The Real Nightmare Knights

by Bigwig6666

In Hushed Whispers

The skies over Equestria were bright blue and full of sunshine on this particular day. A gentle breeze, one cool enough to make the heat bearable drifted over the quiet town of Ponyville and the wild trees of the Everfree Forest, rustling leaves and grass alike.

In a rare turn of events, business had been surprisingly slow for Equestria’s only ghost hunting organisation today.

And for some, more than others, the boredom was starting to set in.

Tempest Shadow’s eyelids fluttered as she struggled to stay awake, propping one side of her face up with her hoof. Accompanying the Nightmare Knights in their long and dull reprieve was the sounds of static as Jack, the group’s loyal and sometimes hard-working secretary, fruitlessly flicked between channels trying to find something to watch, and the occasional tink as either Chrysalis or Tirek moved their respective chess pieces back and forth.

Cozy, sunken deep into her bean bag chair, shifted and flipped some of her curly mane out of her eyes, sucking on the straw of a juice box and greedily eyeing the muffin the size of her hoof resting on the nearby table.

“Geez, it’s nice things have been quiet today,” she said, breaking the relative silence as she reached out for it. “Right, guys?”

The sudden sound of her voice made Tempest jerk herself awake. She yawned, stretched her legs out and reached out for a glass of water, and blearily muttered a response. “Eeyup.”

“Mhm,” grunted Chrysalis in agreement, holding a hoof to her chin as she planned her next move.

The filly of the group leaned forwards and fluttered her wings. “I mean, we all deserve a break sometimes, right?” When she got nothing from them she looked over at who she hoped would answer her properly. “Right? Tirek? What about you, Jack?”

“Mhm,” grinned the centaur as he leaned back in his seat with a smug look on his face.

“Eeyup,” said Jack, sitting comfortably on her own chair, also propping her face up with one hoof.

Cozy looked between them, and then at Chrysalis and finally Tempest with an exasperated look. She shrugged and chose to just lie down on her back to pick it apart and eat her prize.

“C’mon, Jack, can’t you just pick something?” she moaned after a moment as the red-headed mare kept flicking through channel after channel. “I’m getting old here.”

“You were just sayin’ it’s nice ta have a break weren’t you?” Jack replied with a sigh. “An’ besides, you guys are usually out by now anyway, so I don’t bother with the TV to begin with.”

Cozy pulled a face and popped another bit of muffin into her mouth. “Wait really? What do you all day when we’re out?”

“I read. A lot’a ponies back home used ta say I’m too intellectual,” Jack said smugly, watching out the corner of her eye at the not-so-subtle way Tirek glanced at her. “But I think it’s a fascinatin’ way ta pass your time. I also play racquetball.”

The filly hesitated a moment, then nodded to herself and focused back on her muffin. “Huh. Fair enough.”

“Aha!” Chrysalis finally made her next move and placed her pawn by Tirek’s bishop. “Beat that, you half-breed troglodyte!”

Tirek, without a word, swiftly moved his queen and picked up her pawn, then leaned back with another smug look. “And that’s checkmate, your majesty. What’s that, four to me? None to you?”

The changeling’s eyes grew smaller. She snorted in disgust and huffily folded her legs. “Ridiculous game. The only winning move is not to play.”

“Be that as it may, shall I reset the board so her majesty may try again?” the centaur mockingly asked her, a wide grin plastered across his face.

Chrysalis’s brow furrowed and she uncrossed her legs to lean forwards. “Fine,” she spat. “Go ahead, if only so that I have another chance to destroy you.”

“Fifth time is the charm as they say.”

Tempest started to smile as she watched them, and then as Jack changed the channel once more over to the Equestrian News Network they all got a glimpse of a moustachioed stallion smiling at the camera, accompanied by an elegant, slender unicorn mare at his side. Though the image was grainy and black and white, the couple certainly had a sense of airs and nobility about them.

“Hubba hubba,” Jack said, gazing at the stallion with hearts in her eyes. “Who’s the hunk with the facial hair?”

Tirek’s ears pricked up at that, and he paused in resetting the board to glance at the television, his expression quickly changing to disgust when he saw the aforementioned facial hair, and a hand subconsciously went up to his beard.

”...with a pleasant surprise today from the Canterlot Noble Society press conference,” the announcement voiceover said in a light-hearted tone as Jack turned the volume up, ”when Fancy Pants, one of Canterlot’s most prestigious and prominent figureheads, announced his engagement to long-time girlfriend and famed actress, Fleur de Lis. A source close to the groom-to-be, the one and only Prince Blueblood, had this to say on the matter.”

The heckles on the back of Tempest’s neck stood up on end. Across her face she could feel the rush of heat as a blush threatened to make itself known to the world. Staying stock still she managed to compose herself before it did, and flicked her eyes across each of her team’s faces.

The Knights, thankfully, appeared oblivious to her sudden change in demeanour, and either watched or listened while the reporter read out Prince Blueblood’s message.

”Ahem. ‘I am not one for speeches. But I will say this: I consider myself among a blessed few to know a couple that exudes such a beauty and grace such as they do. I wish them a long and happy life together, and I only hope that we should all be as lucky as they, someday.’ End quote. A wonderful sentiment from Prince Blueblood, are we sure that’s the same guy? Huh.”

Tempest’s mouth suddenly felt very dry, and she reached out for a drink of water.

“Prince Blueblood?” Cozy mused, watching the screen curiously as the camera panned over a large gathered crowd of ponies celebrating the couple. “I didn’t know we had any princes.”

“You’re forgetting Shining Armour,” Chrysalis pointed out, moving her first pawn, and looking down at it fondly. “He is most certainly a prince. I would know.”

“He’s the prince-regent of the Crystal Empire,” Tirek countered, moving his own. “Not of Equestria. Doesn’t count.”

The changeling rolled her eyes and moved her knight out. “Yes, yes, fine, you have a point Mr. ‘I-must-always-be-correct’ you can’t let anything go can you?”

Only Jack appeared to notice the commander’s sudden discomfort, and gave her a frown. “Hey, boss? Y’okay? Ya look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She chortled at her own joke, despite it going unnoticed by the other Knights. When Tempest still made no movement, she repeated herself.

“Boss?”

The commander finally regained some motion and tipped her drink a little bit too far back, and started to cough and sputter as some went up her nose. She quickly set her drink down and grabbed a cushion to dry her face on. “I’m fine,” she grunted. “I’m fine.”

“You sure? You know this Blueblood guy, or somethin’-”

“No. He’s just another Canterlot bigshot,” she said hurriedly. “Thinks he owns the place, which he probably does ‘cause he’s a prince.” She suddenly jumped up, her cheeks swiftly turning a darker shade. “Hey, is that the phone?” she said, starting off towards the door and the sound of absolute silence. “I’ll go get it. It’s about time the ghosts woke up.”

Tirek, Cozy, Chrysalis and Jack all raised their eyebrows at the back of her head as she shuffled away, taking long drawn out steps and hoping and praying that the phone did indeed ring and give her reason to leave.

It didn’t.

“Commander...” Tirek said slowly. “Am I correct in sensing that this... ‘Canterlot bigshot’ and yourself have a ‘history’, perhaps?”

Tempest stopped mid-step and closed her eyes. A low and pained groan escaped her as she slowly turned to face them. When she opened her eyes she grit her teeth and fixed them each a stern and fierce glare in response.

“Just a thought. Perhaps not,” he replied, quickly turning back around.

The filly amongst them tapped her chin and thought for a moment, looking back at the screen. “Blueblood... Bluebl... y’know there’s somethin’ familiar about that name,” she said before suddenly clapping her hooves together. “Ohh! Yeah, I’m pretty sure Bright has a poster of him in her room and has, like, the biggest crush on him.” She twisted her face in disgust for a moment. “Yeugh. How do you know him, Tempy? Don’t tell me you-”

“We dated,” Tempest grumbled, idly picking at a scrape in the floor. “It’s not a big deal. Okay?”

Cozy and Jack both gaped and let their jaws swing wide open. “Hu-buh-wha?” the former stammered. “No big deal? You dated a prince, Tempy--how is that no big deal?!”

The dark mare let out a muffled grunt. “It was a... choice,” she muttered. “And it’s not like we ended on the best of terms, either.”

“I would certainly say it was a choice,” Chrysalis quietly chuckled into her hoof, drawing the dark mare’s stink eye. She swallowed and sat up straight. “Wh-What I mean is, Commander,” she hurriedly added, “it’s that you don’t strike me as the type to go on ‘dates’, let alone with a stallion of such well bred stock.”

“I’m as pony as everyone else, aren’t I, insect?” the commander growled as she sulked back over to them, standing by the edge of the sofa. “Besides, I’ve gone on dates before. Why do you all care so much about this one and none of the others?”

Chrysalis blanched at first then held her gaze with a slight smirk. “Because I believe we are all wondering how many of those dates were with a member of the royal family.”

Jack laughed and playfully punched Tempest’s shoulder as a growl left the dark mare’s throat. She immediately winced and felt her hoof start to throb, as punching Tempest Shadow--even playfully--felt very similar to punching a moody, dangerous rock. “Aw come on, boss, it couldn’t be that bad. What happened? C’mon, sit.” She grabbed her hoof and guided her back into her seat, almost pushing the grumpy mare down before sitting down next to her. “Give us the deets.”

“Yeah, Tempy, you gotta tell us!” Cozy chimed in after collecting herself. She widened her eyes and pouted slightly, putting on a face. “Pwetty pwease?” she added in as much of a child like voice as she could manage.

After a few moments of quiet whimpering as she made her lip quiver and tremble, Tempest finally grunted in annoyance and flicked the filly’s nose before folding her hooves across her chest and sinking low in her chair. “Fine! Fine, I’ll tell you,” she grumbled as Cozy rubbed her nose and silently hoof pumped in success. “But never do that again.”

Tirek chuckled under his breath. “It would seem even you are not immune to that, Commander,” he said.

“Noted.”

The commander rolled her eyes, inhaled between her teeth and started her story.

“Okay, so... after the Storm King, I took a little vacation around Equestria. I did some sight seeing, helped out here and there with what I’d done, y’know--try and make amends. When I came back to Canterlot, I felt like I was ready to settle down and go steady; get a real job, that sort of thing. Twilight told me I should get myself accustomed to the idea of friendship again as well, so, I did. And I decided that ‘cause it had been a while, I should... date.”

She licked her dry lips, feeling very much on the spot as the Knights peered at her, hanging on her every word.

Chrysalis grinned and moved another of her pieces. “Your first idea of friendship is to court?” she commented. “That’s hardly in the Equestrian spirit is it?”

Cozy quickly waved her hoof at her. “Shush! I wanna hear this,” she hissed, inching forwards and straining her ears forwards to catch every detail. “Go on, Tempy.”

Tempest rolled her eyes and continued on. “Uh huh. Well that’s when I met... Prince Blueblood.”

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as they watched her, eager and hungry for information.

“Look, he wasn’t my first choice, but I was fed up and ready to call it quits,” she grunted. “A lot of stallions and mares had either ran away as soon as they saw me, or given me a wide berth from the get go. So when this... reasonably attractive and well groomed stallion showed an interest, I... let myself enjoy the attention.”

The corners of Chrysalis’s mouth twitched into a smile, while Tirek thought about his next move. Jack and Cozy seemed to be thoroughly invested with her story, and shifted where they sat to get a better look at her.

“Was he like a regular Prince Charming?” the secretary asked her.

“Did you kiss him?” Cozy whispered excitedly, pushing herself into commander’s face. “Didja get married? Have you actually been a princess this whole time, Tempy?” She paused and thought for a moment. “Ooh! Princess of Scary Lightning Blasts!”

Tempest scowled and pushed her away. “Don’t be silly,” she snapped. “We ended up going to a restaurant and had dinner together, where we hit it off.”

She grew quiet after that. Chrysalis suddenly detected a trace of something different in the air, the wisps of a fragrance she was all too familiar with--emanating from the dark and usually moody mare if only for a brief moment. Her eyebrow arched upwards and the sides of her eyes twitched. “Hmm.”

Tempest’s ear flicked when she heard her and felt a shiver run along her spine. She was ready to be done with this conversation, and she could feel the blood rush into her face again. “I’ll spare you the details, but-”

“Aww what?!”

The commander glared the filly into submission for her outburst and cleared her throat. “I’ll spare you the details,” she repeated through gritted teeth. “But when it comes down to it... yeah, fine, I ‘dated’ a prince.”

Jack nodded her head, impressed, and whistled. “You go, girl,” she laughed. “I never knew you had it it in you.”

“What’s that--ugh.” Tempest groaned and dragged a hoof down her face. “Why do I tell you people anything about myself? First my name, now this?”

Cozy grinned up at her. “Because you love us really. What’d you do next?” she giggled, her eyes sparkling with curious amazement.

“We spent... a few days together. A week at most, I think. Then it got... complicated, and I...” The commander’s steady tone faltered, and she looked at the filly from behind her hoof. She huffed and straightened up, glaring at her. “I left. I left and I didn’t look back. Until now. Apparently. You happy now?”

“It’s a start.”

The young Knight kept grinning and leaned back. “Imagine. Princess Tempest Shadow... What about Princess Fizzlepop Berrytwist, that’s got a nice ring to it doesn’t it?”

Tempest let out a low, dangerous growl and turned her ears back as she glared at the filly.

Cozy raised her hooves and eased off, although her eyes still held a mischievous glint to them. “Okay, okay.”

Despite looking at her chess pieces, those that remained anyway, Chrysalis found herself distracted by another whiff of that certain sweet fragrance again. She steepled her hooves together in a thoughtful position and inhaled through her nose, breathing it in. “Hmm,” she murmured quietly.

“What?” Tempest snapped, turning sharply towards her. “That’s twice you’ve done that, what is it?”

“Nothing at all. Simply musing to myself,” the changeling replied with a sly wink.

The dark mare’s face twisted. “Well keep it to yourself, then,” she grunted. “Like I said we didn’t end on the best of terms.”

“Heh, what’d you do? Leave him at the altar or something?” Cozy giggled.

Tempest clenched her teeth together hard enough she felt like they were about to shatter. “Watch it, Glow,” she snarled. “Or I won’t hesitate to give you detention at the Ponyville schoolhouse until you’re twenty one.”

Cozy blew a raspberry and waved her hoof dismissively. “Pthppbt. Yeah, sure,” she chortled. “Good one, Tempy.” She trailed off into an uncomfortable silence when Tempest’s stone-cold gaze washed over her. She looked between her other teammates and as they averted their eyes, she swallowed.

“You’re bluffing... you wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Try me.”

The filly stared for a moment, then quietly sat up straight and looked ahead, clearly fighting the urge to pester.

Satisfied, Tempest ran a hoof across the front of her uniform and smoothed it down. She hated talking about herself, even to the Nightmare Knights. Especially to the Nightmare Knights. The suggestive look Chrysalis had in her eye gave her an uneasy feeling, like she knew something more than she was letting on--which the cunning thing probably did.

“Ugh.” Tempest snorted under her breath, glaring at the television the news having shifted to something else unimportant. “Now is there something else on?” she said, hoping to steer the subject away from herself for today. “Or can we-”

She cut herself off as the phone started to ring downstairs, its shrill cry a welcome sound to her ears and a sign of reprieve from interrogation.

Jack, all the while grinning from ear to ear, hopped up. “Well thanks fer sharin’ that juicy goss, boss,” she said cheerfully. “That’ll keep me goin’ fer weeks.”

Tirek absentmindedly stood up as she made to leave. They both paused and looked at one another, then their cheeks both turned slightly red. or redder than usual in his case. The rest of them remained in silence as Tirek lowered himself back down.

Soon enough Jack’s muffled voice came drifting up from the stairs in an unusually upbeat tone, spouting off their latest slogan.

”Nightmare Knights, if you’re haunted we want it...”

There were a few moments of silence as none of the Knights said anything to one another. Then, finally, Cozy couldn’t take it anymore, and threw her head back in frustration.

“Okay I gotta know. What was it about him, Tempy? D’you still think about him? Was he rich?”

Tempest shot her a glare. “I’m not answering any of that. And you are so on detention now.”

Cozy puffed her cheeks out and opened her mouth, ready to argue her case. Tempest simply raised her eyebrows at the filly, and that was enough to keep her quiet. She even--albeit sulkily--made a motion of zipping her mouth shut.

Chrysalis scoffed behind her. “Yes, and besides, it’s not like wealth matters, Cozy. For I would suppose that monetary value holds little sway over what Tempest sees in companionship, even if said companion was rich.”

Tempest blinked, surprised. “Thank you?” she said, unsure if that was a compliment or not.

Tirek as well snorted and picked up another of Chrysalis’s chess pieces. “Of course it wouldn’t. The commander is a strong mare; only a pony as strong and as capable a warrior would be her equal.” He held up the capture knight to inspect it. “They needn’t be rich or even a prince for that.”

Again, the commander blinked, her brow rapidly furrowing as she turned her head in his direction. “What?”

