Tempest Shadow reflects and prepares for the new role she has been given in Twilight's kingdom.
Narrowly avoiding imprisonment due to the intervention of the Princess of Friendship, Tempest Shadow reflects and prepares for the new role she has been given in Twilight Sparkle's kingdom.
'Ceremonial, yet functional. Protective, but not restrictive.'
Tempest Shadow stood and stared at herself in the full-length mirror, unable to take her eyes off of the new armor that now adorned her body. A custom variation on the armor traditionally worn by the guards that accompanied Princess Celestia wherever she went, it didn't feel much different from the set that the Storm King had bestowed upon her.
But it was definitely different.
Depending on how the light hit it, it appeared anywhere from a lighter plum hue, down to a dark magenta, and no matter where it was in that particular spectrum, it seemed to compliment her dark orchid coat perfectly. The plates going down her back were flexible enough to be nearly non-noticeable. The back of the armor rose up enough to show her cutie mark and allow a full gallop. At the very back, a knitted mesh tail guard fit snugly around her dock, and allowed full motion of her tail. Up front, the plates curved around to her barrel, the two halves being joined at the front by a six-pointed ruby star, the most prominent part of Twilight's cutie mark, and the symbol of her Kingdom of Friendship. The hoof guards came in two pairs; the front set slightly taller and pronounced than the rear set, and all four were comfortably and securely cuffed around her cannons and fetlocks. The only piece missing was the helmet.
She had been expecting this for days, yet the shock had never really worn off, and she was nearly quivering the whole time Rarity had put it on. The fashion designer had come a week ago with a measuring tape and clipboard, efficiently taking over two dozen measurements. The whole ordeal had taken less than five minutes for an expert like Rarity, and how she completed such an order in just a week was beyond her. In the short time she had to become acquainted with Twilight's closest friends, she knew the unicorn was masterful at turning fabrics into masterpieces, but platemail? That had to have been another matter entirely. But sure enough, when Rarity delivered it half an hour ago, and helped her into it piece by piece, it fit perfectly.
What had she done to deserve something like this?
It took no longer than a split second to come up with the obvious answer: nothing. Everything that had occurred in the past two weeks was purely of Princess Twilight Sparkle's good graces. It began when the Friendship Festival began to wind down, and she had been escorted along with Twilight to the throne room of Canterlot Castle.
As Celestia and Luna prepared to formally charge her with high treason against Equestria, Twilight stepped in, and Celestia understandably wanted a very good explanation for why she shouldn't place her in chains.
"I am not denying that she should be punished for what she did. But she acted in our defense when it mattered most. If it weren't for her sacrifice, the Storm King would have triumphed. I will not allow that fact to be omitted or ignored. I can't stop you from imprisoning her for the rest of her life, but you cannot convince me that it wouldn't be an absolute waste. She has opened up her eyes, she has seen the light, and shutting her away now would be antithetical to everything my crown stands for."
Twilight's words had indeed brought pause to the Princess of the Sun. The two of them clearly had a lot of history between them, because after that, Celestia's demeanor towards Tempest had lightened just a bit.
"What then, Princess Twilight, would you suggest?"
Twilight had not had an answer ready. After a few moments of fumbling with her words, she formally requested that she be released into her custody, and that she would take full responsibility for her. Tempest still remembered the skeptical look on Celestia's face; she was not entirely convinced. After a few moments, she replied with three simple, yet firm words.
"So be it."
Nothing more was said, and the guards had released her. On the train ride back down to Ponyville, fighting through her shock, she had told Twilight how she didn't just want to blindly accept this mercy; she wanted to earn it.
Curiously, this idea hadn't come from Twilight, but from her student, one Starlight Glimmer, who had been in Canterlot during the invasion.
"I'll be frank," Starlight had begun, as they walked down the hallway to her room. "On the day of your lecture at Celestia's school, I really just lounged in your throne room for a good twenty minutes before you showed up. You could really use some guards for this place. From what I saw in Canterlot, she's certainly a fierce combatant. She'd be perfect."
Tempest had been asked for her input, and she honestly didn't know what to say at first. After a few moments, she realized that Starlight was right; it would be the perfect way to put her combat experience and comfort in a militaristic culture to good use.
From there, she was expecting some late-night patrol duty or something. What she was not expecting, however, was the custom-fitted set of armor, and the knowledge that she would then conduct a search for volunteers to complete a squad of eight to twelve ponies for the castle. If that went well, the long-term plan was to expand that to a platoon fifteen to thirty strong for Ponyville and the surrounding countryside. In short, Twilight wasn't trusting her to guard, but to eventually lead.
No, she didn't deserve this. But she would earn it. She would prove herself worthy of this position and this armor.
She had been promised the world before. In her resentment and desperation, she believed every word the Storm King told her. And when the chips were down, they all rang hollow; he didn't care for anyone but himself. Twilight could have put an end to everything when his tornado nearly flung her off the castle balcony, but instead, she opened up her eyes to friendship. Twilight's promises were different, and Tempest would hold herself to the Princess' expectations, perhaps even exceed them.
Her reflecting was brought to a halt as she heard her door open. She turned, and saw Twilight, Starlight, and Rarity come in. Twilight had the matching helmet and a long, polished oak box in her magical grasp.
"Sorry it took so long, we had to make sure everything worked correctly." Twilight told her as the three of them came up to her.
"What do you mean? It just has to fit, right?" She asked.
"Not quite." Twilight said as the purple aura surrounding the helmet turned to a lighter blue as it was taken by Rarity's grasp and levitated over towards Tempest as the white unicorn came forward with it. When it got close enough for inspection, she noticed the intricate notches in the ring where what was left of her horn would pass through.
"An inhibitor?" Tempest asked nervously, figuring that at last, the catch had been revealed as Rarity lifted it up, and placed it snugly atop her head. Her mohawk mane popped up through the slit that went down the back of the helmet.
"Just the opposite actually. A conduit. For this." Twilight said, opening the hinged oak box, and taking out a golden metal mage's staff. The whole staff seemed to be four feet long, similar to a standard issue spear. The top half was ornamented with tiny bright blue studs, and a much larger faceted gem set in the top, at the center of the triple-pronged tip of the staff.
