> The Princess's Captain
>  by PresentPerfect
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Princess's Captain - Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Princess's Captain
by Present Perfect

Part 1

The sound of Tempest Shadow's armor-shod hooves echoed off Friendship Castle's towering ceilings as she entered for the first time.

"Aaaaand here's the castle!"

Princess Twilight Sparkle trotted up behind her, smiling despite the looks they had gotten as they disembarked the train and walked through Ponyville.  Provincial though the town was, the Princess had been all too happy to point out its humble attractions and more notable ponies.  None of this had served to make Tempest feel any more confident about her presence here, nor allay the suspicions of the tiny dragon riding on Twilight's back.

Tempest stood, staring at her new surroundings, and the Princess continued to natter.

"It's kind of impressive the first time you see it, but don't be intimidated." She giggled.  "I mean, it's considerably less, shall we say, awe-inspiring, when you realize it's just me, Spike, Starlight and maybe Trixie living here.  We hardly use more than seven rooms on a regular basis.  Can you believe it?" She gave another laugh, forced, that petered out into awkward silence.

Tempest moved slowly into the center of the spacious grand hall.  Her hoofsteps continued to echo, demolishing the silence.  Colorful tapestries loomed, watchful, from the high walls.  She did her best to avoid catching her reflection in the crystals.

"This is to be my prison, then," she intoned, her sonorous voice reverberating in the chamber.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Princess Twilight rushed up before her, shaking her head.  "Don't think of this as a prison!  It's the start of your new life!"

Tempest gazed into the princess's eyes.  "I have committed grave crimes against Equestria.  Though I have stated my genuine wish to atone, I neither expect nor deserve clemency."

"Fizzlepop." Princess Twilight put her hoof on Tempest's shoulder, which clanked.  The dragon snickered.  Tempest rued not swearing Pinkie Pie to secrecy during the train ride.

"Yes, Princess Celestia has remanded you to my custody for the time being, but it's for a very good reason." She smiled.  "We're going to become friends!  I promise you, if you learn to embrace friendship, you'll be able to give back to Equestria ten times what you took."

A small frown creased her face.  "That sounded kind of negative, didn't it?"

Tempest shook her head.  "The worst prison is the one the warden refuses to admit exists." She sighed.  "What am I to do, then?  It isn't as though I have anywhere else to go."

"You can start by picking out a room!" The Princess exchanged looks with her dragon.  "Spike, would you get some fresh linens from the... Uhh, the place where those are?  And then Fizzlepop and I will meet you in the main hall."

The dragon snickered again, covering his mouth with both claws as he hopped off Twilight's back.  He pointed at his eyes, then at Tempest, then trundled off through a door and was swallowed by the castle depths.

"Just call me 'Tempest' for now, Your Highness," Tempest murmured.  "It's the only name I've known for a long time."

The Princess put a hoof under Tempest's chin and turned her head so they could see each other.  But a week ago, such a condescending gesture from anyone but the Storm King would have been met with a strong backhoof and a flurry of sparks.  Now, Tempest was cowed, unwilling to retaliate, barely able to speak her mind, lest it draw any wrath from those who now controlled her life.  Disgust wrote itself across her face as she recognized the gravity of her situation, and her helplessness to alter it.  She wasn't a prisoner; she was a slave.

Had she ever been otherwise?

Twilight studied her face for a moment.  "Tempest it is, then." The hoof dropped away.  "It's going to take some time for you to get comfortable in your new life here in Ponyville.  I promise I'll do what I can to help with that.  But you have to promise me you'll give yourself the time you need as well.  Don't let yourself get frustrated, okay?"

Tempest remained silent.

Princess Twilight took a deep breath.  "All I'm asking of you for right now is to let me know when you want to leave the castle, and don't do anything... let's say, rash.  Otherwise, you're free to explore the castle or Ponyville at your leisure.  Don't force anything, let it come in time, and you'll find the ponies here are friendly and welcoming."

Tempest bowed her head.  "I understand, Your Highness."

"And please, just call me Twilight.  We're going to be friends, after all."





They turned a corner into yet another hallway, indistinguishable from the rest.  So far, the tour had taken them to the map room, the kitchen, the dining room, the library, the other library, three different bathrooms, a room neither Spike nor Twilight could remember seeing before, and a closet.  Princess Twilight had chatted away the whole time, while Spike walked behind them, a pile of sheets and a pillow in his outstretched arms, and mostly groused about how long they were taking.

"One corridor's more or less like the other," said Twilight as the hall began to bend to the right.  "I don't know if you'd prefer one on the east or west side of the castle.  Of course, there's also the north, the south, the various floors, and then you have your choice of near the end or closer to the center!  I prefer sleeping nearer the trunk, myself.  Less drafty." She giggled.  "Anyway, there's only a seven-point-five percent chance you'll pick a room that's currently occupied, so go crazy!"

Spike grunted.  "Yeah, but doesn't Trixie usually sleep in--"

"Trixie sleeps outside in her wagon," Twilight said primly, "because she's a bad influence.  Also, it isn't polite to be nosy, Spike."

Tempest suppressed the urge to question and took the lead down the hall.  Another bathroom was pointed out.  Spike grumbled once more.

They stopped at the final door on the right.

"Does anyone else have a room in this hallway?" Tempest asked.

"Starlight's is three doors back that way, actually," said Twilight, pointing where they'd come from.

Tempest nodded.  "This will suffice." She turned the knob with her hoof and stepped inside.

Like the rest of the castle, the room's walls were formed from haphazard growths of ornate crystal, but Tempest was somewhat surprised to see the interior already furnished.  Opposite the door sat a small bureau.  A bed lay against the inner wall, plain and uncovered.  There was a waste receptacle, a lamp, and what looked like an armoire, and all of it was made of crystal of varying color and opacity.

"Ooh!  This one even has a window!" Twilight bubbled.  "Excellent choice!"

She levitated her saddlebags' contents onto the bureau.  Tempest bit back familiar numb jealousy as she watched those few worldly possessions float across the room in the warm glow of magic.

"There." Twilight gave Tempest a wide smile.  "You didn't bring a lot with you, so I'll leave it to you to organize things how you want."

Truth be told, almost everything she owned, aside from the tattered cloak resting across her shoulders, was officially licensed Storm King merchandise.  No pleasant memory was tied to these objects.  Her armor's decal had been easy enough to remove after the battle; no doubt she would end up throwing most of these other things away, too.

"Spike, please make the bed.  I'm going down to the main library to get started on a new research project!" Nervous excitement flashed down Twilight's muscles and into her hooves, and she pranced in place.

Tempest raised an eyebrow.  "Research project?"

"Don't worry about it!  I mean, I'll want your help tomorrow, but for now, I want you to relax, make yourself at home, keep exploring the castle or just get some rest, whatever you feel like." Twilight giggled.  "I'll probably be up all night, as usual.  Ooh, I can't wait to get started!  Call Spike or come down to the library if there's anything you need, all right?  I'll see you later!"

And with that, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, fluttered out the door.

Tempest watched her go for a long moment, murmurs of emotion conflicting in her chest.  When she turned back to the room, the bed was crisply made, and a small dragon glared at her from on top of it, arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm warnin' you," he said darkly.  "You may have Twilight's trust, but you don't have mine.  Twilight's my friend." He jabbed a claw at his chest.  Smoke puffed from his nostrils.  "And I'm gonna keep an eye on you so you don't hurt her.  We clear on that?"

Dragons were not a species Tempest had much experience with.  Those she had met were the size of airships, presenting either obstacles to be steered around, or large targets for cannon practice.  They could burn a squadron of ships to ash in seconds, summon lightning from storms, and swallow a griffon whole.  It was said they nested in mountains they hollowed out with their own claws over the course of months, sleeping atop piles of treasure stolen from those weaker than them.

They were not nearly as intimidating as the little lizard standing before her.

"Crystal," she croaked.

"Good." He gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes, hopped off the bed, and made for the door, passing under her legs.  She didn't dare move.  When he got to the doorway, he stopped, turned, once more pointed to his eyes and then to her, and left without another word.

She closed the door behind him.  Turning to her room, she surveyed it once more.

Rest seemed a wise decision.  She felt weak-kneed all of a sudden.





Twilight cast a deafening spell on herself as she reached the door to Tempest's room.  The horrible clanging was coming from within.

Thank goodness Starlight hadn't made it into the castle since last night, thought Twilight.  She wouldn't have gotten any sleep with all this racket.

Twilight opened the door, ready to demand just what in Celestia's name was going on.  But she just stood there.

Tempest Shadow was busy doing one-hoofed pushups in the center of her room.  Only that did not adequately describe the activity.

Tempest was fully clad in her armor, for one.  For another, she would lower herself to the ground with one leg, the other held behind her back, then push up suddenly and switch hooves midair.  The terrible din came when her hoof, or more specifically, her armored shoes, struck the floor on the way down.  Her rear legs stretched out behind her, hooftips together, providing her only constant point of contact with the ground.  At every point on her body, corded muscles twisted and bulged, making patent the efficacy of the exercise.

Twilight stared just a little bit longer.

Then she whipped up a Royal Canterlot Vocal Projection and shouted, "TEMPEST!"

Tempest stopped with both hooves on the floor, as if she'd planned to all along, and turned.  It took a few moments of watching Tempest's mouth move before Twilight remembered to drop her spell.

"--arkle," Tempest finished.  "Forgive me if I am mistaken, but you look somewhat, ah... upset?"

"Upset?" Twilight shrieked, but stopped herself before she went any further.  She breathed in, put a hoof to her chest, and released both.

"Maybe, just a little.  The walls of the castle aren't soundproof, you know.  Or--" she cleared her throat-- "at least, I'm letting you know that they aren't.  And that Spike and I are awake now.  And breakfast is on.  And that I didn't get much sleep last night as it was." Her eyes dropped to the side.

"My apologies, Twilight." Tempest bowed her head.  "You did say to make myself at home, and this is my usual morning routine."

"Just--" Twilight rubbed her temple.  "Leave the horseshoes off next time, please?"

Tempest looked down at her shoes.  One by one, she stepped out of them, leaving them inscribing a neat rectangle on the floor.  She never once looked away from Twilight, fixing her with the look of a foal earnestly trying to ignore her mother's chastisement.

"Thank you." Brightening, Twilight added, "Come on, let's go have breakfast!"

Breakfast was a humble affair of pancakes, honey, and one grumpy baby dragon.  Spike levelled a bleary glare at Tempest the entire time, one which said "Now I have a reason to hate you."

The groggy morning silence was broken when Starlight Glimmer, also looking as though she hadn't slept much last night, stumbled into the breakfast room.  She looked at the pancakes the way a pony lost in the desert looks at water, snatched two up in her magic, and bit into both without bothering to set them down on a plate.

"Mormim, 'Wi-ight," she said through the mouthful, then swallowed.  "Trixie insisted we stay to help kickstart the Canterlot cleanup effort, and you know me!" She chuckled.  "Not one to stand in the way of Trixie being altruistic."

She gave Twilight and Spike a knowing grin.  Neither reacted.  As she turned to Tempest, her grin never lessened.

"So it's true, then?  You're staying here with us?"

Tempest nodded slowly, regarding Starlight with wary hesitance.

"You and I are gonna have a lot to talk about, I think," said Starlight, taking another bite of pancake.  "I know a thing or two about trying to escape a villainous past." She laughed and grabbed a third pancake.  "Let's chat sometime!  Thanks for breakfast, Spike, great pancakes, I'm gonna go sleep for a year."

Open-mouthed, Tempest watched Starlight trot from the room.

