//------------------------------// // An unexpected visitor // Story: The Spark Between the Tempest and the Sun // by AnimationLover36 //------------------------------// Ponyville. A small, quiet place, but full of life. Although at first it was a simple town like any other, today it is one of the most popular in all Equestria since the Mane 6, the six ponies who controlled the magic of friendship and who once carried the elements of harmony, lived in that town. It was a very peculiar group, so different in personalities as in appearances, and yet they were a clear example of what a group of friends is. These ponies represented an element based on their way of being, and Twilight was not the only one that stood out: Pinkie Pie, the most partying and cheerful land pony in all of Equestria and the element of laughter; Rainbow Dash, a somewhat conceited, but faithful and collaborative pony, representer of loyalty; Rarity, a somewhat dramatic but polite and kind unicorn, symbolizes the generosity; Applejack, a very reliable and hardworking earth pony, is the element of honesty (something very appropriate, since she can't lie very well); and Fluttershy, a pegasus who, as her name suggests, is very shy, but someone who knows how to listen and who is loved by everyone, both ponies and other animals, and whose pure heart has made her worthy of the element of kindness. The six friends had faced numerous challenges. One of them was an invasion by a warlord known as The Storm King, forcing them to leave Equestria to seek help. While things did not go as expected, they managed to free their land and end The Storm King's tyranny. After that, Twilight decided that the magic of friendship could not depend only on them, so she decided to build a School of Friendship to teach future generations the magic of friendship, with Twilight being the director and her friends the teachers. Yep, it could be said that Twilght had the perfect life: a princess surrounded by friends who loved her, and she works on what she liked the most. What could go wrong? That morning Twilight Sparkle was in her office, checking what new books she should get for the school bookstore, something that was very difficult for her, due to her “book-loving” personality, with her faithful friend and assistant Spike the dragon, taking note. Although the little dragon was used to work, that did not mean that he was boring on certain occasions, like now. "We have to include The truth of the other species of Equestria, the book where Clover the Clever tells how it was her experience the first time she learned about the customs of the Pegasus; And let's not forget about the new Stygian story: The future is our present, where he tells the process of adaptation of each of the Pillars to our time. What do you think, Spike? " "That we could order the new comic of Power Ponies". "Spike! It's the school budget, we must use it for books that serve to teach, and not to read stories to spend in our free time!" Twilight scolded him "That's why I say it", the dragon justified "Mina told me that, in this new arc, the ponies team up with a duo of changelings detective and an adventurous kirin to solve a mystery", the dragon was justified. "Seriously? That sounds interesting. Still, I prefer to read it before deciding. I would not like to buy a book in which other species are ridiculed". At that moment they heard someone knocking on the door. "Come in", Twilight said. The door opened and Starlight Glimmer, the former Twilight student turned guidance counselor for The School of Friendship, entered. While they did not know each other in the best of terms, she was now one of her closest friends, almost as much as the Mane 6. "Twilight, Spike, sorry to interrupt, but someone requests to see you", she said pointing to her former teacher. “Well, today I won't be able to, I have the whole day covered. Tell him to come tomorrow”. "She told me that it would only be a moment, and that he was an acquaintance of yours from Canterlot". This caught the attention of Twilight and Spike. "Who is it?" Asked Spike "Possibly one of our old classmates from Canterlot," Twilight said. "I don't think so, he isn't a pony", Starlight explained. That last one surprised Twilight. Although she knew she was busy, she was curious to see who this old friend no-pony was and what he wanted to talk to her about. “I guess it will be okay to stop for a few minutes. Okay, let him in". Starlight nodded and gestured for someone to come closer. The princess and the dragon widened their eyes when they saw their visitor: He was an anthropomorphic cat, like Capper. His fur was black, except for his neck, which was white, and his eyes were orange. He was slim, but strong. If she were to compare him to Capper, she would say that this cat was a bit taller. He wore a blue t-shirt and a silver ring with an amethyst on the ring finger of his left hand. The feline approached Twilight's table and greeted her with his paw. "Good morning, Twilight Sparkle, it’s been a long time". He turned to Spike. "You too, Spike." The princess and the dragon kept looking at him in amazement. "Good morning. Please have a seat”, Twilight said. The cat sat on one of the stools. For a few seconds, there was only silence in the office. The alicorn was trying to find out who the visitor was, but she couldn't identify him, why had she introduced herself as a friend of hers? However, she didn't want to sound rude and tell him that she didn't know him. "You don't remember me, do you?" said the cat, as if he were reading her mind. “I don't blame you; we haven't seen each other in years. I'm glad to see that you still have a passion for books. I still remember when I saw you almost every day in the library. You got so caught up in reading that sometimes you