Twilight finished her meal while she anxiously waited for Tempest to return. The soft jazz music soothed her nerves a bit, and she managed to convince herself Tempest might have just really needed to use the bathroom. No need to panic. Tempest would be back in a couple of minutes.
But as the ‘couple of minutes’ stretched to ten, then twenty, then half an hour, the sensation of worry churning in Twilight's gut started to overtake her other thoughts.
Mmm, Tempest, where are you? she thought to herself. You're not sick, are you?
A couple more minutes passed. The haze of unease settled around her. It was painful.
“I should just go check on her.”
Twilight rose from her seat and re-entered the restaurant, scanning the tables or booths to see if Tempest had sat down somewhere else. Unfortunately, she didn’t spot her date anywhere.
She noticed Cardamom walking through the aisle after delivering another tray of food to a nearby table. Thinking quickly, Twilight waved the waitress down.
“Hey, Cardamom?” she asked, her voice carrying an obvious tone of worry. “Have you seen Tempest anywhere? She ran off after that mare Fusspot’s, you know… tirade.”
Cardamom shrugged apologetically. “I'm sorry, Twilight, but I'm not sure. I thought I saw her head into the restroom a little bit ago, though.”
“She did say that's where she was going,” Twilight admitted. “I'll check there. Where is it?”
The waitress nodded and pointed a hoof in the direction of a hallway off to one side of the building. “It's right by the indoor street lamp, underneath the moon and sun signs; you can't miss it.”
Twilight thanked Cardamom and followed her instructions to track down her date. The worry in the pit of her stomach continued to build, a deep, aching sensation. Her instincts cautioned her Tempest was close by and probably in a great deal of pain.
When arriving at the entrance to the restrooms, Twilight navigated to the crescent-marked door of the mares’ room and pushed it inwards, entering.
Rather than the standard, boring, utilitarian white tile affair, the bathroom’s walls displayed a vibrant mural of a blue sky above Ponyville, showcasing clouds and picturesque cloud-houses and occasionally illustrating a small pegasus flying between them. The sinks consisted of a basin of white sandstone set within the frame of a barrel and furnished with shiny brass faucets, all lined up below a long, wide mirror. Twilight noticed one of the faucets close to the opposite wall of the bathroom had been left running, the dull hissing of the water somewhat muffling the music playing over the speakers.
She stepped hesitantly towards the stalls. “Tempest?”
No response.
“Tempest, are you in here?” Twilight called again, her voice filled with worry. “Tempest…?”
Just barely audible over the music and running water was the faint sound of crying coming from the last stall. Twilight's gut knotted with worry. She approached the last stall and knocked gently on the door. “Tempest?”
“Go away…” came Tempest’s choked-up voice from within. Twilight felt a pang of heartache shoot through her barrel—the situation was clearly far worse than she had thought.
Not wanting to intrude on Tempest's privacy, she asked, “Can I come in?”
She made a noise in response that signaled “I don't really care.” Taking this as a yes, Twilight gently pushed open the wooden stall door, hearing the hinges creak loudly. “Tempest?”
It was worse than she'd imagined. Tempest was in rough shape. She was huddled in one corner of the stall, curled up like a foal hiding from a monster. Tears smeared her makeup and caused it to streak, leaving little rivulets of magenta eyeshadow running down her muzzle and jaw. As she saw the door open, she quickly ran a hoof under her nose, wiping away snot expended from what had clearly been an intense crying session.
“Oh no,” Twilight breathed, covering her mouth with one hoof in shock. “Tempest, are you okay?”
“What do you think, Twilight?” she sniffled with a frustrated tone. “Do I look like I'm okay?” Tears welled in her eyes, and she sobbed quietly, curling her forelegs around herself and holding them tightly.
“Oh, Tempest,” Twilight whispered, her voice laden with sympathy and concern. She gingerly offered a hoof to her date, hoping she could provide some manner of comfort.
Tempest reluctantly accepted the hoof, still weeping softly. Her knees wobbled as she stood unsteadily. With the gentleness of a summer breeze, Twilight guided her to the sinks.
“Tempest, I'm so sorry you were subjected to that abuse,” Twilight told her softly. “I was just as offended and upset as you were, and, well, you saw… I told her off. She ran off at the threat of being escorted out. She won't be bothering you anymore, I promise.” As her date continued to cry and rest her head on the bathroom countertop, Twilight cut to the chase. “You know, you've been acting really, really strange all day, ever since I bumped into you near your apartment. You were jittery and nervous for, like, the first half of our date, not to mention when you invited me to this whole affair. It was like even being around me was enough to terrify you, and don't think I didn't notice the look in your eyes. It looked like you wanted to shrivel up and wilt away at the table… I'm worried about you. Please, Tempest, what's going on?”
