"Twilight!" Midnight exclaimed.
"Midnight! It's good to see you again. How are you?" Twilight happily asked.
"I've never been better. How about you?"
"Well... I... kinda need your help." Twilight replied, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck.
"You need to find Tempest?" Midnight responded, cocking an eyebrow back.
Twilight was clearly caught off guard by her assumption, "I... Yes... I take it that you've seen her then."
"She's in here. Celestia came by a little while ago too. They're all in the living room but, uh... You might want to take it slow. It's been a rough day for Tempest." Midnight said, motioning back inside of the house with her foreleg.
"Thank goodness you found her. I was so worried I-wait... you said Celestia's here?"
"Mmhmm. She's with Tempest right now. Come on." Midnight replied, turning around and leading Twilight inside.
Twilight followed behind through the entrance way and into the living room. What she saw upon entering the room made her stop in her tracks, and broke her heart. There, on the couch, was the broken unicorn in black that everypony was still so darn afraid of. Only, she wasn't. Scary was the last word Twilight could think of to describe her at that moment. Her coat was still somewhat wet from her recent shower, but even then, her cheeks were noticeably damp with tears that still seemed to be leaking out, and it seemed as if she was completely ignorant to her presence; That or she simply didn't care who saw her cry anymore.
Twilight looked over to see Sky holding onto the distraught mare with both his forelegs and his wings, and upon her gaze he gave a friendly smile. One that Twilight was quick to return. However, what took her breath away the most, was the large alabaster form of Celestia, gently cradling Tempest's head against her chest fur and hugging her ever so softly. Twilight had always seen Celestia as a second mother, but it was rare to see her show such kindness to one of her subjects in person.
After a few seconds, Celestia turned her head to the side to see Twilight looking at her with a mixture of bewilderment and surprise on her face. She gave a welcoming smile, and after a moment, Twilight snapped out of her trance and reciprocated in kind. She quietly stepped closer until she was just a few feet away and sat on her haunches.
"So..." She whispered, "How long has she been here?"
"I don't know. Perhaps a few hours. Perhaps less. I've hardly concerned myself with watching the time since I arrived." Celestia quietly responded.
"Is she okay?" Twilight asked.
"I hope that she will be better than she has been. This poor mare has been through a lot."
Twilight looked down to Tempest to find her face buried in Celestia's chest fluff. Her repeated sniffles and muffled cries made it obvious that the mare in question was still very much awake and most likely heard everything they were saying.
With no other ideas in mind, Twilight leaned further in until she was just a few inches away from the mulberry unicorn and gently patted her wither with her foreleg.
"Hey, Tempest... Are... Are you going to be okay?" Twilight asked as softly as she could.
A muffled sniffle was the only response she received for quite some time. Twilight turned to Celestia for advice, but found the Princess simply shrugging and shaking her head. She turned to Sky to find him giving her much the same reaction. So, she opted instead to just comfort her as best as she could. She gently rubbed her wither, bristling the slightly damp fur with her hoof, and sat down on her haunches in a bid to wait for Tempest to finish.
It took some more time, but finally, the broken mare pulled her face out of the white fluff she'd been crying into for the better part of an hour. Her eyes were deeply bloodshot, and her cheeks were matted and damp with the wept tears of a deeply shattered heart. Once she was completely out of Celestia's embrace, she turned to Sky and gave him a shaky nod along with a half smile. He returned the smile and took the hint, releasing her and hopping off the couch to go sit with Midnight. All that left, was Twilight, who by now had noticed that she was completely alert and aware of her presence.
She hesitantly brought her hoof back to the floor and looked at Tempest with a mask of concern over her face. For a moment, it seemed that she dared not to even look at the Princess of Friendship, however, after a few moments of painful silence, she turned to face her.
Twilight felt her heart break again as she properly saw the state Tempest was in. She rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug, one which Tempest surprisingly did not resist at all, in fact, she leaned into it, and wrapped her hooves around Twilight's barrel. They held the hug for a few moments before Twilight let go and took a step back.