"Is that... Aetherium...?" Tempest asked, surprised and beside herself. Aetherium was one of the rarest minerals known to Equestrians, with some of the strongest magical properties ever recorded. To any mage worth their salt, it was more precious than diamonds.
"Indeed it is," Starlight began. "If it works the way we think, it should help with some of your... Stability issues..."
Starlight came forward, her horn glowed, taking the staff, angled it towards Tempest, and softly touched the aetherium shard to the jagged edges of her broken horn. Tempest felt a tingling sensation, and Starlight withdrew the staff, and then offered it to her.
"Go ahead, try it. Something simple." Starlight encouraged, as Rarity made a final adjustment to the helmet and then backed off.
Tempest looked over to the dresser, and spotted the hairbrush. Holding the staff upright at attention, she reached out with her magic, and what happened was beyond anything she could have imagined. There were no unpredictable arcs of lightning, no crackling. Instead, she saw the aetherium at the top of the staff glow, along with the hairbrush that began to levitate a few centimeters off the dresser with her magical aura. She held it aloft for several seconds before gently setting it back down, her eyes widening.
"Perfect!" Starlight exclaimed gleefully, ecstatic that the enchantment on the helmet worked exactly as she hoped it would.
Tempest could barely breathe as she looked over to Twilight, attempting to wrap her mind around what the Princess of Friendship had just done for her. She had taken the Storm King's broken promise, and to an extent, made it whole again. Made her whole again.
"Princess... I..."
Though these feelings of warmth and kindness were still new to her, she expected a royal guard to be more disciplined, even with an unexpected boon such as this. She swallowed the lump in her throat, along with the tears that threatened to spill over.
"There are no words." She said, holding the staff perfectly upright, standing at attention, her voice shaking. Twilight merely gave her a gentle smile in return.
"Everyone else is waiting in the map room, if you're ready. I trust you've memorized the oath?" She asked, as Starlight and Rarity exited, heading towards the map room.
"I have." Tempest replied.
"I'll give you a moment to compose yourself, then meet us in there, and we'll make this official!" Twilight said, clapping her front hooves together with a smile, then likewise turned to leave.
Tempest turned back towards the mirror, and looked at herself in her full set of armor. A moment to compose herself? How could she trust herself to remain composed after what she had just been given?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then another, and another.
She could do this. She knew she could. She made absolutely sure every piece of her armor was in the right place, then turned to head out into the hallway. As she made her way to the map room, her thoughts turned to the Oath of Officership. She had indeed memorized it, she had read it dozens upon dozens of times over the past week-and-a-half, and honestly, the only part she was unsure of was the very first part; the name.
As much as she wanted to put every second of her life that she had spent with the Storm King behind her, there was a part of her that giggled every single time she recited the words 'Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist.' But as she approached the doors to the map room, she knew that she only had a few precious seconds to decide, and she didn't want to choke when the moment came. Again, she reached out with her horn, and the staff, angled forward in this walking position, glowed, and the doors slowly opened. As soon as she was clear of them, she halted her step, planted the bottom of the staff on the floor on her left side, and stood at attention. Everyone was seated at their thrones, and all eyes were on her as the doors closed behind her.
"Fillies... Friends..." Twilight began. "This council has been convened to install the first of our royal guardponies. Each mare here has testified to her selflessness, her conviction, and her willingness to make amends for the wrongs of her past. That begins today. Tempest?" Twilight said, eyeing her expectantly.
Her eyes focused on the Princess of Friendship, she took a breath.
"I, Fizzlepop Berrytwist, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville and the Council of Friendship against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me gods."
She could not stop the slight smile that formed on her lips after the oath was completed. Twilight returned the smile as she and the other six ponies got up and stood in front of their thrones.
For Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist, there was nothing like hitting the ground galloping, and that's essentially what was happening barely two hours after her swearing in. The first order of business was building the ranks of the guard up from just the sole Captain, and that meant posting notices in town to see who would be interested in such positions.
"When you're writing those up, please make sure to point out that ponies that apply solely to hobnob will be rejected immediately." Twilight informed her.
Twilight's tasks involved sending official documents up to Canterlot. Ponyville had never had an E.U.P. Guard division before, and now that one was in progress, there were certain procedures that now had to be addressed. For instance, Celestia's and Luna's protective detail was usually the only E.U.P. presence Ponyville had ever seen, and now that the town would have a presence of their own, they would have jurisdiction whenever any non-local detachments accompanied a royal visitor.
For Fizzlepop, it was a crash course in interviewing and vetting. She quickly came to the conclusion that any outfit she assembled would most definitely be more along the lines of a militia, and not regular military. While Ponyville had grown in the years since Twilight had come to town, it was still by all means a town, which was surprising given it's age of nearly 75 years and proximity to Canterlot, and virtually all the residents had responsibilities and occupations already. But she still had plenty of ponies eager to help the Princess, but she was having a hard time of accurately judging them at first glance.
"Rainbow Dash, glad I caught you, I've been meaning to ask you something." She asked the pegasus a couple days later when she passed her in one of the halls in the castle.
"Sure thing, what can I do for you, Captain Fizzle?"
That moniker had stuck more than anything else in the past two days, and honestly, she liked it better than her full name and title.
"I'll get right to the point. Of the nearly two dozen applicants I've gotten so far, only three of them are Pegasi, and I also don't believe I'm fit to judge their flying ability. Princess Twilight's given me the authority, and I know you've also got your commitment with the Wonderbolts, but I'm wondering if you'd accept a commission as a Commander in Ponyville's E.U.P. Guard to help train and direct the fliers."
The open-mouthed smile on Dash's face told her everything she needed to know.
Rainbow Dash's inclusion had been an immense help. She gave Fizzlepop her assurances that there were a few members of Ponyville's weather team who would jump at the chance for some extra bits, and sure enough, she had three more pegasi applying the very next day. Having delegated the fliers to Rainbow, she could focus on other matters as the Ponyville E.U.P. began to take shape. Rainbow even went as far as to suggest merging the weather duties into the guard duties and making the weather team full time E.U.P.
