Tempest took a few seconds to properly straighten her armor, again. She had done so several times already and she was really starting to wonder why. Especially now, when she was so close to doing what she was here to do. Although she did suppose she was here to ask a rather large favor of somepony of a much higher ranked then she was, so looking well put together probably was a good idea. But the fact that she was standing right before the royal chambers and still adjusting her armor was probably a bad thing.
She grumbled to herself. She then scowled at nopony that she was finding herself grumbling to herself. But she supposed that this was the reason she was here. Well she felt like she was settling into her new role, her new life, fairly comfortably, she also had lingering doubts. There were times when everything felt like it was going smoothly, and other times when she felt the way she did while standing before the judging eyes of three Alicorn rulers months ago.
Tempest caught herself reaching up to straighten her armor again. She ground her teeth for a few seconds, then forced her already raised hoof forward. There was an awkwardly loud echo of her first knock which she hastily tried to match with her slightly late second and third. And there was that feeling again. She ground her teeth more, until a voice from the other side of the door made her stop.
"It's open, please come in." Twilight's singsong voice put her at ease enough to push the door open. Upon entering, the loudest sound in the room became the sounds of her armor clanking softly as she walked. She didn't really need to look around the massive room to know where she was going. She proceeded over to an unlit fire place along the side wall with two piles of comfy pillows in front of it. Twilight lay there, half buried in one of the piles, face down in a book. Exactly where Tempest knew she'd be. She felt herself start to smile but beat it back to her usual professional demeanor.
"Your highness, I have a request to make of you." Tempest went as far as to bow humbly and hold the position to wait for a response. And wait. And wait.
"Your highness?"
Twilights eyes kept scanning the book. It was as though nothing in the world could bother her.
"Princess Sparkle?"
Twilights horn lit briefly to turn the page of her book. She kept reading.
"Princess Twilight?"
Twilight put her hoof down on the page of her book to mark her spot as she let out a hearty yawn. She then kept reading.
Tempest suppressed a groan as she finally raised from her bowing position. "Twilight?"
Twilights ears finally made a move, turning slightly in Tempest's direction. She still kept reading.
".....
..... Twily."
"Fizzlepop! It's so good to see you tonight." Twilight said this with great pleasure as her magic floated over a book mark and slid it into her now closing book. She turned and directed a smile to Tempest that practically glowed with warmth.
Tempest tried her best to remain as unmoved by the kindness being shown as possible. After all, she actually was here on official business. "Why do you insist on making me use that childish nickname to address you?" She asked, letting herself sigh slightly as she did.
"As I've said before: You're a particularly hard nut to crack as far as the magic of friendship is concerned. So stop being so serious or I'm putting you back on Pinkie Pie duty."
Tempest resisted the urge to cringe at that. Surrendering another week following around the pink party pony and following her every instruction was far from a desirable outcome of this meeting. "I don't think that will be necessary, but it should be necessary for me to be formal and serious in this particular instance."
"If it's formal and serious then it can wait for tomorrow. Crown is off, so I'm off the clock. And even though you decided to wear your armor, I think your shift ended a good while ago too."
"I'm doing it after hours because... It's kind of a favor too."
"Oh, well a favor from a friend sounds great. But I'm afraid an official request from the head of the guard is going to have to wait until tomorrow."
Tempest actually let the groan escape her this time and let it resonate for a long time through the room as Twilight retook her book in her magic and opened it. She began scanning the pages while wearing an impregnable smile Tempest knew would not let up until she complied. With practiced ease she began sliding herself out of her armor piece by piece. Each one she set aside in a neat pile, finishing with her helmet which she removed and placed on top. After making sure they were all squared away and now only wearing the fairly comfortable harnessing of the armor, she turned back to the pony she had come here to talk to.
Twilight's expression didn't change in the slightest as she all too sweetly chirped out, "don't forget the dagger too."
Tempest stiffened slightly. The two of them had gone through routines like this more then a few times before. But this was always the one part that actually made her legitimately irritated with Twilight. She reached her hoof under her front left haunch to feel the clasp of a hidden scabbard where she knew it was. "Why do you always make me take off my dagger too?"
"Because you need to loosen up. There's no threat here, no need to be on your guard. It's just me, and I promise not to try to ambush and kill you."
She'd said this to her before in this situation, and previously Tempest would decide to relent at those heart felt words. But she felt like this was her last chance to make Twilight understand. She gripped the scabbard, but not like she wished to draw the blade from within.
"I know," the words came out before she meant them to, so they did not sound like her usual measured tone. "But this isn't about that. I can feel safe and at ease with it or without it, I really can. But I just prefer to be with it. It's my knife and I like my knife."
