The Storm Passes

by DiscoGuy

Ch. 4: A Day On The Town

Most recent in a long procession of firsts, tracing back to the first encounter between her, and her eventual deliverer, a certain fuchsia mare woke, not in terror, not screaming, but in total silence. For several moments, she sat still, frightened by the void where panic usually dwelled, and by the unfamiliarly calm environment into which she trod.

Tempest was shaken from her stupor, not by any measure of comfortability with the circumstances of her awakening, but by the sudden recollection that, as a living creature seeking to maintain that status, she must breathe.

She slipped from her bed, entangled in thought, and automatically trotted toward the dresser, which stood across the room.

Why do I feel so good? Tempest pondered, tracing the source of her disquiet to the unexpected serenity. She recalled the bed, which had been very comfortable, but the comfort of her lodgings had fluctuated in the past, and it had resulted in no such effect upon her. Had she gotten more sleep than usual? Likely not, by the still-pink light bleeding into her room, it was no more than an hour past sunrise.

Still unable to comprehend the peace that besieged her, Tempest seated herself in front of the dresser. Mercifully, she noted, the room lacked a mirror, saving her the difficult task of dealing with the gaze of her reflected self. Planning to begin and conclude her morning routine by brushing her mane, she scanned the various surfaces around the room, but found no brush, comb, or mane styling implement, of any sort. Rising again, she began opening drawers, checking the contents of the room’s furnishings for some tool with which to make do.

Conscious mind now occupied with a mundane task, Tempest’s subconscious began unraveling the enigma of her awakening.

No brush could be found within the dresser, nor the chest of drawers, both of which were entirely empty. The desk yielded some contents, but only those necessary to perform a terrible, compositional task, which Tempest lacked any proficiency in. Knowing no other possibilities, she looked into two unlikely suspects, the small tables which flanked her elegant bed.

Predictably, after failure with the two most obvious locations to store a brush, none of the room’s remaining storage space proved any more successful. Tempest’s situation had been resolved for her, and as such, she decided that she would gain nothing further by remaining in the room. Odds were, the mare suspected, nopony would notice the difference in her mane from leaving it unbrushed.

As she let herself out the door, and into the hallway of the castle’s top floor, within the recesses of her mind a small, metaphorical version of herself finished reviewing the contents of a file, delivered from the department of subconscious research. Like the sound of ambient chatter in a busy locale, she had been upset by the vanishing of something she had learned to barely notice. For the first time in her memory, Tempest had slept, and awoken, without any recollection of nightmares plaguing her mind.

Her confusion resolved, and a constant burden on her shoulders alleviated, she trotted down the stairs with unusual gaiety.

…

“Good morning, Tempest! I assume you slept well?” spoke Twilight, as Tempest entered the dining room.

“Yes, I slept beautifully, thank you for asking.” she responded. Noticing a large pan in the magical grasp of her cohort, she asked, “What do you have there?”

“Eggs! Since I’m dragging you around town today, I wanted to make breakfast for you!” Twilight offered her chipper response. After a moment of considering her own words, Twilight corrected herself, “...and for everypony else, of course!” she stated, not wanting the Tempest to think that making breakfast had been a burden imposed by her presence.

“Thank you very much. Eggs sound fantastic, not that I wouldn’t be grateful for anything you make, that is.” Tempest anxiously answered, fearing her longstanding predilection for eggs (a vestige of many breakfasts taken in a military mess hall) may have come across as dissatisfaction with other foods which she had been so generously offered.

Evidently taking none of the feared offense at the comment, Twilight withdrew into the kitchen, and stepped out again, now bearing plates and forks, with which she set the small fraction of the table that saw use.

“Spike won’t be joining us?” Tempest inquired, noticing the mare had only set the table for three.

“No, he rarely gets up this early. Usually it’s just Starlight and I, so having a new breakfast companion makes for a nice change.”

Glad that her habit of rising early did not represent an imposition on the Princess, Tempest took a seat, and waited for her compatriot to join her.

“How was your new room? Is there anything you need? Please don’t hesitate to ask if there is.”