"I get where you're coming from, but weather is Cloudsdale territory, and I don't want to step on any hooves this early on. Lets keep them separate for now, and the volunteers from the weather team can have guard duty whenever they have spare time." She told the pegasus.
Rainbow Dash had also become her favorite sparring partner. Fizzlepop knew that constant drilling was the number one priority when it came to an effective defense force. The two of them knew they needed a wide open space, so much to Twilight's annoyance, Rainbow's first choice was the library, and when she pointed out that's where she and Starlight held their magic tests, the Princess of Friendship didn't really have a hoof to stand on. With shielding assistance from Starlight, the two of them weren't afraid to not hold back as they practiced melee combat, and that was precisely the reason why Fizzlepop was walking down towards Carousel Boutique with Starlight, with a brand new dent in the right side of her helmet.
"I'm sure she'll completely understand, Fizzle. It's guard duty, it comes with the territory." Starlight told her, attempting to calm the Captain's nerves when she saw how frazzled she looked.
"I... Suppose..." Fizzlepop replied as she stepped up and knocked on the front door of the Boutique. Rarity answered moments later.
"Captain, pleasure to see you again so soon. What can I do for you?" She asked, ushering them inside.
"We had a little accident this morning." Fizzlepop explained, showing her the helmet. To her surprise, Rarity only chuckled in response.
"Well, finally. I've been wondering when you'd be in here for repairs, what with how often you and Rainbow have been at it all week." Rarity said, taking the helmet in her magical grasp and leading them down to the basement.
"Still," Fizzlepop began, her and Starlight following Rarity down the stairs. "I know how much more work you've taken on in helping me get the E.U.P. started and outfitted... All the sets of armor you're making for the volunteers that pass the basic tests... Once we really get drilling, you'd be overwhelmed with all the fixes. If you want to hold a class and teach us basic maintenance for these pieces, I'd clear whatever time you need."
The trio of ponies came into Rarity's basement; a cobblestone foundation that was the size of the building above them. In the center was a blazing open furnace, along with an anvil and smithing tools. For how prim and proper the ground floor was, Fizzlepop could never imagine Rarity as Ponyville's blacksmith. She had told her of Rainbow's first "gala dress" made to her exact specifications, and luckily for the Ponyville E.U.P., Rarity made much more functional sets when left to her own devices.
"I'm also wondering how we could go about... Modifications..." Fizzlepop told Rarity as she began slowly manipulating the inside of the dent with magic as her horn glowed.
"Also overdue, darling. I'm sure forming this guard is quite the daunting task, so if modifying any pieces makes it an easier job for you, you need only say the word. What did you have in mind?"
"The conduit, on the helmet. I'm wondering if there's anyway of removing it so I could wear it securely without the helmet." Fizzlepop told her.
"Ah, so if anything happens to the helmet, your horn is still functional." Rarity correctly surmised.
"Exactly. I wish that dent was the only thing that happened. Next thing I knew I was on my side and the helmet came clean off, sliding half way across the room. If that happens in a real fight, I'm in trouble. At first I thought of a simple fix like a chin strap, but then I thought of how nice it would be to have the use of my horn while not in full armor."
The dent warped for a moment, then after a metal popping sound, the helmet looked good as new. Now, Rarity turned it over and turned her focus to the notched and enchanted ring that had been built into the helmet where Fizzlepop's horn would go through.
"You'd still need your aetherial staff when not in uniform, and even when you are, that could also theoretically be knocked away in a scuffle." Rarity pointed out. Fizzlepop nodded, and Starlight stepped forward.
"True, but the aetherium gives off an aura that allows the enchantment to work; about fifty feet, so she wouldn't have to be holding it." The unicorn said.
"Hm, that's true. Well, I'll certainly look into it. For now, here you are, good as new, Captain, and I believe I'll take you up on that maintenance class once you have your squad squared away. In the meantime, don't fret over any dents or dings or improvements that you need me to address. Rest assured, that's what Twilight is paying me for." Rarity told Fizzlepop, handing the helmet back to her. With that, she and Starlight made their way back up the stairs while Rarity resumed her work on the next set of armor for the volunteers.
"See, told you she'd be fine with it. You were worrying over nothing." Starlight told her as they left Carousel Boutique.
Fizzlepop gave her a smile.
"By the way. I never thanked you. This was your idea, and it's given me something to push for and accomplish every single day."
Starlight scoffed.
"Don't thank me. Thank Twilight for keeping it unguarded for all this time. Equestria being the land of friendship and magic is all well and good, but it would be nice if we could also learn to detect a fleet of airships before they get to the capitol in the center of the country."
It had been three weeks, and finally, Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist had her initial squad. Two unicorns, four earth ponies, and Rainbow certainly came through with the pegasi, of which there were five including her. That brought it up to a complete dozen.
Now, they were all standing in a row in front of the front steps of the castle, all with complete sets of armor thanks to Rarity's amazingly fast work. They had passed all her and Rainbow's basic requirements, and were now awaiting her first address to them as a squad.
All she had to do was figure out how to go about it. She was the Captain, and so wanted to be taken seriously, but she also didn't believe that they needed Canterlot-levels of rigidity. For now, this was a volunteer outfit, and she doubted they were volunteering to get yelled at.
"Attention," Fizzlepop began after clearing her throat, and they all snapped to, with Rainbow Dash standing rigid the fastest.
"Rainbow Dash, Amethyst Star, Dark Moon, Berryshine, Goldengrape, Rivet, Cloudy Haze, Blossomforth, Thunderlane, Cloud Chaser, and Bulk Biceps; congratulations on becoming the inaugural squad of the Ponyville E.U.P. Guard. On a personal note, I would like to thank each of you for giving your time and talents to this outfit. It is all volunteer, so each pony is free to come and go as he or she pleases. While you are here, Rainbow and I would like to keep to a routine drilling schedule. While I don't expect frequent amounts of trouble, Ponyville's proximity to the Everfree Forest means that trouble is something that the populace has gotten accustomed to, and being prepared is the best thing we can do for the town. In addition to the needs of Princess Twilight Sparkle, we will also be coordinating with Mayor Mare to address any needs the town may have."
