Storm Vine

by zalla661

The Storms Return

On a stormy night on the outskirts of the Hayseed Swamps and many days travel East of Dodge Junction was a village that was roughly the size of Ponyville. The village was like most rural towns, small wood and stone houses with a central pocket for a market and their town hall. It was a quaint little village without much to offer. What this town was well known for was its vineyards. The village was well known for its fine wines and massive grape vines that spanned for miles in a crescent moon around the entire village and was broken up into ten even vineyards.

It was the middle of the typhoon season and regular storms were common and good for the vineyards. The land around the village was mostly dry before hitting the swamps. The farmers chose this spot for the regular rainy seasons and transformed this once arid landscape to lush green hills as far as the eye could see. All around majestic apple trees filled the landscape alongside the hilly vineyards.

During the mid season the area was covered in raging storms every month or so. Winds often blew wild, and the rain poured down on the village making the little ponies take refuge in their homes for the day. Inside the ponies sat snuggled up with their families and blankets save for one who traversed the lonely stone roads of the village.

Her name was Tempest Shadow.

Tempest walked along the worn washed out stone path heading deep into the center of the town wearing a thick hooded cloak over her old armor. The armor was from her time serving the Storm King. She had long since painted over the Storm King’s icon on her armor with black paint to hide her previous association of him, however, she was still paranoid about not wearing it and so she kept it. She no longer served the Storm King, but years of mistrust and paranoia had taken its toll on Tempest’s psyche, so she kept it. To this day she wore it as a reminder of what she had done, and hoped to atone for. Thus the broken unicorn returned to the village of her birth.

It was here Tempest would take the first steps in trying to redeem herself for all the pain she caused others. It was a small comfort to her, but one Princess Twilight suggested she take.

So she traveled east for many days and nights in hopes to rekindle what she lost with her family and friends. When she last checked her parents and most of the family still lived here to this day. Though the village was isolated, and though communication was scarce with the main body of Equestria, Tempest managed to find her way without much trouble. The train was a convenience she did not have when she left as a filly, but now the train at least went to Dodge Junction which was just a few days west. Still, since the village was known well enough for its wines finding the village had been the easy part, despite its isolation.

Tempest remembered the roads with a mix of nostalgia and anger. Glancing over at a nearby house she narrowed her dark emerald eyes at a window where a colt was looking out from. The moment their eyes met the colt gasped at the soulless green orbs. Visibly shivering he immediately hid from sight and closed the curtains.

“Guess, somethings never change,” Tempest said, rolling her eyes with a heavy exasperated sigh.

Not stopping she continued one when a strong gust blew past blowing her cloak and exposing her from beneath its cover, and that sent a cold chill over her body. Tempest growled and threw her front hooves down over the sides of the cloak to cover herself once again. Content she used one hoof to keep the cloak over her and continued to walk down the stone road. Her armored hooves clanked with each step she took. With each step her hooves become muddier and muddier. The mud was a minor annoyance to her and didn’t slow her pace one bit. It was far more comfortable than sand in her boots. She remembered the time she hunted Twilight and her friends. She hated the heat and the sand that got in her armor. Mud however was a close second on her list of things she hated. That is until she stepped into a deep mud puddle that completely devoured her hoof. Tempest glared down at the offending mud puddle which had now filled her boot with mud and dirty water. She took her hoof out and shook off the mud from her boot, Then taking it off with her mouth she poured its remaining contents out back into the puddle.

Satisfied that her boot was sufficiently empty she replaced the boot on her hoof and glared spitefully at the puddle of mud and water. Anger swelled in her chest, and her horn sparked with blue electricity as her magic gathered at the shattered point of her horn. Then with the power of a bolt of lighting she blew away the offending puddle as thunder boomed around her, shielding her attack from the ears of other. Satisfied with her victory she sauntered around the now massive hole in the ground with an exaggerated regal step to her walk. On Tempest went unhindered until she reached her destination.

