Raising Tempo

by Void Chicken

Little Secrets

Rainbow Dash stared out the window. Outside, the tops of the distant mountains shone in the rising sun. Inside, the train car bumped with every unevenness in the rails. On the other end of the car, Twilight and Applejack were quietly discussing the events of the night before. Phrases like "their eyes" and "dealing with his friends" passed through Rainbow's ears.

In the center of the car, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike were fast asleep. In the next car over, a statue of an earth pony, lacking eyes or any kind of hair, marked their victory.

Rarity roused herself from her slumber, her head at Rainbow's side. "Mm, good morning."

"Morning." Rainbow didn't look away from the window.

"Did you sleep at all last night, dearie? I was absolutely exhausted. Fighting that horrid stallion, if we can even call him that anymore, was simply grueling." Rarity yawned.

"I'm fine."

A hoof brought Rainbow's head towards her wife. "I know what this is about. There's nothing we could have done. I can scarcely imagine what damage the Nightgrasp would have inflicted if we'd waited any longer, nor what we'd be up against when we got there."

"I know." Rainbow looked away.

"Rainbow. Dearie. I'm positive that Tempo had a wonderful birthday regardless." Rarity maneuvered herself back into view. "We got her that oven she really wanted, and the Cakes are fine babysitters. It's not like she would have wanted anypony over anyways."

Rainbow took a breath. "I let her down, Rarity."

"We both let—" Rarity glanced at the sleeping ponies and dragon, then took a deep breath. "There are... certain things we accepted when we decided to have a foal. Both of us, and Pinkie Pie, too. That sometimes our duty to Equestria would force us to leave them behind. To keep Equestria safe, to keep Tempo safe, we have to... we have to..." Tears welled in her eyes. "Miss out on the biggest days of her life."

Rainbow fought back her own tears, occupying herself with the saddlebags. She pulled out some tissues and a makeup kit and gave them to Rarity. "Here."

A magic aura brought the tissues to Rarity's face. Looking back in the bags, Rainbow noticed three tickets that had been uncovered and removed them. Holding them up to the window, Rainbow said. "The tickets to that travelling band she likes. We were going to surprise her. Too late to get a refund now."

Rainbow turned back to Rarity, who had just opened the kit. "I'm a terrible mother."

Rarity nearly dropped it. "What?"

"I forgot the tickets. I could have given them to the Cakes, and they could have taken her. We didn't even tell them the Roaming Tones were in town." She set her head against the glass. "And yesterday morning, when she nearly got a panic attack, it was Pinkie that noticed. Not me."

Rainbow raised a hoof. "And before you say anything, you were busy giving the Cakes instructions. I wasn't doing anything. She was my responsibility and I failed her." She let her forehead slide down until it came to rest against the edge of the window. "Tempo doesn't deserve me."

She felt two hooves on her back. "Rainbow, don't talk like that. You're a wonderful mother. Just watch: when we get home, she'll leap into your hooves."

Bleary-eyed, Rainbow looked back at her wife, who, despite her smudged makeup, was still the most beautiful mare in Equestria. "I know she will. But what else are we going to miss? Her first major spell? Her graduation? Our grandchildren?"

With a smile, Rarity answered, "I already missed her birth. I would hope to be there for everything else."

Rainbow patted her belly. "I almost missed her birth. That would have been embarrassing." She cracked a smile.

"Well, dearie, it was the end of the world."

---

The sun hung high overhead as the train approached the Ponyville station. Twilight was saying something about taking the statue to Canterlot like the others and talking to the Princesses, but Rainbow's mind was on her daughter. Knowing Tempo, she'd be at the end, away from anypony else. The Cakes would be with her.

Rarity stood next to her near the door. "Go ahead and get off first, dearie. I'm sure she'll be delighted to see us, both of us, again."

"If she forgives me." Rainbow watched the platform go by, slowing to a stop.

The doors opened and Rainbow took a step.

"CHEESY!" Pinkie Pie shoved her way past and shot outside. Before Rainbow could blink, Pinkie was locked in an embrace with both her son and husband.

Rainbow cleared her throat, then walked out. She saw her daughter, and just for an instant, locked eyes.

"Rainbow!" Tempo galloped up to Rainbow, who automatically knelt down to catch her. "You're back!"

Rarity stepped out of the train and knelt down next to Tempo. "We're terribly sorry we had to miss your birthday. Did you enjoy the presents we got you? Did you have a happy birthday?"

"It was..." Tempo paused to look between them. "Good."

