A colorful train rumbled into the Ponyville station and as soon as the doors opened ponies of all shapes, sizes and colors poured out the door eager to escape the scene unfolding on the train.
“-and that’s how i ended up stuck upside down in the Princess’ bathroom sink.” Derpy said stepping off the train right behind Tempest. The broken unicorn bit down on the handle of her suitcase to keep her from saying something mean to the grey pegasus. She had nothing against the mare but she spoke the entire train ride even talking in her sleep about muffins. In fact if she heard that word one more time from the wall eyed mare she’d-
“Hey Tempest ya hungry? We could get some muffins.” Derpy asked blissfully unaware of how the scarred unicorn’s eye twitched or how she bit down so hard on her suitcase the plastic handled cracked.
“DERPY WILL YOU SHU-” Tempest paused noticing all the eyes on her. Realizing this first impression is not how she wanted them to remember her. “Uhh I mean can you show me the way to the castle?” She said trying to recover.
“Sure thing Temp. I always get lost trying to find it and I live here. Lets see. I think It’s…” Derpy’s hoof pointed out towards the giant crystal castle towering above all of Ponyville visible not just from the train platform they were on but pretty much the entire town before sharply turing and pointing off into the opposite direction towards nothing of note. “That way. Do you want me to lead you?”
Tempest shut that ideal down quick. “No! No, It’s fine I’m sure I can find it, besides shouldn't you go tell your daughter Dinky your back?” Tempest had heard all about Dinky from her mother's incessant chatter which was thirty-three percent Dinky thirty-three percent muffins and thirty-three percent how much Dinky liked muffins one percent crashing into royal bathrooms stories.
“Oh yeah I left Time Turner babysitting I should go find where he parked his phone booth. Anyway it was nice meeting you Temp, come by and visit me sometimes. I think we have a lot in common. I live with Time Turner in his phone booth.”
“You, a stallion and your daughter all live in a phone booth? Isn’t that kinda cramped?”
“Oh no it’s very spacious. Anyway come sometime during the weekend, I’m almost always at the post office during the week. Bye-Bye Temp.” Derpy flew off slammed into a tree a few feet away and then continued on her way.
“I wonder if everypony in this town is that crazy.” Tempest pondered heading off in the obvious direction of the castle.
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The auditorium of the School of Friendship was full of the chatter of the entire student body as every creature who attended crammed in and whispered to their friends to see if any creature know the reason for this meeting. They watched as Headmare Twilight Sparkle stepped out onto the stage. “Attention students.” She called out to the crowd.
Instead of quieting the cacophony of voices grew louder as rumors began to fly.
“She’s retiring after Cozy Glow outsmarted her.”
“Attention students.”
“Headmare Twilight is dating one of the other staff.”
“I said may I please have your attention!”
“Were all going to become alicorns.”
“Attention Every-Creature!”
“Oh my Celestia! Twilight is pregnant! Just look at her stomach!”
“I Said Attention Everypony!”
“Nah she’s just fat.”
Twilight took a deep breath and felt her magic on her vocal cords. “I SAID ATTENTION STUDENTS!!!” her royal canterlot voice echoed through the room and pushed the young alicorn back a few feet, and as hoped stunned everyone into silence.
“Thank you all for listening. I have a important announcement to make. No pony is quitting nor can I alone make any-creature a alicorn. I’m not in a relationship even through hearts and hooves day is just around the corner, I’m perfectly happy spending it alone. Just me in my giant castle. Made of cold stone. Reading a book about somepony else who finds love and there hearts become full of joy and happiness while I’m stuck LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH THEM. NO I’M NOT DATING ANYPONY. AND HOW CAN I BE PREGNANT WHEN MY SEX LIFE IS NONEXISTENT?” Twilight exclaimed getting slightly off topic. She used the breathing technique Cadence taught her to try and calm down some.
“Wow Twilight you need to get laid badly.” Rainbow helpfully pointed out.
“Thank you Rainbow Dash.” Twilight shot the Pegasus a glare. “Anyway I apologize for that outburst. I wanted to introduce you to a new staff member. I failed you all when I let Cozy Glow put you in danger. For that and the threat of the Everfree forest, I have decided to recruit a guard organization similar but still separate from the Royal Guard in Canterlot. While they will protect all of Ponyville and it’s citizens and be stationed at my castle their main task will be keeping you children all safe. This new staff member will be the captain of the newly formed guard. Once I actually get around to forming them that is hehe.” She finished a bit embarrassed.
