Mark of the Tempest
They sat in the Captain's cabin of the Phoenix, around Celaeno's chart table, poring over the detailed maps the Queen and King had provided. The maps showed a series of landmarks, extending far out into the empty desert.
"So lemme get this straight," Applejack said. "These kidnappers we're after are holed up in some kinda moldy old temple?"
"It's the temple of Bastet," Twilight explained, "the Abyssinian goddess. It's located in the ruins of Bubastis, her sacred city, which was swallowed up by the desert centuries ago."
"Apparently," Capper said, "the dudes we're after have appropriated it as their base of operation. The Queen and King aren't too happy about that obviously, but there wasn't a lot they could do. If we could encourage these guys to leave, it'd help everyone."
"Hmph," Rainbow snorted. "Sounds like we're just doing their dirty work again. Somehow they've managed to get us to head out to this temple and kick out these bad guys for them. Somepony remind me why they're the ones wearing the crowns?"
"Sometimes the job of a sovereign," Twilight observed, "is to get out of the way of those who can actually do the work. At least that's what Princess Celestia's told me, on more than one occasion."
"And don't get me wrong," Capper added. "Queen Whiskers and King Claw may seem like distracted bureaucrats, but they're actually pretty decent as monarchs go around here. The ones we had before..." He rolled his eyes. "Woulda had us filling out forms just to breathe twice. Yet even the current royals, nice as they are, can't make a move on their own." He shrugged. "That's pretty much why I got out, gave up the royal life. 'Cause I saw how useless it all was. I started living on the streets, surviving by my wits. It meant I could do something, make things happen. Even if it was just picking pockets or running the occasional scam." Capper suddenly looked guilty. "By the way, have I mentioned how sorry I am for trying to sell y'all?"
"More than once," Twilight reassured him. "And we don't hold it against you, Capper."
"And we don't have to do everything for the royals," Applejack observed. "We just need to go to this temple, free whatever ponies they've taken prisoner." She smiled. "And if we happen to disrupt whatever criminal operation they've got going... wayall, that's just a bonus!"
"This is all assuming that temple is even there," Tempest called over, from where Grubber was helping her out of her armor. "Those charts looked as old as the palace itself. Who knows if they're even accurate about known landmarks?"
"Now, let's not sniff at a gift pitcher of cream," Capper warned. "It's still the best lead we've got."
Captain Celaeno was examining the chart with a practiced eye, working out headings and distances. "You know," she said, "we really don't need to zig-zag around like this. We could just head straight there." She pointed a claw at the final marker. "And be there in a couple hours."
"I don't know," Twilight replied. "The high priest was pretty clear about the importance of following this route. It's possible the landscape has a distorting spell on it. If we go any other way, we'll just end up going in circles."
"Not sure how a spell on the land could bollix up dead reckoning in the air..." Celaeno said doubtfully. Then she shrugged. "But, no big deal. It'll just take longer. We could still be there by nightfall, easy."
"If I may, Highness?" Tempest said. "We should delay and arrive there at daybreak." She met Twilight's unhappy look with a stern one of her own. "I know you want to help the ponies who've been captured as quickly as possible. And I don't want to leave them imprisoned any longer than we have to. But in this case it makes sense. It'll be easier to see what we're up against in daylight. We'll have more time to prepare, and our army will have time to finish up the core repairs to the city center. And remember, our soldiers aren't bothered by the heat of the day. That'll work against whatever force we're up against."
"Unless they've got a magic army of their own," Rainbow said. "Yeesh, what kind of fight would that be like? One magic army battling another? When either side runs out of soldiers you just magic up more? How could you ever win a fight like that?" She looked thoughtful. "'Course, I'm not saying it wouldn't be cool to watch..."
Twilight sighed. "I suppose you're right, Tempest. No, what am I saying? You've been in more battles than I have. You're the expert here."
"Not by much," Tempest admitted. "I did have the advantage that anyone we assaulted wasn't really able to put up much of a fight. Uhhh... present company excepted, of course." They exchanged a smile.
And then Grubber finally helped Tempest extricate herself from the black linen bodysuit, so it could be given a quick wash.
"Hey, boss..." he said, staring at her flank. "Was that always there?"
"What?" She looked. And then practically leapt in a circle trying to get away from it. "Oh, you have got to be... are you kidding me?"
It was a cutie-mark. The double lightning bolt mark, the same one that she'd always worn on her battle armor. But now the mark was on her flank. And it was a livid berry red, like an open wound.
And before that afternoon, it hadn't been there.
"What is it, Tempest?" Twilight asked, concerned.
