There comes a time in everyone's life where they have to make big decisions. These decisions can change the course of the individuals life drastically. Like a filly deciding to become a barber or a train conductor, each is a vastly different form of lifestyle. One would root a pony into a single place, maybe move once or twice, the other would have them see the farthest reaches of the continent. Yet both would be perfectly fine life choices. For Tempest Shadow, it was a heavy weight she could barely bare.
On one hand she wanted to be home with her family and chose a simple life. Making wine, easy dining, and having a nice comfortable bed to sleep in was nice, although she admits to missing her old worn metal cot back on her ship. Then again, she already missed the adventure and thrill of living everyday on the edge. But she could not deny that she loved her family and had no desire to leave them again any time soon. At the same time she didn’t want to stay and live off her parents all her life either.
Then there was the life of a Royal Guard. Tempest found the offer quite tempting but after living her life under the Storm Kings rule for so long she wasn’t fond of the idea of serving another so soon. She did understand she’d be best for the job and she would be paid well. Also she’d be able to see much of equestria when the Princess traveled, and no doubt adventure would seek them at every corner. Needless to say, she had a tough choice to make for her future.
It came down to this, would she stay at the family farm and live a nice easy going life making wine, or would she become Princess Twilight’s personal Guard and live a potentially more adventurous life?
It wasn’t an easy thing for Tempest to think about. She still felt she had a lot to answer for when she worked under the Storm King. Capturing her fellow ponies, imprisoning the princesses, and destroying most of a city in the process. She felt like she didn’t deserve to be given a job of such high prestige, especially not from the Princess she had hunted and captured to enslave?
In order to keep her mind off this Tempest kept herself busy with her daily chores. Mostly it was gathering the grapes for the harvest which would be eaten on Nightmare Night. Working alongside her, Celaeno was assisting by gathering grapes form the next row of vines down. With a little counseling form Chardonnay and Merlot she made sure to also check the vines for bugs and signs of infections. It was an easy simple life and one Tempest could live with, but at the same time did she really want to settle down now? She was in her prime and had the opportunity to go out and see the world in a new light free from the shadows of her past. Princess Twilight, her parents, and even her old friends forgave her for her past misdeeds. So, why couldn’t she forgive herself?
Her thoughts went around in this endless circle while she worked the fields preparing for tonight's Nightmare Night festival. Despite the Ursa attack the townsfolk decided unanimously to keep the celebration on schedule; and to also hail the heroes present for saving the town.
“I’m not a hero” Tempest muttered under her breath.
She picked off some grapes from a vine and placed them into her basket. She looked down at the basket to see if it was full. She saw it was about half filled with dark juicy grapes. She then looked down a few feet to see Celeano inspecting the vines as she went along. The former pirate was given the task of inspecting the vines for bugs and infections that could harm them and potentially spread to other vines nearby. Instead of her usual garb Celaeno was wearing her pants and a simple white shirt and her leg brace. She opted to leave her weapons at the house since Chardonnay said she wouldn’t need them in the fields. Tempest made a big fuss about it but Celaeno saw no point to having weapons in a grape field.
Even without her weapons and signature hat Tempest saw the female anthro parrot in a slightly new light. She always admired her from afar but after working with her for a few days she began to admire her even more and especially after helping the town. Though she wasn’t asked Celaeno and her crew came to assist the town without asking for anything in return except lodging while they repaired their ship for travel. She was truly a selfless being, and that was something Tempest could only admire considering her own selfishness.
Suddenly she felt something small and wet hit her head and saw a purple ball fall to her hooves. She nearly jumped and narrowed her eyes at the offending ball which turned out to be a grape. She instantly snapped her head to the side and glared at Celaeno who was trying, and ultimately failing, to hide her smile and laughing.
Tempest couldn’t help but grin at the playfulness of her friend. Her horn sparked to life as a surge of raw magical energy formed around the grape Celaneo tossed at her and it flung back at her. Celaeno barely had enough time to duck when she realized the grape was flying at her from the corner of her eye. The grape flew harmlessly over her head and bounced twice before rolling to a stop a few feet away from her. Celaeno giggled and reached for another grape and threw it back at Tempest who simply jumped to the side letting the fruit pass harmlessly by.
With a playful laugh Tempest charged Celaeno trying to tackle her but was stopped when she stood up. Now towering over the unicorn Celaeno grabbed Tempest around the neck putting her in a headlock and ruffled her mane with a knuckled noogie.
“Got ya!” She chirped rubbing her friends mane.
“Heh, you gotta do better than that!”