“A warrior? Please,” Chrysalis tutted, looking down her nose at her opponent. “You are aware she is not some centaur brute, yes? Tempest would require somepony of refinement, of a certain delicacy, bearing cunning and dignity.”

Tempest didn’t know what she couldn’t believe more: the fact that A) she couldn’t believe that two of Equestria’s biggest offenders were so brazenly discussing options of a suitor of all things for her, and B) the fact was that she was actually agreeing with them.

A strong pony; a warrior or a fighter, but also one who was clever and dignified.

She felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest and swallowed as a pair of luminous green eyes flashed in her mind, framed by thin trails of purple smoke. The bridge of her nose turned pink and she had to quickly look away to save her dignity, trying urgently to repress any such feelings or thoughts.

“Can we not?” she asked them as Cozy started to grin mischievously.

“In short,” Chrysalis went on, ignoring her. “Any suitor of Tempest would need a mind whose aligns with hers.”

Tirek looked the queen in the eye and moved another of his pieces. “I suppose like yours does with Celestia?” he grinned. “Your move, your majesty.”

A spasm of anger flashed across the queen’s face. She puffed her cheeks out and picked up one of his captured pawns, pointing it at him accusingly. “Are you a warrior, Lord Tirek?” she chided. “Or are you like this pawn? Beaten down into submission and forced to live amongst your enemies; one of which fawns endlessly over you for no good reason?”

The centaur’s grin faded. “Miss Inkwell does not fawn over me, you wretched bug,” he growled. He moved his queen to capture her bishop.

“Oh? Then, then does she simply admire your muscles and your rippling pectorals?” Chrysalis sneered as she moved to capture his rook. “We all see how you show off for her. You are not as subtle as you may think you are, Lord Tirek.”

Tirek’s face darkened to another shade of red. He hesitated for a moment, then moved his queen again and slapped the table. “Checkmate. Five to me, your highness.”

Cozy sipped on her juice and watched as Chrysalis looked down and stared at the board. Then she scowled and jumped up. “You cheated!” she declared, pointing her hoof at Tirek accusingly.

“I did not and I am offended you would think I would do so.”

“Liar! You goaded me on--distracted me! Deception! That’s cheating!”

“One: isn’t deception a changeling’s bread and butter? And two: I won because I am superior to you in almost every way. But don’t worry.” Tirek reached out to her and patted her on the head about as condescending as he could manage. “I am sure you will win the next one, your majesty.”

Chrysalis pulled back away from him before snapping her jaw forwards, hoping to bite one of his fingers off. She retreated back onto her seat and sank down into it, thoroughly in a huff. “Cheater.”

Cozy looked between them first, and then at the chess board. She put down her juice and fluttered her wings, drifting over to it. She picked up a rook to turn over and pass back and forth between her hooves. She looked at it, and then at Tempest, and winked as if to say ‘watch this’. “Say, Tirek, what’s Chryssy better at than you? Y’know if she’s inferior to you in almost every way?”

“Losing.”

Cozy broke out into a wide, devilish grin while Tempest gave her an exasperated look as the centaur ducked. The armchair launched by Chrysalis in his direction promptly crashed into the wall on the far side of the common room, just as Jack pushed the door open again with a wide grin on her face.

Her presence made Tempest quickly stand up, eager to get to work.

The secretary however, just moseyed on past her and into the kitchen, and while looking at her notes began to help herself to some food. Meanwhile, as Tirek stood up to retrieve the chair-based projectile Chrysalis had thrown at him, Chrysalis herself snatched up one of his pawns and crushed it into dust while he wasn’t looking.

Silence reigned as Jack continued to say nothing, instead making a sandwich, all while Tempest’s eyelid started to quiver.

“Jack?” she said, slightly exasperated.

“Yeah?” the secretary said without looking up.

“Ahem?”

Jack looked up at her strangely, then down her sandwich and clapped a hoof to her head. “Oh, sorry. Did you want one too, boss? Guys, how about you?”

“What?” Tempest frowned. “No--what’s-”

Cozy quickly fluttered her wings and clapped her hooves together, interrupting her. “Oh, can I get some with lettuce and ketchup on it?” she asked.

The secretary pointed her hoof at her before turned around to grab what she needed out the refrigerator. “Sure can, kiddo,” she chortled. “Chrysalis? How about you, hon?”

“Marmalade,” Chrysalis grunted. “No crusts. Please.”

Jack smiled to herself as she grabbed the marmalade jar as well and set everything down on the counter. “The Chrysalis special. What about you, T?”

Tirek looked up as he set the chair down and thought for a moment. “Mm. No thank you.”

“Y’sure? We got... what we got, we got: cucumbers, lettuce, tomato?”

The centaur shifted and shook his head firmly. “I’m not hungry. Except for perhaps my sixth victory in a row, if my opponent is willing.”

Chrysalis smirked coyly and inched forwards on her seat, having lost her own seat and moved over to where Tempest had been sitting. “So sure of winning, are you?” she sneered, wiping the dust of a crushed piece off of her hoof and onto the sofa. “Very well. Let us play again.”

While they reset the board and Cozy watched, none of them noticed Tempest start to massage her temple and drag a hoof down her face. “Jack?” she groaned, lamenting her fate. “Can you please tell me what the job is and where we’re going?”

“Oh, nowhere,” Jack said cheerfully. “Wasn’t a job.”

Tempest blinked, removing her hoof and furrowing her brow in confusion. “What? Then who was-”

“Twilight,” the secretary answered, happily making a series of sandwiches.

That caught the commander’s attention. “Twilight?” she hissed. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, Twilight?”

“Y’know any other Twilights?” Jack deadpanned. “Cucumber in yours, boss?”

The commander’s eyelid continued to twitch rapidly. “The princess calls and you don’t mention it straight away?” she demanded. “What if it’s something important?”

Jack waved her hoof again. “Princess schminschess, Twilight’s cool like that. Y’should see her play racquetball. Really lets her hair down.”

“Wait... you play racquetball with Twilight?” Cozy asked her.

“Uh huh. Every Thursday. Besides,” she continued, “she said she wasn’t in a hurry. I did leave her on hold, though, so when you pick it up, boss, just press the red button.”

Choosing to gloss over the fact that their secretary apparently knew the princess well enough to play a game every Thursday with her, Tempest turned swiftly towards the door. “Great. Thanks,” she grunted.

“You’re welcome! Remember, the red one, not the green one.”

“I got it, I got it.”

Hurrying down the stairs and lamenting the Knights’ secretary’s lack of decorum, Tempest made her way to the waiting phone.

She spotted Jack’s headset resting gently on her desk, and after taking a deep breath as she nestled into the chair behind it, she picked it up, placing it around her ears.

“Hello?” she said.

Silence answered her. She took the headset off and gave it a quick once over. “Oh, there’s the red button.”

She pushed it to release the call off of hold and placed the headset back around her ears. Twilight, oblivious to her presence, was humming a quiet song to herself.

Tempest cleared her throat. “Twilight?”

”Yah!” came the startled cry of the princess, followed by a quiet thud and the sound of lots of papers falling over. After a shuffle Twilight’s breathless voice answered her. ”Tempest is that you?”

Tempest winced and inhaled between her teeth. “Yeah it’s me,” she replied. “Sorry. Did I startle you?”

”Yeah, kinda,” Twilight laughed nervously, sounding somewhat embarrassed. ”Anyway, how are you?”

The commander flicked her eyes up the stairs and sighed. “It’s been a mixed bag,” she muttered. “How can I help? Is the library haunted again?”

”Is the library--oh no, gosh no,” the princess chuckled. ”I was just wondering if you’d like to be my plus one for a party I’m going to tonight?”

Tempest blinked, slightly surprised. “A party?” she asked. “What party?”

”Oh, it’s an engagement ball for Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis.”

The commander readjusted in her seat, trying to angle her hooves on the table like Jack did, only for the chair to nearly tip too far backwards. She quickly caught herself, and let her hooves rest on the ground like a normal pony. “Engagement ball?” she sighed.

”Yeah! What do you say?”

The commander readjusted herself and swallowed. She would very much not like to go to a fancy ‘engagement ball’ but at all. “Uh, well that’s... nice of you to ask me, Princess, but uh...”

”But?”

A few moments of silence passed between them. Tempest let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose, picturing Twilight’s face with wide eyes staring pleadingly at her.

“...I’d be happy to,” she relented.

”Great!” came Twilight’s happy cry as Tempest scowled. ”I can tell you’re scowling, Tempest, don’t!” she added with a light chuckle. ”There’s going to be dancing, a buffet, and fireworks. It’ll be fun!”

Tempest did her best to keep a straight face and not grimace. “Right,” she said, and angled the microphone away from her mouth for a moment to quietly add, “As much fun as a hoof in the eye.”

”What was that?”

“I said I hope there’s pie.”

”Oh. Yeah, me too! And there was... actually something I wanted to speak to you about, Tempest.” Twilight’s voice grew serious for a moment as she spoke reticently. ”About Cozy’s family?”

Tempest opened her eyes and sat up straight. “What about them?” she asked, instantly on edge.

From down the line she heard the princess sigh and rustle some papers.

”It’s just... well it’d be easier to explain in person. Tell you what, why don’t you get the next train to Canterlot? That way we can talk more before tonight. Okay?”

The commander rubbed her nose and nodded, her mind already at work thinking over what it could be. “Right. Okay, Princess.”

”Good. Meet you at the train station?”

“Sure.”

”See you soon, Tempest.”

There was a click and the line went dead as the princess hung up. Tempest took the headset off and dragged her hooves down her face, just as Jack rounded the corner and spotted her.

“Hey, boss,” she said cheerfully, balancing a plate on her hoof. “You didn’t say what you wanted so I gave ya a bit of everythin’. Here ya go.” She paused when she saw the commander’s dull expression. “Ooh, looks bad. Where ya goin’?”

“Canterlot,” Tempest replied glumly. She looked down at the sandwich and felt her stomach grumble. With a snort, she smiled and picked it up. “Thanks, Jack.”

Jack blushed and set the plate down. “Aw, it’s nothin’, boss,” she said. “I used ta do the same sorta thing all the time back home.” She held her hoof over the button for the bell. “Y’want me to get the guys?”

The commander shook her head, taking a bite. “No. I’m going alone,” she answered. “Twilight needs to see me.”

“Is the library haunted again?”

“She’s going to that noble couple’s engagement party tonight. Fancy and Fleur something. Asked me if I wanted to go as her plus one.”

“Oh, really?” Jack’s ears pricked up. “Good for her. I guess all of her A-list friends were busy, huh?”

The commander blinked back at her, her concerns over Twilight’s information fading for a brief period. “A-list? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jack giggled. “Well y’know, you’re not exactly like Fluttershy or Applejack. I’d rate you as one of her B-list friends, at least. Maybe C after Celestia.”

Tempest scowled, earning herself a playful push for her troubles.

“Aw c’mon, boss. I know you’re great,” the young mare laughed. “Twilight doesn’t know what she’s missin’.” Her eyes widened and began to shine even as Tempest’s scowl deepened. “Hey, are you gonna be tryin’ on dresses and stuff with the princess?”

The evolution of the commander’s scowl reached its final form, and swiftly gave way to a pained grimace. Her answering groan came from a deep, primal place within herself as she popped the last bite of sandwich into her mouth.

“Ah go on, boss, it’ll be fun,” Jack laughed, throwing a hoof around her to give her a gentle squeeze.

“Ponies keep telling me that,” the commander grunted.

“I ain’t never been ta Canterlot before,” continued the secretary without skipping a beat. “Y’know my Auntie Raven works at the palace? Gosh, I haven’t seen her in ages, not since she last came ta Manehattan for my ma’s birthday. I tell her about you guys’ cases all the time, as well, y’know. If you see her, say hey for me, would ya?”

Tempest managed to pry herself free of the Hooflynite’s grasp and smoothed down her ruffled mane. “Speaking of the guys, I need to tell them I’ll be going out,” she said, starting off towards the stairs again.

As if on cue, the entire castle rumbled with a mighty crash, followed by loud, if muffled, voices.

“Or... maybe not,” she muttered.

She and the secretary looked at one another with the same world-weary expression.

Jack smiled and scratched her nose. “Boy, lemme tell ya, am I glad this place is built like a fortress, otherwise I think it’d have fallen down by now.”

Tempest nodded in agreement. “You got that right. What did you say about cases? Is that what you call it when we have a job?”

“Uh huh. It’s ‘cause I used ta work for a detective agency. Whenever he had a job my old boss, Mr. Valiant, would call ‘em cases.” Jack snorted. “At least he did before he got the can and I had ta find a new job.” She smiled. “I’ll let ‘em know where you’ve gone. You headin’ out straight away?”

The commander rose her eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t know you worked for a detective agency,” she murmured. “And yeah.” She swallowed, her thoughts turning to Cozy’s family again, and a concerned look began to grow in her eye.

Jack spotted it and reached out to touch her shoulder. “Is everythin’ okay, boss? Y’look like somethin’s botherin’ ya.” She winced and turned her ears back. “Was that stuff about Blueblood too personal?” she added with a whisper.

Tempest scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Yes, but that’s besides the point,” she snapped before letting out a heavy sigh. “Truth is I don’t know if there’s anything wrong yet. Cozy stuff. Keep it between us, though, okay? I don’t want the Knights to worry.”

“Gotcha.” The red-headed mare made a zipping motion across her mouth. “Count on me, boss. I’m your o-ffic-ial con-fid-ant-e.”

The southern twang she spoke in made Tempest smile. “Thanks, Jack.” A thought came to her in that moment as they walked towards the door. “Hey, you don’t have to call me ‘boss’ all the time, y’know. Just Tempest is fine.”

Jack beamed at her. “Aw, thanks, Tempest, ya big softy. Y’know Val said somethin’ similar to me once.”

“Val?”

“Mr. Valiant. He was a class act, lemme tell ya. A real gentlecolt, if a bit cranky sometimes.”

Tempest glanced at her thoughtfully. “Did you help him out on cases at all?” she asked curiously.

“Well look at who’s wantin’ ta know about somepony else now,” Jack laughed, bumping the dark mare with her flank. “Tell ya what, why don’t we swap stories sometime when you get back? I can tell you about some of what I used ta do in Manehattan, and you can talk to me about boys.”

The commander bumped her back with a scowl but smiled all the same. “Alright, alright, fine,” she grunted, pulling the heavy wooden door open. The roar of rain met them, and in a matter of seconds a small puddle had already begun to form around their hooves as water rushed in. “Oh that’s just my luck, isn’t it?” she grumbled, letting out a heavy sigh. “I thought it was nice and sunny today?”

“We live in the Everfree Forest, whatja expect?” Jack said, holding out an umbrella for her. “Here take this.”

Tempest gratefully did, although she frowned curiously. “Where did you-”

“A good secretary is always prepared,” the young mare recited. “Ask my auntie about that sometime if you ever see her.”

The commander opened the umbrella and held it over her head. She took a deep breath, then stepped out into the rain.

“Good luck!” the secretary called. “And remember! Have fun! You’re goin’ to a party, after all!”

Tempest waved her goodbye and started her march to Ponyville. The Everfree Forest was an unruly place to live at times she thought, struggling to hold onto her umbrella through the harsh wind and the rain. And while she thought about the secretary’s words, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat anxious, both about meeting Twilight and finding out what she had uncovered, and attending this noble’s party. She let out a small groan and plodded on, leaving muddy hoofprints in the dirt behind her.

***

The famous Rarity of Ponyville was many things. Bearer of the Element of Generosity, a budding businessmare, a seamstress through and through, and patient--but to name a few of these things.

Patient up to a point, anyway. And her current client, one moody, sullen-faced mare who wouldn’t stop fidgeting, was testing that patience frightfully so.

“For goodness’ sake, darling, stop squirming!” she demanded as one of her pristine white hooves pushed up her reading glasses in frustration. Her indigo mane, so usually coiffed to perfection, was showing a few frazzled ends and had lost some of its waviness. “Honestly, I think only perhaps Rainbow Dash sits still less than you do, Tempest Shadow!”

Tempest inhaled sharply as the measuring tape went around her barrel again. There were several things she’d normally hate, she reasoned, that were probably infinitely better than this as the tape tickled a sensitive spot. “I’m. Trying,” she said through a set of gritted teeth, biting her her lip to refrain from losing her temper, especially in such company.

Twilight Sparkle giggled behind her hoof as she watched them. Though she appeared as regal and happy as ever and as if nothing was wrong, the subtle rings around her eyes indicated that she was tired. Not that Tempest could blame her, she had no idea what it took to run a kingdom after all.

With a huff and a sigh, Rarity seemed to finally be finished, or perhaps finally lost her patience, and moved away, muttering and mumbling to herself about measurements and what colours would match Tempest’s palette.

The fashionista friend of the princess was a pony Tempest had met a few times, namely when she was hunting them down during the Storm King’s invasion and then at the celebration after his defeat, but other than that they were barely on a first name basis with each other. The commander suspected it was only due to Twilight’s presence that she spoke so candidly.