Through a series of soft whimpers, Tempest managed, “He was right…”
Twilight blinked. “Come again?”
“He was right about me. I don't…” A gush of tears escaped Tempest's aquamarine eyes, and she let out another soft whine.
“Who? Who was right about—”
“The Storm King!” Tempest suddenly shouted. “He was right about everything with me! I really am a dud!”
Twilight took a step back, partially due to surprise by Tempest's use of the D-word and partially from the volume at which it was said. Her mouth hung open and she blinked in stunned silence.
“...What?” she asked, a tremor in her voice.
“The Storm King always told me no one would ever love me because of the things I did for him. He called me broken, and a cripple, and a monster. He said I was worthless without him, that he gave me purpose… He said he was the only one who would ever care about me, who would ever see me as his friend, because he needed me, and I needed him to get my horn back! And then when I showed up here in Equestria and powered up that damn staff, he double-crossed me and turned everything I'd been led to believe for the past ten years on its head! And the worst part? He bucking smiled while saying it!” Tempest slammed both of her hooves onto the countertop. “So yeah!” Tempest’s voice quavered as she poured her soul into the speech. “I've been dealing with this for over a year with Dr. Blossom! I hear those words that bigoted whorse used every night in my nightmares! But it gets worse…! You want to know why? Because… I knew it was true all this time. Nopony has ever been there for me to tell me everything the Storm King said was a lie. Nopony has ever been there for me, the real me… And as soon as I’m finally on a date with somepony I've dreamed about, my past keeps coming back to haunt me with a vengeance..."
Twilight stammered and stuttered. “I… wh-... Tempest, what are you saying?”
She rapidly swung her head to face Twilight, tears leaking from her eyes as her voice swelled to a cry. “I CAME HERE TONIGHT TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU, BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! BUT THEN I REMEMBERED HOW PATHETIC I AM!”
Tempest crumpled into a sad, little, trembling mass, sobbing loudly like a little filly, causing her makeup to wash away in the process. She covered her face with both hooves, trying to hide the ordeal from Twilight.
Twilight struggled to form words. Her mouth hung open in abject dumbfoundedness, her eyes wide with an emotion she couldn't possibly begin to describe. But there was one aspect of the whirlpool of emotions swirling in her heart that Twilight valued deeply, it was empathy, and she knew that if anypony were ever to need it most, Tempest would be that pony.
As tears continued to leak from her eyes, Tempest slowly sat upright. Seeing her reflection above the sink with her ruined makeup, she cringed in disgust as she thought, Best date ever, my fuzzy fl–
Her self-loathing, however, was quickly interrupted by the embrace of supremely soft, feathery wings and a pair of lilac forelegs wrapping around her. Twilight hugged her. Not in a quick, casual, “good-to-see-you” kind of way, but a hug, in a tender, loving, romantic way—the way a lost, distraught pony would hug their loved one upon their reunion, with a palpable current of affection, emotion and desire…
And it felt better than anything Tempest had ever felt in her life.
She hesitantly wrapped her own forelegs around Twilight, clinging to her like a buoy in a hurricane. Twilight rocked her gently from side to side, the way a mother would rock a fussing foal to encourage them to settle.
Tempest didn't know how long she remained in the embrace, but she didn't care if it was 30 seconds or 3 hours—it was the most incredible feeling she'd ever felt…
Twilight withdrew from the hug to gaze at her date with an adoring, loving look. As Tempest maintained eye contact, she could practically feel the warmth and joy flooding back into her aquamarine eyes. She blushed and looked away for a couple seconds.
“Tempest,” Twilight cooed, gently running one of her hooves across her date's jaw and under her chin, “look at me.”
Tempest felt the touch of the gentle hoof on her jaw and had to suppress the urge to melt. She looked up and met Twilight's gaze again, feeling every dark thought, every sour mood, every bad feeling wash away like water off of a duck's slick back.
“I want to make sure you understand a couple of things,” the alicorn said with a soft but serious tone. “Number One: whatever the Storm King said to you was bullshit. He said those horrible things to try to break your spirit so you would become dependent on him—a tactic for abusers. I've had to deal with a few in my day, and it makes me sick to see someone warp the concept of friendship that way. It's an addiction… and it always leads to destruction.