Tempest let out a small magical zap at Celaeno’s hand. She then realized Tempest yelping and gripping her claw hand glaring back at Tempest who was giving her a playful smirk.
“You cheeky thing!” Celaeno yelled chasing after the unicorn.
The two laughed as they chased each other all over the field. They ran through the intertwining vines and hiding as they played their game of cat and mouse while the pranced around in a jovial mood. Tempest now completely lost her melancholic mood and was now happily living in the moment of the chase with her friend. It reminded her of her foalhood with Trixie and their friends when they too use to run down these very fields of green. It was very nostalgic for the pony but a welcome one.
She quickly turned and weaved between the vines thinking she was losing Celaeno so she could sneak around on her friend. However Celaneo used her height to see over the rows of plants and was able to plan her next move accordingly. Seeing Tempest sneak to the right keeping low to the ground she circled to meet Tempest head on. She too kept low so Tempest wouldn’t see her since she was so tall. Creeping low on the ground Celaena's plan worked like a charm.
She managed to circle around but managed to not only catch up to her but was completely unaware of Celaena's presence behind her. Tempest tried to stifle a giggle wiggling her flank which Celaneo took a brief moment to admire. The swaying of the mares hips were entrancing to her almost to the degree of a moth to a flame. Celaeno’s eyes followed the curve of the mares hips as they swayed back and forth like a cat would just before it would strike. As Tempest waited Celaeno crept closer itching herself on all fours taking care not to signal she was there. When she was just inches from Tempest she made her move.
With a burst of lighting speed she pushed off her back legs and jumped forward. She snatched Tempest from around the waist and lifted the mare up like a child clutching its favorite stuffed animal and nuzzled her cheek to cheek. Tempest let out a girly scream and tried to break free until she gave into the cheek rub. Blush furiously she averted her gaze crossing her from legs over her chest while she was carried by Celaeno out of the field.
“Aww, you mad there” Celaeno asked putting Tempest down.
The unicorn stuck her nose up and marched briskly out of the row of grape vines with Celaeno at her side.
“Humph! Just be glad I didn’t use my magic on you otherwise you would be begging for mercy!” Tempest said with a huff.
Celaeno just laughed but kneeled down to hug Tempest. She wrapped her arms around the smaller mare once more ruffling her mane. Tempest smacked her with a hoof and sent Celaeno into full retreat. Shaking her head Tempest followed her to their work area where they left the baskets unattended. On the way back Tempest walked right beside Celaeno and brushed up against her leg taking care not to push her over. The female parrot smiled own at her unicorn friend and pet her mane back with a clawed hand; Tempest nuzzled the hand like a cat but gave Celaeno a serious look after realizing what she did.
“Don’t tell anyone about this.” She said.
Celaeno smiled and did a zipping motion with her hand over her beak locking it up and throwing away the key. “Not a word,” She replied kindly.
After the small exchange the two walked side by side in silence the rest of the way. They walked through the rows of vines taking in the sights around them as they went. For Tempest it was simply a walk down memory lane, almost literally. Celaeno was enjoying it for the first time taking in the breathtaking scenery of green fields all around her. All her life all she knew was sand, rock, and steel, now she could see nature and all its glory. Untainted by the Storm King and industrial touch.
She took a moment to reach out and run her fingers over the leaves of a grapevine she walked by which she noticed had small green fruit instead of the dark purple ones. She kneeled down and looked closer at the green grapes even poking one with a talon. Tempest noticed her friend stopped in her tracks and was inspecting the vine. Curious as to what caught her attention Tempest turned to around and walked back to see what Celaeno was looking at on the vine. Once closer she noticed she was looking at a green cluster of grapes.
“What’s got you so interested?” Tempest asked sitting next to her.
“Oh, those are neighgara greens. They're a real sweet grape that we use for my families white wines. They’re also great table foods!”
Tempest leaned in to take one grape off the cluster and ate it letting out a soft moan afterwards. “Mmm, so good.” Celaeno looked at the cluster. She reached in and took one grape tugging it free from its cluster holding it between two talons. She looked over the small fruit which was a light green with a almost frosty looking coat over it. Tempest told her it was condensation and it was safe to eat. After a thorough inspection of the grape she popped it in her mouth and chewed it thoughtfully.
The soft green grape was indeed sweet as Tempest said, what she wasn’t ready for was how sweet it turned out ot be. She shivered and shook her head to the sweet taste but enjoyed the sweet watery fruit.
“Mmm, that is good. It reminds me of the first time I drank alcoholic grog.” Celaeno said without hesitation.