"I... I'm so sorry... Today, with the show... that never should have happened. I swear, I-I'm going to do everything I can to make it up to you." Twilight quickly offered.
Tempest took a moment to reply, but when she did, her words came out like a weak croak from a dying frog.
"It... It's okay..."
"No! It's not okay! I had no idea that they would act that way. Maybe a few hostile glances or a mean pony here or there, but for the whole stadium to attack you like that... It's not okay! This was supposed to be fun for you and it's my fault for pushing you like I did. I'm so sorry." Twilight exclaimed.
"Really, it's okay... I think... I think I kind of needed this. Feels kind of good to let it all out after so many years of keeping it inside." Tempest reasoned, with a bit more life behind her voice this time.
"What... what do you mean?" Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side.
"I've... been holding a lot of trauma and pain inside for a long time. It's made it hard to... you know... move on. I guess it just felt good to... to vent a little. Even if it was a bit dramatic." Tempest explained, a tiny trace of a smile appearing on her lips.
Twilight looked to Celestia for conformation, and after a brief nod from the princess, returned her attention to Tempest.
"So... Really though, are you sure you're alright?" She asked.
"Really, I'm okay, Twilight. Thank you." Tempest replied, wiping away the last of the tears from her cheek.
Twilight turned back to Sky and Midnight to find them both happily smiling at her.
"I take it you've all met?" She asked the room as a whole.
"Oh yeah, we're basically besties now." Sky teased.
A surprising sound suddenly reached Twilight's ears, making them instantly flick backwards. It was soft, but unmistakable. The sound of giggling, and it came from none other than Tempest herself. Twilight spun around in place to ensure her ears weren't deceiving her and found, to her complete surprise, that they weren't. Tempest was softly giggling at Sky's joke. It wasn't destined to last, however, as Tempest quickly noticed the eyes now on her and stopped herself short.
"What?" She asked.
Twilight stared dumbly at her for another second before finding a response, "N-Nothing... I've just... never heard you laugh like that before. It was... really nice." Twilight said, an honest smile on her face.
Tempest blushed slightly and looked away.
"Heh, guess I should probably laugh a little more, shouldn't I?" She said.
"I think we'd all like that very much." Celestia replied.
Tempest slowly turned her head until she was looking up at Celestia again.
"Princess I... just... thank you... I don't deserve your kindness, but it means more to me then I could ever put into words... Thank you." Tempest said, looking up into Celestia's bright magenta eyes.
"Tempest, as I have already stated, I forgave you for what happened long ago. You do deserve my kindness, as you are still one of my subjects. By that right, I am more than happy to give it to you, especially when you needed it so desperately." Celestia softly replied, smiling down on her.
Tempest looked like she wasn't sure what to do next for a moment, but eventually, she lunged forward and hugged Celestia once more. Upon the contact, Celestia's smile widened somewhat, and she gently returned the hug.
A few feet away, Twilight could barely keep her excitement contained. All her effort to learn more about the mulberry mare was finally paying off, and for the first time since they'd met, she seen her heart bore open for the world around her. It was enough to make her wings ruffle in excitement.
Once Celestia and Tempest were separated again, the Princess of the Sun rose from her seated position in the room and walked over to the couple in the far side of the room while Twilight took to conversing with the broken mare.
"Sky. Midnight." She addressed them, giving a nod to them respectively.
"Princess." Midnight replied.
"Tia." Sky replied.
"I can't thank you both enough for sending me your letter and getting me here in time. It appears that once more I will have to reprehend all of Canterlot with a sternly worded speech voicing my disapproval." Celestia said, shaking her head.
"Oh, let me know when you're gonna do that. We missed the last one, this should be gold!" Sky excitedly replied.
Celestia suppressed a giggle behind her hoof, "I'm sure you would enjoy it a just a bit more than you should." She replied before turning to Midnight, "Was there any trouble here before I arrived?"
"No, Princess. We didn't see any other ponies. It was just her by the cliff." Midnight responded.
"Good. I am at least glad that you two were not forced to deal with any angry Canterlot ponies. Especially right after your honeymoon. How was that by the way?" Celestia asked, genuinely curious.
