Slumber of the Storm

by Deathscar

Epilogue: One More

“Ugh,” Tempest groaned, pulling the sheets over her head to shield herself from the morning sun.

“Tempest, wake up!” Twilight’s voice called to her.

“Just five more minutes okay?” Tempest muttered out in a slurred tone.

The next thing Tempest knew, her blanket had been pulled away from her, forcing her to finally open her eyes and stare at the grinning alicorn above her.

“...If this is going to become a common occurance, our relationship is going to get very strained.”

“Hehe, well, maybe this’ll cheer you up!” Twilight’s horn lit up a soft pink as she levitated over a small red box. A green ribbon had been tied around it, forming a bow at the top.

Tempest stared wide-eyed and speechless as the present found its way into her hooves.

“T-Twilight, what is this?”

“A present for Hearth’s Warming!” Twilight cheerfully exclaimed as she sat next to her.

“But I didn’t get you anything.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t get you something. Plus, you did agree to stand by my side last night as I was greeting the guests.”

“Wait, we?”

“Sunset and I.”

The words shocked Tempest silent. Sunset? Her eyes were glued onto the shining wrapper around it. She barely remembered the last time she received a present for Hearth’s Warming. Perhaps it was because she was too young, or that the gifts were from the friends who had abandoned her, thus tainting the once happy memory.

“What’re you waiting for? Open it!”

Tempest nodded and slowly undid the ribbon. She made sure to be careful as to not damage the beautiful wrapping. It was as if she was handling a fragile Equestria artifact, one which would break at the slightest touch. Eventually, she managed to undo the ribbon along with the top of the wrapper. Enough for her to pop off the lid with a little bit of effort.

Inside, Tempest spotted two things. The first one she took out was a pack of Windigo cookies. Or more accurately, Twilight and Tempest cookies. For instead of the Windigo shapes that they once came in, these ones had been carved to resemble her and Twilight, complete with the appropriate colored icing for their coats and manes.

“Does Pinkie know? About… you know… us?” Tempest asked as she pulled away the top seal, picking up a Twilight cookie and passing it to the mare beside her.

“Well, she already asked me about it before I told her.” Twilight picked the cookie from Tempest’s hoof, breaking off a small part of it.

Tempest knew she should’ve felt shocked. But she couldn’t be less surprised.

“Did she say how?”

Twilight laughed. “‘Pinkie’ and ‘how’ don’t really mix.”

“Right. Thought I’d give it an ask anyway.” Tempest picked a cookie shaped like her out of the bag. She was about to break a part of it off when she noticed one small detail that, to her surprise, Pinkie had gotten wrong. “I think Pinkie forgot to break off my horn,” Tempest said with a giggle.

Twilight gave an innocent smile but did not say a word, causing Tempest to raise a suspicious eyebrow. However, she thought nothing of it. So she snapped a piece of hers off and held it up in the air. Twilight wasted no time, knocking her own broken piece against Tempest’s before tossing it into her mouth.

Tempest did the same, placing the bag of cookies on the bedside table before staring into the box and retrieving the last item. As she lifted it up under the morning sun, Tempest’s jaw dropped in awe.

In her hooves was a beautifully ornate box covered in smooth red felt. Swirls of gold inlay at its top and sides glittered under the morning light. The pattern reminded Tempest of growing vines or perhaps that of flowing magic. She ran her hoof around its form and let out a short sigh of amazement.

“Twilight, this is… what is this?”

“Well if you open it, you’ll find out!” Twilight teased in an excited tone.

I’m not sure I’m ready. Tempest drew a breath to steady herself. Slowly, she lifted the case and the contents only filled her with a combination of confusion and curiosity.

Inside, nestled gently in a soft cloth, sat a glowing blue crystal. The swirling wisps of blue trails told her that It had clearly been charged with some sort of magical energy, but what it was Tempest didn’t know. She had never seen anything like this even past the borders of Equestria. She turned up to Twilight with a grateful, if confused, look.

Twilight giggled. “Don’t know what that is?”

“A… crystal?”

“Well, yes. More accurately, it’s what’s known as a Starshard Crystal,” Twilight explained as she lifted it from the case.

“Sunset mentioned something about that.”

“Mmhm. What makes it special is that it can store magical energy from a source and transfer it to somepony else!” Twilight explained.

As she held up the crystal in the sunlight, a soft blue glow filled the room. Tempest sat perfectly still, a nervous energy filling her body.

