Ch. 1: When She Grabbed Me

It seems like just yesterday I was busy taking over the world.

The air smelled damp and moist. My fur stood up on end as the Storm King swirled the clouds like a blender. A bolt of lightning cracked to my right. A church bell tolled to my left.

That was the first time I felt fear in a long, long time.

Steel your nerves, I whispered to myself. The Princess of Friendship was staring at me now, her eyes wide with... something. Anger? No. Pity? Must have been, the scum. Pity for my situation, pity of my shattered horn. Pity like all the others who have come and gone in my life.

Seeing it as pity was far easier than seeing it as empathy.

Weakness, I heard echo in my mind. Weakness. You're weak. Weakling. She sees straight through your weakness, Tempest. She knows how scared you are. No...

"Hahaha, yes!" The Storm King roared out, pure delight and fillylike joy plastered across his face. "Finally! I can make the nations tremble under my might! They shall bow under the strength of the Storm King!"

"Yes," I cried, but my voice is drowned out by the wind. "Yes! It's exactly as I said! Now sir, my horn!"

"What did you say?"

"Sir, my horn!" The pleadingness seeped into my voice before I had a chance to stop it.

"Bah, when will you understand?" The Storm King turned to me with a wicked smile. My jaw — and my heart — instantly dropped.

"W-what?" I strained to hear him clearer over the dizzying storm.

"When... will you... un-der-stand?" He sounded out each individual syllable, spelled it out for me like I was a young filly. "I used you," he said, this time crystal clear. "I used you to get what I want."

Pain stabbed through my chest. Disgust. Horror. Betrayal. My head spun with a flurry of emotions, emotions I long thought I lost. I sought to be by myself. To be alone. To be free of the rejection and backstabbing that I felt when I was a filly so long ago.

I couldn't understand why he would do such a thing. I was loyal. I gave him everything that he wanted. By doing so, I thought I insured he would fulfill his promise. I thought he would like me enough to grant me my only request.

That is when the truth dawned upon me, like the sun breaking through on a cloudy day. Maybe I was desperate. Maybe I longed to make him happy so much, I was blind to his plans to betray me all along. Maybe I wanted approval so much from someone, for something, I ignored the signs.

Maybe that's all I'm ever good for. Being used, then thrown away.

I didn't get any more time to think when the Storm King pointed the staff at me. The crystal at the tip swirled with magic, then lurched forward. I attempted to parry with a beam, but instead of hitting the staff, it impacted into his own beam and exploded.

The world spun around. Pain shot through my chest. I was airborne.

I gasped out for air, but it came in hoarse and ragged. Agony writhed through my veins with every little movement, with every inhale and exhale.

Cracked rib, I thought to myself. Lower right rung. I can't fight long.

I gritted my teeth, forced myself to regain my balance. My hooves spun and flailed, desperately searching for something, anything, that could ground me.

My left hoof found purchase on the balcony railing, but just barely. I pulled with all my might to grab with my other hoof, to steady myself so I could get back on the balcony. The adrenaline and fear coursed through my blood, gave me the strength I needed to survive.

But the storm was too strong.

With every pull, every flex of my muscles, the hurricane seemed to pull and flex twicefold, arresting me in place. The harder I tried, the harder the storm blew and howled and whirled around me, until my leg and chest burned and I had no more energy left to use.

My grip began to slip. Then slide. Panic set in, then exhaustion, then apathy.

I deserved this.

It was karma at its finest, a pony caught in the winds of her own storm. A storm that she created. A storm that she unleashed onto the world. What was the point of fighting if this was truly fate's wishes?

I deserved to die.

And so I closed my eyes. Then let go.

I let the world spin around me once more, let the wind and the storm drown everything out until there was nothing left. Nothing left, but the silence and the screams of my own demise.

That was when she grabbed me, and never let go.

When I came to, I was in a bed.

The sheets were crisp and blue, and the walls were painted as bland as the inside of a bottle of mayonnaise. A curtain sheet divider separated me from the commotion going on outside. I looked toward my left foreleg, found a hoofcuff securing me tight to the post on my bed.

Great, I thought to myself as I gave the restraint a tug. Just great. I began sitting up, but stopped when pain seared through my veins just above my right hip. My rib, I thought to myself. Not going anywhere fast. That's going to be a problem.

I looked down to the lock around my cuff. The restraint itself was two gold cylinders linked by a beautiful chain. When activated, a magical blue band sprung into existence from each cylinder's face, making two loops connected by the chain. When worn, the cuffs dramatically reduced the user's magical affinity, essentially stripping the wearer of their magic.

I recognized the mechanism well from my 'employment' with the Storm King. We used a similar design when imprisoning unicorns or other magically affluent races, such as changelings and hippogriffs. They proved quite useful to break the spirits of any magic users vying for an escape.

Or a rebellion.

Ironic for me that the weapon I used against my prisoners would be the very same one choking my freedom now.

As I leaned down toward the chain, about to test my chance of gnawing through the metal to freedom, the curtain pulled back. Standing there were two Royal Guards, adorned in their tacky gold armor and flamboyant blue plume. Their eyes stared me down like a dog would stare at its chew-toy — unrelenting and without mercy.

"Tempest Shadow," one of them said.

"Nurses," I responded mockingly, then sat up taller. "Are you here to change my sheets? Or are you what passes as a sorry excuse of a guard around here?"

They responded with silence. Typical.

"Tempest Shadow," the guard repeated again. "You are under arrest by the Equestrian Royal Guard for multiple severe charges. These include malicious destruction of property, unlawfully restraining of ponies against their will, conspiring to levy war against the monarchy, and accomplice of the voluntary ponyslaughter of 13 citizens, as well as countless injuries."

Wait, ponyslaughter? My eyes turned to the guard, and for a moment, they betrayed a look of confusion. Ponyslaughter, I asked myself. How did anyone die?

