Why She Serves

by Natedogg2006

Peace?

knock knock knock

Fizzlepop stood in front of Twilight's door for a few moments. She didn't hear anything after knocking, but considering what she was anticipating walking into she decided to wait a while more before knocking again. As she was finally considering raising her hoof a second time she suddenly heard a sound that could easily be mistaken with that of an unconscious body being dragged across the floor. When the sound from within seemed to be within ten feet of the door she finally saw the door handle become surrounded by a familiar purple aura.

Fizzlepop trotted lightly into the room after the door opened. She found herself looking down at a vaguely pony shaped mass of blankets on the floor. "Wow, barely enough concentration for ten feet of casting range. For you, that is really bad. Just how sore are you?"

"Existence is pain."

"Oh, so just a stage three then. You'll be fine." She said this while grabbing a corner of the blanket. With a flick she tossed it just far enough to uncover the other mare. "Wow. When I heard you cancelled your morning duties I knew what was up, but I didn't think you'd be this bad."

To say that Twilight looked disheveled would have been a massive understatement. If it was possible it seemed that not a single hair in either her coat or mane seemed to be going in the same direction as any other. Her eyes were bloodshot, as if something had prevented her from getting any restful sleep all night. And she now seemed to be glaring at the pony that had uncovered her.

"How are you even still standing. You went way harder than me and alicorns are supposed to have the enhanced strength and endurance of an earth pony."

"You're still a bookworm who has not spent nearly enough time running away from authority figures to keep up with me." She gave a teasing smile as she rolled the princess into a slightly more dignified position. Twilight did nothing but groan in protest. Lacking the ability to tilt her head to glare properly, Twilight opted to stick her tongue out at her friend instead.

"Well, unless you have something to do that does not involve a lot... any movement, I think we might need to take a raincheck on hanging out until I recover. In about a month."

Fizzlepop was already reaching back to dig through saddle bags around her haunches. "Actually this works out nicely. Until I ran into Spike I still didn't have a solid plan on what to do today. Now I have the perfect idea." From her bag she produced a large tower of paper that seemed to be alleging itself to be a book. "The Compendium of Interesting and Completely Useless Information. Vol. 3 was written on it's side with plenty of room to spare despite the large text.

"Spike said you kicked him out before this arrived and he didn't want to be the one to bother you."

Fizzlepop could already tell Twilight was very interested, but she was committed to trying to seem angry at her previous workout partner. She turned her head away dramatically, then cringed at the feeling that produced. "Figures. It's been delayed two weeks and finally comes when there's no way I can possibly even lift it. I think you still might be barking up the wrong tree."

Fizzlepop now held up a small container in her hoof. "I also have a special muscle relaxing salve that is so powerful it's actually illegal to sell in Equestria and most of the surrounding countries."

Twilight suddenly found the strength to reach out and swipe the container from the other mares hoof. "Done, and we shall never speak of this again."

Fizzlepop let out a little chuckle before grabbing the mare and extracting her from the blankets she was tangled in. With the princess secured over her shoulder she also scooped up the book and began carrying both in the familiar direction of the hearth. She placed the book in front of one pile of pillows before offloading the limp pony onto it.

Twilight landed with a small grunt. "You are not gentle."

"It's never been my strong suit." She responded as she tried to straighten the other mare out.

Twilight lightly batted her hoof away as she did, managing to roll herself into a more comfortable position. She then smiled giddily at the large pile of paper before her. Reaching out she remembered her other problem. With a cringe she pulled back and located the container that had ended up with her in the pillow pile when she landed.

Fizzlepop felt heat rise in her cheeks as words were coming to her lips, but she didn't stop them. "Did you need help putting that on, given your condition?"

Twilight attempted to give her a deadpan stare, but there was color in her cheeks as well. "Getting awfully forward there aren't you."

Fizzlepop knew Twilight was trying to tease, but she still felt she had to respond appropriately. "I would never suggest doing something of that manner with lewd intentions. I simply thought you might be a little too stiff to get it everywhere you need."

"So why are you blushing?" Twilight asked with a quirked eyebrow. Fizzlepop couldn't help but to look away.

"It's still a very intimate action. And I can admit that I. I... do find you attractive. So..."

Twilight had to look away as well. "Well I'm flattered, but I'm perfectly capable of doing at least this on my own." Her horn flared to life and lifted the container from her hoof. Nothing happened. Twilight seemed to squint at it, a squint that soon became a glare. Her magic cut off with a pop and she began prying at it with both forehooves. She was just about to raise it up and aren't to use her teeth when she noticed Fizzlepop with her hoof raised to her mouth, trying in vain to keep her lips from trembling.

