Shelter of the Storm
In the topmost room of the tower adjacent to the library annex of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, a maroon-coated, plume-maned, unicorn filly rested on her favorite seating cushion in the middle of the floor.
Watching the entry doors. Warily.
She listened to the sound of the wind blowing in the darkness outside, rattling the panes of the wall of glass on the far side of the library stacks. So far, the rain the pegasi weather patrol had scheduled for late evening had held off, but it couldn't be too much longer.
Tempest Shadow sat tensely, senses alert.
Something was out there... she could tell, even in this wind.
Behind her, she heard distracted hoofsteps and the gentle musical hum of horn-magic. A large book approached through the lamp-lit shadows -- at a glance, it looked like a reference work on transfiguration. And right behind it was a lavender unicorn filly, who despite her vision being completely obscured by the book floating in her magic, somehow managed to make her way around the piles of other books stacked about on the floor without collision.
"Hello, Twilight," Tempest said dryly.
The book lowered, revealing purple-irised eyes and a sheepish smile. "Oh! Hi, Tempest!"
In any other pony, that distracted air might have seemed rude. But Tempest had come to understand it. Twilight Sparkle simply threw herself into whatever she was studying so thoroughly that interruptions from the world around her came literally as a surprise.
But always a pleasant surprise, Tempest thought. It's what makes her such a good friend.
"This is late," Tempest observed, "even for you."
"Yeah... I had some ideas I wanted to follow up on, for when we start working on our independent project." Twilight trotted over and sat down on the edge of the cushion. The book landed softly on the floor beside her. "By the way, thanks so much for hanging around, keeping me company."
"It's not a problem." Tempest shrugged. "Not like I have anywhere else I need to be, really." Tempest glanced around, as a particularly heavy gust rattled the windows.
"Wow," Twilight said. "It's getting loud out there."
Tempest nodded. "Yeah. I was born on a night like this," she said idly. "Or so grownups always said, whenever they were trying to explain me. It's where my name comes from, actually: borne in shelter of the storm..."
"... the shadow of the tempest frets me not," Twilight completed automatically. "Shankspony, The Sorceror's Tale, Act I, Scene II."
Tempest blinked.
"Is that where that's from? Really?"
Twilight grinned. "Trust the pony with too many books."
Tempest nodded appreciatively. "Always wondered if it might be something like that. Never bothered finding out. Thanks."
She fell silent, and resumed staring fixedly at the doors.
Twilight stared up at her, concerned. "Tempest? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just..." Tempest frowned. "Unlocked doors bother me."
"Come on, Tempest," Twilight chided her. "This is Canterlot! No one worries about locking their doors here. After all, everypony here already has everything they need or want."
"I've yet to meet the pony," Tempest muttered, "who had everything they wanted. And with these unexplained disturbances at night..."
"Some trashbins knocked over? Probably just a dog, or a raccoon."
Tempest looked about to object. Then she lowered her head, nodding.
"You're right, Twilight. I'm being paranoid again. Old habits die hard, I guess."
Twilight smiled at her. "It's nice that you care, though."
"It's more than that." Tempest eyed her. "Twilight, you've done so much for me... being my friend, helping me with my magic... I just..." She sighed, her teeth gritted. "I just don't want to lose this!" She waved a forehoof, uncertainly. "This... whatever it is I've stumbled into here!"
"Why would you be afraid of that?"
"Because..." Tempest grimaced. "Because I'm not a nice pony, Twilight. Or at least, I'm a little out of practice. I've been on the road, on the run, for a while now. I've had to lie, to cheat, to steal, and... hurt other ponies." She shut her eyes. "And I'm sorry for that. I just never thought things could ever be any different."
Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder.
"They are, Tempest." She smiled. "They are different."
Tempest looked at her. How can she say so little, she thought, and then just stop... and have it mean so much?
"Thanks..." she whispered.
"Sure. And I understand," Twilight went on. "Things were tough. Nopony here would hold that against you. And you don't have to worry about losing me as a friend. I want to help, if I can."