“Yes, despite your fidgeting, Tempest and your reluctance to take that drab thing off,” Rarity said, gesturing to the Knight’s jumpsuit. “I believe I shall be able to create something worthy of a Knight-Commander, after all.” After clapping her hooves together to punctuate her point, she then frowned and started to circle her subject, like a shark circling the diver in the cage.

“But on such short notice even I might be hard pressed to create something truly mesmerising...”

Never once in her life had Tempest been called mesmerising. She didn’t like it, not one bit, but still she forced a smile out. “Thanks.”

The commander had been mostly quiet since arriving at the Canterlot train station, save for the odd word here or there and exchanging pleasantries with the princess. Their walk they had shared towards Rarity’s shop to get fitted for dress had been quiet as well, with only the general hubbub of Canterlot filling an otherwise awkward silence between the mares.

An uncomfortable, lingering tension had begun to fester between them, both of them knowing full well a difficult topic would come up sooner or later, yet neither of them willing to take the first step towards it.

All in all, if she had to rate today so far, Tempest would give it a solid five out of ten. Between being interrogated about her past love life, being party to an uncomfortable amount of tension, and getting fitted for outfits to attend a party full of Canterlot’s nobility, she much preferred fighting ghosts, she realised, than to all this... ‘pony living’.

Rarity hummed and hawed and examined Tempest’s hooves, lifting them up and inspecting them one by one. “Something practical, yet still fashionable,” she murmured, more to herself than anypony else. “After all, as it’s Fancy Pants’s engagement party you’ll be going to, you’d no doubt want to look your best to represent the...”

She hesitated.

That hesitation made Tempest’s ears prick up and her eyes narrow ever so slightly as Rarity came to a stop in front of her. They locked eyes. The tension grew--as well as the former’s headache.

“The, ahem... Nightmare Knights,” the white mare finished, making no attempt to hide the disdain in her voice.

Twilight’s smile faded and she cleared her throat. She gave Rarity a curt look and rustled her wings. “I’m surprised you aren’t coming, Rarity,” she said, quickly steering the conversation away from a certain trio. “I know you and Fancy Pants are close.”

Tempest was grateful for change in conversation, mainly because she didn’t want to get into a fight with one of the Princess of Friendship’s dearest friends. She untightened her jaw and flicked her tail slowly from side to side, watching as Rarity composed herself.

“Oh, we are of course,” Rarity replied, quickly changing her tune. “But goodness me no, I’m far too busy to attend, and the event is invitation only,” she added under her breath. “Besides, I suspect that one particular stallion will be there, a certain ‘Prince Charming’ whom I very much wish to avoid entirely for the rest of my life if I can.”

A sinking feeling began to develop in Tempest’s stomach. “Prince Charming?” she muttered quietly and sceptically.

Twilight quickly mouthed a ‘no’ at her and made a cutting motion across her neck.

“Yes,” Rarity sighed, dramatically raising a hoof to her head. “How did I ever let myself be such a fool for ever even dreaming of pursuing a boor like that Blueblood. Oh hush, darling,” she said when she spotted Twilight. “I enjoy talking about it to some extent, if only to ward off any young mares who would dare to pursue such a creature as he. Though those that might may perhaps be a bit...” She waved her hoof around her ear and pulled a face.

Feeling a touch indignant, Tempest remained silent on the matter.

If she noticed the commander’s reticence on the matter or quickly-forming scowl, Rarity didn’t show it, and continued on. “To cut a long story short, after he proved himself not the Prince Charming I had once envisioned him to be, but rather a royal pig, I told him exactly what I thought of him then and there.”

“Yeah, in front of Celestia and almost everypony else at the Grand Galloping Gala,” giggled Twilight, teasing and poking fun at her friend.

Tempest’s eyes softened. That’s what friends did, didn’t they? Poke harmless fun at each other? Maybe, she thought, she had been too harsh on the Knights for inquiring about her love life.

“And then you splashed him with cake.”

“That he used me as a shield for!”

Twilight covered her face with a wing and giggled as Rarity glared at her and stuck her tongue out.

“But, despite Blueblood being... Blueblood,” she continued, “I am glad to see that he holds somepony else in high regard other than himself these days.”

“You mean what he said about Fancy Pants and Fleur?” Twilight asked.

The dressmaker nodded. “Indeed. I dare say he sounded almost charming,” she added with a snort. “And the sentiment behind it was lovely I will admit. But even so, one lovely sentiment and some honeyed words does little to sway this mare’s opinion of him. That would have to take a real, heartfelt apology. Now, I shan’t speak any further of such garish individuals.”

Rarity swiftly turned and ignited her horn, using her magic to grab a few tuxedos and what looked like faux formal military wear. “And after all, I have long since learned that romance is not something to be pursued with interest like I had been doing, but rather it’s a spontaneous thing. That true love, as it were, is waiting just around the corner and comes from the most unexpected places.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’ve been reading those romantic novels again haven’t you?” she chuckled.

Rarity grinned back at her and winked. “Maybe.”

Tempest meanwhile, was busy with her own thoughts, as a pair of green eyes framed by purple trails of smoke flashed through her mind again. She swallowed and stumbled off of the podium, quickly catching herself before she fell face first onto the ground.

“Oh my goodness, darling, are you okay?” Rarity said, offering her hoof.

“Yeah. Fine,” the commander grumbled, shaking the blush from her face. “Are those for me?” she asked, pointing at the clothes. “All of them?”

The fashionista nodded. “Yes, we need to see what does and doesn’t suit you, you see.”

Tempest groaned softly and gave Twilight a weary glance, making the princess giggle softly. “She gets like this sometimes, Tempest. You don’t have to try them all on.”

Rarity quickly stepped up to the princess and flicked her nose. “Hush!” she barked. “Fashion is an art, darling, and you, Tempest, are my canvas.” She smiled at the commander, wilting slightly at her grimace. “But... fine, you don’t need to try them all, I suppose. Are there any in particular you like the look of?”

Tempest traced her eyes over the gaudy looking uniforms and fancy formal wear and bit her lip to keep herself from wincing.

She did, however, spot one dress out of the corner of her eye still resting on the rack: a sleek, black thing with a few sparkly bits on the back. her gaze lingered on it more than she thought, as Rarity followed her eye-line and spotted it. She used her magic to grab it and pull it out. “This?” she offered.

Tempest didn’t answer, looking at it up and down. Not all dresses had to be ruffled or frilly, she reasoned with herself. And as for clothes she thought about what she owned: her Nightmare Knight jumpsuit and her old armour. She could have just one dress, couldn’t she? She quickly realised they were looking at her and coughed.

“Yeah... I’d like to try that,” she said gruffly, pointing at the dress.

Rarity batted her eyelashes at her and held out her selected clothing. “Why Tempest, darling, I never knew you had an eye for fashion,” she cooed, much to the commander’s chagrin. “Come along now. The changing rooms are this way. If you’d like, Tempest, bring it out while you’re wearing it so we can see how it fits and and I’ll see if I can alter it for you before tonight, if need be, as well as add a certain panache to it. And Twilight, dear, seeing as how I already have all of your measurements already, I have something in mind for you. If you accompany Miss Shadow I’ll get it from my special collection in but a moment.”

“Special collection?” Twilight deadpanned, raising one eyebrow at her friend. “Is this your princess line again?”

“What can I say?” Rarity said with a cheeky wink. “Princesses sell. What kind of businessmare would I be if I didn’t try to advertise a new dress for the Princess of Equestria at a gathering of some of Canterlot’s most prestigious ponies?”

“Uh huh.”

Twilight made a silly gesture and rolled her eyes at Tempest, who simply looked down at the ground, stone-faced and neutral, imagining herself in what could be her new dress. A strange sensation she hadn’t felt since she was a filly began to well up inside her, bringing her back to a time when she and Glitter Drops would get dressed up.

Rarity shooed them on ahead and disappeared through another door, no doubt looking for this princess line.

The princess’s smile faltered at the lack of input. She swallowed and led the way to the changing rooms.

The pregnant silence that followed set Tempest’s teeth on edge. As soon as the door closed it was just them in a quiet corridor with only their hoofsteps for company. The calmness and usual joviality Twilight was exuding seemed to be fading rapidly.

“So...” the princess said finally. “How’re things?”

“Can’t complain,” Tempest replied curtly as they entered the changing rooms. Two rows of booths lined the walls. She picked the closest one and pulled aside the curtain. She took a breath to look over the dress for a moment before she started to unzip her jumpsuit. “How are you?”

“Oh, you know... busy. Other than that, I’m good, too.”

Neither of them said anything for a while as Tempest started to get changed.

“So...” the dark mare said, hoping to fill the silence with some semblance of conversation, preferably something away from her. “How come you’re asking me as your plus one? I thought you’d ask Celestia or... somepony else to something like this.” She bit her lip to keep from mentioning ‘A-list friends’.

“She heard Twilight sigh and ruffle her feathers. “Oh... well... Celestia hasn’t responded to any of my letters, so I figured she must be busy enjoying her retirement. Probably somewhere sunny by now.”

Going off what Chrysalis had told her of their time in the Changeling Hive, Tempest wondered herself how Celestia was doing. It had been a week since then and while Chrysalis seemed to be back to normal, she’d heard neither hide nor hair of the celestial alicorn. It occurred to her that Twilight didn’t know about any of that either, and she thought it wise to not mention it--at least not yet.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” she said diplomatically.

“Yeah.” Twilight let out a heavy sigh from beyond the curtain. “In any case, I asked you because I... we haven’t seen each other for a while. And there’s something I need to talk to you about anyway.”

Tempest fidgeted as she managed to wriggle out of her jumpsuit. “About Cozy’s family, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

She heard Twilight take a sharp inhale of breath before beginning. “So... since you guys came back from Saddle Arabia, and following the pointer Cozy gave us, I did some digging. Get this: the Glows are one of the oldest families in Equestria, along with the Apples and a few others. Not only that, but they’re linked to some of history’s biggest names, Gusty the Great and Princess Platinum to name just two. I think if not for Celestia and Luna, they’d be the royal family.”

Tempest felt a knot begin to form in her stomach. “Right,” she murmured. Was Cozy’s family really that influential? That was a surprise, and didn’t bode well if they ever had any unpleasant run ins with them--which she had no doubt would be coming.

“They even have a family name--that’s not very common in Equestria. But anyway, specifics and ancient history aside, I managed to arrange a meeting with them. Lord Borealis Glow, specifically. He’s Cozy’s... he’s her father.”

Another sigh. Another rustle of wings.

“At first I was a bit apprehensive, ‘cause y’know, what kind of family did Cozy Glow come from?” Twilight confessed. “But when I got there he was... nice. Very gracious and welcoming. And very happy to talk about his family history. He even showed me their library--Tempest--they have so many volumes of books long thought since lost to history. I’m talking like the seventeenth volume of Clover the Clever’s arcane writings. The library at the palace only has up to the fifteenth!”

Tempest didn’t answer. She cared about books about as much as she cared about trying on fancy clothes, which is to say not a lot. What she did care about was-

“And... I know she said not to mention her, but...” Twilight sighed again. “...but the subject of Cozy did come up. Specifically when we started talking about her mother, Lady Starshine Glow.”

The commander thought briefly about what Cozy had said about her parents and tried on another outfit. From what she knew of them, she disliked ‘Borealis’ Glow immensely so, but her mother? She realised in that moment that Cozy had never mentioned how her mother felt about her or treated her, other than that she was a unicorn as well.

“According to their extensive family tree, Lady Starshine is a direct descendant of Gusty the Great,” Twilight continued on, growing excited. “And then through her, Cozy is, her brother Dim is, and then her sisters Bright and Candle are.”

Tempest flicked her ear and looked at herself. Cozy hadn’t mentioned a Candle Glow before. She didn’t know if that was for better or for worse just yet.

“But I mean, I had no idea that bloodline was even traceable to this day, let alone to Cozy Glow of all ponies. It is strange she’s a pegasus though, with such a strong line of unicorns.”

The dark mare’s mouth twitched. “What did Starshine have to say about her?” she snapped, harsher than she intended.

Twilight went quiet for a while before answering. “Lady Starshine died when Cozy was born, Tempest. Lord Glow told me that because of her wings there was a... complication.”

And just like that Tempest understood. She pulled the curtain open and stared at the princess in horror. Twilight flinched under her fierce and intensive gaze and nodded glumly. The commander did her best to calm her rising temper, and burrowed her eyes into hers.

“You said ‘because of her wings’. Do they blame her?”

Tempest’s question was more of a formality than anything else. She already knew the answer, of course.

And the wince Twilight gave her said everything it needed to. “I won’t lie, Tempest,” she said. “It seemed that the animosity he had for his own daughter went deeper than just her... y’know, being a villain.”

The commander blinked slowly. Then her face started to twist into a deep scowl. “Animosity?”

The protectiveness Tempest had for Cozy, something all of the Knights shared over their young pegasus, reared its glorious, family sized head. “They bullied and tormented her, and you call it animosity?” she spat. “She told us what they did to her. Twilight, she’s just a kid. A smart kid, too, the Knights would be nothing without her. They’re her family and they-”

She stopped herself when Twilight simply looked at her, her eyes shining sadly.

Tempest pulled the curtain back across with a snort and returned to the mirror. Her tail lashed from side to side of its own accord like a cat’s would. She couldn’t blow up at the princess, she was only telling her what she knew--what she had uncovered. Still. That didn’t help the outrage she felt for her small friend. She glowered at herself, glaring daggers into her own eyes, and then at the dress hanging on the wall. With a grunt she grabbed it. Its softness, surprised her, and reminded her of Cozy’s wings when the filly had given her a hug at their first meeting.

’Hi! I’m Cozy. Oh boy I can tell we’re already gonna be real good friends. Right, Tempest?’

At the time, Tempest had thought that Cozy had no doubt been trying to manipulate her like she did everypony else--according to her Luna’s files on her. Now that she knew the filly, however, she suspected some of it may have been genuine.

“And, um...” Twilight continued after a heavy silence. “I told Lord Glow the truth about what we’re up against, Tempest. He promised his support--he said that whatever else we needed from his family, whatever resources or books or artifacts or anything else that they had, we could get. He only had one condition.”

Tempest snorted, rousing herself of her memories. “What condition?” she grunted. “Is helping the princess not enough for him?”

“Aha... ah, no,” the princess mumbled. “He wants to meet you. That’s why I asked you to come with me tonight, he’s going to be there, at Fancy Pants’s party.”

The commander hesitated. She took deep inhaling breaths, then exhaled slowly, trying to calm her seething emotions. “Why?” she demanded.

“He didn’t say. But I think... I think he wants to apologise to you.”

Tempest’s brow furrowed. “What? Why?”

“You don’t know?” Twilight asked.

“Know what?”

“Well... seeing as how Cozy was kinda-sorta on a reformation probation, and with how you’re in charge of her as commander, you’re technically her legal guardian until she’s finished as a Knight. Whenever that may be. I guess Lord Glow wants... closure, maybe? I’m not sure.”

Tempest’s nose twitched, feeling her anger fade as quickly as it had arrived. She was Cozy’s guardian? That was news to her, as she figured Tirek or Chrysalis were, what with them being far more parentally inclined than she was. “Huh,” she murmured.

The sound of rustling wings filled the air. “I know this is a lot to spring on you, Tempest,” Twilight said as apologetically as she could. “But I’m asking you as a friend, not as a princess, to do this for me. I wasn’t kidding when I said their library is huge--they could have just what we need in order to stop Bray. Any information they might have--however big or small--could be incredibly important.”

The commander nodded. “I get it,” she replied, running a hoof over her mane to smooth it down. “Fine. I’ll meet him. But I’m warning you, Twilight, if he says anything against Cozy, I’ll-”

“I know you will, Tempest. You’re a good friend. I know you’d do anything for them. Just... don’t hit him, okay?”

Pride oozed out of Twilight’s voice as she spoke. Though the curtain separated them both still, Tempest could tell she was smiling. She herself started to smile, and flared her nostrils. “Damn right I would.”

A short but heavy silence descended upon them after that as Tempest took the plunge and threw on Rarity’s dress.

She traced her eyes over the sparkly dress as it rested over her back. The word elegant came to her, making her snort. It fitted her quite nicely too, not quite hugging her form but not hanging loosely off of her either. Its colour, not in fact black as she thought but rather a very deep indigo upon closer inspection, matched her coat pretty good as well, she thought.

She snorted. “Who are you trying to impress, Fizz?” she asked herself under her breath in a chiding tone. “The ‘stallion of your dreams’?”

“Tempest?” Twilight said suddenly from the other side of the curtain, sounding hesitant and uncertain, and breaking through her thoughts. “If... can I say something?”

Tempest flinched at how upset she sounded. “Su--go ahead, Twilight,” she said, attempting to take the hardened edge out of her voice. “I mean... of course you can.”

“I think... I think Luna knew how bad it was for her. For Cozy, I mean. I think that’s why she made her a Knight. So you could be her family. The Nightmare Knights, I mean, not just you... you know what I mean.”

