//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Spark Between the Tempest and the Sun // by AnimationLover36 //------------------------------// The night was very calm. The afternoon wind had ceased, but not without clearing all the clouds, revealing now a dark blue sky covered with stars. In the field it was quite quiet, neither the crickets nor the owls felt like making noise tonight; and no carriage had been on the dirt road for several hours. The only sound that could be heard at the time was coming from a canteen on the side of the road. It has a quite rustic appearance, reminiscent of a typical western town bar. It was more spacious than it appeared, because in addition to the kitchen and the bar, the place had several wooden tables, two PIU machines and a target to play darts. That night the place was quite full. Several ponies, mostly earth ponies, were enjoying the party. However, it was not the only species that could be found. There were two griffins, a dragon, and three changelings having fun with the rest of the equines. A changeling and a pony were competing amicably in one of the PIUs. It really was a very warm environment. At a table in the corner, a pony gazed out at the view while enjoying her drink. She wore a dark gray scarf around her neck and a black outfit that covered part of her body but revealed her muscular legs. She had a dark orchid coat, moderate pink mane and tail with light edges and moderate opal eyes, with a vertical scar on the right. At first, you would think it was an earth pony, but she was a unicorn, only her horn was broken, as if it had been almost completely ripped off. One might feel sorry for her upon seeing her horn. She herself had felt sorry for it for most of her life. In fact, her broken horn had turned her into a bitter and cold unicorn that she thought she couldn't trust anyone, obsessing over restoring her horn regardless of the price to pay. With that thought, she had worked for anyone who would allow her to achieve her goal. But one day, that way of think changed completely. Her former boss, a tyrant known as The Storm King, wanted her to capture the four alicorn princesses of Equestria so that he could absorb all the magic from them. Sadly, Tempest didn't see that her boss was only using her as a pawn, and he never intended to honor his treatment. She would have died if it wasn't because one of the princesses decided to save her. Despite everything she had done to her, she was able to show her that friendship was possible. Together (including a ragtag group of heroes) they defeated The Storm King and restored Equestria to peace. That alicorn is Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship. Despite her invitation, the unicorn refused to accept help that she felt she didn’t deserve. She decided to travel the rest of Equestria and beyond, spreading the defeat of The Storm King and helping others for her past misdeeds. She also took the opportunity to make peace with her old childhood friends. She used to travel with a hedgehog-like creature named Grubber, a former subordinate of hers, but they had been separated for several weeks now. Not for something bad, but because they had passed through his old home, and Grubber wanted to stay with his family a little longer. She understood, and they said goodbye with hopes of meeting in the future. A few months ago, she heard that Twilight had opened a friendship school, and that she had five students who weren't ponies. Although she believed that that idea would not work, Twilight surprised her again: Not only did she teach friendship to the different species, but those students (plus another pony), managed to save all the magic of Equestria. All this has made the relationship between species more positive than ever. The interior of the bar was proof of that. She’s been thinking about Twilight a lot lately. Despite being younger, she had proven to be more mature than her and other adults that the former commander had met. Twilight had the ability to make everypony want to be a better pony (or creature). While her first interaction was lousy, she is glad to have met her. "Twilight, you really are amazing." She said softly with a smile. "Unlike you, Tempest Shadow" Tempest was startled upon hearing those words. She took a quick look around her, but all the clients were quite far from her. What's more, she hadn't seen or heard anyone approach her. However, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Someone was in the table next to her and he was sitting with his back to her. The unicorn tried to get a better look at his face, but he noticed and responded quickly. "If I wanted to talk to you face to face, I would have sat at your table, don't you think?" Tempest looked at him annoyed, but she decided to return to her initial position. She wasn't one to freak out, but the fact that that creature had gotten so close without her noticing had her worried. Sure, she was relaxing and wasn’t on guard, but still, not having noticed someone sitting next to you, especially when you are someone trained as a soldier, isn’t normal. And it seems that this new one wasn’t just anyone. From the little she had seen and heard of her "companion", Tempest knew (by his tone of voice) that he was a male, and his arm noticed a black sweater, covering an arm too long for a griffin, a pony or a changeling. But she couldn't know more, since that sweater had a hood, and he was wearing it, preventing her from seeing his head. If she wanted to know more about this creature, she would have to speak to him. "Can I help you with something?" She asked seriously. It was something she hadn't lost even after she reformed. “Maybe, but it's weird that you ask me. I thought, by recognizing me, you would know why I am here”. The individual's voice now sounded far more polite. "If I could see your face, maybe I would remember