Tempest nodded.
"Just hearing that helps, more than you know. But that's not enough, Twilight. For the first time in ages I feel like I actually have a place. I feel like I know who I am. And I'm grateful for that. So I want to give something back. I may not have my magic back yet, not fully, but at the very least I can use what I know to keep an eye on you, to help keep you safe."
"I'd like that." Twilight smiled. "You're a lot like my brother, you know."
Tempest looked at her, an eyebrow raised.
"I'm trying to read that as a compliment, Twilight. Really I am."
Twilight giggled. "I mean, when we were growing up, my brother -- Shining Armor -- well... he looked out for me. He kept me safe. He seemed to feel it was his job. And it wasn't because he had to. He wanted to, because he cared so much. And also, he was pretty much my only friend, growing up." Twilight smiled at the memory. "We did everything together. He was my B.B.B.F.F.!"
"B.B.B...?"
"Big Brother Best Friend Forever!" Twilight said proudly.
"Ah," Tempest nodded. "You might have said. Still... it sounds like you and he really got along well. Better than most families I know."
"Oh, we had fights," Twilight acknowledged. "And rivalries, like you wouldn't believe! But in the end, that never stopped us from caring about each other."
Tempest nodded. "He sounds like a nice guy."
"Oh yeah, he is!" Twilight suddenly looked sad. "And I really miss him."
"Why? Did he move away? Or... did he..."
"No! Not at all! We just... haven't seen much of each other. I mean, he's training for the Royal Guard, and I'm at school here, studying under Princess Celestia. We don't run into each other that often. Which makes me sad, sometimes. And you know, the one thing I really miss about him, was that he was always there for me. Always giving me good advice, always helping when things got tough."
Tempest smirked. "You don't strike me as the kind of pony who needs much advice, Twilight... or help!"
Twilight gave her a small, worried look.
"I do, Tempest. Sometimes, all this..." She waved a hoof, uncertainly. "Being Princess Celestia's personal student, trying to live up to that kind of example, working hard to do my best every single day... it gets to be a bit much. I feel alone... and kinda scared. And there isn't anyone I can really talk to about that -- pony to pony, I mean."
"Hmmph. I know what that's like," Tempest said.
She eyed Twilight for a moment. Then she hesitantly put a hoof around the smaller filly's shoulders.
"Any advice I have," she warned, "should be taken with a huge bucket of salt, but... if it helps, Twilight, I can always listen."
"Thanks." Twilight smiled gratefully. And then she grinned. "You could be, like, my B.S.B.F.F!"
"Uh... Big Sister...?" Tempest hazarded.
"... Best Friend Forever!" Twilight finished.
Tempest thought about it. Then she shrugged.
"Works for me. And thanks for trusting me, Twilight. I'll do my best to live up to it."
Twilight smiled back happily. Then, having apparently talked herself out, she picked up her book in her magic, flipped it open, and resumed paging through it. She skimmed through the lists of spell components, occasionally muttering to herself.
And Tempest sat beside her patiently, eyes closed, finally feeling somewhat at ease. The storm winds outside still rattled the window panes, but they no longer troubled her. Even the premonition of something lurking outside had retreated, replaced by a pleasant sense of... well, belonging. That was the best word she could think of to describe it.
Twilight kept on reading, her head gradually nodding sleepily, then jerking upright. Finally, she could repress it no longer and gave vent to a massive, gaping yawn. And then immediately tried to hide it.
"Um! I'm not tired!" she said, hurriedly.
"Twilight, either you just yawned or the top of your head nearly fell off." Tempest gave the smaller pony a look. And don't think for a second that you can fool me, the look said.
Twilight sighed, and reluctantly shut the book. "Yeah. I guess I should go to bed."
"Either that, or I'll wind up carrying you there," Tempest said. "One way or the other. Come on, I'll walk you back to your room." Getting up, Tempest moved to open the entry doors. She discreetly eyed the windswept balcony and stairs beyond as she did so.