The commander paused and thought for a moment. Family? She asked herself, was the brotherhood, so to speak, of their profession close enough to warrant the use of the word family? If it was, they were perhaps Equestria’s most dysfunctional family ever.

And that made her smile. “Maybe you’re right...” she murmured as she pulled back the curtain, ready to reveal herself, and stepped out into the light. “What do you think?” she asked the princess.

Twilight perked up and looked her up and down as she stepped forwards. “Wow, Tempest,” she murmured, a small blush spreading across her face. “You look... wow.”

The commander smiled back at her, easily spotting the blush. She held her head up high and swished her tail. “Thanks. It fits well enough. Should we go, then? Rarity said to bring it out, right?”

The slightly pink-nosed princess nodded, still looking her up and down.

“Eyes are up here, Twilight.”

“I know!” The alicorn’s cheeks turned a deeper shade as she straightened up. She flashed a toothy smile at the commander and moved away, accidentally walking straight into a nearby wall. She rubbed her nose and scowled, even as Tempest fought to suppress some laughter.

“Well I’m glad to see you can still smile,” Twilight grumbled, pinching her nose before smiling back at her. “I was starting to think you’d forgotten how.”

Tempest fidgeted on the spot and rubbed the back of her head as they walked side by side. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Today’s just been... a lot, y’know?” she replied as they headed towards the front of Rarity’s shop. “And I’m gonna be honest, I can’t say I’m looking forward to tonight either.”

“I know. But it won’t be so bad. Like I said there’ll be fireworks.” Twilight turned to her and smiled, resting her hoof on the door. “You love fireworks, right?”

“Love is a strong word.”

“You know what I mean. Point is, I’ve heard Prince Blueblood has excellent fireworks. Even magic ones that turn into dragons made of fire. That’ll be cool to see, right?” The princess beamed at the commander even as the latter’s face dropped.

“What did you say?” she whispered. Her nose started to tingle.

Puzzled, Twilight’s smile wavered. “I said: ones that turn into-”

“No, before that. You said Blueblood?”

The princess nodded. “The ball tonight is at his estate. Why? Is that a problem?”

Tempest clenched her jaw. The tingle in her nose grew. Her pupils shrank and she shuddered. Then the moment passed and she collected herself.

“Tempest? D’you know Blueblood or something?” Twilight leaned in close. “Was he rude to you, too?” she whispered as Tempest pressed her hoof against the door.

“Not exactly,” the commander sighed, pushing it wide open. “He... proposed to me.”

There was a beat before Twilight responded, taking a second to digest.

“He what?”

The princess gaped after Tempest as she strode forwards into the boutique. The commander looked around, and seeing as how Rarity was nowhere in sight, she tapped the bell on the counter nearby. The shrill ding that rang out cut through the quiet of the shop.

“One moment, darling!” came the dressmaker’s sing-song voice from a side room.

The princess stumbled forwards, as if she was in a daze, and stared at the commander with wide eyes. “He proposed to you, Tempest?” she hissed. “How? When?”

Tempest shrugged. “About a year before I became a Nightmare Knight.”

Twilight leaned in close, her eyes wide and her pupils small. “And you said-”

“No,” the dark mare grumbled. She sighed and hung her head. “Look, I’m only telling you this so tonight won’t be... as awkward as it could be.” She took a deep breath and exhaled softly.

Twilight blinked, then pulled back and bobbed her head in understanding. “Yeah I can understand that, but... wow,” she breathed. “You and Blueblood, I never knew... does anypony else?”

“It got brought up before I left today,” Tempest grunted with a roll of her eyes. “But not to the full extent, and I’d rather keep it that way if you don’t-”

She stopped and cocked an ear out when she heard muffled voices from outside, followed by the clip clop of hooves. She flared her nostrils and looked at Twilight carefully, directly in the eye.

“I’d rather keep that just between us, okay, Twilight?”

It wasn’t really a question, and thankfully Twilight seemed to understand that.

The princess straightened up and folded her wings neatly to her sides. “Sure, Tempest,” she said. “I Pinkie promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“Thanks.”

Tempest felt hot under the collar, in more ways than one. But thankfully, before Twilight could ask any more questions, the voices outside turned from a muffled conversation to a loud laughter as the door swung open.

“...and here we are. Trust me, my friend, Miss Rarity is one of, if not the finest, outfitters in Canterlot, and one of the most generous, kindest souls I’ve ever--my word, Princess Twilight as I live and breathe!”

Tempest looked over at the speaker as a tall, white stallion with a thin moustache and a monocle stood in the doorway staring at the princess, one hoof still on the door. To her surprise, it was the same stallion from the television.

The shock plastered across her face from Tempest’s confession vaporised as Twilight also looked, and promptly broke out into a wide smile. “Oh, hello Mr. Fancy Pants,” she said cheerfully, stepping forwards to greet him.

Fancy Pants beamed at her and bowed low. “Hello, my dear, how are you? So good to see you again. I apologise if I’ve intruded upon your time at all-”

“Oh no, no, not at all, Fancy,” Twilight laughed, waving her hoof at him. “I wouldn’t want anypony to not do what they want to do just because I’m here.”

The well dressed stallion laughed and nodded, holding a hoof over his chest. “I thought as much--although I’d hate to be impolite and presume anything. A true treasure such as yourself, Princess, just like your predecessor, deserves the utmost respect.” He noticed Tempest then and smiled at her. “Hello, I’m afraid we haven’t the pleasure, miss...”

The princess rested a hoof on the commander’s back and pulled her forwards. “Fancy Pants, this is Tempest Shadow,” she said. “She’s a friend. Tempest, this is Mr. Fancy Pants.”

Tempest inclined her head towards him in a somewhat awkward manner. “Hello,” she said.

What was she supposed to say? ‘Hello, my lord’? Sir? Was Fancy Pants even a noble? Did she call him Fancy like Twilight did or something more formal like... Mr. Pants--Mr. Pants sounded rude she couldn’t say that. Regardless, she held out her hoof and gave him her friendliest smile, which to some would probably look more like a grimace than an actual smile.

Fancy Pants, however, never faltered or showed any signs of discomfort at all as he clasped her hoof in his. “A genuine pleasure to meet you, Miss Shadow,” he said earnestly. “Any friend of the princess’s is a friend of mine!”

The commander bobbed her head as he released her, feeling her hoof twinge a little bit. His grip was stronger than she thought it would be. “Uh, likewise, thanks. Congratulations on your engagement, by the way.”

“Why, thank you!”

Twilight nodded her head approvingly at Tempest, and gave her a small smile before turning back to the stallion. “So what brings you here, Fancy?” she asked him.

“Oh!” Fancy Pants cried. “Well, I came to see myself and my best stallion-to-be outfitted for the wedding, and I could think of nopony better suited for the job than dear Miss Rarity.” He stood up straight and turned around. “Blueblood, old fellow, don’t be shy! Come in and say hello to the princess!”

“Bluebl...”

Tempest locked up as Fancy stepped to one side and a tall, handsome pony emerged from behind him, sporting a coat as white as Celestia’s, an amber coloured mane and a rose compass cutie mark that seemed to almost glisten in the light.

A moment of panic flashed in Twilight’s eyes as she glanced at the commander.

Fancy Pants put a hoof around the prince and gave him a gentle squeeze. “Blueblood and myself are old friends,” he explained. “It was he, you see, who gave the confidence I needed to finally propose to my Fleur. ‘Never wait too long, else you may lose what you love’,” he told me.” He beamed and pulled back a little bit. “Well go ahead, old bean, say hello!”

Blueblood gave the princess a smile and bowed his head respectfully. “A pleasure to see you again, your grace,” he said to her before looking at Tempest and doing the same without missing a beat. “And Miss Tempest, of course.”

The commander kept her eyes fixed firmly on his piercing blues and stiffly nodded back at him, bowing as much as her tense legs would allow.

Fancy Pants blinked, a touch confused. “Oh, do you know Miss Shadow, Blueblood?”

“Not personally,” he replied, still locking eyes with her. “Though I know of her. One of the famous Nightmare Knights, yes?”

Twilight glanced sideways at Tempest and swallowed nervously. The dark mare stiffened her neck, then bowed back at him. “Yes, that’s right,” she said. Apparently he’d rather keep their past relationship as hush-hush as she did. That worked for her. “The princess here asked me to your party as her plus one.”

One of Blueblood’s immaculate eyebrows quivered.

Fancy Pants, meanwhile, clapped his hooves together, overjoyed. “Excellent!” he cried. “The more the merrier! Truth be told I would invite all of Canterlot if I could, but alas with the select few Fleur and I have chosen to invite to our little celebration, and their plus ones naturally, we hope to have a far more personal gathering.”

Twilight nodded and rustled her wings. “So who else is coming, Fancy?” she asked, clearly hoping to avoid any ugly confrontations between Tempest and Blueblood. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is-”

“Of course not, my dear. Let me see. Myself, Fleur, yourself princess, obviously, Blueblood, Miss Shadow here-”

As Fancy Pants rattled off a series of names Tempest either didn’t know or didn’t care about, she studied the prince’s face over the top of the groom-to-be’s head. Blueblood was a rock, however, and gave nothing away in spite of how his eyebrow quivered moments earlier. A stubbornly handsome rock, thought Tempest, before she realised she was admiring him, and quickly looked away and down at the ground. No. Stop that, she scolded herself.

“And last but not least, Lord Glow.”

As Fancy finished his list of guests, the last name seemed to bring Tempest around. “Lord Glow?” she repeated.

Fancy Pants glanced at her, surprised, and nodded. “Yes, Borealis, the old chap, and I share certain interests. Do you know him, perchance, Miss Tempest?”

“Not personally, but I’ve...” She realised she was repeating Blueblood, and bit her lip. “Heard of him.” The commander glanced at the princess and remembered their previous conversation. Twilight simply offered her a small, somewhat sad smile, and bobbed her head. “What ‘interests’ do you share with him, Mr. Fancy?”

The noblepony chuckled. “Ahh well you see, my dear, Borealis is an avid studier of history, unicorn history in particular, and I myself am equally as fascinated by the subject, so naturally we get along like a house on fire.”

The door to the back end of the boutique burst open as he finished. A rather disgruntled looking Rarity emerged carrying a bundle of clothes in her magic, and slung it on the counter. “Right!” she cried. “Finally, here is everything I have in your measurements, Twilight, dear, now if you’d kindly put some of these on so I can see what would suit you best-”

“Ahem... Rarity?” Twilight said quietly as she started to ramble and rifle through the pile.

When her friend simply continued, however, she cleared her throat and spoke in a higher than usual pitched voice, scraping away some of the aforementioned unmentionables from view.

“Rarityyyy? Aha... you have customeeers.” She gestured with her head towards the others.

“Hmm?”

The dressmaker’s eyes wandered over to those present, quickly lighting up in sheer delight.

“Fancy Pants!” she squealed, hurrying around the counter to greet him. “So wonderful to see you again, darling! Congratulations are in order, I think?”

Tempest quickly stepped out of the way as she surged forwards to give Fancy Pants a hug.

Fancy Pants hugged Rarity back with a mile-wide smile on his face. “Hello, my dear Miss Rarity!” he cried. “My, you’re looking as lovely as ever!” He gestured towards Blueblood as they pulled away. “You remember Prince Blueblood, don’t you?”

Rarity’s smile grew, a bit too wide, perhaps, to be natural, as she noticed the prince and bowed her head to him. “Of course I do,” she said through the smile, gritting her teeth together. “How could I ever forget Prince Blueblood?”

“Aha! I told you she would, old chap!” Fancy laughed.

The prince sighed, roused out of his thoughts for the time being. “Yes, quite,” he said, and raised a hoof to his chest. “Miss Rarity, permit me to say so, for I do believe I owe you an apology.”

Rarity blinked at him in confusion, her false smile waning dramatically. “An apology?”

“Yes indeed, and one long overdo at that. When last we met I was, to put it bluntly, arrogant, rude, and wholly deserving of the thrashing you gave me.” He bowed his head to her and stared at the ground, his words sincere and his tone grave. “And so I humbly offer my sincerest apologies for the abhorrent treatment I showed a lady of your significance.”

Tempest’s ear flicked as their eyes met for the briefest moment she swore she saw some flicker of recognition in them. Was he actually addressing her? Or Rarity?

Meanwhile Rarity picked her jaw up off the ground and collected herself as best she could. “Oh... w-well thank you, Prince Blueblood,” she said, clearly in shock. “Um... I don’t know what to say.”

Fancy Pants chortled softly and proudly put his hoof around the prince. “Blueblood told me all about that night, Miss Rarity. Did you know, he makes the claim that it made him a far better pony than he was.”

Blueblood solemnly nodded his head in agreement with his friend. “Very, very much so,” he admitted. “I aim only to improve myself now, for better or for... well I can’t be much worse than how I was, now can I?” he added with a quiet chuckle.

Albeit somewhat still in shock, Rarity laughed and nodded along with him.

Tempest felt her ears burn and her eye start to twitch. Was she jealous? Impossible...

“Oh my stars, Tempest, darling!” Rarity suddenly cried, looking right at her. “You look--oh, you look mesmerising!”

Tempest froze. She felt the soft fabric of the dress brush against her side. Oh no.

She had forgotten what she was wearing. And in front of him, no less. A deep red began to spread over her face as she lowered her head and tried to shrink away.

“Oh don’t be bashful, darling,” Rarity chortled, picking up her hoof and tugging her forwards into the light. “Why I never knew you had an eye for fashion, Tempest! It looks divine and fits you perfectly!” she cried. “That colour as well! I’ve been wanting to try out some darker colours for a while now but most ponies’ coats simply disagree with them. Yours, however, lends itself to a certain... je ne sa quois.”

Fancy Pants nodded alongside her in agreement. “It is a rather marvellous dress, indeed, isn’t it?” he murmured, looking the commander up and down. “What do you think--wouldn’t you say so, Blueblood?”

Tempest bristled and supressed a shiver as she felt Blueblood’s eyes on her. She fought to supress it even harder when he spoke softly, and almost sighed.

“Yes... divine. As the stars themselves...”

Rarity took one slow blink, and gave Twilight a questioning look. The princess rustled her wings and stared back at her without saying a word, keeping her head high and her eye-line steady. Meanwhile, Fancy Pants trotted over to Blueblood and nudged him in the ribs and wiggled his eyebrows. “Hold fast there, old boy,” he chortled. “There’ll be time for that later. Remember, we’re on a schedule.”

“A schedule, darling?” Rarity asked, still trying to discern what Twilight knew from the look in her eye.

“Indeed, there is much to do before tonight. Such as why we are here, in fact! Rarity, I was hoping to see if you would do us the honour of fitting us for our wedding attire? I’m sure Fleur will be along at some point as well, but alas, I was here first!”

The fashionista gave the princess one final look, then turned and broke out into a wide, warm smile at Fancy. “Oh Fancy, you needn’t even ask--but I am flattered you thought of me.” She gestured over towards the podium where she had fitted Tempest, then hesitated and seemed to remember something. Namely: Twilight. “I’m sorry, sirs, but dear Twilight here was next in line...”

Twilight jerked her head up and chuckled nervously. “Oh, no you don’t have to do that, Rarity,” she said quickly. “I’m happy to wait. In fact I was just saying to Tempest we should go out and get something to eat. Wasn’t I, Tempest?” She widened her eyes slightly and subtly gestured towards the door with her head.

The commander felt her eyebrow twitch and flared her nostrils as all eyes turned to her once again. “Ye-ah,” she croaked. Her voice caught in her throat. She coughed and swallowed. “I mean... yeah that’s right. I’d like to get changed first, though.”

Rarity nodded and gestured towards the door to the changing rooms. “Of course, of course,” she said with a smile. A smile that said I want to know everything. “I’ll bag that dress up for you and have it ready to be collected before tonight.”

Tempest nodded at her and made her way towards the changing rooms again.

“If I may, Princess?” Blueblood added quietly. “I should like to join you, if only for a moment. I’d like to ask your opinion of something... in private.”

Tempest clenched her jaw together as she pulled open the door, lingering there for a moment. Opinion? What opinion? And why in private? Once more her tail lashed from side to side and her ears began to burn. She glanced back, narrowing her eyes at the princess.

Twilight looked lost, and like her brain had transformed into spaghetti in that moment as she floundered for words.

“Twilight?” Rarity said, gently touching her.

“Huh?” The alicorn shook her head and appeared to snap back out of whatever inner crisis she was suffering. “Sure, Blueblood. I mean, that’s not a problem,” she said with a hearty, very forced laugh. “I’m always happy to help.”

Blueblood bowed his head respectfully to her. “Thank you, your grace. I shan’t take up much of your time, but it is a delicate matter.”

Fancy Pants chuckled to himself. “Ah Blueblood, you and your secrets. Well, Rarity my dear, it looks like I’m all yours.”

“It certainly does,” Rarity replied, giving all those present, bar him, a curious look.

The prince started towards the door to the front of the shop, pulling it open and stepping to one side. “Shall we, Princess?” he asked.