Her attention turned to the sound of the front doors opening, and Spike began to come down the stairs, headed for her, so she decided that what she said had been enough.
"We'll meet back here for drill at 1900 hours, and on Thursday night at 1800 hours, I'd like you all to be here for Rarity to teach us the basics of armor maintenance. That's all for now, dismissed!"
The eleven ponies gave salutes and scattered back into town, with Rainbow headed back inside the castle, as Spike came down to the Captain.
"Morning, Captain Fizzlepop. Squad's looking good." He greeted and complimented.
"Good morning, Spike, and thank you. What can I do for you?"
"Twilight wanted to see you in her study, and I think it's important, because, well, she always paces a groove into the floor when she's thinking too hard over something important."
"Sure thing, I'll go see what she wants right away."
Spike departed with a smile and nod, and went into town to run errands, while Fizzlepop went into the castle and immediately headed to Twilight's study. The sounds of pacing hoofsteps became louder as she approached the door. She knocked twice to announce her presence.
"Princess? You wanted to see me?"
"Yes of course, come in Fizzlepop." The Princess replied from behind the door, the pacing stopping after the knock.
The door opened via Fizzlepop's magic, and she stepped in to see Twilight, nervous as ever.
"Princess? Is everything alright? Anything I can do to help?"
Twilight took a deep breath, and slowly let it out, a calming technique she had picked up from Princess Cadance.
"I certainly hope so. I know you've just now finalized your squad selection, and I'm really hoping I'm not asking too much of you with what I'm about to request."
Fizzlepop stood at ease while she awaited whatever Twilight had to say.
"As you know, I submitted the paperwork up to Canterlot to make the Ponyville E.U.P. official. All of that has gone through, and now Princess Celestia is curious of our progress. That, and she wants to come down for dinner. She made me triple-check that there's no magic shows going on or anything this time. But I'm also expecting her to informally inspect the work you've put into this."
Twilight took another deep breath.
"Captain, do you think you and Rainbow could have your squad ready to stand on ceremony in three weeks' time?"
That evening, Captain Fizzlepop had a one-on-one with her Commander, Rainbow Dash, about the three-week window they now had to get the new squad presentable. They knew with their joint experience; Fizzlepop's in the Storm Guard, and Rainbow's in the Wonderbolts, that given their time frame, they could achieve 'presentable', but how 'presentable' was what they had spent half an hour debating before drilling began.
There was 'Parade Perfect'. Meaning totally presentable visually, but that would be just about it. They would have to sacrifice virtually everything pertaining to combat readiness. Royal visit or not, Rainbow and Fizzlepop were both of the mindset that looks didn't count for much if they couldn't actually do their job. So that was off the table.
Next one down would be 'At Ready'. It wouldn't be quite as pretty, but the squad would be able to handle any emergencies that would crop up. That was a good middle ground, depending on the pace of drilling.
Lastly, there was 'Rough and Ready'. They would be ready and capable of handing pretty much anything - except looking good for inspections. Essentially, get ready to fight, and to Tartarus with whatever Celestia thought of how they looked.
"Personally, I'd say aim for Rough and Ready and if we get any higher than that, awesome. After all, if we can't guard and fight, what are we doing here?" Rainbow asked.
"I get where you're coming from. Personally, I'd agree, but remember, this isn't about what we personally want. We're representing Ponyville and Princess Twilight. I think if we really work at it, we can achieve At Ready status. Besides, Celestia is primarily here for dinner with Twilight. This means we have to really memorize Rarity's class. Being combat ready is all well and good, but the very least we can do is make our armor look pristine. That's the most important part of looking the part. I'll never expect the rigidity they have in Canterlot, but it will show that we absolutely take pride in what we're creating here."
With that, the ten other squad members began arriving in full armor ready for their first drilling session together. Once all of them arrived, they stood at Parade Rest while Fizzlepop addressed them.
"Squad, we have our first assignment, and I'm determined to get us ready to face it head on. We have a royal visitor coming in three weeks..."
No amount of drilling could have set her mind at ease. Not today.
Captain Fizzlepop had given Princess Twilight her assurances that they were ready, and of that, she was certain. When it came to the squad being absolutely ready, they were eleven for twelve.
Normally, they would be scattered throughout the castle. Amethyst would be at the base of the entrance stairs, Bulk Biceps would be up on the balcony, Berryshine would be at the base of the foyer stairs inside, Rivet would be patrolling the east wing, Cloud Chaser the west wing, and Thunderlane guarding the throne room, more formally known as the Hall of Friendship, and the others would be out and about, either patrolling around Ponyville or making sure the castle was in acceptable condition, a duty that was usually left to Rivet's construction expertise. Fizzlepop remembered Starlight telling her how it had taken her and Maud two weeks of intensive work to repair the Hall of Friendship after Princess Ember's 'meal'.
But now, the other eleven, the ones that were ready and waiting, were lined up in the foyer, their armor absolutely shimmering, ready for the Princess to pass by as the Captain escorted her to the dining hall.
But the Captain herself? She was not ready, and waiting. Even the newest article of clothing wasn't helping put her mind at ease. Rarity had come through once again, and had successfully transferred the aetherium conduit ring from the helmet to a small silk headdress that matched her coat perfectly. It rested comfortably at the base of her broken horn, went back around her mane, and draped down both sides of her neck. It was barely noticeable with her armor off, and was concealed completely with the helmet and chestplate on. But even with how much more convenient that modification had made things, she was still nearly quivering.
It wasn't the drilling. It wasn't the armor. Her nerves were frazzled for one obvious reason.
The visitor.
Barely two months ago, she had invaded Equestria with the Storm Guard and openly attacked Canterlot. Celestia undoubtedly saw fit to put her in chains and behind bars for the rest of her life, and it was only due to Twilight's mercy that she was spared that fate, and it wouldn't surprise her in the slightest if Celestia still harbored doubts. And here she stood at the top of the entrance stairs, waiting for her arrival, ready to escort her to dinner.