“I know you. Practically everyone in Ponyville knows you. You are beautiful and wonderful. And most importantly, you are inspiring. You're selfless and brave and intelligent and sweet and caring—and you have excellent taste in food. If the town is ever threatened by anything at all, be it a monster or a natural disaster or one of Trixie's magic tricks gone awry—or, knowing Trixie, all three at once—you'd be the first to jump into action to help ponies in danger. You may have a handicap, Tempest, but you are still one of the most powerful ponies I've ever met. I’ve never seen any unicorn use their horn quite the way you do. I see you out there chatting with other ponies, and it makes me… absurdly proud. None of that could be done by someone who was ‘worthless’.”
Tempest felt herself choking up again, but, unlike before, due to tenderness.
“Number Two,” Twilight continued, “whoever told you you were ugly was dead wrong, because Tempest, you. Are. Gorgeous.” She gently brushed away her date’s ruined eyeshadow. “Just a glance from you makes my heart feel like it’s going to burst out of my chest and start dancing like a lunatic.”
Twilight ran one of her hooves through Tempest’s soft and silky mane, gently parting her hair. Tempest froze and shivered with delight at her date's touch.
Across Tempest’s beautiful and velvety fur her hoof traveled, slowly, tantalizingly across her foreleg and the rolling shapes of muscles below the skin. Twilight’s breath hitched. “Your husky voice shakes my soul… your smile makes me want to fly through the biggest, fluffiest clouds I can find… I already explained how I feel about your dress earlier, but that’s nothing compared to how I really feel for you… You're so muscular and strong and sexy. Smoking, sizzling hot, even! How could anypony ever convince you otherwise?!”
Twilight took Tempest's hoof again, holding it tightly and firmly and tenderly. “Whenever I see you, my mind is flooded by how much I want to hold you… and be close to you… and… and…” Twilight’s face was invaded by a pervasive blush. “...and tell you how much I love you."
Tempest gasped and her eyes widened upon hearing the last part of Twilight's confession.
Twilight looked directly into Tempest's eyes, communicating clearly the sincerity of her feelings. “And Number Three,” she slowly said, her heart racing and her head feeling light, “Tempest… I feel exactly the same way about you as you do about me. I'm head-over-horseshoes for you. I’m over the moon. I… I…” She chuckled. “I’m running out of phrases, and you know that never happens to me!”
And, finally, Twilight dared to take a leap of faith. She leaned forward and kissed Tempest square on the lips. It was short and brief, but it communicated more than words ever could. Afterwards, she withdrew her head and gazed fondly into Tempest's eyes with a gaze full of pure, unconditional love.
The moment Twilight's lips met hers, a lightning bolt of adrenaline and desire raced through Tempest's nervous system, from the tips of her hooves to the crown of her head. Her heartbeat accelerated and her breath released shallow and ragged. She gasped softly, then placed both of her hooves around Twilight's face and drew her in for another kiss, a more eager, more passionate, more amorous kiss. Though rough and sloppy due to a lack of experience, it was the purest manner of showing affection she could possibly share. She heard Twilight initially yelp in surprise, but then moan into the kiss as she closed her eyes. Tempest's eyelids fluttered shut as her mind burst with explosions of desire. The patterns she witnessed were brighter and more vibrant than anything she'd ever seen or dreamed of in her entire life. Not even the most potent chocolate flavor or the purest taste of cinnamon could produce patterns of light on the scale of the kaleidoscope of pleasure and joy and love she experienced behind her eyelids.
Twilight released another soft moan as she felt Tempest's tongue enter her mouth, and she instinctively pushed her own tongue in the direction the foreign invader came from. The rush of dopamine from the kiss served to melt Twilight's heart faster with the intense heat of passion, like a crucible purifying gold. She decided to make a bold move and very gently nibble on Tempest's lips. The unicorn reciprocated, though hesitantly, clearly copying Twilight’s moves.
If a kiss could last forever, there is nopony in the world I would want it to be with aside from you..
As their tempestuous display of passion concluded, they separated, blushing profusely and staring at each other in stunned silence.
“I… oh my gosh, I didn't know I had that in me,” Twilight breathed, almost embarrassed.
“I didn't know I did, either!” Tempest squeed and hugged the alicorn tightly, giggling sweetly into her chest fluff. Twilight reciprocated the embrace, nuzzling Tempest's barrel with her nose.
The two ponies remained glued together, sharing warmth and affection like birds cuddling in winter. But once their moment inevitably concluded, Twilight leaned back and told Tempest, “Boy, am I glad you agreed to that second date–after all, the fillyfriend of the Princess of Friendship deserves a LOT of attention.”
“Twilight, you have no idea how badly I've wanted you to ask me to be your fillyfriend… Not in my wildest dreams did I ever think you would… but you did!” She sniffled a little, nuzzling the alicorn's muzzle.
