Hearthfire & Wintertides

by Deathscar

Chapter 2: Ebb & Flow

I heard the Crystal Empire’s cold, so we’ll probably need to pack a lot of thick clothes. Tempest moved down the hall with slow steps.

“Morning, Twilight,” Tempest greeted as she walked into the library.

“Oh, morning, Tempest!” Twilight greeted back. Her horn was aglow as several books were floating around her. She glanced quickly between every single one, reading their titles before tossing a few of them away before floating more to fill the empty slots.

“Didn’t you just sort the library thirteen days ago?”

“Oh this isn’t for sorting!” Twilight said cheerfully. “I’m deciding what books to bring to the Crystal Empire!”

Tempest froze solid. “T-the Crystal Empire?”

“Mmhm! Cadence said she wanted some tomes that are missing from their archives so—”

“When did Sunset tell you our choice?”

“4am I think. Or maybe it was 4:15.” Twilight tapped her chin. “I was still waking up from her knocking on my door, so I don’t really reca—”

Tempest exhaled a breath hot with rage. She swung around and slammed her hoof against the doors, sending them flying outwards. “Tempest?” Twilight called from behind, but she paid no heed. She stomped back up to her room, pressing her hoof harshly upon the door and pushing them open with force. Sunset, standing in front of the closet, turned to her with a infuriatingly calm expression.

“You went behind my back,” Tempest said in a burning tone.

“You didn’t really give me a choice.”

“Going back is only going to make everything worse.”

“No, trying to ignore it is.” Sunset straightened her back and locked her gaze squarely with Tempest’s. She didn’t move. Didn’t twitch. Didn’t blink.

“How can you say it like you know you’re right? You don’t know anything.” Tempest took a step forward. Sunset didn’t budge.

“I know all of this. I’ve been through everything you’re going through,” explained Sunset. “The nightmare—”

“It was one nightmare!” Tempest shouted with a stomp of her hoof.

“And I’ve been through that one. I’ve also been through the twenty more that’s on their way! And I can’t let you live through the same thing I did.”

“And what if it’s not the same thing, Sunset?” Tempest said. “What if doing this will only make everything worse?”

“Then I guess we’ll find out.”

“No, we won’t.” Tempest shook her head. She straightened her back, glaring down upon Sunset, who stood unwaveringly still. When no signs of weakness showed, she paced to the door with harsh, loud steps before pulling the handle with all her might.

There were no hoofsteps after her. Not a sound from the room. She returned to the library, flames burning within her. The moment she pushed the door, Twilight regarded her with a look of shock and confusion.

“Twilight, Sunset and I are going to the Crystal Empire.”

“Umm, I-I thought you two wanted to go to Winterti—”

“No. Not anymore.”

Twilight grimaced. Her face scrunched up in hesitation. “Umm… t-there may a problem with that.”

Tempest took a firm step forward. Her eyes narrowed, sending daggers in Twilight’s direction. “What do you mean?”

“I may have kinda already told Cadence I’ll be going.” Twilight knocked her hooves softly together. “So they may have already started preparations…”

“May?”

Twilight cleared her throat. “They… have already started preparations.”

The next breath Tempest exhaled echoed through the whole room. Demand them to change plans. She opened her mouth, ready to scream the demands, but stopped herself just a thread away. She swung back around and stomped out the door, down the halls and out of the castle entrance.

---

How could she go and betray me like that!? Tempest dug her hoof into the snow. Her nostrils flared with each breath she exhaled, and she was certain that they could thaw the pond in front of her. The laughter of the foals skating upon the icy surface only served to deepen her anger. I trusted her! She swung a hoof, slamming it firmly against the birch tree she was sitting beside.

Thankfully, Ponyville park was fairly empty. Though not as empty as Tempest would have liked. Ponies were still hanging around, with couples in particular sitting on benches and having their meals together, just like any other day. Thankfully, the area around her and Sunset’s usual spot was empty, and no one paid any heed to this corner of the park.