“It was very nice, thank you.” Instinct told her to insist there was nothing she needed, but she couldn’t help but reflect on her earlier experience, and figured a brush would be a small ask. “Actually, I noticed that there wasn’t a brush in the room. Would you mind if I took the brush from the guest room I used?”

Glad her friend was accepting help, Twilight responded,

“Of course, and you really don’t have to use that one. The brushes in the guest bedrooms aren’t incredible. We can get you something nicer when we head into town. And don’t try to refuse, making you comfortable is my sincere pleasure.”

Knowing the fruitlessness of arguing the point, Tempest settled with, “Thank you, Twilight.”

In concurrence with her bureaucratic tendencies, Twilight immediately began planning for the small shopping trip.

“I don’t really know where most ponies get their beauty supplies, that’s not really my forte…” she pondered the quandary with a short pause. “...but I’d bet Rarity does! She’ll know just where to go for a nice brush, nopony cares more about their mane than her.”

Having satisfactorily resolved the matter, Twilight realized she was still holding the now empty frying pan.

“Good morning Tempest, morning Twilight.” Starlight offered, trotting into the room with the glazed expression of one just having awoken. As the lavender mare returned the pan to the kitchen, Starlight noticed the food that had been set out for her. “Thanks for the eggs, Twilight!”

The three claimed seats and ate their food, not nearly as ravenously as they had consumed their two previous meals. No longer inhaling their food, the mares found a use for their unoccupied breath in making conversation.

“You and Tempest have any big plans for the day?”

“Yep, I’m going to show her around Ponyville today. Plus, I want to show her where all the girls live.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“I look forward to seeing the town, Twilight.”

…

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The matter of eating having been resolved, the two mares of darker hue set out from the castle, leaving their lighter-colored cohabitant to her own concerns for the day.

“First off, what you’re seeing down the path there is Ponyville proper, where most things in town are located. In fact, for a very long time, the only feature of the town which sat outside town limits was Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and her family’s farm, which lies roughly along the border. Then, some years ago, Fluttershy moved here, and moved into her cottage, which is a short walk out of town limits. And, of course, the Castle of Friendship is the most recent addition to Ponyville, and it also sits along town limits, not far from the Applejack’s. Unfortunately, the farm and the cottage are on opposite ends on the town, so we’ll have to cover the whole length of Ponyville, but I’ve already planned out the most efficient route between the girl’s houses. First off is the farm.”

Twilight narrated, leading the pair toward the distant sight of numerous trees, dominating the horizon.

“It’s beautiful. The last time I lived this close to nature, I was just a foal.”

“Just wait until we get to Fluttershy’s, nature and her go hoof-in-hoof.”

Her attention held by the marvels of the countryside, the walk passed Tempest’s attention in only a few short moments. She struggled to comprehend that she lived in such a place as this, by the standards of her military life, Ponyville was a paradise made real.

A rugged orange mare, moving toward the subject of her next chore, caught sight of the approaching pair, and stepped aside from the duty to greet them.

“Howdy, Twilight. And how-do-you-do to you too, Tempest! Didn’t know y’all got up so early. Whaddaya up to this fine morning?” Applejack asked, wishing to be of help.

“I wanted Tempest to see the farm before anything else, I’ve always thought it’s most beautiful in the morning.” Twilight responded.

“Y’ain’t wrong. Sure is quite a looker ‘round now.” Eyeing up a nearby tree, still laden with fruit, Applejack stepped away from the mares, and wound up a powerful buck, wishing, somewhat, to impress her newest friend.

As Applejack delivered her forceful rear hooves into the tree, in a motion more rehearsed than her own breathing pattern, and knocked the tree’s red bounty to the ground, Tempest stood in awe.

Her form is incredible. By all obvious measures, it’s perfect. She carefully studied the stunning muscles of the mare, as she proceeded through the motion. The collision of hooves and wood produced a satisfying *CRACK*, and Tempest did not doubt that if the desire struck the mare, she could separate a tree from the ground, by force of her legs alone. The unicorn found herself deeply impressed by her friend’s undeniable strength. A kick like that delivered to a pony would-

She snapped herself off of her train of thought, realizing that some remnant of her military self was considering what a force Applejack could be in a fight. You’re not like that, you don’t do that anymore! She castigated herself, frightened by the fact that violence had even entered her mind.