"Oh, that Starlight!" Twilight chuckled and rolled her eyes.  "She grows on you!"





"What is this research project, which kept you up all night?" Tempest asked as she and Twilight strolled into the library.  Twilight's personal library, that was, not the one meant for public use.

"Glad you asked!  Have a seat and get comfortable, we're probably going to be here a while!"

Tempest looked at Twilight askance, but obeyed, taking one of the high-backed armchairs in the center of the library.  Over the next couple of minutes, countless books floated down off the shelves to join the few dozen already on the floor around the little coffee table.  Princess Twilight followed soon after, holding quill, ink pot and at least three notebooks aloft in her magic.  She settled into the chair directly across from Tempest and grinned at her.

"I'm researching the Relics of Sacanas!" She set the notebooks on the table, side by side, tops and bottoms even with each other, and laid the ink pot next to them.  "I've only ever seen scant reference to them in my reading, and even when I heard the Staff of Sacanas called by name, it didn't dawn on me until much later that I'd ever heard it before." Her grin became wider.  "So I figure, since you worked with the Storm King to get them and all..." Her enthusiasm waned a moment.  "Well, I figured I'd shake you down for anything you know, if you don't mind, and maybe that will give me a better foundation to start a wider search."

Tempest blinked.  "That sounds reasonable, I suppose." She shifted in her chair, frowning as it refused to conform to her larger frame.  "I promise I will tell you as much as I can.  What is it you wish to know?"

Twilight leaned forward, quill held humming in the air.  "Everything."

With a deep breath, Tempest began to tell Twilight everything.

There were five Relics created by Sacanas, the mad satyr wizard.  Of them, the Storm King had been able to claim possession of two: the Staff, and the Orb.  The Storm King had sought the Orb after hearing tales of Sacanas and finding that his own thirst for power matched the old sorcerer's.  With the Orb in his possession, he was given a modicum of Sacanas's power, but more importantly, was able to find the locations of the other Relics -- the Amulet, the Sword, and the Crown -- when he got close enough to them.  After obtaining the Staff from the hippos, he set his sights on Equestria both because he could use its power to make a statement and because the Orb showed the next nearest Relic was somewhere within the kingdom.

"To be honest," Tempest continued, "I am unsure what the other Relics do.  Only that they are powerful and corrupt.  The Storm King never told me which Relic was here in Equestria, save that it was 'next'."

Tapping the feather against her throat, Twilight gazed up at the ceiling for a quiet moment.

"Both Relics were confiscated after the Storm King's forces stood down in Canterlot, weren't they?"

Tempest nodded.  "Yes."

Twilight summoned a scroll and began to write.  "I'm going to need hooves-on experience if I want to accomplish anything..."

Shifting in her chair again, Tempest tried to ignore the silence that had settled over the library while Twilight ignored her in favor of her missive.  In the next few minutes, Twilight finished writing, read the letter, reread it, and yelled for Spike.  The dragon appeared moments later and blew a plume of flame onto the letter.  Tempest found herself enraptured; the sight was as fearsome and impressive as it was confounding.

But no, she had heard of dragonflame messaging before, even if this was her first time seeing it.  Her mind set to work, analyzing the likelihood of being able to capture masses of dragon babies.  A network of dragons raised to serve on airships would keep the fleet connected like never before, a communications boon that was sometimes desperately needed when--

Tempest swallowed.  She took a surreptitious glance at Twilight, fearing the Princess might have heard her old habits dying hard.  But Twilight's head was buried nose-deep in a book.

At least Tempest could take a hint.





Four hours and as many books later, judging by the crystal wall clock, Tempest sighed and collapsed forward on the table.  Her eyes burned as though she'd been walking through a blistering desert sandstorm.  Five minutes spent scanning and rescanning one page revealed she had been reading a treatise on seapony etiquette that wouldn't help Twilight's research in the slightest.

"Is this all you do?" she groaned, then sucked a breath in through her teeth.  Had she really said that aloud?

Twilight blinked at her a few moments later.  "I'm sorry?  Oh, was there something else you wanted to do?  I do tend to get caught up in my research." She gave Tempest a rueful half-smile.  "I didn't mean to neglect you."

Tempest sat up straight and adjusted her armor, which clanked irritably against the confines of the chair.  "Not what I was referring to." In truth, the idea of setting hoof into that town of ponies who knew who she was and what she had done made her stomach twist and her knees weak.  Not something Twilight needed to know just yet.

"I mean all of this." She swept her hoof around at the books.  "Sitting in a library all day, researching magical artifacts?  I must admit, I've not spent time with many princesses, but I expected you'd be doing more..." She waved ineffectually at Twilight, who grinned.

"More princessing?" She chuckled.  "No, not really.  I mean, that's not who I am or what I do." Fluffing her wings, she added, "Sorry if I'm not quite what you were hoping for."

Tempest frowned.  What she had hoped for, or at least what she had expected, was iron bars and gruel twice daily.  Perhaps Twilight was not the vindictive sort, but even still, a sentence of drudgery in the kitchens or gardens or anything would be preferable to sitting here, watching letters swim together on a page.

"I get the feeling I've done something to offend you," said Twilight.

"Not in so many words." Tempest stared at the book on the table in front of her.  "I am... surprised that you do not take your role as princess more seriously.  You, for instance, have a kingdom, yet you do not rule it."

"Ponyville isn't a kingdom!" Twilight said, halfway between offense and amusement.  "It's just my home.  Well, I was born in Canterlot, so I guess it's my home away from home, really..."

"You have a castle.  Has this town not become at least a fiefdom under your control?"

"No, no!" Twilight waved her hooves.  "Nothing like that!  Ponyville still has a Mayor, for one.  She doesn't even officially answer to me!" She sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Look, Tempest, I'm just the Princess of Friendship.  I don't raise the sun or moon, I don't oversee light and love in Equestria, I don't rule any ponies.  Anyone who has a friendship problem can come to me, and I'll try to solve it." She huffed.  "Though it's more likely my friends and I will go to the corners of Equestria to find those problems ourselves..."

"You roam Equestria by yourself?" Tempest snorted.  "Your castle does not even have guards!"

"The castle just happened, okay?" Twilight threw her hooves in the air, her voice growing steadily louder.  "It's been maybe a year since I became a princess, and all I've been trying to do is live my life while figuring out what all these changes mean.  And they keep happening!  The castle literally grew out of the ground, did I mention that?  Magical crystal castles don't come with guards!"

As Twilight caught her breath, Tempest turned her eyes to the ceiling.  An entire castle, sprung from the ground, with only one or two ponies to fill it?  Were she not sitting in it at that very moment, the idea would be so ludicrous as to be fantasy.

"Sorry," said Twilight, "for yelling.  I guess I still have some princess angst left to get through, haha!  The Friendship Festival was..." She blew out a breath.  "I was hoping it would get more ponies to recognize me as somepony they could bring their problems to, instead of the other way around.  Or at least, that's what my friends and Princess Celestia told me to think of it as.  It was kind of a disaster, no offense." She hung her head.  "I don't think it had any real impact at all, considering what everyone's going to remember about it."

She covered her face with her hooves.  "Augh!  I don't even know if I want ponies to know I'm a princess sometimes!"

The library rang as Tempest stood, her gaze resolute and her stance forceful.  Twilight looked at her like she'd been slapped.

"It is clear what I must do." Tempest's voice was quiet, steady and firm.  "If I am not to be a prisoner here, then I will make myself useful in the only way I know how."

She moved to Twilight's side.  The alicorn gasped as Tempest knelt, bowing her head before the cushy armchair as though it were the most ornate throne in Equestria.  In a deep, solemn voice, Tempest intoned:

"I, Tempest Shadow, do hereby pledge my life in service to you, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, as protector of your person and all that you desire of me."
> The Princess's Captain - Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Princess's Captain
by Present Perfect

Part 2

"Uh," said Twilight.  "Uh."

"If I may, Your Highness," said Tempest, not lifting her head, "it is obvious to me that you need someone by your side who can help you grow into the ruler you are meant to be.  I do not presume that I am the best person for the job, but if you will have my life, I will use every moment of it to assist you in being the best princess you can be."

"Uh," said Twilight again.  "Wow.  Okay, intense much?" She cleared her throat.  "Er, uh, rise?"

Tempest remained kneeling.  "Your Highness, I insist."

Frowning, Twilight stood and stepped forward.  Tempest scuttled backward, keeping her head bowed.

"Tempest, I appreciate that you want to help out.  I'm glad you want to earn my loyalty and trust.  But please understand when I tell you I am not interested in... in owning your life!  That's too... it's--"

"It is befitting that a princess should keep a vassal." Tempest's voice never wavered.  "Again, I say I may not be the best person for the job, but if you will forgive my impertinence, I believe I can provide what you will require to fully accede to your position as princess."

Only then did she lift her head.  Twilight took a step back, gasping at the shine in Tempest's eyes.  Twilight had never in her life seen such profound determination in another pony's eyes before.

"Your Highness, I am begging you."

Twilight swallowed.  "Nopony has ever wanted to pledge their loyalty... their life... to me before." Her face screwed up, as though she had eaten something unpleasant.  "It's... It's just not done!  I'd much rather have you as a friend."

She held up a hoof as Tempest opened her mouth.

"Tempest, please." Twilight's eyes fell to the side.  "This is obviously very important to you, but... Could you maybe help me understand why?"  After a moment, she added, "And please stand up?"

Tempest sat back.  She did not meet Twilight's gaze as she spoke.

"All my life, Your Highness, I have been alone." She closed her eyes.  "And the years when I was not, the recent years I spent serving the Storm King, I was his right hoof.  I never questioned what he did until it seemed he wasn't going to uphold our agreement, because I had faith in him, and because I had never felt needed before in my life."

When Tempest opened her eyes, they shone so intense that Twilight took a step back.

"I cannot conceive of doing anything more with myself," Tempest said, her voice stretched thin across a strength born from utmost conviction.  "I want to serve, Princess, because it is what I am meant to do.  And... would it not be better if I employed my skills to serve someone who will use them to make the world a better place?"

Twilight let out a breath.  "You make a good point." She swallowed.  "This is just... really sudden.  I've never considered taking on a..." Her voice quailed.  "Servant?"

"What about your dragon?"

"Spike's not a servant!" Twilight's answer was immediate.  "I mean, he does a lot of chores and helps me out around the castle, yes.  He's always done that.  But he's a friend.  Really, he's like a little brother to me.  If he wanted to... to leave, and set off on his own, he would have every right to.  For all that I'd be sad to see him go."

"The pink one, then?"

"Starlight?  She's my student, not my servant." Twilight frowned.  "That's entirely different.  At least, I hope it is."

There was a long silence.  Twilight held her head in her hooves, and Tempest looked on, dispassionate.  It was she who broke the quiet at last, gently clearing her throat.

"Give me time," Twilight said slowly.  "Just... give me some time to think about your request.  Would that be all right?"

Tempest nodded.  "Yes.  But do not put this decision off forever, Twilight Sparkle.  I can see in your hesitance something more than just momentary indecision."

Twilight made a face.  Tempest stood and made for the door.

"Wait!" said Twilight, and Tempest stopped, turning to look back at her.

"If there's one thing this has made clear to me, it's that if I really do want to be friends with you, I'm doing a poor job of it." She laughed weakly.  "Come on, let's get out of the castle.  I'm sure all this research isn't your thing.  I can show you around town, maybe we'll get something to eat, and maybe we can even find something else you'd be interested in trying!" Her laugh became a little giddy.  "Everypony needs to have a hobby, after all!"

Tempest, for a moment, looked as though she would decline the offer.  Then she sagged, ever so slightly, nodded, and joined Twilight without another word.