Despite following the Storm King's bidding to a tee, he was not one for death. He saw it as messy and unnecessary, and instead adopted other ways to bend societies to his will. Many times, there was little need for violence at all, as a grand majority of civilizations posed little threat to the might of the Storm Guard.

The storm, I thought to myself, and the answer suddenly dawned upon me. Voluntary ponyslaughter during the storm, of course. My thoughts flashed back to Canterlot during the raid from the Princess and her friends, remembered the scores of helpless ponies chained in the streets leading up to the castle. The Storm Guard could run, they could flee when the hurricane was summoned.

The ponies, on the other hand...

The guards must have saw my confusion, as they stared at me with raised eyebrows now. The guard from earlier continued on. "You will now be escorted to the Canterlot Royal Castle for your sentencing. Before that, however, you will be brought before Princess Twilight. She says there are some... 'unusual actions'... she must speak with you about first."

Unusual actions? I asked myself again, then suddenly wondered if I bumped my head during the fight at the castle. Do I have amnesia? What happened?

I replayed the fight in my head, watched the world spin dizzying circles before latching on and dangling on the railing. I tried pulling myself back, but the storm raged on harder. My grip began to slip. I closed my eyes and surrendered. The world spun once more.

It was then when she caught me.

My eyes widened as I recalled the memory. I remembered dangling by a hoof, held only by the Princess' grasp and my outstretched leg. I remembered my mouth moving by it's own volition. I remembered it asking the princess five gut-wrenching words.

Why are you saving me?

I could see the look in her eyes when she replied, the smile that stretched across her face soon after. It was like a window opening up, a window to who she was and what she truly believed inside.

Because this is what friends do.

A heat rushed into my cheeks, a heat I quickly shook off. Something about that moment touched me. Something that reached deep inside and scooped something that I didn't know still existed. It was like she was still holding onto me, still latched on even long after the storm.

The guard interrupted me from my lingering thoughts. "Is that understood, Tempest Shadow?" I could only respond with a simple nod.

"Good," he replied back. "The nurses will now help you change."

I began rising out of the bed, only to be arrested with a surge of pain. "I'm hurt," I replied in a flat, biting voice.

Something told me it took every bone in the guardspony body to resist saying 'good'. "You broke a rib, and fractured two others," he said.

At least I wasn't too far off, I thought to myself.

"The doctors here have mended your bones," he continued on. "But it will take at least a week to heal. Two is recommended."

Two weeks?!?! I jolted in the bed in protest, but as if on cue, my injury kicked me right back in the stomach. It took all my willpower to stop from screaming in pain.

"Were it not for your injury, you would be put under far greater security. Even without your magic."

I glared lasers at him. His face was stern, stoic, like how you expect a Protective Pony Platoon member to be. I could tell on the inside however, he was laughing it up at the sight of my suffering. He must've been.

"Fine," I said through gritted teeth. "Will I at least be given a wheelchair?"

"One can be appointed to you. If you suffer too much pain to walk."

We'll see who's suffering when I stick my hoof up your rear, I thought bitterly to myself.

After the guards left, the nurses came to my bed. I was offered a set of common pony clothes and a black coat. They told me the fight did a toll on my immune system, and that I should bundle up to avoid getting sick or infecting the injury. That's fine, I thought to myself. The faster I get better, the faster I can make my escape.

I absolutely refused to let them change me however. No matter how much it hurt, there was no way I'd let the nurses pamper me like I was a filly. They may have taken me captive, but they wouldn't break my spirits.

Not again, at least.

After some resisting and growling, I finally got the nurses to leave me alone for two minutes. Two minutes of freedom, I reminded myself. Don't waste it.

I spent some time inching and crawling my way out of bed. The task was far harder than I originally thought it would be. By the time I was out of bed, I could taste blood from biting my lip so much. I then took a moment to do a quick examination in the mirror.

My face looked the same as always, minus the bloody lip. I leaned in to examine the scar over my eye. It hurt like Tartarus when I got it as a filly, and bled absolutely everywhere. Now however, it healed to be two violet marks just above and below the iris. It was almost decorative, I thought to myself.

I took two steps around, ran my eyes over my left side. I could see some scuffs here and there, some minor bruises and scratches that would heal over my slim, but powerful side. The dark lavender fur disguised the monstrously able muscles underneath.

My hooves took another step, took a moment to look at my rear. They were round and spherical as usual, with just a wee bit of heft to show their decent weight. I didn't have the bubbliest flank in all of Equestria, I admitted that.

But I'd be lying if I said they didn't look attractive.

I flicked my tail aside, took a good look at my back entrance and flower. My tailhole was star-shaped and slightly puckered, while my vulva was spread open like half an almond on a summer day. I blushed at the beads of moisture bordering my nether lips. I wondered what happened that got me so excited.

When the Princess of Friendship flashed before my eyes, I had to mentally slap myself to get rid of her. No, I thought to myself. Nonsense. Focus, Tempest. Focus.

I continued rotating around, got a better look at my right side, and my injury.

What I saw became my nightmare for several nights after that.

Ch. 2: Frozen Solid

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I couldn't believe what I was staring at.

The wicked scar that zipped through my side looked more at place on a piece of meat than on my body. I took a step forward, tilted my head, even prodded at the stitches with a hoof.

No matter what I did however, it didn't make the illusion fade away. The grotesque scar remained in me, taunting me.

It took every ounce of will to fight the tears in my eyes.

I crumpled on the bed, buried my head in the sheets. One of the nurses must've heard me, as a voice asked, "Oh, are you okay?" from behind the closed curtain.

I didn't respond to her. My hooves were balled into tight fists, gripping the bed as if I was strangling it. If the bed was the monster who did this to me, I would've in a heartbeat.