“Here y’are, why doncha have this one on me.” Applejack said, offering a sanguinely red apple to her friend.

“Watch out, Tempest, the first apple is how she gets you!” Twilight laughed, knowing that after the first Sweet Apple Acres apple, nopony could go back.

Returning to reality, Tempest accepted the gesture, gladly, and took a large bite out of the enticing fruit.

The flavor was difficult to compare to any food she had ever eaten, the experience was more than just taste, it exploded across her mind, and for a moment of brief ecstasy her thoughts were replaced with unrivaled sweetness.

“This is delicious!” She announced instinctively, unable to hide her amazement at the fruit.

“Ah’m glad to hear it. You come back any time now, y’hear? You help me buck apples for an evening, and you’re welcome to eat as many as you please.” The farmpony responded, hoping she might get the opportunity to put her unicorn friend’s build to good use.

“Thanks, Applejack! Tempest and I should probably get a move on, and let you get back to your business.” Twilight stated, pleased at the seemingly successful friendship Tempest had formed.

With a wave, the party separated, and the horny duo were off again.

“Next up is Rarity. This one is going to be quite a walk, because she lives a bit south of Ponyville’s town center. Rarity actually lives on the upper floor of her store, Carousel Boutique. She’s quite the premier fashion pony, she even has branches in Canterlot and Manehattan!”

Though Twilight intended her words as merely praise for her friend’s success, Tempest could not help but feel starstruck. Had she not already met the unicorn, and witnessed firsthoof how magnanimous she was, Tempest may have felt some anxiety toward meeting her.

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Standing outside of the dazzling boutique, the hour had visibly progressed in tandem with the mare’s long walk. By Twilight’s (well-founded) estimate, it was 10AM, thankfully, well within the operating hours of her friend’s establishment.

Twilight opened the door, allowing her friend in, and received a familiar greeting.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every- Tempest! And Twilight! What a pleasure to see you two.”

“Morning Rarity! Tempest and I are making a day out of seeing the town!” Twilight responded.

Her keen fashion senses picking out even the slightest manestyling anomaly, Rarity spoke up.
“Are you doing alright, Tempest? Your mane appears more…….disheveled, than yesterday. Is there anything I can help you with, darling?”

“Actually, there wasn’t a brush in my room, and Twilight said you could recommend somewhere to get a nice one.”

Nodding in acknowledgement, Rarity raised a hoof to her chin in contemplation.

Several seconds passed, as the unicorn visibly scoured her mind.

“Ah-HA! You needn’t bother with going to a store, I already have a splendid solution!”

Rarity excitedly cantered into a side room, stepping out only briefly, as she swiftly returned bearing a small box.

“You see, I was in Canterlot recently, preparing displays for my fall collection, and by the time I finished up at the boutique, it was the ghastliest hour! On the way back to my hotel, lacking better sense, I stopped to purchase a lovely black brush, which I luckily didn’t use before falling into my bed. Only after a night’s sleep did I realize that a black brush, with my coat, was obviously très gauche. And I simply haven’t had the foggiest idea of what to do with it since. But with your complexion, dear, with your captivatingly dark mane and coat, it would be magnificent!”

The excited fashionista finished her explanation, placed the package delicately on her fuchsia friend’s back, and gestured toward a door along the side of the room.

“Please take this, gratuitement naturally, and get it out of my sight. I will be quite satisfied to know it is being used by a pony which it complements. And feel free to use that dressing room, I’m certain you’d like the chance to brush your mane before you head out into town again.” Rarity offered, drowning out any resistance toward accepting the gift.

Hoping she would eventually adjust to the kindness of her new friends, Tempest accepted the offer, and closed herself into the room, planning to take more care with her grooming than she had before.

“Thank you Rarity, I’m so glad I have you girls to help Tempest feel welcome.”

“Of course! It is, as always, a pleasure.”

Latching on to a passing thought, Twilight took advantage of Tempest’s absence, and posed a question to the fashionista before her.

“Since you were so kind as to give Tempest that brush, I’m sure you’ll accept my insistence to pay you for another, more particular, item.”

