We're putting together a team.
“Phew! I’m beat, partners.” Applejack stretched out, letting out a yawn, and put a comfortable arm over Rarity, who nuzzled her affectionately. “Ya doin’ okay, sugarcube?”
Nodding shortly with a pleased smile, she caressed the farmers cheeks with her fingers. “Just another afternoon of defeating Equestrian magic, friendship-speeching, and nearly destroying some form of streetcorner here or another…”
“This time it was a museum!” Pinkie corrected with a giddy smile, still performing a victory dance as they walked together out of the building. “Definitely one of our funner battle settings!”
“U-um…” Fluttershy shot a careful glance towards the mostly empty streets. “...We should leave before somebody calls the police…!”
“Oh! I have an idea!” Pinkie raised a hand.
Rainbow Dash joined her, with a grin. “I also have an idea.”
Sunset, who had been focussing on checking on the ‘villain’ they had defeated today, turned, and immediately shook her head disapprovingly. “We’re not blowing up the cops, girls. We’ve got enough on our plate.”
The two girls moaned in frustration, consoling each other.
Twilight adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. “Being wanted fugitives would make it harder for all of us to continue to save the world when Equestrian magic is on the rise. And it would make us late for class.”
Suppressing a chuckle, Sunset pointed at her and smiled warmly. “See? Reason.” Her expression softening, she patted the back of the ‘villain of the week’ softly. “...Will you be okay from here? One of us can take you home, if you’d like.”
Suri Polomare, who was still processing the insane day she had, nodded shortly. “I-I think I’d like that. I’m… Is this something you girls do all the time? Rarity… Do you…?”
“Save the world often?” The Seamstress tilted her head with a confident smile. “Not alone, darling. But yes.”
The defeated girl let out an equally defeated sigh. “...So much for me ever thinking I was better than you. I’m so ashamed…”
“Don’t worry, girliepop!” Pinkie did a twirl. “Being taken over by evil dark magic and lashing out for revenge happens to the best of us! You just gotta take one step at a time and try to do better everyday!”
“Very wise, Pink.” Sunset nodded proudly. “And she’s right. Don’t worry about today, it could have happened to anyone.”
“...Turning into a mad seamstress that tries to weave webs to trap people on and force them to look at my art?” Suri grimaced. “That could happen to anyone?”
“You would be surprised...” Twilight let out a weary, annoyed little groan. “You’re not yourself at your lowest, okay? You’re not your worst mistakes.”
“And you can always grow and do better.” Sunset affirmed with a determined nod. “And if you believe in the power of friendship–”
“I hear sirens.” Fluttershy warned quietly.
“It’s the popo!!!” Rainbow waved her hands. “Scatter!!”
The rest of the group reacted with rehearsed levels of alarm.
Rainbow Dash picked up Fluttershy bridal style and sped out of there like a blur. Pinkie Pie gave her friends a loving, caring hug, and walked away with a bouncy step. Applejack and Rarity calmly offered to help take Suri home, of which she begrudgingly accepted, and then only Sunset and Twilight remained.
“...Date night?” Fidgeting, with a flustered little smile, Twilight came a little closer. “After today, I could use some cuddles, some popcorn, and maybe we can watch something trashy at your place…?”
No matter how captivating she was, holding her hand, Sunset had to let her down. “...Shoot, sorry, Sparkles. I’ve got that thing in Equestria today, remember?”
“O-oh. Sorry. I got excited, I forgot that you um…” Her gaze, filled with worry, went to the floor. “...Have to break into hell today.”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds.” Together, putting an arm under her, she led the way, with a semi-hurried pace, fleeing the incoming sirens of law enforcement. “I can take you home before, if you wanna?”
“Actually, I’d like to see you off.” She nervously muttered, leaning her head on the punk girl’s shoulder.
CHS was one bike ride away. Twilight clinged behind Sunset’s hips, leaning on her the entire way, revelling on the ride, on the engine, on the sturdiness and unflinching way that Sunset drove.