“Tempest Shadow… Fizzlepop Berrytwist… it would be the highest honor to have a mare like you,” Twilight whispered. “My Tempest… My Fizzlepop… My Fizzy…”
“‘Fizzy’?” Tempest snickered.
“Exactly.” Twilight beamed. “It's cute and sweet—like you.”
Tempest laughed, her ribs rising and falling with each chuckle as it rattled forth from her lungs. It was the first genuine laugh she had experienced in a long time. “’Cute and sweet’, huh?”
“The cutest and sweetest mare in all of Equestria.”
“All right,” Tempest submitted. “I'll let you call me ‘Fizzy’... but only if I get to call you something in return… How about ‘Sparks’?”
Twilight snorted in laughter. “Filly, you got yourself a deal.”
A voice piped up from the other end of the bathroom, interrupting their intimate conversation.
“Um, ladies?”
Tempest and Twilight turned to see Cardamom before the entrance to the stall, shifting on her hooves slightly. “I’m sorry, I really hate to break up such a romantic moment,” she hurriedly said, “but I really need to pee. Could you please…?”
They exchanged a glance with each other, then politely nodded and moved out of the waitress’ way.
After Cardamom hurriedly slipped inside the stall, Tempest and Twilight trotted out of the bathroom and returned to the back hallway. As Twilight turned to face her smiling fillyfriend, she saw the gorgeous unicorn standing in the warm yellow light of the decorative street lamp. The way the sequins on her dress sparkled took Twilight’s breath away yet again.
“So… what do you want to do now? The night’s still young. I've still got enough bits to pay for dessert…”
Tempest's eyes lit up at the prospect of dessert. “Dessert sounds great, Twilight,” she said excitedly. “What do you have in mind?”
Twilight winked and whispered, “Perhaps, if you remember your dad's recipe, we can custom order a… Berry Twist!”
Twilight had to practically hold her fillyfriend back from running at full gallop through the restaurant back to their table.
“...and that is how you deal with a fussy alicorn foal on a very busy day!”
Tempest laughed as her fillyfriend finished the story she was telling, one involving her niece Flurry Heart causing all sorts of chaos on a day with an overbooked schedule, all so that Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence could go to an art gallery for a few hours.
“That sounds like one hell of a day,” she said as she trotted along in her dress on the way back to Twilight's castle. “Bet it felt good to go back home and sleep, huh?”
“You have no idea!” Twilight replied. “Don't get me wrong, I love my little niece Flurry, but she can be… quite a hoofful.”
“Mmm, sounds like somepony else I know.” Tempest nudged the princess with her hip affectionately, eliciting more laughter from her as they strode to the castle's front door.
“I suppose it's my family curse,” Twilight snickered, slowing to a stop. “But it's one we in Clan Sparkle carry with strength and pride—charming in its own right.”
Tempest hummed happily as she drew alongside Twilight and nuzzled her neck, singing, “I can't wait to meet your family~”
This gave Twilight pause, as she realized the level of commitment Tempest had agreed to.
“Oh my gosh,” she said quietly, a nervous tone in her voice. “Now that we're dating, you're gonna have to meet my parents and my brother and sister-in-law and… Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh, what are they gonna say? Will they support us? I know they supported Shining when he started dating Cadence, but that was because we'd known her for years! What if they don't approve? What if they start asking questions like—”
“Hey,” Tempest interrupted, placing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Relax, Sparks. We'll answer those questions in time. At least, I hope we will.”
Twilight's worries faded away at the instant of her fillyfriend's touch. She looked into Tempest's eyes again and found within reassuring warmth and adoration where self-loathing had previously reigned unchallenged. Her eyes grew misty and she beamed. “Yeah,” she said, a more confident tone in her voice, “we will.”
The two ponies admired each other as if they were the only two in the world. The perfection of the moment could not be understated; the affection Twilight felt for Tempest and what she, in return, felt for Twilight was pure, unconditional love.
“You know,” Twilight stated softly, “you didn't have to go to all the trouble of arranging a date just to tell me how you felt. You could have just intercepted me at my office at the School or in my castle anytime, and you would have easily gotten the same result as you did tonight—you becoming my fillyfriend.”
Tempest shrugged. “I'd never had time to date before. So, I wanted to feel what it was like…”
She smiled shyly. “You manage to fluster me just by speaking to me. I didn't say anything earlier than tonight because… I was just too afraid to ask.”
“Awwwwww,” Twilight crooned for her fillyfriend. “Tempest, you never have to be too afraid to ask me anything ever again. Because you know, barring some sort of potentially world-ending catastrophe needing me and my friends to stop, I will always accept your offer.”