forgot to eat, and I had to bring you snacks so you wouldn't be hungry. Your favorite food was my sweet potato muffins". The latter opened her eyes. Twilight knew who was this cat! "Leo?" Hearing this, Spike looked at Twilight in surprise. "Wait, what?", he said turning his gaze to the cat. "Leo? Leo Cat Vinci!?" "Yeah, that's me", he confirmed. Spike smiled at his old friend and ran to hug him. Leo stroked his head lovingly in response. Many of you are wondering this: Who is this feline? And how does he know Twilight and Spike? Well, in the past, Leo had worked in the Canterlot bookstore, where he met the princess and her little brother. Since Twilight spent a lot of time studying and reading at the bookstore, and since the two shared a passion for reading, they became friends very quickly. Although many of the ponies were wary of him, Twilight and Spike didn't care that he wasn't a pony (Spike was a dragon, so Twilight didn't have as much trouble getting close to an individual of another species). Leo continued working at the library after Twilight and Spike moved to Ponyville. However, after the Mane 6's showdown against Discord, Leo left Canterlot, and they hadn't heard from him again until today. "It’s glad to see you again," Spike said, breaking the embrace. "Where have you been all these years?" “I came home and started my own business. It has not been easy, but things are going well now. Now I have some free time, so I wanted to take advantage of it to visit my old friends”, Leo noticed Spike's wings. "I see you've already been through the molt." "Yes, it wasn't a pleasant experience, but these new wings are very useful", said the dragon, spreading its wings and smiling proudly. "I imagine it. Now you and Twilight are sure to save a lot of bits in traveling. I’m right, Twilight?" Leo looked at Twilight when he said that question, but he was surprised to see the alicorn looking at him with seriousness and some concern. Spike noticed that too. "Twilight, is everything okay?" Spike asked. "Yes, yes. It's just that I'm surprised to see you here suddenly and after such a long time” she replied. “I know, and I have no excuse. At least I should have written you letters”, Leo replied, scratching the back of his neck. “I had to leave for personal reasons, and I was forced to take over the family business. When I can finally find some time, I found out that you are the new princess, and I don't know if you would be happy to see me again". "Really? Did you think I was going to change who I am by becoming an alicorn?" "No! Try to understand me, I left without warning and without giving explanations. We lost contact a long time ago; and now you have a group of friends who have been with you at all times-". "Leo”, Twilight cut him off. “Maybe you didn't tell me why you left, but Celestia did". When Leo heard this, he frowned. This made Spike broke away from the cat, nervous. "And what exactly did she tell you?" Leo asked curiously. While he tried to sound calm, his tone of voice showed discomfort. “She didn't tell me everything that happened, but she was quite sad about it; and all the Canterlot’s staff I asked told me the same thing: That they had never seen the Princess have such a heated and aggressive argument with anyone before, ever. You scared a lot of ponies that day”, Twilight said. "Yes, I recognize that I was a very short-tempered young man," he said, softening his voice and his facial expression. "But if that is what worries you, I assure you that I have improved". "What worries me is your indifference. Do you know that Celestia has tried to regain your friendship all these years?" “I know, but it is not friendship that she wants. Celestia only does it for economic interest and to give a good image”. This response surprised both Spike and Twilight. Now it was the princess's turn to get angry. "Spike, would you mind going out for a moment and see if Starlight needs any help?" They didn't have to tell the dragon twice. She said goodbye to both and left the office, closing the door behind him. Twilight refocused on the feline. "Leo! How can you say something like that? After everything Celestia did for you". She reprimanded him. “Precisely Twilight, what she did to me was something very hard to forgive. And not just the princess, those rich men from Canterlot treated me badly, and just because I'm not a pony. Much talk of tolerance, but all I received was contempt. You understand that I didn’t like living where I didn’t feel loved”. Those words hit Twilight like a hammer blow to her head. Her face changed from angry to surprise, and then to sadness and empathy. Twilight began to figure out why Leo had left Canterlot and didn't want to return. She had already seen multiple situations of discrimination in the past: Discord, Thorax and The Young 6; and that problem was something that, sadly, was still present in Equestria. Then, Twilight came up with something that she could say to Leo to smooth things over. “You know, in the past I would have thought you were exaggerating, but now I am totally convinced that you are telling me the truth. Although I haven’t gone through the same thing as you, at least not directly, I know what it is to be rejected for who you are, or for what you stand for.Do you know that, when I opened this school, I invited young people of other species to will they study here?" “Yes, I read it on the news. A dragon, a gryphon, a changeling, a hippogriff, and a yak​​". "Well, as soon as I opened this school, The Equestria Education Association closed it to me, just because it had accepted those five students as my students." "They closed it?!" the cat said in surprise. "How did you get them to open it again?" “I turned it into an independent institution, outside the EEA’s purview. If I wanted to