“...Can I come with you?” Twilight muttered carefully, fearfully, holding Sunset’s hand as she climbed off the bike. “I think I’d sleep easier tonight if I wasn’t thinking of the possibility of my girlfriend getting trapped in hell or anything like that…!”
“Twi, I’m not taking you to hell.” Sunset replied gently. “That is the worst date idea ever. Besides, don’t worry, I’m not going inside– I’m just helping them open the gates, okay…? I’m only a part of the team, the rest is up to them– It’s a favor to a friend.”
Adjusting her glasses nervously, she nodded. “...That does set my mind at ease.”
“I’m mostly just doing this as an excuse to see my mom again…!” With an embarrassed grin, the redhead looked away– But then back to her girlfriend, with a teasing smile. “But hey, if you want to meet her, we’re having dinner together.”
The girl froze, her gaze blurring. “...Do I want to meet your mother who is a god and introduce myself as your human girlfriend who has barely any idea on what the customs of Equestria are, much less know any of the culture whatsoever…? …Give me a two weeks notice so I can study and rehearse, find out ways to impress her, and maybe–”
“--That’s my girl.” Sunset kissed her gently, sweetly. “Relax, Sparkles. This’ll be easy. I’m more worried about them. They actually have to go inside.” She pointed at the foot of the statue in front of CHS.
Before the statue, a very concerned Starlight Glimmer was attempting to hold her girlfriend and stop her from walking on all fours.
“...Oh. Trixie is coming too?” Twilight grimaced.
“Not our Trixie. Don’t worry.” She grinned, shrugging. “You want to go meet them?”
“Absolutely not.” She shook her head, leaving her girlfriend’s embrace. “Write or text me when you’re safe, okay?”
“You too.” They kissed one more time, and Twilight began her trek to the nearest bus stop.
Letting out a sigh, and even stretching, she steeled herself before turning and moving to the statue.
“...What else do I do with these gangly things!” The magician declared in confusion, holding her girlfriend's hands. “Could I perform tricks with them? Are they used for intimacy?? Can the Great and powerful Trixie revolutionize the act of holding things–”
“Trixie, they’re called fingers–” Starlight corrected, shooting nervous glances around her. “And please stop biting them, or licking, or sucking– HI SUNSET HI WE’RE NORMAL!”
“Sure.” The redhead affirmed, suppressing her laughter. “Hey, Starlight. This is your Trixie, then?”
“Y-yes! She usually behaves.” She shot a stern glance towards her girlfriend, who replied with a pout. “S-sorry, we thought of waiting for you in the other side, then Trixie got curious–”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. People at CHS at least are pretty comfortable with the occasional Equestrian shenanigans.” Sunset waved a dismissive hand. “I’d refrain from walking on all fours, though.”
“Well hello, Hot stuff. Starlight warned me you were good looking, but vavavoom–” Trixie got elbowed by Starlight before she could finish the sentence.
“...Yep, you’re Trixie, alright.” Sunset suppressed a snicker, shaking her head. “So, where’s the rest of the team?”
“O-oh, we started with you!” Collecting herself, and holding her girlfriend so she wouldn’t skitter away, she pointed at the mirror. “I made a list! Me and Trixie still have to go to a few places today.”
“Hm. Alright, I guess it gives me time to steal the key, then.” Sunset shrugged.
“...What key?”
“We need a key to open the doorway to Tartarus? I thought I told you? I’ll steal the key, you gather the rest of the team, alright?”
“S-sorry, sorry, there’s been so many moving parts to this, I’ve had trouble keeping up…!” Starlight groaned. “It’s been a day! I’m worrying so much about Cozy, and we haven’t gotten into hell yet, a-and–”
“Relax, my great and powerful girlfriend. We are going to absolutely crush our little trip into hell. Best date idea ever.” Trixie gave her a clumsy, confident kiss on the cheek that involved a nibble or two. “Did I do this right? Is this how hairless apes kiss?”