Though Rarity was the living embodiment of generosity, and doubly so with her friends, she knew a losing battle when she saw one. Fighting Twilight on the price of whatever item she was after, was exactly that.

“Very well, darling, you win. What is it that you would like made?”

Glad her friend would not escape without receiving some remuneration, Twilight considered the article she had imagined before.

“I was thinking a scarf. Nice and warm, and it should probably be fairly long, too.”

“Excellent choice, it’s certainly been getting colder, hasn’t it? And, to aid with color selection, may I inquire as to who this scarf is for? As if I need to ask.”

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Trotting along the streets of Ponyville, the pair of purple mares could be seen to have a small new addition to their posse, in the form of a small black box, containing Tempest’s lovely new brush, and held in the telekinetic grasp of her lavender friend.

The streets could hardly be said to be bustling, for the town populace was not nearly numerous enough to bustle, but there was a not-insignificant amount of hoof traffic, indicative of the fact that the hour neared noon.

By what was easily mistaken for a stroke of luck, but was actually the product of Twilight’s meticulous planning, the mare’s were making their way to their next destination, Sugarcube Corner, just as they began to feel they ought stop for lunch. Though the establishment was hardly a location one might often visit for a meal, Twilight simply could not decline the sheer efficiency of having a baked goods lunch, while simultaneously having a short visit with their cotton candy compadre.

Spotting the monolith of baking-themed construction, Tempest turned to Twilight.

“Is that where Pinkie Pie lives?”

During a lapse of attention by both of the mares, they had unwittingly been joined by the very subject of Tempest’s inquiry.

“Yep! No doubt about it, this one’s a smart cookie!” Pinkie announced, making the mares aware of her presence.

“Hey Pinkie.” Greeted Twilight, nonplussed by her friend’s tendency to travel the space between spaces. “Aren’t you supposed to be working the counter right now?”

“Yup, but I had a feeling you were just about to stop by, so I thought I’d say hi.”

“Pinkie Sense, I suppose?”

“Nope. Just a feeling.”

Struggling to keep up with the party pony’s frenetic pace, Tempest settled to simply greet the mare.

“Good morning, Pinkie Pie.”

“And good almost-afternoon to you too, Tempest! And please, just call me Pinkie, Mrs. Pie is my mother’s name.”

By the mare’s emphasis, Tempest would infer that somepony had called her Mrs. Pie, thus justifying her statement, but was unable to recollect anypony else saying such, and she certainly hadn’t said it herself. Before she could dwell on Pinkie’s bizarre response, said mare ushered them into their bakery destination.

Guiding the mares to a table, already bearing food-laden plates, Pinkie explained.

“Since I didn’t throw you a super-spectacular first-day-in-Ponyville party, this one’s on me. I went ahead and put out some food you like!”

Bemused, Twilight asked,

“Another feeling?”

“Nope. Pinkie Sense.”

And with that, the mare vanished, reappearing behind the counter the instant after.

Tempest examined the food laid out on the table, and noticed a loaf of bread, cut in two, and that each mare had been given a half-loaf, along with a small dish of jam. By the smell, she knew the bread was doubtlessly far better than the dry, unpleasant substance with which she associated the name. However, her attention was quickly dominated by the plate which sat at the table’s center. Its contents immediately brought her back to military life, where said food had been her absolute favorite. When meals or rations contained that precious substance, it meant that times were good, that the army wasn’t wrapped in the throes of war. Not only was it delicious, it was a powerful source of psychological healing to Tempest, a reminder that hard times were behind her. It was,

“Banana bread!” Twilight shouted, giddily. “Pinkie knows how much I love this stuff. I thought that the stuff I had in Canterlot couldn’t be beat, until I tried Pinkie’s.”

Catching her friend’s infectious enthusiasm, Tempest added,

“Pinkie must really do her research. Banana bread is my favorite.”

“No way, mine too!”

The pair partook in a giggling fit, enjoying the humor of their mutual obsession with the unparalleled majesty of banana bread.

“KNEW IT!” came a very pleased pink mare’s voice from the other room.

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“See you around, Pinkie!” Twilight said, as the pair departed Sugarcube Corner.

The duo had thoroughly enjoyed their lunch, and followed it up with a few minutes of light conversation with their hostess, gradually acclimating Tempest to the mare’s spit-fire speech.

