30. Into Battle
Though she wasn't able to join them in training, Tempest did what she could to motivate the storm creatures. She often visited their practice sessions, encouraging them to give it their all, praising them on their strengths while pointing out their weaknesses and giving them tips to improve. They welcomed her commanding voice, saying it made them nostalgic. They trained hard under her critical eye.
Every day she would check on her injury, waiting to be able to remove the bandages permanently, but so far she couldn't. Discord often helped her replace her bandages, and each time they looked, her barrel was still terribly scarred and pressing on it hurt. So they'd put on the new bandages and tie them tight, and she'd have to keep tolerating it. Kris was able to pull out the stitches though, which was a slightly painful affair, but Tempest was used to the sensation. Then an herbal mixture was rubbed on to take away the pain, and she soon forgot all about it.
Everyone in town adored how Tempest was managing her injury, how she still walked with her head high and no pain on her face. She had a visible limp, but they didn't mind that. They were inspired by her strength nonetheless.
At night, Discord would usually hold her close, patting her as she finally showed her pain to him, shaking at the discomfort and shifting around as she tried to get comfortable. He looked into healing magic just so he could help numb the pain, but he wasn't very good at it. Which annoyed him, as he usually thought of himself as being good at everything.
“Well, healing magic is pretty harmonic, which seems to be the exact opposite of what you do,” Tempest pointed out. “But it's no big deal. I can use that spell on myself if I have to.”
“Yes, but you shouldn't be using magic. Save your energy.”
“Oh, it's no big deal.” Tempest's horn lit up with a soft glow, and the magic spread down to her side. She sighed and leaned against Discord. “There. Now if only I knew how to actually speed along the healing.”
“I was reading about that, but it's very delicate magic, only a few unicorns are even able to do it well, I could possibly do it but I'd have to be very careful.”
“Don't worry about it. I can heal naturally, I just have to be patient.” She nuzzled him. “I'll admit, I do like getting to sleep in. Especially snuggled up with my favorite draconequus.”
“Oh, do you now?” He nuzzled back against her, and licked under her chin.
She giggled and kissed under his jaw. “You're so sweet. Who would have thought that the fearsome lord of chaos could be so loving.”
“It's not something I go around telling everypony.” Discord pressed a kiss to her lips. She held it for a few moments, then pulled away, blushing.
“Well, too bad. I'm going to tell them all instead,” Tempest promised.
“Oh, boy.” Discord chuckled. “I bet they'll be surprised to learn that we started dating while out here. They'll probably have a lot of questions.”
“Definitely. I've been around Twilight and her friends enough to know exactly what they're going to ask.” Tempest began imitating them. “Twilight will probably be pretty cool but Pinkie will be all 'Are you getting married?! Can I plan the bachelor party? And the bachelorette party? And the reception?!' And then Rarity will be like, 'Oh I have the most wonderful idea for your dress, Tempest darling!' But I think the others will just kinda want to know how this happened, haha.”
Discord laughed. “Spot on Rarity impression, I liked that. But oh, I don't think they're gonna jump right to asking about marriage.”
“I don't know, Pinkie can get really excited, I wouldn't be surprised if her mind flew to that.”
“True. Well, what would you say?” Discord wrapped himself playfully around her, though was careful not to hurt her ribs. “Would you marry me?”
Tempest's cheeks grew hot. “Oh, um... I don't know. I mean I've never dated before, and marriage is such a serious commitment, I'm not... sure I'd consider marriage. I'd need a while to think about it. It definitely wouldn't be for a long time.”
“You're so cute when you get flustered. Don't worry, I'm not trying to make you commit to anything, I was just wondering. I know marriage is a big deal to ponies.” Discord considered it, then said, “But I think I'd be okay with marrying you. We've grown very close over these past weeks and I certainly want to spend the rest of your life with you.”
“The rest of... my life with me?” Tempest questioned.
“Ah, well...” Discord moved around to grip her hooves gently. “That's the hard part, isn't it? I've been alive for over a thousand years and will likely to go on living for thousands more. Draconequus have incredibly long lives. So... I'm going to outlive you. If you still want to be with me though, it's your choice.”
