//------------------------------// // Morning Meetings // Story: Take No Prismers // by Tangerine Blast //------------------------------// A knock rang across Tempest’s room at exactly eight o’ five the next morning.  Tempest looked up in mild surprise from where she had been reading. It was her and Rainbow’s rest day from training. When exercising it was important to take at least one day a week to let your muscles breathe and all the work to settle in.  Tempest had still gotten up at the crack of dawn. That wasn’t the kind of habit you’d risk breaking. And, like every rest day, she had set to work reading from one of Princess Twilight’s many books scattered all throughout the castle. Tempest had missed more than a decade’s worth of schooling when she had fled Equestria and was using every opportunity to catch up just a little bit more.  But while normally she would be content to read and rest, from the moment she had gotten up this morning she had felt… bored. Like there was an itch in the back of her skull she just couldn’t scratch with the quiet of a book. She longed to be out there. Moving and working in a way so calming and familiar to her. Practicing under the perfect weather Rainbow Dash had made. So when the knock sounded on her door it wasn’t the annoying intrusion it would have been any other day. Tempest almost felt relieved as she closed the dry history book in her lap and went to open the door. Princess Twilight Sparkle was waiting on the other side, as expected. What wasn’t expected was the splatter of batter and whip cream dotting the Princess’s coat. “Hi, Tempest,” The Princess greeted as if she didn’t look like she had barely survived a food fight, “I’m going to have a little breakfast party with my friends in a couple of minutes and I wondered if you’d like to join us.” “You…” Tempest asked, slowly letting her gaze wander over the Princess’ ruffled appearance, “...cooked?” Twilight pouted as if Tempest had just said something offensive. “I’ve gotten better at it! I barely burn anything anymore. Besides… Spike helped… a lot.” That wasn’t at all what Tempest had meant to imply but didn’t bother correcting Her Highness. “No thank you,” she said instead. While sitting in on a dignitary meeting might alleviate the boredom clawing at her mind, she didn’t particularly feel like standing silently as nobles chatted for hours on end. She had attended enough of them working for the Storm King. “I ate earlier.” “Are you sure?” Twilight pressed, tilting her head to the side as if Tempest’s refusal had somehow surprised her for the twentieth time. “It’s just going to be a casual breakfast right here in the castle.” “I’m sure Pr- Twilight.” Tempest began to close to the door, hoping that the Princess would get the hint before they dived too deep into a discussion. “I have other things to attend to today.” “Well, alright then.” Twilight caved quicker than usual. Her ears drooped and she let out a long sigh but she made no move to walk away. “I won’t force you into anything. But Rainbow Dash was really looking forward to you joining us and now I’ll have to watch her pout all morning. Guess it can’t be helped.” Tempest paused, the door only inches from closing. “...Rainbow Dash will be attending?” Twilight perked back up immediately, as if she was never upset in the first place. “Of course! She’s one of my best friends, after all.” The Princess continued to grin at Tempest like she had caught her in an inescapable trap. Tempest let out an almost undetectable sigh and pushed the door back open to Twilight’s obvious delight. “Fine then. I shall attend with you.” After all, it was doubtful there was any event, no matter how dull, that the lively Pegasus couldn’t make entertaining.  “Perfect!” Princess Twilight replied, prancing a little as she headed back down the hallway, “You can help Starlight set the table.” Tempest followed her to the nearest dining room in the grand castle, immensely relieved that they did head towards a dining room. She had walked in too many times to the Princess or one of her assistants eating away in their throne room, using the large map as a table for snacks or even full meals. The disregard of formality and disrespect to the symbolism of a strategy room like that set Tempest’s fur on edge. It reminded her too much of how the Storm King would manage his meetings, lulling creatures into a false sense of security. Obviously, that wasn’t Twilight’s intention but it irked Tempest that she wasn’t trying to avoid that behavior either. They entered the dining room to find Twilight’s pony assistant, Starlight… something, placing plates and silverware around the table in neat order. She looked up as the two entered the room and blinked in surprise when she saw Tempest with her Princess. “Oh! You actually got her to come?” Twilight didn’t even slow down as she brushed past her assistant and towards the adjacent kitchen. “Yep! She just needed a bit of time and encouragement, just like you. You two finish setting the table and I’ll go check on Spike.” The smaller Unicorn rolled her eyes as the batter-covered princess disappeared back into