“This specific Starshard has been charged by a friend of Sunset’s. And all you need to do to use it is…” Twilight leaned into Tempest, tapping the crystal lightly against the base of her horn. Suddenly, Tempest felt something coursing through her head. Something familiar.

Something magical.

“Here.” Twilight lifted her half-eaten cookie. “Try it.”

At first, Tempest wanted to ask what Twilight meant. But something called out to her. It told her she knew exactly what Twilight wanted her to do. Shutting her eyes, she focused all her energy into her horn. Initially, nothing happened. But after several seconds, the treat floated up in the air in a bright blue aura.

I… The sight in front of her shattered her focus. The cookie fell back down as Tempest recoiled harshly.

Twilight screamed in joy, clapping her hooves together. “It works! It works!”

Emotions were swelling up within Tempest’s heart. Happiness, shock, disbelief. It was all there. Accompanying them were memories. Visions of when she was a filly. When she used to lift up objects in her home. It was a simple act that brought her joy. One she had lost when the incident happened.

And now, it was given back to her.

The feelings soon proved overwhelming. Tempest covered her eyes with her hooves, attempting to hide her fresh tears. She did not hear Twilight move, but soon felt her wing over her form as it pulled her closer to Twilight’s body.

“I’m so glad it worked,” Twilight whispered softly, planting a kiss onto Tempest’s cheek. Tempest didn’t reply. She couldn’t. No amount of words could express the gratitude she felt for Twilight. And no actions could either. “The magic surge is temporary. And the crystal needs to be repeatedly charged with magic. I know this isn’t exactly getting your horn back but—”

Tempest lifted her head and planted her muzzle squarely on Twilight’s.

“Don’t say another word,” Tempest barely managed to stammer out. “This is more than I could imagine. More than I deserve.”

Twilight cradled Tempest softly in her hooves. “I don’t believe that one bit. You’ve changed a lot and made an effort to push through your pain to make yourself a better pony. And I know. I know that you won’t make the same mistakes.”

Tempest shut her eyes tight and allowed the silence to speak for her. She thought she knew the spirit of Hearth’s Warming, but only after this week did she see how much she didn’t know. And though she didn’t know what the future held for her, she was certain of two things. The first was that no matter what might come for her, she could tackle it head on. Which led to the second thing. That no matter what, she no longer had to face it alone.

Opening her eyes, she spotted Twilight hugging her tight, both wings wrapped around her. Her eyes were closed, but the soft breathing and slightly red cheeks told Tempest everything. Even though snow was raining from above, Tempest could not have felt warmer. She knew this was a moment that she’ll cherish for the rest of her life. And though doubt attempted to seep into her thoughts, she quickly chased them away with one thought before resting in Twilight’s embrace. Content that there was no better end to the week or year.

Lifting the glowing rock with her newfound magic, she slipped the cloth portion around her neck and allowed the stone to dangle freely at her chest. She nestled it softly within her hooves, terrified that it’d shatter under the slightest touch. Under the morning sun, it glittered like a jewel, sending soft rays of blue all around her room. Onto the wall, floor and even over the photo frame on the desk.

The photo… Tempest squinted, spotting the two frames on the desk. On the left was the photo she was familiar with, and already images of the Friendship Festival entered her mind. But the picture on the right was new. It showed Tempest and Twilight in front of the Hearth’s Warming Eve tree just last night, sharing a tender kiss after all the guests had left.

And as the memory of that night once more filled her head, she turned to the crystal. Then to Twilight, who was still resting her head peacefully upon her shoulder. Shutting her eyes, she allowed her head to droop and her breaths to slow. Slowly, her mind drifted away back into her dreams. But this time, it was accompanied by one thought. One that gave her confidence for whatever the future might hold.

Because she knew.

I won’t make the same mistake again.

Author's Note:

Well, that concludes the story! Thank you all for taking the time to read it and supporting my work in the process. And have a wonderful holiday ahead of you.

See you soon!

Edit 1: After writing this fic, this song takes on a whole new meaning to me. Wonder if it does for all of you too.

-Deathscar

Comments

[Deathscar]

8629904
Thank you for pointing it out, fixed. And I hope you enjoyed the story! :)

[xanderman1201]

Inside, nestled gently in a soft cloth, sat a glowing blue crystal. The swirling wisps of blue trails told her that It had clearly been charged with some sort of magical energy, but what it was Tempest didn’t know. She had never seen anything like this even past the borders of Equestria. She turned up to Twilight with a grateful, if confused, look.