With a huff she looked away in frustration, but offered the small container to it's original owner. She took it up and popped it open with one small twist. "You know, I'd agree with you if you wanted to say you loosened it for me." She said this while Twilight swiped it back from her with her magic.

"... That would be appreciated." Fizzlepop could only shake her head at the words as she began the sometimes difficult task of getting into the overly soft pile of pillows Twilight had gradually amassed for her since they had started spending time together. She was just getting into a comfortable position when she noticed that Twilight was nearly done applying the ointment. She settled in and waited for the show. A moment later Twilight flopped. It was the only way of describing it as she flattened into her pile of cushions as if knocked unconscious.

"Doing alright over there Sparky?" She asked, doing a bad job of masking her glee. She snickered lightly as she noticed her princess attempting to move her own body, only managing meager and slow twitches even after several tries.

"Fizz, have you been playing the long con? Is this an assassination attempt? What was that stuff and why do I feel like I'm made of liquid? Am I liquid right now?"

Fizzlepop let out a deep, hearty laugh that went on probably a little longer then it needed to as Twilight attempted to look up at her in mild shock. "Don't worry. That part will wear off in a few minutes." Twilight looked up at her with a skeptical quirk to her eyes. "What? Do you honestly think I'd try to do something to you while you're incapacitated?"

Noticing the teasing tone Twilight turned her head away in mock indignance. "Well you were the pony who was just offering to rub ointment on me a minute ago. Who knows what else you might be planning."

Fizzlepop stared in confusion. "Wait, you can move already?"

Twilight turned back to her in confusion. She then lifted a hoof to stare at it. "It appears so."

Fizzlepop gaped. "Well, I guess that alicorn physique truly is superior. I thought I was paralyzed for nearly ten minutes the first time I used that stuff."

Twilight kept looking at her hoof, moving it around as she did so. "Wow, all the pain is gone. I can barely feel my body right now. I don't think I've felt this light since I first ascended."

"It'll be like that for a few hours and you should be back to normal by tomorrow. Although moving around will still be difficult for a while yet, your whole body is essentially numb right now." Twilight nodded in affirmation, clearly impressed. "It is a very good product. It's a shame though, I'm almost out and I can't find it anywhere. I do understand why it would be banned though."

"You should meet Zecora, she might be able to make you something similar." Twilight paused. "But now thinking about that, why haven't I introduced the two of you yet? You'd probably be great friends."

"Who's Zecora?"

"A zebra friend of mine and the girls. She lives in a small hut the Everfree forest."

Fizzlepop's head tilted at that. "Wait, somepony lives in that death trap? What kind of nut is she?"

"The kind like you. Brave, strong, resourceful. Independent almost to a fault."

"... Are you talking about me or her?"

"Yes." Twilight said smugly as she finally turned with a smile to the canvas bound deforestation sitting in front of her. At the same time Fizzlepop rolled her eyes and pulled out one of the books Twilight had loaned her. She would have been happy to dive into another of the many tales of friendship conquering all that Twilight had recommended to her, but one part of their conversation still weighed on her as she tried to begin to read.

"You.. you didn't actually think there was a chance I would have done something to you while you were helpless, did you?"

Twilight didn't even look up, she just smiled warmly as purple magic from her horn opened her book and summoned over familiar boxes of goodies. "You might not be sure about your own feelings yet, but I do know that no matter how you feel you're still a good pony at heart."

The words were plenty to put Fizzlepop's mind at ease and the two began their respective books.

***

shwink

shwink

shwink

shwink

Twilight's ears turned to the sound. Her attention had been thoroughly held by her book for some time now, but she had at some point decided on a personal policy of no more then sixty chapters of any given book without at least considering a break. As she finished off chapter eighty she was finally able to wrestle her attention away enough to become aware of other things happening around her.

shwink

shwink

It wasn't loud, but it wasn't quiet either. She had to figure that it was due to how perfectly rhythmic the sound was that she hadn't even noticed it until now.

Looking over to her reading partner she saw the other mare seemingly deeply enthralled in the pages of her book. However her hooves were still occupied.

shwink

shwink

In one hoof was her dagger, the gem in the handle reflecting vibrant green light around as it moved back and forth. In the other a small flat stone that she was rubbing against the edge of the blade. Her hooves seemed to work on autopilot, switching the blade to either side with each movement. Twilight watched for a few minutes, the trained precision of the movement almost hypnotic to see.