Sunset. The thought sent memories of them together, at this very corner, through her mind’s eye. Picnics, cloud-watching and so much more. However, where they once brought happiness in Tempest’s darkest times, they now only deepened her rage — poisoned by her vision of red and the events that had just transpired.

“Fizzlepop!” a loud, cheerful, way-too-enthusiastic voice screamed into her ears. Tempest leapt back, horn lit, seconds away from discharging a single incapacitating blast to her assailant. That is, until she saw the giggling cotton-candy mare that was responsible.

“Pinkie Pie!” Tempest shouted through fiercely gritted teeth.

“Sorry! I tried calling you but you were staring down at the grass all…” Pinkie scrunched up her face, mimicking what Tempest looked like in an exaggerated fashion. At least, Tempest hoped it was. “What’s gotten your tail in knots?”

“Nothing,” Tempest said in a more dismissive tone than she had intended.

“Okay, Twilight might be the queen of friendship, but I can spot when a pony isn’t having a smiley-good day.” Pinkie hopped up to Tempest, pushing her into a sitting position. “Talk to Auntie Pinkie about what’s bothering you!”

“I said it’s nothing! Sunset and I are just going through… something.”

“O-oh…” Pinkie’s smile instantly fell away. “You and Sunset? But… you two are adorable together!”

The enthusiasm only drove a dagger deeper into Tempest’s heart. “I thought so too. But I guess we aren’t as perfect for each other as we thought.”

“What happened?”

Tempest considered releasing all of her pent up emotions and anger upon Pinkie, but if there was anything being reformed from the Storm King had taught her, it was that sitting on her emotions, especially anger, was probably the smarter thing to do. Not to mention that the personal nature of the situation meant that telling others was something Tempest had no intention to do at this moment.

“Sorry, Pinkie, but I don’t feel like talking about it right now.”

“Oh that’s alright!” Pinkie’s swift reply drew an odd, but grateful stare from Tempest. She had expected more resistance and prodding, but was thankful there was none of that. So she silently turned away, allowing the giggles of the foals stave away the setting silence.

“Oh!” Pinkie exclaimed. By the time Tempest turned to regard her, she had already zipped away, disappearing to who-knows-where. Tempest blinked at the space Pinkie has been just a moment ago, and just as she was about to turn away, Pinkie reappeared in a blur. But this time, she had a special item in each hoof. She stuck one out to Tempest. “Here!”

Tempest took the cup, immediately recognizing it from the golden-colored liquid that filled most of the cup, with just the tiny bit of burnt caramel at the bottom. “A pudding cup?”

“Not just any pudding cup!” Pinkie giggled. “Chancellor Puddingcups!”

Tempest allowed the smallest of smiles to edge up to her mouth. Though in her current state, she was surprised she could smile at all. “Thank you, Pinkie.”

“No problem! And this—” Pinkie held out her other hoof, where another puddingcup sat. “It’s for Sunset!”

Tempest took it and stared at the two treats in her hooves. “I shall give it to her when I see her next.”

“Good! Now, I have to go get Applejack’s order ready! There’s two-hundred apple cinnamon cookies that aren’t going to bake themselves!”

“Of course. Please, don’t allow me to hold you up.”

“Bye, Fizzlepop!” Pinkie waved as she bounced back onto her hooves. “Hope everything works out!”

Tempest gave a silent wave back. When Pinkie had vanished from view, she returned her attention to the sight in front of her, only now a different kind of emotion swirled in her heart. When she was told Pinkie was able to make everypony in Ponyville smile, she didn’t fully doubt her abilities. However, her energetic behavior combined with her volume of speech made Tempest write it off as ‘everypony except her’.

Yet, here she was, her anger having been significantly quelled in the last few minutes alone. Though it had not been completely dispelled, for the first time since she had left the castle she could hear herself think. She pondered upon the next step she should take, but came up blank.