Who do they think they are, doing this to me. Is this some kind of sick revenge? Was one disfigurement not enough? Did they have to pour salt on the wound?

The curtain pulled back, a rather surprised-looking unicorn on the other side. I whirled around, screamed in the loudest voice I could manage.

"GIVE ME TWO MORE MINUTES!"

The unicorn froze, her face a mix of confusion and deep, deep regret. If I wasn't so distraught, the sight could've been hilarious. She yanked the curtain back over, concealed me as fast as I was revealed.

"Sorry!" she called. "Sorry, I'm sorry. Sorry..."

Breathe, Tempest. I forced myself to breathe. Pain flooded my right side, but I trudged through it. I forced myself to breathe again, let the pain wrap around like a barbed-wire blanket.

It hurt. But it was familiar. Comforting even.

It was then when I realized the hospital was dead silent. A bit could drop and it would be as loud as a tolling church bell.

I sat up from the bed, put my head up high and proud. My cheeks burned from embarrassment, so I tossed the black coat on, flipped the collar to conceal my blushing face.

I sucked in another breath, readied myself for the plunge.

When I stepped through the curtain, all eyes were on me. Judging eyes. Pitiful eyes. Fearful eyes. Some of them flicked to my horn, and I could do nothing but grit my teeth and take it.

They're all lesser than you, a voice told me. Inferior. Weak.

You are strong.

And just like that, the stares became easier to bear.

It wasn't long before the royal guardsponies barged back in the room. By their side was a terrified sky-blue unicorn, with a block of ice as her cutie mark.

The nurse from before, I thought to myself.

The guardsponies approached me, gave me a glare akin to a parent to their filly. I looked away.

"Tempest Shadow," he said. "We will now see the princess."

"Good," I snapped back. "I was tired of this place anyways."

There were two major hospitals in Canterlot: one to the west, and one to the east. I was sent to the western one.

Technically we were closer to the castle than the eastern hospital. There was a northeast road that lead right to its very gates.

However, the guards had different plans. Instead, we went east to the city center, then snaked our way up main street. We were actually taking longer than if I was admitted to the eastern one. The city center was located a block away for the eastern, compared to several for the western.

I soon discovered the reason however.

Littered throughout the streets is debris of all kinds. Shattered columns laid next to decimated shop fronts and piles of broken wood. Glass lined the sides of buildings, and hay covered the streets like confetti.

Some of the hay was dry with blood.

I pulled myself from the sight. Something told me I should have felt happy. I should have felt accomplished to have done so much damage. This is what the ponies deserve, I told myself. They brought this upon themselves.

But all it did was deepen the void in my stomach.

The castle didn't look much better. More shattered pillars, more debris scattered about. My head tilted upward, stared at the balcony where I fought the Storm King.

For a moment, I could see myself still dangling there.

The guardsponies took me through the front gate, walked me down the massive corridors. The inside was surprisingly pristine, like the eye of a storm. Some of the vases were broken, and the furniture was tossed about, likely looted by the Storm Guard from earlier.

But besides that, it was untouched. Almost beautiful, I thought to myself.

They brought me before a set of doors. I hadn't had a chance to see this room, as the castle was massively big and I was tasked to find the Princess of Friendship. I didn't have time for sightseeing.

The thick maple entrance had half a stylized sun carved in the left door, and half a crescent moon in the right. Together, they formed one perfect circle, matching one another exactly.

At least they didn't skimp on the art budget, I thought to myself.

A guard stepped up to the doors, knocked his hoof against it two times. A voice called from within, a voice I instantly recognized.

"Come in!"

The doors opened. Standing in the room, wings spread, was the Princess of Friendship. Her back was turned, focused on a set of books and scrolls spread on a dark mahogany desk. Her horn was alight, shining with violet magic as she organized the notes by urgency, then alphabetically.

She then turned to me, and my heart stopped.

I had seen the Princess many times before, so this shouldn't have been any different. But as the afternoon sun shined through her silky lavender mane, her deep velvet eyes catching just the hint of a sparkle...

It was like seeing her for the first time.

The heat rushed back in my cheeks. I turned my head down, pretended to prune my mane.

It seemed to have worked, as neither Twilight nor the Royal Guard brought up the horrible blush in my cheeks. Instead, the guard from before cleared his throat and addressed Twilight.

"Princess Twilight," he said in a deep, demanding voice. "The prisoner you requested to see."

"Leave her here. I can take care of her."

I continued to prune my mane. I didn't trust my cheeks to not flush at the sight of her again. Not yet, at least.

"Yes Princess," he said. "We'll be right outside."

"Thank you, guards."

Hoofsteps receded behind me. Doors closed. I don't know what happened next, as suddenly there was silence, and all I could see were the marble tiles beneath my hooves.

She must've been staring at me, as seconds were ticking by and nothing was happening. Absolutely nothing.

My heart pounded. Sweat began to bead. I cleared my throat, glanced toward the door, but she was dead silent.

What was she doing?!

Hoofsteps. Approaching, not receding this time.

Clop clop.

I swallowed. My throat was dry.

Clop clop.

Run, a voice called. Now's your chance. But my legs were frozen solid.

Clop clop.

I spun my head around, stared at the ground to gather my courage. Maybe if I stared her dead in the eye, she would be intimidated and back off.

Clop clop.

It was too late. I could see her shadow, feel my fur stand up as she came right next to me.

Clop.

Everything froze. My legs were stiff as a brick, my lungs firmly sealed against it's inner walls. I couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't think.

Clop.

I stood absolutely still as the Princess of Friendship stood next to me.

I don't know why I was so distressed standing next to her. I paid little mind to her title, or the royal station she supposedly held. Before my capture, I paid little mind to any title or station, minus the Storm King I served. And even so, he was the only one I bowed my head for because I wanted something out of him.