"Are you even aware you're doing that?"

Fizzlepop's movements stopped instantly and her head snapped in the direction of Twilight like a trained soldier called to attention. "What is it prin.. Sparky?" Twilight just pointed her hoof at the other mare's, which caused her to make a pained expression. "Sorry, I do that sometimes without even realizing it. It must have been bothering you."

She was already sliding the sharpening stone into a well disguised slot in the side of the blades sheath before Twilight could respond. "No, it's actually fine. It was just interesting that you were doing it on pure muscle memory alone."

Before she could put the blade away Tempest had to inspect the edge. Seeing that it was up to her standards she made to put it away, but was stopped by a reaching forehoof to her own. She sighed as she knew she was going to have to explain. "For most of my life I've never really had much of a social life. Years ago when I got this knife she gave me something to do with my hooves when I was alone. Keeping her edge perfect gave me some ambition besides lying awake at night wondering if I'd ever find a way to fix my horn. So it became a very natural thing for me to do. You've never noticed before because you usually make me take her off."

"I'm sorry," Twilight said. Fizzlepop waved it off, though Twilight was starting to understand just how much she had to make up to her for that. "May I?" She asked as she held her hoof out.

Fizzlepop hesitated for a moment, but then freely offered it to the mare a second time. Twilight did her best to examine the edge the same way its owner did, looking down it while aiming it towards the fire the other mare must have started at some point. When the fire fluttered in just the right way the light hitting it almost seemed to be cut as it gleamed off the edge.

"You said you've had it over six years, and you've clearly taken care of it. Is it really that special to you?" She asked this while offering it back to her.

Taking it back and resheathing it with practiced ease she let out a sigh. "You are trying to make me tell you a story about my past because I usually loosen up after embarrassing myself like that."

Twilight at least had the decency to look sheepish at the accusation. "Ok, usually that would be true. But honestly I think you've loosened up considerably already. Have you even noticed how informally you've been with ponies the past few days?"

Fizzlepop made a measured groan. "Yes, you have an uncanny ability to make me let down my defenses and once upon a time I would have recruited you and used you to break captives. But that does not necessarily mean I'm going to tell you something that personal."

"It's ok Fizz, I'm not going to try to pressure you into telling me anything you're uncomfortable talking abou..."

"You realize that just saying that does kinda fall under the category of pressuring somepony into talking about something they don't want to talk about right."

"No idea what you are talking about."

Twilight's smile was so sweet it threatened to give Fizzlepop diabetes. Or that might have been the copious amounts of snacks Twilight always fed her. Either way her next groan was considerably less measured then the last. Or maybe that was just that it didn't reverberate through her the way it was supposed to while on a pile of soft cushions. She let it fade to a defeated sigh.

"Six, or I guess it's nearly seven years ago now. I'd been serving the storm king for some time at that point. I couldn't say I was happy, but my life had reached a level of stability I hadn't had in a long time. I had food, I had a place to sleep, I had what could be called a daily routine. It was... nice. That was about the time he told me that he had found the method that he'd use to fix my horn. The fact that there was an actual timeline to getting it back... Well I can't really describe how it made me feel."

She looked over to the other mare. She was surprised to see the book she had been reading not only closed, but pushed away so she could turn to a better position to listen. Realizing she was actually being prompted her face screwed up in thought for a moment. "I would say... It was probably hope. If what you've been telling me about your past is accurate, and I have no reason to believe it's not, then I'd say that hope would have been a foreign feeling to you at that point."

Tempest gave a little laugh at that. "Yes, I was feeling hopeful at the prospect of destroying a nation for my own gains. Sounds like the me of that time." She saw Twilight's expression turn sympathetic but cut her off before the pep talk could begin. "I know, I know. I was misled, I was desperate, I shouldn't blame myself for feeling like I had no other choice. Not necessarily true, but I accept that I've been given the chance to move on and try again."

Twilight was now giving her an incredulous glare. "Well if you know these things so well then why do I have keep to reminding you?"

Tempest now put on a familiar devious smile. "Maybe it's because you look so cute when you're trying to be angry."

Twilight's cheeks changed color, but she seemed to be getting better at controlling it. "Just because you've suddenly become a master of flirtation doesn't mean your going to get out of telling the story."