“I don't care that you're going to outlive me. In fact, I should be asking you if you're okay with that.” Tempest sat up, gazing into his eyes. “If we get really romantically involved, will you... be okay with losing me? Knowing you'll have so much more time without me?”
Discord sighed. Then he smiled. “I've done it before. I mean, not with romance, but when it comes to knowing ponies in general. I've accepted that everyone I grow close to will eventually have to leave. I accepted it when I befriended Fluttershy. And... I can accept it with you. I'll just be happy for the time I do know you. It's sad, but it's how things would have to be. Unless I'm with an alicorn, I know I won't have a partner who will live as long as me.”
Tempest nodded. “I guess so. Heh, it's too bad I'm not an alicorn then, huh?”
“Indeed. But hey, you have decades of your life left. You could even live for a hundred more years if you stay healthy! And stop fighting Rocs, you silly pony.”
Tempest snickered. “Okay, you have a point there. Well, if you're okay with being with me, despite... ya know. Then alright. I just want to make sure you'll be okay.”
“Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Though you know, maybe you could get yourself a pair of wings. Celestia and Luna aren't the only alicorns, maybe one of those younger alicorns will take a shine to you and bless you with that magic. Then we could have more time together!”
“Haha, maybe.” Tempest gave him a small kiss. “But I'll enjoy the time we do have together. And I think I might want to marry you. But I still need some time to think about it.”
“Of course. No rush, we have plenty of time.” Discord laid back down with her, idly running his claws across her shoulder. “Marrying a pony. Heh. That would be one of the strangest things I've ever done.”
“Everyone in Equestria will hear about it, I'm sure.”
“And probably plenty of people beyond Equestria too. Even us dating will probably be quite the gossip. Sure I'm good now, but I'm not entirely trusted by ponies beyond my friend circle. I'm the stuff of legends, as you know. There are still horror stories about me floating around. The news of me being romantically involved with a pony is going to shock the world. It might even make it to other draconequus, and oh, what a fun time that'll be.”
“Do you think any of them will bother you about it?”
“Probably not. They'll probably just laugh about it and go on with their lives. But still.” Discord looked up at the ceiling. “But being unpredictable is what I do! So to everyone who says they'd never expect me to get with you, that it's weird, well... exactly! Master of chaos!”
“Alright, master of chaos, I get it. Now do you think I could go to sleep? It's getting late.”
“Of course, my dear. Sorry for keeping you up.”
“Nah, it's fine. I like talking to you.” Tempest sidled in to give him one final kiss, and he ran his fingers through her mane as he responded, eyes falling shut. Then she pulled away, dropping her head to his chest. “See you in the morning.”
“Mm, see you.” He sighed, a bittersweet feeling in his chest as he thought about the conversation. It would be rough, losing her one day. But that wasn't for a long time. Right now, he had her in his arms, and he was going to cherish it.
It was another couple weeks before the Roc was able to fly again. Discord kept a close eye on her, but when he saw her take off and fly down into the jungle to grab some smaller birds, he knew it wouldn't be long before she headed to Sunny Oasis. He went back to the town and warned everyone, and they got ready. While they were prepared to fight with spears, they had also created small bombs, which they would use to annoy the Roc and keep her distracted. It was only a few hours later when the Roc made her way into the desert. Her wing flaps were laborious, but she was determined, flying straight for them.
“She's on the approach, everyone form up on the north side of town!” Tempest ordered. She still couldn't run, but she went from house to house to make sure everyone was warned, before making her way to the edge of town. She used magic to lift herself up, wanting a good vantage point to call commands and watch for anyone getting injured.
Discord joined her, and they got the storm creatures formed up into columns, each with a leader at the front who would be watching out for everyone behind them. Each column was identified by a letter, and while Tempest would be giving them each general directions, it was down to the captains to carry them out efficiently.
The Roc came in fast, screeching loudly, her talons clenching.
“Hold your positions,” Tempest called. She kept her eyes on the fierce bird as she came closer. “Hold it, hold it...” The Roc was seconds from reaching them. “Now!”
