The Missing Mark
Tempest stared wearily at the house in front of her. She had never really been one to doubt herself but now for some reason she was starting to have second thoughts. Maybe it was because she was still having some trouble adjusting to others being kind to her even after all this time being back in Equestria. Or maybe it’s the pony that extended the offer that gave her pause. Not in a bad way but in a way that made things...complicated.
“Soooo...you coming in or what?” Blackbird asked as he motioned to the opened door with a wing.
Tempest stared a moment longer before she finally nodded in acceptance.
“Yeah,” she said before she stepped inside the house. “Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind.”
“I bet,” Blackbird replied as he followed her inside and shut the door. “So captain of the guard, huh?”
“That’s what Twilight offered me,” Tempest remarked a bit absentmindedly as she looked around the rather cozy looking living room. “As soon as she takes over being ruler of Equestria that is.”
“Yeah Moonie’s been telling me about that,” he mused as he walked up to her. “It sounds...complicated.”
“You have no idea,” she said with a shake of her head. “Speaking of, are you sure she’s not going to mind me staying over?”
“Oh it’s fine,” he remarked with a wave of a hoof. “She’s at work tonight and even then she’s always willing to help out a friend in need. I’m just still surprised you don’t want to stay in the castle.”
“Celestia and Twilight did both offer, but it felt too...awkward,” Tempest confessed.
“And staying here isn’t?” Blackbird asked with a slight smirk.
“I never encased you in stone and tried to steal your magic,” she explained flatly.
“Yeah. That would make things awkward,” he said with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, anyway, you’re welcome to stay as long as you’re in town. It’d be nice to catch up face-to-face for a while.”
“Yeah it will,” Tempest smiled earnestly.
Ever since the Lunar Festival, they had become pen pals and struck up a surprisingly close friendship. Close enough that she felt comfortable asking him if she could stay at his place while she was in Canterlot to discuss Twilight’s plan to make her the new captain of the guard. Although apparently they weren’t close enough to make it not feel slightly awkward when the time actually arrived. Or maybe that’s exactly why it felt so awkward. So some reason she now found herself having...complicated feelings.
“So you gonna take it?” Blackbird asked, bringing her back to reality.
“Huh?” she asked, focusing on him again.
“Being captain of the guard. You gonna take Twilight up on her offer?”
“I don’t know yet,” she confessed with a slight sigh. “I do like the idea but it is a lot of a responsibility. Plus I’m not sure how many of those guards would be willing to take orders from someone who kicked their flanks once.”
“Well that proves you know what you’re doing,” Blackbird joked.
Tempest chuckled. “I suppose so. Frankly though I’m just astounded they never found someone else to replace Shining Armor when he married Cadance.”
“I think he’s still technically the captain of the guard even though he lives in the Crystal Empire now and is also I think their prince?” he tried to explain then shook his head. “I dunno, the whole thing’s confusing. Even Moonie isn’t quite clear on it.”
“No wonder it was so easy to take over Canterlot,” she mumbled with a roll of her eyes. “Maybe I will take over the position just so they’ll be a definitive answer to that question.”
“For what it’s work, I think you’d make the perfect guard captain,” Blackbird complimented with a beaming smile.
“Thanks,” Tempest smiled then let out an loud yawn. “But that’s for another time. Right now I’m ready to lie down. It has been a surprisingly exhausting day.”
“I bet,” he smiled as he walked over to the couch in the middle of the room and patted it with a hoof. “Well this will be your bedding for the night. Sorry it’s not an actual bed but our guest room was converted into my office a while ago. Good news is it’s surprisingly comfortable!”
“Spend a lot of nights on it, do you?” Tempest teased with a sly grin.
“Actually Moonie and I very rarely have fights,” Blackbird pointed out. “It’s just that sometimes when I hit a wall while writing, I’ll lay down on the couch and let the scene play out in my head. But...then...most of the time I fall asleep.”
“Not surprised. Your books put me to sleep too,” the unicorn replied with a surprisingly straight face.
“Hey!”
That caused her muzzled to curl back up into a smile before she let out loud laugh.
“I’m joking. I’ve been enjoying them quite a bit,” she reassured him.
“Well glad to hear it,” he said, beaming happily. “Hopefully I’ll have the next one out soon. Just coming along a lot slower than I would like.”
“Hmm,” Tempest murmured as she stepped over to the touch and examined it. “So do I get any pillows or blankets or do I just lay on it as is?”
“Oh what does the mighty Tempest Shadow need a comfy blanket to sleep under?” Blackbird teased.
She cast him a side glance. “I don’t needthem no, but a good host, and friend, would provide them,” she shot back.
“Ouch! My heart!” he cried out in mock pain as he flew upwards and placed his hooves over his chest.