So she shifted her thoughts back to Wintertide, where the question of ‘should I go back?’ was immediately met with a resounding ‘no’. And the recent nightmare only enforced that idea. There was no way around it. Nor was there a way for her to imagine the dream scenario Sunset was arguing for, where everything somehow worked out.

I can’t go back. She knew that much. And she knew Sunset had to understand her stance. So, with the pudding cups tucked under a hoof, she began her trot back to the Castle.

---

The castle was empty, though it didn’t surprise Tempest in the least. Most of the residents were out for the day, no doubt preparing for their individual Hearthfire trips. Tempest crossed the decorated lobby, where tinsels hung from the ceiling, tied to the crystal pillars. She was about to ascend the main steps, when suddenly, a clank rang out from the nearby kitchen. Curious, she made her way forward. At the corner linking the kitchen to the main lobby, a pony came into her vision. She recoiled in surprise. And the other did the same.

“O-oh,” Tempest muttered once she realized who it was.

“H-hi, Fizzle,” Sunset stuttered just as quietly.

Tempest racked her brain for something to say. Something to alleviate the awkwardness growing between them. But only one thing came to mind. She pushed the thought away, but like a pendulum, it swung back in.

“S-so, you uhh, t-talk to Twilight?” asked Sunset.

“Yes. And t-the Crystal Empire is already preparing for her visit.”

“O-oh!” Sunset’s face lit up for a millisecond, but it was quickly suppressed. “I see. S-so… we’ll be going to Wintertide.”

“Actually, Sunset, about that,” Tempest started, but quickly regretted the words. You have to do this. The words in her mind spurred her on, and she drew a breath to steady her nerves. “I… m-might not go with you.”

“What!?” Sunset remarked in surprise. “B-but Hearthfire is supposed to be both of us!”

“I know.”

“Then… you have to come along!”

“I can’t, Sunset. Please—”

“Yes, you can! You have to trust me! You can get over this! You… need to get over this. Please…” Sunset begged. “Please don’t let this get worse.”

“After what I’ve done? Sunset, I—!” Suddenly, there was a flicker in her mind’s eye. An image of the Storm King.

And herself by his side.

It was just as second. But her heart had already began beating faster. And she could feel sweat forming at the top of her forehead.

“Fizz?”

“I… I can’t.”

Sunset shut her eyes and hung her head low.

“Maybe one of the others would be willing to swap with us. I’d rather go somewhere with you than leave you to go alone.”

There was no reply.

“I’ll… figure something out. I’m sorry, Sunset,” Tempest muttered quickly and headed towards the main door. At the doorway, she glanced back to Sunset, who was still frozen in place, her mane obscuring her face, shoulders lifting every few seconds. With a heavy heart, she headed back out into Ponyville, chasing away her thoughts of Sunset.

Have to do this for her. Was the last thought that crossed her mind before she refocused it on finding the rest of her friends for a possible trade.

---

“O-oh, I…” Fluttershy muttered another couple of words, but a loud bird squawk made it impossible to hear. “Oh my, Feathers! Please calm down!”

Please, Fluttershy. Tempest pleaded as Fluttershy gestured for something. Or a better guess would’ve been somecreature.

“I m-mean, umm… do you really need to swap?”

“Yes,” replied Tempest. “For Sunset.”

“But… Rainbow gave me this chance.” She glanced down at the Hearthfire Letter in her hooves. Her crestfallen eyes and quivering muzzle quickly snuffed out any hope in Tempest that this attempt would be anymore successful than the last. “I… really want to go. But if it would help you and Sunset—”

“No.”

“What?”

“It’s… fine,” Tempest said through a labored breath.

“Huh?”

“I shall ask somepony else.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Fluttershy asked in a surprisingly genuine tone. She expected to hear a bit of hesitation, as she would have heard when most asked the same question out of courtesy, rather than care. But there was none in Fluttershy’s tone. Which made it all the more impossible to take the offer. So she gave a nod instead.