Starlight stepped up to give her friend a rest. “This pony is a friend of Twilight and me so we hope your all come to trust them as much as me and Twilight do. She has experience with military service and even commanded troops of her own in a… somewhat successful military operation. It was pretty much only her leader who screwed it up in the end. As for her actual job at the school, she’ll be the school’s safety officer. Think of it this way, as your councilor is to ensure your mental and emotional well being. Her job will to be to protect your physical well being by keeping you safe and making sure you never get hurt in the first place. So if you have any concerns about safety or see anyone breaking the rules or doing anything unsafe for themselves or others, you should tell her or one of the other staff who will alert her. Now some of you may be a bit hesitant to trust her but I promise she earned our trust and I know she hopes to earn yours as well. Also remember not too long ago I was Twilight’s greatest foe. I changed and she has changed as well.”
The student were confused. It made sense to up security but what was all this about trusting and ponies changing. They were about to start gossiping again when Headmare Twilight cut them off. “Students let me introduce my friend and captain of the guard. Tempest Shadow.”
On cue the mulberry unicorn stepped out from behind the stage and walked up to stand next to Twilight. She still wore her old clothing that would have went under her armor. While it lacked the Storm King’s emblem everypony remembered the mare that lead the storm king’s army. For the ponies in the crowd like Sandbar they remembered the the few days of subjection, honestly they had lived through worse with Discord and Tirek particularly.
For the other species however they remembered other things about her. For the changelings and griffons she was a threat that never quite reached them, so while surprised at her appearance, for Gallus and Ocellus it wasn’t too much of a concern. The others however felt differently. Yona remembered how before the Storm King the Yaks and Snow beasts lived pretty peacefully in the cold north but after his rise to power he lead them in a aggressive attack against the Yaks as he pushed south. While she had never seen Tempest she knew she had served the Storm King for years and that made her a enemy of the Yaks. Smolder remembered raids against the dragon lands as the Storm King tried to take over their rich mines and take their treasures to fund his conquests. Worst of all was Silverstream as the Invasion of Mount Aris flashed through her mind. She remembered the loss of her home and the constant fear she lived in of this very mare coming to finish what she started on land.
Silverstream stood up and ran out the closest door her friends right behind her calling out to her to stop and wait for them.
Starlight turned to Twilight “Don’t worry I’ll talk to them.” She then teleported off after the kids.
“We’re off to a great start.” Tempest mumbled. “You sure you want me to do this Twilight?”
Twilight put her wing around the mulberry mare. “I knew some of the students may be hesitant to trust you but in time they’ll see the friendly pony I know you can be. Just give it time Tempest.”
Tempest smiled to her friend before stepping forward to the edge of the stage. “Attention fellow students of friendship. I maybe new to friendship and many of you probably know more about it than I do. What I do know however is dedication, perseverance, and determination and those are all thing the needed to keep you children safe. I promise that even if you don’t trust me now, I will do everything I can to protect you, this school and this town. I promise that I will be your shield so you may focus on your studies without fear.”
Twilight smiled stepping up to Tempest and turning to face her. Tempest kelt before the princess. Twilight unfolded her wings standing before her friend regally. “Tempest Shadow do you swear to defend the students of this school and the citizens of Ponyville? Do you vow to uphold the laws of Equestria as the captain of the local guards? So long as Celestia’s sun shines in the day and Luna’s stars twinkle in the night?”
“I swear your majesty.”
“Do you vow to obey my orders as captain of my personal guards? Do you promise your loyalty to the throne of friendship? For as long as Princess Cadence fills our hearts with love?”
“I swear my fealty to you, The Princess of Friendship, as your devoted knight.”
“And last but most importantly. Do you give your devotion to the ideal of friendship? Do you recognize the magic of friendship?”
“I vow to be the knight of friendship for as long as you, Princess Twilight, continue spread it across the land.”
Twilight smiled at her friend reaching out and raising her to her hoofs. “Then as the Princess of Friendship and a princess of Equestria I hereby knight you, Tempest Shadow, as captain of my guard.”
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“So was this apart of your plan? getting locked down here as well?”
“Golly neighbor. This is exactly where I want to be now you can start teaching me in earnest. Then once we break out we’ll get our revenge against Twilight.”
“Humm. You know I may have underestimated you little pony.”
“Most folks do, and it’s a big mistake. So what do you say mister, Wanna be friends?”