Fizzlepop laughed a genuine laugh at that. "Well ok then. Being so full of 'hope' as I was apparently made me remember things I hadn't thought about in ages. I was out gathering supplies. Well, it was actually a mission to both gather supplies and intel as we were actually planning on raiding the town the next day."

Twilight gave her a look.

"I like to do things efficiently."

Twilight rolled her eyes but shrugged it off.

"But for some reason I wasn't as focused on my recon as I should have been. I.. I kept on thinking about times before I lost my horn. The things that used to be normal that I hadn't done in years. That's when I came upon a street vendor peddling various goods. Mostly jewelry, but he said before he learned to set stones that he had actually made a good career from forging weapons. I had recently broken my previous sidearm and was awaiting a replacement from the storm kings armory. The blades he was selling seemed to be of much better quality then what the storm king provided, so I thought I could indulge myself some. He.. He had another blade that was cheaper, but he said that he couldn't help but notice my eyes kept being drawn to..." She noticed herself absentmindedly running her hoof over the scabbard.

Twilight couldn't help but smile. "You have a good poker face, but I've started to be able to spot the holes too."

Fizzlepop grumbled at that. "He then 'suddenly realized' that he was doing a special on any piece he had that were set with peridot gems. It was only supposed to apply to his jewelry, but he said she was a work of art anyway so he didn't see why it wouldn't count." Fizzlepop went quiet all of a sudden. Seeing the look on her face Twilight decided to remain quiet as well, waiting for the words to come. "... And I'd been thinking about the times before... And the day just happened to be..."

When she didn't finish this time Twilight decided to fill in the words. "The special was because peridot is the birth stone of August, and I'm guessing you realized how long it had been since you'd had any kind of birthday present. And even as stubborn as you are you decided you wanted, needed, something nice in your life."

"..... , ..... I reported back that there was no strategic need to take the town. The effort to take it would not yield enough resources to be worth it. That was, mostly true. There weren't that many resources, but there were talented artisans that could have been conscripted. We left it behind us on the twenty-sixth of August, six and a half years ago."

Twilight smiled so brightly that Fizzlepop couldn't quite look straight at her. "That was a great story Fizz. I'm glad you decided to tell it to me."

When Fizzlepop didn't respond for a minute Twilight finally turned her smile away and pulled her book back towards her. She realized that if she wanted to say something then she had to do it before the bookworm found where she'd been reading before. But that raised a question of what it was she felt she had to say, and why it seemed so important at that moment.

"Sparky." The nickname came out without her permission, and did its job to turn the mares attention back to her. She thought she might be able to play it off as nothing, but evidently Twilight must have caught one of those emotions on her face that she didn't know how to hide. She pushed her book away again and looked at her with concern.

"Take your time Fizz. You can talk to me about anything."

"Yes, yes I can." Not what she had wanted to say, but she could work with it. "I've literally never told anypony that story before. There are quite a few of them like it now. Stories about myself and the things I have done that are only known by myself, and by you. Not to mention," her hoof went in under her foreleg unconsciously again, "you're literally the only creature who has ever held my blade. The only one who knows how much it really means to me."

"You mean like how you've been referring to it as a she this whole time?"

That made ice run through Fizzlepop's veins, but that was a feeling she was much better at hiding. "Yes, kind of like that. What I'm trying to ask, is what does that mean?"

This made a look cross Twilight's face, one that Tempest knew well from many unfair negotiations she had been a part of in the past. One that brought her great pleasure at one point but made the ice in her veins from before seem pleasant.

She had brought up a subject the other party wished desperately that she hadn't.

"Fizz... That, that's really not easy to determine. We've had some extra fun today, the past few days. But, well, is it really any different from when we hang out normally?"

Tempest did think about the question for a minute, trying her hardest to look at it in a manner that was as detached as possible.

"No, I don't suppose it really has been any different. You've always been the one pony who could break down my defenses so easily. The only one who even comes close is probably Fluttershy and her penetrating eyes." Both mares shared a shutter at that. "So are you saying you were wrong when you said that I might have deeper feelings for you?" For some reason asking this question made her chest feel tight, like the moment before a large battle.

"..... , No. But also yes. Like I said it's not that easy." She seemed to be fighting back a cringe as she continued to speak. "I think I should be up front when I say... That if we tried to decide what our feelings are right now, at least one of us might end up hurt."

"Hurt?!"

"Emotionally hurt," Twilight corrected hastily. "More like when your childhood friends turned their backs on you. I mean, I would never do that to you, but emotions like this can honestly be even more painful. Or at least that's how I understand it."