“Kind of.” Sunset chuckled, shaking her head. “Okay, well, let me get the next member of our team, then.” She turned around to the bushes nearby, and talked to nothing. “Hey, Wallflower, you here?”
“Hi.” The gardener waved, already right next to them, startling Starlight and Trixie, but simply causing Sunset to smile. “I’ve been here for a bit.”
“Good! Starlight, Trixie, this is Wallflower Blush. She has a particular set of skills, and she’ll be helping me steal the Tartarian key.” Sunset patted her shoulder, and pointed at her friends. “Wallflower, this is Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, you already know.”
“...If Trixie is coming, is Flash coming too?” The small girl tilted her head curiously.
“W-who in the blazes is this little green thing!” Trixie declared, holding Starlight fearfully. “And was she here the whole time?!”
“I’m… Wallflower Blush.” She sighed in disappointment. “You know me. We literally went out together last week. With Flash, remember? We watched ‘Mission Improbable’?”
“Oh yeah, sorry, this isn’t our Trixie.” Sunset corrected. “This is pony Trixie. She actually has a girlfriend, see?”
“Trixie? With a girlfriend?” Wallflower smiled teasingly, shooting a joking glance towards Sunset. “Now I’ve seen it all.”
“Wait. Wait just a second.” Trixie planted her feet on the ground, her hands opening like claws, breathing heavily as if she was about to burst into a sprint. “There’s another Trixie here?”
“It’s a mirror world, there’s counterparts of all of us.” Sunset responded with a shrug. “So, shall we–”
“I MUST LOCATE MY IMPOSTOR AND ELIMINATE HER AND/OR POSSIBLY KISS HER!” Trixie declared to the heavens, before attempting to sprint out of there. “THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIX–” She immediately tripped over herself and fell in the grass, tasting dirt.
Casually, Sunset strolled over, picking her up and immobilizing her, and carrying her to the statue. “So, like I was saying, are we ready?”
“J-just a minute!” Starlight beheld Wallflower carefully, in confusion. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring a human into this? This is Tartarus we’re talking about…!”
“Oh, I’m just going to steal the key. I’m not going into hell.” The gardener shrugged, shaking her head. “I cleared my afternoon for this, Sunset asked for help, so here I am. I’m not staying in Ponyland for any longer than I have to.”
“...Okay, okay. And why were you hiding in the bushes, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Sheepishly, Wallflower sighed. “...Sunset’s girlfriend doesn’t like me. I wasn’t risking a run in. And the bushes are pretty comfortable, too.”
Mournfully, Trixie embraced Sunset’s midriff, nuzzling it, while still restrained. “Aw, you’re not single? Shame, damn shame, hot stuff–”
“Speaking of people my girlfriend doesn’t like, shut up, Trixie.” Sunset stated simply.
“Trouble in paradise? I’d like to hear the drama between hot stuff and the green girl!” The magician declared, barely managing to flail while restrained.
“I don’t want to retell my worst moments to another version of a friend of mine.” Wallflower shrugged eyeing Trixie’s counterpart strangely. “I owe Sunset a lot. Visiting a magical land sounds fun. Breaking into hell sounds fun. That’s all.”
“B-but… The drama…” Trixie pouted.
“No time for backstories, Trix!” Starlight declared. “Sunset, do you trust this… Wallflower, was it?”
“Absolutely.” She nodded unflinchingly.
“Then that’s all we need.”
“Shall we?” Sunset smiled, handing Starlight her girlfriend, motioning towards the portal.
“We shall. Let’s go! Next stop, me and Trixie are going caving!”
“Trixie, don’t go shouting!!” Starlight warned with a wary whisper. “Your voice is going to bounce around this cave system and we’ll be attacked by a flock of bats, or a flock of bears, or maybe get caved in–”
“Relax, my great and powerful girlfriend.” Trixie gave her an affectionate nuzzle. “This is the easiest way to find Maud. Observe!”