Twilight doused the room's lamps with her magic, then followed Tempest outside. Together, they began trotting down the tower's spiral staircase.
The first light spots of rain began falling just as they reached the bottom. As the rain picked up into a light downpour, Twilight lit up her horn and cast a shimmering magenta shield over both of them, to serve as an umbrella.
Then she noticed the uncomfortable, downcast look on Tempest's face.
Smiling up at her, Twilight switched spells, and cast a cone-shaped shield over the broken stump of Tempest's horn.
Nodding gratefully, Tempest powered up her own horn... and a house-sized, crackling blue electric dome snapped into existence around them. The sound of the raindrops striking the shield was a gentle, effervescent fizzing as they walked along the shadowy hoof-paths towards the dorm wing.
Tempest cancelled the shield when they finally reached the dorm entrance. She then followed Twilight up to her room, and waited at the door as the smaller pony checked on Spike -- the baby dragon was already snoring comfortably in his basket.
Then Twilight returned to the door, sleepily smiling up at her friend.
"'G'night, Tempest. And thanks again!"
"Not a problem, Twilight. See you in the morning for class?"
"You bet!"
Twilight shut the door. Tempest waited for a few moments more, listening to make certain she heard the squeak of bedsprings as Twilight tucked herself in, and not the thump of her bookish friend conking right out on the floor. It had happened, more than once.
Then Tempest trotted back down to the door leading outside, and stared up at the falling rain. She considered going up to her own dorm room, but shook her head.
The feeling had returned -- the sense that something was out there, in the night, in the rain. Lurking and watching...
And there was only one way to find it.
Gritting her teeth, she trotted out into the downpour, and recrossed the campus paths, returning to the library annex. Her coat gradually became sopping and matted, her mane and tail soaked and bedraggled.
And her mood wasn't any better for it.
She was just about to start up the tower staircase when she heard a loud metallic clatter coming from around the corner.
Tensing, she crept quietly around the stairs, to the trash and recycle bins hidden beneath them. One of the larger bins had its lid knocked off. And there were grunting, rummaging noises coming from inside it.
As she got closer, she heard a voice -- a very familiar voice.
"Bleah!" it muttered. "Half-eaten daisy sandwiches, leftover hayfries... where's the cake? You'd think a place like this, they might throw out a slice of cake every now and then..."
Eyes narrowed, Tempest tensed, wound up...
... and delivered a cannon-blast hoof-buck to the side of the bin, pitching it over. The bin's contents spilled out onto the rain-slicked lawn...
...including a small, stunned, and very frightened gray hedgehog, with matted fur and a discolored, bedraggled white mane.
He stared up at her, blinking in surprise.
"Tempest?" he asked.
"Grubber?" she snarled.
Before he could even move, she stamped over to him and slammed a hoof down on him, pinning him in place. "You little self-absorbed weasel! What are you doing here? Are you tailing me, Grubber? Did they send you after me? To keep watch on me, let them know where I am?"
"No, Tempest! Not at all!" he wailed, in a choked voice.
"Who else is with you!" she demanded hotly.
"No one, Tempest! I'm here by myself! Honest!"
She snorted angrily.
"Why should I trust you? What do you even want here anyway?"
Then her eyes suddenly went wide. Her face set in a hideous scowl.
"Are you here to try to blackmail me, Grubber? Yeah... that'd make sense. Just when things are finally going really nice... you show up. And oh my, wouldn't it be such a shame if Tempest's new friends had to hear all about her shady past. Tsk, tsk! And such a small price to pay, for your silence..."
Her teeth gritted. There was a murderous look in her eyes.
"Why should I even give you the chance?"
Grubber stared up at her, his eyes wide and sad.
"You're the only one who ever did."
Despite herself, Tempest paused, staring down at him.