Twilight seemed to struggle with the next words, absentmindedly reaching out to dig through the pile of discarded sweets that had amassed between them while they read to give herself time. Fizzlepop instinctively scooted a nearly empty sleeve of cookies to where she could reach. She nibbled down on one before continuing.

"I honestly think that you do have feelings for me.. but at the same time I think that once you've had enough time to explore them that they won't be quite as deep as they might seem now. But knowing you, and knowing that you can be stubborn and dedicated to a fault... Well I just don't want you to end up suffering for any reason, but especially not because of me."

Fizzlepop stared for a minute. She decided she wanted a snack from the pile too, but definitely not because she needed a distraction or more time to think. After a second cookie, then a third, she responded.

"I'm not a filly Sparky." She gave a dismissive smile. "I am in control of my emotions and I'm not about to suddenly be hurt if you don't want to immediately declare everlasting love for one another. I just needed a little clarity of language. We've gone on dates, and I'm closer to you then anypony I've ever known. Obviously that doesn't immediately make us special someponies or any other such intimate relation, but I didn't know if it meant there was some word for what it might be."

Twilight seemed taken aback by this, but quickly smiled warmly to her. "It means we're really good friends. I mean, it honestly might make you my closest friend. I love the girls, but I couldn't see myself ever going on any kind of date with any of them."

Fizzlepop allowed herself to smile at that, but it didn't feel like it went as deep as when Twilight usually made her smile. And she didn't know why. "Don't worry, I'm sure when I'm old and grey, and I finally finish paying off my community service, you can finally be rid of me and spend more time with your real friends."

Fizzlepop wasn't very good at jokes, or judging ponies reactions to them, but she did think Twilight's hesitation before her sarcastic eye roll seemed a bit off. She didn't say anything as she gave her a telekinetic shove on the shoulder.

"You are one of my real friends Fizz. I like spending time with you even if it is court mandated. You wouldn't be here right now if that wasn't true."

"Doesn't really count though. I wouldn't be anywhere near here if it wasn't for you."

"You. Do. Not. Owe. Me. Anything." Twilight tried to put an air of finality to her words. However they both knew how often this argument had come up between them, and now even what it had led to. So instead she just gave a mild glare, accentuated by pouting her lips.

This didn't do what she was expecting it to, but she wasn't going to complain about what it did do. Fizzlepop snorted a laugh and then chuckled for a few moments.

"You know what, I don't care whether I owe you anything or not. For once in my life I don't need to force myself to feel like I'm justified in my actions because of what I'm trying to get out of it. What I'm doing just feels like it's what I should be doing." The words flowed from her lips so naturally that she felt the need to punctuate them by closing her eyes and stretching her whole body out long and slow. When she brought her legs back in so they were now wrapped around a particularly squishy pillow from her pile she finally opened her eyes back up to see Twilight staring at her. There was just a little color in her cheeks. "What?"

Twilight blinked a few times, though it didn't seem like she was trying to think of much of anything. She finally turned away and rubbed her cheek, only now seeming to think for a second before responding. "Nothing. It just seems like we're finally making really noticable progress is all."

Fizzlepop gave a derisive laugh at that. She then reached out with her closest hoof and swept it through the collection of empty candy wrappers and cookie sleeves that had accumulated between them. "Not a chance. You should just accept I'm far beyond redemption. The only thing we're making progress on is your snack supply. And probably your royal coffers for how much you must spend on them." Finding nothing left that was edible caused her to glare at the pile as she settled deeper into her cushions. She snorted the closest wrappers away.

Twilight gave a laugh that turned to a sigh. "Well if I'm out of sweet things then I presume you're more or less done with me for the evening."

Fizzlepop actually did seem apprehensive at that suggestion. "It is kind of customary, but I guess we don't have to end our night here just because we're out of snacks." Her hesitation actually made Twilight curious. She remained silent to try to coax an explanation out of her, and it seemed to be working. "I mean, you still have nearly a quarter of your book to finish." A smile started to creep across Twilight's face as she remained silent. Fizzlepop had to look away as she continued. "And I really want to see what happens next and I prefer to read with you."

Twilight couldn't have contained her excited giggles at the rapidly spoken words if she had tried. Her hooves clapped together as she smiled brightly. "Yes, I'd definitely say this is progress." Fizzlepop snorted another wrapper away as she felt no reason to look away from the floor between the two of them that they littered. That was the reason she didn't notice Twilight's horn light up or something floating across the room. The normally unflappable mare twitched slightly as several new containers were placed before her. "Well a proper reading date can't keep going without snacks, now can it?"