Twilight's ear turned quickly at that followed by the rest of her as her book finally set itself down. With a very quizzical look she spoke. "You... Like your knife?"
"Yes. Is it so weird to like a blade. I've had it six years which is longer then I've known anypony in my life. It's saved my life countless times and the peridot gem in the handle is...." Tempest stopped herself as she finally realized her tone had slipped completely. In fact if she had had to describe it, she would say she sounded like a whining filly at that moment. She straightened herself back up. Mortified, she forced herself back into her stoic demeanor. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to let myself get emotional. I'll just..." Her hoof was already moving to remove the scabbard to set it aside and try to move past her embarrassment.
"... Can I see it?" Tempest froze at the words. The lacquered and belted case was already half way off by this point as her now wide eyes were met by Twilight's soft ones.
"You, you want to see it?"
Twilight only nodded. Hesitantly, Tempest finished removing it before holding it out. She could tell that Twilight took it up into her magical aura delicately. And she watched closely as the mare before her began turning it around in that aura, examining it with interest from every angle.
Holding it before her, Twilight used her magic to pull the handle away from the sheath. Said sheath was designed to cover part of the handle as well, and thus only then did a shimmer of green suddenly start shining off a well polished gem in the handle near the hilt. Twilight now examined the blade itself, but Tempest noticed her giving extra attention to the gem. She then looked over to Tempest, then back to the gem. "It matches your eyes almost perfectly." For reasons unknown to her Tempest felt heat rise to her cheeks. The sensation made her involuntarily twitch her face just slightly, which of course Twilight noticed immediately and smiled at. "And I'm going to make a wild guess and say we can at least narrow your birthday down to August."
The heat on her face became more intense as she managed to hiss out, "do not! Let Pinkie Pie know."
Twilight smiled triumphantly. "As always, anything that happens here is between you and me." She then used her magic to resheath the blade. It then hovered back towards Tempest, sank low, and magically reattached itself to her leg.
The normally unflappable soldier suddenly had to stifle making a noise at the unfamiliar sensation of someponies magic being that close to her. But when the warm glow of magic faded away she felt the familiar object nestled right were it was supposed to be.
"So, you.. you don't mind if I..." Tempest let the question hang, but Twilight answered with a smile.
"It's a beautiful dagger now that I get a look at it. It actually fits you well." Tempest didn't know why, but that statement made her face once again feel warm. "And if I knew before how much it meant to you I'd have never made you take it off."
Tempest felt a tension in her shoulders she hadn't realized was there loosen. But as she felt herself breathe a sigh of relief it suddenly caught in her throat. She found herself looking back and forth between her pile of armor and the princess comfortably nestled in a pile of pillows. She then heaved a heavy sigh and half fell, half threw herself into the pile next to it.
"Well I was going to tell you to have a seat, but you can just help yourself too." Twilight said with a small giggle.
Through frustrated grumbling Fizzlepop began churning herself through the small sea of soft things. "Why, do, you, always, make, it, so, hard, to, be, serious!?" She tried to punctuate each word with some kind of aggressive move against one of the many soft Intruders upon her brooding.
"..... Do you want the fluffy pillow?"
In her exasperation the previously flailing pony realized she had come to rest in a position most who knew her would not assume they would ever see her in. She had managed to end up with her head sandwiched between at least three pillows, rolled over on her back, and with her hooves dangling in the air. Dignity thoroughly forgotten she huffed out a resigned, and yet content, "yes please."
She heard the telltale sound of Twilight's aura igniting and moments later felt something incredibly soft being lightly pressed into her exposed chest. She forced back a sound of contentment, but her forelegs still slowly moved to wrap around the soft mass.
"And what do we say?"
"Thank you."
"Eh-hem."
"Thank you... Twily."
"You are very welcome. Can I coax you out with some of those cookies you love?"
"..., Which ones?"
"The chocolate filled ones."
Fizzlepop's grip around her pillow only tightened as she attempted to maneuver herself to a more upright position. When her head finally managed to poke itself back out she found a welcoming sight. A nearly sickly sweet treat hovering right before her.
Barely restraining laughter, Twilight spoke. "Now say 'awwww'."
The other mare only shot her a withering look. She snagged the offered treat from midair with her own crackling magic. "That's the line." She maintained the glare, at least until she took a bite of the previously offered treat. She made an involuntary noise as an explosion of chocolatey sweetness overrode her contempt. "You know, I actually did have something serious I needed to talk to you about." She grumbled as she said this, knowing the weight of her request was getting lost in the little routines the two had somehow managed to develop over the months since she had come to the Castle of Friendship. "How does every conversation with you always end up with me like this?"