Tempest simply turned wordlessly, and bolted from the room.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Twilight eventually caught up with her, simply by following the trail of bowled-over pirates and ponies. Tempest had hidden herself away in the farthest corner of the farthest hold, the aft ventilator room with its glowing grid floor, through which waste heat from the ship's engines was vented.
Twilight shivered. It wasn't that long ago that she'd been locked in a magic-proof cage hanging in a room much like this one.
The engines were at idle now so the room was quiet... quiet enough that Twilight could hear the sobbing.
"Tempest..." Twilight called, softly.
The sobbing stopped, but there was no reply.
"Getting your cutie-mark isn't a bad thing," Twilight went on, as she came down the steps to the main floor of the room. "It's supposed to be a really happy time in a pony's life. Even when it comes as late as this."
A pause. And then Tempest spoke. "How long have you known it was there?"
"I noticed the glow earlier today, while you were addressing the crowd in the Forum Square. You seemed so alive, so sure of yourself and who you were, I was pretty sure that's what it was. But I didn't actually know for certain until I saw it just now."
Tempest slammed a hoof on the metal decking. "This is just great! I lose my horn, and screw up my magic. I'm so desperate to get them back I let myself get caught up in the Storm King's little reign of terror. And then, after trying so hard to reform myself in everyone's eyes, I get carried away by the power trip, the ego-trip, of having my own private army again. And now this... my cutie-mark finally appears... and it's the Storm King's emblem!" She flung her head down on her hooves, humiliated. "Fitting punishment, I suppose, for everything I've done!"
Twilight shook her head. "It's not a punishment," she said, calmly and reasonably. "And the mark isn't the Storm King's. Well, he appropriated it, put his own spin on it, but it's not original to him. It's actually a rune, a very old Ponish rune. I looked it up in the Archives when I had a spare moment. I was curious about it, and what it might mean."
She trotted over and sat down beside Tempest. "And I found out what it means."
Tempest looked up, warily. "Go on."
"It represents power, intelligently applied... applied with precision, not brutality. It's two lightning bolts striking the same spot at the same time. And you know how uncommon that is. Power and precision, at the same time."
Tempest considered that. "Then me getting my mark like this..."
"... means you've found your true calling. There was a reason you became the Storm King's commander: because you could organize and command an army in ways he could never hope to do on his own. And then you learned about Friendship... and now you've taken over his army and made it your own, powered by the unfocused magic of your broken horn. That's why the mark is your mane color, that's why the soldiers you conjured up have your colors... because they belong to you now. Because this is where you're meant to be. It's where you're able to be yourself, at your greatest level of potential."
Tempest snorted. "So much for becoming a reformed pony. How are folks back in Ponyville and Canterlot going to react to me showing up there with an army following me around again?"
"It's not the army that matters," Twilight reminded her. "It's what you do with it. That's still the task ahead of you. What are you going to do with the gifts you've been given? When you walk back into Ponyville, with or without this army, how will you show ponies that you've changed? What will you bring with you that you didn't have before?"
"Well... Rarity, alive and well for one?" Tempest suggested.
"That would be good, certainly."
"And this ivory trade shut down... at its source?"
"Also good."
"Princess, you say that like there's something else, something I'm missing?"
Twilight shrugged. "That's because I think there is something else, but even I don't know what it is."
"I thought you Princesses knew everything."
"And I used to think Celestia didn't eat... that she lived on dew and moonbeams."
"Where'd you get a crazy idea like that?"
"It's what I was told, when I was little." Twilight smiled ruefully. "I had to learn not to place too much stock in things like that, start figuring out what to believe in myself."
Tempest frowned, still looking doubtful.
"Remember the reformation ritual," Twilight said, putting a comforting forehoof on her shoulder. "You don't need to convince anypony else. How do you convince yourself? So it shows?"
Tempest thought about it. Then she looked up, nodding. "I hear you, Princess."
"Good. Now c'mon... I need the Commander of my army to help plan an assault on an ancient and mysterious temple."
"All right. But give me a few minutes, first. And then send Grubber down here. I plan better with my armor on, anyway."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Late in the evening, Celaeno returned the Phoenix to the airspace above the docks. Under cover of night the soldiers gradually returned, congregating near the ship to mask their numbers. Then one by one they slipped behind a pile of packing crates, and simply evaporated, returned to the crystal's powerbase.
Leaning on the railing of the ship, Fluttershy peered down anxiously, wincing whenever one of the soldiers disappeared. She wasn't sure it was right, just treating them like, well, like clothing or dishcloths, tossing them back in the cupboard when they were no longer needed.
She became aware she wasn't alone, and looked round. One of the soldiers was standing nearby, peering down at her curiously. Tentatively, it waved at her.