They did not find Tempest a hobby.





The next day found the two of them in the castle map room, along with Twilight's friends, student, and friend-slash-not-servant-slash-little-brother.  A night of research had left Twilight Sparkle half-crazed, both from the elation of having found something definitive and the exhaustion from lack of sleep.

"I called you all here to discuss a few things I've discovered that should prove to be really exciting!" Twilight clopped her hooves and tittered, rocking slightly back and forth.  "But first, Tempest Shadow is going to fill you all in on what we've been up to!"

Tempest stepped forward beside Twilight's throne.  She nearly stepped right back through the door she had come in as eight pairs of eyes turned to her.

With one exception, these were the ponies who had stopped the Storm King's assault on Canterlot when all had seemed lost for Equestria.  At the time, they had seemed just normal ponies, unexpected underdogs who rose to the challenge presented before them and overcame impossible odds to see their plan through by the barest of margins.

But this vaulted room, with its tree-root chandelier, sparkling crystal walls and magical map table, transformed them somehow.  No doubt it was the six crystal thrones, each emblazoned with its occupant's mark.  The images radiated power, becoming ancient symbols of great meaning instead of just indicators of the individual's personalities.  The thrones elevated them, literally, and gave each an aura of importance that normally would have been reserved solely for the Princess herself.

Tempest was very aware how recently they had been enemies.

Twilight tittered.  "Wheeenever you're ready, Tempest!"

Eyes wide, Tempest cleared her throat and began.

"The Relics of Sacanas.  You may remember the Storm King possessed the Staff of Sacanas--"

"We remember, all right," said Applejack sardonically.

"Yes." Tempest cleared her throat again and shifted on her hooves.  "The Storm King had the Staff, but there are four other relics, of which the Storm King also had a second, the Orb."

Twilight projected a beam of magic onto the map, illustrating the objects in question as Tempest continued to speak.

"The Relics of Sacanas -- the Staff, the Orb, the Sword, the Crown and the Amulet -- are powerful objects created by an ancient satyr wizard.  Sacanas himself was known for being brilliant, power-hungry... and mad."

The image changed to show a figure that looked something like the Storm King, but clad in a flowing robe and a towering twin-peaked hat.  In a fit of authorial fiat, his face was rendered in a crazed snarl, and his eyes filled by little swirls.

"Why Sacanas created the Relics is anyone's guess, but after he died, they became much sought-after treasures.  Anyone who knows about them and seeks to gain power will be drawn to them, as the Storm King was."

She nodded, and the image changed to show the five Relics, or at least impressions of what she and Twilight thought they might look like.

"Of the five, the Staff is arguably the most powerful, and the Amulet the most corruptive, but the Orb is the most important, for it can be used to find the location of the other four.  Currently, the Orb is in Canterlot, under lock and key, along with the Staff."

"If one is into artifactual histories, this is fascinating, I'm sure," said Rarity.  "But would it be too forward to ask for the point?"

"We're going to find the Amulet of Sacanas!" said Twilight, excited.

Her friends nodded.  Tempest, however, was taken aback, and turned to Twilight sharply.

"You are what?"

Twilight grinned, and an image of the Amulet of Sacanas appeared hovering over the map.

"As it turns out," she said, "the Amulet is thought to be somewhere in the Everfree Forest." The image relocated itself over said forest.  "I asked Princess Celestia if she would send me the Orb so we could find it easier."

"But--"

"That makes sense," said Applejack amiably.  "If'n what Tempest said is right, and these here Relics attract power-hungry types, gettin' 'em all together oughta help keep them sorts from gettin' their grubby hooves on 'em first!"

Tempest swallowed.  "But the Amulet is--"

"Hey!" shouted Rainbow Dash, glaring at Tempest.  "Is that why the Storm King came to Equestria?  'Cause he wanted this Amulet thing?"

"I-I..." Tempest shook her head.  "Yes.  I mean, the Storm King's usual plan of attack was to invade a nation, sack its capital, shake the government leaders down for the location of anything important and set up a tribute system before leaving.  But once the Orb gave him the Amulet's location, he came to Equestria seeking it.  He could have gone directly to the forest, but instead he attacked Canterlot to make a statement." She scoffed.  "He always was more interested in shows of power than efficiency."

Rainbow narrowed her eyes.  "Sounds like you really miss him.  Any reason you don't want us going after the Relics, Tempest?"

"Prudence!" Tempest said, stepping back from the table.  "With the Orb locked up, the Relics will be that much harder to find for those who seek them.  And many a would-be warlord has fallen to the Amulet's influence.  It is said Sacanas placed a piece of his own soul within it.  Did you not hear when I said it corrupted the weak-minded?"

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Starlight and Pinkie Pie all began to laugh.

"I do not quite see what is so funny about this," said Rarity with a huff.  Tempest looked to her for sympathy, but found no such thing.

"Did you..." Starlight snorted and wiped at her eye.  "Did you just call Twilight weak-minded?"

"No, no." Rainbow took a deep breath.  "I was thinking this was some kind of evil ploy, but I get it now.  Tempest just has no idea who she's dealing with!"

"I know, right?" cried Pinkie.  "It's too funny!"

Heat rose in Tempest's cheeks.  All her former confidence had completely evaporated.

"I-I just meant that a journey to uncover the Relics of Sacanas should not be undertaken lightly."

Rainbow and Pinkie Pie looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing again.

"Sugarcube," said Applejack, leaning over and placing a hoof on Tempest's shoulder, "Rainbow's right.  This ain't somethin' we're takin' lightly, on account of we're the ponies for the job."

Rarity gave a prim guffaw.  "I suppose I can see how a pony who's just met us wouldn't know we've been through Tartarus and high water these few years.  But yes, Tempest dear, you're speaking with the ponies who defeated Nightmare Moon."

"And stopped Discord and his mind control magic," said Applejack.

Fluttershy quickly added, "And then reformed him!"

"And we saved the Crystal Empire from the evil King Sombra," added Spike, sounding smug.

Pinkie Pie gasped.  "Oh my gosh, I need to throw you a party!  I'll need streamers, and balloons--"

"Not to mention from a thousand years of ice and snow after the Crystal Heart was shattered," said Starlight.

"And we stopped Trixie when she was using the Alicorn Amulet," finished Rainbow, leaning over the table.  "So even if we hadn't done all that, we still know what we're doing when it comes to corrupty amulets.  Don't.  Count us.  Out." She punctuated the words by slamming her hoof on the table.

Tempest looked to Twilight, who shrugged and said, "I don't like bragging, but AJ's right.  All things considered, we are the ponies for the job."

"It's pretty awesome when you think about all the stuff we've done together, isn't it?" said Spike.  The others launched into a clamor of excited cheering and chatter.

"I reckon we are pretty useful to have around Equestria..."

"Oh, but we couldn't have done it without Twilight..."

"I mean, I really don't like to brag, but we have accomplished a lot..."

"And cookies and cupcakes and..."

"Hey, you remember that time..."

The only ones who weren't participating in regaling the others with exclamations of how great their own past feats had been were Pinkie Pie, who hopped out of the room with a list in her mouth, and Tempest herself.  Tempest, for her part, tried time and again to get a word in edgewise, to lodge some kind of complaint against this impending course of foolishness.  After a few unsuccessful attempts, she backed out of the room with a sigh.

That she and the Storm King had lost to these ponies was no fluke.  Had Tempest known back then what kind of opposition they would be facing, she'd have told the Storm King to flee Equestria and never return.  These ponies were completely beyond anything she had ever encountered before.

She was entirely out of their league.
> The Princess's Captain - Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Princess's Captain
by Present Perfect

Part 3

At the sound of something behind her, Tempest paused at the door to her room.

"Tempest!  There you are!"

The voice came with a skittering of hooves from the down the hall.  Tempest relaxed, turned and saw Starlight Glimmer trotting up behind her, panting slightly.

"I saw you leave and thought... Well, are you all right?"

Tempest considered the mare for a moment.  She had just gotten a healthy dose of "you don't know these ponies" in the map room, but Starlight was even more of an enigma.  She hadn't been part of the battle in Canterlot, after all.  If she was Twilight's student, there was no telling what she might be capable of.

Tempest didn't like not knowing what ponies were capable of.

"I am fine," she said.  "I have decided to retire until I am needed for this... sojourn."

She entered her room, but as she closed the door, Starlight put a hoof on it.

"Well, if you don't mind some company, we could have that talk I promised you.  I think we've got more in common than you might realize."

Tempest regarded her once more.  Starlight was older than the others, stout for a unicorn, and bore the hair streak that marked her as a true talent with magic.  Her face was bright, smiling, but her mien radiated hesitation and a lack of confidence.  The largest part of Tempest told her to decline the offer and shut the door, but a little voice reminded her that she was trying to change.

"How do you mean?"

Starlight smiled.  "Let's just say, I was also defeated by Twilight and her friends, once upon a time."

Tempest opened the door.

"I've not had a chance to furnish it yet," she said, "so I'm afraid there is only floor space to sit."

"That's fine." Starlight took a seat on the rug beside the bed.  Tempest stood off to the side.

"So," said Starlight, and launched into the story of how she once enslaved a village, then nearly destroyed the world with time magic, and finally was accepted as one of Twilight's friends after she decided to turn over a new leaf.

Tempest listened, rapt, trying simultaneously not to let her jaw hang open and to quash the tiny flame of hope kindling in her chest.

"You were right," she said at length, "we do have a lot in common.  And just look at you, student of the Princess of Friendship."

Starlight laughed.  "Well, it hasn't been an easy road for me or anything.  I mean, I once kind of, sort of, maybe totally mind-controlled all my friends to get my way with something." Her words came out in a rush.

Tempest's jaw finally did drop.

"And you received no punishment?"

"Not exactly." Starlight's face reddened, and she deflated somewhat.  "I definitely learned that lesson the hard way, though.  Sometimes, when I'm under a lot of pressure, my first reaction is still to brute-force a problem with extreme magic."

She sighed.  "It's things like that that make it hard for me to escape my past sometimes." She stood, moved to Tempest, and placed a hoof on her shoulder.  "But believe me when I say, Twilight and her friends are good ponies.  If you really want to become a good pony as well, to learn about friendship, they are the ponies you want helping you figure it out."

Tempest looked toward the small window at the end of the room.  The sky outside was bright and clear, almost carefree in how utterly it ignore what was happening inside the castle.

"Do you think it's possible?  Someone like me, finding friendship?"

"Absolutely," said Starlight.  "Knowing what I know, I think anything is possible."

A frown tugged at the corners of Tempest's mouth.  She glanced down at Starlight.  "Say what you will, but... I'm afraid I don't fit in here."

"You haven't even been here a whole twenty-four hours yet." Starlight rolled her eyes.  "Twilight and her friends a tight-knit group with strong, sometimes unusual personalities." She chuckled.  "Give it time.  Give yourself time.  You've got a chance to try friendship.  You don't have to force it."

Tempest moved to her bed and lay on it.  She crossed her forehooves and rested her head on them with a sigh.  "What was it like for you, then?  Starting out with friendship, I mean."

"Bumpy." Starlight smiled.  "I got a lot of things wrong, and I still do.  I mean, I don't know everything, but I feel like I understand where you're coming from, which is why I wanted to reach out."

Tempest said nothing for a while.

"If it helps," Starlight continued, "you could always try making your own friends.  Outside of this castle, I mean.  And, uh, nothing personal, but you probably shouldn't start with me."

Tempest frowned.  "Why not?  Are commonalities and shared experience not building blocks of friendship?"