She leaned over and kissed Tempest again, a quick peck on the cheek. The unicorn giggled at the gesture.
“I love you, Fizzy,” Twilight said with pride.
“I love you too… my princess,” Tempest reciprocated the peck on the cheek, hearing her softly gasp in joy.
“So,” Twilight said, “1:00 on the nature trail outside of Sweet Apple Acres this Friday?”
Tempest nodded to confirm. “I'll be waiting for you there for a nice, long walk. Just make sure you remember to bring water and a snack or two.”
“I will, don't worry,” the princess promised. “You want me to bring a picnic lunch or something?”
“Do you even need to ask, Twilight?”
Twilight laughed as she headed up the stairs to her castle. “See you then. Have a good night!”
“You too,” Tempest called in response, before cantering away across town towards her apartment, practically clicking her back hooves and whooping and jumping in joy as she ran through town. If she knew how and wasn’t in a dress, she likely would have cartwheeled. For once, she didn’t pause to consider if she had an audience and what was appropriate—her ecstasy far outweighed her doubts.
Inside the Castle of Friendship, Twilight closed the large doors behind herself and released her ponytail. She did a little victory prance as soon as she re-entered, letting out a “Woohoo!” to no one in particular, before sighing giddily.
She heard nearby footsteps and noticed Spike to be awake still, wearing a robe and stirring sugar into a mug of tea.
“So,” he said with a smug smirk upon seeing Twilight’s elation, “how’d the date go?”
“Well,” Twilight said slyly, “I met a really polite waitress, a stuffy loudmouthed bigot attempted to ruin the atmosphere for everyone, and, well… I officially have a fillyfriend!!!”
Spike practically dropped his teacup in shock. “NO WAY, ALREADY?! AWESOME!” He took flight and began to beatbox while Twilight danced around the great hall like a rabbit in spring. The little dragon wrapped his arms around Twilight in a tight hug, and she was more than happy to reciprocate the kind gesture.
“I can’t believe it,” Spike marveled. “So, does that mean we’ll be seeing Tempest more often? I’ve been wanting to.”
“Oh, yes, I can guarantee we will, Spike. There are so many things she hasn’t tried yet, so many places she hasn’t seen or been to, so many dates I can take her on… it’s almost overwhelming…”
Spike hugged her once more. “Good for you, Twilight. Good for you.”
After heading upstairs and making the necessary preparations for sleep, Twilight bid goodnight to her draconic little brother, then slipped under the covers. She wriggled beneath the sheets until she was comfortable, then fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.
Her sweet, delectable dreams were about only one pony.
Grubber was busy wiping down the counter in the kitchen of the apartment when he heard the door open. He’d already started a fire in the fireplace to warm Tempest when she returned from the date, and had also taken the liberty of removing the chocolate fudge cake Pinkie Pie had dropped off earlier that day from the fridge, just in case the date didn’t go to plan.
In truth, when he saw the dazed unicorn walk through the door, he was ready to break out the comfort food and fuzzy blankets to help her recover. But then he noticed something odd about Tempest’s demeanor. She didn’t appear to be in a depressed or angry state, nor much of anything between. Instead, she turned and looked at him wordlessly.
“D-did the date go well, Tempest?” he asked hesitantly. “Everything good? Food was good? Music was good? Twilight liked everything?”
Tempest slowly turned away from him and retreated to the couch where she typically slept, not bothering to take off her dress. Not a good sign.
Grubber hurriedly drew alongside the purple unicorn as she flopped onto the couch on her belly, ready to help in whatever way he could.
“Tempest…” he said quietly, his sympathy surging forth. “I’m so sorry that it didn’t—”
And then Tempest did something very out of character. She grabbed a pillow, hugged it to her body and released the loudest “SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” that Grubber had ever heard, laughing and squealing and giggling, celebrating like a maniac, rolling around on the couch like a content pig wallowing in mud. Her entire face turned scarlet from sheer excitement, and she buried her face in the pillow to muffle another ear-splitting shriek of joy.
“She loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me, SHE LOVES ME, SHE REALLY REALLY LOVES ME!!!!!” It was all Tempest could muster during the celebration, like a little filly during Hearth’s Warming Eve who received the exact gift she wanted.
Grubber breathed an enormous sigh of relief, grateful he didn’t need to act as Emotional Support Hedgehog for the rest of the night. “I told you so. Like I said, Tempest, you just have to not focus on ‘what ifs’.”
“What is,” Tempest squealed in complete ecstasy, “is that she’s my fillyfriend!”
At that moment, it seemed Tempest Shadow truly was the happiest mare in all of Equestria.