"Awesome!" Rainbow stood up and stretched her wings. "Nice to hear you had a good time."

"Hey, Miss Rarity," Pumpkin said as the Cakes walked up to them.

Turning to the pair, Rarity smiled. "Thank you so much for looking after her yesterday and this morning, and on such short notice. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"Not at all, Miss Rarity!" Pound chimed in.

Turning away from the others, Rainbow took to a hover.

"Come on, kid, let's go home."

---

Rainbow Dash stuffed the last of the wrapping paper in the recycling, then made her way back inside. She located the nearest couch and sat on it, letting her wings flop out. Rainbow closed her eyes, lay her head over the edge, and let out a deep sigh.

A moment later, a small weight joined her. Rainbow opened her eyes again and looked over to see the cutest filly in Equestria.

"Hey, kid, what's up?"

Tempo nestled herself under Rainbow's wing, her head poking out from under her leading edge. "Mom was busy again. And I was wondering something."

Rainbow tilted her head. "Hm? What's that?"

"What's it like? I mean, fighting the bad guy, saving the day?"

"Oh." She sat up a little, but not enough to dislodge her daughter from under her wing. "Well, it's pretty exciting. Gotta do a lot of fighting." Rainbow half-heartedly punched the air. "But I just think about what's back home, and what's really important to me." She reached up to ruffle Tempo's mane.

Tempo looked uncertain. "But is it dangerous? Can you get hurt?"

With a chuckle, Rainbow answered, "Kid, the Nightgrasp is not nearly the worst thing I've had to deal with since I had you." She closed her eyes and let the memories replay in her mind.

After a pause, she heard, "What was the worst thing? Was it the Roundhill?"

"Oh yeah, by a long shot. That thing made bringing you into the world an ordeal," Rainbow said. "Totally worth it tho—"

Her eyes snapped open. Rainbow climbed off the couch. "Tempo, how do you know about the Roundhill?"

Tempo inched back into a cushion. "Uh, um... I uh... I was there?" She gave an utterly unconvincing smile.

Rainbow's eyebrows dropped. "Tempo, you were a year old when we last saw it. There is no way you remember that thing."

Shrinking into the corner, Tempo let her ears droop. "I'm sorry. Am I in trouble? Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not—" Rainbow took a breath, then ran her hoof down her face. "I just want to know how you know."

Tempo's eyes went between Rainbow and the couch cushions. "I um, it was in third grade. I found a book lying out in Aunt Twilight's library. I skipped past a bunch, but it said stuff about a Roundhill thing and the world ending. And then I saw my name and it said that I stopped it. I thought it might have been made up, so I showed Miss Starlight the book. She laughed like she was in really big trouble and took the book away. Then she said something like 'let's forget all about this and definitely not say anything to your parents' and stuck it on a high shelf that I couldn't reach." Tempo paused. "Then I guess I forgot all about it."

Rainbow closed her eyes and pinched her temples.

"You are mad at me."

Doing her best to control herself, Rainbow said, "I'm not mad at you."

"You sound like you're mad at me."

Rainbow stood up to her full height, opened her wings, looked her daughter in the eyes, and put on her best stern voice. "Tempo Reprise. Look at me. I am not mad at you. You did not do anything wrong." Letting her voice soften, she relaxed and said, "Now come here."

Tempo hesitated, then slowly climbed off of the couch. Rainbow immediately wrapped her wing around her, holding her in place. She rubbed her hoof up and down Tempo's back.

"Rainbow!" she protested. "Stop that!"

After doing her best to mess up Tempo's mane, Rainbow released her. "Now go on, go play outside for a bit. I know some of your toys are out there and some sunlight will do you good. Don't leave the yard."

"But did I really save—"

Rainbow put her wing behind Tempo's rump and gave her a push. "Don't worry about that stuff. Go on." Tempo reluctantly went out the door.

After closing it behind her, Rainbow walked straight up the stairs, into the bedroom room where Rarity was stitching something, sat at an empty desk, and promptly swung her forehead into it.

"Rainbow?" Rarity asked. "Whatever happened?"

Without moving, Rainbow answered, "Tempo knows about the Roundhill."

"What? Did you tell her?"

"No! Maybe?" She rolled her head along the desk to look at Rarity. "She found a book about it a couple years ago. Probably one of my stories from when she was born. Celestia knows I told all of Equestria. Starlight caught her. I know we told her that Tempo isn't ready to learn about that. But apparently Starlight didn't think Tempo's parents should know she found out anyways." Rainbow paused. "Tempo didn't think we should know either, I guess."