"That they are!" Starlight said with a rueful chuckle.  "But Twilight kind of threw a fit when I started making friends with Trixie.  Something about two former villains teaming up made her nervous.  Gee, I wonder why!"

"Who is this Trixie?  Her name was mentioned earlier."

Starlight's face lit up.  "Oh, she's my best friend!  She's a stage magician, she's so clever and talented, I could really go on about her for a while." She laughed.  "And, yes, she's had some run-ins with Twilight and her friends in the past.  Actually, she's still got kind of a semi-playful rivalry with Twilight even now." She snorted and grinned.  "It's kind of adorable.  Just one of the things I love about her!"

Starlight paused as redness crept onto her face.  Tempest's eyebrow raised slowly.

"Um, anyway." Starlight coughed.  "The whole Alicorn Amulet incident, from what I hear, involved some kind of artifact that amplified her magic, drove her insane, and made her take over Ponyville."

Now both of Tempest's eyebrows raised.

"I know, right?" Starlight laughed.  "You'll have to get the whole story from her sometime.  You'll definitely see her around the castle." She stood and stretched.

"But like I said, see if you can find any other ponies to make friends with.  I'm not sure I know anyone around town with interests similar to yours..." She tapped her chin for a moment.  "Maybe I should introduce you to Bulk Biceps sometime...

"Well, my point is, you and I can be friends, Tempest.  In fact, I think we should." She smiled.  "Just, see if you can find somepony else to be your first friend.  And whatever you do..."

Her eyes and voice dropped, and she smiled in a private way that made Tempest feel like she was intruding on something intimate.

"Trust Twilight, Tempest.  She really has your best interests at heart, even if she doesn't always show it." She brought her head up.  "And ask me about Sunset Shimmer sometime."

With that, she left, closing the door gently behind her.





When Twilight knocked on the door to Tempest's room, Tempest was still mulling over Starlight's last words to her.

"Come in."

"Hi, Tempest!" Twilight said as she entered the room.  "We made plans for our trip to the Everfree.  Just as soon as the Orb arrives here from Canterlot, we can go.  And, um... are you all right?  I wanted to check."

"I am fine, Twilight." Tempest's words were clipped.  "I apologize for doubting you earlier.  It is good to know you have a plan."

Twilight took a few steps into the room.  "Something is bothering you, though, isn't it?"

Letting out a long breath, Tempest turned away.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," she whispered.

Twilight took a few steps closer to the bed.  "I'm sorry my friends laughed at you.  I did give them a talking-to once I realized you'd left."

"It isn't that." Tempest shook her head.  "Do you remember my earlier request?"

Twilight bit her lip.  "Yes, I do."

"I would really like a decision from you sooner than later.  Until then, I am not sure we will have much to talk about."

Sighing, Twilight paced to the end of the room, under the window.  The air grew thick and heavy.

"I really just want us to be friends," Twilight said softly.  "I know it sounds silly, but... All I can do is promise I'll give you space and not force you into friendships with my other friends.  That didn't work out so well for Starlight."

"Starlight told me as much herself."

"Oh!" Twilight turned, a smile dawning on her lips.  "You talked with her?"

Tempest nodded.

"What about?  If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Friendship." Tempest made a noncommittal gesture.  "Her past.  We have a lot in common, as it turns out.  It was a good talk."

"I see..."

Tempest was compelled to add, "She counselled me to seek friendships outside this castle."

Twilight visibly relaxed.  "That's good, I'm glad to hear it!  She's really learned a lot." Her smile, light as it was, fell into concern as Tempest stayed quiet.  "Tell me what's on your mind, Tempest.  Around here, we talk about what's bothering us and let our friends help."

Tempest swallowed.  "Today, when we left the castle, did you notice... the other ponies in town?"

Twilight nodded.  "Oh sure!  There was Berry Punch and Octavia and Golden...  Er, that's not what you meant at all, was it?"

"They stared, Twilight.  Every last one of them stared at me." Looking away, Tempest closed her eyes.  "I am used to be the center of everyone's focus, of commanding attention and respect.  But this time, out there in the town, it... I did not like it."

"Right." Twilight sat and rubbed the back of her leg.  "Look, there's no easy way to put this, but you stand out.  Plus, you're new to Ponyville, and it's a small town where everypony knows everypony.  And... I know some of them were there in Canterlot.  So it's not impossible there's some fear or even resentment there."

She looked up at Tempest with a smile obviously intended for her sake.

"But it's been barely two days.  Give them time.  And give yourself time to learn how to fit in around here.  I know it can be intimidating, but, well..."

"Intimidating, yes." Tempest snorted.  "I am usually the intimidating one.  But now the very thought of leaving the castle, going out and walking among normal ponies, it's..." She set her jaw.  "Frightening."

Twilight stood, walked to the bed, and placed her hoof on Tempest's.  Tempest pulled hers away.

"Are you having second thoughts about friendship?"

Tempest shook her head.  "I'm willing to try.  Starlight showed me what can come of it.  But at the same time..." She sat up, looking Twilight in the eye.  "I require a foundation.  A place to be something like what I was so that I can start to move forward and become what I will be.  I need your assent, Princess."

Twilight backed away.  "Again with the 'Princess' business." She sighed, shaking her head.  "I wish I could be as enthusiastic about this as you are.  I still need time, Tempest.  I can promise you that I'm actively considering the... situation.  I'm not avoiding it."

She moved for the door.  "I'll let you know when the Orb arrives, all right?"

Tempest didn't answer.  But as Twilight turned to the door, she asked, "Twilight?  Would you say you are strong?"

Twilight paused.  "No." Ever so slightly, she turned to show Tempest a lopsided smile.  "But when I'm with my friends?

"I'm unstoppable."
> The Princess's Captain - Part 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Princess's Captain
by Present Perfect

Part 4

The next day saw the arrival of the Orb of Sacanas at the Castle of Friendship.  The chariot carrying it was pulled by two of Royal Guards, while two more, from Celestia's own private force, personally carried the Orb into the castle.  Tempest had arrived downstairs shortly thereafter, and as Twilight made the final arrangements for their journey, she stepped outside to where the charioteers were standing guard.

"Whoa," said the one nearest her as she appeared on the castle steps.  He elbowed his partner, speaking none too softly.  "Isn't she the one who tried to invade Canterlot during the picnic?  What's she doing here?"

"Can it, rookie," said the other, maintaining his stoicism.  He did not make eye contact with Tempest as she approached them.

"Good morning, sirs," she said casually.  "Might you have a moment for conversation?"

"What about?" asked the first.

The other made a guttural noise in his throat.  "Rookie..."

"I wondered if you might know why it is one of Equestria's Princesses has no guard contingent of her own." She stopped before them, inspecting them as if on parade.  "Does it not seem strange to you?"

The rookie shrugged.  "I dunno.  The Princess of Friendship does what she wants, I guess?"

His partner sighed and closed his eyes.  "Princess Twilight Sparkle has not yet commissioned a guard regiment.  Should she wish to, she need only petition the Palace for volunteers, or start a volunteer drive of her own."

Tempest nodded.  "I see.  Would you mind telling me what it is you do, as Royal Guards?"

The rookie grinned.  "All kinds of things!  Me and Spearwind pull chariots, for instance!"

Spearwind groaned.

"But there's guards who guard the hallways and outer areas of the castle, guards who patrol Canterlot city... Oh, there's the throne room guards!  Those guys are pretty badflank, if you know what I mean."

"No defending?  No combat?"

The rookie shrugged.  "I mean, we get trained in stuff like that, sure.  But there's rarely a need for fighting or anything."

One of Tempest's eyebrows raised.  "So you are all much more suited to going on picnics, is that it?"

The rookie snorted.  "Hey!  The Annual All-Guard Picnic is a time-honored tradition!"

Tempest stood straight and tall, looking down her nose at him.  "A tradition that could not be broken off to help repel an invading force in the heart of your own capital."

The rookie strained at his harness, which kept him just out of reach.  "You just got lucky you invaded on the right date, or so help me, we woulda--"

"Rookie!"

"Tempest!"

The second shout came from the castle entrance, and all three ponies turned to see Twilight, looking ever so slightly put out.  Tempest cleared her throat and backed away from the guards as Twilight trotted down to meet them.

"My apologies, sirs," she said, and then to Tempest, whispered, "Remember when I said, 'don't do anything rash'?"

Tempest looked away.

"Anyway," Twilight continued, brightening, "now that I've got the Orb, it's time to go find a Relic!  My friends will be here shortly.  Are you coming, Tempest?"

"Of course, Princess," was the immediate reply.

"Begging your pardon, Princess Twilight," said Spearwind, "but isn't she supposed to stay in Friendship Castle?"

Twilight waved a hoof.  "Don't you worry about that, sirs.  She'll be with me!  That's the important part."

The guards exchanged a glance.

Tempest suddenly found herself thinking back to Starlight's words.  Trust Twilight.  She really does have your best interests at heart, even if she doesn't always show it.

She wasn't so sure how easily that trust would come.





"I have heard many a tale of the Everfree Forest."

Tempest fell back behind the seven other ponies as the shady forest edge came into view.  She scanned the treetops.  Her muscles were tense, her ears on a swivel, and her voice low and somber.

"It is said to be a place filled with monsters and other dangers.  The trees move, vague mists obscure the distance.  Even far outside Equestria, the name 'Everfree' is synonymous with madness and death."

A snicker ran through those gathered.

Starlight joined in with a high-pitched laugh.  "So I'm not the only one nervous about going into the legendarily dreaded and dangerous Everfree Forest then?  All right, good to know!  No wonder Trixie didn't want to come!"

"It's not so bad once you get used to it," said Twilight, rolling her eyes.

Pinkie pronked alongside them. "It's like visiting a weird old friend you don't visit all the time, because sometimes they bite!"

"Yeah!" shouted Rainbow Dash.  "We've been in here like, literally dozens of times.  The monsters are afraid of us by now."

"They cannot be serious." Tempest exchanged a look with Starlight.  "Are you saying all the tales of this forest are wrong?"

"Oh, it's mighty dangerous." Applejack kicked up her heels as they passed into the trees' shadow.  Twilight, Rarity and Starlight lit their horns.  "It's just that, well, we ain't scared by it no more."

"Don't get us wrong," said Pinkie Pie quickly, "we were super-duper scared the first couple times we came in here!"

Rarity chuckled.  "It really does lose its malicious charm after the first few forays, I suppose.  And when you add in that Fluttershy has lived on the Everfree's doorstep since she moved to Ponyville..."

"Oh yeah." Starlight nodded slowly.  "I guess it can't be that bad, then..."

"Just don't take it lightly," Twilight said, an edge of warning in her voice.  "We'll take whatever challenges it throws at us and make our way to the Amulet.  We're not on any kind of time limit, so there's no need to rush."

Rainbow Dash laughed.  "Says you, slowpoke!  Gimme that Orb thingy and we'll be out of here before lunch!"

"Pretty sure you'll need some backup there, RD," said Applejack.

Twilight shook her head, holding back a laugh.  "Anyway, the Orb is pointing us south-by-southwest.  There's no indicator of distance, just direction, so it could take anywhere from a few minutes to a solid day's walk before we reach our destination."

"That'd take us all the way to Ghastly Gorge," said Dash, neither amazed nor complaining.

"We'd pass through Froggy Bottom Bogg first." Fluttershy let out a little giggle.   "Oh, I would just love to see my little frog friends again, hydra or no hydra!"

Starlight mouthed the word 'Hydra?' at Tempest, who could only give her a wide-eyed head-shake in return.  She picked up the pace a bit until she was walking side-by-side with Twilight.