Returning to the world of the outside, Twilight looked toward her friend, and began explaining her thought process for their next destination.

“At 1PM, now, on days when the scheduled weather report calls for clear skies, today, having just finished her lunch, the last, unintended cloud over the town,” Twilight indicated a small, puffy cloud, floating not far above their heads, “will be cleared by…”

With the perfect timing that only persistent research can achieve, Twilight’s statement was punctuated by the arrival of Rainbow Dash. As the Princess had predicted, she busted the small cloud, using a fanciful, spinning kick, and a demonstration of great machismo.

As Tempest sat in amazement at her friend’s predictive capabilities, the subject of her prophecy took note of the mares below her, and descended to the ground.

“Hey Twi, Tempest! What'cha up to?”

“Nothing much, we just had lunch. I wanted to show Tempest around town, but I suppose it’d be pretty pointless to show her your house.” Twilight turned to her unicorn friend and elaborated, “Rainbow is the only pony in Ponyville that lives in a cloud house.”

Rainbow Dash spoke up, perceiving some small slight at the practicality of her home.

“Cloud houses are awesome, I’m awesome, it’s a perfect fit.”

Jumping into the discussion, Tempest couldn’t help but question the nature of her and Twilight’s own home.

“Twilight, isn’t the Castle of Friendship a… giant tree? It certainly looks like one.”

Glad to see another pony point out that her home wasn’t the most absurd in town, Rainbow enthusiastically responded.

“Right? And you won’t believe this, before Twilight lived in that tree, her old house, which was destroyed by a giant rampaging villain, was another tree! And that tree was also the town library! Isn’t that the most Twilight house you can imagine!”

Tempest snickered heavily, clearly attempting to muffle her laughter, before breaking into a small fit of chuckles and snorts, wherein she was joined by her pegasus companion.

Allowing her friends several moment to enjoy their joke at her expense, Twilight eventually reclaimed their attention.

“Well, Rainbow, we have places to be, so we should really set off.”

“Nah, it’s fine. We can walk and talk, I’ll come with, at least for a bit. I need a cool-down anyway.” Rainbow Dash answered, greatly enjoying the company of her new friend.

With that, it was settled, the mares set off in the general direction of Fluttershy’s distant home.

“You’re pretty cool, Tempest, you really kick flank. And I’m a bit of a scrapper myself, you and me should have ourselves a tussle some time. I wanna see what you can do.” Rainbow proposed, hoping to see the dynamic unicorn in action again.

“No, it’s fine, I’m not that strong, you would probably just beat me really fast anyway.” Tempest deflected, hoping her friend would drop the topic before she starting thinking about violence again.

“You can’t trick me, Tempest, I’ve seen what you can do. I know you put up a tough fight.”

Tempest sensed that the pegasus would not drop the subject until she agreed.

“Alright. Sometime in the future we can do a little sparring. But I warned you, I’m really not very good, it won’t be much fun.”

“Alright, I see your game, playing your cards close to your chest, I respect that. I can’t wait to see what surprises you pull out.” Rainbow responded, uncommonly excited by the prospect of a new friend to include in her roughhousing.

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Rainbow Dash having long since quit their company, the two mares finally approached the hillside house of the pegasus they sought.

Twilight’s praise for the natural beauty of the home was not unfounded, countless multicolored avian forms dove and spun in the open air, complementing the earthen tones of the structure itself. The trees surrounding the area, painted in autumn hues of orange and red, contained numerous birdhouses, obviously hoof-made by the pegasus. As though reaffirming the untouched purity of nature, a cerulean spring flowed before the house, and a small bridge stepped over it. Even the house was decked in grass and growth, it’s roof entirely covered in foliage.

Tempest was immediately enamored, for the natural beauty before her annihilated any previous conception of nature she had held. In the grass and reeds around the flowing water, animal life flourished, and all manner of creatures, predator and prey alike, frolicked as one. She witnessed a fox pounce on a small, vulnerable rabbit, only to begin licking it affectionately, as though the thought of killing another being had never crossed its mind. The animals’ occasional displays of violence were met, not with combat and murder, but with a shared enjoyment. For them, it was fun, simply a way to enjoy the company of friends.

