The Perfect Partner

by HAKDurbin

Chapter 2

When Twilight and Tempest entered Queen Novo's throne room, Princess Skystar almost instantly appeared before Twilight, showering her with questions. When she noticed that Tempest was there, she sporadically introduced herself to her. Tempest was dumbfounded with the princess, wondering if she didn't know she led the attack on Mt. Aris but eased up when she figured that the bubbly hippogriff knew who she was and wasn't holding her deeds against her.

After Skystar calmed down, Queen Novo flew over to Tempest from her throne and gave her a warm welcome, making the dark orchid mare more comfortable. The queen then requested Tempest to do something special at the very end of the festival. Tempest was unsure of the request because it involved her standing on a stage, but she ultimately agreed to do it. After discussing further details with the queen's plan, the two ponies exited the palace with Tempest feeling both excited and nervous, which Twilight noticed.

"You're going to do great," she said. "Every creature is going to love it."

"But, I've never done that in front of a crowd before, Twilight, " Tempest said.

"That shouldn't stop you," Twilight said. "After all, you want to show what you can do, so this is your chance to show it in front of everyone."

Tempest chuckled with her mouth closed and said, "Can't argue with that. Until then, is there anything I can do to help set up in the meantime?"

"Not at the moment," Twilight replied before she added proudly. "Thanks to my organizing skills, we pretty much have everything covered in time for tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay," Tempest said, lowering her head in disappointment.

It took a moment before Twilight realized that Tempest was hoping to keep herself from worrying about what she'll do after the festival. The princess scratched her chin in thought until she glanced at the large gate on the west side of the village and got an idea.

"But if you're looking for something to do, you could visit the Harmonizing Heights," she suggested, pointing at the gate with her hoof. "It's a great place to relax."

Tempest turned to the gate and saw the trees and green hills behind it. She looked at the entrance with a hesitant look before she said, "I guess I could use some relaxation after a long journey."

Twilight smiled as she watched her friend walk toward the direction of Harmonizing Heights, hoping that her idea will give Tempest the rest she's looking for. She then summoned a large roll of parchment from her sack with her magic and started browsing through the list as she walked back to the port. It wasn't long, however, before she was so focused on the list that she bumped heads with someone. The two of them stepped back and rubbed their heads before Twilight moved her parchment away from her face to see a familiar pony.

"Trenderhoof?" She asked.

It took a moment before Trenderhoof opened his eyes and gave the alicorn a friendly smile.

"Princess Twilight. Please forgive me. I wasn't looking where I was going," he said.

"Oh, please don't worry about it. I wasn't looking either," Twilight replied. "And you don't need to be so formal. We're friends."

"Of course, Prin - er, Twilight," Trenderhoof said. "It's good to see you again."

"You too," Twilight said. "Did you come to work on an article for the festival?"

"How could I not?" Trenderhoof answered with a blissful look. "Writing an article for a new global holiday is the chance of the millennium. Why I think I can even bring all of Equestria to participate in this holiday in the future."

"Really?" Twilight asked, confused. "How are you going to do that? The creatures here all come from places where they were oppressed by the Storm King for years, whereas Equestria had had to worry about him for only a day."

"True, but we ponies know a thing or two about going through great peril whether it was that horrible centaur, Tirek, or that little filly, Cozy Glow, and the changelings just to name a couple. Why I bet I can get the entire Crystal Empire interested in this festival after experiencing all those years of King Sombra ruling over them."

"Hmmm. I see your point," Twilight said. "I guess every creature has been a victim of dark forces in some way or another."

"Exactly," Trenderhoof said.

"Well, Queen Novo wants this festival to be celebrated globally, so I think she would appreciate it if you can bring more creatures to celebrate it," Twilight said. "Either way, I hope you have fun tomorrow."

"Thank you. I hope I do too," Trenderhoof said. "In the meantime, are there any special places that I can explore in this mountain? I was thinking of visiting Seaquestria, but after hearing some of the things they have planned there for tomorrow, I thought I should save that for the festival."

Twilight smiled and said, "As a matter of fact, I just sent a friend of mine to this place called Harmonizing Heights. It's just through the western gate over there."

"Sounds perfect," he says. "Thank you, princ - uh, I mean, Twilight."

Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement as the stallion walked away. She then summoned her list with her magic again and went back to looking through it as she walked. But after a few seconds, she stopped walking and realized that Trenderhoof and Tempest were likely going to see each other at the heights. For a moment, Twilight felt concerned since Tempest is usually not comfortable around ponies that aren't her or her friends. She considered going over there, but then she thought about it for a moment and shrugged.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," she said. "What's the worst that can happen?"

***********************************************************

As Twilight was going back to her duties, Tempest was walking through the meadow at Harmonizing Heights. She was in awe of the waterfalls coming down from the tall cliffs to the river. Birds were singing together from the trees, and the wind was giving a soft breeze. The mare took a deep breath to get a fill of the fresh air and let it out slowly with a smile.

"Twilight was right," she said. "This is relaxing."

"I know. It takes your breath away, doesn't it?" says a voice from behind.

Tempest let out a yelp and, upon instinct, kicked the creature behind her with her hind legs. The creature didn't have a moment to recover before Tempest made her victim fall with a low kick. Then, she grabbed the creature by the tail with her mouth, jumped high into the air, and slammed the creature into the ground with a flip. The dark orchard mare summoned sparks from her broken horn, preparing to defend herself further until she realized the creature she just attacked was a skinny, helpless stallion. She covered her mouth in shock before she noticed the stallion's glasses lying on the grass a few feet away from him.

"Oh, my goodness! I'm so, so sorry!" She said as she picked up the glasses with her hoof.

Trenderhoof groaned as he lifted his head to see a blurry figure handing his glasses to him. He levitated his glasses with his horn and placed them back in front of his eyes. As soon as he was able to see clearly, however, he gasped as he looked at Tempest's face in wonder. Tempest tilted her head in confusion, having never seen anyone look at her this way before.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Okay?" Trenderhoof asked as he stood up with a smile. "How could I not be okay when I'm gazing at such distinctive beauty?"

"Huh?" Tempest asked.

"Tell me, dear lady, may I know your name?" Trenderhoof requested.

"Uh, it's Tempest," Tempest answered.

"Ah, Tempest," Trenderhoof said blissfully. "What an interesting name for a pony of such vision."

Tempest took a step back and asked, "Did I give you a concussion or something? Cause I don't think you're in your right mind."

"On the contrary, I think I can say my mind is clearer than it has been all my life," Trenderhoof claimed. "Why, I'm feeling a sudden burst of inspiration."

Tempest's confusion grew as the stallion placed his hoof on his chest and cleared his throat loudly.

"Oh, what a blessed soul am I," he began. "To come from my homeland and see such great wonders. A mountain full of amazing creatures, many unknown to my kin, gathering together to celebrate, and this place of sanctuary scarcely occupied. Here the water as blue as the sky falls down from the majestic cliffs with a crash and flows down the river as softly as a whisper. The birds sing together in fellowship, and the wind gently blows through the emerald grass. Together they create a song of perfect harmony that never ends and can never be replicated. And yet, all the glory in such a place can't compare to the beauty in front of me. Fur like the black orchid flower. Opal eyes shining like jewels. There's nothing like the mesmerizing face of such a mysterious-looking pony. The pony named Tempest."

Nothing was heard except for the birds chirping after Trenderhoof finished. Suddenly, a snort came out of Tempest's mouth. She covered her mouth for a moment before she pulled her head back and burst into laughter. Trenderhoof's confidence faltered as Tempest held onto her gut with tears in her eyes. After a minute, Tempest calmed down and wiped the tears from her eyes before noticing that Trenderhoof was hurt.

"Wait. Are you serious?" She asked.

"Well, yes. Why wouldn't I be?" Trenderhoof asked.

"Because it sounded like you were saying I'm pretty," Tempest replied.

"No, I'm saying you're beautiful," Trenderhoof said.

"Same difference," Tempest said. "The point is you're saying that to a mare that has a large scar and a broken horn."

"So, just because somepony has a scar or a broken horn, they can't be beautiful?" Trenderhoof challenged.

Tempest opened her mouth to counter Trenderhoof, but she stopped herself when she realized she didn't know what to say to that kind of question. The longer she struggled to find a convincing argument, the more she began to realize that this pony was sincere. For a brief moment, her cheeks started to heat up, but then her senses caught up, and she shook away her blush.

"Okay, let's say for the sake of the argument you find me attractive," she began. "You still don't even know me."

"True, but I'd like to," Trenderhoof said.