"Twilight," she began, "I feel I must note that none of you seems to be treating this journey with the proper amount of caution.  We are in danger every moment we are in this forest, are we not?"

"Well, yes," said Twilight, "but..."

"C'mon, Fizzy-Wizzy!" shouted Pinkie Pie, springing up right next to Tempest and startling her.  "Don't be a stick in the Everfree mud!"

"Do not call me Fizzy," Tempest said acidly.  "My name is Tempest.  You and I are going to have a talk about that later."

Rainbow snorted.  "So, what kind of a name is 'Tempest Shadow', anyway?  Isn't it, like, really, I dunno... dark?"

"It is a name I gave myself," Tempest said, fire simmering under her words.  "I earned it through hardship, sacrifice, and rigorous dedication to self-empowerment.  A better question is, what kind of name is 'Rainbow Dash'?  Flashy, pompous, ridiculous--"

"Hey!" Rainbow flew up to hover nose-to-nose with Tempest.  "I'm not about to be insulted by some weird, edgy chicken who's afraid of a few trees!"

Tempest gave her a glare that could cut steel.  "I will end you."

"And I thought things were bad when you and Dash went at it," Rarity stage-whispered at Applejack.

Starlight trotted up in front of Twilight, who had her eyes glued to the Orb.

"Twilight?" She waved her hoof.  "Shouldn't you maybe do something about the fight brewing behind you?"

"Hmm?  Oh, right!" Twilight didn't shift her gaze as she said, "Rainbow, be nice.  Tempest, no ending anypony today."

Rainbow and Tempest gave each other one last glare, then pointedly moved to opposite sides of the group.

"Wow," Twilight continued, still absorbed in the artifact floating in front of her.  "The more I study the mechanism of this relic, the more I realize what a mad genius Sacanas must have b--Whoa!"

Twilight's words, and her forward momentum, were interrupted as several serpentine vines, covered in black thorns, emerged from the undergrowth and caught her by both forelegs.  The other ponies let out yelps.  Rarity, Starlight, Pinkie and Applejack were likewise caught up.  Rainbow and Tempest shared a glance before wordlessly jumping in to attack the vines with teeth and hooves.  Even Fluttershy tried her best to nudge vines away from Pinkie.  But bite and kick as they could, none of them could hurt the vines.

Large, hungry mouths coiled up from in between the vines.  Green tongues slid out, licking at lips covered in spines and dripping with digestive sap.  Rarity screamed, and a vine wrapped around her mouth, silencing her.

Sparks gathered at the severed end of Tempest's horn.  "Rainbow Dash," she cried, "get ready to dodge my--"

Any further commands were cut off by a piercing shriek.  The three free ponies had to shield their eyes against the flare of purple light that followed immediately thereafter.

When they could see again, the ponies were all free and the clearing was devoid of writhing vines.  A quintet of small clay pots sat in a ring around them.  Each held a tiny black vine with a small chomping mouth on the end.  Applejack gave the one nearest her a glare, and it shrank back, whimpering.

"There we go," said Twilight, dusting her hooves off.  "Nothing a little magic can't fix." She cleared her throat.  "Good work, Rainbow, Tempest!"

"Fluttershy too!" shouted Pinkie, waving her hooves in the air.

Fluttershy ducked her head, smiling demurely.  "I helped."

"You too, Fluttershy," Twilight said with a grin.  "Now, come on, no time to let a little hiccup like marauding plants stop us!"

The others trotted after Twilight, who once again followed the Orb.  Tempest gave Rainbow Dash a quizzical look.  Dash smirked and flew ahead, languidly floating on her back.

"Told ya you had no idea who you were dealing with."

Tempest shook her head and trotted to catch up with the group.





"Feel like I'd remember this here mountain from all the times we done been this-a-way before," said Applejack, scratching her head.  The others were watching Twilight as she paced back and forth, nose buried in the Orb.

It had been around an hour since they'd encountered the plants, and any further wildlife incursions had been so trivial as to be unworthy of mention.  The problem facing them all now was whether to scale the mountain or try skirting around it.  Unfortunately, they had no way to find out how long either would take, as a quick aerial reconnaissance from Rainbow Dash had revealed nothing but "lots more mountains and clouds up there".

"Let me try something." Starlight, stepping forward, pointed to the Orb.  "May I, Twilight?"

Twilight nodded, passing it to her.  Starlight took a series of deep breaths, then shut her eyes.  Magic flared in her horn.  Her form shimmered, then blurred, and after a couple of moments, three identical Starlight Glimmers, holding three identical Orbs of Sacanas, stood at the foot of the mountain.  Tempest gasped.

"Starlight!" cried Twilight.  "That's ama--"

"Shh!" said all three Starlights in strained and stuttered unison.  "Concen... trating..."

Two more spells fired off from two of the Starlights' horns, winking them out of sight.  The third studied the Orb, her eyes shifting across its surface far faster than it seemed was necessary to understand what it was telling her.

The spell lasted five seconds in total, as everypony else held their breaths.  They let them out only when the other two Starlights snapped back into the third, and she collapsed to the ground, dropping the Orb.  Rarity snatched it up in her magic and passed it to Twilight as the others gathered around, crying Starlight's name.

Starlight coughed.  "Triangulated..." She groaned.  "It's in... mountain..." She coughed again, and Fluttershy cooed at her, telling her to stay still.  "Remind me... never do... that... again..." Starlight's eyes closed.

"She's still breathing," said Fluttershy, stroking Starlight's mane.  "That must have taken a lot out of her, poor dear."

"That was brilliant, is what it was," said Twilight with a pained smile.  "I'll need to tell her how proud I am of her once she wakes up." She began casting a spell of her own, eyes closed.

"So how do we get inside the mountain?" asked Rainbow Dash.  "Is it hollow or something?"

After a moment, Twilight's spell ended.  "As a matter of fact, Rainbow, it is.  There's a complex in and underneath it.  I sensed a lot of magical wards, however.  Getting inside will be tricky."

Applejack chuckled.  "If magic's blockin' yer way, Twi, I can think of two other ways to get us into that there hollow rock."

Everypony looked blankly at her for a few moments.

"My legs," Applejack said at length.  "I'm talkin' 'bout my two back legs."

"Oh wow!" cried Pinkie, bounding up to the nearest spot on the mountain.  "That sounds super-neato, Applejack!  May I?"

Applejack scratched her head.  "Uh, be my guest?"

Nodding, Pinkie put her ear to the mountainside and tapped against it with her hoof.  Tap tap, tap tap, up and down the surface of the rock, her tongue sticking out one side of her mouth.  With a gasp, she marked a tiny X with the tip of her hoof and stepped back.

"Right there!"

Applejack smiled.  "Much obliged, Pinkie Pie.  Now stand back, y'all.  Rainbow, get ready t' grab me, in case I trigger an avalanche."

"You got it!" Dash crouched, flaring her wings.

Snorting, Applejack backed up to the mark Pinkie had made on the wall.  She dug her forehooves into the dirt and scraped with her rear hooves.  Once, twice, she crouched low, then pushed herself back up.  The others carefully backed away.

"Hyah!"

Applejack lashed out with her rear hooves, impacting the mountainside.  There was no effect, save for a dull thud that seemed to echo through the very land itself.

"Heyah!"

She bucked the mountain a second time.  The thud intensified to a boom the others could feel beneath their hooves.

Face scrunched up, steam pouring from her nostrils in long gouts, Applejack gathered herself, leaning forward.  Then she gave a mighty kick that wouldn't have just felled the largest apple tree in her orchard, but obliterated it.

The mountain split in half.

At least, that was what it seemed like to the gathered ponies.  Their mouths fell open as the front part of the mountain buckled and sundered.  Rainbow Dash was in and out of the cloud of rock dust in a flash, Applejack in her hooves, before the two halves even hit the ground.  Applejack, for her part, fanned herself with her hat and whooped triumphantly.

"Hoo-ee!  Now that's what I call an applebuck!"

"That was amazing, Applejack!" cheered Fluttershy.  "You're so strong!"

The others gathered around, cheering and patting Applejack on the back.  She endured it for a few moments before waving them off.

"Thank ya kindly, but if'n y'all keep it up, my hat won't fit no more."

"Not to burst your bubble," said Twilight with a chuckle, "but that wouldn't have worked if this rock formation hadn't been fused with magic.  Note how clean the split is." She drew her hoof along the stone's edge, which was, indeed, quite straight.  "Still, that rock was otherwise solid.  I can't think of a better way to undo a stone-shaping spell.  Bravo, AJ!"

"Thank ya kindly." Applejack returned her hat to her head, hiding her blush.

"Isn't this exciting?" cried Pinkie, hopping into the cleft as the dust cleared.  "And really familiar, too!"

"Familiar?" asked Tempest, taking Starlight onto her back at Fluttershy's behest.  "What do you mean?"

Pinkie giggled.  "Oh, right, newbie!  Weeeeeell, the first time we came into the Everfree Forest, we each had to pass a test that required us to exemplify the virtues of honesty, loyalty, laughter, generosity, kindness and magic!  And now here we are again, with an obstacle that was passed with Twilight's powerful magic, and another one that was passed with Starlight's complicated magic, and another one that was passed with AJ's super-duperly awesome strength!" She laughed and snorted.  "I can't wait to see what mine is!"

Tempest could think of nothing to say to that.

The shattered rock face led them into an obviously pony-made tunnel that sloped down below the foot of the mountain.  Twilight and Rarity led the way, as there was no lighting, pony-made or otherwise.  Despite the jubilation shared at Applejack's spectacular feat, a quiet sense of foreboding crept over the company the deeper they traveled.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Twi?" Dash asked at length.

"That whoever made this tunnel also had access to the Amulet of Sacanas and possibly untold magical potential?"

"Ugh." Rainbow flew ahead of her, arms crossed.  "No.  I mean that this is like the part of a Daring Do book where she's about to reach a hall filled with deadly traps, but she has no idea that's what's coming.  I'm just waiting for somepony to stumble into one." She shivered.

As the corridor began to spiral ever so slightly clockwise, the group's fear mounted, in no small thanks to Rainbow's supposition.  Eyes scanned every crack in the walls, for all that they could barely see beyond the horn lights.

When the tunnel had completed an entire turn, the hallway opened out into an antechamber, its walls wet with condensation and moss.

"Twilight, shine that light over this way," said Dash as the others stopped.  "Yeah, yup, see that there?" Dash pointed to the floor.  "Pressure plate.  Betting you this whole hallway's filled with 'em."

Tempest cleared her throat.  "If we were to utilize a series of weights, we could trigger the plates early and get an idea of what sort of traps we are looking at.  Pieces of my armor could be used to--"

"Hold it, TS," said Dash, waving a hoof in front of her face.  She laughed.  "I've totally seen this before.  It's just like in Daring Do and the Lost Temple of Tlaloc."

Tempest recoiled from the hoof.  "Daring... Do?"

Dash poked her in the chest.  "Who is completely real, before you say anything." She flashed a grin.  "I got this.  A little more light, girls, if you please!"

Twilight and Rarity poured more magic into their horns, illuminating the corridor stretching out before them.  Rainbow Dash swung her head side to side, nodded, and took off like a shot.

"Wait!" cried Tempest, too late.

Rainbow Dash flew down the hallway at breakneck speed, yet she didn't travel straight through it.  Instead, she caromed off the floor, walls and ceiling like a pool ball, seemingly at random.  Every time she impacted with a surface, a giant ax would swing out of the ceiling, a jet of fire would shoot from the wall, or a set of spikes would jut up from the floor.  From enormous mallets to swarms of arrows to two sections of wall that smashed against each other in the middle of the hallway, not a single trap that Dash triggered came anywhere close to catching her.  In less than a minute, she was at the far end, waving back at her friends.