Her discarded, cynical self had before insisted that nature provided the ultimate justification for conquest, the strong hunt the weak, and there is no love lost between those who kill, and those who are killed. The display before her shattered all of those preconceptions, and Tempest felt the black knot which choked her heart, slowly unwind and release its grip, just slightly.

“I know, Fluttershy’s house is something else. Let’s go see if she’s in.” Twilight said, snapping Tempest to, as the pair trotted forward.

Crossing the wooden bridge, Tempest could feel an aura of peace overtake her, and she heard a faint, cheerful voice, which sang in perfect harmony with the abounding beauty.

As they drew nearer, the words of the beautiful song came to her, clearly.

“♪ Born a poor young country mare, Mother Nature’s foal.
All day long, I’m sitting singing songs for everyone.

Sit beside a mountain stream, see her waters rise.
Listen to the pretty sound of music as she flies.

Ba-Ba-Baaaaaaa-Baa-baa-baa-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Baaaa…”

Before she had even noticed, Tempest found herself sitting, enraptured by music, and by the majesty of the strange, wonderful world she had entered. The voice that sang out, Tempest felt quite sure, could only be that of an angel.

Enjoying the moment every bit as much as her friend, Twilight sat near her, peacefully awaiting another verse of the pegasus’ song.

“Find me in my field of grass, Mother Nature’s foal.
Swaying daisies sing a lazy song beneath the sun.

Ba-Ba-Baaaaaaa-Baa-baa-baa-Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Baaaa…

*Various ‘Baa’s and melodic vocalizations follow*

Mother Nature’s foal,
Ooooooooooh
Mother Nature’s foal. ♪”

With the song’s end, its audience, numbering two mares and the numerous animals standing about the house, applauded most emphatically.

The singer, intending to thank her listeners, stepped out the door of her house, and was mildly surprised by the presence of the two ponies.

“Oh! Hello friends, I didn’t know you were here.” Fluttershy greeted, with only a slight blush at the revelation of her singing’s publicity.

Tempest could not help herself but to step forward, and smile heartily toward the mare as she spoke.

“Your singing is beautiful. I’ve never heard anything like it.”

Still somewhat embarrassed by the praise, but glad her music had been enjoyable, Fluttershy gave a slight bow and offered,

“Thank you very much.”

Twilight stepped in to explain their visit to the mare’s abode.

“Tempest and I have been walking around Ponyville, and I wanted her to see where you live. Plus, I figured she’d like the scenery.”

“How nice! Well, Tempest, if you like animals, you’ve come to the right place.” She gestured to the various critters surrounding her, “All the cuties around here are as sweet as can be!”

In agreement, a squirrel skittered over to the pegasus, and received an affectionate nuzzle from the caretaker.

Remembering a small exception, Fluttershy again addressed the unicorn.

“There’s one animal you might want to be careful with, I promise he’s nice, but he can be a bit… assertive. Don’t worry about being stern with him, he needs it.” Knowing the sound of criticism from any distance, out from the house hopped a small white bunny, who proceeded to stare down the new arrival.

Finding his glare met by a look of equal strength from the unicorn, he broke the gaze by blowing a loud, obnoxious raspberry, and casting a derisive look at its target.

Tempest looked back in kind, she well knew the nature of the situation before her. The rabbit was attempting to establish a pecking order, and heeding her friend’s advice, the mare refused to yield to the creature.

“Don’t test me, cottontail.”

Swiftly realizing that his dominant personality would not triumph over this latest subject, Angel Bunny decided that, not a retreat, but a tactical withdrawal, would best resolve the situation. With his departure, Fluttershy stood in amazement at her friend’s animal handling.

“Wow, if you can handle Angel that well, you won’t have trouble with any of the animals. Please feel free to come by any time.” Her own words spurring her to take note of the time, the pegasus added, “I wasn’t planning to eat for another hour, but if you’d like to join me, you’re welcome to rest here until then.”

Tempest could tell her friend’s kindness was nigh-unfailing, and she knew she didn’t consider them as even the slightest of burden, but regardless, she did not want to dominate the mare’s evening.