what was probably a war zone if the amount of syrup on the swinging door was any indication. Starlight turned to Tempest with an exasperated smirk, as if they were sharing some private joke. “She definitely causes more problems than she solves when it comes to cooking.” Tempest simply raised a brow. “I suppose so. Participating in gossip of superiors had never been a pastime of mine.” Starlight’s smile slipped off her face and she coughed awkwardly into her hoof. “Uh, right. Sorry about that. The silverware is in those cupboards behind you if you want to start laying them out.” Internally, Tempest grimaced. Starlight was just casually floating the plates and cups over, handling multiple at once and only moving her head to track her progress. But Tempest didn’t think to complain or show discomfort in any way. It was demeaning to have to go over and scoop all the silverware in her mouth, but Princess Twilight Sparkle had asked her to help and so help she would. “So...” Starlight started awkwardly after a few moments of silent work, “how have you liked your stay in Ponyville so far?” Tempest gave her a flat look around the dozen forks and spoons cluttering her mouth. Noticing her faux pas, Starlight glanced away and continued on in a ramble like she hadn’t just asked a question. “I know it was really hard for me, at first. It’s weird to get used to not being in charge anymore and having to live in someone else’s house. Feels like you're back in your parent’s basement.” Tempest placed the cutlery on the table with a clatter and started to arrange them across nine different seats. “I suppose it is a change of scenery. What was it you did again before apprenticing with the Princess?” “Ah, that’s… that’s quite a story.” Starlight chuckled as she rearranged a napkin she had just finished straightening. “I manipulated ponies into electing me their leader and giving up their cutie marks while we… okay, yes, it was basically a cult. No point beating around it, I guess.” Tempest frowned slightly and paced the table, checking to see if everything was correct. “And what made you abandon that path? Sounds like you had an entire community of ponies adoring you.” Starlight shot Tempest a completely baffled look. “I gave it up for the same reason you did. Twilight showed me a better way. I mean, didn’t you have an entire army at your beck and call?” “That was completely different.” Tempest glared down at the cutlery as she brought herself back to that time. “I thought no one would ever listen to me or accept me unless I forced and intimidated them. The idea that creatures could… care for one another… was completely foreign to me. It sounds like you actually convinced ponies to love you.” A chuckle made Tempest look up icily to find Starlight smirking at her in an annoyingly condescending way. “You know I don’t think it’s any different at all.” The smaller pony explained. “They didn’t love me, they loved the lies I told them. They loved what I made them love. I manipulated them, coerced them, and used them. The only difference between you and me is that you attacked creatures physically and I attacked them mentally.” Tempest stared at her as the rest of the table sets filed into place perfectly.  Starlight gave a small smile. “Just… something to think about, I guess.” A knock rang through the castle, bouncing off the crystal halls and reverberating in an almost deafening ring.  Princess Twilight’s head peeked back out of the kitchen, now with a chef’s hat balanced atop it and somehow even messier than before. “Oh good, you two are done. Tempest, can I have you grab the door? I need Starlight’s help with the enchanted egg beater.” Starlight laughed a tad frantically and trotted into the kitchen as if her tail was on fire but she was trying desperately to hide it. “I… I didn’t tamper with that enchantment… recently.” Tempest watched her go for a moment before another knock rattled the hallways. She turned and headed towards the front door, mulling for a moment in her own thoughts.  Despite being Princess Twilight’s apprentice she didn’t think Starlight knew much about Tempest’s situation at all. Essentially exiled, deformed, forced to live in a survival first situation, Tempest had been isolated from any casual pony interaction for much of her life. It was nothing like taking a group of your closest friends and running away to a secluded part of Equestria, no matter how badly you lied to each other. Tempest was a walking weapon and that was made even more clear by her task to answer the door. Obviously Twilight wanted her to be the first thing her guests saw to put herself at an advantage and throw all the others off of their game. It was an effective strategy that the Storm King had even used a few times with his army of large, gruff, soldiers. Tempest respected it but that didn’t mean she enjoyed being used for political games. Coming to Equestria was supposed to be a chance to get away from all that. The only thing keeping her spirits up was the possibility that the first visitor might be Rainbow Dash and, knowing her, Tempest would be saved from any more awkward meetings by Dash’s energetic personality.  