Twilight looked back at Tempest and flinched. “I’ll just meet you outside, Tempest?” she offered. “Y’know, once you’ve gotten changed.”

Tempest exhaled through her nostrils and nodded stiffly, her mind awash with theories over what Blueblood needed to speak to her about. “Sure.”

“Great. See you soon.” The princess’s smile widened as Rarity’s had, still too wide to be natural, and nodded politely to the prince. “Thank you, Blueblood.”

The bell above the door jingled as they left. Rarity began busying herself with taking Fancy Pants’s measurements, and Tempest made her way to the changing rooms again, her mind awash with thoughts and worries.

“What are you doing?” she hissed at herself. “You’re Tempest Shadow for storm’s sake!”

She flinched almost as soon as the words left her mouth. She hadn’t used... ’his’ expression in some time, and it left a bad taste on her tongue. A shadow darkened her face for a moment as she found the booth she had been using, and quickly got changed.

Soon after she was back in the front of the shop to where the dressmaker and her latest client were happily chatting away to one another about this, that and the other--too engrossed in their own conversation to notice her as she slipped past.

The bright, shining sun was dazzling, making her wince and raise a hoof to her eyes as she opened the door. She took a few short breaths and looked around, only to see Twilight and Blueblood were nowhere in sight. She breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her head. “Well I guess I’ll just find a spot to sit and think for a while, then,” she muttered to herself.

“Fizz?” said a quiet voice from off to one side. “Is that you?”

She blinked and looked around, and her jaw fell open in surprise when she spotted a familiar face belonging to a familiar pony standing in the shade nearby, sipping the straw of a bright red slushy.

“Glitter Drops?!”

Her old friend beamed at her and waved her over. “It is you!” she laughed. “Y’know I thought it was? What’re you doing coming out of there?” She gestured to the boutique with her cup.

Tempest felt her cheeks flush with heat as she trotted over. “Oh... I’m, uh... going to a party,” she mumbled. “Need a dress for it.” Whatever the reason for Glitter’s sudden appearance, it wasn’t as if today couldn’t have any more surprises for her. “What are you doing here?”

“A party, huh? Well, you always did look cute in a dress.” Glitter smiled at her. “My boss and his friend are getting fitted,” she said. “He came out just a few minutes ago, actually, maybe you saw him while he was in there? Prince Blueblood? He was talking to Princess Twilight about something important.”

The dark mare rubbed her nose and sniffed. “Your boss?” she murmured, digesting the information.

She was wrong. Today had at least one more, and hopefully the last, surprise for her.

***

“Here y’are, ladies, two iced teas and a bagel--on the house.”

The pegasus waitress smiled as she set down two cups before Tempest and Glitter, sliding them across the table with the use of her wings. Her eyes twinkled and shone like stars, and with her pretty cream coloured coat, feathered hooves and long, dark brown mane she probably drew in a lot of attention from a lot of different ponies. But it appeared, right now, that she had eyes for Tempest Shadow.

The commander mustered up as much of a smile as she could as way of thanks as the admittedly attractive pegasus slid the last plate across, fluttering her long eyelashes at the commander. “Thank you,” she said awkwardly.

Glitter giggled quietly under her breath and watched as her old friend’s nose twitched.

“My pleasure, sugar,” said the waitress. “My name’s Soufflé Swirl, if you guys need me for anythin’ else just lemme know, ‘kay?”

She gave both mares a happy smile before turning to walk away, swaying her hips ever so slightly. Glitter wiggled her eyebrows at her old friend, watching her every move, and folded her hooves. “She’s cute isn’t she?” she asked, innocently batting her eyelashes.

Tempest glared at her and picked up her tea, downing it all in one long gulp, crunching the ice cubes in it as well just for good measure. She set the empty cup down and sighed. “Mhm.”

Glitter picked up her cup and took a sip.

“You and Blueblood must have had it real bad for each other, huh?”

“Hnng...”

The commander let out a long, drawn out sigh and leaned backwards, folding her forehooves over her chest, grateful that the café she and Glitter had found was more or less empty. The fewer witnesses to her current plight the better. She grumbled incoherently under her breath, muttering nothing in particular, just about her troubles.

Glitter Drops took a deep breath in an effort to keep the childish grin from spreading across her face, and leaned in across the table. “So tell me the truth. Did you like him?” she asked. “Like... like-like him?”

Tempest scoffed and waved her hoof. “Dropsy, you’re married and have a kid and I’m a Knight of Equestria. I think we’re a bit past saying ‘like-like’.”

“Heh... well, maybe. Did you looove him, then?” she cooed, batting her eyelashes.

The commander quickly scowled. “No. He was nice, and attractive, and it was sweet while it lasted. But he was...” She hesitated for a second before continuing. “...much more into it than I was. I liked him, yeah, but I never loved him.” She winced and turned her ears down. “I had to say no.”

Glitter took a sip of her tea and nodded sagely. “Yeah, okay, I get that,” she admitted. She smiled. “But still. A prince! You could be a princess right now if thing had gone differently!”

“Don’t,” Tempest grumbled. “I’ve had enough of that from Cozy today.”

“Okay, okay,” Glitter relented, still smiling. “So you told the other Knights about it, too?”

“Like I told Twilight, not the whole thing. If I let it slip that he proposed to me they’d never let me live it down.” Tempest leaned back in her seat and dragged her hooves down her face. Her heart pounded away in her chest, and she felt sweaty and clammy. And she suspected that the sunshine outside had nothing to do with it.

Glitter Drops sighed and poked around in her cheek with her tongue.

“Call me crazy... but I think you like him, Fizz.”

“What?!”

The sudden increase in Tempest’s voice and the sound her cutlery made as she banged the table made the heads of some the other café staff nearby turn their heads and briefly glance over. She quickly lowered her head and shifted where she sat, glaring daggers at Glitter Drops. “I do not like him,” she hissed. “I mean, I do--I did--but not that way.”

Glitter shrugged and grinned from ear to ear as Tempest scowled again. “I don’t know, when Frob and I first met I was just like how you are now. Nervous, worried, anxious about seeing him again, wondering what I was supposed to say-”

“You sure you actually like your husband?”

“Hush, you,” Glitter giggled as she leaned over and bopped the commander on the nose. “Point is, I know how what you’re feeling feels. So look at me.”

Tempest did, and rubbed her nose as she looked up. “What?” she grumped.

Glitter Drops smiled at her. “Tempest Shadow might be this tough badass who fights ghosts and monsters and whatever,” she said, “but to me, Fizzlepop Berrytwist will always be that cute little filly I knew in Nowhere who I practised kissing with, and who could never talk to boys. Whatever this is, you’ll get past it. It’s okay to be just a normal, regular pony for once, too, y’know.”

Tempest looked her in the eye, at her smiling face, and felt her emotions start to calm. There was something that put her at ease just by being around her. “Pfft,” she muttered, putting her hooves down on the table. “When did you get so corny?”

“Same time you became such a softie.” Glitter Drops stuck her tongue out and reached over to rest her hoof over one of Tempest’s.

They sat like that for a few moments in a short silence, just enjoying each other’s company, before she pulled away and returned to her drink.

“You’re kinda badass too, y’know,” the dark mare muttered, inspecting the lone ice cube left in her cup. “I remember how you charged in to fight that spider.”

“Heh, yeah...” Glitter chuckled. “It used to be I couldn’t even look at a spider without jumping up onto a chair, y’know. Now I swat ‘em before I’ve even realised it.” She looked down at her cup, at her own ice cubes floating in her cup, and twisted her mouth. “Is it just me, or is it weird I work for your ex?”

Tempest flinched. It did indeed feel a touch weird knowing that Dropsy was working for Prince Blueblood. Her old friend and her... ‘ex’, as she put it. She grimaced and pulled a face. “Today’s been kinda weird all over. How’d you end up working for him anyway?”

“I’m still not sure, to be honest,” Glitter admitted. “One day after dropping Fizzy off for school I went to grab a bite to eat, only I left my purse at home and came up a few bits short. Thankfully, the prince was passing by and like a true gentlecolt he offered to pay the difference. We got to talking after that and I mentioned that I was looking for a new job closer to Canterlot, so he offered me one as his PA, seeing as how his old one left.”

She smiled and tapped her hooves together as she spoke.

“It’s pretty easy to do in all honesty, I set up appointments for him, meetings with other nobles and stuff, sort out his business for the day.” She flicked her ear when she saw the strange expression crossing Tempest’s face. “Hey, it beats working in an office, right?”

“What’s he like? He’s not rude to you is he?”

The young mare blinked at the sudden protectiveness in her friend’s voice. “No, no he’s nice,” she answered, waving her hooves through the air to reassure the commander. “Very understanding, too. When I told him Fizzy goes to school in Canterlot he offered to pay for at least my travel expenses. I said no, before you say anything.” Glitter chuckled softly. “I can see why you liked him, Fizz, he’s very charming.”

The commander pushed her tongue into the inside of her cheek and grunted quietly. “Mhm.” She said nothing for a while, and then she had an idea. An awful, wicked idea, and gingerly touched the end of her nose. “Geez, Glitter I think if you hit me any harder you might have broken it.”

Glitter flinched and flattened her ears down to her head as she stood up. “Oh my goodness, do you think so? Here, let me have a look.”

The commander tilted her head back slightly and let her do her thing as Glitter circled around their table.

“I can’t see anything, but...”

The would-be nurse noticed the smile twitching at the beginning of Tempest’s mouth and stopped. “Oh you... rotten beast!” she cried, playfully batting her old friend on the side.

“Gotcha,” Tempest winked.

“You had me worried! I thought I’d hurt you, you beast!”

The commander stuck her tongue out and grinned.

Glitter flared her nostrils, then turned and slumped back down into her seat with a harrumph.

Tempest chuckled under her breath and leaned forwards, deciding to tuck into the bagel the cute waitress had brought her. After a short while she had another thought. “Hey, if you’re Bluebood’s PA... does that mean you’re going to the ball tonight with him?”

The hopefulness in her voice was clear as day. Glitter thought so too as her eyes lit up. “It’s a ball now?” she giggled. “I thought it was just a party. Look at you moving up in the world. But no, I’m not. I actually have the day off today, I just came to Canterlot to pick up Fizzy. Why?” She leaned in close and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Want your wingmare by your side in case anything happens?”

Tempest was starting to feel like if she rolled her eyes any harder she’d start to get dizzy. “No. But it would have been nice to see you. This feels nice, y’know? Me and you friends again.”

Glitter’s eyes began to sparkle and shine. “Awww, Fizzy!” she cooed. “You do care.”

“I take it back. It doesn’t feel nice at all and I’m glad you’re not going.”

The young mother let out a hearty laugh and sipped her tea. She glanced over at the clock nearby and grimaced. “Oh shoot, speaking of Fizzy, she’ll be finishing school soon,” she murmured. “Wanna come? She’ll be delighted to see her Aunty Fizz.”

Tempest grinned at the thought of being an ‘Aunty Fizz’, but a niggle of doubt pushed away those thoughts, and she let out a heavy sigh. “I’d love to, but I can’t. Twilight’s probably waiting for me, we’ve been here a while.”

Glitter looked disappointed but nodded as they stood up. “That’s fair. I’ll give her your best anyway. Also did you really just call the princess by her first name?”

“Sure. When it’s something formal I call her Princess or your grace or whatever,” the commander replied with a wave of her hoof. “But when it’s something casual like this, she’s just Twilight. She said she prefers it that way--like she’s everypony’s friend.”

Glitter blinked. “Oh, yeah, right. I guess that’s on brand for the Princess of Friendship, right?”

The friendly waitress who had served them smiled at them both as they made their way towards the exit. Glitter reached into her purse and forked over some bits. “Here you go. You can keep the change, too.”

“Thanks guys,” Soufflé Swirl said cheerfully, ringing them up. “Here’s your receipt. I hope I get to see you again sometime.” She fluttered her eyelashes at Tempest again as if to say ‘especially you’.

Tempest smiled back at her. Soufflé was indeed cute like Glitter said. And pretty. Her eyes went up around the girl’s mane and she felt a tingle in her nose.

“I like your mane.”

It just blurted out. She didn’t mean to say it, but she did, and her cheeks started to turn red.

Likewise the waitress quickly turned a similar red in the cheeks and bobbed her head before dashing away, squealing in girlish delight with some of her friends. Tempest felt the rush of heat leave her face and allowed a small smile play across her face as she followed her old friend out into the sun.

Glitter, for her part, kept quiet. But she did wiggle her eyebrows again.

“Ugh, don’t-”

“You’re so cute when you’re trying to flirt, Fizz!”

“Ugh.” Tempest pushed her face away as they started their walk back to the boutique. The knot in her spine and stomach had both long since faded by now, although she was quietly dreading tonight. She couldn’t exactly avoid Blueblood all night, could she?

Or could she?

“Hey,” Glitter said, bumping her with her flank. “Just try and have fun today, okay? You are going to a party, after all.”

The commander bobbed her head as they rounded a corner and spotted their destination. “Yeah... yeah, you’re right, Dropsy.” She sighed and rubbed the back of her head. “I’ll try. It’s just...”

Besides Blueblood, there was also the question of Cozy’s father, Lord Borealis Glow. The very thought of meeting the pony responsible for her little friend’s misery made her blood boil. She hated him already, and she didn’t even have a face to go with his uppity, pretentious-sounding name.

She let out a disgruntled sigh and hung her head. Glitter gave her a reassuring pat for comfort’s sake, and looked up as the jingle of a bell rang out across the courtyard. “Oh hey, it’s the princess,” she murmured, quickly stopping short in her tracks as a certain purple pony princess flexed her wings. “It’s the prin...” She paled and frantically started to see to herself.

“Oh gosh is my mane okay? Are my hooves polished enough? Do I bow? Is it your grace or your majesty?”

Tempest grunted and nudged her forwards, prodding her along with her horn. “I just told you Twilight prefers it casual. Just smile and say hello.”

“Hello. Right... I can do that...”

Twilight herself broke out into a wide smile as she spotted them walking towards her. “There you are, Tempest,” she said jokingly. “I was starting to think you weren’t coming back.”

The commander forced a smile out at her. “Sorry,” she muttered. “Have you been waiting long?”

Twilight shook her head and waved her hoof. “Not really. Blueblood really did just want a quick word or two, and when we got back Rarity had our dresses ready and waiting for us, so we’re all set for tonight.” The princess moved to one side and showed the small bag nestled safely between her wings. “See?”

Tempest bobbed her head. “Cool. Thanks Twilight.”

“No problem. Who’s your friend?”

The dark mare looked around at Glitter, and grimaced at how she was gawking. She cleared her throat, and closed the young mare’s mouth for her. “Twilight, this is Glitter Drops. Glitter, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

Glitter shook her head and ran a hoof through her mane to try and straighten it, then bowed low before the alicorn. “H-Hello, Princess,” she stammered. “It’s a real pleasure to meet you.”

Twilight beamed at her and bowed back. “The pleasure’s all mine, Glitter Drops.” She tapped her chin and thought for a moment. “I hope you don’t mind me saying so but you look so familiar. Say, you wouldn’t happen to be Little Fizzy’s mom by any chance, would you?”

As Glitter stood up Tempest could practically feel the excitement radiating off of her.

“That’s right I am!” she practically squealed, teetering forwards on her hooves.

“I thought so, I can see the resemblance,” the princess laughed. “She’s doing so well for the youngest in her class. You must be as proud of her as I am.”

The commander tilted her head slightly. “You know Fizzy, Twilight? How?”

“I make it a habit to visit Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns every week,” Twilight answered happily. “Just to check in. Celestia did the same when I was there so I thought I’d keep up the tradit-”

“EEEEEEEE!” Glitter let out an ecstatic squeal of joy and hopped up and down on the spot, unable to contain herself a moment longer. “I can’t believe it, the Princess of Equestria is proud of my little girl! Just wait until Frob hears about this!” She surged forwards and pulled Twilight into a tight hug of her own, holding her there for a minute or so.

Tempest and Twilight both chuckled at one another as the princess patted her on the back.

It took her a second, but Glitter seemed to realise what she had done, and jumped back. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, your majesty!” she cried, sinking low before her. “Really, I didn’t mean-”

The princess’s warm smile only grew, however as she touched her shoulder and raised her up. “It’s really okay, Glitter. I’m only glad to know Fizzy has a mom as wonderful and supportive as you.”

The young mare’s eyes lit up again as she fought to contain her excitement, dancing on the spot. Tempest gave her a nudge and laughed quietly. “Easy there, Dropsy.”

“Dropsy?” Twilight looked between them in surprise. “Am I wrong or is that childhood nickname?”

Glitter nodded quite happily. “Fizzlepop and I go way back,” she explained. “She was my best friend when we were little, and she’s why my Fizzy is called what she is. Fizz, I mean, ‘Tempest’ here is her godmother, after all.”

The princess’s eyebrows rose up. “Wow. I didn’t expect that,” she said. “I’m really learning a lot about you today, Tempest,” she added with a wink.