“That’s very kind of you to offer, but we were about to head back to the castle anyway. Have a nice evening.” Tempest said, signalling their departure.

“You too!” Fluttershy answered, equally happy either way.

With that, the duo left, Tempest feeling slightly saddened as she exited the beautiful world her friend had created, but heartened by the thought that she could now visit such a place whenever she pleased.

As Tempest reflected on the day she had spent, some trifling, trivial strangeness came to her, something unexpected about the day that she couldn’t put her hoof on. It wasn’t simply her friends, but the thought of travelling through Ponyville that inspired this unidentifiable feeling. Unable to resolve it, Tempest set the matter aside, unwittingly handing her subconscious its second task of the day, and turned to her friend.

“Twilight, all of your friends are-

“Our friends.” Twilight corrected, not satisfied until the unicorn fully acknowledged that the six were all her friends.

“...our friends, right. Our friends are all so nice. They seem so glad to spend time together, not doing anything in particular, just being around each other. Is that what friends are like?”

“You’re starting to catch on Tempest. Friends enjoy each other’s company, and I know the girls had just as much fun seeing you as you did visiting them. I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up having even more friends soon. Even if you deny it, you seem like an excellent friend.”

“Huh.” was all Tempest could manage, surprised by the apparent ease and enjoyability of friendship. Recalling her day, it occurred to her that, perhaps, her tutelage would be less work than she had suspected.

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“Thank you very much, Twilight.” Tempest said, as the Princess returned from the kitchen.

By the time the duo had arrived at the castle, both were ravenous, and had quickly seated themselves to a meal prepared by Twilight, consisting of a number of hay-based foods that Tempest was unfamiliar with. Having cleaned the dishes, the lavender mare returned to the room.

“You’re more than welcome, Tempest. If you don’t know how to cook, I’d be happy to teach you some basic stuff, so you can eat when you want.”

“No, it’s fine. I have a decent idea of how the kitchen is laid out, and I can cook well enough.” Tempest responded, thinking back to more than a few punitive shifts in a military kitchen, preparing food en masse.

As Tempest leaned back in her seat, she began drifting into her own ambient thoughts. She entered the paraphysical realm of her mind, and the results of her subconsciously studying the events of the day quite suddenly occurred to her. Bringing this awakened knowledge with her, she pulled herself back to the conscious world, and addressed her compatriot in hopes of receiving some sensical explanation.

“Twilight, about today…” Tempest took a moment to carefully consider her next words. “...there was something… strange… that I noticed. With everypony we saw, the girls, all the ponies around town, and all the ponies we saw while we were walking around, nobody-” She caught herself forgetting to affect ponykind’s trademark term. “-nopony, I mean. Nopony looked at… nopony noticed…” the unicorn began choking on her words, finding it tremendously difficult to say what she meant.

Seeing her friend grappling with thought, and believing she knew what the mare was getting at, Twilight attempted to finish the thought.

“Nopony stared?”

Relieved of the painful words she had been contending with, Tempest answered.

“Yes.”

“Tempest, the thing is, at least here in Ponyville, that’s just how ponies are. Nopony is going to judge you, not based on your appearance. And I promise, they’re all too happy to give you a second chance. Ponies are good at heart, even ponies who do bad things, even ponies who hurt others, even you, Tempest. The ponies here won’t judge you on who you used to be, they’ll only judge who you are now.”

Allowing a few seconds for her words to reach the mare, Twilight continued.

“There’s a pegasus you should meet. Her name is Derpy, and she’s as nice a mare as you’ll ever meet. In a way, she’s a symbol of Ponyville. Nopony judges others based on how they look, even the ponies who take great care with their appearance, even Rarity, with all her love for fashion, the only looks they judge are their own. And when they offer advice, they only intend the very best.”

Tempest, hearing her friend’s description of her new hometown, all of which was matched by her experience of the town, began to feel that Ponyville was the most perfect place she could hope to live. All she could muster in response, feeling the weight of the salvation she seemed to have found, was,

“Thank you, Twilight.”

Satisfied to enjoy the silence of understanding, the two sat enjoying the peace, for some time.

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Tempest resolved to break the silence, and inquire after the rest of the evening.