Something he didn't deliver of course.

So what froze me?

I looked down to my left hoof, remembered the warmth that touched it. That must've been the answer, I thought to myself. It wasn't respect; it was debt. Servitude. I owed the Princess my life. Every breath I took, every move I made, was thanks to her.

She grabbed on tight, and never let go.

Was this her plan all along? I asked myself. Was this her cruel genius at work? Wait for the Storm King to betray me, then save my life so I owed her?

Fury flooded my veins. I was stripped of power. She latched a collar around my ideals just like she had my hooves. She wanted to put me in the wrong, to become the traitor the Storm King and many others were to me in my life.

She wouldn't get her wish. I'd faster be dead than the filthy hypocrites who betrayed me.

While I processed all of this, the Princess continued to wait, like an owner waiting for her dog to roll over.

My breath quickened as her warmth touched my fur.

My heart hammered as her breath touched my skin. All the effects of her sinister, malicious trap no doubt. An assault on my dignity far greater than any magic she could cast on me.

Or was this magic?

It wasn't until later that I realized her breath was a long and hearty sigh.

I finally had the courage to look up. Her eyes were turned, averted away from me. She stood close, claustrophobically so, but far enough to make those two hoofsteps feel like two miles. You could see the sadness in her eyes, how they threatened to burst like the floodgates of Hoofer Dam.

I recognized the look from when I captured, no. Stole her away from her friends.

I recognized it from my own eyes.

The sight was too much to bear. I closed my eyes, mustered the little breath I had in my tight, tense lungs. I swallowed my spit, wet my lips with my tongue to speak.

I then spoke to her.

"Princess?"

She turned, looked at me as if awoken from a dream.

I spoke to her again. "You wanted to speak to me?"

The Princess stood up, brushed a hoof along the brim of her mane. "Yes. Yes, I did. Ahem," she said, trying to hide the sorrow in her eyes. I watched it recede, peel away until there was nothing but a mare of royalty again.

Strong. Authoritative. Wise.

Fake.

"How are you? How is your injury?" she asked.

Small talk. Politeness. Nothing but foreplay to the real topic, I thought to myself.

"It's fine," I muttered under my breath. "Tolerable. Nothing compared to the shackles on my hooves."

"Ah, well," she said, tipping her head to the side. "You know these things. You being a 'Mass Destroyer of Equestria' and all," she chuckled sheepishly. "Personally, if I was in-charge, I wouldn't mind you walking around uncuffed."

Kindness. Good will. Trying to drop my guard and trust her.

"What do you want?" I asked.

She stopped, a frown across her face. There was pain in her eyes from my bitterness. Good, I thought to myself. Serves her right for trying to deceive me.

"I wanted to ask you about the fight," she said. "On the balcony."

Wind. Howling. Pain. I'm airborne again.

"What about it?" I gritted my teeth, forced myself to the ground.

"I wanted to ask why you saved me and my friends."

My eyes widened.

I was back on the balcony again, pain searing through my right hip. The storm was receding, breaking through to sunny skies. The Princess was with her friends, huddled together in a... a hug. They were smiling, laughing together. Enjoying together.

Jealousy panged in my chest. I turned away, began plotting my escape.

That was when the Storm King climbed back onto the balcony.

Something flashed in his hand. A green apple? No. An obsidian orb. Glowing with petrifying magic.

He took aim at Twilight and her friends.

I couldn't let him do that.

"Look out!" I cried, but they were reacting too slow. My hooves charged forward toward the Storm King, powered a beam to pierce straight through his heart.

But my magic sparked.

It sparked, then fizzled, then sparked again. I realized it wasn't going to fire in time, that I failed, that I was too weak.

I refused to be weak.

My hooves took me past the ponies, straight into the Storm King. The orb was airborne by the time I reached him. It shattered against my chest.

Cold. Endless, unrelenting, painful cold.

I felt the gas bite into my fur, swirled and ballooned around until it began to solidify. My lungs took one last gasp of air, then exhaled sharply to keep the gas out of my lungs.

I needed my strength.

I needed it for one last push.

My body shoved as hard as it could, drove the Storm King and I over the edge. I flailed as I was airborne, but the searing cold snaked down my chest, across my belly, and into my legs. All feeling became none, every inch became numb.

Immobilized.

Frozen.

I was falling.

The next thing I could recall, I was waking in a bed, in a hospital with the same color pallet as a polar bear in a snow storm.

That must have been what the Princess was talking about, I thought as I returned from the memory. She's asking why I saved her and her friends. Why I sacrificed myself for them.

Looking back on it now, I wasn't sure myself.

Maybe it was hate? The hate of him backstabbing me, the hate of being turned into a tool for the second time in my life.

Maybe it was foolishness. I wasn't thinking at the time. I was emotional. Irrational. Stupid.

Maybe it was debt. I wanted to repay what I owed to her. I wanted to wipe the slate clean.

The answer I said were none of the above.

Ch. 3: Cries For Blood

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It's been several days since I spoke with the Princess.

During that time, I worked hard at my recovery. Every night at the same time, I'd get out of bed, practice my breathing, my stretches, my exercises. Progress was long and painful, but I forced myself through it.

I told myself to endure, and I did.

Of course, I did all this in secret. I needed the nurses and guards to think I was hurt. If they knew I was well enough to do sit ups, push ups, bucks, they'd double the security and put me under constant surveillance in an instant.

It was tricky with the hoofcuff. I had to stay on or close to the bed as I did my exercises. The first night, I tried getting out and nearly toppled the bed on top of me. When my night nurse, Jack Fiddle, arrived, I lied and told him I was trying to go to the bathroom.

He didn't seem to buy my story. But he didn't seem to have other explanations either.

The following nights, I did my exercises on the bed, and it worked well enough.