"I don't think you'd like what you'd find out," Tempest said.

"Try me," Trenderhoof challenged.

Tempest raised her eyebrow at the stallion's persistence. It was clear that he wasn't there when she attacked Canterlot, but she thought ponies in Equestria might know all about the Storm King's second-in-command like the rest of the world. She decided to humor Trenderhoof, thinking he might go away when he learns the truth.

"I was the Storm King's lieutenant," she said. "I invaded Canterlot to help the Storm King take the magic of the princesses."

Trenderhoof's smile weakened, and he asked, "Oh, so you're the pony who led his army."

"That's right," Tempest said.

"I see," Trenderhoof said before he smiled again and asked. "But didn't you defect from the Storm King and save Princess Twilight and her friends?"

"Uh, well, yes," Tempest admitted.

"And you don't want to harm anyone anymore?" Trenderhoof asked.

"No, of course not," Tempest said defensively. "I don't ever want to hurt any creature ever again.

"Well, then I have nothing to fear by being around you, do I?" Trenderhoof said, his confidence rising again.

Tempest hesitated, realizing that Trenderhoof had the upper hand and said, "I guess not."

"Then there it is," Trenderhoof said. "And now that that's settled, may I ask if you are going to the festival with someone?"

"Uh, no," Tempest answered, unsure of where Trenderhoof is going with the question.

"Well, then would you do me the honor of going to the festival with me?" Trenderhoof requested.

Tempest looked at the stallion dumbfounded and asked, "You mean like a date?"

"Of course," Trenderhoof replied.

"Why would I do that? I don't even know who you are," Tempest said.

Trenderhoof's eyes widened, and he said, "Oh my, you're right. How inconsiderate of me. I am Trenderhoof at your service, my lady, but you may call me Trend."

"Very well, 'Trend,'" Tempest said. "I still see no reason why I should go to the festival with someone I don't know."

"Well, that's the beauty of dates. We find out more about each other by spending time together," Trenderhoof said. "The way I see it, you don't know much about me, and I know little of the pony you've become since the Storm King's defeat. Thus, we are on equal footing in terms of how much we need to know about each other, and we would have a whole day of going to a grand festival to fix that. Not to mention, it would be more fun than to go to the festival alone."

"How do you know that?" Tempest asked.

"I don't," Trenderhoof answered. "The truth is I'm a traveling writer. I write about all sorts of holidays, festivals, galas, fairs, and so on. I interact with the ponies who are from wherever the event takes place, but I still discover what the event has to offer on my own. So, I suggest that we go together because I'd like to get to know you more, and I think it would be exciting that we go to a brand new festival as a date. Besides, the Festival of the Free Creatures is supposed to be a time of unity, so no creature should participate in it alone. What do you say?"

Once again, Tempest looked away hesitantly. She wanted to go to the festival alone as she planned, but at the same time, Trenderhoof was right about the purpose behind the holiday. After all, seeing creatures who were oppressed by the Storm King coming together is why she decided to come. If nothing else, she saw humoring the strange stallion as a means to distract her from her worries about after the festival.

"You make a reasonable case, Trend," Tempest said. "Very well, I accept your request."

Trenderhoof beamed with stars in his eyes and said, "Fantastic! Shall we meet in front of the royal palace, say at around ten and walk down to the beach for the opening ceremony?"

"Well, I am staying with the queen, so that makes sense," Tempest said.

"Perfect," Trenderhoof chirped.

The area became quiet after the agreement was made. Tempest looked away from Trenderhoof and lightly kicked the ground with her front hoof while the stallion was still looking at her with a big smile. Eventually, the dark orchid mare quietly cleared her throat and said, "Well, I better get going. My friend will be wondering where I am by now."

"Oh, would you like me to walk you there?" Trenderhoof asked.

"Uh, that's nice of you to offer, but I'll be fine," Tempest said politely. "You just go ahead and keep admiring the heights, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"As you wish," Trenderhoof said with a bow. "Fare thee well, my lady."

"Yeah, bye," Tempest said plainly.

Tempest turned around and walked back toward the village. She stopped at the gate and looked back to find Trenderhoof still there, giving her a wave. She forced a grin on her face and waved back before she made her way back to the palace. Tempest sighed as she walked, feeling relieved to be away from the passionate pony, but as she made her way back to the palace, she thought about Trenderhoof calling her beautiful, and her cheeks turned pink again.