Tempest shifted on the spot and looked down at the ground. She was sick of blushing today. “Yeah. You are, aren’t you? Speaking of... what did you and, uh...” She trailed off, and awkwardly rubbed her forelegs together. “How’s Blueblood?”

Twilight inhaled sharply and bit her lip. “He’s actually very nice,” she said. “Very different to how Rarity said he was, I truly believe he’s become a better pony now. As for what he asked me about, well... he asked that I keep it between us.”

Tempest bristled but nodded. “Uh huh, uh huh,” she mumbled. “Where... is he?”

“In there,” the princess replied, pointing to the boutique. “Rarity’s taking his measurements now. It shouldn’t be much longer I don’t think before-”

Before she had even finished speaking, the door to the dress shop swung open. Fancy Pants emerged first, looking as cheerful and chipper as ever, and behind him Blueblood followed. The former’s smile only grew as he spotted the trio of mares outside, and started towards them with a spring in his step.

“Hello, Mrs Glitter Drops!” he cried happily upon reaching them, giving the young mare in question a polite bow. “I hadn’t expected to see you here today, how are you?”

Glitter smiled at him and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. “Hello, Mr. Fancy Pants. I’m pretty good. I was just passing by when I saw Fiz--Tempest here and I thought I’d say hello before I have to go and pick my daughter up from school.” As his brow furrowed ever so slightly in questioning, she answered before he could even ask. “We’re old friends, you see.”

“Really? I had no idea,” Fancy laughed, his brow rapidly unfurrowing. “What a small world we live in, eh, Blueblood?”

Blueblood nodded, his eyes lighting up with curiosity as he regarded his assistant. “Indeed. Hello, Mrs Glitter. Keeping well, I hope?”

Glitter curtsied and smiled at him. “Hello, sir, Mr. Blueblood. Very well, thank you.”

As the conversation lulled to a complete halt, she puffed her cheeks out and rocked back and forth. “Uh, well, I’d better be going,” she murmured, and turned to Tempest. She put a hoof around her and pulled her into a hug. “Is he looking?” she whispered into her friend’s ear.

Tempest’s eye shifted over to look at Blueblood. He was indeed looking, and appeared rather curious. “Mhm.”

“He’s super into you, girl,” Glitter giggled under her breath before pulling back, leaving the commander to grimace. “It was great seeing you again, Tempest,” she said happily. “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“Uh huh. Thanks, Dropsy--Glitter.”

Tempest snorted and turned her head. Why did she care if Blueblood was looking? She broke up with him! Oh, she thought, she sounded like a high schooler. She gave thanks to whoever was listening that Cozy couldn’t see her in this predicament.

Twilight smiled at Glitter as she turned. “Again, super honoured to meet you, Princess,” she said, bowing low before the alicorn.

“It was my pleasure,” the princess laughed, giving her a polite curtsy. “The palace doors are always open if you want to come in and say hello. And tell Fizzy I’m rooting for her, okay?”

Glitter struggled to suppress another squeal of joy as she bowed to both Fancy Pants and the prince, then started away, practically hopping down the street with elation.

Fancy Pants laughed quietly to himself. “Always a treat meeting Mrs Glitter Drops,” he said. “You’ve done well hiring her as your assistant, Blueblood, my lad.”

Blueblood nodded idly. “Yes. Very well,” he murmured, trying not to look at Tempest anymore. “Fancy, should we not-”

“Oh my, yes of course!” Fancy cried, clapping his hooves together as he turned to Twilight. “Princess, yes, what time might we expect you to arrive, my dear?” he asked her cheerfully.

Twilight blinked and twisted her mouth. “I hadn’t actually thought about that,” she admitted. “What time will the other guests be arriving?”

“Oh fashionably late I’d expect,” he chuckled. “Shall we say... nine o’clock? Blueblood, chap, what do you say? You will be hosting the event, after all.”

Blueblood nodded. “Yes... nine seems an agreeable enough time for the frivolities to begin.”

“It’s decided, then. Well, my dear Princess Twilight, it has been a delight, as usual, seeing you again, however we must take our leave of you now.” Fancy Pants bowed his head to the princess, who bowed back at him.

“Same here, Fancy,” she said.

He smiled, then bowed to Tempest. “And yourself, Miss Tempest. A true pleasure.”

Tempest stiffly nodded back at him. “The honour is mine, Mr. Fancy.”

“You are too kind, my dear. Come along, Blueblood, we still need to see about flowers for Fleur. Ha!” The noblepony laughed as he started to saunter off. “Flowers for Fleur. In Prench that would be Fleur por Fleur...”

Blueblood looked to Twilight and gave her a smile. “Until tonight, then, your highness,” he said with a bow. “And... you have my thanks for indulging me in that matter we spoke of.”

Twilight beamed at him as she nodded back. “I’m always happy to help a friend in need, Sir Blueblood.”

Sir Blueblood? Tempest thought. A friend? Just what exactly had they spoken about, she wondered.

The prince’s head twitched slightly as he looked the commander in the eye, and bowed to her like he had to Twilight. “Miss Tempest,” he said softly.

Tempest said nothing as she nodded back at him, and watched as he spun around to hurry after Fancy Pants. She realised she was holding her breath, and let loose a heavy sigh. She needed something to distract herself until she could focus properly tonight. Something to take her mind off of... him at east for a while.

“Racquetball,” she said quietly.

“Huh?” Twilight blinked at her. “Did you say something, Tempest?”

“How do you play racquetball?” Tempest asked her. “Jack told us that you play with her every Thursday?”

The princess blinked again, then broke out into a wide smile. “Ohhh yeah--she’s good,” she laughed. “Tell you what, seeing as how we have some time to kill before the party tonight starts, why don’t I take you down to where we play and you can see for yourself? The owner told me where the key is so we can have a quick one-on-one if you wanna get the basics.”

The commander nodded. “Sure. Okay,” she replied. She didn’t really want to, and nor did she particularly care about racquetball, but she figured it would be a decent enough of a distraction and would hopefully alleviate some of the tension in her neck.

***

Later that night, on their approach to Blueblood’s estate, Twilight was laughing as she and Tempest walked side by side up the cobblestoned path.

“Are you sure you’ve never played racquetball before, Tempest?” the princess joked. “You’re a natural.”

Tempest smiled a little to herself. “Thanks. I’ve always been good at sports, I just don’t like them very much. I can, uh... get a little competitive.”

The princess laughed again and nodded. “Applejack and Rainbow Dash are the same,” she giggled. “Those two knuckleheads are always locking horns, so to speak. This one time they wanted to do race in the running of the leaves--have you heard of it?”

“No.”

“Oh, well, it’s a Ponyville tradition that comes around every fall. So this one time they took off, and ended up getting so frustrated at each other while trying to knock the other out, they didn’t notice I’d already won just by trotting along at my own pace.” Twilight beamed with pride as she recanted the story and instance of her friends being friends.

“What about you?” she continued. “Do any of the Knights get competitive?”

Tempest thought about how Tirek and Chrysalis had their rivalry and snorted. “Yeah. You could say that. Except when Tirek and Chrysalis argue, instead of knocking each other out, they end up trying to kill each other.” She smiled again, remembering just earlier today how they had gotten over a few intense, short, games of chess. “But when it counts they’re good at what they do. Real good. I’m lucky to have them as a team.”

Twilight regarded her curiously. Her mane had been done up into a neat bun atop her head, and her crown rested neatly between her ears. Her long, flowing dress draped across her back and down her back legs, hugging her figure nicely yet still giving her wings enough room to breathe. “Huh,” she murmured quietly.

“What?”

“It’s just... I never thought I’d hear someone speak so highly of Tirek and Chrysalis,” Twilight confessed. “It’s like they’re totally different to the Tirek and Chrysalis I knew. Cozy as well. You’ve really done something special with them, Tempest.”

The commander smiled and lowered her head, picking up the pace as Twilight strode out in front. Blueblood’s estate loomed before them, full of life and light. Quietly dreading tonight’s proceedings, tempest’s smile began to fade.

Twilight appeared to notice and gently nudged her. “Hey. Are you okay?”

Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Tempest nodded. “Yeah,” she murmured. “Fine.”

The princess opened her mouth to say something else as they reached the top, but quietly closed it again as the door valet clipped his hooves together and bowed upon spotting them.

“Your majesty. Commander Shadow,” he said with a wide smile. “An honour to receive you tonight.” His horn lit up in a bright green glow as he pushed the doors open for them and stepped to one side. “My lord Blueblood gives his most sincerest regards, and apologises for his absence tonight.”

The butterflies in Tempest’s stomach started to settle down. “He’s not here?” she asked, a bit too quickly for her liking. “Why?”

“His grace offers you his deepest apologies, however, urgent business has called him elsewhere tonight,” the valet said, rattling it off like he rehearsed it. “He does, however, hope that any in attendance tonight might enjoy the food, particularly the wasabi.”

The commander glanced at Twilight. The princess looked disheartened and bit her lip like she was about to say something, but met her gaze and quickly perked up. “I’m sure it’s fine,” she said with a smile. “Which way do we go?”

“My lord’s banquet hall is past the doors down the end of the corridor,” the valet said, bowing low once again.

Almost at once the princess took to marvelling at how grand the prince’s mansion was. Tempest, however, looked rather nonplussed about it, aside from the fact it was the same as she remembered it. The same portraits of some famous Equestrians hung on the walls, the fanciful wallpaper hadn’t been changed nor the walls themselves redecorated, and the same red and gold carpeting rested underneath their hooves. She spotted a scuff in the red over on their right as they passed it by and she started to smirk, remembering how it got there.

Soon the sounds of music and ponies enjoying themselves began to grow louder and louder. Twilight nudged Tempest’s side and pulled a face. “Are we late?” she asked. “Sounds like there’s already a lot of ponies here. I don’t think we’re late, we should be early if anything, like Fancy said.”

Tempest just shrugged, unsure of what to say. “Maybe your clock is wrong.”

“Tempest my clock is the sun, it literally can’t be wrong.”

They pushed the doors open together and were greeted with a splendid, lavish hall, full of ponies bustling about to and fro, chatting, laughing, some were even singing--badly--very much deep in the throes of a party. Twilight gawked in disbelief.

“Ah, Princess Twilight,” said a well dressed stallion standing close to the door. He bowed low to them. “And Commander Tempest Shadow, of course. Lord Fancy Pants has been awaiting your arrival. Shall I announce you?”

The princess straightened up and nodded politely at him.

“Yes, thank you, sir.”

“My utmost pleasure, ma’am.”

Tempest glanced at her and cocked an eyebrow as he strode forwards. “Are we supposed to follow him?”

“Not yet. There’s a sort of tradition to these things,” Twilight explained. “They ask if you want to be announced, you say yes, you wait, it’s a whole thing.” She bit her lip and held her hoof out. “And you’re, uh, supposed to take my hoof.”

The well dressed stallion raised a hoof to the lapel of his shirt and cleared his throat. “And now presenting!” he called out. “Her royal majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle. And accompanying her: Commander Tempest Shadow of the Nightmare Knights!”

The room fell into silent reverence as Tempest and Twilight stepped forwards, the latter holding the former’s hoof.

Blinded by the spotlight suddenly shining down upon her, Tempest couldn’t see them, but she could feel the dozens of pairs of eyes on her as they descended. Beside her Twilight herself just smiled and looked rather nonplussed, giving off a feel that she was used to this sort of thing.

The commander did not feel the same. Even at this distance, her ear twitched as she overheard the whisperings of some of the partygoers; though many, if not downright all of them, seemed too focused on Twilight to comment on her appearance.

“...Her majesty always looks so elegant, doesn’t she...”

“...Princess Twilight in the divine flesh as I live and breathe...”

“...As regal as Celestia and Luna themselves...”

And so on. Tempest flashed anypony she met eyes with a quick smile and a courteous nod, giving Twilight’s hoof a squeeze as they reached the bottom. “Do you ever feel like they’re vultures?” she whispered.

The princess nudged her and smiled. “You get used to it,” she said quietly. “And besides for ‘vultures’, they’re not all bad. I promise.”

Tempest managed to just barely crack a smile back at her as a familiar face appeared and made himself known.

“Princess Twilight!” Fancy Pants cried, pushing through some of the other guests to greet them, a wide smile plastered across his face. “And Miss Tempest, how wonderful to see you both again. Might I say you are both looking positively radiant this evening?”

Tempest offered him a smile and bowed her head. “Thanks, Mr. Fancy.”

“Hello, Fancy Pants,” Twilight replied, bowing her head before him before glancing at Tempest and then at the room, then finally back at Fancy with an arched eyebrow. “I thought you said everypony would be fashionably late?”

The noblepony laughed and put his hoof over the back of his head. “Ah, yes,” he chortled. “Well when word got out that you would be in attendance, Princess, it appears that everypony else wanted to arrive on time or earlier. I’m afraid you’ve already missed the first round of dancing.” He grimaced, only for it to wash away as he spotted and waved over somepony in particular. “Fleur my darling, my love, come say hello to the princess.

A white mare dressed in a silver, sparkling gown approached and kissed him gently on the cheek, then bowed to the princess. “Hello, your majesty,” Fleur de Lis said softly, gracefully and as elegantly as she herself appeared. The diamonds in her earrings alone must have cost hundreds--no thousands of bits, thought Tempest. “It’s so wonderful to see you again.”

Twilight beamed at her as they kissed one another on the cheek in greeting. “And to you, Fleur. Congratulations on your engagement. You look amazing.”

Fleur chuckled softly. She ran a hoof through her long, silvery mane and smiled. “Thank you, Princess,” she said. “But my dress pales in comparison to yours and that of your companion. Commander Shadow, I do not believe we have had the pleasure.” She curtsied before Tempest and smiled at her.

Tempest realised she was staring at the bride-to-be, and quickly bowed. “No, ma’am, we haven’t,” she answered. “I consider it my privilege to be invited here tonight to meet you all.”

Fleur laughed again and touched her shoulder, raising her up to give her the same greeting she gave Twilight. “It is we who should consider ourselves lucky, Commander,” she said after kissing Tempest’s cheek. “It isn’t every day we get to meet a Nightmare Knight, after all.”

The commander gently graced her cheek with her hoof, feeling the moisture of Fleur’s kiss still linger. “You’ve heard of us?” she murmured.

“I like to keep up with current events,” Fleur answered. “Plus, I must confess it’s hard not to, the Nightmare Knights are the talk of Canterlot these days.”

Tempest grimaced and glanced towards a group of haughty looking nobles as they cast several disdainful glances towards her. “Yeah I can imagine,” she grumbled.

Fancy Pants glanced towards the same group and chortled softly. “My advice is to pay them no heed, Miss Tempest,” he said. “Some ponies will never be happy with what they have, and so look for flaws in everything and everyone else. But they aren’t all bad, I assure you.”

The princess nudged Tempest again and wiggled her eyebrows, stifling a giggle. The commander simply rolled her eyes and smiled back at him. “I’ll keep that in mind, Mr. Fancy.”

“Fancy, dear,” said Fleur, tugging at the groom-to-be’s leg and looking over towards an elderly mare near the buffet table. “I believe Madame de Gateau is attempting to spike the punch. We wouldn’t want her to cause a scene again, would we? You remember last time?”

Fancy sighed and bristled his moustache. “Aha,” he laughed drily. “No we most certainly would not my dear old aunt to cause another scene.” He smiled apologetically at Twilight. “I hope you don’t mind, Princess, but I’m afraid we will have to cut this reunion of ours short.”

“It’s okay, Fancy,” Twilight chuckled. “If you don’t mind I’ll come with you, though. I’m a bit thirsty.”

“Of course, of course. Would you care for anything for yourself, Miss Tempest?”

Tempest shook her head and scanned the crowd. “No thanks.”

“Very well.” He bowed and extended his hoof to Twilight. “Shall we, Princess? I promise to do my utmost to defend you from sycophants and naysayers alike. I’m joking, of course,” he hastily added when she raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Ahem. Yes, well.” He smiled sheepishly and gestured away.

Twilight broke out into a smile as she took his hoof and allowed herself to be led away. “Don’t cause too much trouble,” she said to Tempest on her way past, leaving just the commander and the bride-to-be alone.

The elegant mare suddenly sagged her shoulders and rubbed her neck. “Ugh,” she groaned. “I tell you, it’s exhausting acting like one of them all day.”

Tempest cocked an eyebrow. “Acting?” she asked, curious.

“Hm, I may be a socialite now, Commander, but I’m a soldier at heart,” the elegant mare laughed, smiling and bowing slightly as some nobleponies passed them by and offered their congratulations to her.

The commander just stared at her, mouth agape and with eyes widening so much they threatened to pop out of her head. “You’re a what?”

Fleur’s face took on a far more serious edge for a second. She straightened up, snapped her legs together and raised a hoof to her head. “Lieutenant Fleur de Lis of Her Majesty Celestia’s Royal Corps.” She smiled and laxed her rigid muscles, appearing once more like the soft-faced Canterlot mare. “Retired, though, now.”