"I'm sorry, Tempest," Grubber went on, in a small voice. "I just... hoped we might hang out together, like we used to. I was tryin' to work up the nerve to ask you. It's been rough, since you left. Everyone kicks me around, makes fun of me. They never did that, not when I was hangin' with you. No one would dare."
He gritted his bear-trap teeth.
"I'm all alone, Tempest. And I just... don't wanna be alone anymore."
Tempest's face went blank, her anger draining away.
"I'm not tryin' to be trouble," Grubber added. "I'll go away if you don't want me here. And I won't tell a soul about you. Not a word, honest!"
Tempest stared at him for a moment longer. Then she sat down on the wet grass, a hoof pressed to her face.
"What am I doing?" she sighed. "I thought I was past this. I thought I was learning to think differently. But just look at me! One hint of a threat, and it all comes roaring right back."
She shook her head angrily. Then looked up at the startled hedgehog, an eyebrow raised.
"You actually liked hanging out with me, Grubber? I treated you horribly."
"Yeah, well." Grubber shrugged, as he got to his feet. "I could tell you were just trying to make me shape up. You cared, Tempest. And that's way more than I got from anyone else."
Tempest sighed.
"I don't know, Grubber. It's not how it used to be. I'm a different pony now -- or at least I'm trying to be. It's not... shakedowns and smash-and-grab anymore. I have a friend now -- a very good friend. And all I want to do right now is look after her, be there for her. Because that's what she needs from me."
Getting up, Grubber trotted over. He hesitantly put a paw on her foreleg.
"That sounds cool. Can I help? Please?"
Tempest eyed him, at length.
And then all at once Grubber found himself grabbed up and slammed against the side wall of the tower, with Tempest's scowling face inches from his.
"I'm only going to say this once, Grubber," she whispered threateningly. "So get it through your head. We have no past here! None!" Her ruined horn crackled dangerously. "You breathe so much as a word, just one word..."
Grubber swallowed, his eyes wide and frightened.
"What past, boss?"
Gradually, Tempest's anger faded again. She nodded, and then lowered him to the ground.
"Just making sure you understand," she said. "Now, let's see about making you presentable. Because to be honest, Grubber... you whiff!"
"Yeah, well... scrounging in trash cans will do that to ya."
"Easy enough to fix. See that ornamental fountain over there?"
"That one? Yeah, but... oh no, wait a minute, boss! Aaaah! Lemme go! Aw, come on, this isn't fair. I'm already soaked to the bone, and I just had a bath last Saturday. So really, I mean... WAUGHHH!"
There was a very loud, very liquid splash.
Grubber surfaced, rubbing his eyes and spitting a jet of water. He stared up at Tempest, annoyed.
"You enjoy doing that!"
"Oh, yeah. I sure do," she agreed.
Grubber considered it for a moment. Then he shrugged.
"Hey, works for me." Grabbing up a double-pawful of water, he splashed his face, and then began industriously scrubbing behind his ears.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The next morning, when Tempest arrived at Twilight's dorm room to walk with her to Light Magic class, the maroon pony had a dried, combed, and anxious-looking hedgehog standing beside her.
"Morning, Twilight," Tempest said. "This is Grubber. He's a friend I used to hang out with sometimes, when I was on the road. If it's okay with you, I was thinking he might sign on here, as my assistant. That way, I won't have to keep borrowing Spike from you all the time."
"Sure! That sounds great. Hi, Grubber!" Twilight willingly shook Grubber's hesitantly offered paw. "Welcome aboard! Any friend of Tempest's is a friend of ours. Right, Spike?"
"You know it, Twi!" Spike shook Grubber's paw as well. "Come on, Grubber," he added. "I'll show you round Twi's workroom. It's where we usually hang out while they're in class."
"Spike'll show you where everything is, Grubber," Twilight said. "Pardon me, I gotta run, we're late for class as it is!" She trotted off, with Spike close behind her.
Grubber stared after her. And then looked up at Tempest.
"You were right, boss."
"About what?"