“Yes. Apologies, for taking your time. But I really should be going.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like some tea? Perhaps a nice biscuit?”

“No. I… I’m good. Thank you, Fluttershy. And sorry for disturbing you,” said Tempest with a smile. She trotted back down the hilltop path and past the garden gate. The sky was an amber orange, the source of which was the sun that was hidden behind several distant buildings. It was no doubt about to vanish past the horizon in a few minutes.

Applejack is my last hope. I suppose there’s Pinkie but… She thought back to the fierce method Pinkie had used to acquire the Mount Aris folder, and shook her head. Perhaps tomorrow will yield better results. With slow, tired hoofsteps, she made way back to the Crystal Castle, just as the stars began to shine above.

---

Where… Tempest stopped on the cold dirt road. She took in her surroundings. The starlit sky. The icy, moonlit lake. The frosted thatched roofs. She stood in the middle of Wintertide village, surrounded by empty houses and lifeless trees. Even the air was void of the distinct smell of winter. How…? Before she had another moment to consider her question, there came a light down the curved path leading to the centre of the village.

Tempest regarded it with caution, but like a moth to a flame, she began trotting towards it. As she approached, there came the sounds of celebration. Of joy. Of mirth. And once she trotted past the cottage at the corner, she was greeted by a large, towering tree. The bright lights that were wrapped from its tip to trunk gave it an almost otherworldly glow. Presents, wrapped up with bows, had been stuffed underneath. While a bright, shining star had been fitted snugly at the top.

The sight gave Tempest pause. It was an event she had celebrated long ago. An event that had long left her mind. She approached the tree with her mouth agape in both awe and confusion. She blinked.

And suddenly, cloaked figures had appeared around her, facing towards the large tree.

She glanced at them, darting her head between each one. “H-hello?”

They turned. All at once.

“It’s Tempest Shadow,” one of them muttered in a distorted voice.

“She ran away from us.”

“She hates us.”

“No, that’s not—” Tempest attempted to reason, but was quickly interrupted.

“The right-hand of the Storm King.”

Tempest took a step back. She shrunk herself from the looming figures as they approached. Her heart swirled with emotions. Fear. Sadness. Devastation. None of them pleasant. And all of them threatening to break her where she stood.

“She helped him conquer kingdoms.”

“Lands.”

“Did you really think we’d accept you back!?” screamed another figure. Hooves reached up to the hood and pulled it away, revealing the same pony that had slammed the door in her face the night before. “Did you think you could just return without punishment!?”

Tempest covered her head with her hooves and curled up into as tight of a ball as she could muster. Hot tears were streaming down her face. And as much as she wanted to scream, she could barely find the voice to whimper.

“Did you think you could return at all?”

The sobs only got louder. She held her head tighter in her grasp. Please stop. Please. She waited for more words to be thrown her way. More poison to be spat in her face. But the only thing she could hear was her own cries. And past that… silence.

And through the corner of her eyes, there came a white, comforting glow.

Tempest opened her eyes and raised her head. The figures had gone, and with them the tree and any light that came with it. They had been replaced with a thin mist that had enveloped the vacant town.

With trembling hooves, Tempest attempted to wipe the tears from her cheeks, but more kept flowing to replace them. She dug a hoof into the dirt and tried, as hard as she could, to push herself upright. But her strength had waned, and her hoof buckled underneath her weight. She expected to be greeted with the firm crunch of the dirt beneath, but, to her surprise, a hoof had wrapped around her own and pulled her up.

She turned. And gave a startled gasp. “Princess Luna?” Luna smiled. Her mane flowed like waves in the evening ocean. “What’re you doing here?”

“Dreams are my domain,” Luna replied. With a glow of her horn and a wave of her hoof, a bench had appeared beside Tempest. She gestured for her to take seat.

“Dreams?” Tempest glanced at the houses around her with a look of realization.