As if on cue, she saw the approaching carriage from the distant mountain that Canterlot rested on. The speck against the afternoon sun became more pronounced and clear as it slowly descended towards the ground. After another minute, Celestia's royal carriage had landed a few paces from the front stairs of the castle, and she disembarked. Fizzlepop held her aetherial staff perfectly straight and stood at attention as the Princess of the Sun ascended the stairs towards her. When she was halfway up, her expression changed ever so slightly. She knew a thing or seven about remaining collected, but Fizzle caught the hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Princess Celestia. Welcome." She greeted, keeping her staff planted on the top step and lowered her head in a formal bow. When she brought her head back up, she noticed that the surprise had not left the Princess' eyes.
"Tempest." Celestia greeted in kind, though she could not hide the surprise in her voice, and thus, the first curve ball had been thrown.
"Fizzlepop Berrytwist, Your Majesty. My given name. Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist, if you please."
"Of course. My apologies. Lead the way, Captain."
As Fizzlepop performed an about face, tilting her staff towards the front doors, right now she'd bet ten bits that nowhere in the paperwork Twilight submitted did it say her name, or the fact that she had anything to do with the guard.
She lit up her horn, the staff glowed, and the front doors opened, revealing the eleven other guards, who snapped from parade rest to attention. As the Captain and Princess passed, Fizzlepop looked at each of them, and was positively beaming inside. None of them wore stern, serious faces, but were smiling with pride, enthused by the fact that they had come this far in just three short weeks. Fizzlepop smiled at them in return, as Princess Celestia also acknowledged them. After they passed, it took considerable effort for her not to look back at them as she and Celestia made a left before the stairs and made their way towards the dining hall.
"I was wondering if Twilight was ever going to request a contingent of guards from Canterlot. But selecting and training them locally... I take it this was Twilight's plan for you?" Celestia asked.
"No, Your Majesty. It was Starlight Glimmer's suggestion."
"Starlight, really?"
"Apparently she herself was surprised at the complete lack of guards when she entered the castle unbidden. She suggested that I could put my experience to good use."
"As in your experience in invading and subjugating sovereign nations."
It took all of Fizzlepop's discipline to keep her pace, and not wince, because yes, the comment stung.
"Yes," She replied succinctly. "I am immensely grateful to Princess Twilight for giving me this opportunity to atone for my past crimes."
"'Crimes'. I'm glad that you realize and acknowledge the severity of what you did to my citizens, and that you no doubt realize what I was going to do with you, had Princess Twilight not stepped in on your behalf."
Fizzlepop waited a moment before replying with a candid "yes."
"So that's not part of your motivation at all? To prove me wrong about you?" Celestia asked simply.
With a set of double doors to their right, Captain Fizzlepop finally halted her pace, performing an about face to look at the Princess directly, and firmly planted her staff on the floor.
"Proving her right is all the motivation I need. I strive to see that her faith and trust in me is vindicated every single day. Because I don't deserve this, but I will earn it. For the time being, that is all that matters, and what you or anypony else thinks of me, does not, Your Majesty."
With that, she tilted the staff towards the set of double doors, the crystal at the top glowed along with her horn, and they opened to reveal Princess Twilight and Starlight Glimmer seated at the main dining table.
"The dining hall. Enjoy your evening, Your Majesty."
Celestia said nothing further, and instead merely nodded at the Captain with a modicum of respect, before turning and heading into the dining hall. Once she had entered entirely, Fizzlepop silently closed the doors, and took one of the deepest, quietest breaths she could, before slowly heading back towards the foyer to congratulate her squad.
Twilight had tried her best to warn her about how Celestia would try to trip her up with short, snide remarks and observations. For as long as the Princess of Friendship had known her as a teacher, it was how she civilly approached ponies she had serious doubts about. As far as she knew, it was one of her ways of testing character.
Taking another deep breath, Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist began to realize that she had probably just passed her test.
"What do you think? Pretty awesome, right?" Rainbow asked Fizzlepop and Starlight as she held a framed newspaper clipping in front of them.
'CAPTAIN FIZZLEPOP BERRYTWIST HEADS UP NEW E.U.P. DIVISION IN PONYVILLE'.
"Rainbow, I appreciate the sentiment, but, really? Framing it? It's not even the front page." Fizzlepop told her enthusiastic second-in-command. She had seen the article Celestia had published three days ago, but immortalizing it like this seemed a bit over-the-top.
"So? What we're doing here made it into the Canterlot Times!"
"On second thought, Rainbow's right, Captain. I think this is as close as you're going to get to direct approval from Princess Celestia. Why not make a memento out of it? All of you worked incredibly hard this month, and it paid off." Starlight offered.
Fizzlepop let out a friendly sigh, taking the frame in her magic.
"Alright, fine. But we need a place to put this; we can't keep meeting and practicing in the library forever. We need to set up somewhere else in here where we can keep things like this, not to mention a room where we can clean our armor and practice drill. You know, like a barracks. The library is decent, but I feel we should have a place more dedicated. I don't want to keep this in my room forever, this is our accomplishment, not just mine. And I certainly know it paid off, that's why dinner and drinks in town are on me tonight. Speaking of which, we should really start getting ready. There's being fashionably late, and then there's just plain late."
"Yeah well, if you're using the squad's petty cash to pick up the tab, guess what? The party starts when we get there." Rainbow retorted, giving her a playful slug on the shoulder. Fizzle smirked in return.
"Still, let me get this put away and we can get going." Fizzlepop turned and walked down the hallway to her room. Opening the door and walking in, she carefully set it on top of her dresser, leaning it against the wall. She stared at it for several moments, the pride welling up in her. Yes, they were going to need a wall to put this up on where the entire squad could see it. But that could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, celebration was the only mission they were focused on.
She turned and rejoined Rainbow and Starlight in the hallway. Starlight would be joining them as well, for Fizzlepop considered her a member of the Ponyville E.U.P. as much as the rest of them. Though she didn't have a rank or set of armor, it was thanks to her protection spells that the only mishaps to come out of their numerous sparring matches were dents and dings on their armor; there had been no personal injuries so far. Last but certainly not least, it was thanks to her enchanting expertise that she had the aetherial staff that allowed stable use of her horn again.
"Alright, let's go chow down." Rainbow said, rubbing her growling stomach.