Quiet. Water dripped somewhere, and the wind was audible crossing the depths they now walked on, the primary source of light being Starlight’s horn.
Trixie inhaled. “...HEY MAAAAUUUUD!!!!”
Her voice echoed several times, returning to them, and they were seemingly left in silence.
Starlight sighed. “...Let’s go ask Pinkie if there’s any other caves Maud usually spends time in–”
She nearly leaped in fear at the sound of rubble.
Maud, seemingly from nowhere, popped out of a hole in the ground, just her head, blinking once and turning off her helmet’s light. “Hello, Starlight Glimmer. Hello, Trixie. You shouldn’t be here. It’s not very safe.”
“M-Maud!! Oh my gosh, hi, um–” Starlight had to take a breath. “Hi. Sorry. What are you doing?”
“Caving.” She blinked. “How about you?”
“Oh, haha, nothing much, me and Trixie are just hanging out in this cave being normal… How’s Mudbriar doing?”
“He’s doing.”
“Haha that’s good! That’s good! So, um, funny story, here’s an idea–”
“--We need your help to break into hell. Wanna come?”
“Yes.”
With unflinching movements, Maud undug herself out of that hole and patted the gravel away. “Are we doing this now or later?”
“W-wait, you should probably hear us out on the stakes–”
“We’re doing it now!” Trixie grinned madly.
“Okay.” Maud nodded. “Let me just write a goodbye note to leave to Boulder in case we don’t make it.”
She sat down, took out a note and a pencil, scribbled something for approximately two seconds, folded it, and put it in her breast pocket. “...He’s got a sensitive heart. But he’s strong. He’ll make it out there without me, I’m sure of it. Grieving me wouldn’t break him.”
“M-Maud, slow down.” Starlight assured her. “Yes, this could be dangerous. There’s a kid, Cozy Glow– She’s been unjustly imprisoned in Tartarus, and we’re on a mission to break her out. We need your caving experience with us, but if you think it’s not worth the risk, we won’t fault you–”
“I already said yes.” She blinked. “Are we going or not?”
Trixie snickered. “See? She said yes! Another member of the team down!”
“...Maud this is Tartarus we’re talking about.” Starlight’s expression hardened with worry. “You understand it might be a one way ticket, right?”
“Starlight.” She spoke as assuringly as Maud Pie could. “In the time we’ve been friends, have I ever given any impression that I wouldn’t go to hell with you? Besides, I’d sleep better at night knowing my friends aren’t trapped down there, and that I did everything I could to help. I care about you two.”
“Awww, Maud…!” Starlight made motions to hug her, but the Earth Pony stopped her.
“No hugging.”
“R-right! Sorry.”
“No. No hugging because there’s an Ursa Minor coming to eat us. We should move.” She pointed at the passage behind them. “Trixie really shouldn’t have shouted.”
The two unicorns yelled in fear and began fleeing.
The Earth Pony sensibly waved goodbye to the bear before joining them.
The Timber Wolf roared.
And Tempest Shadow roared back.
“I’ve got you!” Glitter Drops yelled out before restraining the overgrown beast with her magic.
“Thanks!” Tempest yelled out, charging her horn, igniting it, and leaping forward.
With her energy gathered, and her enemy restrained, she unleashed a mighty blast that blew the monster into splinters and shook the distant snowy trees.
“Excellent shot, Fizzy!” Glitter cheered with a smile. “With the alpha gone, the rest should–”
Tempest leaped in front of her, and shielded her from a vicious Timber wolf strike, blocking it with an armored leg.
With a furious scream, she forced the wooden jaws open far further from where they could. And with a snap, the creature was dead.
The other Timber wolves that circled them had second thoughts.
And Tempest fueled those fears by stomping the snow and yelling out, her horn crackling the air.
And with whimpers, the rest of the pack fled into the northern woods.