Tempest shook her head but smiled none the less at her friend. “I didn’t know you liked that kind of drinking.”
“Psh! Of course I do! Grog is one of the best things out there! Spice grog, meelworm grog, and fireseed grog! Gosh I wish I had some now,” Celaeno said with a stary glint in her eyes.
The enthusiasm in her friend was heart warming for Tempest. It was nice to have a good friend she could just talk to and hang around without feeling depressed all the time. With one last playful nudge to Celaeno’s hip Tempest skipped along the road ahead of her turning near the end of the row of plants where she stopped and turned her head back to see her friend.
“Thanks Celaeno. You’re indeed one of the best friends I ever had. Thanks for being my friend when I needed it most,” She said sincerely.
The two shared a moment in silence. Nothing needed to be said. They both knew what the other was thinking and so together they walked back in silence. It was a nice feeling for both knowing they had each other to rely on. Something Tempest wished she had earlier in her life. Perhaps if she had not given up so easily things might have turned out differently.
Maybe she wouldn’t have become evil and tried to enslave ponykind under her hoof. Maybe she wouldn’t have run away from home and would have had a wonderful life. Maybe she never would have met Princess Twilight or Captain Celaeno. That last thought lingered longer than she expected. She cared deeply for Celaeno for she was easily her best friend and she didn’t want to lose that friendship no matter what. Perhaps friendship was worth all the trouble after all.
No, she wouldn’t want that. No matter how much better her life might have been she wouldn’t want to give up what she gained for anything. Well, maybe anything. Her thoughts shifted back to her mother. More specifically her habit of trying to get Tempest to hook up with someone. It drove her nuts every time her mother brought up the subject of her getting hitched. It wasn’t because of how often it happens, but she was worried herself that she might not find someone to fall in love with. Tempest didn’t use to believe in happy endings but now that things have changed she had a brighter view on life. Maybe life was about to turn around and give her a miracle after she lost so much.
Once more she leaned into Celaeno for a brief second before stepping back walking side by side with her. Once back at their work area Tempest and Celaeno continued working together, occasionally Tempest would rub her tail against Celaeno who would return the gesture with a tug of her tail feathers. After working for the next hour they two finished their work and retreated back home with their spoils.
When they arrived little Pinch was there to greet them. The filly was dressed as a large grape cluster with the main part of her costume being one giant grape with several smaller ones attached to her sides. To complete the look she had a hood with a stem and leaf where her horn was. Tempest watched in amusement as the fily waddled clumsily towards them and fell over sideways in her excitement. Both of them giggled at Pinches clumsy display as she waddled towards them.
“Tempest, Celaeno! What do you think of my costume?” She ask clearly proud of her outfit.
“I think it’s absolutely adorable. What do you think Tempest?” Celaeno asked kneeling to pet Pinch on the head.
Tempest shrugged and ruffled Pinches head. “Looks good, kiddo. You going out tonight for Nightmare Night?”
“Yes! I’m gonna go with my friends, and get all kinds of candy and treats, and then we’re going to have a sleepover at my friends place!” Pinch said with excitement.
Tempest sat down allowing her cousin to hug her around the waist. She held on, pushing the plump costume feeling her hooves sink into the soft fabric.
“Gonna share with me?” Tempest asked shaking her niece lightly.
“Of course!” Pinch said hugging her back.
Both ponies laughed while Celaeno just sat by and watched allowing the siblings to share their moment. Then she felt the filly run up and tackle hug her. She was shocked at first but allowed the intimate contact as she pet Pinch’s head.
“Are you two gonna go treating with us?” She asked.
The two looked at each other sharing a knowing look. Nightmare Night was going to be their night to hangout and drink. No parents since they’d be watching the kids, no kids, and all the house was to themselves. Something they planned for, but they would tell anyone that.
“Nah, little one, we’ve got a whole night planned.” Celaeno said with a straight face.
Pinch tilted her head not fully getting what they meant.
“Really?” She asked.
Tempest nodded in response, “Yes, all to ourselves. We’re gonna hangout and drink some wine and eat some junk food.”
After their exchange Celaeno lifted Pinch and placed her onto Tempest's back. Pinch sat on her haunches and wrapped her arms around Tempest’s neck and held on as they walked into the house. Closing the door the three joined up with the family inside and enjoyed a nice early dinner while fillies and colts ran around outside in dress and costumes. Cheering and laughing about the night to come and the Nightmare Night Festival that’ll take place in the town square and singing their song, “NIghtmare Night, what a fright, give me something sweet to bite!”