"She's just automatically friends with everyone." He blinked, and looked astonished. "That's weird!"
"Yeah," Tempest agreed. "But it's a nice kind of weird." There was a hint of steel in her voice as she went on. "And you and I are going to make sure that nothing happens to it. Got it?"
Grubber nodded. "Whatever you say, boss!"
Tempest nodded in return, as the two of them moved to catch up with Twilight and Spike.
And Tempest smiled.
Big Sister Best Friend Forever, she thought. I like the sound of that...
... L.S.B.F.F, she added to herself.
The End
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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So is this a series now? Because I'm ok with this being a series.
And I do hope we get more of Tempest's backstory, or the version you've set up for her, during this. Complete with Twilight's knack of making it trivial, it seems.
~Skeeter The Lurker
9797073
I'll second that!
Excuse me. I just... I can't help this... I....
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE........!!!!
I'm loving this series so far. Can't wait for more!
Huh, Grubber and an apparent history with the Storm King's army. Not quite the backstory I was assuming for this particular AU. Interesting idea, though.
Okay, not what I expected to see happen...but I love it.
And you know, in the movie it always felt like Grubber was more loyal to Tempest than to the Storm King, so it even makes sense.
Nice work as always! I can't believe it took me as long as it did to realize that it was Grubber until Tempest out and caught them. Wow... XD
I absolutely LOVED this one-shot. Again, a great job on the exchanges, characterizations, general wrap-up and future story set-up in all the right places. I particularly liked how Tempest admitted certain things about her past to Twilight WITHOUT revealing TOO much as well as how protective Tempest is of Twilight. And, yeah, loved the dialogue between Tempest and Grubber AND Grubber's introduction to Twilight and Spike. Actually, I kind of REALLY like the idea of Grubber and Spike learning from each other and generally keeping each other company while Twilight and Tempest are hanging out with each other, Starlight and their other friends. Of course, the comical possibilities of Spike introducing Grubber to the Power Ponies and O & O are definitely there too and definitely welcome.
All in all, I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with next for this universe.
I am digging this AU, no joke.
I absolutely adore this AU. It's... comfy. Yes, so comfy.
Please sir, may I have some more?
This is amazing. The way you write young Twilight and young Tempest fits so well. I could see you actually turning this into a long story if you wanted to. Keep up the great work!
I have to admit, these stories kinda... bug me a little. Not the plot, the stories themselves are wonderful. It's just that it's a little hard to really put a timeline to them (though I haven't read WYCM). It's clear that Twilight and Tempest are on the older side (for teens) here, but the way they were written in the first story, it felt like they were still fairly young, but at the same time, a bit older. There's a mention of the two of them playing on the playground—and thus likely in their late single-digits—but then also living in the observatory tower alone with Spike, and that couldn't have been until she was at least in her mid-teens (I could also say that since Celestia had Twilight doing a 'research project' it would mean she was older, but this is Twilight—I could see her doing a research project when she was seven). Yet, in that observatory scene, they were playing a game that seemed like they had regressed back to being younger. That said, if Tempest was introduced at the younger age, I wouldn't think there would be any time for her to have had any history with the Storm King, and more was just a loner out on her own that was hesitant about being taken on by Celestia. HOWEVER—
In The Stormy Road to Canterlot, it felt like Tempest was found by Grubber when she was still fairly young-ish, maybe only a year or two older than when she had the accident. If she'd been found that young, then in this AU it's possible that she had been... let's say trained by the Storm King, but wasn't old enough to actually lead anything. Grubber could very well have been a training partner, which is why they still have a past, since he gave no mention of any actual missions in this one. I can see Tempest eventually thinking better of working with the Storm King and just running off like a child runs away from home. I think it could work.
But despite all that, this isn't my story. I may be thinking too much into it. By themselves, they're both good AU stories about Twilight and Tempest being friends and all that entails. The time confusion hasn't stopped me from upvoting them both.