“Cowards.” Tempest snarled. “Vicious vermin. They’re getting bolder– We should tell Cadance about this, something must be wrong–”
Glitter Drops interrupted her with a kiss that softened her demeanor immediately. “...Thank you for watching my back, Fizzy.” She booped her muzzle with a giggle. “And also, it’s like this every winter– It’s their season to be wild, you’ll get used to it! Part of the job.”
With a light blush, and a silly grin, she looked into the northern border, and the forest, and the coldness beyond. “...Wilder, huh? I could get used to this. I missed a challenge.”
“Timber Wolves are a challenge for you?” Her girlfriend giggled and winked, leading the way.
And Tempest followed. “Pff. As much of a challenge as I’ll get this far north– unless I pick a fight with Ursa Majors.”
“Bad for your health!” Glitter warned with another snicker.
“But fun.” She grinned.
“So fun, hihih…!”
“Are we done for the day?” She followed closely, beholding the lights of the Crystal Empire in the distance.
“More than done. I could use some hot cocoa and so could you!” She nuzzled her with affection.
“Hm. Tough choice.” Tempest grinned. “Picking fights with the ravenous wildlife, or drinking hot cocoa by the fire with the girlfriend…”
“The ravenous girlfriend.” Glitter Drops corrected.
“Not even a choice.” She kissed her on the cheek quickly. “Let’s go, ravenous girlfriend.”
The walk back to their cabin was comfortable, and devoid of danger. Any Timber Wolf in the area had been taught swift lessons not to mess with them, a simple snarl or shout from the broken unicorn was a swift reminder of what they should fear.
Their home, a cabin on the Crystal Empire border, was more than cozy. It was the patrol post designated to them– Glitter Drops was a veteran on the job, Tempest was a novice– The irony was not lost on either of them.
“...Dropsy, is that Cadance in our front door?”
“...And two other ponies?”
“Oh. It’s Trixie.” Tempest huffed, rolling her eyes.
“Oh dear. That Trixie?”
“That Trixie. …When she said she had a girlfriend, I thought she was lying.”
“Greetings, Tempest and Fizzy!” Cadance waved a friendly wing and smiled widely. “Out on patrol getting frisky eh?” She winked.
“Not in this weather!” Glitter Drops laughed with her, waving a hoof. “But hey, that’s what fireplaces are for.” She winked back.
“Hello, Cadance. Why are these two here?” Tempest narrowed her eyes. “And Trixie, why are you eating snow?”
Starlight patted the back of her choking girlfriend. “S-sorry! Her snow cone fell and she didn’t want it to go to waste– We’re normal, though! I promise!”
“Tempest, Glitter, this is Starlight and Trixie.” Cadance introduced them formally. “They asked me to lead them to you, Tempest. Apparently they have a job for you!”
“Ugh, this won’t be like last time, will it, Trixie?” Tempest raised an eyebrow.
The magician responded by coughing and sputtering and choking on snow.
“Please, everypony. Let’s discuss this inside! I’ll heat up some cocoa!” Glitter Drops gladly opened the door, waving them inside.
“Oh, I’m good! I have Princess duties elsewhere. You four play nice now!” Cadance waved a wing, and got ready to take flight.
Tempest stopped her sternly. “Okay, I get your weird matchmaking thing– And you constantly egging couples on– But how in the hell do you approve of those two?”
With a giggle, Cadance sighed, shaking her head. “Tempest, love takes many forms. Sometimes it's a bit weird, sometimes you don’t get it at first glance, and yes, sometimes it smells funky… But those two are good for each other! Their flaws, their quirks… They complement each other. Like a very weird tapestry!”
“You lost me.”
“Enjoy your cocoa.” Cadance smiled, winking. “And enjoy your Dropsy.”
With a gust of wind, she took flight, soaring back to her palace.
With a disgruntled sigh, Tempest walked back inside, to the sight of Starlight patting her girlfriends back, and her own girlfriend preparing something in the kitchen.