My ruse didn't mean I couldn't be stubborn though. Especially to my nurse, Snow Ball.

I met Snow Ball the day I met the Princess. She was the nurse who pulled the curtains the other day. After the few days we spent together, she still failed to grow a spine.

Every morning, she would arrive at my bed precisely at dawn. She'd knock on the door, apologize profusely, then carry in a tray of food with her head bowed. She would do the same with lunch, then rotate with Jack Fiddle later in the evening.

How could she live like that? Submissive and weak all the time?

I don't imagine she acted differently outside the hospital. She seemed like the type who would give into any pony who bumped into her, into any demand no matter how outrageous. It made me sick how weak she was, how subservient she's been.

Doesn't she know ponies can take advantage of that?

I almost did it myself. Manipulated her shyness. Scared her senseless. If not for entertainment, than to show her what happens when you were so scared. Perhaps she'd learn something from it. Perhaps she'd change. A small part of me hoped she would.

I could never bring myself to do it though.

It would have been so easy. Shattering her spirits. Destroying her trust. Showing her the world wasn't the kind, innocent place she thought it was. I wanted to show her it was hard. It was full of pain, jealousy, and suffering.

Maybe that's why I didn't do it. It was such a piece of cake, I didn't need to try.

In the back of my mind though, I knew the real reason. Some ponies can't change. I saw it in the camps, the Storm Guard, and now here in the hospital. That's just the way some ponies are born. They don't have the capacity to change.

Those who can't change however, die.

It was hopeless to try to toughen her. Instead, I entertained myself in other ways. An extra few minutes in the bath. Having her bring me more pillows. Another order of delicious hospital ice cream. To my surprise, she tolerated it well.

Sometimes she spoke up, called me with a meek, "T-Tempest... it's time to get out now."

"N-no more ice cream. You had enough."

"Time to sleep, please."

I ignored her. Or at least, ignored her until I was satisfied. I didn't even want all the ice cream I asked for. The rebellion was sweet enough.

By the second day however, a question began to loom. Why did Snow Ball keep coming back?

There were plenty of nurses around. Plenty who were far less tolerant than Snow Ball. Jack Fiddle, for example, was a tall, buff earth pony with a stare that could melt stone. I knew not to act up around him. I wanted him to think I was harmless.

So why did she return?

When the third night came around, my curiosity grew too strong. As Jack did his routine inspection of the room, the window, my hoofcuff, I spoke to him.

"Hey Jack," I said. My words were tinged with a half-sarcastic, half-sexy voice.

He didn't answer. I continued anyways.

"It's such a shame Snow Ball is assigned to me," I said with a yawn. "She must be dying to exchange patients with some pony."

His lips twitched. His brow furrowed, then returned neutral.

"Pity," I continued. "Mare that weak, she must ask every pony for help. Say, who was the one who assigned her to me in the first place? I must have some pony to thank for a pathetic nurse."

The sound Jack made was a mix between a gruff and a laugh. "Ya think Snow Ball puts up with you 'cuz she was assigned? Of course ya do. Typical."

My smile faded. "What?"

Jack sighed. "Snow Ball ain't stupid, ya know. She knows you're playing her. That you're pickin' on her 'cuz you think she's weak."

I glared daggers at him. "She is weak," I said. "It's as clear as day."

"Tell me then," he said, then turned to face me. "If she's so weak, why does she show up every day, hmm? Why is she always at yer side, precisely at dawn?" His voice was rising now, like the rumble of an earthquake. I fell silent.

"Why does she fulfill every request you've made?" he asked. "Every trick you've played?"

"I'll give you a hint: it's not because she likes you," he said, then stormed out of the room.

I continued sitting there as he left. My cheeks were hot, my chest tight. I wasn't intimidated by him. At least, that's what I told myself.

Then why did I feel so strange?

I spent the rest of the night taking apart his words. There was nothing to do but exercise, so why not?

When I realized why Snow Ball was so nice, I stopped giving her a hard time. I still didn't agree with her personality, or how much of a pushover she was.

I knew why she returned every day though.

So there my routine was: play weak during the day, work out during the night. The doctors must have suspected something however, as on the fourth day, Snow Ball arrived with two Royal Guards. I was in the middle of my lunch, spooning mouthfuls of spiced lentil soup.

"Tempest Shadow," the guardspony said. "Put your lunch away. We're leaving."

A frown came across my lips. I took another mouthful of soup. "I'm eating," I said. "Come back when I'm finished."

The other guard came around, took my food. I scowled, but didn't fight back.

"The Princesses' agreed on your sentence," he said, as he unlatched the hoofcuff around the bed. "It's time to go now."

My sentence, I thought to myself, and instantly paled. No. I needed more time, more distraction to recover further. I knew I was fit to climb, to walk, to trot. But whenever I pushed to the edge, the pain would overwhelm and paralyze me. I feared my stitches would loosen and my side would burst if I went any further.

I needed a few more days, I thought to myself. A week would be best.

The guard secured the hoofcuff around my foreleg. "Get out," he said. I saw no other option but to comply.

They let me gather my things. Or rather, what little the hospital gave that I now call 'my things'. Two sets of simple clothes. A toothbrush and some toiletries. The black coat from before. All of it looked bare and lonely stretched across my bed. When Snow Ball gave me a saddlebag to carry it all, it barely filled it halfway.

Everything I own takes less space than an over-fluffed pillow, I thought to myself.

But at least it was something.

I tossed the coat on, pulled the collars to hide my face. As I was leaving, Snow Ball stopped me a moment.

"I, uhm," she mumbled, in that sad, pathetic way she always does. "I wish I was a better nurse to you." Her eyes flicked to mine, then away.

I opened my mouth to speak, then hesitated. "You did fine," I said.

And so we parted ways.

The guards led me outside the hospital. For the first time in forever, I took in the open air.