Together, the three of them headed back towards the front of the castle, and they hadn't even reached the foyer before they ran into Twilight.
"Ah, there you are," the Princess of Friendship greeted. "There are a couple of ponies who are here to see you."
"Ugh, we're not that late. I told them we'd all meet in town." Rainbow groaned.
"No no, they're not in the squad. They're from out of town, said they're friends of yours. They asked for you by name."
"Friends? Who are they?" Fizzlepop asked, wondering who would come here for her.
"Their names are Spring Rain and Glitter Drops. They said the three of you grew up together."
"Great going, Glitter. Now what do we do?" Spring Rain asked as the yellow rubber ball bounced into the blackness of the cave, disappearing from view not even twenty feet in. It appeared as if a haphazard attempt had been made to board up the entrance, along with several warning signs on both sides.
"I'm not going in there." Glitter said as the trio of friends fearfully eyed the mouth of the pitch black cave.
"Why not, are you a scaredy-pony? You couldn't keep hold of it!" Spring Rain shot back to the young colt.
"I could have if you didn't pass it to me so hard!" Glitter argued back, as the third, a dark orchid unicorn stared into the cave, trying to make out where the ball had stopped.
"Oh come on, what's the matter with you two?" Fizzlepop asked, approaching the mouth of the cave, weaving her way in between the numerous stalagmites that stood at the front, giving the entrance the appearance of a massive, toothed maw.
"I'll be right out. It couldn't have gone far..."
"Wh... What?" Fizzlepop asked Twilight, her pupils contracted slightly, wondering if she had heard the Princess correctly.
"Yeah, a mare and a stallion. They said they saw the article in the Canterlot Times and asked if they could talk to you." Twilight answered.
Starlight was the first, and so far only pony to notice how the Captain's body had visibly tensed.
"Will this take very long? Because too much longer, and we will go from fashionably late to just plain late." Rainbow interjected.
"How far have they come? Can't you put them up for the night?" The pegasus asked.
"Sheesh, whatever happened to 'the party starts when we get there'?" Starlight asked Rainbow mockingly.
"It's okay... This won't take long. Lead the way, Princess." Fizzlepop said succinctly, bringing an end to the debate. With that, the four of them walked the rest of the way to the foyer, down the stairs, then over towards the library.
Starlight gave Fizzlepop a concerned glance as they closed in on the double doors to the castle library. Had nopony else really noticed? How her gait had changed, the tone of her voice when she said this wouldn't take long?
Twilight's magic swung the doors to the library open, and there in front of the center table, stood two unicorns, a stallion with a sky blue coat, and a mare with a mint-colored coat.
Fizzlepop froze in her steps before she was even through the doorway.
"F-Fizzlepop? It's... It's been a long time." The stallion, Spring Rain, greeted, the two of them taking a couple steps towards the Captain.
"Yes, it has," Fizzlepop began, stepping into the library, her voice just above a whisper, but the large room amplified her voice enough to be heard clearly. "Fourteen years, five months, and ten days."
"Remember exactly how long it's been since you walked out of my life, leaving me utterly alone? Yes."
The Captain's voice was now quite accusative, and as the ears of their visitors flattened against their heads, Twilight and Rainbow Dash now finally joined Starlight in thinking that something was wrong.
"Know what else I remember? How long it took you to replace that damned ball... And replace me. Do the two of you remember? Two days. Two. Days." Fizzlepop snarled. "Meanwhile I still have nightmares about what happened in that cave."
"Captain Fizz-"
"I also remember how long it took me to make another friend." Fizzlepop continued, pointing the front hoof that wasn't holding her staff back at Twilight. "Two months ago. That's how long it was until someone showed me mercy and kindness without expecting anything in return. I clung desperately to that monster's empty promise for months, and it's only because of her that I'm not spending the rest of my life behind bars, and now the two of you think you can just waltz in here like nothing ever happened-"
"Captain!"
Princess Twilight's snapping voice brought Fizzlepop's tirade to a halt, and she noticed how she had nearly halved the distance between herself and her childhood friends, and how they were now nearly cowering in front of the table. She took a deep, shaky breath.
"I don't know what you hoped to accomplish by coming here, and I don't care."
With that, she turned and galloped out of the library, tossing the bag of bits that served as the squad's petty cash to Rainbow, before turning towards her room, leaving the castle's now teary-eyed guests alone with Twilight, Starlight, and Rainbow Dash, all of them equally stunned over what just transpired.
"Alright..." Princess Twilight began, having done her best to compose herself. "Would either of you two like to explain what that was all about? You told me you were friends with her."
"W-We were, Your Highness. Please don't hold what she just did against her, because I'm very sorry to say that she's right." Spring Rain said. He managed to hold back his tears, but Glitter couldn't.
"We were h-horrible friends... Getting into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was all we ever thought about, and after she... She lost her..." Glitter had to pause to swallow the lump in her throat. "We just forgot all about her." She shakily told her, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"You were there when she lost her horn." Twilight surmised, getting nods from both of them.
"But... What's this about you keeping her out of prison? What happened?" Spring Rain asked while he attempted to comfort Glitter Drops.
Twilight and Rainbow exchanged glances, guessing these ponies weren't as aware as they had assumed.
"She was at the head of the Storm King's invasion of Equestria two months ago. She led the attack on Canterlot, under the name Tempest Shadow."
The eyes of their visitors widened.
"That... That was her?" Glitter asked, shocked, looking over at Spring.
"We just saw her name in the newspaper," Spring explained. "We came to congratulate her... And apologize for how we treated her all those years ago. We didn't know she was this 'Tempest'... That she would do something like that."
"According to the very succinct version of events that she told me, she left Equestria after you two left for Celestia's school. She made a bargain with the Storm King; this nation's alicorn magic for the restoration of her horn. But when it was all said and done, he just used her. He had no intention of fulfilling his end of the bargain."
"And you saved her from Celestia's judgement?" Glitter Drops asked. Twilight nodded.
"Yes. Because she saved us in the end. She's becoming good friends with Starlight and Rainbow here, and the guard militia she's leading has surpassed all of my expectations so far." The Princess replied.