Unfortunately, opening the door did not reveal the familiar Pegasus but instead a well-groomed Unicorn that Tempest vaguely recalled as being one of Princess Twilights’ friends.  “Oh!” The Unicorn said, starting back a little at the sight of Tempest at the door. “Why, Miss Shadow, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Tempest didn’t react more than to raise an eyebrow. “I live here now.” The Unicorn -- Tempest was trying to recall her name but it kept slipping just away -- giggled in a tinkling little way that was both parts actually amused and a way to dispel nerves. “Well, yes, I was aware of that. But you’ve never made an appearance at our little get-togethers before.” “I’ve been busy.” Tempest turned so she was holding open the door while also leaving room for the smaller Unicorn to move past her. “Please, come in. The Princess is waiting for you…?” Thankfully she seemed to recognize the unasked question and inclined her head politely. “Rarity. It’s a pleasure to formally meet you.”  Tempest hummed in acknowledgment and, checking that no pony else was walking up the front steps, closed the door and led Rarity back to the dining room.  Led might not have been the right term. Rarity seemed to know exactly where she was going and headed straight there with a spring in her trot. “So, Tempest, what do we owe the pleasure of your company this morning?” Ah, small talk. Tempest’s greatest foe. “I felt like attending the meeting. Nothing more.” Rarity’s brow furrowed, just slightly enough that she probably thought Tempest wouldn’t notice. But the shorter Unicorn continued with her questioning as if nothing was amiss. “Well, I don’t blame you. Spike’s cooking is hard to pass up, no matter what the circumstances.” She turned her head to smile warmly at Tempest. “And I do hope the circumstances aren't too undesirable.”  There was humor in Rarity’s voice but also a hint of… hurt? Worry? Did she think Tempest was upset at her? What had Tempest done to imply that? Making ponies like you was extremely complicated. Thankfully, Tempest was freed from having to save face by another knock ringing through the crystal castle.  Rarity’s ears flattened on her head. “Goodness. Twilight really needs to work on those acoustics, doesn’t she?” Tempest bowed her head instead of replying. “If you’ll excuse me I need to get that.” Rarity’s smile was sad. “Ah, of course. I know the way.” Tempest left with the intent to put the other Unicorn out of her mind. Even if Tempest had done something to upset her it hardly mattered. Rarity, and all these guests, were here for Princess Twilight Sparkle. What Tempest Shadow did hardly mattered. Thankfully, the evening got immensely better once Tempest opened the grand front doors once again.  “Tempest!” Rainbow Dash said, face lighting up with joy once the doors swung open. In an act that caught Tempest completely off guard, the Pegasus darted forward and wrapped her forelegs around Tempest’s neck in a tight hug. Before the Unicorn could even register what was happening, Rainbow had already removed herself and flew back to hover in her original position. “Are you gonna eat breakfast with us today? Cause that’d be so sweet!” “Y-yes,” Tempest answered, clearing her throat. She probably shouldn’t have let that happen. As Rainbow’s personal trainer letting the student get a jump on her in any way was just embarrassing. “The Princess insisted.” “Twilight didn’t invite too many more ponies, did she?” Tempest glanced down to where a second Pegasus she hadn’t noticed before was standing, a basket balanced between her wings. The yellow pony ducked her head when Tempest looked at her and awkwardly scraped a hoof on the floor. “Not that it isn’t nice that you’re coming, of course. I just bought some eggs to share and I hope I grabbed enough…” “It’ll be fine, Fluttershy,” Rainbow answered waving an unconcerned hoof, “Even if we do run out I can always just zip back to your place and get more.” “I’m not aware of who The Princess invited,” Tempest also supplied. Probably unhelpfully, but she still felt the need to answer the question that had been asked of her. Fluttershy glanced between the two a few times before nodding in acknowledgment. “Okay… I’ll just go help set up.” She slipped between Tempest and the door and vanished down the hall before Tempest could even think of stopping her. “Aw, don’t mind Shy,” Rainbow said when her friend was out of earshot, “She’s kinda jumpy around new ponies. Way better than she was a few years ago but…” Dash trailed off with a noncommittal shrug.  “But I did attempt to enslave your entire country,” Tempest pointed out for her. Rainbow’s lips twitched into a hint of a grin as she shook her head. “Trust me. That’s not as big of a problem as you’d think.” She then landed from her hover and trotted into the castle. “Come on, if we’re fast maybe we can beat Pinkie to some of the whipped cream.” Tempest followed after before Dash could disappear into the depths of the castle.  