Tempest blinked slowly. It clicked in her head then that while Fancy called her ‘Miss’ Tempest, his fiancée had only addressed her by rank so far. She continued to just stare for a moment, even as a small smile began to play over her face. Then she raised a hoof to her own head. “I didn’t know you were in the royal guard,” she chuckled.

“You wouldn’t be the first to assume otherwise.” Fleur clicked her tongue and sighed as she looked around at the crowd. “My past occupation hasn’t exactly done me any favours in this type of society.” Her lips pursed for a moment and her brow tightened as she glanced back at Tempest. “Something you can relate to, maybe?”

The commander’s smile faded, and Fleur appeared to sense she had made a mistake.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

Tempest simply raised her hoof and shook her head. “It’s alright... Lieutenant.” She smiled despite her now somewhat dampened attitude. “Besides, it’s not like you’re wrong.”

Fleur breathed a sigh of relief and brushed some of her silver hair behind her ear. “Be that as it may, I offended you and I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry. And please, call me Fleur.”

The dark mare nodded. “Only if you call me just Tempest.”

“Deal. Just Tempest.”

Tempest rolled her eyes. “Har har. Very funny.”

Fleur let out a hearty laugh and rested her hoof on the commander’s shoulder. “Captain Shining Armour always did say I have a sense of humour.”

The dark mare frowned curiously. “Shining Armour? The prince-regent of the Crystal Empire?”

“I didn’t know you kept up with nobility,” Fleur chuckled. “Yes, the very same, though I knew him when he was the Captain of the Royal Guard.” A distant and far-off look appeared in her eye. “I do miss it sometimes you know? Going on patrols. Bunking with my squadmates. Tackling ne’er do wells into the mud.” She smiled as a posh looking couple passed them by and laughed quietly. “I don’t think I can get away with it now.”

Tempest bobbed along with her as she spoke. “What changed?” she asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I fell in love.”

The bluntness of her words sent a flash of green eyes in her mind and gave the commander pause. “Really? How did you guys meet?”

Fleur smiled. “I was freshly off duty and I’d decided to take a stroll through the park, when I came upon a couple of thuggish ponies I’d had a few previous run-ins with strong-hoofing a certain stallion into giving them some bits. Naturally I sent them packing, and that’s when I met him.” She cooed softly to herself and half closed her eyes, remembering it with no small amount of fondness. “Fancy Pants was so grateful for my assistance that he insisted on taking me out to dinner. And I’ll be the first to admit I was smitten. He was so charming and handsome--how could I refuse? Long story short, I put in my resignation from the guard after a few weeks after that and, as they say, the rest is history.”

She sighed in content and grinned, lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. “And, between us military girls. Fancy loves it when I wear the armour.”

The commander snort-laughed, quickly covering her mouth to hide her growing smirk. “You’re terrible.”

“Guilty as charged.”

It was strange, and extremely unexpected to say the least, but Tempest felt a fast friendship forming with the lieutenant-turned-socialite. If nothing else came from tonight, then she supposed she had made a friend. She smiled, more to herself than anything else.

“Lady de Lis,” a calm, but deep and rumbling voice, not unlike Tirek’s, suddenly said as a stallion approached them. “Allow me to offer you congratulations on your engagement. Might I add as well that you are practically glowing tonight.”

As Fleur extended her hoof to him, Tempest felt her blood run cold. From his finely pointed horn jutting proudly up from his neatly combed arctic blue mane to his cutie mark, a king chess piece in a deep maroon colour, emblazoned upon the soft pink coat of his flank, there was exactly one pony who he could be.

Her jaw tightened and she straightened her neck.

“Thank you, Lord Borealis,” Fleur said, smiling at him as he leaned down to take and kiss her hoof, confirming Tempest’s all but certain suspicions. “You are too kind.” She gestured to the commander beside her. “Have you met my friend, Commander Tempest Shadow?”

Tempest would have been touched by the gesture of her words, were it anypony else standing in front of her.

Lord Glow’s pale green--not scarlet like Cozy’s, she made note of that--eyes met hers. Despite his warm smile, she felt a chill run along her spine. “I have not, my lady,” he said, bowing to her as well. “Though I am deeply honoured to. Princess Twilight has already told me a great many things about her.”

Tempest glared at him, deigning to only incline her head precisely one eighth of an inch forwards. “Likewise. Lord Glow.”

Concern flickered across Fleur’s face for a moment as she watched them, however Lord Glow seemed unfazed by the commander’s almost hostile attitude. In fact, he seemed entertained by it from the way he chuckled as he stood back up.

“The princess also told me you might have a reaction to my presence, given the nature of your...” He paused, searching for the word. “...associates, Commander. More specifically, of the relationship you share with my daughter and her role within your organisation.”

Tempest flicked her ear and inhaled sharply. Her growing temper was starting to get harder to reign in, and threatened to rear its head when his face showed visible displeasure at the mere mention of Cozy. “Twilight said that you wanted to speak to me about something... Lord Glow,” she said, hoping to get him to the point and be done with him. “What is it?”

Lord Glow’s eyes flashed and a smile graced his lips. “Indeed I do, Commander. Though I hesitate to say, but I believe we share a concern over the actions of a certain... individual.”

Fleur’s ear flicked as she looked to them both curiously.

Tempest, however, widened her eyes in understanding and turned sharply to the lieutenant turned socialite. “Fleur,” she said quietly, “I hope you don’t mind us cutting our conversation short.”

“Of course not, Commander,” the bride-to-be said, nodding at her. “I understand entirely, and besides I believe Fancy requires my assistance,” she added, looking over to her fiancé as he conversed with a large mare. She looked back to the commander and smiled, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek in goodbye. “If you or the Knights ever need anything, never hesitate to ask, Commander. You will always have friends in Canterlot.”

It wasn’t hard for Tempest to smile despite the current circumstances. “Thanks. Sure, Fleur.”

Fleur beamed at her then curtsied to the lord. “Lord Borealis. Always a pleasure.”

“As it is for me, Lady de Lis.”

As she turned, her horn ignited and she plucked a tall glass of champagne off of a passing waiter’s tray.

The commander inhaled through her nostrils as she watched Fleur go. From the corner of her eye she could see Lord Glow looking directly at her. She sighed and faced him. “Where did you have in mind you wanted to talk?” she said quietly. “The garden?”

Lord Glow arched an eyebrow upwards. “I’m afraid Prince Blueblood’s gardens are under reconstruction, as I understand it,” he replied. “Otherwise a fine suggestion, Commander. But no, I had a far more public place in mind.”

Tempest frowned. “Public?” she asked, just as music suddenly, and as if on cue, filled the air. She watched several ponies begin to pair off and fan out into the centre of the room, taking each other by the hoof. The realisation of what he meant hit her hard when she saw Lord Glow with his hoof extended to her, and a devilish grin across his muzzle.

“Would you care to dance, Commander?” he asked her. “After all, this is a ball, is it not?”

She stared at him in complete disbelief and no small amount of shock.

“Come now, Commander,” he condescendingly chuckled upon seeing her hesitance. “Surely you have heard of the term hiding in plain sight?”

Tempest’s ear flicked, listening to the soft, gentle music playing in the background. She quickly regained her senses and sucked in some air between her teeth. It was all for a good cause, she told herself, as, with a tentative and forced smile, she reached out to take the lord’s hoof. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

“How charming.” Lord Glow smiled back at her. Tempest suspected it was as false as hers. She tried her best to ignore the bewildered looks from some of the other guests as they strode out hoof in hoof and took their places. “Have you ever danced a waltz before, Commander?” Glow asked her.

Tempest tensed up realising just what exactly she had gotten herself into as she saw them all take up positions and immediately start to dance.

He smiled, cocky and sure of himself. “If not, it is easy enough to understand,” he said, holding her hoof out to one side. “Follow my lead and do as I do. But the true aim of such a display is not to dance as one might think, but to create a spectacle so mesmerising ponies are more focused on what you are doing than what you are saying.”

The commander wrinkled her nose as they started to step this way and that in time with the gentle music playing in the background. “Hidden in plain sight...” she repeated. “I get it.”

“Precisely. You’re a fast learner, Commander,” Lord Glow chuckled softly. “I will add as well: I often find myself thinking that certain conversations are far more mesmerising than a fancy bit of hoofwork. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“What do you know, Lord Glow?” Tempest quickly asked as they moved, hoping to cut to the chase. “About Grogar and Bray? The princess said she told you everything-”

“Ah, ah,” Lord Glow cooed, tittering softly. “Patience, Commander. There is an order to these things.”

The commander grit her teeth and turned her ears back. Lord Glow was indeed as insufferable as she had imagined him to be. Why was he playing games now? He had her where he wanted, they were talking... and dancing--ugh--but sure, they were both here. What did he want from her?

“If you would indulge me, Commander, I have some questions,” he said finally.

Tempest clenched her teeth together and nodded stiffly. “Go on then.”

“Do you think Equestria is the greatest country on Equus?”

She stumbled slightly, caught off guard by his words. He quickly caught her, however, and flashed her a smile as he helped her straighten up--all while making it look like it was part of their routine. She took a breath to compose herself before answering. “I think that everypony is entitled to their opinion, Lord Glow,” she said curtly and firmly, “but I would never call Equestria the greatest as to not offend any other creature. In times like these we need as many friends as we can get.”

She arched one eyebrow up as he fell silent for a moment, regarding her curiously. “My, oh my, Commander,” he chuckled. “I had no idea you were such a politician.”

As the music picked up slightly he stepped forwards and lifted her hoof up and around her head, twirling her on the spot to the tune of some quiet gasps and oohs and aahs, before pulling her back into him.

Tempest flared her nostrils in irritation at him as they came to a stop in front of each other. She could see what he meant by the crowd more focused on what they doing than what they were saying.

Lord Glow narrowed his eyes slightly at her as they began to circle. “Though I will say: to each their own,” he smirked. “But I think it doesn’t hurt to be alert, now does it? For instance, I noticed the moment you walked in the room. Most everypony else was watching the princess, as rightfully they should she is divine, but beside her I noticed you, Commander Shadow.”

The commander felt a shiver run along her spine. “Oh?” she said, trying to hide her disdain.

“How could I not?” he replied, all while matching her gaze with his own. “You are a curiosity to many, Commander, and a matter of concern to no small few.”

Tempest bristled ever so slightly. “And what... am I to you, Lord Glow? A curiosity, or a concern?”

The old stallion chuckled again. She was really starting to hate that sound. “A little of both, if I must say,” he said coyly. “To think, the Knight-Commander of the Nightmare Knights, once an invader of our country, has become one of her heroes. Fate is a fickle mistress is she not? As for friend or foe, do you know who can be trusted?”

“Are you saying there are ponies here who can’t be trusted?”

“Don’t be naïve, Commander, I know you aren’t.”

Lord Glow’s face fell as they both twirled, clasping their hooves together. Tempest could feel the eyes of the other guests on her, and she could hear them whispering about her.

“The truth of the matter is, Commander,” Lord Glow continued in a low voice. “In the nest of vipers, we are all alone.”

Borealis let out a short sigh as they separated, taking a few steps back. He held his hoof out to her. Tempest looked at it, then him, and saw out the corner of her eye that they were alone on the dance floor now. Even Fancy Pants and Fleur, even Twilight, seemed glued to where they stood in awe of the dancing pair. Over Lord Glow’s shoulder, Tempest spotted a flash of a tall, white stallion, his piercing blue eyes meeting hers.

“Enough games,” she muttered as she took Lord Glow’s hoof again. “What do you know, Lord Glow? Tell me.”

He smiled at her. “It cannot have escaped your notice that there are certain ponies here, stallions and mares alike, that have their own machinations in play. Whether they be speaking with our beloved princess, or merely hoping to snag a rich and influential playmate.”

The commander snorted derisively. “I thought machinations were Canterlot’s number one sport. That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Mhm. Look.”

Lord Glow nodded to the crowd, in particular an older stallion wearing a hat adorned in ridiculously large feather plumage, and then at the young mare beside him gazing up at him in total adoration.

“That strutting peacock is Lord Commander Flash Heart of the Wonderbolts,” Glow said. “Do you see him? Long since retired, of course, but that doesn’t stop him from flaunting his status and wealth in any and all attempts to find a new beau when he grows bored of whoever currently hangs on his leg. Poor girl, she has no idea she’ll be as irrelevant tomorrow as last week’s pudding. And there.”

He pointed again, this time to the elderly mare Tempest had seen Fancy Pants attempt to deal with.

“Lady Baroness Chocolat de Gateau of Prance. Lord Fancy Pants’s own aunt. She came here in the hopes to use her nephew’s fiancée to further her own enterprises--an endorsement from Lady de Lis goes a long way in their hometown, you see.”

Tempest eyed them carefully, then glanced back at Glow. “What are you getting at?”

He stopped smiling as they twirled around the floor again. “We all have ulterior motives for being here, Commander. Aside from perhaps Lord Fancy and Lady de Lis. Even you and I, and dear Princess Twilight herself are not here to show our support for the happy couple. No, instead we are here to further our own goals, whatever they may be.”

“And what are your goals, Lord Glow?” the commander growled.

Lord Glow looked her in the eye as they came to another halt.

“I wish to make a trade.”

Tempest narrowed her eyes at him. “What kind of trade?”

“I have specialised information of your enemy’s plans,” he told her. “By which I mean, I have found a passage that dictates precisely what Bray may do in order to resurrect the dark lord. It goes without saying: you need my help, Commander. You need this information I possess. Without it you cannot possibly hope to succeed.”

The dark mare visibly tensed up. “And what do you want in return?” she asked him.

“My daughter. Cozy Glow will leave the Nightmare Knights and return to her family and continue her studies.”

The commander stopped dancing, leaving him hanging. “What?” she breathed, her pupils rapidly shrinking. “What did you say?”

Lord Glow sighed and pursed his lips. “Oh, please, Commander, one small girl is no cog in your great machine. Clever though she is, I do not believe my daughter is anything more than a hindrance to you. Allow me to take her off of your hooves so that you may-”

She swiftly took a step forwards and swung her hoof. The crack she made as she connected with his cheek rang out in the hall as the music abruptly screeched to a halt. Silence reigned supreme as he landed on his flank, holding a hoof to the growing welt on his face in appalled horror.

“Never. Insult. Cozy. In front of me,” Tempest hissed as she stood over him, her eyes blazing with fury.

Glow’s calm and condescending demeanour evaporated as he stared at her. “Commander, don’t be foolish,” he quickly snapped in disgust. “The information I have is extremely valuable. What is one child, a pegasus at that, for the safety of the world?”

Tempest’s rage got the better of her. Her eyes shrank even further as she took a few steps forward, winding her hoof back to hit him again. Fear flashed across the lord’s face as he tried to scramble backwards away from her. Just before she reached him, Tempest felt the warm touch of magic wash over her as purple swallowed her vision.

“Tempest what do you think you’re doing?” Twilight furiously demanded of her, spreading her wings to shield Glow from her wrath. They stood a mere few inches apart, more than close enough to smell each other’s breaths. “This was not what we talked about! Apologise at once to Lord Glow.”

Tempest flared her nostrils and scraped a hoof along the ground, too angry to explain herself. Too angry to say anything. Her horn crackled, showering sparks down around her.

The princess puffed her chest out, standing toe to toe and eye to eye with her. “Stand down, Commander,” she ordered coldly, her voice dripping with authority it send sent ripples of fear through the crowd. “Now.”

Tempest regained control of her senses and shifted her fierce gaze over at the alicorn. Her horn reluctantly stopped fizzing. She grit her teeth and clenched her jaw, raising her head up high as she backed down. “Fine,” she spat.

Seemingly satisfied for the time being, Twilight folded her wings back to her sides and spun around. Lord Glow slowly stood up with the help of some nobleponies, the aforementioned Lord Commander Flash Heart and Fleur among them. He patted Fleur’s hoof affectionately and gave the commander a nod. “Thank you, my lord and lady,” he murmured, gingerly touching his cheek and wincing in pain. When he noticed Twilight staring at him he straightened up and adjusted the collar of his shirt.

“It would seem, Princess,” he said in a little over a growl, “that the Commander is not as receptive to my bargain as you had hoped.” He looked at Tempest over her shoulder. “Though I will still uphold my end of it,” he sneered. “And share with you what I know for the safety of my country.”

Twilight let out a sharp sigh of relief and bowed to him. “Oh thank you, Lord Glow,” she said, moving to block his and Tempest’s eyeline to reduce any chance of another incident. “I’m so sorry this happened. Please, allow me to-”

“That will be quite alright, Princess. I will heal, and the damage appears to be non-lasting. And please, I beg that you do not bow to me. It is we who should bow to you.” As he spoke he bowed low. Behind Twilight Tempest snorted in contempt and cast her eyes away.

The princess smiled back at him as he stood back up. “Even so, Lord Glow, I’ll tell Director Starlight that the Knights owe you a fine at the least.”

He appeared hesitant, but nodded at her and bowed respectfully. “If it is your will, Princess.”

“It is. I insist.”