“Yes. The emotions resonating from it were… strong, to say the least. But I did not think you would be the centre of this, Tempest—” Luna stopped herself. “Apologies. Would you prefer if I were to call you Tempest Shadow? Or Fizzlepop Berrytwist?”

“Either is fine. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Luna cleared her throat. “What is it that has bothered you so?”

“...Everything,” said Tempest, crestfallen.

“I’m afraid I might not be able to help with ‘everything’,” Luna joked. But was met with only the howl of the winter winds. She turned to the houses that surrounded them. “If you would permit me, may I ask, why are we in Wintertide?”

“It’s home,” said Tempest. “It... was home. Many years ago. And now I might have to go back.”

“Ah,” Luna exclaimed. She placed a hoof to her chin in thought, then hopped onto the bench beside Tempest. “And there is something here that is scaring you. Something related to your past, is that right?”

Tempest snapped her head to Luna in shock. “How did you know?”

“Let us say that I’ve experienced something like this before,” Luna smiled warmly.

“Excellent. So can you tell me how to solve it?”

“Accept your past and confront your fears.”

Tempest winced. “Could you recommend another way?”

“I’m afraid there isn’t another way.”

“And what if things get worse, Luna?”

“To be honest, I thought about the same thing when I was made to face my fears. And though it might not to be clear to you, I hope you can trust me when I say that not doing anything is the act that shall make things worse, more than confronting your past.”

“I’m not sure it can get worse,” said Tempest. Her mind recalled her current situation with Sunset. She pondered whether or not to tell Princess Luna. They weren’t close. Heck, not long ago she had encased Luna in stone, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel at least a little bit guilty about it. But being in her presence comforted her. Gave her security. She allowed her mind to remain on Sunset for a while longer, when a flash of light burst right in front of her. And once it cleared, Sunset appeared with her head hung low, her mane obscuring her face and tears dripping to the ground. Tempest shut her eyes and turned away.

“Hm? Oh…” Luna stared at the sobbing apparition. “I take this situation has complicated things between the two of you?”

“That’s a nice way of putting it.”

“I… may not be able to help directly with that problem, as love is Cadence's domain, not mine.”

“That’s fine,” Tempest muttered in resignation. When she re-opened her eyes, she spotted Luna waving her hoof in front of the projected Sunset, vanishing her into mist.

“However.” Luna placed her hoof under Tempest’s chin and pushed it up slightly. “I can provide you with advice.” She reached up to the sky and plucked a star from above. The tiny, glowing orb shone softly in her hooves as she brought it down to Tempest. “Do not let your past define the present, nor your future. Face those you are afraid to see. They will forgive you.”

“That’s kind of you to say, Princess. But they won’t, not after what I did.” Tempest stared at the shining star. “I deserve all of this. I had to be punished sooner or later.”

Luna’s kind warm eyes sharpened into a cold, steely stare. The smile had vanished, replaced instead with a sharp frown. One tempered with past experiences. “Do not ever think that. Ever.” With a glow of her horn, the star began to grow, shifting and changing under a faint blue aura. Its sides pulled and stretched into petals, while the middle extruded into a stalk. When the glow had cleared, the star had transformed into a Frostbloom. One whose color made it seem like it was formed from the clearest snow Tempest had ever seen.

Taking Tempest’s hoof, Luna slipped the Frostbloom softly into her grasp. The flower pulsated like a heart, transferring a relaxing warmth with each beat. And, for the first time tonight, Tempest felt a moment of calm. Of peace.

“I see a lot of myself in you, Fizzle. And that both comforts and frightens me.”

Comments

[Corejo]

Damnit, Luna. This is Fizzy's story. Stop stealing the show!

I like where this is heading.

[PresentPerfect]

Am I right in noticing that everyone calls her Fizzlepop, except Tempest herself? :)

[Deathscar]

9319330
Thank you! Fixed! :) And good observation ;)