Among the old homes there were the one she stood in front of was one of the oldest in the village. Tempest and her family were among the oldest families and were one of the founding families. It made her chest swell with pride thinking about how integral her family was. Here in this old three room home Tempest earliest memories came storming back to her. Her life flashed by in an instant and ended with her final memories of her time spent here. The time she ran away from home. The time she told her parents she hated them.

She felt nervous. For the first time in many years Tempest was afraid and had no idea what to expect. Would her family accept her back? Would they forgive her? Trying to calm herself, Tempest took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She thought calming thoughts when she remembered a piece of advice Princess Twilight gave her “Tempest, if you really are sorry, your family will accept you back. If they don’t, then my door is always open.” It helped greatly to think of that fond bit of advice from the Princess. Feeling calmer now, Tempest made her way through a small wooden gate and entered the front yard of the home. Like most of the homes here there were grape vines that ran along the side of the house. Her home had several rows of red grapes, mostly merlot, and a few green grapes scattered every other couple of rows.

She stopped at the third vine and leaned in closer to inspect a merlot grape. In the heat of the day the merlot would have a bright blue color to it. However when touched or wet it became a dark violet color more to the type of wine it would make. Tempest was always fond of the color of this type of grape and loved the bitter flavor they had.

Taking a glance around to see that nopony was looking Tempest tugged one grape off the vine like a thief would pickpocket their quarry. She wiped some of the excess water off the surface of the grape and popped it in her mouth. Slowly she chewed the soft fruit and a bitter flavor filled her tastebuds sending a shiver down her spine, A good shiver unlike the shiver she had from the storm outside.

“Whoa, I forgot how strong that tastes,” Tempest moaned softly shaking off the sensation.

Satisfied with the minor distraction Tempest returned to her original mission. She stepped forward past the many rows of grapes until she reached the door to her old home. The walls were plastered white with some sort of dark wood roof. The door itself was a thick wood planked door that looked like an aged barrel. A simple round knob was on it. What really stood out on the door was a ornately decorative golden plate with a intricate engraving on it. It depicted a pony reaching up to a stock of grapes with a vine that wrapped around the pony once to make a single complete circle. Tempest smiled at the decoration feeling a sense of pride within her. This was her family's legacy, though it wasn’t hers she hoped now that she could at least be a part of it, and that would make her very happy. First she had to make amends and she was getting nowhere alone outside.

Steeling her nerves, Tempest raised a muddy hoof and reached to knock the door. She stopped just shy of the wooden surface when doubt seeps its way into her mind. That now familiar nervous feeling of butterflies in her gut came rushing back to Tempest with the force of a Ursa Minor. She shivered in cold fear at her thought. Here she was, the mighty Commander Tempest Shadow, former second in command of the Storm King's armies, and a near conquer to Equestria, and she was afraid of seeing her parents again? How could she be? She was Tempest Shadow, the instrument of destruction to the former Storm King! She took on the Princesses of Equestria and won, technically. Then she thought about whether her parents heard of her in the papers. That thought was quickly washed away when she remembered that the village was too isolated from the rest of the world to truly know about the isolated incident of her nearly taking over Equestria..

“No, I am Tempest Shadow, and I serve nopony but myself!”

With her declaration made she promptly knocked on the door three times and stood at attention like a Royal Guard. Time passed but nopony answered. She honestly didn’t expect to be answered the first time. It was a stormy night as one o'clock in the morning. The unholy hour of the day as she called it. So, again she knocked three times. Three seemed like a nice round number to her.

This time she got a response. Inside the lights turned on and a shadowy outline of a pony came to view through the dimly lit window. The pony took a look outside. For a time the pony just stood there and Tempest watched in awkward silence. Suddenly the pony fell down followed by the sounds of crashing furniture and something breaking. Tempest sighed shaking her head at the clumsy pony. Most likely her mother. She knew her mother liked to drink a bit of each new vintage she made. Tempest remembered her mother also always got snookered every time. It brought yet another smile to her thinking of how silly her mother got when she drank the wine. Often enough her father would scold her mother for setting a bad example for her as a filly. Thankfully Tempest never quite got the heavy drinking habits like the majority of her family did, much to her father's happiness.