Tempest sat in front of the unicorn pair and glared at them, tapping a hoof on her table. “Let me clarify something, before you say anything– Do not disrespect Glitter Drops. Are we clear?”
“Crystal!” Starlight smiled nervously, patting Trixie’s back.
“Oh, Tempie– COUGH when have I ever COUGH Disrespected– COUGH” Trixie continued to struggle.
The broken unicorn simply rolled her eyes and sighed.
“So, um, Tempest Shadow! Wonderful to meet you.” Starlight offered a hoof to shake. “Twilight recommend us your services in full!”
“This better not be a friendship thing.” She groaned, ignoring the hoof.
“Oh, it's COUGH an ass-whooping thing.” Trixie struggled to grin and raise a smug eyebrow.
The tiniest smile manifested in Tempest’s lips. “...I’m listening.”
“Here’s your cocoa, everypony!” Glitter drops entered the room peppily. “Get it while it’s hot!”
Trixie scarfed down on it to help with the coughs and began whimpering at the burns. The rest of the room ignored her.
“Um, well… The thing is…” Starlight shot a worried glance towards Glitter Drops. “Hm, I’m not sure if I should say this with her listening.”
“I trust Glitter Drops implicitly.” Tempest spoke simply, enjoying her cocoa. “Whatever you want to tell me, you can tell her. Besides, whatever you’re getting me into, I’d like somepony to know.”
“It must be a big deal, if you both came all the way over here!” Her girlfriend leaned on her. “And Princess Twilight was involved, too…?”
“...Yes. This is a big one. There’s no way to sugarcoat this… Through lapses of judicious integrity, and through corruption of the Canterlot elite… A child has been locked in Tartarus.” She paused, watching the surprised reactions of the two of them. “This child, Cozy Glow, well… She was previously my student. She’s a bit troubled, but she absolutely does not deserve this fate. Twilight has trusted me, off the books, off the record, to rescue the child from the prison.”
“And we need help!” Trixie fanned her tongue, speaking poorly. “We’re putting together a team.”
“...And you want Tempest, don’t you…” Glitter Drops sighed, looking down, uneasy. “You want her help to breach Tartarus, of all places…”
“...We need muscle.” Starlight spoke carefully, gently. “I was told Tempest is the strongest there is, and well, the more the merrier, frankly.”
“Babe I thought you were the muscle!” Trixie huddled up to her, hamming it in, trying to lighten the tone, with questionable success.
Silence.
Tempest beheld Glitter Drops, seeing her hesitations, and her fears. And deciding became easy. “I refuse. Find someone else.”
“-Fizzy–”
“I’m not leaving you.” She stated simply, reassuring her. “Not now.”
“...You said you wanted a challenge…!” She smiled weakly, beholding her love. “...You said you wanted to redeem yourself, remember…?”
“Yes, but not with this risk– I’m not going to recklessly throw myself into danger again–”
“--There’s a child at stake, Fizzy…” She brought a hoof to her cheeks, gently holding her. “I… I trust you. You should help, even with, well…”
“...What if I lose? I can’t risk that, not now–” She hesitated, grimacing. “I don’t want you to lose me, I’ll be worried sick, the whole time–”
“That’s just love, Fizzy.” She sighed, smiling warmly, kissing her gently. “There’s nothing you can do about that.”
With a weary smile, she looked away. “...You talk to Cadance too much.”
“Say what you will about her, but she occasionally has wisdom...” She snickered, shaking her head. “...But I mean it, Fizzy. You’ve got a chance to do some good, and I won’t… I won’t be in the way.”
The room was quiet, accentuated only by the noise of a fireplace, as Tempest contemplated and considered.
“You two are so cute. And this hot cocoa is the best.” Trixie commented unhelpfully. “Maybe more sugar next time, though?”
With a tired sigh, Tempest ignored her and turned to Starlight. “...When do we start?”
“As soon as you can.” Starlight responded with a confident nod. “We don’t want to waste any time– And we’ve got a part of our team acquiring the Tartarian key already. We’re meant to meet them at the gate tonight.”