“Oh please,” she waved off with a roll of her eyes. “I know you’re tougher than that.”
“Yeah but I gotta have fun somehow,” he replied with a wink. “Anyway, yeah we have an extra blanket and some pillows down the hall. I’ll go get them.”
With that he flew down the hallway to the linen closet. As he snatched up the blanket and pillows he heard a few metallic clanks coming from the living room. They were soon followed by a strained grunting sound and when he flew back with the bedding he found Tempest without her hoof armor on and struggling with a strap on her main armor piece. She picked at it with a combination of her front hooves and teeth but still couldn’t seem to quite get it.
“Do you...need help?” Blackbird asked as he set the blanket and pillows down on the coffee table.
“No. No I can do this,” Tempest reassured him even as she continued to struggle. “It’s just a bit tricky is all.”
“Oh for...” the black Pegasus muttered as he moved over to her and pushed her hooves out the way. “It’s okay to ask for help. Plus, the best thing about Pegasus wings is...” he paused as his right wing extended and two of his feathers easily flipped the latch from the armor. “...they’re very flexible.”
Tempest let out an embarrassed grunt and looked away from him, her cheeks slightly flushed.
“I could have gotten it,” she muttered. “I do it all the time back in the Crystal Empire.”
“And I’m sure that’s a giant hassle,” Blackbird remarked as he continued to use his wings to unbuckled the straps of her armor. “How do you even do this on a daily basis?”
“With a lot of determination and little patience,” she responded then let out an slightly wistful sigh. “Plus I used to have an...assistant whose claws were very helpful in this situation.”
“I bet,” he mused. “Dragons. Griffons. Hippogriffs. Other creatures with claws. They’re really lucky. I mean Pegasus wings can go a lot of things but actually having claws would be better. Course the ones who really have it good are unicorns who could just-”
He paused and grimaced when he realized what he had said. Slowly, oh so slowly, he picked his head up to look her in the eye, a sheepishly apologetic look on his face.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I completely forgot!” he quickly explained.
She stared at him in intense silence for a few seconds before a genuinely happy smile spread across her face.
“It’s okay,” she reassured him. “In fact I’m actually happy about that.”
“You...are?” Blackbird asked, still expecting the other hoof to drop.
“Yes. Because it means you see me for who I am and not what I’m missing,” she explained, pointing to her broken horn. “This is the only thing so many ponies see about me. It became the thing that defined me. The thing I let define me. For so long I let this stupid broken horn dictate who I was that some ponies not even noticing it just makes me feel...good. At peace.” She shook her head. “Maybe being back in Equestria is making me more sentimental.”
“I kinda like it,” he said as he undid the last of the straps. “Scary, snarky warrior Tempest is cool and all but the Tempest I’ve gotten to know of the last few months cares very much for the few friends she has and will do anything to protect them. That’s the Tempest I’m proud to call my friend.”
There was a small click as he undid the final buckle.
“There. All...set...”
He trailed off when he noticed Tempest was staring directly at him. She didn’t seem upset or annoyed, she seemed more...touched? There was a softness in her eyes that took him off guard. As he stared back he finally noticed just how close they were to each other. Their muzzles were mere inches apart and another step forward by either of them would make them touch. But even so he was still more focused on her eyes. Ocean blue stared into emerald green. Time seemed to stand still at a connection neither of them had thought possible before formed. A closeness that even the physical distance between them couldn’t break. Time seemed to stand still as they did nothing but stare deeply into the other’s eyes.
*THUMP*
Suddenly both their muzzles scrunched up for very different reasons. For Blackbird it was because of the pain shooting through is hoof and leg and for Tempest it was trying to hold in the amusement of seeing him make that face.
“OOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!” Blackbird screamed as he pulled his throbbing hoof back and held it gingerly in the other.
That broke Tempest. She threw her head back and let out a loud belly laugh that filled the room.
Apparently while they had been preoccupied with staring at each other, Tempest’s now lose armor slid off her body and directly onto Blackbird’s right front hoof.
“Shut up! It’s not funny!” he chided her.
“No but your face sure was!” she called out, slamming the coffee table with a hoof as she laughed more.
“It hurt! That armor of yours weighs a ton! How do you even move in that?!” he questioned as he shook his injured hoof. “In fact if I recall Moonie said you were doing all sorts of flips and jumps! Just...HOW?!”
“Years of practice,” she explained as she finally calmed down.
“So if you can do that with is on, what can you do with it off?!”
She smiled deviously as she leaned closer to him.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she whispered hotly into his ear. “Now since you’ve gone this far, how about you unzip me?”
His cheeks flushed and he stammered a bit before he flexed his wing again to pull down the zipper of her body suit that lie under her armor. Once it was loose enough she easily shed the rest of it and tossed it onto a chair near the couch.