The mares smiled at each other before both of their magical auras reached out to tear open a case of chocolate cookies. The point where their magical auras touched caused Fizzlepop's to crackle in a familiar way, but this time giving her a relaxing feeling at the base of her horn where a headache would usually start forming. Twilight took the first cookie from the pack but instead of eating it she simply held it out and waited. Fizzlepop rolled her eyes before taking one of her own. They tapped the treats together like goblets before taking a bite and opening their respective books again.

***

Twilight woke with a familiar soreness in her neck. She knew right away that she had fallen asleep reading, but at least not at a desk from the feel of it. Careful as to not potentially damage any book she might be curled up with, she slowly started to move and stretch. She gave her head a satisfied shake after managing to draw a number of jarring cracks from it. As she moved on to cracking her back she began to stand up and finally open her eyes.

Initially she saw what she expected. The hearth in her room was in front of her and she was surrounded by now scattered pillows. The rustling of plastic as she now stretched her wings drew her attention to her side, where she was now caught off guard by what she saw.

While herself and Fizzlepop had managed to spend some rather late nights together before, they had never ended any of their nights sleeping next to each other. But apparently both had been a little more tired then they had realized the day before as in amongst the debris of scattered pillows and sweets wrappers was a dark purple mare. The barriers of their pillow pile had become less defined throughout the night and it appeared that prior to waking up the pair very well might have been back to back on the floor.

While there were definitely places that idea could take her brain to, Twilight decided with a glance to the clock on her wall that it was more pressing to finally put their time together to an end. She did have some royal duties to handle today after all. She took a few steps around to the front of the other mare, but then could not help the smile that came to her face.

Tempest Shadow, the master military strategist and at one time one of the most feared ponies in the world, now lay there on the floor of her bedroom. Curled up tightly. Chocolate smudges on her face. A little trail of drool at the corner of her mouth. And a book tightly clutched to her chest. She then even gave a small snort of a snore that any sane pony would have to categorize as adorable.

Twilight didn't know why, but for some reason she felt like continuing her day without waking the sleeping mare. The display even made her feel like laying back down herself and waiting to start her day for at least another few hours. There was now something that just seemed so delicate and peaceful about the normally indomitable pony before her. Something almost....

Twilight reached out a hoof to the mares shoulder. She then thought again about the action. She took and extra step and a half back before lighting her horn and lifting one of the nearby pillows from the ground. She hovered it above the trained soldiers head before cutting off her magic.

If there were intervening movements in that moment Twilight didn't catch any of them. In an instant Tempest was on three hooves with the fourth already reaching under one of her hind legs. The motion caused her makeshift bed to scatter to the four corners of the room and made Twilight ignite her horn again to catch an innocent book that was accidentally thrown before it hit the floor.

Tempest blinked furiously as she tried to clear her vision, her body tense and ready to attack. Her brain then began to process information much more clearly. The first thing she recognized was a smirking Twilight standing a few feet from her.

"Good morning sleeping beauty. Hope you slept well, because we missed breakfast."

Fizzlepop felt her cheeks warm as her body relaxed. She then felt her stomach rumble in an uncomfortable way as her now downcast eyes scanned over scattered wrappers around her. "That.. that's probably ok considering how much chocolate I ate last night. Again."

Twilight could only laugh at that as she set the book down before the other mare and began gathering pillows and trash in separate piles. Noticing what she was doing Fizzlepop immediately began helping.

"Don't worry about it Fizz, I can clean my own room up at least."

"Not a chance. Well over half this mess is my doing. And I'm still on light duty for the week, I have plenty of time to help you clean this up."

Twilight could only laugh at the suddenly serious tone of the other mare and thus decided not to stop her. They made quick progress on their shared task before they were interrupted by a knock at the door. The fact that the door immediately opened after that left no question in Twilight's mind as to who it was. She turned to see the small form of her dragon assistant.

Fizzlepop had a moment of dread as Spike looked up from some papers he was carrying to see the sight of the two disheveled mares hastily cleaning up the space. She then got some idea of just how much strange stuff the young drake had to deal with as he merely shrugged his shoulders and turned to Twilight.

"Morning Twilight. I hope you're feeling better then you were yesterday."

This made Twilight cut off her aura as she was reassembling her reading spot and approach him. "Much. Why?"

He offered the papers he'd entered with. "Remember that thing you were hoping wouldn't happen this week? Well it did."