"Because you spent a very long time denying yourself even the smallest pleasures in life out of a misguided sense of obligation. So I'm going to keep showering you with luxuries until you actually start to accept that you deserve to be happy."
Fizzlepop attempted to make a groan of aggravation. It ended up sounding more like a rather large and content cat purring. "You can't change a pony with chocolate and soft things Twilight."
"Probably not, but it's a good start." Fizzlepop didn't have to look up to know the exact smile Twilight was giving her. A sweet, vaguely smug one she usually pulled out during their time together, usually when she felt like she was in some way winning whatever exchange they were having. And because of how much it triggered the very problem she was here to discuss, she very resolutely did not allow herself to look up at it.
Tempest groaned in discontent as she forced herself to release the mass of softness clutched to her chest. With some effort she managed to slowly extract herself from her quicksand like pillow pile. When this was complete she finally stood before the princess she had come here to see.
"But this is serious Twilight. And I have to be serious when I say it. And this... This whole thing," she gestured to her abandoned place and the small pile of cookies Twilight had hovered over while she thought she wasn't looking. "This is the reason why. This whole.... thing, between us. I know you're just trying to be friendly, and that friendship is your whole thing.... But, I don't know. I just..."
Sensing the real distress in her friends voice, Twilight too managed to extricate herself from her fluffy snare and came to face the other mare. "Fizzlepop, what's wrong? If you tell me I promise I'll try to help you."
Tempest turned away from the sympathetic eyes now being directed to her. "It's not something you can help me with, not when you are the problem." Hearing a sudden intake of air from the pony that had shown her so much compassion, Tempest's mind quickly reacted to try to amend what she had just said. "No, you're not the problem. It's me. It's that I have a problem, it's just centered around you." Realizing this didn't sound much better, in fact it might sound much worse, she again tried to retract her statement. The frustration was now becoming enough that sparks of magic were crackling from her broken horn. "No, that's not what I mean. What I'm trying to say is...." She trailed off as she realized that it was happening again. The reason why she was here, and why she had to do what she had been preparing herself for during the past weeks.
With noticable strain she pushed back her frustration and returned to her stoic demeanor. "Princess Sparkle. I have come here today because I don't feel that I can perform my duties as Commander of the royal guard. At least not while I am maintaining residence within the Friendship Castle."
"Fizzle... but why?"
Tempest let out a sigh, knowing she was causing her first real friend some bit of distress. But she knew this was for the best. "Twilight, why did you come to the courtyard today?"
Reeling back her emotions to some degree, Twilight managed to make a cough by way of giving herself time to respond. "It, it was because of Saturday night, during our usual get-together. You were nervous about dealing with your first group of new recruits."
"Did I ever tell you I was nervous?" Despite herself, Tempest found her words carrying very little of the usual respect she tried to show to Twilight. Her voice now sounded like she was dealing with her recruits back in the courtyard.
The affect was noticable as Twilight winced a little before speaking again. "No. But that's kind of standard. You never tell anypony when you need help, even if it's just a little encouragement. I just went today because I wanted to make sure you were ok."
"Then why did you interrupt me!?" The words carried weight despite being spoken so flatly.
Not cringing this time, Twilight instead stepped forward. She faced Tempest and met the mares impassive glare with a disapproving one of her own. "Because you needed help!"
"And what made you think I needed help!?"
Twilight backed down just slightly, her face returning to a more calm, but still firm state. "You didn't feel in control of the situation. You were worried none of the new recruits were going to improve. And you were just about to take all your insecurities out on that one pony."
Tempest felt several layers of her returned defenses fall in an instant at the words. She did her best not to show it as she made a dismissive noise and turned away from her friend and superior. "That wasn't what was going on at all, princess. There is only one way to properly train totally green troops, and that's with total and complete domination."
"That's one way to train, it's definitely not the only way. And you can't control anypony if you aren't even in control of yourself."
More walls crumbled within Tempest, but she was hastily trying to rebuild them with each word she spoke. With a sigh she continued, her tone attempting to be dismissive again. "Then once again we find ourselves at a point of difference in our philosophy. And it's part of the reason I have to leave."
"Why would you want..." The words had come out somewhat frantic by Twilight, but she caught herself and started again. "Why would you have to leave in order to continue your duties? And what does it have to do with me?"
"Because..." Tempest felt her temper flare, but pushed it back down and answered in a level tone. "Because, I did it." Twilight's face suddenly held a question Tempest didn't need her to ask. "That recruit today, and the rest of them. I took it easy on them. I showed weakness to them, and now I don't know if my training will even take. Or even if I'm going to be able to train them properly at all."