“Well thank you for undressing me,” she said with a playful wink.
Blackbird’s cheeks flushed even as his face grew indignant.
“You know I could be flirty too!” he commented. “I just chose not to out of respect for our...” he trailed off when he noticed there was something else missing from her body. “Huh. No Cutie Mark.”
“Oh so you respect me so much you look at my flank the second you get the chance,” Tempest scoffed.
“I-” Blackbird squeaked then shook his head. “It’s not like that! I was just surprised since you don’t see too many mares your age without a Cutie Mark.”
“And how old do you think I am?!” she spat.
“Haha! That’s a trap!”
“I see Moonie’s trained you well,” Tempest smirked then let out a small sigh. “But, yes, I don’t have a Cutie Mark. Turns out helping an egomaniacal dictator take over the world wasn’t my true calling in life. Who knew?” She sighed again and lowered her head. “Just more stuff I did while wallowing in angry and self-pity over my broken horn.”
Blackbird pulled awkwardly at his tie with his right hoof.
“Well...I mean...it’s not that bad,” he tried to reassure her. “My best friend Daytripper doesn’t have his Cutie Mark and he’s...our age. It’s just not that common is all.”
“It’s fine,” she dismissed with a wave. “Honestly until I got back to Equestria I forgot how much important was put on them. And it’s not like I really need to know what I’m meant to do right now. I’m still finding myself after running away for so long. If I get one, great. If I don’t, oh well. Like my horn, I’m not going to let that define me.”
“That’s the spirit!” Blackbird said with a beaming smile. “And I gotta say the blank flank look works on you very well!”
“So you arechecking out my flank!” Tempest remarked with a hint of a smile.
Blackbird’s cheek flushed a deep red.
“Okay fine! I admit it! Geez! Sue me for finding you attractive!” he blurted out then grimaced again. “I said that part out loud, didn’t I?”
“Yes. Yes you did,” she replied, a slight blush on her own cheeks. “But...thank you. I’m flattered. And if I’m going honest, you’re not too bad looking yourself.”
“Wait what?!” he exclaimed, his eyes wide in surprise and confusion.
He studied her for a second.
“Are you messing with me again?” he asked, watching her reaction close.
For a second it seemed like she was going crack another mischievous grin and tell him she was joking, but instead she closed her eyes and dipped her head a little as she let out a slow, steady breath.
“No I’m not,” she admitted as she opened her eyes to look at him. “For a while now I’ve been...feeling things and I wasn’t sure how to deal with that. I don’t want to jeopardize our friendship since I don’t have that many outside of Twilight and her group and even if I wasn’t worried about that, you’re with Moonie so that would put an end to things.”
“Well...not really,” he spoke up softly. “Moonie and I have an open relationship so she would be fine with. Heck she saw the picture of use together from the festival and she agrees with me you’re attractive!”
“Oh,” Tempest muttered, a blush returning to her cheeks. “Well I didn’t expect that!”
“Which part?”
“All of it?”
Blackbird chuckle a bit. “Yeah I guess it is a lot to take in.”
There was an awkward pause where they both seemed to be very fascinated with their hooves.
“Soooo...do you want to try it?” Blackbird dared to ask.
“Try what?” Tempest asked back.
“You know...us. Like...a date. Tomorrow maybe?”
She tapped her chin in thought. “Well, I had another meeting with Twilight for most of the day tomorrow but I’ll be free that evening. So...yeah let’s see what happens.”
“Well alright!” Blackbird cheered as he flew into the air. “We can work out the details tomorrow before you go. For now I’m going to head off to bed and think things over.”
“And I guess I’ll get comfortable here on the couch,” Tempest mused as she collected the blanket up with her hooves.
“Right. Soooo..night and I’ll see you tomorrow I guess.”
“Apparently so. Night.”
He nodded back to her then flew down the hallway again towards his bedroom. The sound of a door closing quickly followed which left Tempest alone with her thoughts. This certainly wasn’t the way she thought this was all going to go down. Truthfully she thought if she had some time to talk to Blackbird face-to-face whatever feelings she might be having would die down and they could both continue to be friends. But now...what if something else did happened? What if this actually developed into a full relationship? Well first she’d have to learn how to share him with Moonie. That itself would be...interesting. Then there was the long distance aspect of it. Though if she took Twilight up on her offer that wouldn’t be a problem either.
Well, I guess things are just working out in my favor, she thought. I might as well see where this goes.
With that she finished setting the couch up then climbed onto it and pulled the blanket over herself. Surprising, it actually was rather comfortable and she could easily see herself sleeping on it for a few more nights. Though right when she closed her eyes to get some much needed sleep they popped back open again when a horrifying thought crossed her mind.
“Now I owe Dropsy five bits,” she groaned.
The End