and disreputable equines, front and centre, NOW!” She used her ‘drill sergeant’ voice. She got a slightly evil look on her face as a lot of the ponies in town lined up in front of her, including one small dragon. “Two lines, three lengths from and facing each other, now...!” She smiled as she saw them face each other leaving her an aisle to march up and down in, which she did while turning the air blue with words that would have even made Spitfire blush. She came to a halt and stared at Rarity. “Now, I was just about to enjoy a cup of coffee, it had the perfect amount of foam too, when my cup was shattered, destroying it along with my good mood, by a pair of dress making shears. Care to tell me who they belonged to and how they destroyed my coffee?” Tempest said with a growl. “I, erm, was surprised by ball of purple magic that exploded in my shop, and that made me throw my sheers, which I had in my own magic...” Rarity said with a gulp. “Purple huh?” Tempest said with a raised eyebrow as she noticed that every eye seemed to be turned towards Princess Twilight. “My magic isn’t purple, it’s magenta.” She said with a blush. “Close enough.” Tempest said as she walked down the other end of the group to Twilight who was standing next to Shining Armour, who was standing rigidly at attention, and a giggling Cadence. “Now, Twilight, why did you shoot a ball of magic into Rarity’s store?” “Well I was shocked and I had an accidental discharge when somepony feathered my plot...” Twilight started to say. “Not the best choice of words...” She mumbled. “Hey Twilight, I didn’t know you liked it like that!” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh which made the Princess squeak, blush and hide behind her wing. “Now, who here knows why that happened?” Tempest asked in a calm tone. “Erm, I was chasing him when he did it...” Rainbow Dash said from half way down the group making Tempest walk slowly down to her. “Why were you chasing him in the first place?” Tempest asked. “He stole something, erm, personal from my house as he flew through my bedroom at high speed...” Rainbow dash said as her blush dyed her fur purple. “And who here knows why he was flying so quickly through a mare’s bedroom?” Tempest asked with an eye twitch. “Maybe trying ta get away from the explosion?” A stallion down the opposite end said. Tempest gave a long suffering sigh as she walked down to the end again. “And how did that happen?” “I was surprised by a Timber Wolf as I raced next to the gas works, so I tossed my lamp and it must have caused it.” The stallion, Lamp Lighter, said with a whimper under the stare of Tempest. Tempest muttered some choice words before asking. “And can somepony also please tell me why Pinkie seems to be vibrating so hard she looks like she’s trying to go trans-dimensional?” “She’s got a sugar rush from when she got blown into our sugar concentrate storage because of the explosion.” Mr Cake said. Tempest sadly nodded. “The explosion caused by a Timber Wolf... How the buck did a Timber Wolf end up in town?” “That was us, Ms Tempest.” Scootaloo said. Tempest turned to face the CMC, who were still stuck together, and sighed. “Tell me...” “Well we was chasing a Pegasus who went into the Everfree, and we musta disturbed the Timber Wolf, and it chased us ta town.” Apple Bloom said. “And why, were you chasing the Pegasus?” Tempest said in a forlorn tone. “Because he stole ma hat.” Applejack said firmly. Tempest just nodded. “Definitely Thursday.” She thought. “And you,” she pointed a hoof at Big Mac, “were trying to stop her chasing him?” Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup.” Tempest face hoofed and whimpered. “And where is this Pegasus?” “Right there!” Applejack said firmly and raced off. She returned with a trussed up Pegasus stallion being dragged along the ground. The stallion was totally hogtied and Applejack had her prized hat back on her head as she stopped the bundle in front of Tempest. The other ponies gathered around to look at the stranger. He had a pure white coat, mane and tail, the only colour that could be seen on him was a pink nose. He wore saddlebags and a set of darkened lens glasses on his face. “And who are you?” Tempest asked, her horn crackling. “Moonbeam Starlight.” The stallion replied in a soft but surprisingly high pitch to his voice. “Well Moonbeam, could you please explain as to why you have been doing what you’ve been doing?” Tempest asked in a tone so cold it could have grown icicles on a mid-summers day in Saddle Arabia. Before he could reply Twilight gave out a scream as she noticed something sticking out of his saddlebags. She quickly pulled it out with her magic, and almost all the ponies gasped as she held Celestia’s crown in her hoof. She started to make weird whimpering and squeaking noises