It suddenly felt… weird to Tempest that Rainbow Dash was here. Tempest was used to moving every other day to a new province and new mission. This castle, living with Twilight and her assistants, was the most permanent home she had had since she was a filly. And having Rainbow here now almost felt like a breach of protocol. “Do you come here every meeting?” Tempest asked as the two walked towards the dining room. Rainbow seemed to know her way around incredibly well, not even glancing at the high ceilings or intricate designs. “Huh? Meetings?” Rainbow asked, glancing over her shoulder at Tempest, “Oh, you mean like the breakfasts and hangouts? Nah, they aren’t all at Twilight’s place. Sometimes we go to Rarity’s or Pinkie’s or just, like, a park. Depends on who wants to host and stuff.” “Never yours?” Tempest wondered. Rainbow snorted. “Heck no. Not only is my house in the clouds and I don’t wanna be on guard in case someone accidentally walks off the side but I can’t cook to save my life. Bringing sandwiches to a few of them is about all I can manage.” “Ah,” Tempest said, and managed to keep the hint of disappointment out of her voice. “And you attend every one?” “Eeeeh,” Rainbow said, “Yeah, I come to the ones I can and I love seeing the girls. But sometimes a Wonderbolt’s got things to do, you know?” “As in…?” It was a personal question to push but Tempest felt it was appropriate in this situation.  Dash waved a hoof. “You know, flight practices, tours, team building trainings. Uh actually…” she trailed off and slowed so she was trotting side by side with Tempest instead of a few steps in front of her. “Do you know? What was army life like for you? Cause the Wonderbolts are technically military but we concentrate more on the show stuff.” Tempest shook her head with a small smile. She could easily believe that the Wonderbolts didn’t concentrate on the fighting aspect of their work from how easily she had defeated them during her raid. But insulting Rainbow’s occupation probably wouldn’t be a good idea. “‘Team building’ definitely not. But I did have to train and travel so I understand that.” Rainbow nodded, satisfied. “So you get it. It takes up a lot of time and-Oh dang it, Pinkie!” They had arrived back at the dining room at that exact moment and the sight that greeted them utterly baffled Tempest.  Most of the table was as Tempest left it besides two noticeable differences. Rarity was sitting in one of the chairs, sipping at a cup of coffee. And across from her was a tower of pancakes, whipped cream, and fruit, teetering in the wind in front of Pinkie Pie, who was only adding more toppings to her stack. “Pinkie!” Rainbow yelled again, darting into the room to confront her friend face to face. “Geez, can you not save a drop for the rest of us?” Pinkie looked up from her pastry tower and blew a raspberry at Dash. “If you wanted some you shouldn’t have been one of the last ponies here Miss Fastest Pegasus Alive.” She squirted some directly into her mouth. “You snooze, you lose.” “I don’t lose,” Rainbow said with a playful scowl and proceeded to leap over the table to tackle the Earth Pony. Pinkie squeaked in surprise and scurried out of the way, whipped cream bottle clutched in her muzzle. “No, it’s mine! Mine!” “Give it!” Tempest stared blankly as Rainbow proceeded to chase her friend around, and occasionally upon, the table.  They seemed to be… having fun. That was the only explanation, strange as it was, to what was happening. Because Tempest knew that while Pinkie Pie was twisting around to keep the canister just out of Rainbow’s reach, Dash was skilled enough to immobilize her if she really wanted to.  So it had to just be some weird kind of game. And, if the laughter and angry grunts were anything to go by, one created mostly for Pinkie Pie’s entertainment. “Don’t pay them any mind, darling,” Rarity spoke up from where she was sitting, “Those two like to rough house a bit but it’s all in good fun for them.” “When did Pinkie arrive?” Tempest asked, ignoring the odd display for the moment in favor of a slightly more pressing matter, “She didn’t come through the front door.” Rarity furrowed her brow. “Hmm? I’m not sure. I thought she was here before I arrived. Starlight!” She waved down the pink Unicorn, who was currently talking to Fluttershy, and the two wandered over to the table. “Starlight, when did Pinkie arrive?” “Huh?” Starlight said, “I don’t know. She came out of the kitchen with all the pancakes a few seconds ago. I thought she just snuck in when I wasn’t looking. Fluttershy do you…” She trailed off as Fluttershy fixed both of them with a tired look and shook her head with such gravity the Unicorns decided to drop the subject right then and there. Rarity grimaced and stood up as Rainbow and Pinkie rolled dangerously close to the giant stack of pancakes. “You know, I better go do some damage control…” She trotted off. Leaving the other three in awkward silence. “Is Applejack the only one we’re waiting for?” Fluttershy spoke up after a moment. “Seems like it,” Starlight said, before trotting over towards the kitchen, “I’ll go check on how Twilight and Spike are doing. They should be finished up in a couple of minutes.” Fluttershy made a little whine that sounded like a protest as she walked away but quickly clammed up once it was just her and Tempest completely alone. “So,” Tempest started after a few moments of awkward silence between the two. Though ‘silence’ was a strong word as there was still plenty of noise in the room. Pinkie and Rainbow were making a sound that could only be called ‘shriek laughing’. “How did all of you… meet?” Fluttershy looked up at the question. Her big doe-like eyes blinking in confusion. Tempest desperately wished she could join Rainbow in fighting the Earth Pony for even that seemed to be a better alternative than this creeping conversation.  “Um…” Fluttershy eventually answered, “Well, most of us really met the first time Twilight came to town but Rainbow and I have been friends since foalhood.” “Really?” Tempest knew that such a thing shouldn’t surprise her, but it still did. Rainbow and all these other ponies were so different. Rainbow was so different from any other pony Tempest had ever met. “Mmmhm,” Fluttershy said with a nod, “We went to the same flight school. I didn’t have many friends but Rainbow was one of the most popular foals in her class.” Now that, at least, made sense. “She’s very likable isn’t she?” Tempest mused to herself.  “Yes,” Fluttershy agreed anyway, “even when she’s not being… particularly friendly, she's always admirable.” Tempest frowned and turned her full attention to the quiet pony. “What do you mean by that?” “Howdy folks!” Came a call from the dining room entrance, “Sorry I’m late, Apple Bloom was havin’ trouble gettin’ ready for school.” Tempest snapped around to where Applejack had just come in, taking in the commotion of the room with just a bit of amused shock.  She had just… walked in. The second pony to get past Tempest today. That made her a sub-par bodyguard at best.  Putting on a scowl to mask her embarrassment, Tempest walked over to Applejack and towered above the Earth Pony. “You didn’t knock,” Tempest stated once she was close enough.  “Huh?” Applejack asked, glancing up at her, “Oh, nah, Twi doesn’t mind if I just walk on in.” She apparently thought that was the end of the conversation as she strode forward without another word. Tempest frowned at the back of her head, torn. If the Princess thought it was okay then of course it was okay. But if she did then why did she assign Tempest to guard the door? As Tempest contemplated, Applejack walked over to the table and snatched the whip cream bottle out of Pinkie’s grasp as she bounced past. “Now settle down you two. You’re gonna start breakin’ things at this rate.” “Nuh-uh, nuh-uh,” Pinkie Pie shook her head rapidly and didn’t seem at all perturbed by the loss of the thing she had been fighting over for the past five minutes. “Look, see? It’s fine. Rainbow Dash is a professional fighter now, she won’t let anything get knocked over.” The table was indeed free from spilled food but from the way Rarity’s horn was subtly glowing Tempest could guess it didn’t have much to do with the roughhousers’ mindfulness. Applejack rolled her eyes and tousled Pinkie’s hair good-naturedly. “I’m not sure tusslin’ around in the dirt every morning really makes someone a professional fighter.” “Yeah, Pinks,” Rainbow piped up, still laying on the table from where she had been trying to cut Pinkie off, “Tempest is the professional. I’m still in training.” Tempest wasn’t exactly sure what being a professional fighter meant but she decided to take it as a compliment. “Looking at it a certain way…” Rarity said, finishing straightening all the table settings that had been bounced around, “you could claim all of us are ‘professional fighters’. Considering we sometimes get paid for going out on those missions.” “Oh, that’s true!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing a little in place, “We’ve fought those vines and changelings and Tirek, but that was mostly Twilight, and those storm guards. Oops,” she shot an apologetic look Tempest's way, “no offense.” “None taken?” Tempest replied. She honestly hadn’t even known the other ponies had fought the storm guards. Though from what she knew of the lot she doubted they could even be classified as amateur fighters, no matter how many situations they’ve been thrown into. Rainbow was obviously pulling most of the weight on her team. “Speakin’ of Tempest,” Applejack asked, cocking her head to the side curiously, “I didn’t think you’d ever come to any of our shindigs. What made you change your mind?” Almost completely against her will, Tempest found her eyes moving in Rainbow Dash’s direction. She had gotten off the table at this point and was staring with the same wide-eyed curiosity as the rest of her friends. Her scarlet eyes seemed to shine in the reflective lights of the castle. Tempest was at a loss for words. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and her entire body seized up as she stared into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “I…” “Alright ponies,” Spike poked his head out of the kitchen, saving Tempest from having to form her thoughts into a suitable reply. “Breakfast is, officially, served.”