Rarity took a deep breath and let it out her nose.

"My thoughts exactly," Rainbow said. "The worst thing is, she's convinced I'm furious at her for knowing."

"I am going to have a few choice words for Starlight the next time I see her. Where is Tempo at the moment?"

Raising her head, Rainbow said, "I sent her outside. I don't want her to see how I'm feeling right now."

Rarity set her fabric down. "In that case, I should at least keep an eye on her. If Tempo thinks we're angry at her, the last thing we should do is leave her unsupervised."

Rainbow stood up. "You need to work on your designs, and I'm the one who started this whole mess. I gotta be the mom this time."

"If you're sure, dearie." Rarity went back to her sewing.

Mulling over her conversation in her mind, Rainbow made her way down the steps. "Of course I drop that on her and ditch her," she mumbled. She arrived at the front window, sat down, and looked out.

Outside, her daughter was investigating one of her hula hoops. Tempo swung it around her neck a few times, then picked it up experimentally, waving it once or twice. Rainbow sat up, unsure of what Tempo was doing. Tempo seemed lost in thought. She set the hoop down and walked in a circle, staring at it as if she were trying to figure out its purpose. Tempo then picked it up one more time.

Tempo and the hoop winked out of existence.

Rainbow stood bolt upright.

"Tempo?"

She burst out the door.

"Tempo!" Looking around frantically, Rainbow called, "where are you?"

Rainbow launched herself into the air and looked this way and that. "Tempo!"

She flew around the backside of the house and quickly spotted her daughter and the hula hoop. Landing hard, Rainbow grabbed Tempo. "Wha—you—there—"

The back door opened and Rarity hurried out. "Rainbow, what's wrong?!"

"I..." Rainbow panted. "Tempo was there and then she was gone and... what in the world was that?"

Tempo Reprise's head dipped just a little, along with her ears. "Um. Mom, Rainbow... I think I can kinda sorta slow down the world. And maybe... make it stop completely. Like... stop-stopped."

"Ah," Rarity said, "and here I thought it was important. Pardon me, I must find somewhere to faint." She staggered back into the house.

Rainbow's legs turned to jelly and she collapsed onto her rump.

Tempo slowly shrunk back. "Now I'm in big trouble."

---

"And then Daring Do said, 'Stop right there, Caballeron! I know you have the Titanium Trunk! Hoof it over.'"

Next to Rainbow Dash, Tempo was tucked into bed, snug and warm. The filly's little ears listened intently to her mother. Outside, the moon's light shone across Ponyville and the stars glittered overhead.

Rainbow turned a page of the book. "Of course, Caballeron wouldn't give it up that easily. He put in a lot of work stealing it from the Ivory Temple." She looked at her daughter. "You know what he said, kid? He turned around and said—"

Downstairs, there was a knock at the front door.

"Whoops," Rainbow said. "Sounds like storytime's over." Closing the book, she told Tempo, "Sleep time, kid."

"But I want to know what he said," was Tempo's response.

"We'll find out what he said tomorrow, all right? Something villainous, I'm sure. Get your sleep."

Rainbow kissed the base of Tempo's horn. "Good night, Tempo."

Leaving the bedroom door open only an inch, Rainbow left her foal and descended the stairs. She entered the Boutique to see Rarity letting in the night's visitor.

"Fluttershy, darling," Rarity said, stepping back, "I'm terribly sorry to bother you at this time of night, but you're the only pony I can think to talk to about this."

"Oh no, it's no bother at all." Fluttershy stepped inside and made her way into the dining room, where Rarity had some tea ready.

She sat down, filling the cup in front of her. "So, what's on your mind?"

Rainbow pulled the chair back to let Rarity sit before seating herself at the table and getting a cup of her own. Rarity was the first to speak. "Fluttershy, what do you know about the Nightgrasp?"

Ears perking up for just a second, Fluttershy said, "Well, I only really know what Twilight's told us, and what we've all seen when facing him. If you have questions, I think you should wait until she gets back from Canterlot."

"No, no," Rarity responded, "I want to talk to you about him. He's an earth pony, a stallion." Rarity paused. "Which means he used to be a colt. And a baby before that. He was raised by somepony."

Fluttershy set down her tea and thought for a moment. "I see. This isn't about the Nightgrasp."

She looked at the other two.

"This is about Tempo."

Comments

[SockPuppet]

Oh hey. This is live. Nice.

[TCC56]

I was not expecting a sequel. What a wonderfully pleasant surprise.