Quietly stewing in a rage that threatened to boil over again as she watched them interact, Tempest turned away. Out the corner of her eye she saw Twilight’s head snap towards her and subsequently felt a pair of violet eyes burrow into her.

She didn’t care.

She needed air. Space, something--anything--just a moment away from here to clear her head and think straight, to attempt to calm. Over to one side of the hall she spotted a large set of doors and, if her memory was right, they’d lead out to a balcony. The night air might help calm her seething emotions, she thought. As she marched towards them with long, heavy steps the crowd parted like waves before her. Each member of Canterlot’s high society avoided looking at her, but didn’t refrain from whispering about her.

“...Imagine acting in such a way in front of the princess...”

“...Wasn’t she the one who led the invasion of Canterlot a few years back...”

“...I heard she lingers with the most abhorrent malcontents imaginable...”

And so on.

Instead of being surrounded by vultures as she had told Twilight, she imagined herself now surrounded by hyenas, hungry to rip her apart and devour her. After what felt like a mile she finally reached the doors. She pushed them open with a forceful kick and strode out, quickly slamming them closed behind her. She rested her hoof against the door for a moment, trying to compose herself while shaking and trembling with fury.

With a grunt, she turned and marched towards the balustrade and gazed out over Equestria. Her home. Full of ponies who hated her. Hated her team in spite of what they did, of how they protect them from ghosts and demons and who knows what else.

She clenched her jaw and flattened her ears down as Bray’s treacherous words made themselves known in her mind.

And as she played back what Lord Glow had said about Cozy her blood ignited in her veins. “Who does he think he is, talking about her like that?” she snarled to herself. “His own daughter...”

Her ear flicked as she heard the doors open behind her. She sighed and stiffened her neck.

“Twilight, I’m not in the mood for a lecture,” she began, slowly turning to stare down the princess. “I told you, I wouldn’t-”

Only, it wasn’t Twilight who had come to see her. It was Blueblood. He arched one eyebrow upwards and regarded her curiously as he closed the doors behind him.

“You...” Tempest murmured. Great. That was all she needed now. Of all ponies to follow her out here, why him? She flinched and shook her head, realising she was staring, then turned back around. “What are you doing here?” she grunted.

“This is my home,” he answered as he approached her. “Am I not free to go where I please within its grounds?” He came to a stop just beside her, standing at least a leg length’s away from her.

The commander sighed and ran a hoof over her hair. “Yeah... I suppose you are...” She glanced at him out the corner of her eye. “The guy at the door said you wouldn’t be in attendance tonight.”

Blueblood scratched his chin. “Ah. Yes, well. When I saw you accompanying the princess to Miss Rarity’s dress shop I was... surprised, to say the least. I did not know what to say. Or do.” He sighed heavily. “I even asked the princess for advice regarding the matter, using a complicated metaphor of a ‘friend of a friend’.” He grimaced. “I think she saw right through me, however.”

The sincerity of his words made Tempest’s nose tingle.

“And even with her advice, I was still at a loss of what to do,” Blueblood continued. “So, perhaps childishly, I chose to occupy myself with my work, forgoing attending tonight’s event. Until I could bear it no longer.” He turned to face her completely. “I had to see you, if only for a moment across the room, and I am glad, most certainly, that I did not miss your...” His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed at her. “Display.”

“Don’t,” Tempest muttered. “I’m gonna get an earful from Twilight--probably Starlight too, I don’t need one from you.”

Blueblood blinked, untensing his forehead. “Oh, no you you misunderstand me, Miss Tempest.”

The commander lifted her head up and wrinkled her nose. “What?”

“You see, while Lord Glow indeed has many friends here,” he replied, “I am not one of them. In fact, I think Borealis Glow is an insufferable arse who always lords his family heritage above the rest of us.” He sighed again. “When I say I am glad I saw your display, I mean that I am glad to see you hit him.” His face grew dark and he looked away. “In truth, when I saw you dancing with him I wanted to hit him myself. A lady such as yourself deserves a better dancing partner than that... blasted stallion.”

As Tempest looked right at him she could feel the anger was starting to fade--not entirely--but at least she could think clearer now.

“You look beautiful tonight, Miss Tempest,” Blueblood said in a little over a murmur, glancing at her with one eye. He started on the spot when he saw her looking at him, and turned his head to face hers in response.

Her eyes flicked down to his barrelled chest and his broad shoulders underneath his pristine white coat. Them, coupled with his chiselled features and thick wavy locks of hair made a small blush begin to creep across her cheeks. “You’re not so bad yourself...” she murmured back.

Blueblood seemed to swell with pride and beamed at her. “A compliment! And here I thought...” His face suddenly fell. “Well...”

Tempest sighed. There it was. The guilt. “Listen, it’s not that I didn’t like you, Blueblood, I did. I do,” she said earnestly. “It’s just I don’t... when you proposed I didn’t... feel it.” She looked down to the ground. “I’m sorry but I couldn’t say yes to you.”

He said nothing for a few moments, simply staring at her. Then he nodded sadly. “I understand. I can see now that it was sudden, overtly so.” He straightened up and clicked his hooves together. “I apologise profusely to you, Miss Tempest, for putting you in that position.”

Tempest stared at him as his head bowed so low he almost touched the ground. “You’re... please stand up,” she mumbled. “You’re apologising to me?”

“Am I not supposed to?” he said as he rose back up.

“I... well no,” she protested. “You asked me to marry you and I said no; you should... be sad, maybe? Furious? Is that what you were trying to do at Rarity’s?”

Blueblood’s blue eyes met hers again and he smiled. “I... suppose it was, yes, albeit it very poorly and not thought out entirely,” he replied. “And yes, I was sad. For a time. Heartbroken, one might even say. But after some consoling from those close to me I certainly realised my error. And so I apologise for putting you in that position. I hope you may forgive me, and that some day what we shared may be found again.”

She stared at him. Her ear flicked as an itch made itself known. At a loss for words, she didn’t know what to say. “I, uh...”

The leaves of a nearby tree rustled gently in the cool wind. She didn’t realise how close they had grown to one another. The pair of ponies gazed deep into the other’s eyes before leaning in closer to each other, so much so Tempest could smell the shampoo he used.

The sudden sound of doors opening followed by clip-trot of of a certain set of purple hooves made Tempest jerk back away from him and look away. Blueblood similarly stepped back and looked around. “Ah, Princess,” he called. “Wonderful to see you again.”

Tempest went as stiff as a board as she looked over to Twilight. She swallowed and raised a hoof to her head. “Princess,” she said curtly.

Twilight nodded at her and smiled at Blueblood. “Hello, Blueblood,” she said coolly. “I didn’t realise you were out here.”

“I managed to finish up my work early and so I thought I’d attend my own party,” he chortled. “Miss Tempest and I were just about finished, however, if you needed her.”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“By all means, by all means.”

Blueblood smiled at Tempest and bowed his head again. “Until next time, Miss Tempest,” he said, raising her hoof to his lips.

Tempest bowed her head back at him, still unsure of what to say. Her heart pounded away in her chest and in her ears. All she could think was:

Dammit Glitter Drops...

As he returned to the party hall and closed the doors behind him, the tension grew between commander and princess.

“What were you thinking?” Twilight asked her. “I asked you to be nice to him, and you punch him? In front of everypony else?”

Tempest’s temper flared up again. “Twilight, he said he wanted Cozy,” she said, trying, and failing, to stay calm. “He wanted to take her away from the Knights. And I told you I wouldn’t be held responsible if he said anything against her. Well guess what, he did. So I punched him.”

The princess flinched as the dark mare stamped her hoof and rustled her wings. “I know, I remember. But if you remember, I only asked that you didn’t hit him. You’re my guest here tonight, Tempest, my plus one. Anything you do reflects off of me, and the last thing I need while I’m dealing with this Grogar stuff is a bunch of stuffed-shirt vultures breathing down my neck about ‘proper decorum’.” Her tone was serious but her eyes were friendly, alleviating some of Tempest’s tension.

The commander snorted. “Alright fine, yeah you did. But it’s not like it matters--you heard him in there, he’s gonna give you what you want anyway and uphold his end of the ‘bargain’.”

“Yeah thankfully,” Twilight murmured with audible relief. “With his help we just might be able to get a leg up on the bad guys.”

Tempest narrowed her eyes. “He said he has very valuable information. The kind where if we didn’t get it we couldn’t win.”

“Good. The more we know the better.” The princess shook her head but smiled all the same. “You leave it with me, Tempest, I’ll make sure that you won’t have to deal with him again.”

“Thanks. Can you imagine if Chrysalis or Tirek were here tonight? They would have killed him.” For daring to suggest taking away their filly? Of course they would, she thought.

“Don’t I know it?” Twilight laughed nervously. She looked up at the clear night sky and tapped her hoof on the cold stone beneath them. “Hey, Fancy Pants said that the fireworks were about to start. I think we have a pretty good view here for when the fireworks start, you wanna watch them with me?”

Tempest bobbed her head. “Sure, might as well, right?”

The princess trotted up next to her and took a deep breath of cool air, inhaling all the scents of the night. “I love it when it’s like this you know,” she murmured. “So nice and calm... and romantic.”

“Romantic?” As soon the word left her mouth the commander realised she’d taken the bait, and groaned inwardly when Twilight leaned in close to her.

“Yeah romantic,” the princess said, grinning from ear to ear. “Did you guys make up? You and Blueblood? I saw how close you were to each other.”

Tempest rolled her eyes and pushed Twilight’s face away. “Yeah, I guess we did. Sort of.” Truthfully her mind was still reeling from his reaction and his apology to her. “But I’m... glad we did.” Another truth, one less thing for her to worry about anyway.

“He’s crazy about you, Tempest,” the princess said softly, resting her wing across the commander’s back. “He told me so himself.”

The dark mare looked away and let out a low grumble. “Uh huh.”

“Alright, alright, grumpy,” the princess giggled, bumping her gently. “I’m glad things got sorted out, though. You’d make a cute couple.”

“Stoooop.”

Twilight’s infectious giggling filled the air and soon made Tempest smile as well.

“Speaking of couple, how are Fancy and Fleur?” she asked. “I didn’t ruin their party too bad did I?”

“Oh no, not at all,” Twilight replied, then immediately winced. “I mean, well kinda--a little bit--but Fancy has such a way with words everything went pretty much back to normal shortly after you came out here. To be honest when they started getting all cosy with each other I was starting to feel like a third wheel.”

“Yeah I’ll bet. And where’s Lord Glow?” the commander asked. “I figured he’d want to talk to you about your ‘deal’.”

“I thought so too but he, uh... went home,” Twilight grimaced. “Said he had some things to attend to. Did you know Fleur used to be in the royal guard like my brother? I had no idea, how cool is that, right?”

It wasn’t lost on Tempest that Twilight wanted to move on from Lord Glow. In truth, she did as well and was grateful for the opportunity to do so. “Yeah, she told me.”

“Neat, huh? She always seems so elegant, it’s hard to imagine her chasing criminals.” Twilight’s smile faded briefly as the conversation lulled and a rising tension grew between them. “Tempest, I want to you know--what happened in there--I’m on your side,” she said quietly. “It’s just I have duties... responsibilities. I didn’t want to tell you off in front of everypony like that, but what kind of princess would I be if I didn’t? And y’know, it’s not like I would let any of my other A-grade friends punch anypony.”

The commander sighed and heaved her shoulders, shaking her head slowly from side to side. “I know.” She cracked a smile at the princess. “But what kind of legal guardian would I be if I didn’t hit whoever’s trying to take Cozy away?”

Twilight’s smile returned as she stretched and flexed her wings.

“Wait a minute,” Tempest suddenly said, “did you say ‘A-grade’ friends?”

“Of course I did.” The princess gave her a rather confused look. “Did you think you were anything otherwise?”

Tempest couldn’t help but smile. “No. Not really. But Jack owes me some bits, I think.”

The first of the fireworks started to go up then, whooshing into the air with a loud whistle before popping and sprinkling sparks throughout the open sky, followed by more and more. Several oohs and ahhs came form some open windows as the party goers watched in delight.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Equestria's newest reformed team of villains,

Will we ever get a prequel elaborating on this?

[Spade_McTrowel]

Oh!

I wasn't expecting this type of chapter, but it was oh-so-good.

Very much looking forward to the next one.

[Bigwig6666]

11320677
Spoilers

11334206
Yes, tho im not sure where it would fit in the curremt plan just yet

11334338
Thank you took a while but the amount of foreshadowing is worth it

[asdtroi8895]

So happy to see a new chapter, and such a great one too!

I quite liked the first part with all the knights. Just some nice and believable interactions. I also liked how you gave Jack a bit of fleshing out. She's a fun character. The party and the scene with Glitter was also very nice. The background you gave to Fleur is unique and kind of funny. Its interesting, how Blueblood changed over time, but its certainly possible, although, Tempest and Blueblood is a weird ship.

The part with Lord Glow was certainly tense, but I do wonder why she wanted Cozy. I have a feeling its for some dark ritual, but it could also be due to him wanting to make Tempest look bad by having her snap at him. He does seem like the type who would do that.

"Or I won't hesitate to give you detention at the Ponyville schoolhouse until you're twenty one."

Heh, I'd love to see how she'd try to convince Cheerilee for that.

"The, ahem... Nightmare Knights," the white mare finished, making no attempt to hide the disdain in her voice.

Damnit, Rarity...

[Bigwig6666]

11334689
Thank you took me a while but I got there eventually

The background for Fleur actually came from this comic strip, and I just thought that was super cool so I figured I'd put it in for her also I've had conflicting information on what her name actually is, the wiki says "she is named "Fleur de Lis" in first-party merchandise and "Fleur Dis Lee" in other merchandise and depictions", so idek.

And originally, Blueblood was absolutely gonna be a Zapp Brannigan type of character, but I thought that was either too obvious or tasteless, so I changed him around a bit to grow and I'm glad I did. I agree they're a bizarre ship lmao but I feel like I've seen worse

As for what Lord Glow wants with Cozy, well... c.tenor.com/L6yzlUIZ8OEAAAAC/river-song-spoiler.gif

[Razzy]

Silly Tirek, everyone knows Chryssie is the best at everything, and if you think she's not, see point 1.

Gossips will gossip.

She cleans up nicely, eh?

Do much tension.

I remember another fic where Fleur was a royal guard, though she was an active one there.

Hey, vultures are actually kinda cute if you disregard the smell and their penchant for vomiting.

Back at their base, Chryssie and Tirek have a sudden urge to crush someone.

Ah Twilight the Princess of Cockblocking.

Why do I feel that Glow is working for the bad guys?

'She yawned and stretched her legs out and reached' - She yawned, stretched her legs out and reached

'moments of a quiet whimpering' - remove a

'Coy raised her hooves' - Cozy

'Y'know if she's superior in almost every way?' - going by Tirek's earlier words, should either be 'she's inferior' or 'you're superior'

'world weary' - world-weary

'sullen faced' - sullen-faced

'left ab ad taste' - left a bad taste

'Sure/ When' - Sure! or Sure.

'pretentious sounding' - pretentious-sounding

'as familiar face' - as a familiar face

'and far of look' - far-off

'snort laughed' - snort-laughed

'lieutenant turned socialite' - lieutenant-turned-socialite

'understanding ad turned' - and

'as with a tentative and forced smile, she reached' - as, with

'seemed glue to' - glued

'It goes without saying: but you need' - 'saying, but' or 'saying: you'

'she finally she reached' - remove second she

'slamming them behind her' - them closed behind

'how are the Fancy and Fleur' - remove the

'went pretty back' - pretty much back

[Bigwig6666]

11335052
There it is : I legit don't know how I miss these they seem so glaringly obvious,. Very much appreciated as always.

And as always starting now, I refuse to elaborate on anything Spoilers, darling.

[KnightMysterio]

"My daughter. Cozy Glow will leave the Nightmare Knights and return to her family and continue her studies."

...

"Oh, please, Commander, one small girl is no cog in your great machine. Clever though she is, I do not believe my daughter is anything more than a hindrance to you. Allow me to take her off of your hooves so that you may-"

......

What is one child, a pegasus at that, for the safety of the world?"

[Bigwig6666]

11337250
Preeeeety much

[Glutbier]

Twilight and politics ! wa clear how that ends!

[Doctor_Den]

I can't help but notice that you managed to turn my expectations upside down and break all the patterns in this chapter. (in a good way.)

The chapter turned out to be relaxing in places sweet and informative. But I have a feeling that this is the calm before the storm.
And of course I can't help but note the presence of the most unexpected and unlikely love couple? I have not seen this anywhere. (Did you deliberately crossbreed the most loosely connected and little similar characters in character?) :3

[Bigwig6666]

11347940
Thank you

Spoilers, darling.

I have no idea what you mean

[Doctor_Den]

11348053
I don’t understand what you didn’t understand, but I won’t clarify so as not to get spoilers :3

[Bigwig6666]

11348159
Oh no sorry I understood what you meant, just that "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about" wink-wink

[Eroraf86]

So. That's Cozy's father, eh?

Imma kill him.

[Bigwig6666]

11386615
Someone's gonna I'll say that