//------------------------------// // It's a new day. It's a new you. // Story: Fizzle Popped Berrytwist // by Evergreen_The_Horse //------------------------------// Kick “Mmm…” Kick “Ugh… f-five more minutes…” … Kick My eyes popped open, and I groaned as I reached my hooves up to rub my eyes. “Ugh ok, ok.” I heaved with a slight laugh. “I'm up. Heh, Mama's up.” I brought a hoof down to gently rub my slightly swollen belly, exhaling deeply out my nostrils as I ran my hooves up and down my body. The life growing inside it calmed its movements. “Heh, you're becoming a pain in my stomach, you know that?” I joked to myself. It's been a few months since the Storm King’s demise. I was his lackey, his tool. Tempest Shadow, his perfect commander. I’d made the same stupid mistake I’d made all those years ago, trusting fake friends. After he was gone and the celebration party was over, I had no idea what to do. I mean, what were my options? I was a villain. A blind, blank flanked, hornless freak whose only purpose she found was to follow an unjust rule. I should've been thrown in the Canterlot dungeons for life for my crimes, but… I wasn't. Princess Twilight was merciful to me, along with her friends. They gave me a proper second chance. But how I could just… reset? I wasted my entire life chasing an evil cause. Well, it certainly wasn't easy. But Twilight was generous enough to give me enough bits to tide me over, whether I stayed in Equestria or not. Ultimately, after thinking back on the Tartarus hole that was the badlands, I stayed. I took my chances in the town she and her friends lived, Ponyville. I obviously wasn't instantly accepted, I don't think there was a single soul in the small town other than Twilight and her friends that didn't resent me. But Twilight convinced the townsponies to… TRY to put the past behind us. To give me a chance to become their… friend. I didn't know how I felt about that at the time. How could I prove I was worthy of a second chance, to be seen as something more than a sociopath that the Princesses were foolish to not banish or imprison? All of those thoughts flooded my mind at the time, but I eventually settled in. I brought back my real name, Fizzlepop Berrytwist. I wanted to long forget about that accursed alias that plagued most of my former life. The settlement was long, but eventually, I quietly fit right in. I sat up from my bed and looked outside my bedroom window. A golden dawn, daylight just breaking over the hills. I always cherished when I woke early enough for glimpses of these sights, it sure beat the grey badlands by a long shot. I smiled as my eyes squinted to the rays beaming through. I truly did bless each new day I got to see, each new day away from my life as a pawn to some mad king's dirty work. I groaned and started to stretch my legs out, not stopping till each one of my joints popped out of its slumber, all while giving a hefty early morning yawn. I shifted my legs over the side of my bed and slowly slid off, doing my best to balance myself to all four of my legs with this new bloated stomach I had. “Damn, I swear you get heavier each passing minute.” I said to my bit of growing life. Once out of bed, I walked out of my room and started my morning routine. A quick 'It's a new day, it's a new you’ speech in the bathroom mirror, then a trip downstairs to my living room and kitchen hybrid. It was a small living space with a couch and a small table. The carpet merging into the hardwood floor of a small kitchen with basic necessities like a refrigerator, a small stove and a countertop in between them. My house certainly wasn't a castle or an airship but it has good rent and I've been getting by in it. I mean, it sure beat potentially living behind bars. It's what I call home, and that's all I need. Though I am certainly upgrading after I get enough bits. I went to my fridge and opened it. Even though I lived in what could be considered a plot hole, I got by pretty well with food. Princess Twilight's friends Applejack and Pinkie Pie were very nice in giving me as much food as needed until I was able to afford a new home and better food. The fridge was chock full of apple related and sweet looking pastries and treats. I had picked out an apple and cinnamon oatmeal, apparently it was an Apple Family breakfast favorite according to Applejack. I had prepared it, sat down at my living room table, and had my breakfast. Normal ponies would probably get sick of samey stuff but I actually found these foods quite the joy to eat. Most I've eaten in my past life is mess hall slop. This though? I've never tasted anything like them! They especially did help me with the sweet tooth I was developing thanks to this new life growing inside my womb. Yes, Fizzlepop Berrytwist; formerly known as Tempest Shadow, the iron-hoofed commander of the Storm King's army; is now not only living a completely normal and mundane life, but is also 4 months pregnant. Pfft, ain't that a laugh? How did this happen? Well, it's all quite foolish really... Things were going so well for me once I’d rented the house, but nature had other plans – my heat began. Typical, I thought. But if anything would show I've changed, it would be accepting a male into my home, sharing an… intimate moment for the first time. I didn't know if anypony would want to sleep with a pony that once tried to enslave their home and capture their Princess, but I took my chances, flagged my tail, and let the males roll to me. If there were even any takers who would dare to stick their dick in crazy. Surprise surprise, not many took the chance. They were interested