“Hey, Twilight, do you remember our conversation, in the library?”

“Of course! What’s on your mind?”

“Well, I have a desk in my room, but I can’t really use it. Would you mind if, perhaps, tonight, we could approach the reading and writing, stuff?”

Realizing her friend’s simple desire, and unable to think of any other task which she would assign nearly so much importance, the alicorn came to a resolution.

“Absolutely. If you don’t mind, we could work on this daily, maybe each night? That’s the best way to learn, after all.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I’d be happy to, but won’t that interfere with your duties as Princess?”

With a small laugh, Twilight responded.

“Tempest, I can work at any time of day, I promise it’s no problem.” Twilight considered her plan for tutoring her friend, and offered,

“How about we work in your room, to afford us some solitude. That way nopony should interrupt us.”

Pleased with the idea, Tempest nodded, and the two left their seats. Destination firmly in mind, the pair left the dining room, proceeding on their studious endeavor.

And so was formed a nightly habit of the pair, now a teacher and a student, both of friendship, and of language.

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“Good night, Tempest.”

“Good night, Twilight.”

The pair separated, as Twilight left her friend’s room, allowing both her friend, and herself, the opportunity to get some sleep.

Thankfully, the first steps in her friend’s education had been much smoother than expected. Despite lacking the knowledge needed to read or write, Tempest was nonetheless familiar with the alphabet. In part due to the advantages of learning as an adult, Tempest was quick to catch on to writing the various symbols, and had even achieved the feat of learning most of their pronunciations. Or, moreso, associating the letters with pronunciations she already knew.

Twilight bore a satisfied smile as she trotted into her room, having made tremendous strides with the day she had spent. Without noticing it, she found herself eagerly awaiting whatever she and Tempest would do tomorrow, as she settled into her bed and drifted off into the yawning maw of the night.

Comments

[Ri2]

Wasn’t Zecora ostracized for being a zebra? And Rarity shunned for her bad mane? And then there was the foal free press, and...

[DiscoGuy]

8546025
Indeed, Zecora was. However, by now, Ponyville has seen visitation from Discord, Zecora, Thorax, Ember, and Gilda, all without judging them on the way they looked. By the end of S7, Ponyville is clearly an uncommonly accepting place. Also, the lesson learned from the Foal Free Press episode was that the CMC, at Diamond Tiara's command, were publicly judging and criticizing the town populace, and in the end, they learn that doing so was wrong, and the town is rightfully upset at them for slandering everyone.

Also, "It's Not the Mane Thing About You" is biggest reason I wrote that spiel from Twilight. Ponies are shocked by Rarity suddenly having a destroyed mane, after having taken such care with it only the day before, but the reason she's treated differently is because she acts differently. In the episode's resolution, as I recall, the other Mane 6 remind Rarity of things she's done, and affirm that those are what define her. Then Rarity realizes something to the effect of "I was the only pony acting differently." She wasn't confident, assertive, helpful, nor did she command the attention of others, and so she was treated differently. Once she starts acting like herself, taking care of her mane with the new style, and confidently facing the town, nopony bats an eye, except to compliment her manestyle. It's her character, and her actions, that determine how ponies view her.

8545989

Language is always a sticking point, ain't it My thought was, whatever the Storm Beasts.... do... to communicate, is probably different from what ponies speak. Clearly there's some pony language that Tempest/Grubber/Storm King know and use to address them, but whatever writing system would be used to lead the Storm Beasts, as far as I can guess, would be wildly different from what ponies read and write. And since Tempest ran away when she was just a wee little thing, I inferred that whatever literacy she had, would probably be in the writing system of a foreign land. In effect, after spending only a tiny fraction of her life around ponies, and leaving before getting an elementary education from them, I thought it'd be weird if Tempest knew how to read and write in the system ponies use.

[Ri2]

8546672
I suppose those arguments hold. Very well.

[Vaguely Demented]

Banana Bread. It's majesty only matched by Cheesecake.

[Mr Swanky Hat]

8575080
Apple pie is superior! As well as cookie dough ice cream.... I'm hungry now

[Bookish Dracon]

With a wave, the party separated, and the horny duo were off again.

Horny??????!!!!!!!