"Speaking of which, I hate to run, but it wouldn't be fair to renege on paying for the squad's meals and drinks just because this came up. So if you'll excuse me..." Rainbow said, turning to leave, putting the bag of bits in her saddlebag. Twilight nodded in understanding as the pegasus left the library.
"I'll go see if I can talk to her. I... I can definitely relate to her in this situation." Starlight said, and the duo at the table gave each other hopeful glances at hearing this.
"But judging from what I just heard in here... I wouldn't blame her if she wants nothing to do with you two." She warned, before also exiting out into the hall. The occupation of the library now down to three, Twilight stepped up to them.
"Make yourselves comfortable. I'll go get you some tea. Regardless if she returns or not, I'll prepare a guest room for you two. The next train doesn't leave until morning."
Fizzlepop sat sullenly on her bed, looking at herself in the facets of the aetherial gem at the tip of her staff as she slowly turned it on its base as it rested on the floor. She had only been sitting here for a few minutes, and still her emotions hadn't settled.
A soft knock on her bedroom door brought her out of the trance she had put herself into staring into the gem. She glanced at the door, not saying anything.
"Fizzlepop? It's me, Starlight." Called a familiar voice from the other side.
Fizzle took a deep breath.
"Yeah, come on in." She answered, angling the staff at the door and opening it with her magic, revealing the heliotrope unicorn on the other side, who stepped in before closing it again behind her.
"Let me guess, Princess Twilight is none too happy with me." Fizzlepop assumed as Starlight came up to her bedside.
"Actually, based on what we heard in there from them, I don't believe she'll give you so much as a reprimand." Starlight replied. Fizzlepop sighed through her nostrils, glancing back to the staff.
"Just when everything was going so well, the past has to rear its ugly head again."
"That's life sometimes. But now that it has, what are you going to do?"
"What do you mean?" Fizzlepop asked, pretty sure she already had done something by going on that tirade and storming out of the library.
"Well, Rainbow left to cover the squad's tab, and Twilight is over there in the library keeping them company. They still want to talk to you."
Fizzle gave her a look of disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
"No, and if you ask me, I think you should let them."
"And why should I do that?"
"Because it sounds like they want to apologize."
"So?"
"Fizzlepop..." Starlight began, taking a seat next to her on the bed. "I understand being that angry. I do. I was around the same age when my only friend up and left my life. He got his cutie mark before me. There was no one there to help me through those feelings of abandonment. Those feelings of inadequacy turned into jealousy, which turned into anger, and hate. I ended up twisting a lot of lives. Things got really, really bad before Twilight helped me see the light. She reunited me with my old friend, even though I was very uncomfortable with it and fought it almost the entire way, but it ended up being one of the best things that happened to me. So I know where you're coming from."
"Twilight's friendship is one of the best things that happened to me, along with yours. The two of you have given me one of the greatest gifts I could ever imagine. I'll never be able to show Rarity enough gratitude for this beautiful armor. Rainbow Dash has been the best help there could be getting this squad put together. What good could come from going back in there? After what they did to me?"
Starlight thought for a moment.
"Think about it, the only way anypony would know you're back is that newspaper clipping. That came out three days ago, and they're here already. To me, that says that this is something they need to do."
"After the way they left, why should I care what they need to do?"
"Isn't the point of this squad you've assembled to help the ponies of Ponyville? Well, you've got two guests of Ponyville that need help. They need you to listen to them. After that, if you don't want to see them again, fine. But if you stay here and let yourself stay angry, like I did, without hearing what they have to say, it'll eat away at you in ways you can't imagine. After everything you've accomplished in the past two months, you don't want that. Trust me."
Fizzlepop's eyes turned back to the aetherium gem on top of her staff, considering Starlight's words.
Twilight returned to the library with a silver platter in her magical grasp. On the platter rested a ceramic teapot and two steaming cups of tea, setting it between Glitter Drops and Spring Rain, who had taken seats at the library center table.
"I've got a guest room set up for you two in the west wing. I've asked Spike to make extra food for dinner, too." Twilight told them.
"Wow, you certainly know how to accommodate ponies on a whim, Princess." Spring Rain complimented.
"Skills that needed to be learned quickly with the territory, I assure you."
"So, as the Princess of Friendship, do you think we're doing the right thing here?" Glitter Drops nervously asked.
Before Twilight could answer, the double doors of the library opened once again, and Captain Fizzlepop walked in, staff in hoof.
"I think we're about to find out." Twilight said, then she turned and walked to her Captain, who approached the table.
"Would you like to be alone?" Twilight whispered.
"Yes, but please don't go too far. I... I don't know how this is going to go." Fizzle replied.
"Alright," Twilight said, nodding, momentarily putting a hoof on her Captain's shoulder. "I'll be just outside."
Twilight turned and left the library, quietly closing the door behind her. Fizzlepop took a breath, and sat down at the south end of the table, gently setting her staff on the table before lifting her helmet off and set it next to the staff.
"I'm... Sorry about earlier." She apologized, looking over at Glitter Drops and Spring Rain, who sat at the west side of the table.
"Don't be. Honestly, we deserved it. It wasn't right what we did to you all those years ago." Spring Rain offered.
"When we got to Celestia's school, we realized it wasn't the same without you... Realized dreams are never exactly what you expect them to be. On the first break in between trimesters, we came back to see you, but you were already gone." Glitter Drops added.
"I didn't see a reason to stay. You two were all I had... You and my magic. I figured if there was anything left for me, it would be beyond Equestria's borders. By the time I reached the first town, I didn't realize that my bag of bits had torn, so I had to work off my meal, then save up enough to leave. It took longer than I would have liked, but in hindsight, I was lucky... Most places farther beyond our borders didn't accept Equestrian Bits."
"So... You really came back here to... To invade...?" Spring Rain asked.
"I grew up alone... It didn't take me long to believe that it was every creature for themselves. I started seeking out powerful allies... Creatures who could help me get what I wanted. When I encountered the Storm King, a conqueror and collector of magical artifacts, he offered to restore my horn in return for a source of power for his latest acquisition, the Staff of Sacanas. The staff channeled and contained magical sources, so I pointed him to the only one I knew of; the Alicorn magic of Equestria." Fizzlepop explained, a look of sadness forming on her face.