It wasn't perfect. I could smell the dust from the debris, feel the unspoken, but tangible pain from such a ruined city. But things were looking up for Canterlot.

The columns and debris were cleared out, leaving the streets spacious and wide open. The glass was swept up, but little pieces sparkled in the dirt like diamonds. Even the hay was gone, and the path straight to the castle free. I was both happy and upset at this prospect. I wanted to be outside longer.

Or at least, until the mob showed up.

They gathered up slowly. At first, it was the odd look or two. Some of shock, some of fear. Some of hate. All of recognition.

"Hey you!" A pony cried, then began approaching us. I turned away, quickened my pace.

One of the guardsponies intercepted the stallion, told him to back off. He continued approaching. "You're her, aren't you?" he asked. "The one who caged us all up!"

More ponies turned. More ponies stared. The crowd rose in a murmur, then a grumble, like the cascade of a tidal wave. My heart throbbed faster.

"Move," the guardspony mumbled, then shoved me along. We began walking faster, weaving back and forth the street. An itch crawled up my right side, made my skin sting like a million insects. Too fast, I thought to myself. You have to slow down.

My hooves didn't listen.

As we moved faster, the crowd matched our pace. The ones in-front slowed when they saw us, while the ones in-rear sped up. The once stoic, fearless guardpony flicked his gaze to and fro. His lips creased into a frown.

I recognized the emotion instantly. The look of a cornered pony was unmistakable.

Some pony yelled at me. I turned my head, saw a mare with wild, icy-blue hair. Tears flooded her eyes.

"You!" She cried, then pointed a hoof right at me. "You're the one who brought the hurricane!"

"That's not quite true," I began. "The Storm King brought the hurricane. I merely brought him the sta-"

"Liar!"

My eyes widened. The guards were pushing me harder now, trying to usher me through a gap in the horde. I opened my mouth to speak, but she interrupted me first.

"You're the one who took my daughter!" she yelled, at the top of her lungs. "You're the one who killed her!"

The crowd fell silent. The air grew thick and heavy. Even the guards hesitated their advances, a hesitation they soon regretted. The gap that once was there sealed up, closed as the crowd grew tighter together. I whirled my head around, searched the mob for a way out.

The guards barked orders to the swarm. Their words drowned in the sea of rising voices.

Something struck my side. I turned to look at what, but another pony saw my distraction, and reared on both hind legs. He dropped himself down, slammed both forehooves into my face.

The world tilted and spun. I hit the ground hard. Warmth trickled down my muzzle.

My forehooves raised up, covered my head as I was struck twice more. The first grazed my side. The second knocked the air from my lungs. A stallion said, "Let me go! Let me go!" as I gasped and wheezed for air.

More hoofsteps. More ponies. The crowd tightened up, and cries rang out.

Cries for my blood.

I tried to roll to my hooves, but something stomped hard and firm to my face. A scream echoed out, a scream I realized was my own voice. Pain. I cursed out loud, then internally for being so weak. I could slam a pony twice my size into the dirt. A horde of prissy Canterlot folk should be nothing!

But they had numbers. They had the jump on me. My hooves were shackled, and my guts seared with every movement.

By Tartarus I'd let that stop me though. My knees coiled against my chest, then bucked hard in the direction of the stomp. Impact. Crack. Another scream, but this time, it was another pony's voice. The crowd drew a collective gasp. They pulled away.

A voice then yelled, high above all the others, that demanded an air of respect. "In the name of the Princesses, I command you all to stop!"

I lowered my hooves. A winged figure descended slowly to the ground, casting a dark shadow over the crowd. I couldn't make out who, as the sun blinded my eyes and turned the figure into a distorted mess. They must have been important though, as the entire mob was silent in awe.

Or in fear.

I sat to my hooves. The guards were at attention now, tall and proud by my side. I scolded them silently for letting the bleeding pony stand by herself.

I saw why they let me though.

The dust settled as the Princess of Friendship touched down. Her wings swept downward, then folded neatly by her side. She then began trotting, and just like magic, the crowd parted for her.

A small part of me envied her crowd-parting powers.

The mob continued to separate until she came right up to me. Her deep velvet eyes stared straight into mine, then down at my muzzle. I touched my face with a hoof, watched it come away painted.

"Are you alright, Tempest?" she asked. Her voice was low and soft, with the texture of midnight cotton.

I had to think before answering her. "I'm fine," I said.

The two guards exchanged looks. The Princess kept her eyes on me. Eventually, she turned to the guards. "I'll take her from here," she said. "You two are dismissed."

"Yes Princess," they said.

She then escorted me to the castle.

Most of the time, I found sights to be uninteresting. Boring. Of little value.

This was not one of those times.

Golden gates opened to flourishing gardens and thriving ecosystems. Beautiful towers rose next to marble statues and pools of flowing water. I dipped my head toward one of the pools, stared at the pony staring back at me.

A smile flickered across her face.

The Princess glanced over her shoulder. "There's still a bit of a mess," she said. "Broken furniture all over the West Wing. Mangled greens all over the sculpture garden."

"Seems you have your hooves full, Princess," I said.

She stopped in her tracks. "Please. It's Twilight," she smiled.

I looked away from her.

"There's no need to be so hostile," the Princess continued walking. "The Storm King is gone. The Storm Guard dismantled. Even your friend Grubber understands this."

"He's not my friend," I said.

"Well that's a shame," she frowned. "He seems to believe it."

"He's a fool for thinking so then," I spat back. "Tempest Shadow has no friends."

Silence. The gravity of my words held the open air, and for a while, none of us spoke. The quiet lasted for a moment. Then two, then four. Eventually the weight of my words settled upon my shoulders, and I realized what I told her.

I have no friends, I thought to myself.