teach the importance of friendship, I could not submit to the rules of those who don’t respect even the opinion of their own species. And do you know who finances this school? The princess Celestia". With that comment, Twilight tried to make Leo see one of the positive facts of Celestia. Unknown to her, her "old friend" had been waiting since he came into spite for right moment to bring up a topic of conversation; and Twilight had just offered him the opportunity for it. "Wow, it's good to know that you have the support of the princess to fulfill the dream of your life", Leo said with a smile. "The dream of my life?" Twilight asked confused. “When you were studying at Canterlot, you always told me that when you grew up you wanted to be a teacher. Now you run a whole school”, Leo clarified. “I can tell that you are happy here". "Ah. Yes, I remember”, Twilight said as she recalled her past. "And it is true that I have not felt so happy in my life, I wouldn't change my situation for anything." "Unless Celestia asks it you to." "Yeah... wait, what?" Twilight said. She wasn't expecting that comment. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she's going to do it!" Leo rushed to say. “But I remember that you came to Ponyville on the princess's orders. So, hypothetically speaking, if she asked you to leave your current life and go somewhere else, would you obey her?" "Celestia would never do that to me! She is more than my teacher; she is my friend!" “That is why I said hypothetically. If she asked you to move in again, would you do it? Even if you don't want to, would you just obey her? " Twilight was silent, thinking carefully about the answer. Even being a hypothetical situation, it was very difficult for her to find the correct words. She had never disobeyed Celestia, not even after becoming a princess. "I do not know. She is my teacher and the ruler of Equestria. If she asks me for something, she will have her motives”, Twilight managed to say, with evident insecurity. "Come on Twilight," Leo replied. He had sensed the doubt in that answer. "Are you telling me that you would give up everything you have, everything you love, without even standing up for yourself?" "But she is a princess-" "Just like you", Leo cut her off. “Look, I can understand why staying in Ponyville was good for you: Even though Canterlot was your birth home, you had made new friends here, and over time you got a job that you like. This is your home now. So, what need do you have to leave, precisely now that everything is going well for you? Also, if Celestia really is your friend, she would listen to your opinion before deciding something that involves your future. By now, you will have a relationship strong enough to talk to each other with complete confidence and without provoking an argument. Or am I wrong? " Hearing that, Twilight remembered when she offered Celestia to participate in a play, only to find that the princess wasn’t a good actress. Instead of telling her, she kept it from her until the last moment, when she revealed it to her indirectly in a fit of rage. This made Celestia angry with her, not because Twilight thought she had no talent, but because she had lied to her. They later had a heart-to-heart conversation, in which Celestia told him that, in the future, she would not hesitate to tell him the truth instead of telling him a well-intentioned lie. But even though Celestia didn't mention it, Twilight knew that one of the things that really bothered her teacher the most was the lack of confidence she showed her. And Celestia had every right to be upset, as she has never hidden from Twilight that she sees her like her daughter. "You know what? You're right. One of the things that I have learned is that it isn’t good not to tell the truth or what you feel to a friend, since that only lengthens the problem, it can even make it worse. Besides, Celestia is a reasonable pony, if the two of us don't agree on something, I can put my point of view to her without having to argue". Leo stared into her eyes and smiled a smile bigger than before. “Congratulations Twilight, that was what I wanted to hear. To be honest, I didn't just come to talk about the old days. I want to speak with you about one idea that I have to ​​improving the relationships between ponies with other species, and that is why I need you. " "Me? Why me?" He asked curiously. "I told you before that Celestia contacted me out of interest. Do you know why?" Twilight shook her head. “I currently run several small businesses”, Leo explained. “And each one specializes in a different field of work: engineering, medicine, architecture, geology, paleontology, and botany. I even have a research laboratory " "You own all of them!? Oh my gosh, now I understand why you've been so busy". "Yes. For not being able to decide on just one job, now I do everything. Anyway, we are now in full swing, and I was weighing on expanding my business. Although any pony would think that Canterlot is a better place, I personally have a more positive opinion of Ponyville since the ponies of this town are friendlier with the other species than the rest of Equestria. What do you say? Can I count on your support? We could benefit both from this relationship". Twilight didn't have to think long about what she was going to respond: A chance to improve the interspecies relationship, create more jobs in Ponyville and regain friendship with one of her childhood friends. "I'd love to!” The princess said enthusiastically. “Today I have a lot of work, but tomorrow we can talk more about this. Oh, and I could introduce you to my friends!" "It's a shame, I work tomorrow, so I have to catch the next train if I want to get home before night," the cat apologized. “I'll be busy until the next Summer Sun