"Water under the bridge now, from what Princess Twilight has told us." Glitter reassured her. "I'm guessing that silk covering does something?" She asked.
"Yes. In combination with this..." Fizzlepop told them, momentarily picking up her Aetherial Staff. "...The Conduit ring around what's left of my horn stabilizes my magic, and allows me to channel it through the shard of Aetherium at the top. It's not a full restoration, but it's as close as I'm going to get." She said, softly setting the staff back down on the table next to her helmet. "What about you two? You got here together awfully quick. I'm guessing you stayed together after graduating from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. What about... The third one, that you ran off with after ditching me...?" She couldn't hide the disdain from the last part of that question.
"She... She didn't make it in. She was good enough to practice with, but when it came time for the entrance exams... It was just the two of us. And yes, after we graduated, we were asked if we wanted to stick together, and we got a joint assignment on Vanhoover's weather team."
Fizzlepop's gaze fell to the table, to her staff and helmet.
"So you came from Vanhoover to here in under three days. What... What do you two want?" She asked them.
"We... We just wanted to see how you were. The townsponies said you had vanished when we came back after our first trimester, so we wanted to come and congratulate you... And apologize for what we did. We were fillies, we were scared of how unstable your magic got, but it still wasn't right abandoning you like that. We're so, so sorry for how we treated you. I guess we're wondering... If there's anything we can do. If there's any way to pick up where we left off." Glitter Drops told her.
Fizzlepop said nothing for a few moments, wondering herself how to proceed.
"I... I suppose I can accept your apology. But it was fourteen years ago..." She told them, her voice uneasy.
"Fizzlepop, there's... There's something else." Spring Rain began. Glitter shot him a nervous, uncertain look. He turned to her. "It's not right to keep it. We've come all this way. We promised if we ever found her..."
Glitter gulped as Spring magically reached into the saddlebag that rested next to his chair.
"When we learned that you had disappeared, we... We went looking for this before we returned to school. We can't believe we found it, but once we did, we both agreed that if you ever showed up, that we'd return it." Spring Rain said, his voice also getting nervous now as he levitated a small cobalt hinged felt box across the table to her, setting it down in front of her staff and helmet.
Fizzlepop picked up the box with her hooves, slowly opened it, and her eyes widened, her throat tightened, and tears began to well up in her eyelids as she looked down at the white skeletal remains; the top jagged half of a unicorn filly's horn. She took one shaky, unstable breath before breaking down into sobs. She set the box down before lowering her head to the table and buried her face in her hooves.
"W-We wanted to prove to ourselves that by going in there to find it, we controlled the fear that allowed this to happen to you in the first place..." Glitter said, who had also started to cry.
Fizzlepop's tears continued to flow as her shoulders heaved. How could they be so foolish? Their fear had nothing to do with it; if they had gone in there, it just would have been them instead of her.
"I... I..." Fizzlepop cried, trying and failing to get her overflowing emotions under control. "I can't get over this in one night, okay? I hope you realize that." She raised her head, looking at her former friends through her wet, blurry vision. "It's going to take longer than you want, if it happens at all. If there ever is a friendship between us again, we can't just pick up where we left off. There's no fixing it after this long. It has to be a new foundation, a new friendship. We'll have to start over, okay?"
Spring Rain and Glitter Drops, tears now falling from their eyes, got up from their seats and came over to their old friend.
"That's more than we could ever hope for..." Spring shakily said, before slowly wrapping his front hooves around Fizzlepop, followed shortly by Glitter. Together, the two of them held her, finally grieving over what had been lost between them over fourteen years ago.
After that, only time would tell.
After letting it all out, Fizzlepop sniffled a few times as they broke the embrace, and she used her magic to close the box that sat open on the table. She took a few deep breaths to get herself under control again.
"Have you two eaten?" She asked them as they wiped their eyes.
"N-No, not since lunch. Princess Twilight said she'd fix some dinner for us and give us a guest room until the train leaves in the morning."
"Well..." Fizzlepop began as she put her helmet back on. "You can do that, or if you like, you can come have dinner and meet my squad."
Spring and Glitter gave small smiles as they held back more tears.
With a Princess as tidy as Twilight, there were more cobwebs in the basement of the castle than Fizzlepop imagined, especially in a place this new. According to Starlight, she had actually helped Fluttershy replace cobwebs that had been disturbed in a magical-based animal gathering incident.
The state of the basement corridors didn't really matter to her, as she came up to a set of double doors, and opened them, magically carrying the framed newspaper article that Rainbow had given to her. What mattered was this; her new barracks for her squad. Directly under the library and previously used as storage, Princess Twilight was all too happy to clear it out and get her library back. In the two weeks since Spring Rain and Glitter Drops visited, she had quickly renovated it into everything they needed. Mannequins for armor now lined the outer walls. The center of the room was open and clear for training sessions. Just down the hall through the very next door, a smithing furnace had been set up with all the tools needed for basic maintenance.
Walking to the back wall, Fizzlepop stood before a six-pointed star lavender emblem; the Kingdom of Friendship's coat of arms, or crest; the same that adorned the front of each of their chest pieces. She then gazed down at her newest addition to her uniform, this one somewhat informal; a simple necklace, at the end hung the remains of the top half of her horn.
Though the orchid coat had long since rotted away by the time Spring Rain and Glitter Drops found it, with the aid of the teachers at the school, they were able to use polyurethane to preserve the bone that was left. Even with Starlight's magical know-how, it would have been impractical to try to reattach it in any manner; the nerve endings had died long ago. But with Rarity's expertise, Fizzlepop was able to string a ball chain through the thickest section of what was left. It was a way to keep the part of her that she had lost with her from now on.
Before departing in the morning, Spring and Glitter gave her the address of the Vanhoover Weather Team headquarters, and they promised to write letters and share updates in their lives with each other. It wasn't a renewed friendship yet, but they could consider themselves acquaintances for now.
Smiling briefly at the neckace, she took the framed newspaper, and hung it directly under the six-pointed star emblem of the Kingdom of Friendship. The squad's first sign of recognition, now on display for all of them to see.