"Yeah, it's full of death traps, guys!" she shouted.  "One sec!"

At the very edge of the light given off by Twilight's horn, they could see Dash step forward and press a plate next to the door at the end of the hallway.  She immediately backflipped away, hopping over the pit of spikes revealed as the floor fell away.  A second later, the ceiling released a giant boulder, which smashed down into the spikes with an echoing crash.

"Okay, I got 'em all!" Dash yelled.

As the other ponies began making their way carefully through the corridor, Tempest hung back yet again.

"There's no way..." she murmured to herself.

"So," said Rainbow, appearing in front of her, "what'd you think?"

Tempest scowled and began picking her way across the floor.  "Effective or not, that was insanely reckless."

"You mean it was insanely awesome." Dash floated along beside her, polishing a hoof on her barrel.

"More like insanely stupid."

"More like you wouldn't know awesome if it bit you in the flank!" Laughing, Dash landed and trotted up to join the group.

Tempest huffed, adjusting Starlight on her back as she stepped over a spiked weight embedded in the floor at the end of a limp chain.

"Awesome couldn't bite me.  My armor is too thick."





Tempest couldn't help but feel a little miffed.

The Orb had gotten them through the labyrinth that lay beyond the corridor of traps.  That had been no surprise.  It was the fight with the stone golems that rankled her.

Yes, she'd taken one out single-hoofedly, but so had Rainbow Dash and Starlight.  Applejack and Twilight had taken two each.  She wasn't expecting much from Pinkie Pie, Rarity or Fluttershy by this point, but even they had collectively felled the final golem.  Pinkie's words still rang in her ears.

I wonder what my test will be?

Even Starlight, who hadn't been present during their first trip into the Everfree, had overcome an obstacle with her talents.  If a display of martial prowess hadn't been meant to prove Tempest's worth, what was?

Speaking of Starlight, the battle had awoken her.  Tempest was relieved to no longer be needed as a gurney, for all that it had seemed her only use thus far.

"Am I the only one feeling like somepony doesn't want us here?" asked Rarity as Twilight first checked the giant double doors for any lingering traps, then started unweaving the wards that held them shut.  "I'm just saying, there have been an awful lot of traps and monsters and whatnot down here."

"The Amulet of Sacanas is a powerful artifact," Tempest said.  "In all likelihood, the last person who held it didn't want it being stolen."

With a click, the doors finally opened, revealing a massive stone antechamber.

It shone like gold.

As they made their way to the center of the room, torches in the walls lit of their own accord.  The solid gold walls sent the torchlight flickering and scattering around the room in strange, chaotic patterns.  Across the floor were pile after pile of coins, gemstones, works of art, scepters, crowns, and jewelry.

"So much treasure!" squeaked Rainbow, hooves pressed against her lips.  "This has gotta be it, right?"

"Control yourself, Rainbow," said Twilight, an edge of caution in her voice.  "There's every chance this was left here as yet another trap.  Hey!"

She flinched as the Orb sailed out of her grasp, unable to pull it back with her magic.  The doors slammed shut behind them.  Tempest gritted her teeth and snarled.

"A trap indeed!"

The Orb hovered into the middle of the room, above the center of an ornate series of concentric patterns etched into the gilded stonework of the floor.  A column of light shot up to meet it, where it was projected against the far end of the room.  The light coalesced into the form of a pony wearing a luxurious robe, with eyes faceted like the gems in the treasure piles.  Once the projection had fully formed, the Orb fell to the ground, dim and lifeless.

"Seeker of the Amulet!" cried the pony projection, turning to face them.  "You have found your prize!  But know this: you have also found your doom!"

"Oh, come on!" Dash pulled at her face.  "We passed your traps and beat your monsters.  Just give us the Amulet already!"

"You have found the Amulet you seek," the projection intoned gravely.  "The question is, can you truly attain it?"

Twilight gasped.  "I recognize you!  You're Fizzy Gem-Eyes!  You were an archmage over a thousand years ago!  You helped Gusty the Great defeat Grogar the Terrible!"

The projection blinked.  Then it sagged, gaze turning toward the floor.

"Yes," she said, much quieter than before.  "Fizzy Gem-Eyes, that is I.  Gusty was my greatest friend, my greatest..."

She closed her eyes.  When they reopened, they sparkled with pain, determination, and something akin to rage.

"Know that what I say is the absolute truth!  Gusty was the greatest wizard of our time, yet even she succumbed to the madness of Sacanas.  An innocent who sought only knowledge, she was yet consumed by insanity and a lust for power!  I created this labyrinth so that all who sought the Amulet would perish." Her face hardened.  "'Tis better you be dead, seeker, than risk the corruption that lies within the Amulet."

"Okay, okay, okay," said Pinkie, striding forward, "I've got twooooo questions for ya, Miss Gem-Eyes!"

The ghost of the archmage regarded Pinkie coolly.  "Ask."

"First, where's the Amulet?"

Fizzy bowed her head.  A series of torches flared to life, revealing an alcove behind her that had been completely shrouded in darkness until that moment.  Seven pedestals sat on a dais.  Upon each lay a velvet cushion that bore a golden amulet.  All seven amulets were identical in design.

"The Amulet lies before you," said Fizzy, turning her gaze to the ceiling.  "Determine its nature, and it is yours.  Fail, and the false amulets shall rend the very life from your--"

"Third from the right, darling," Rarity said breezily.

Everyone turned to see magic on her horn.  Six of the seven amulets glowed with the same magic.  The one left out was indeed third from the right.

"What?" asked Rarity, indignant.  "You don't put precious gemstones into artifacts of ridiculous power.  They interfere with the harmonics.  Everypony knows that!"

Twilight picked her jaw up from the ground.  "Th-that's right!"

Fizzy, too, was agape.  "How did... Never mind, then.  The Amulet is yours." With a sigh, she turned back to Pinkie.  "And your second question?"

Pinkie's smile had never wavered since they entered the room, but now just the slightest hint of melancholy pity colored her visage as she asked, "Do you want to go see your friend again?"

The gem eyes blinked.  "Do I... what?"

Pinkie's smile grew just a little brighter.  "You said Gusty the Great was your best friend.  She must've passed on long, long ago, and you've been here all this time, alone, protecting this Amulet so nopony else would meet her fate.  Well, we've passed your tests, and it's safe in our hooves now.  So don't you think you've earned some rest?"

"I..." Fizzy's face grew downcast.  "But, the corruption..."

"Trust me," Pinkie said quietly as she fished around in her mane, "you couldn't ask for a better group of ponies to guard it from now on.  I Pinkie Promise."

"But how?" Fizzy shook her head.  "I wove my very soul into this catacomb, so that the enchantments would never fade.  If what you say is true, they have held for centuries."

From her mane, Pinkie produced a tiny bottle full of what looked like water.  She pulled out the stopper, in the shape of an intertwined sun and moon, and shook her head, casting a few droplets of the water onto the ghost, where they stuck fast.

"In the names of Celestia, Sol Invicta, and Luna, Mare Tranquilitatis, I bid thee, spirit, leave this plane for thy rest eternal in the great beyond!"

Fizzy's image shivered, then seemed to pop loose from some invisible bond.  Her robe fluttered in an ethereal wind and tears wet her cheeks as she rose to the ceiling.  The pillar of light reappeared in the center of the room, lifting the Orb of Sacanas once more and restoring it to life.

"Thank you," Fizzy said, and was gone.

"Say hi to Gusty the Great for us!" Pinkie cried as she corked the bottle and tucked it back into her mane.  When she turned around, everyone else was staring, open-mouthed, at her.

"What?" She shrugged.  "I've been an ordained cleric for like, three years now!"

"Well," said Tempest at length, "it would seem we have succeeded in attaining the Amulet, Your Highness.  Well done."

Twilight nodded, smiling.  "Yes indeed.  Now, everypony stay vigilant while I grab it.  I wouldn't be surprised if Fizzy left one more surprise for us..."

But as she climbed the steps of the dais and scooped up the Amulet from its perch, nothing stirred.  The doors to the chamber actually opened, slowly, with the grinding of metal on metal.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.  "So, we can totally take some of this sweet loot back with us, right?  I'm just asking.  For science."

"I'm afraid this 'loot', as you put it, is not quite as 'sweet' as you might think." Rarity lifted a scepter in her magic.  With a grunt, her magic flared, and the scepter bent in half.

Starlight frowned.  "It's all fake?  Why even bother?"

"I suspect it was another of Fizzy's tests," Rarity said, tossing the bent scepter away.  "I wouldn't be surprised if the walls were just painted gold, either.  A shame, really, they do carry the light just so."

Rainbow groaned.  "Fine.  Guess we're just getting out of here with the Amulet then.  Right, Twi?"

Tempest turned to regard Twilight and was greeted with a shock.  Twilight had not moved since picking up the Amulet.  She faced away from them, hunched over, not even twitching.

"Your Highness?" she asked, approaching the dais, her body tense.  "Twilight?"

"You go."

The words had been quiet yet unmistakable.  Everypony turned, ears erect, to stare at Twilight in disbelief.

"All of you, go," she said, an edge in her voice.  "We've found the real treasure.  The only treasure that was here, all along.  I just need to stay and study it a little, that's all."

"Twilight," said Fluttershy, "what are you saying?"

Rainbow Dash frowned.  "You can study the dumb thing back at Ponyville."

Applejack snorted.  "I ain't too afeared o' these woods no more--" her voice grew steadily quieter-- "but, ah, best we don't spend more time here than needed, don'tcha think?"

Pinkie approached the dais.  "Come on, Twilight, quit kidding around.  Let's take the treasure back home and--"

Pinkie's mouth dropped open when Twilight whipped around to face her.

Twilight clutched the Amulet to her chest with both forehooves.  On her face was a crazed grimace, along with a multitude of blood-red runes.  The runes covered every square inch of her flesh, and as her friends watched in horrified fascination, more etched themselves into the skin of her chest and forelegs.

"Back!" she shouted, firing a blast of magic.

The bolt would have hit Pinkie square in the chest if not for her quick reflexes.  She leapt out of the way, but the impact of the magic nearby threw her aim off, and she landed hard on her side.

"Pinkie!" was the cry from multiple voices.  Fluttershy dashed to Pinkie's side.  Tempest, Rainbow and Applejack charged the dais.  All three rebounded off a shimmering hemisphere of purple energy.  Tempest was able to recover and keep her hooves, but the other two went skittering across the floor.

Twilight snarled.  "It's mine!"

"She's succumbed to the corruption!" Tempest hissed between her teeth.

"Stop this, Twilight!" shouted Starlight, erecting a magical barrier in front of Fluttershy, Pinkie and herself.

"This is not a good look for you!" cried Rarity, retreating behind the dome.  "You are far too adorable for villainy, Twilight Sparkle!"

"We have to get it away from her!" Tempest shouted.  Over her shoulder, she called, "Rarity, can you reinforce that shield spell?"

After a moment's hesitation, Rarity nodded and poured more magical energy into the dome.

"Rainbow Dash, Applejack, behind it!"

Applejack and Rainbow exchanged looks as they pulled themselves to their hooves.

"What about you?"

"If Twilight's in danger..."

"Trust me," Tempest said, lowering her head and charging her horn, "I know now what I have to do, and you do not want to be exposed when I do it."

Rainbow and Applejack nodded to each other and scurried behind the shield, which closed around them.