Fizzlepop was now confused, but instinctively remained silent at the exchange as she shoved trash into an overflowing can from Twilight's desk.

"Oh no. The batpony envoy decided to come now?" Twilight asked as she skimmed through the papers.

"Yeah, which means Celestia is going to need all princesses on deck to show up, look pretty, and basically waste their time with meaningless royal protocol." He noticed Twilight groan as she pulled an envelope from within the stack of papers. "Oh yeah, and an obligatory ball in their honor." He said this while looking her up and down and noticing the telltale signs of a bookworm who'd spent most of the night reading.

Fizzlepop decided to enquire. "What is going on exactly and why doesn't the head of the royal guard know anything about it?"

Twilight broke away from what she was reading to address her, only mild distress on her features. "It's nothing that important. Since the batponies have always been loyal to Princess Luna it's important to keep up peaceful political ties. None of it really means anything, it's just a really long and drawn out way of saying, 'were all still friends here'." She said this while opening the letter to reveal what looked like a card. Whatever it was it looked fancy. "Wait, plus one?"

"Official business is official business. If there is no way I can help then I shall be content to see to whatever other duties I have while you are occupied."

Twilight grimaced slightly at that. "Yeah, but I mean we kind of had, plans, and stuff. I don't want to just cancel on you for no reason."

Fizzlepop finished forcing all the trash she could fit to stay in the can before facing her princess. "It's not for nothing. Once again, I'm not a filly who's going to be hurt if you have more pressing matters to attend to. My recruits may be d... training in the woods but I'm sure I can find something to do while you are busy."

".... You're disappointed." Fizzlepop opened her mouth to protest, but a look from Twilight closed it again quickly. She really was getting too good at reading her. Twilight seemed to think it over for a little bit. She looked back at the card in her magic and read it over once more. Fizzlepop then became slightly worried as an almost devious smile crossed her features. "Commander Shadow." Saying the title in the tone she did made Fizzlepop reflexively stand at attention. "It has come to my attention that as part of royal protocol, part of my official business as a princess, is to attend a very fancy royal ball this evening. And apparently part of that expectation is that I do not show up unescorted. Do you know what that means?"

"I do not your highness." Glare. "Sparky." She relaxed her posture.

"It means that in addition to having to prepare myself for a very formal occasion and securing transport, I'd also have to find somepony who is free tonight and willing to go all the way to Canterlot and act as my date for the evening."

Fizzlepop felt her heart begin to beat faster. There was absolutely no way Twilight was about to propose what it sounded like she was going to, was there?

"So, since I rely on her for good intel, does my most trusted officer happen to have any idea where I can find a pony who fits that description?"

Fizzlepop knew she was blushing just by the smile on Twilight's face. But she found her resolve and decided she wasn't going to let her win this round. "I do believe it would be highly inappropriate for a princess to use her authority over one of her subordinates to attempt to pressure them into a potentially compromising position."

Twilight only smiled at the push back. "Yes, I suppose you'd be right about that." Fizzlepop felt her blush subside, but some how it wasn't a satisfying feeling. "In that case I'll just have to go with my next best solution." She turned back to Fizzlepop with a slight blush on her face. Fizzlepop felt her own return. "Hey Fizz. Would you be interested in being my date at a formal ball tonight?"

Fizzlepop's resolve remained and she decided not to back down from the challenge. "That sounds lovely Sparky."

Both mares thought it felt odd that this interaction, in fact, did not seem odd to either of them. Then they both remembered they were not the only creatures in the room.

They both turned to Spike to find his eyes squinted and head tilted as he gave the pair a look neither could identify. Before either of them could find the words to explain he just shrugged his shoulders once more. "So I guess the two of you are going to need a trip to Rarity's, and maybe the spa while you're at it."

"No!" Tempest growled without a thought.

"Yes." Twilight chirped with a warm smile.

Tempest did something she didn't think she'd ever done in her life. She looked at Twilight with horror in her eyes.

"It's absolutely necessary for a formal event." The warm smile did nothing to calm the other mare.

"Then I decline."

Twilight didn't flinch. "Oh come on Fizz, you aren't going to make me find another date at the last second are you?"

The question made Fizzlepop flinch for several reasons she couldn't process at the moment. Yet her mind still raced. After a few moments she felt herself deflate as she slumped and lowered her head in defeat. She was then surprised to find a claw patting her on the shoulder reassuringly.

"It's ok Fizzlepop. Everypony loses the battle to the spa eventually."