"Oh, hi!" She turned to look up at it. "Are you the soldier I talked with, back at Canterlot?"
It nodded. Its gruff, fluting voice rumbled and hooted at her.
"Oh, you're very welcome. I'm glad I could help you get in touch with yourself. Though I'm not quite sure I understood everything you said."
It rumbled, and then held out its large arms.
"Why certainly!" she replied, and hopped up into its grasp. It gently hugged her, and she was amazed at how comfortably warm its fur was.
"You know," she said to it, "I'm really glad I ran into you! I was kind of worried you might have been one of the others... you know, the ones who've already disappeared?"
It looked at her, puzzled. And then suddenly it turned about.
"Uh, wait... where are we going?"
The soldier brought her over to a group of the other soldiers. Who all looked up, and as one, waved at her.
"Oh!" She stared at them, and then at the one holding her. "You mean, you're really all the same soldier?"
They nodded, and all began talking at once. Then they stopped, and looked at each other, abashed. Then the one holding her spoke.
"I see. But it still doesn't seem quite right, just making you all disappear when you're no longer needed."
The soldier shrugged gently, and hooted at her.
"Well, it's very noble of you to say that. And I want you to know we all appreciate the hard work you've been putting in today on rebuilding the city. It's really going to help us in getting Rarity back."
The soldier rumbled at her, curious. The others leaned closer as well.
"Oh! Um. Well, she was kidnapped by whoever it is that's hiding out in this temple we're going to. And we really need to get her back safely. It would help everyone a lot!"
The soldiers looked from one to another, and then suddenly came to attention. They rumbled and hooted affirmatively.
"Oh, you will? Oh, thank you ever so much! I really appreciate that. Is there anything we could do for you in return?"
The soldier holding her looked bashful, then murmured quietly.
"Well, of course! I know Twilight must have brought a book with her. I'd be glad to read to you so you're not lonely." She smiled kindly. "It's the least we can do!"
She turned and stared out across the night-shrouded desert. "And I do hope Rarity's safe, wherever she is..."
To Be Continued...
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, its characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro.
No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of the series.
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9433319
Yep... my mental model here is a single "template" soldier used to produce the instances, with some common storage so that anything one of them learns is available to the rest. Thus the instances have some amount of autonomy for teamwork, yet consider themselves to be the same entity. Plus it meant I didn't have to come up with names for all of them.
9433355
Yeah, I had also thought of that too.
9433347
Laziness creates efficiency!!
9433530
9433554
Thanks! The pun is totally intentional, and there is a very subtle difference in pronunciation (s vs z). It's also a play on the typical behavior of an invading army -- building up rather than tearing down.
I wonder who the main villain of the story is...Can't wait to find out!
9433347
I can't help but wonder if the "template" soldier was actually a living creature once, and the Storm King forced it's consciousness into that projector crystal, like how Caroline was turned into GLaDOS in the Portal games.
Also, nice twist on the usual "Tempest-gets-her-cutie-mark" plot element. I like how they're taking the Storm King's logo and turning it into a symbol of good.
Seriously, why doesn't this story have more views? I'm really liking this!
9434467
It's certainly possible. My take on it is that the Storm King, in keeping with his whole "Big Bad Powerful CEO / Marketing Exec" thing, acquired both projectors and ships, and learned just enough about them to be able to use them to grab power. (I mean, he wasn't a techie -- he could barely manage to put through a magic-pool call on his own...) But the original owners of the ships might have imaged one of their soldiers, as a starting point.
Thanks! I was hoping it hadn't been done before. And it seemed to me that Tempest "inheriting" the army from the Storm King ought to be a little more personal and life-changing for her than a simple change of command...
You've got me, wish I knew... I really hope all the "serious Tempest story" fans haven't signed off until Season 9! Thanks for your kind feedback -- it makes putting the effort into a story like this worthwhile!
"I'm glad you liked it... don't forget to tell your friends!"
-- Larry Fine, "Playing the Ponies" (Yep, that really is the Stooge film title!)
Okay, I need to pause here and say something: this is REALLY FREAKING GOOD. I love the bit of lore you came up with for Tempest’s mark. And Fluttershy is just too precious for words.
I see what you did there!
Okay, I’m glad Tempest just never got her cutie mark. For a second I thought that attuning the artifact has REPLACED her cutie mark, which would be seriously nasty and you’d need Starlight to untangle.
Fluttershy talking with the storm soldiers is completely adorable. And she’s right, taking care of them and treating them as people is important.
9433347
Ooooh, they’re like the Tachikimas from Ghost In The Shell!