The sparks danced and grew across the surface of Tempest's horn.  She grit her teeth against the familiar sting of pain.  She loosed the spell, and fireworks crackled along the outside of Twilight's shield, reduplicating off one another, a haphazard ballet of destructive light and sound.

Twilight sneered, her eyes flicking back and forth in time with the sparks.  "Just give up and go home with the others.  I'll only be here a while.  Your little breakhorn fireworks aren't going to get through this shield, anyway."

Tempest was already rushing the dais before Twilight had finished speaking, teeth gritted against the slur.  "They won't need to."

She hurled herself at the shield.  Twilight backed away, but wherever she moved, Tempest was behind her, everywhere at once, punching, kicking, twirling in time with the spaces between her chaotic spell sparks.  It didn't matter how much energy Twilight poured into the shield to keep it active: every blow from a hoof was planted in a very specific place, spaced around the hemisphere in a perfect five-pointed star.

The final blow was a powerful headbutt.  The moment Tempest's horn impacted it, the shield collapsed, sending shards of magic skittering across the floor before they dissipated.  Her momentum carried her directly into Twilight before Twilight's horn was even lit for a second spell.  Tempest flipped over her and latched on: one foreleg in her own, a hoof against Twilight's throat, alicorn wings pinned against her barrel, and hind legs around Twilight's.

In the back of her mind, Tempest was vaguely aware of somebody, maybe numerous somebodies, shouting Twilight's name.

Twilight cried out and struggled, but Tempest had moved too quickly for her to put up any real resistance.  Pulling up on Twilight's chin, Tempest bit down on the ear nearest her mouth.

"Let it go," she growled through her teeth.  She didn't have to.  The combination of sudden movement and pain caused Twilight's magic to wink out, and the Amulet went skidding across the floor.

"Don't touch it!" Tempest bellowed.  "Don't even use magic!"

Rarity, who had rushed out as soon as Starlight's shield fell, dropped the Amulet.  She had only held it for a moment, but already runes were snaking down her horn.

"Rarity, your face!" cried Applejack.

Rarity conjured a mirror from her saddlebag and shrieked the moment she looked into it.

"Tacky!  Tattoos are not in this season!"  Thankfully, the runes were already receding.

"I've got it!" Fluttershy said, scooping the amulet up with her wings.

"No!" Tempest shouted.  She couldn't say more, as she had to clamp down on Twilight's ear again to keep her from casting.

"It's okay," said Fluttershy, smiling as she carefully walked over to Rarity.  "Feathers aren't living tissue.  I'm perfectly safe!" And indeed, she suffered no ill effect as she deposited the Amulet in Rarity's saddlebag.

Rainbow Dash gave her a high-wing.  The rest of the group relaxed.  Tempest couldn't help the tiniest smile, but her attention remained on the alicorn writhing in her grasp.

"Fight it, Princess," she hissed in Twilight's ear.  "You can do amazing things, I've seen it!  Don't let this Amulet get the better of you.  You're too good for it!"

Twilight lit her horn.  Tempest bit her again, and she shrieked.

"If you can't do it for yourself, then do it for your friends!"  Her voice climbed until it was audible around the chamber.  "Fast Rainbow Dash, strong Applejack, smart Starlight, keen-eyed Rarity, irrepressible Pinkie Pie."  Her eyes flicked over to the group. "Even Fluttershy, so weak and frightened, gave everything she could.  They all did, for your sake!"

"And..." Her voice quieted.  "You were right.  You're not weak, the Amulet is using your power against you.  You saved my life and gave me a second chance when the Storm King was ready to throw me away.  Well, I'm not throwing you away!" She drew a breath in through her teeth.  "I said I would always be there to protect you, and I will, even if it's from yourself."

Then she cried, "You're supposed to be unstoppable, Twilight, so snap out of it!"

The room grew quiet.  All eyes were on Twilight.  Tempest was giving her only enough slack to breathe.

"T-Tempest?" Twilight's voice was weak and hesitant.  She sounded on the verge of tears.  "My ear..."

Tempest took only long enough to ascertain that the runes on Twilight's face were unraveling themselves, albeit slower than Rarity's.  Releasing Twilight, she rolled to face away from her and let out a long sigh as Twilight's friends rushed up the dais.

She closed her eyes.  It was over, and they'd won.
> The Princess's Captain - Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Princess's Captain
by Present Perfect

Epilogue

"I suppose these Relics are more powerful than any of us truly believed."

Princess Celestia, seated at the head of the great dining table in Friendship Castle, took a long sip from her teacup.  With nine other ponies and one dragon, Twilight thought, the table looked quite a bit smaller than usual.  Maybe it was a good thing the castle was starting to fill up.  It helped take her mind off being recently mind-controlled by an ancient satyr artifact.

"You're gonna take real good care of that there Amulet, right, Princess?" Applejack asked, hooves on the table.

"Of course, Applejack." Celestia inclined her head to the door.  "Both the Amulet and the Orb will be placed in high-security storage in Canterlot, along with the Staff of Sacanas.  We won't be having a repeat of today's debacle."

Approval murmured around the room.  At the far end, Tempest Shadow nursed a waffle, her eyes on the table, as they had been since Celestia's arrival.  

Once Celestia addressed her, however, her head snapped up.

"I should thank you as well, Fizzlepop Berrytwist." A small smile graced the Princess's lips.  "This is twice you've saved my favorite former pupil.  Not to mention, I hear you were instrumental in ensuring the successful retrieval of the Amulet, and that its corruption did not spread to more of my little ponies."

For a moment, Tempest said nothing.  Twilight was amazed to realize the stoic former Commander was actually blushing.

"Thank you, Your Highness," she finally said, a slight hitch in her words.  "It was my... honor to ensure Twilight's safety."

The pointed look Tempest gave Twilight wasn't even necessary; she knew all too plainly what lay behind that statement.

"Very well,  I'm pleased to see you finding a place here in Ponyville, then." Celestia stood, and all other activity at the table stopped.  "I should, however, return to Canterlot with these Relics, before anything else goes wrong.  Thank you for the tea and waffles, Spike."

He saluted.  "No problem, Princess!" He of course neglected to mention the solid hour of frenzied baking that had taken place in the kitchen after word of Celestia's planned visit, and how waffles were literally the only thing he could think to make after he heard.

"Hold on, Princess." Twilight stood, and all those present save Trixie and Tempest did as well.  "If you would, I have something I need to say before you go."

She cleared her throat and moved to the other side of the table.  Tempest stood as she approached.

"When you first told me you wanted to dedicate your life to me, I was afraid.  I don't see myself as a ruler, or even as a leader.  I prefer being thought of as a friend, as a normal pony." She sighed.  "But recent events have taught me I can't hide from my responsibilities forever."

Twilight stepped closer to Tempest.  The two unicorns sized each other up, Twilight's eyes lingering for just an extra moment on Tempest's.  Despite being tired, despite the scar which marred the right one, despite the cold steeliness lurking within from a lifetime spent in hardship, they were, Twilight was surprised to note, a beautiful jade green.

"I don't want your life," she said quietly.  "I'm not interested in control.  I'm not someone like the Storm King, and I hope one day you'll understand that he's not what a leader is supposed to be." Slowly, she tilted her head to the side and smiled.  "But I do want a friend.  And I would be a very poor friend indeed if I didn't give you the support you need on the road to recovery and redemption."

Stepping back abruptly, Twilight announced in an imperious voice, "Kneel."

Tempest obeyed without hesitation.  As the rest of the room hushed, Twilight brushed her wing over the back of Tempest's neck.

"Do you swear to protect my person?"

Tempest's voice rang out, clear and strong, through the room.  "I swear."

"Do you swear to protect this castle and its inhabitants?"

"I swear!"

Blood thundered in Twilight's ears as she all but yelled, "Do you swear to protect, with every fiber of your very being, all those who embrace the bonds of friendship?  Do you swear to do this, in my name?"

"This I swear, above all else!"

The wing snapped back.

"Then rise, Captain Fizzlepop Berrytwist--"

Pinkie coughed something that sounded like, "YoushouldcallherTempestShadow!"

"Er, Tempest Shadow!  Rise, and take your place as First Captain of the Friendship Guard!"

The room exploded in thunderous applause.  When Tempest lifted her head, it was with a smile.  The others crowded around her, cheering congratulations, as Twilight fell back to Celestia's side.

Tempest's eyes were rimmed in wetness.  Twilight would have to keep watch on those eyes in the future.  They were full of surprises.

"I think you made an excellent decision," Celestia said quietly.

"That's a relief." Twilight let out a breath.  "Uh, I mean, thank you, ha ha, of course!"

She set a placid smile on her face as she gazed across the room to the knot of her friends and her new Captain of the Guard.

Having a Guard.  Needing a Captain.  How strange.  But then, hadn't Twilight's life since she'd gotten her wings been nothing but a string of strange happenstances?  Since before that, even?  What was one more bit of unexpected complication between friends?

"I really meant what I said, though.  She wanted to be a servant.  I didn't want that.  I couldn't want that.  But I think, maybe, a guard is something I could use after all."

Celestia only bowed her head, turned, and left.

Twilight made her way back over to where the initial rush of excitement was petering out.

"Weren't you like, a lieutenant before?" Rainbow Dash said, laughing.  "Is this a promotion?"

"Commander, actually." Tempest gave her a soft smile.  "The rank is not what's important, I think, but the quality of the command." She nodded to Twilight.

"I'm so excited!" shouted Pinkie, zipping for the door.  "Your Welcome to Ponyville party gets to be a Congratulations on Becoming Captain of the Friendship Guard party too!  I have so much planning to do, bye!"

Twilight smiled.  "Are you feeling up to it, Tempest?  This is a big job..."

"Unquestionably, Your Highness." Tempest lifted her head.  "I will not take those oaths lightly, that much I can promise you."

"Oh, this is just so exciting!" Rarity pulled out a measuring tape and began stretching it around and across various points on Tempest.  "I've been wanting a chance to design armor!" She looked at Twilight.  "I mean, you can't honestly expect her to keep wearing that, can you?" She gestured at Tempest's armor and let her tongue loll out the side of her mouth.  "I have a contact in the Royal Guard in Canterlot.  I'm sure we'll be able to help you out, no problem at all!"

She placed a hoof against the armor's flank pad.  It came away with a touch of sticky residue from where the decal of the Storm King's logo had been mere days ago.  Why he had used something so temporary, Twilight wasn't sure she wanted to speculate.

"Oh, but you'll have to design an insignia as well," Rarity continued.  "Something that screams, 'Friendship Guard!'" She giggled.  "I do so love the ring of that, Twilight, well done!"

Twilight nodded, laughing.  "It may not have been as spur-of-the-moment an idea as it seemed.  As for a logo, well, what do you think, Captain?"

Tempest's cheeks reddened slightly.  "I honestly wouldn't know, Your Highness.  I'd rather leave such design choices to the, er, designer." She inclined her head to Rarity.

"What about your cutie mark?" said Fluttershy.  "Oh, or a combination of yours and Twilight's!  Wouldn't that be lovely?"

"I think that's an excellent idea!" Twilight said, clapping.  "What do you all think?"

She smiled to Rarity, who nodded enthusiastically and looked to Rainbow and Applejack.  They seemed approving, and Fluttershy was likewise excited.  They all looked to Tempest.

The room steadily grew more and more silent as nopony said anything.  The smiles slackened.  Tempest only blinked at Twilight, her expression bemused.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," she said, measuring her words.  "My what?"
> A Captain's Purpose
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Captain's Purpose
by Present Perfect

WHOOSH!  FOOM!  KAPOW!