She found the sentiment as well as the understanding look he was giving her to be surprisingly comforting. She considered lamenting the situation for a moment. She then decided instead to remember who she was. Straighting up tall she spoke with confidence. "If there is no helping it, then in exchange I wish to be allowed to experience a massage during my visit."

Both were taken aback by the declaration, but recognizing the desire behind the words made Twilight smile as she responded. "Only if you let me add a mud bath to the trip too."

"A mud bath is an oxymoron. Why in the world would you want to do that?"

"Because I think it would be c.. funny to see you with cucumber slices on your eyes."

Fizzlepop glared, but eventually let out a grumble.

"That's a deal then. Spike." The dragon turned with a salute. "Could you finish cleaning up for us?" He nodded in affirmation. "Great, we've got ourselves a date."

Author's Note:

My surprise that I mentioned in the last chapter was that I managed to do two chapters in the time I've been gone. Originally I was going to be doing a rapid firing of small dates to get us through the week quickly. Then I was having too much fun writing certain parts and they got long. Plus the way I was doing it was going to end up making an idea I had early on not possible. Once I remembered that idea though it made another idea for a chapter materialize in my head and gave me a much more clear path to the final two chapters. Thus this story is not getting rushed along to the finale, it is actually going to be an even longer process. Hopefully this is a plus for everyone. Oh yeah, it also meant you didn't have to wait to long for another chapter for once, but I can't promise that will keep being the case.
Part of that is I'm also writing for another contest so look forward to that as well. I looked how a lot of this chapter turned out. After a few edits I cut massive chunks and added a lot as well so I think it came out even after all that. Yeah, 7k words was going to be a part of a rapid fire compilation chapter. After the first part was over 3k after edits.
Also to my friend Kody, sorry for the deception but I didn't lie. They did spend the night together
The usual as always. Feel free to comment on whatever you feel like. Love it, hate it, tell me why. Thanks for reading.

Comments

[Vaguely Demented]

Was Fizz about to say her troops were dead? Very bleak view of their preparedness if so.

[Natedogg2006]

10463930
Well... dieing, but close enough. And don't forget that her worst cadet who she's been trying to break is leading them.

[Vaguely Demented]

10463945
She did send guards along to prevent that though.

[Natedogg2006]

10464130
Absolutely no assistance, no matter the hardship. So I guess it boils down to if they would break an official and strict order from Tempest Shadow to assist them

[Vaguely Demented]

10464148
I would have assumed they would evac them in case of actual threat of death and then disqualify them.

[Natedogg2006]

10464276
Are you sure Tempest is that nice?

[Vaguely Demented]

10464392
Not at all. But the guards probably don’t want those deaths on their consciences.

[Natedogg2006]

10464510
So it comes down to if fear or guilt is the heavier motivator.
(But for the record I don't think Tempest would let them die, but it would probably be part of the training to convince them that she would. And you know she'd keep up the act in private just as a force of habit.)

[Satto Kez]

Yay, I stopped being busy long enough to read the new chapter.

I still can't wait to see what happens next.

[Kody Wiremane]

sorry for the deception but I didn't lie

No-o-o, that doesn't count! "In one room" ≠ "together"! You're not even sure if they were back to back that night!

[Princess Lulu]

10605105
Too late just finished it, so now I suppose is when I pester you about 'taking too long to write' as you have suggested in multiple author notes

[Kody Wiremane]

Btw:

"Morning Twilight. I hope you're feeling better then you were yesterday."
"Much. Why?"
"Remember that thing you were hoping wouldn't happen this week? Well it did."

xD

[Natedogg2006]

10774218
Welcome back, sorry it took so long

[Evil Paladin]

10464510 10464546
This conversation leads me to believe that Tempest subscribes to the War Hammer 40K philosophy of mortality rates, which basically boils down to "high casualties are acceptable so long as the task is completed", and "basic infantry are expendable, and have an average life expectancy measured in hours".
Tempest would probably hire the shortest violinist to play a small a violin, at the pink mane stallion's funeral.

Also, trainees do some dumb shit. Stuff that gets themselves, and others, injured or killed.
Saw a video of a trainee that had put their M4 mag in backwards.
There's a compilation videos of trainees messing up throwing a hand grenade, and them having to scramble out of the pit that was supposed to protect them.
I've heard, from various sources from different branches, of a trainee rolling out of bed and breaking their knee, ankle, or leg. Sometimes in their sleep.
Lots of IRL pictures of tanks that have been flipped.