Tempest and Discord both teleported away, and the Roc blew past where they had been. All the storm creatures lit their bombs and threw them. They hit the Roc's back and exploded, and she shrieked, wings going stiff in surprise. She crashed into the ground, and Tempest and Discord reappeared over her.
“That's it, A team, keep her grounded!” Tempest yelled.
The captain of A team repeated her order, and those storm creatures hurled bombs at the Roc's wings, keeping her from flapping them. The rest of the teams moved in with spears, stabbing them out. The Roc angrily got up, lashing out with her talons. The storm creatures dove to avoid her, and Tempest flew around, calling on storm creatures by name to warn them away if necessary.
Meanwhile, Discord flew above and gathered a massive ball of magic into his hands, shooting it right into one of the Roc's wings. There was an audible crunch and the wing crumpled.
“My wing!” The Roc snarled and twirled about, her tail feathers knocking over several storm creatures. “How dare you!” She tried to jump up and bite Discord, but he snaked away from her beak, hitting her with another pulse of magic. This time it merely knocked her back, but she was clearly having trouble dividing her attention between all the attacks.
The storm creatures focused in on stabbing her legs, and she kicked wildly at them. Even with Tempest shouting warnings, several of them were thrown back. She groaned when she saw the cuts all over them. They needed to finish this fast, before anyone was seriously wounded.
The Roc suddenly shouted, “I'm going to kill all of you! And when I do, I'm going to eat you! And you!” She whirled to face Tempest, flapping her wings so hard that the gust of wind blew everyone back. She stumbled toward Tempest, beak wide open to display her sharp teeth. “I should have kicked you harder!”
Tempest yelled back, “We don't want to do this! We would have been happy to share this land with you, but you threatened us! You can still stand down and apologize, but otherwise, we will keep fighting!”
“I'm not apologizing! This place is mine and I'm not sharing! You can all burn!”
“Burning, huh? Excellent idea.” Tempest shot fire magic at her. She used her wings to block it. At the same time, Discord went behind her and used his own magic, finally managing to hit the Roc right between the wings with a huge fireball.
The Roc screamed, whirling and trying to put it out, but she couldn't stop it. The fire spread across her feathers, and the pain made her lose focus, her magic-blocking ability faltering. Tempest blasted her over, and she hit the ground, where the storm creatures quickly tried to subdue her. She thrashed, beak still snapping at them.
Tempest landed on the ground, frowning at the pained screams. Yet despite everything, the Roc was still trying to hurt them. Nothing would ever make her stop. So Tempest did what she had to.
She walked forward, watching the feathers drop from that great beast's body, and summoned the magic she has only recently studied. “You fought bravely,” she said, as the agony finally made the Roc still, only able to stare at her. “But it's over. You lost, and you are going to die.”
The other tensed, but didn't beg or cry, just watching the glow around Tempest's horn. Then Tempest hit her with the numbing spell. The Roc seemed surprised, but her body relaxed, now that she could no longer feel the fire eating into her skin.
Tempest waved for the storm creatures to back off, and they gladly did so. Then she went to sit next to the Roc's head. “I'm sorry it had to end this way. But I want you to go peacefully.” She glanced at her, and saw that her gaze was growing distant. Maybe there was something Tempest could do for her, some way to ease her passing. She lifted her head, and fired a beam of colorful magic into the sky. It exploded out into fireworks, which continued to blossom in a chain reaction, filling the sky with color.
The watching storm creatures let out awed gasps, mesmerized by the sight.
After about a minute, Tempest heard the sizzling of flames die down, and looked back at the Roc. Her eyes were trained on the fireworks. Then she quietly said, “It's beautiful,” and her body went limp, eyes losing their light.
Tempest took a painful breath, and stood up. She gently closed the other's eyes, and turned to Discord as he landed next to her. “I wish I could have ended it another way,” she said, moving into his arms.