in the smell but not the flank it belonged to. In a way, I didn't blame them. After all, I’d been a villain not long before. But I wanted to show that I wasn't Tempest anymore. I was Fizzlepop now. A normal pony like them and a poor mare in heat just looking to sate her needs. I just wanted a male to trust me. If he did, that was all the convincing I needed to know I could trust him just as equally in bed. And with my... Issues, trust was something I needed to get comfortable and accustomed to. For most of my heat week, there were no takers. Just me taking long and rather lonely walks through the town. For a bit, I had lost hope of getting rid of this heat, or moreso showing the ponies of the town I was just trying to fit in and be normal. One day, I had just given up with the walk entirely and stayed home. Maybe my heat was making me emotional but… I wanted to cry that day. On my couch, letting my fumes remind me that no male would want to help a freak like me. Or, I was about to cry, until I heard a knocking on the door. I remember opening my door to black coated pegasus stallion with a mixed white and blue mohawk. Thunderlane, I believe his name was. “Hey! Uh… so I heard that you were in heat and that not many ponies were giving you a chance. Crazy pony or not I… I don't think I could allow a mare to suffer through that any longer. So… can I help?” He was kinda brash but had all the good intentions. He said that if anyone was brave enough to… 'help’ a former villain, there was no one in town more suited for it than him. He was cocky and kind of arrogant, but that was a charm about him. It was like all my heat depression had vanished on sight with him. I gladly invited him inside and offered him my fridge for a snack or drink if he needed one. I wanted to show as much hospitality as possible, I could tell that he was still nervous being around a formal super-criminal, even if he had the most bravado I've ever seen in a male. Maybe he was doing this to prove something to himself or to have bragging rights to friends. But I could tell he wasn't just doing this for himself and that he genuinely wanted to help. We had a bit of small talk along with a bottle of cider before anything started. I must admit, it was nice to just lower my guard and get a little tipsy with a guy. We talked about our lives, about how he was a weather worker and how I lost my horn and all. We had a good laugh and eventually we just looked into each other's eyes. Everything went silent. And we kissed, my first ever kiss. It was short but sweet, and even if we probably meant nothing to each other romantically, it was nice. I could tell the physicality and my smell were starting to get to him so I invited him up to my bedroom for a more comfortable location to continue. He obliged and the rest is obvious. With a sway in my hips, I led him upstairs to my bed, and we made love. My cherry was popped that night, along with my womb being fertilized. I had thanked him the next day for taking care of me and he had thanked me for not killing him in the process. He admitted that I certainly wasn't as bad as ponies made me seem. That had warmed my heart, made me feel like I really was starting to fit in. The rest is history. It was all just a harmless, no-strings, heat quenching fling in the long run, but I'm glad it happened. I had totally expected word to get around that Tempest was not only a villain but a whorse as well, but… apparently Thunderlane had been a lot more positive in gossip. Saying that Princess Twilight was right to give me a second chance. Day by day, ponies started stopping me during my daily walks to make some small talk. I would oblige, though there really wasn't much to talk about. Some even apologized for not giving me a second chance sooner – I just had to say sorry for the whole Storm King thing back. It was a very sudden but very welcome change. I even started getting recognized as Fizzlepop instead of Tempest. And to top it all off… I had received the most beautiful ‘welcome back to society’ present of all. My foal. I, expectedly, found out that I was pregnant a few weeks later. I had already seen it coming, but I don't think I had ever felt true happiness until then. Twilight and the town forgiving me, society forgetting my past actions, me finally starting to fit in, it all made me happy. But this foal, this beautiful new piece of life growing inside me… with it, I knew that my life was truly on a road to recovery. If there wasn't anything to motivate me to become a better pony before, I certainly had it now. I had finished my breakfast and was just relaxing on the couch, slowly stroking my baby bump and reminiscing about the whole process of fitting in. I was smiling, I never thought that I would ever find happiness after my life was ruined by that Ursa Minor but here I was. I had actual friends, I was living ok, I was slowly getting on my hooves on my own, and I had a foal on the way. Life was good. Perhaps a little too good. I had been thinking about my slow inauguration into the town that I hadn't even noticed that the sun was high in the sky by now out my window. My eyes widened. “Ahh shoot! I'm going to be late!” I carefully but hastily got up and off my couch, I'd worry about dishes later. For now, I actually had a few activities planned, with all with the Elements no less. I fetched my saddlebag, tailored with care from Rarity, and stopped at my front door. I closed my eyes, gave a deep breath and a deep sigh. And softly muttered to myself. “It's a new day, it's a new you.” With that, I put a smile on my face, opened the door, and set out.