Nodding shortly, inhaling, she stood from the table. “...Let’s go, then.”
Starlight and Trixie were about to leave, but Glitter Drops’s magic forced them to sit down.
Her smile was eerie, filled with teeth, as she beheld the two unicorns. “...If she dies down there, you better die with her.” She leaned forward slightly. “Or I’m coming for you both and making us even.”
The two unicorns nodded emphatically, nervously, silently.
“Good.” Glitter Drops’s smile turned normal, and her magic no longer held them. “Good luck on your travels! Stay safe!”
“Wow. She scares me more than Tempest.” Trixie whispered un-stealthily. “So, we’re all done then?”
“With the easy part…” Starlight muttered, grabbing hold of a list, and ticking it off, opening a map of Equestria, and sighing. “With Maud and Tempest and me, we’ve got more than enough muscle. Sunset and Wallflower hopefully already got the key, so…” She tapped the gate of Tartarus on the map. “...Time for the hard part.”
Tune in next time, for Sunset and Wallflowers miniature heist of a smaller, less important thing than a child!
This chapter took me longer than usual to write-- I was invited to a rly fun coolab, then got distracted with another fic and a new game that dropped, but hey, I'm here now. And this fic right here is a perfect chill-out fic after the intense-ass chapters that I'm often writing in my multiverse fic, heh.
Writing this fic is so fun and casual compared to my usual work. i get to put so many different characters and little cameos in it just for fun, it's a wonderful time. You have no idea how many itches I'm scratching just with this one chapter-- Even minor things like Suri Polomare, little references like Wallflower, Flash and Trixie all being friends through Sunset, even bigger things like finally getting to write Glitter Drops into something, (an itch I likely won't be able to scratch until I write the sequel to Forgotten Sun, yowch!) this fic is just FUN.
Oh, to those that are unaware, Glitter Drops is from the comic. In the movie, she was just on Tempest's story flashback, but in the 67th issue of the mlp comics, Tempest meets her childhood friend again in the Crystal Empire, and they actually hit it off!
it's actually genuinely rly sweet and a cute little story about Tempest getting a link to her old life that doesn't devalue who she is, and like. For her to let anyone call her 'Fizzy'? That means a LOT.
Glitter Drops later appeared in the comic 'Nightmare Knights' in which she and Tempest were happily living together, in circumstances much like these ones! Honestly its tremendously compelling that Tempest found her place in the world with someone that knew her before she became a pawn of the Storm King, someone that knows and can tap into her sensitive side easily.
Like, shippers, don't get me wrong, I like Twipest fine, its really cute, but wow, reading the actual canon material gave us this damn cute ass ship, and I strongly recommend you read the comics
Like a real fan lol ☝️🤓
Anyways let me gush about them a bit more:
Conflict de-escalation! get your proud and tough as nails gf out of needless fights!
LIKE C'MON THIS IS RLY SWEET. SHE GETS TO INADVERTEDLY SHOW TEMPEST THAT SHE ALWAYS HAD A KIND, HEROIC SIDE, SHE GETS TO BRING OUT THE BEST OF HER. You call me Fizzy.
Nightmare Knights is a banger. Luna just goes "Hi, I saw you two dreaming about kissing each other sloppy"
Also she's a Celestia's gifted school dropout just like Sunburst! I feel like they'd be friends. (Totally not planning on writing that in the future on another fic cough cough)
THE LOOK CADANCE IS GIVING HER LMAO. THE LOOK. THE ,':3c
She's got your number not, Tempest. You're down bad. Down atrocious, even.
Okay, okay, rant over. I thought about saving that for a blog post, but nah, it's relevant on this right here. If the show had any form of true genius preparation, we would have had stuff like these two together, and Sunset in Equestria, but nooooooo....
Anyways. next chapter, a miniature heist with Sunset and Wallflower. but for now, I'm back on the Shimmerverse.
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Tartarus is still just a big empty cave in this story, right?