And Mr. Chekhov's hands tested positive for gunpowder residue. He definitely shot the pistol.

[Deathscar]

8630638
We found our shooter! Bring him in! (Really amazed you caught the foreshadowing so early :) Hope you enjoyed the story!)

[Dream of Ponies]

It takes a whole lot of something to be happy setting your friend up with your crush. But it shows Sunset has grown a lot to be able to do that.

....still think Shimmy shoulda gotten the girl *grumble grumble*

Great story all in all!

[xanderman1201]

8630684
I've taken several writing classes and workshoped a lot of stories. After a while these sorts of things get easy to spot.

Besides, there wasn't much of a point to bring it up as an example if you weren't going to actually use it later on at some point.

[Deathscar]

8630722
Thank you! And hey, I ship Sunlight a lot too! :D

8630724
True that!

[Dream of Ponies]

8630937 Oh i know you love your Sunlight, and i love that you love your Sunlight, read them all :P. But you can never have enough!

[Nemesis01]

Fantastic work on this! Love the struggles you showed each of them having. Well, not love, but you get what I mean.

I feel so bad for Sunset though.

I featured this on episode 208 of my podcast, Pony 411. Funny, two years in a row I feature a holiday fic by you. :v

[Deathscar]

8643493
Just listened to it! Thank you so much for another feature and it makes me REALLY happy to know you guys enjoyed it! (I also hope to make it 3 years in a row in 2018 ;) )

Keep that awesome podcast going on! :D

[psychosis]

Hmmm. You know, I always thought Sunset would connect better with Sci-Twi.

[MarcusPyKnight]

8650965
Maybe, but sunset also knew that sci-twi was possibly interested in timber spruce instead.

[mikebroniepony]

if you love her enough let her go if she comes back she is yours but if you love her enough to let her go than you love her enough to just want her to be happy

[Deathscar]

8647584
Fixed! Thanks for the point out! (I always make this mistake)

8650965
I think that's so up for debate. Some prefer Sci-Twi, some prefer Princess Twi. But either way this takes place in canon, so Timber is with SciTwi

8660148
Thank you so much for the comment! And I'm glad you enjoyed it! I tried my best to make sure all three of them were fun to read and true to their personalities!

8660206
I mean that IS the best parts of Sunset isn't it? ;)

[Vaguely Demented]

Nice. Though I would be lying if I said I’m not sad about Sunset.

[Borndwarf21]

I can easily say without a shadow of a doubt that this is one of if not the best stories I have ever read, you did a fantastic job with this and I’m excited to see what you do next keep up the amazing work!

[Deathscar]

8722959
Thank you! Glad you loved it!

[EchoWing]

Stories like this remind me of why I hate love triangles. One side always gets left out.

[Nailah]

Beautiful, heartwarming, and touching. All things that make it a good well written story. Kudos. Poor Sunset though.

[Thatguywiththeface]

You referred to Twilight as a unicorn at the beginning of the chapter, when she's actually an alicorn

[Deathscar]

9185733
Fixed, thank you!

[Luna Aeterna Solutae]

8660729
Sci-Twi isn't with Timber. Besides, SciSet is a much better dynamic. Sunset literally saved her life.
And after all this Sunny deserves a replacement light-purple friendfish.

[Shadow Quill]

Well done, and might I say this is one of the best romance books I've ever read, and as such, I see no reason as to why I won't be immediately adding this to my Masterworks Library. Take pride in knowing that your book has seen fit to entertain and send me on such an emotional roller coaster that it is on par with other amazing books such as Past Sins. So, I am delighted to inform you that your story touched me and warmed my heart and will continue to do so from the 25th pedestal in my Masterworks, where only the best of the best reside and only the most pure of works take residence. Thank you for all of your hard work and I look forward to reading more of your stories as the years go by.

Wishing you a happy Hearth's Warming, and hoping to see you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.

[Deathscar]

9317568
Ahhh I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! Thank you for thinking its high level enough to put into the Masterworks shelf, and for taking the time to leave the comment! I hope to write more stuff that you'll enjoy in the future! :) Thanks again!!

[Sunset Awesomness17]

Omg! This was actually good! Nice job!

[Deathscar]

9523666
Thank you! :DD

[WhalenJP]

10035783
"Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister." In Season 4 The Stolen Earth, I think it was called.

[Kessie_amarra]

Thanks for the fic! It was really sweet, my only complaint is sad Sunny.