Celebration is over. But then I take a vacation, and then we can talk”. "Oh" Twilight said sadly. "Although the Summer Sun Celebration won’t be long, it is a pity that you don’t stay a little longer. I’m sure that Celestia would be delighted to see you again." "Well, it was nice to see you again Twilight", said Leo getting up. "But I should better go now". Twilight got up too and walked him to the door. "Do you want me to accompany you to the station?" she volunteered. “I appreciate it, but if you are so busy today, I don't want to take up any more time. I'll go alone. Say goodbye to Spike for me.." Twilight leaned into him and hugged him fondly. The feline looked at her in surprise, as it was something he didn’t expect. "Seriously, it’s good to see you again", Twilight said. Leo smiled and returned the hug. "I feel the same, princess". The two parted ways, and the feline turned to open the door; but when he had barely touched the doorknob, Twilight asked him a question. "Oh, and Leo, just out of curiosity, why do you think Celestia would send me away from Ponyville? Does it have to do with the fight you had with her?" If Leo wasn't turning his back on Twilight, the princess would have seen the cat smile; but unlike the previous one, this one had nothing of happiness, but a combination of anger and malice. The first for remembering one of the moments that she could not forget; and the second, because that question would allow him to add more fuel to the fire. "A little, yes", he replied, keeping the calm in his voice. “Between you and me, Celestia always seemed a bit controlling and strict with you, as if she wanted you to be just like her. You will believe that I am exaggerating, but on more than one occasion I thought that she was training you to become a princess to succeed her on the throne". Twilight froze upon hearing that, although in this case it was a surprise, not anger. "But that's just my opinion. Enjoy the celebration, you will tell me how it was. See you soon”, the feline said before closing the door. Twilight stared at the door, thinking about what Leo just had said to her. It is true that sometimes Celestia made decisions that involved her without asking her, but she did what she did to prepare her to become the princess of friendship. But now that she thinks about it, Celestia didn't ask her permission before turning her into an alicorn and the princess of friendship. Sure, now she has adapted to her role, but it would have been nice if she had warned her before changing her. At that moment, concern invaded Twilight's mind. What if, for some reason, Leo was right, and she was forced to leave Ponyville? What would happen to her castle? To her students?... To her friends? Twilight really hoped that all the stress she was going through was due to her tendency to exaggerate things, and that her paranoia was playing tricks on her. Unfortunately, she would soon discover that this time she had reason to be worried about. Her situation was going to get much worse than she could ever have imagined. The first thing that Tempest noticed when she opened her eyes was a blue background. Little by little, his sight cleared, and she noticed that she was on the bed in a hospital ward. She saw that there was a nurse, a purple unicorn with pink eyes, and her cutie mark was two heart-shaped cross capsules. She used her magic to levitate a folder "Hey", said Tempest. She had tried to scream, but she could barely speak in a hoarse voice. However, it was enough for the nurse to hear her and head over to her. "Good morning! Glad to see you’re awake”, she told him in a friendly voice. “I’m Healthy Heart. You are in the hospital; But don't worry, your life isn’t in danger". "What happened to me?", asked Tempest. “You took a very strong sedative. You have been sleeping for three days". "Three days!?" Tempest said as loudly as she could, surprised. "Yes, do you remember what happened to you before that?" Tempest tried to remember, and the conversation she had had with Claw at the bar come to her mind. There were two things they remembered that she made her heart race with fear: Princess of Friendship. An offer that she cannot refuse. "Hearth, I... go... prin..." Tempest could no longer even pronounce anything correctly no matter how hard she tried. What's more, just trying to talk about, she felt a horrible pain in her throat. She tried to get up, but she didn’t get off the bed when Healthy Heart used her magic to, gently, lay her back on the bed. "Hey, take it easy, you've just woken up. We believe that you have taken more than sedatives, so we are going to do some tests. Meanwhile, you should rest. I will go report that you have woken up”. Despite Tempest's protests, Healthy Heart left the room. The unicorn stayed in bed, analyzing her situation, and thinking about her options. As she was, she couldn’t speak for long without her voice failing; so, she had to get out of the hospital. But how was she going to do that? Although she could move, she was not fully capable. She could tell that whatever was in her drink it still influenced her body. Of course, if she had been in this situation before the invasion of Canterlot, she wouldn’t have minded using violence, her combat skills and her electrokinesis against the hospital staff to flee; but she was no longer like that, she was not willing to harm innocent ponies. Worst of all, maybe she was too late. Who knows what Claw could have done when she had been unconscious. “Damn cat”, Tempest thought to herself. "Surely you have taken advantage of these three days to start your plan without me bothering you, right? You think you are very smart, but you have committed a great stupidity: Now I know that you have a plan; and you will have started it, but I will be the one to finish it”.