"Oh it was amazing! We had the best two weeks ever!" Sky exclaimed.
"It was probably the most fun we've had since Sky first got here. We'll have to tell you all about it later." Midnight added.
"Indeed. Perhaps tea with Luna later this week?" Celestia pressed.
"We'd love to. Just let us know when." Midnight replied, giving a happy smile.
"Perfect. I'll send you a letter." Celestia said before turning around and facing the rest of the room, "Now, unfortunately, I must be heading out. I do have a sun to lower." She said.
Tempest and Twilight stopped their conversation to give their full attention to the Princess of the Sun. they both hopped off the couch and made their way over to her as she headed for the doorway.
"Oh wow, it's already late, isn't it?" Twilight said, looking outside at the already setting sun.
"Indeed. We've been enjoying each other's company for quite some time now. A few hours at least, I'd say." Celestia replied.
Once at the door, Celestia headed outside, with the rest of the group following behind her into the warmly lit world outside.
"Now, I'd better be going," Celestia announced, turning to face Tempest, "But as I said, Tempest, you have friends here. Should you ever need help, or just a wither to lean on, you needn't look any further than the ponies around you right now. In fact, consider your curfew null and void. You're now free to travel Equestria."
"I... I will. Thank you, Princess. For everything." Tempest replied, her voice overflowing with gratitude and warmth.
"I'm glad to hear that. As for you two," She said, looking at Sky and Midnight, "I'll look forward to seeing you later in the week."
"You'll see us. Just make sure you have the good stuff, I'm kinda high maintenance." Sky teased, giving a cocky grin.
Celestia let out a hearty chuckle before turning once more to Twilight, "And thank you, Twilight, for coming to find her. I'm glad to see that she already has a pony that cares for her like a true friend."
Twilight cringed slightly as memories of looking through Tempest's crate immediately resurfaced, "Thank you, Princess, but... actually-"
"She's not just my friend," Tempest interrupted, "She's my Princess."
All eyes, particularly Twilight's darted to the mulberry unicorn.
"You offered me a position before, as your personal guard... I refused out of spite and my own fears... but... after everything that's happened... I think I'd like to give that a chance." Tempest clarified, slightly shying away from all the attention she was suddenly receiving.
"Tempest, I... A-are you sure? You don't have to take the job if you don't want to." Twilight offered.
"If I'm being honest with myself, Princess... I think it's the only way I'm ever going to redeem myself for the things I've done." She replied, finding much more confidence in her voice as she thought her position over.
"If... if you're absolutely sure, then I would love nothing more than to give you the position." Twilight replied, finding a genuinely happy smile adorning her face.
Tempest and Twilight shared a smile before turning to Celestia to find her giving them both a friendly smile in return.
"I'm very glad to hear that. I'll have to go to your knighting ceremony." Celestia commented.
"It would mean everything in the world for you to be there, Princess." Tempest replied.
"Then I shall be there. Now, I must take my leave. It must be nearly seven in the afternoon by now." Celestia said, turning to look at the sun once more.
"Wow, it's already that late? I can't believe-WAIT! Ohmygoshweneedtogetbacktothegirlsitotallyforgot!!!! Twilight shouted."
"Uh... What?" Tempest asked.
"No time. Thanks, Sky, thanks, Midnight. I'll talk to you later!" Twilight called out, quickly igniting her horn and teleporting herself and Tempest away.
Sky and Midnight stared at where Twilight and Tempest formerly were before the sound of wings unfurling caught their ears, and they turned to see Celestia stepping away from them.
"Heh, Twilight never was good at being tardy, was she?" Midnight asked.
Celestia let out a mirthful chuckle, "No, no she wasn't. Have a good night you two."
With that, she gave a good flap of her wings, and took off into the air, leaving Midnight and Sky on their front porch.
"Welp, my good deed is done for the day. Time to go be a bum." Sky announced.
"Hehe, I guess you earned it for today, big guy." Midnight replied.
"Well, I just thought to myself 'what would Midnight do'?" Sky shrugged.
"Hehe, you're sweet." With that, she planted a small kiss on his muzzle, and they both headed inside.