“I know. But sometimes there is no other way,” he replied softly. “Like I said before, sometimes someone just wants to cause pain, and you can never change their mind. She was going to kill us. And you saw her nest. She's already been killing ponies, griffins, all sorts of intelligent creatures. People like us who had hopes, dreams, long lives they could have lived until that beast destroyed them. We did what had to be done.”
Tempest thought back to all the skeletons on the mountain and nodded. It really was necessary. But that didn't make it any less painful, knowing that she had helped take a life.
Discord pulled away. “What do you want me to do with the body?”
“Bury her. Just... move her body away and bury her.” Tempest pulled away.
“Can do.” Discord raised his hand, lifting the Roc and carrying her a good distance away before digging out a hole to bury her in.
Tempest went to gather up the storm creatures. Most of them were okay, but there were many injuries, some mild and others much more serious. She helped move the ones who couldn't walk back into town, an effort that took several minutes. Kris and some of the other doctors were ready to receive them, and got everyone taken care of, finding beds for them and tending to their wounds.
It was only once Tempest was in the town hall talking with Dusty about what happened that she finally felt like she was able to breathe properly again, and she panted, feeling weak. “It's done,” she said. “It's done, you're safe, and that Roc will never hurt anyone again.”
Dusty nodded. “It's sad that it had to end this way, but we did the best we could. Thank you for leading us.” He looked over as Discord entered the room. “Is she buried?”
He wiped his hands off and nodded. “Yep. She's buried a few hundred yards out beyond the border. I made sure I dug the grave deep, hopefully the smell doesn't come up.”
“Very well. Thank you, Discord. Your work in stopping her is greatly appreciated.”
“You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to help.” He rubbed Tempest's withers. “Hey, I know it's rough, but we had to do it. How are you holding up?”
“Okay, I guess,” she replied. “But... I think I might want to go back to Equestria after this. I... need some time to relax.”
“I completely understand.”
“Well, with all that settled, I suppose now I can point out what's been bugging me since we finished fighting,” Dusty said. He smiled at Tempest. “Congrats on the cutie mark.”
“What?” Her ears went straight up, and she twisted to look at her flank, ignoring the pain in her side. A gasp left her. Sure enough, standing out on her purple fur was a bright green set of three stars with more stars bursting around it, forming the perfect shape of a firework.
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Nice chapter though I have to ask, the roc has teeth?
Wow that actually wasnt the ending i expected :D
I like it haha
I wonder if the show will put her in at any time :3
Good Chapter :3
So how long will this story still go?
Of course im loving to wake up every monday and thursday to read a new chapter on my way to work :3
Would be greatly missed ^^
I would say Twilight is going to collapse either immedietely or later if she is alone, I don't exactly see her taking this so well in most chases. I could image her treating this like some uhhh bad omen.
I could see Pinkie doing that.
I agree with rarity too, but mostly after she can overcome the sudden sick feeling in her stomach once she image a romance with Discord. Now I'm not sure why this was my view of her. Maybe an old version of her is more likely to react like that.
Rainbow Dash could probably not believe that as all maybe even thinking that this is a prank and of course Fluttershy would just be happy for him.
In such shipping I often hope for something to happen that allows the characters to be ageless and only die if because of murder. I don't care if you would have to make up something, but I would like her to get a long life like Celestia, but without the aditional powers.
I know it is strange but I feel like I suddenly have a not so bad idea.
Maybe something with Discords chaos magic is going to happen, who knows maybe after they had sex in the future, his chaos magic which is more or less in her too then, change her so that she lives very long in order to be able to care for the child that is going to be born.
It is a nice mark I think, throught in the picture you could think she isn't sure if she wants it to be there.
8984504
I agree
8984415
Yeah, I decided to use one as a villain way before the show ended up using one, and the classic portrayal of the Roc shows them having teeth. I figured that sounded terrifying, a giant bird that ALSO has teeth. So I went with that.
8984764
Works for me.
8984504
There's two more chapters and then it's done, unless I think of anything more I want to include before Sunday. But I think it's pretty much getting wrapped up. There's going to be a sequel taking place not too long after though, which should be fun.
8984767
Eagerly awaiting the sequel