9797873
Thanks so much for reading, and for letting me know your thoughts. The detailed feedback helps a lot!
In these stories, I'm kind of assuming the headcanon established by My Little Student, that Twilight has moved on to boarding at the School full-time, although she still has private lessons from Princess Celestia in the afternoons. I also assume that she's quickly gravitated to using the tower room as her "home base", so to speak, and has been there for at least a couple years, so she's a little older and more independent now. I also assume that pony development, independence, and "mental age" works a little differently from humans, thus Twilight is "old enough" to be on her own, under School supervision, even though she's still a mixture of tweenish maturity and foalishness by turns. (This is complicated by Twilight being so studious, level-headed and clear-spoken -- her voice just sounds older than it is). And I assume that pony education is based on ability, not chronological age (as with Ponyville's single-room schoolhouse), so it's not unusual for an older Tempest and younger Twilight to be schooled together -- each works on lessons appropriate for her talent and capabilities.
Tempest I'm assuming to be at least a couple years older than Twilight, plus she's been living on the street for a while, so she's had to grow up much faster -- and thus she sounds, talks, and thinks older and more cynically, and also finds herself drawn into the "big sister" role here. She's had time to have a past before she was found by Celestia and her guards, though I'm not assuming anything from Stormy Road to Canterlot. (I generally take the show/movie as canon, but treat the books and comics as guidelines and/or AU side-stories.) I'm assuming that in this world she and Grubber ran into each other on the road, possibly before either has met the Storm King, so they have a history together but its not necessarily the one from the movie. I am deliberately bending history a little bit here, because I like Grubber as a character and wanted to be able to add him back in as Tempest's side-kick and verbal punching bag. As with Spike, the side-kick characters allow their respective mains to talk things out in private and to operate independently, so they allow for more flexible stories.
It's complicated, and to some extent I'm just going with the flow and telling the story, without sweating the specifics of what happened when, except where it matters. So your willingness to read along and take the story on its own terms is much appreciated!
Thanks again for the feedback!
Heh, no surprise that this is better than i thought it was going to be. Love the direction your taking this.
Still though, now i cant wait for twilight to find out. Even if i know what her response will most likely be.
9797957
Ahhhh. Okay, I see. Before anything else, you're welcome for the feedback; I appreciate getting it myself, so I try (be prepared for more, which I hope is constructive). I also haven't read My Little Student, so I'm not familiar with the canon. Anyway—
There were a few things that threw me off with both stories, and they all kind of tie into each other. The first was the cover art from the first one. I use art frequently in my own fics, and I tend to take them very literally. Tempest looked about the same age as Twilight in that picture, but Twilight could very well have had a much younger face behind that book. That age gap is what basically explains the whole thing. Twilight has always been the more studious type, so it doesn't surprise me that she might have a bit of an older tone to her speech, but her wanting to go play threw me off—she never seemed the type, unless reading outside was what she considered 'playing.'
Then there was the observatory scene. Because of the game they were playing, and the fact that Tempest was behaving very much the same way as Twilight, it led me to further believe they were the same age, and thus I still pitted Tempest to be younger. However, now knowing the age gap—even though she really only considers being something like it at the end of this story—older sister/brother figures tend to consciously 'regress' themselves to younger siblings' ages when the youngers want to play (I used to do things like this when I babysat). That said, I can see how Tempest and Twilight would be playing together in such a way while still being different ages.
The only thing I'm still curious about, though, is the relationship with Grubber. If the only past between them is that they traveled on the road together with a Twilight-Spike kind of relationship, and no interaction with the Storm King, why would Tempest have wanted to avoid letting Twilight know?
Then again, like I said before, not my story. And the fact that this is an AU makes all of this totally acceptable (it's just my literal side having a tantrum). Heck, I've used this as a response when people comment complaints on my own AU.
Please be aware, I'm attempting to be constructive here, not suggest that you should change things to please one person. I'm just letting you know how I perceived things as a reader. I may have been the only one that saw it that way, but I personally appreciate every single person's feedback when I get it, and it sounds like you do the same, so I hope it's helpful.