My legs trembled. My throat tightened. My stomach rode a couple loops with the Wonderbolts. I turned away from the Princess, forced myself to take a couple shaky breaths.

You don't need friends, Tempest, I told myself. You like it like this.

You like being lonely.

I closed my eyes, let out a slow, smooth exhale. When I opened them, the Princess was twisting her mouth downward. Her eyes stared at mine, then away, like she was debating on saying something. She decided to.

The next thing I remember, I was on the ground. The Princess was underneath me, her eyes wide with terror. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, repeating over and over again.

"Who told you that name?! Who told you that name?!"

Ch. 4: Voyeurism

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"Who told you that name?!" I screamed.

The Princess trembled and put her hooves up. "T-Tempest, calm down. Please." Her body quivered as much as her voice did. Sweat beaded down her forehead, and her eyes were wide and locked with mine.

"Who told you?!" I reared up, threatened to turn her skull into puddy. "Who told you?!"

A flash of light blinded me. Twilight was gone.

I turned my head. She stood a few feet away, her eyes struggling to hold my gaze. My hooves stomped forward. My blood rushed with strength. There was a distant rustling, but I could barely hear it over the throbbing of my heart. A voice screamed to charge her down.

It screamed to buck her in the face.

"Who... told... you?"

Before she could answer, something hard hit me. The force swept me off my hooves, smashed me into the dirt. I wheezed to find two Royal Guards pinning me to the ground. I flexed my muscles, lifted my shoulders upward, but they slammed me back down.

"Are you alright Princess?"

"Where did you two come from?" Twilight narrowed her eyes at them. "I didn't see any guards in the garden."

"We were present, Princess."

"Present where?"

"Present, Princess."

I looked at them. Twilight was right; there weren't any ponies in the garden earlier. It was only Twilight and myself. The grounds were as empty as a rosebush in winter.

At least, that's what I thought.

I narrowed my eyes at the second guard. A stray twig lodged itself between the chest and shoulder plates of his armor, and his horseshoes were wet and caked with dirt.

Twilight must have noticed, as she was staring at the second guard as well. "Well. The threat is subdued, as you see. I no longer require your assistance."

"But Princess — "

"No buts." The Princess' furrowed her brow. "You two are dismissed. As the ranking pony present, you have direct orders to take your break. To do otherwise would be a direct violation of chain of command. Is that understood?"

The guards frowned and exchanged looks. "But Princess..."

"No buts!" She stomped her hoof. The guards jolted like she speared them in the flank. Even I had to take a step back. "Is that understood, or should I take this to your superiors?"

The guards exchanged looks again, then a collective gulp. "No Princess."

"Good." The Princess stepped forward, forced the guards back. She gave them one last glare, then leaned in close to me. "Come with me."

I nodded.

We vanished in a flash of purple light.

When the light faded, we were surrounded by books.

Shelves as tall as houses stretched high to the sky. Dusty spines stretched farther than the eye could see. They came in dull, flavorless colors like burly brown or pallid purple. The air weighed thick and heavy, and the scent of earth and pine assaulted my nostrils. I rubbed my nose to avoid sneezing my brains out.

I turned to Twilight. "What was th-...?"

"Shh."

I blinked to her. "Shh what? What were those gu-"

"Shh." She pointed to a nearby poster. A silhouette pressed a hoof against it's mouth, above big bold letters that read, "QUIET PLEASE".

If my eyes rolled any further, they would've fallen out of my head.

"Princess stuff," she whispered, then stared at the ground. "Those guards were doing princess stuff. You'd understand if you had important people caring about you."

I blinked again. She blinked back, then gasped and covered her mouth. "Not saying important people don't care about you. I'm sure they do! I only mea-"

"I got it."

The Princess fell silent. She opened her jaw to speak, but nothing came out. She then looked left, then right, before back to me. "Come."

I didn't see elsewhere to go, so I followed.

She led me through the maze of bookshelves with uncanny speed. The Princess would trot down one corridor, take a sharp turn, then dash straight to the other before taking another turn. I lost her several times during our journey. I had to stop and wait before she'd backtrack and we'd continue again.

We found a dark, dusty corner away from the rest of the public. Distant hoof-steps reverberated off white marble walls on the way over here.

Now it was completely silent.

A spark fell from the Princess' horn, followed by a second, then a third. I turned and stared at her magic. The sparks began sticking together, then collected into a ball of light on the tip of her horn. It flooded the shelves with bright, periwinkle light.

I made a mental note of this.

"Hmm..." The Princess frowned as she scanned the spines. "It should be here somewhere..."

I turned my head, spotted a rolling ladder to my right. I walked over to it, gave it a firm push. The sticky, worn metal groaned, then lurched forward. It squealed like a mouse being butchered.

But it was operational.

"Ah, perfect. Bring it here." She tilted her head forward, then stepped back. I pushed it into place, and we began our ascent.

The Princess went up first.

Granted, ladders aren't the easiest thing to climb with hooves. Ponies are far more comfortable on the ground, unless you're a pegasus. But the steps were wide and fat, and you could wrap your hooves around the vertical beams to keep on.

The restraints didn't make it easier though. I clung to the left beam with both hooves, then awkwardly squirmed each step.

"You doing okay down there?"

I looked up. I regretted it.

My eyes were presented with an uncensored view of the Princess' plot. Two round fuchsia cheeks parted to reveal her tight, unadulterated tailhole, and the slightly parted halves of her netherlips. A faint, but new scent drifted into my nose as well, one that was hot and sweet as all Tartarus.

I didn't need to lean to tell what was that smell.

"Tempest?"

My heart skipped a beat. My mouth went dry. I tried swallowing, but my tongue was as parched as the badlands of Equestria. Nothing I did returned it to normal.

"Tempest, are you okay? Say something."

I was dead.