you" "Does seeing this make you remember me now?" He said as he raised his right hand. Tempest looked at him and froze at the sight. His hand was a black paw that belongs to a feline, a specie native to the kingdom of Abyssinia, one of the kingdoms victims of The Storm King. But the worst thing is that, instead of his index finger, there was a prosthesis, a metal claw. In her entire life, Tempest knew only one with that prosthesis. And if she was right, this situation could get more dangerous and uncomfortable than she thought. "Claw" she said as less scared as she could. The feline lowered his hand from her and led her to the table, grabbing the glass of beer he had there and taking a short sip. Tempest guessed that he had ordered it at the bar and brought it with him, otherwise she would have seen the bartender approach (at least). "Well, if you already know who I am, that makes the conversation easier." "What do you want from me now?" Asked the unicorn “We had a deal, Tempest. I did my part, and now it's your turn to do yours”. "The deal was with The Storm King, not with me." “The agreement included you too; And before you say it, even if you no longer work for him, it doesn't mean you've gotten rid of debt." "The invasion failed" she replied as she took a big drink. “But not because of me. My invention worked" “Yes, too good. But The Storm King has gone, and I can't keep what I promised you " "On the contrary, pretty girl. I heard that your new boss is the princess of friendship, and that makes things easier for me." Tempest was stunned. What would this psychopath want with Twilight? For a second, he was startled, but she quickly regained her composure. "I don’t understand you" “You see, I have something in my power that will completely change the world we know now. After evaluating the four alicorns, since I'm not counting the baby of The Crystal Empire, I consider the Princess of Friendship to be the best fit to help me to achieve my goal. Since you know her, it would be all easier if you introduce us. I've heard that she loves discovering new things and making new friends, we'd sure get along." Tempest frowned. She knew where this was going to end, and she isn’t willing to hear another word. "No" "What have you said?" The feline asked in surprise. "No, Claw, I'm not going to get involved with you anymore, and I'm not getting my friend into whatever you're up to right now." She said she, already about to explode. The former commander expected the cat to be angry when he heard her response. However, Claw didn't bother at all. He even cracked a smile, out of Tempest's sight. “All right, then I'll go see her and introduce myself. You know me well enough to know that I can make her an offer that she cannot refuse." Tempest couldn't go through with this anymore. She jumped out of her chair and grabbed the feline's arm, so that he couldn't use the hand with the metal claw. "DON’T YOU DARE GO NEAR HER!" She screamed in fury, while sparks began to come out of her horn. This action caught the attention of everyone in the canteen. Customers turned their gazes to the duo, and silence filled the bar. However, Tempest and Claw seemed to ignore that. Although he hated being threatened, Claw wasn't about to let that crippled unicorn upset him, especially since he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. He finished his beer, using his free hand, and spoke softly. "Tempest, do you know what would happen if everyone found out who you are? Do you know how easy it would be for me to say that you attacked me and make everyone here stand on my side?" “You are just as guilty as me. Also, do you think you will have time to scream? If I want, I can injure you enough to send you to the hospital. And trust me, we are a considerable distance from the city. It would take a while for the police and the ambulance to get here, a time that I could use to get out of here, and get to Princess Twilight before you.” She said just as softly, with the same smile she put on when she attacked Canterlot. Claw looked at her, and for the first time, he became serious. “Impressive that you care for someone else besides yourself. It's a shame that you don't even worry about knowing what you're drinking " Tempest looked at him confused, but her expression turned to horror as she looked at the glass she had drunk just now and realized what he meant. She quickly released him and walked away to the other customers. But she had barely taken a couple of steps when she felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was so intense that he squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth. She pulled a helmet to his chest, in a vain attempt to ease the pain. The image of the suffering unicorn began to worry the customers of the bar. "Are you okay?" A pony asked her. Tempest tried to speak, but she could only gasp. Later, she noticed her strength was failing and her vision was blurring. Unable to stay conscious, she collapsed to the ground. Clients quickly came to help her. One took her pulse and checked her breathing. When she did the latter, he became concerned, and asked his companions for help. "She's barely breathing, we have to take her to the hospital!" While all this was happening, the anthropomorphic cat went to one of the waiters and deposited some coins on the tray he was carrying. Then, he left the bar taking advantage of the confusion, went to the road and started to run. When he saw that he was far enough away from the bar, and that no one was spying on him, she pulled out a notebook and a pen. Being a cat, he could see perfectly in the dark. His orange eyes twinkled as he opened the book to a page with a list written on it, and he crossed out one of the items. "Well, the phase two of the plan has been a success" he exclaimed satisfied. He looked at the next item on the list. “And now, Twilight, it's your turn."