So it came as a big surprise to her when the pony who opened the door wasn’t her mother at all. Indeed the pony looked very much like her mother. Mulberry coat, with a curly moderate cerise mane and eyes. That was where the similarities ended. This pony donned a cutie mark of grapes next to a strawberry and she was much shorter than Tempest. This pony also wreaked of alcohol that nearly knocked Tempest over. The pony herself looked ragged and very tired with heavy bags under her eyelids. Tempest glanced past the pony and noticed a black dress and a veil on a chair nearby an old couch and fireplace.

Tempest tried to say something, but the words choked up in her throat. Her eyes narrowed at the pony and filled with contempt like the very sight of her was offending to all the senses. It took the older mare inside a moment, but she soon awoke with the realization she knew the pony at the door.

Stumbling back and babbling the mare tried to speak, “F-fizzlepop?! Is that you?”

“Hello Auntie Berry Punch,” Tempest replied coldly to the mare.

Comments

[Texus]

She no longer served the Storm King, but years of mistrust and paranoia had taken its toll on Tempest’s psyche, so she kept it.

It just felt like you said the magic word "psyche", i'm so interessted to read something like that.

Taking a glance around to see that nopony was looking Tempest tugged one grape off the vine like a thief would pickpocket their quarry. She wiped some of the excess water off the surface of the grape and popped it in her mouth. Slowly she chewed the soft fruit and a bitter flavor filled her tastebuds sending a shiver down her spine, A good shiver unlike the shiver she had from the storm outside.

Nice one.

snookered

can you explain it to me?
One translation mentioned them probably being something like "stoned" if you would smoke
The second translation I found was or sounded like she had a lot of one night stands.
I don't want a poor translation to ruin it for me, so I just ask.
Now I found it, it is more or less being drunk.

“Hello Auntie Berry Punch,” Tempest replied coldly to the mare.

oh at the same time interessting and I feel something bad is going to happen. Berry punch was the one from ponyville wasn't it?

[zalla661]

Snookered has a few meanings. In the context of this story and its theme it means, “To be drunk off ones ass.” What that means essentially is to get so drunk you’ll passout and never remeber what you did the previous night. It can also mean stoned, as in being high of a drug, but in this case it means to be very drunk. very, very, VERY, VERY, drunk. Come on its got Berry Punch! The MLP shows iconic drinker! It should go without saying. (Glad you were able to find it. Many words can have many meanings with the same word.)

You like the word psyche? Huh, I would have thought you’d hate it from what I remember in our conversations. Guess I misunderstood that one.

[jaroslav]

Tempest glared down at the offending mud puddle which had now filled her boot with mud and dirty water.

Some simple waterproof enchantment would be good.
I don't think Tempest is that kind of character that would become angry over a pudle.
One thing that doesn't make sense is why she came so early. No one likes to be woken up at midnight and Tempest isn't stupid. Best time would be before noon when people are full of energy and don't feel tired and their mind is clear.
Pitty that you used the headcanon, that Berry Punch is a drunkard even though there was no indication in the show that she drinks.

[Sidetrack]

8513629
You're suggesting the unicorn with a broken horn could cast an enchantment?

[Perfect Fifth]

Nice! Good intro so far ^^

[PoisonClaw]

Still, since the village was known well enough for its wines it made it easier finding it was the easy despite its isolation.

This sentence sounds like you tried to write too different sentences and smashed them together. It should really either be ", it made it easier finding the village despite its isolation." or "finding the village had been the easy part, despite its isolation."

[zalla661]

9175500
You're right. I can't believe I didn't see that before.oh, well. I'll have to fix that asap. Thanks.

[Super Trampoline]

Your writing style is a bit awkward but I’m curious to see where this goes.

[zalla661]

9267421
Lol, I know. I write in a very casual style. ^^