"Fizzlepop, you're too hard on yourself. I trust that you..."
"It's not just that," Tempest cut in, losing her composure just a little. "I... I'm not myself, when you're around."
Twilight was visibly confused by the words of the slightly flustered mare before her. "What... What do you mean?"
Tempest raised a hoof, straightening her hair in absence of armor to give herself a moment. "I don't hold very many ponies opinions in very high regards. Even the Storm King, I never served him because I respected him. But you," she paused, resisting the urge to straighten her hair again. "I feel the need to follow what you say no matter the circumstance. And even more problematic, even when you haven't made any kind of request from me, I still find myself questioning my actions. Specifically in terms of what you'd think of them."
"I'm sure that's nothing you need to jump to such drastic measures for. You're just a good soldier, trying to do your duty no matter what. All you need to do is relax and remember that you are doing a great job and to not be so hard on yourself."
Tempest felt her head droop slightly and noticed her voice lacked it's usual bite as she continued. "I'm... distracted. Thoughts of you have made my mind wander, to the point that when I come back to myself I'm not even sure how much time has passed." She managed to lift her head again, looking to the pony she was explaining her situation to. She was curious to see her with a sudden look of shock on her face, as well as the slightest bit of color in her cheeks. She brushed it off as she continued. "I put off all else when it comes to our Saturday meetings. It... It's supposed to be an official meeting, but it never ends up being one. I can't maintain discipline when I'm around you, and for some reason I actually don't mind that fact. It's gotten to the point that I look forward to Saturday every week, and it's effecting how I do everything everyday." The color in Twilight's cheeks was now fairly noticable, but Tempest was finally making progress on her prepared request. So while putting more resolve back in her voice she continued again. "It's taken me some time, but I've finally figured out why this keeps happening."
Tempest could actually see the color fill into Twilight's cheeks more deeply and her eyes visibly widen at those words. "And, uhh, what... What is it that's, you know, making you...."
Somewhat confused by Twilight's behavior, Tempest decided it would be best just to finish her planned speech. Then she could do what had to be done. "It's... It's because of the debt I owe you. You're a pony with more compassion then any I've ever met. Not only did you save my life when you had no reason whatsoever to do so, you then stood between me and the judgement of every other ruler in Equestria."
Tempest saw whatever stress had been plaguing Twilight noticably lessen. It didn't go away entirely, but it was good for her to know at least one of them wasn't caused great discomfort by the memory.
"Fizzlepop, I've told you before it wasn't that big a deal. You don't need to feel like you owe me anything from it. Much less..."
Twilight trailed off, but Tempest didn't need her to finish. She had her own opinion about it. "They didn't think a cell would hold me. They were talking about turning me to stone. You literally stood up, put yourself between me and them, and said you'd never let that happen. Twilight..." She turned to see color had returned to Twilight's features, but ignored it again as she continued. "I've literally faced down entire armies without blinking, and you might be the bravest pony I've ever known." The color became more pronounced. "I don't think I'll ever be able to repay everything you've done for me, but I do know I especially can't do it while working at a diminished level."
"You are not working at any kind of diminished level. If anything you're doing a better job then ever. And besides that I don't..." Twilight's composure slipped a little more, causing her to pause for a moment before continuing. "Eh-hem. I don't think we should make any hasty decisions here. Especially since I... I umm, think I might have a different explanation for what's going on."
Tempest became downcast. "This isn't a decision I've come to hastily. I've thought on it a great deal and it's the only answer I can come to. And the decision has already been made." She looked back up. "I've already talked it over with both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They said that I will be allowed to finish out my community service under close and strict supervision in Canterlot after relocating the enlistees there. The only thing I need to make it official... is the approval of the pony currently overseeing my parole."
Twilight was caught off guard by this. She sputtered for a second before responding. "You.. You've already gone that far with this. I don't want you to... You don't need to leave Fizzlepop. There is... potentially, a more manageable solution to this situation."
"There really is no other answer. I owe you my life more times over then I could ever hope to repay. But if I'm to have any chance to repay it, I can't do it while I'm around you. If you approve, then the process can be put into effect and I can be out of the castle as soon as the end of next week."
"Wait. You've already figured it down to that extent?"
"I've already begun packing my few belongings. And, the books you gave me to read... I can return them whenever you wish."
"What? No, I just gave you those. Wait, that's not important. What's important is that you're overreacting. You don't need to be..."
"What I need, is to stop feeling like I'm drowning every time I see your face." Tempest said this with an air of finality and with a firm tone she didn't feel as she had her eyes closed and her ears pinned back.