12066890
nope. I ain't going the show's route on this one. It's going to be bigger and weirder and a few other things.
Can't deny the power of Fizzlepop and Glitter drops, those two are absolutely cavity-inducing together. I like Temptlight a lot but I'm not gonna say a breadfruit is bigger than a jackfruit when compared side by side
Besides, Templight isn't even my top Pony Twilight ship, but that's neither here nor there.
Now onto the actual fic: Loving the heist film vibes this is giving off, best part is that it's mostly about the thrill since none of them have a believable reason for a double-cross twist at the end. I can't think of a single one of them Neighsay or a Tartarus denizen could actually reach nor appeal too...
... That is... unless Cozy struck a deal with the chancellor before the trial to set up a trap that will expose Twilight's involvement. Which would give Neighsay leverage against her in politics by ousting her usurpation of the law. I'll keep that in the back of my mind, but something tells me He is too specist/tribalist/evrything-ist to allow anycreature other than his own reflection stand as an equal partner... and only if the mirror catches his good side at that.
I also love how you play into the plan's complicated nature to give the audience more natural exposition, while not giving away everything at once. balancing that out can be tricky but you certainly know how to make the story flow.
"Starlight... filly... after the third time you needed to clarify you and Trixy are "normal" it becomes time to just fess up and admit you have unconventional tastes, nopony who matters is going to hold that against you."
"Easy for you to say Sunset! You have a perfectly normal... Gurl... friend? is that how humans say it?
"You mean the one who is deathly afraid of quesadillas, needs to be broken out of her more passionate lectures with shiny objects, and probably violated half a million ethical restraints building a machine that can think for itself to determine the release date of the next Daring Do movie?
"At least yours didn't try to rally a petition that forced every castle to include a wagon-accessible set of doors to ensure, and I quote, "no lonely wagon riders would need to gallop through the rain to answer their lover's carnal needs" Faust she drives me crazy sometimes"
"Yeah, but let's take a page out of our respective Applejack's books, and be honest: would we love them if they weren't the kind of people who would do those things?"
"...No, I suppose not, heres hoping maybe we can get them to get along for a double-date sometime after we make it out of Tartarus"
"Not likely, they seem to be in a shouting match right now"
"Huh, Trixy made it to the five-minute mark, she's improving, technically it's not "her" Twilight, but progress is progress"
-Meanwhile
"Well MY Great-and-Powerful fillyfriend resorts to dark magic to solve simple problems, Time travels to establish societal regimes, and gets constant threatening letters from a dethroned changeling queen! She is clearly the weirdest and therefore the best!"
"I can assure you my collected data on Sunset proves she is far more atypical of the status quo! Her very existence caused me to devote my research to something I can't publish without winning myself a straight jacket. She turned into an angel with an abnormally long frontal horn to stop me from ripping apart reality. And her empathy magic accidentally had us watch our inner demons connect in our dreams and lose their virginity before I got the chance to!"
"Nice"
"Not what I was getting at!"
"Very well. But my dear sparkle, I still have one piece of undeniable proof I have the weirdest Fillyfriend!"
"And that is?"
"SHE, Chose to date ME"
"I... genuinly don't have a counterargument to that"
"YES! Trixy has it weirder than you Sparkle! I win!"
"...Do you?"
Time to go in the hole!
Always good to see a fellow comic reader. There is so much outstanding material to be had there, and both Glitter Drops and the Nightmare Knights storyline are among the best of it. It's almost a shame that Dropsy won't be tagging along and running into an old classmate. Also, Wallflower observing from the bushes like some combination of cryptid and wildlife documentarian is fantastic, to say nothing of Maud poking out of solid rock like the world's most stoic Diglett.
Heck of a team you're putting together. On to the next chapter!
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It's still so tragic that one of the few cameos we get of Sunset in the comics is stuff like this-- Sure she had a backstory comic, but c'mooooon I craved so much more...
Adorable overachieving baby tho.