as she pointed at it. “Please allow me to translate ‘freak out’ to normal Equish; according to Twilight, she’s shocked that you’d do this, and you are guilty of High Treason...” Spike said. Twilight gave another set of squeaking noises as her lips shook. “And... You are to be taken to the jail.” Spike added. “I didn’t steal that.” Moonbeam said firmly. “We can’t trust ya,” Applejack said firmly, “ya stole ma hat, and something from Dash, I say ya are a no account thief, and we can’t know tha truth if’n we can’t see ya eyes...” With one swift movement she tore the glasses off his face. She was surprised when he gave out a pained scream as his eyes closed and he tried to cover his eyes with his bound wings, all the time whimpering like a kicked puppy. Applejack stood there stunned with the glasses in her hoof. She was even more surprised when the glasses were levitated out of her hoof by a blue magical field as she was pushed out of the way by Vinyl Scratch, the Ponyville resident DJ, as the Unicorn mare gently placed the glasses back onto Moonbeam’s face. Vinyl turned and glared at Applejack. “Do you know how much of a bucking bitch you are right now?!” “Whatcha mean?” Applejack said firmly. “He’s an Albino, his eyes are even more sensitive to the light than mine are, and you may have well just shone a laser into his eyes!” Vinyl pointed up at the sun. “I’ve got EPSS.” Moonbeam said in his soft tone. As the others looked confused, Twilight spoke up. “Extreme Photo Sensitivity Syndrome.” Moonbeam nodded, keeping his eyes closed. “That doesn’t excuse stealing, and what you did to me, plus treason.” Twilight said firmly. “I didn’t steal the crown.” Moonbeam said firmly. “Oh yeah, what about my... erm... what you stole from my house?” Rainbow Dash said firmly. “That was an accident, I flew through your window as you had it in your hoof, I accidently got it caught in my saddlebag, nothing more,” Moonbeam said, “it’s still in my pack.” Tempest reached into the pack and pulled out a large red vibrator. “Is this...” Suddenly there was a rainbow coloured flash and it was whisked away from her hoof before she could show anypony. “Well I think I know what you stole from Dash?” She said with a slight giggle. Moonbeam nodded. “I repeat, I didn’t steal anything.” “What about ma hat?” Applejack asked with an angry snort. “Okay, I did take your hat, I apologise for that, but I only meant it as a joke...” Moonbeam said. “A joke!” Applejack said firmly and advanced on him making the stallion take a step back. “AJ,” Her brother rumbled at the farm mare in a warning tone, “let him talk.” Applejack nodded slowly. “Alright, but that don’t explain tha crown.” “I think I can explain that,” Cadence said having noticed something else in the bags, “turn it over Twilight, and look inside.” Twilight nodded and did as her sister-in-law suggested. “Made for the Canterlot Souvenir Store, limited edition, one of five hundred...” She looked around at the Ponies there and then back to Moonbeam. “This is a copy?” Moonbeam nodded. “Yes, I had to save up for three weeks to get the full set of four first editions.” “But why are you carrying them around?” Twilight asked as she handed back the copy. Moonbeam gave a soft sigh. “I was moving into Ponyville for work, I’m the new Night Patrol Deputy Marshal for Ponyville.” “Yer another Marshal? We’ve already got one, why do we need two?” Big Mac said. “Yes, but I am nocturnal, so I’ll work of a night to keep the town safe, while Marshal Apple looks after the daytime.” Moonbeam said as he started to put his limited belongings back into his bags. Applejack nodded. “I understand, but ya shouldn’t have never taken ma hat...” Moonbeam held up a hoof. “I know, and if you have a branch of the Canterlot and Central Bank here I’ll gladly pay for any damage I can afford...” “Well, you will still have to be punished.” Shining Armour said firmly. “I suggest a spanking.” A mare’s voice said from the crowd. “Oh a spanking, a spanking!” The call was taken up by around one dozen mares at the edge of the crowd. “And then, the oral sex!” The first mare said again. “KINKY TWIST!” Cadence shot out as Tempest blushed up a storm while Moonbeam gave a startled and un-stallion like squeak. “Well you did say to punish him, but you didn’t say we couldn’t have fun doing it.” Kinky Twist, the owner of ‘Fun for Mares’ Adult shop spoke up. Cadence coughed as Shining blushed bright red. Twilight sighed softly once she had calmed and nodded. “Alright, situation back to normal everypony.” She smiled as she watch the ponies peel off and go about their normal business. She turned to look at Tempest. “So what you going to do now Tempest?” “Oh, that’s easy,” Tempest gave an almost-manic laugh, “grab another coffee.” She then mumbled. “Also maybe a cold shower.”