"Fizzle...." Twilight trailed off, a defeated sound to her voice that made Tempest's stomach tighten up.
Tempest heard the purple princess take a few steps away. She knew Twilight wasn't the type to give up easily, so right now she could only hope that whatever reason she came up with to try to convince her to stay was one she could still handle with her defenses and nerves largely in ruins.
She heard her princess step back over to her, coming close enough that the gentle tone she spoke in could be easily heard.
"Fizzlepop, do you trust me?"
Tempest cringed as she felt this was going to be a hard one. "I... I trust you more then I've ever trusted another pony in my life."
"And I trust you as well. So, I've got an idea I think might help you get past this."
Tempest sighed. She had hoped by now that Twilight would just let well enough be and let her go. But she figured she at least owed her enough to hear her out. She finally raised her head and opened her eyes. "And what.. might.. that.... be?" She was somewhat puzzled to find Twilight's face more red then she had ever seen it. She also had expected to see Twilight looking more resolute, and definitely not looking at her own hooves while smiling the most sheepish smile she had ever seen.
"Instead of, umm, spending a week preparing to leave, I was thinking..." She managed to look up to Tempest, which somehow managed to make her face even more red. "How about, for the next week, you delegate all but your most necessary duties to other ponies in the guard. And....,......" Twilight now looked like it was taking considerable effort to keep her gaze fixed on Tempest. But she pressed on, straining not to look back down to her hooves as she did so. "...., You use that extra time.... to take me.... out on dates."
The silence in the room felt like it might press itself down and smother Tempest. It was some time before she could manage any response that would come out even remotely coherent. ".....,....... Whaaat???!!"
Though the response was not exactly elegant, it did little to change the look on Twilight's face. Though she did finally yield to the embarrassment and looked away as she spoke. "I think this is kinda like when you first realized I really didn't want anything back from you when I gave you your room here in the castle. You, you just aren't familiar with normal emotional responses to... normal things. And I'm thinking this because, what you've been describing... sounds more like you have a crush more then anything else."
Tempest hadn't lied when she said she trusted Twilight, she hadn't even exaggerated. It was thus very odd for her brain to suddenly try to do is best as it could to find reasons to contradict the words her first real friend had just spoken. However, the fact remained that she now felt like she had to force herself to breathe, and it seemed to get worse and worse the more times the words ran through her head.
With some effort, and with her face for some reason feeling very hot again, she finally managed a response. "A... crush? As in, I might be having romantic feelings, towards you?" Twilight managed to give a nod in response. "That, does not really seem possible. So why does the idea of it make my pulse rise?"
"You gave up on other ponies at a very young age. You probably never had a first love or even a first crush. So it's very possible you wouldn't know what it feels like, or even what kinds of ponies you might be able to feel it for." She managed to look back up to Tempest's still frozen in shock face. "So, I think it might help if you got to experience them. You're a good pony and a good friend, so I wouldn't mind going out on a few dates with you. We can just see where it goes, and hopefully after a week you won't feel so much like you can't be around me. What do you say?"
A haze had settled over Tempest's thoughts at this point, which at least was keeping her from making decisions irrationally. She had some idea that parts of her brain currently unaccessible to her would probably tell her to use her magic to set off an explosion and tactically retreat through the nearest non-solid surface available. Instead she focused on Twilight's sincere smile, and the fact that she knew she'd made it her goal to see as much of that smile as she could since coming under Twilight's care.
"I... I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now. But I do trust you more with these types of, emotion... things." She felt her face warming up again. "And this is also the calmest I've managed to feel around you in a while, so I think you might be right at least on some level. So, if you think me taking you out... on a date will help, then yes."
Twilight's face had been regaining it's normal color, but at that moment flushed with some more red again. "Well then, we had plans to meet on Saturday anyway right. How about we make a day of it?"
"That, that sounds like it will work." Not knowing what to say or do at this kind of moment, Tempest found herself stiffly turning towards the door of the room. "Thank, thank you for your time. I'll take my leave for tonight." Her words were as automatic as her actions, but something finally cut through the haze she was feeling.
"Fizzlepop." The voice was just as sincere as it ever was as it called out to her. Tempest turned to find her forgotten armor hovering in the air before her. "I think you might still need this for duty tomorrow." She smiled sweetly.
Fizzlepop's face felt warm again as she carefully attempted to take her armor in her magic, trying her best to return the smile. "Thank you, your highness."
Twilight's smile shifted into a more playful one as she held her magic field to prevent the armor from being passed between them.
Fizzlepop's smile spread more naturally across her face. "Thanks, Twily."
The lavender field relented and Fizzlepop managed to take hold of the plates as she once again turned to leave.