It had to be a crime to stare at a royal plot. Voyeurism. Sexual harassment. Spying. They were going to jail me for good now. Lock me up until the flesh rotted off my bones. I was never going to see the light of day, never to repair my horn. Never to get a second chance.

It wasn't after a while did I realize I was still staring at her ass.

"Y-yes." I coughed below her. "I'm here, just... distracted."

The Princess looked at me. She stared at my face, then herself. Her tail flicked downward, concealed her rear, then turned back to the ladder. The light was dim, and her spell washed everything in a reddish-blue light.

I swear a blush filled her cheeks however.

We continued up the ladder. The climb stretched on and on. Eventually we were alone, surrounded only by dusty bookshelves and darkness. I couldn't see the ground anymore. All that awaited was a black, bottomless void, ready to eat any pony who dared slip off the ladder.

I sure didn't.

"Ah-ha! Found it!"

The Princess stopped. I didn't. My head bumped into the Princess' rear, causing her to yipe out. "Sorry..."

"It's fine. Here, hold on." An aura wrapped around two places: the Princess' horn, and a book roughly five hoofsteps from me. The book slid out, then levitated over to me. I awkwardly straddled the ladder and held the book with a forehoof to open it up.

What I saw made my breath catch.

Lined in neat, organized rows were pictures. Dozens of tiny pictures. They were small, and many were blurry or overexposed. I could tell they were fillies and colts though. Underneath each tiny picture in tinier print were names. Amber Night. Cinnamon Moon. Comet Storm.

They were my old classmates.

"Why are you showing me this?" I looked to the Princess.

"You asked who told me that name. I'm showing you." A smile crossed her lips. "Granted, I needed a little help from the Storm Guard. Your friend Grubber was particularly helpful."

"He's not my friend." I turned my head down, continued through the pages. I soon reached a filly with a beautiful pomegranate mane. Her eyes sparkled with life, and her smile was as wide as the Grand Canyon.

Hiya there, the filly squeaked to me. I'm Fizzlepop Berrytwist! I'm going to be the most powerful unicorn Equestria's ever seen! You'll see!

I know it's going to be hard, but I know I can do it! Anything's possible when you have such great friends!

What's your name?

I closed the book.

The world tightened, squeezed until I was about to burst. Heat flooded my face, insanely so, like a spotlight was turned up on me. My eyes glazed and became glassy, while my teeth choked any sound trying to escape.

"You found this yourself?" My voice was a whisper, barely above the hiss of the Princess' spell.

"... I did."

"Can you find something else?"

The Princess took a sharp inhale, like she was punched in the gut. Several seconds passed before either of us spoke.

"... I can."

I looked at her. "Can you find how to fix my horn?"

Silence. The Princess frowned. She opened her mouth, made a hesitant sound, then frowned and fell silent again. Her eyes looked away from me.

I knew it.

The sigh that left my lips wasn't of disappointment, but of expectation. I lifted the book, gestured for her to take it. After she levitated it away, I lowered my head and climbed down the ladder.

When I reached about halfway, she called out. "Follow me."

As the Princess led deeper into the library, I knew something was wrong.

The beautiful maple bookshelves were now raw, metal frames with thick plates locked over them. The smooth, cool tiled floors gave way to dull concrete. If we were strayed from the public before, we've abandoned it completely now. It felt like an entirely different dimension.

This was somewhere ponies weren't meant to be.

"Unicorn horns are very tricky," she said, as she stopped at the end of a hall. "For one, it's very hard to gain information about them. The only way scientists have been able to study horns is either a) when someone's sick, or b) when they're dead. Only problem, when a pony dies, the horn dies soon with it. So the latter isn't very useful."

I skim past a bookcart and trot up to her. "Why hasn't any pony researched while they're alive then?"

"We have. There's only so much you can learn without harming the subject though. A horn is a unicorn's connection to the Weave. It's their way to manipulate the natural raw magic flowing through Equestria and the outer lands."

She gave me an icy stare. "Mess with it in the wrong way, the unicorn could lose its magic. Or worse."

I took in a sharp inhale. "Okay. No messing with horns. So what does this freaky-looking door have to do with it then?"

A massive metal door stood a few feet away, in the shape of a cogwheel. In the center of the cog were several archaic runes carved into it. The runes were four circles, with each circle filled with a unique geometric design. It made little sense to me. To someone who knew magic however...

"This is the Vault of Forbidden Knowledge." The Princess stared at the behemoth before her. "Technically, it's the Vault of Forbidden Knowledge and Taboo Magical Items. The former is easier to say though."

She looked at me with a cheeky grin. I didn't laugh.

"Anyways. I told you a unicorn could lose its magic if tampered with. You could imagine because of that, there wouldn't be many volunteers. No one wants to be crippled for life." Her gaze snapped to my broken horn, and she frowned. "No offense."

"None taken."

The Princess turned to the door, and her horn and the runes lit up. "Well, some ponies didn't ask for permission. Some experimented on unicorns regardless of the risks. Regardless of the pain and torment to the patient."

The patterns shifted, then spun, like the tumblers of a lock sliding into place. Her eyes flicked to and fro, like she was taking apart the most complex puzzle known to ponykind.

She barely broke a sweat.

"Of course," she said. "Once they were discovered, they were promptly arrested, then imprisoned in the dungeons. The research they gathered however was brought here."

I looked toward the Princess. "Who is allowed access to the vault?"

She glanced toward me, then away. Silence.

The runes and her horn ceased their glow. The Princess sucked in a breath, held it for a long time. The cog pushed inward. The library trembled in fear.

The cog detached from the frame, then rolled to the left.

The Princess released her breath.

She entered without another word.

My Name Is Tempest

by Toothless the Night Fury

Ch. 1: When She Grabbed Me

Ch. 2: Frozen Solid

Ch. 3: Cries For Blood

Ch. 4: Voyeurism