Nice job. Looking forward to more.
The Storm King calls.
Wonder how Grubber and Spike will get on.
before I knew it was grubber I thought it was an orphan trixie.
I can't believe I didn't realize you posted a sequel sooner. This is an interesting universe you are making.
I was wondering why her birth name seemed to be Tempest Shadow. Now I see; she's denying ever having been Fizzlepop. And given Grubber, there's quite a bit else to deny. Who knows whether someone less easily cowed might creep out of Tempest's past...
But for now, there's adorkable frjendship to be had. Lovely work.
Love the character interactions here. Si adorable.
Hah, so now Tempest's got a Spike of her own! Though I find it odd that I only saw this after its sequel, as that was posted first...
9812082
Thanks! Without Your Cutie Mark was actually written first, so you're not imagining things.
I'm not sure if there's a word for an "in-between sequel"...
9812115
The term is "interquel", as "inter-" means "between", where "pre-" means "before". With the root for the terms being "sequel", and a forth term ("midquel") being debatably a type of interquel, but set within a single work rather than between a pair.
9812115
Just follow the Borderlands model!
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Borderlands_The_Pre-Sequel_box_art.jpg
Cute and heartwarming
Ehh, actually...
"We never had a single fight". That's actually canon, from what I understand.
9829840
Depends on what they decide to call a "fight". Also, bear in mind that reminiscent songs are allowed a certain amount of poetic license, since "we never had a single fight -- except for those three or four, which weren't worth speaking of, where was I?" doesn't scan all that well...
9829854
Still.
That means that they fought over something. Competition or disagreement - doesn't matter. So yeah, either they had fights, or they didn't. There's no third option.
9829880
Their competitions for the Crown of the Sibling Supreme are clearly rivalries, enshrined as family tradition no less. But those aren't necessarily fights, more like "friendly competition". I was just leaving the door open for those just-before-bedtime "who us? we weren't fighting and I have no idea how the chandelier caught fire..." moments.
9829911
Again, and again.
Did they, or did they not fight each other? Frankly, I doubt they would even compete with each other.
From the same song.
"We did everything together" - they never done anything apart, in opposition to each other.
"We shared our hopes, we shared our dreams" - they seem to not even have two differing opinions on matters.
Like I said, I don't belive they fought. EVER. Be it a game or serious argument.
I love how protective Tempest is for Twilight! It's so frighteningly adorable!
She just wants her friend to be herself! I love that! I love this series it's so adorable and I can't get enough of little Twilight and Tempest. Nice fanfics! I'm going to read it all
That was precious.
Sonic's cousin, Grubber the Hedgehog.
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Grin -- the opposite, less-speedy sibling for narrative contrast? Kind of like Maud Pie's contrast to Pinkie?
Uhmm… am I the only one who kinda sees something else in that line?
Anyway, this is adorable and fantastic! I’m looking forward to reading onward.
This was an adorable read!
*Grubber and Tempest talk about their time together on the streets*
My head:
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I've read that Grubber is Tempest’s Spike.
Which makes sense, since Tempest is Twilight's total opposite.
The counter thesis to Twilight's friendship thesis.
During one of the con panels at a con, one of the show writers said that Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer are versions of Twilight, but with some key difference.
Sunset Shimmer, is a more informed Twilight, that knew about Celestia's plans to mold her student into an alicorn princess. She fucked off through the mirror, because Celestia didn't submit to Sunset's demand that she be made into an alicorn immediately. Also, (according to the IDW comics) Celestia expelled Sunset for those demands, and for breaking into the restricted section of the library.
Starlight Glimmer is a Twilight that didn't grow up with a Shining Armor or Spike. A Twilight that grew up alone.
"We"?
Who is "we"?
Are you speaking French/Prench?!
You're the one hanging out alone in the workroom while everyone else is in class!