Fireworks coruscated off each other in the sky.  Below, three fillies cavorted, cheering and squealing, around a stoic Tempest Shadow.  She watched the fruits of her magic with the dispassion bred of familiarity, until her mood at last infected the fillies and they calmed down.  Mostly.

"Yeah!"

"Whoo-hoo!"

"Do it again!  Do it again!"

Go see the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Princess Twilight had said.  They're the best at finding a pony's special talent.  Don't come back without a cutie mark!  So had begun the most dreadful afternoon of Tempest's life.

At least something had come of their efforts this time around.  The visit to the Ponyville Hospital, for instance, had taught them that cauterization and manual bone-setting were not acceptable medical practices outside a battlefield.

Barking orders at Fluttershy's dogs had turned into them barking back and chasing the fillies up a tree.

A trip to the local grocery market had found Tempest wearing a tiny (stupid) paper hat, hawking soft drinks to ponies too frightened of her to approach.

She did not sing.  Her poetry was lacking.  Baking eluded her.  She was exceptional at physical activity, but her complete domination at sporting events had made other ponies unenthusiastic about playing alongside her.  The less said about her gardening skills, the better.

They had all been surprised, Tempest included, when she was able to paint a still life of flowers and fruit both somewhat accurately and in something like a short amount of time.  Tempest still didn't understand the Crusaders' dejection when it didn't lead to a mark.

She had drawn the line at silly costumes.

But, as the white filly had said, the usual place to find a unicorn's special talent lay in what magical tricks they could do.

Tempest could do fireworks.

As she stood upon that hill, gazing at the sparks dancing in the sky, Tempest reflected how her once-mighty magic, a single blast of which could take down an airship at a hundred yards, was now reduced to mere foals' entertainment.

"That was so cool!" shouted the orange one, hopping and fluttering her wings.  "Those fireworks were even better than Trixie's!"

Far below, somewhere near the heart of Ponyville, a gentle breeze drifted, carrying with it a faint but dismayed cry of "Trixie heard that!"

Tempest rolled her eyes.  "Are we done here?"

"Well, that depends," said the yellow earth filly.  She gazed up at Tempest with earnest optimism.  "Are ya havin' any feelings like maybe them fireworks're your destiny?  Are ya perhaps overwhelmed by the sense of accomplishment at discovering your life's one and only truest purpose?"

Her grin stretched across her face.

"No," was the flat reply.

The grin fell, but only for a second.

The white unicorn piped up with, "Well, that's all right!  I mean, my special talent isn't related to magic, either.  There's still time in the day for us to try wakeboarding, or--"

"Stop," Tempest said.  Her irritation must have been showing, as the fillies huddled together, staring at her.

Taking a deep breath, Tempest closed her eyes.  "I am not interested in continuing to play your silly games.  Princess Twilight sent me to you to earn one of these... nngh, cutie marks.  And while I do not intend to disappoint her, neither am I willing to put up with your collective ridiculousness any longer!"

"Aw, Tempest!" the yellow filly pleaded, stepping forward and putting a hoof to Tempest's foreleg.  "You can't give up now!  Sure we ain't been anythin' like successful yet, but... Maybe we could go back to art!  You did real good with that painting, so what about sculp--"

"No!" Tempest yanked her leg back.  "I would rather be left to my own devices than put up with you three any longer!"

"W-what?" The yellow filly backed up, confusion and hurt mingling on her face.  "You mean you don't want our help no more?"

"What is with you?" The white filly scowled and stamped a hoof.  "I don't get you!  It's like you don't even care about cutie marks!"

"Now, girls," said the orange one, "let's all calm down and--"

"I don't care about them!" Tempest bared her teeth, and the fillies shrank back from her.  "All I care about is fulfilling my princess's wishes!  The only reason I want to get this stupid mark is that she ordered me to!"

"Well you don't have to be so mean about it!" It was the yellow filly's turn to glare at her.  "Ever since we met you, you been nothin' but a... a jerk to us!"

"Girls, please," said the orange pegasus, sweat running over her brow, "can we not do this?"

"The only reason we agreed to help you," cried the white one, "is Princess Twilight said you'd changed!  And maybe you're not trying to take over Canterlot or enslave ponies anymore, but you're still just a big bully!"

The yellow one stomped and made for the edge of the hill.  "You know what?  I've had it!  I don't even care if you get a cutie mark!"

The white one followed her.  "Me neither!"

"Fine!" shouted Tempest, drowning out the orange one's protests.  "Then allow me to go back to the castle, where I belong, and resume my guard duties so we never have to see each other again!"

A funny thing happened then.

As Tempest stalked away, the fillies' expressions turned from shock, fear or anger to daft wonderment as they all stared at Tempest's flank.  She only noticed because they had gone perfectly silent, which ever so slightly unnerving.

"What are you all..."

She turned her head.  She blinked.  Her jaw dropped open.

There, upon her flanks, where once had been only bare purple hair now stood a pair of images depicting two silver wings curling up around a pink star.

"You... you got your cutie mark." The yellow filly's voice was reverent.

"By... yelling at us?" The white one was at a total loss.

"Congratulations?" said the orange one tentatively, nudging her friends.  "Whoo-hoo, cutie mark, hooray maybe?"

Tempest snorted.  "Ah.  It seems that wasn't so hard to do after all.  I suppose some thanks are in order.  You did, after all, at least try to help.  Farewell, then!"

"Ugh!" The yellow filly scrunched up her nose, looking ready to get back into the yelling match.  Her muzzle was covered by a white hoof.

"Come on, Apple Bloom, we did what we told Princess Twilight we'd do.  Let's just go."

"Yeah, you're right.  C'mon, Scootaloo, let's go."

As the two fillies and one mare parted the hilltop, the orange pegasus looked between them frantically.

"Girls, wait, stop, we need to... Girls?"

She gave one last glance to them before turning and running off.

"Tempest, hold on!"





Tempest gazed out over the pond.  She was just lucky enough to watch a single great, silver fish leap from the water and narrowly miss catching a dragonfly.  Other than the splash as it met the water's surface, there were no other sounds in the air this far out from Ponyville proper.

Other than the little orange filly panting and calling her name.

"Tempest!  Finally...  found... you..."

Tempest only gave the filly a glance before turning back to the pond.  After the filly caught her breath, she, too, sat down beside Tempest.

All was quiet.

"I suppose you're here to ask for an apology," Tempest said at length.  "I was rather... harsh.  With you and your friends."

"Mm.  No.  At least, that's not why I followed you."

"Oh?" Tempest regarded her out of the corner of her eye.  Mussed mane, suggesting a lack of vanity.  Wings on the small side, even given her size.  She just sat there, gazing out over the water as Tempest had, with no trace of her crazed rambunctiousness from earlier.

"Hnn-nn."

"Mm."

A great bullfrog emerged from the water, scrabbling onto a lilypad.  After it had attained purchase and righted itself, it set about croaking, a king upon a throne.

"I have to admit, I was disappointed initially," said Tempest.

The filly didn't move.  "By what?"

Leaning back, Tempest shifted her gaze to one of the thin clouds high in the sky.  "When the princess told me of the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders', I thought... Well, first I thought 'cutie mark' was a silly word."

"Silly how?"

"Well..." Frowning, Tempest looked at the filly.  She was still watching the frog.  "Where I come from, we called them 'flank marks'.  'Cutie' is just... ridiculous.  Childish."

"So you never cared about flank marks, even when you were a filly?"

"Not to the degree I gather you Equestrians do.  And my time with the Storm King certainly didn't change that." She cocked her head.  "Is getting one some sort of... rite of passage?"

The filly shrugged.  "I guess so.  They're pretty important.  I mean, my friends and I tried forever to get ours."

"I see." Tempest rolled her next words around in her mouth for a bit.  "And why was getting your mark so important to you?"

"It's a... a symbol of who you are.  Like, who you're supposed to be." She sniffed.  "Also, if you get one, other kids can't tease you for being a blank flank anymore." Her ears drooped.  "That happened to us a lot."

"Ahh.  Children can be most cruel." Tempest scanned the treetops.  "I suppose that explains why Princess Twilight gave me the cloak." She tsked.  "Yet another reason I was, shall we say, upset with this situation."

"How come?  Don't you usually wear armor?"

"Armor is for protecting," Tempest said quickly.  "Cloaks are for hiding.  I resent the implication that I have anything to hide.  In my village, getting a flank mark was no big occasion, so no one mocked you for having or not having one.  It just... happened sometimes, and if it didn't, well..." She shrugged, waving a hoof at the frog.  Startled, it leapt back into the water.  "Oh well."

"That's just so weird." The filly chuckled.  "Sorry, but I can't imagine not caring whether you get your cutie mark.  I mean, that's why we formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders in the first place.  But I can maybe see how we got a little more... enthusiastic.  Than maybe you wanted."

Tempest nodded softly, turning back to the water.  The final ripples from the frog's descent broke against the reeds.  Nothing else happened, but slowly, a small smile came to Tempest's lips.

"You know...  The word 'crusaders' was perhaps the biggest source of my disappointment."

The filly looked at her, question evident in her expression.

"Part of me was hoping I could win the mark in honorable combat." Tempest chuckled.  "But when I heard 'crusader', it..." Tempest leaned back, closing her eyes.  "I though about ponies whose life's goal is to protect something important.  Warriors, fighters, noble heroes defending an ideal."

She licked her lips.  "When I think of 'crusaders', I picture mares in full plate armor.  With capes.  Bearing inspiring standards as they charge across a battlefield toward their next victory, muscular flanks heaving, sweat coursing over their brows, ready to sweep you off your hooves to some far away..."

Coughing, Tempest sat back up.  "Well, you get the idea."

"Oh," said the filly.  "I guess I'd be disappointed in us too if I was thinking about, uh, muscular mares.  N-not that I am, I swear!  I mean, who would, ha ha!"

Tempest peeked at her; she was shifting in place and biting her lip.

"What's your name again?"

"Scootaloo."

"Scootaloo..." Tempest nodded.  "And how old are you?"

"I turned twelve this year.  Why?"

"I was..." Tempest's mouth went suddenly dry.  Her vision tunnelled.  "I was eight when I lost my horn."

The filly stilled, gazing at Tempest in soft wonder.  "What happened?"

In the center of Tempest's forehead, the old, familiar ache resounded.

"I was playing with some friends.  Our ball bounced into a cave in the woods." Her gaze cast downward.  "I... ignored the warnings about the cave, the calls from my friends to leave it alone.  I was too focused on retrieving the ball.  The next thing I knew, there was this... bear monster, covered in stars."

Scootaloo's eyes widened.  "You were attacked by an Ursa?  And you lived?"

She stood, and it seemed for a moment that she was ready to resume her rambunctious filly routine.  But the spark of excitement quickly faded from her eyes, and she shuffled her hooves.

"But... why couldn't they fix it?"

A pang shot through Tempest's chest.

"My village is small and rural.  We didn't have a full-time doctor.  By the time the old healer passed through on his rounds, it was too late to do anything but let the break heal over." Tempest glanced off to the side.  "I left not long after."

"Oh." Scootaloo continued to study her hooves.  "What about your friends?  Didn't they miss you?"

"Like I said..." Tempest's voice caught in her throat.  "Children can be cruel."

As though prompted by some signal, the two turned back to look at the pond.  A kingfisher darted out over the water, then back to the branch of a dead floating log, again and again.  With each lap out, it would skim the pond's surface, though it had yet to catch anything.

"My wings are too small for me to fly."

Tempest glanced at Scootaloo, saying nothing.

"All my life, all I've ever wanted to do was fly.  Even little baby pegasus foals can fly before I can." She ruffled her wings.  "The doctors say that, if I practice enough and build my wing strength, then it's possible I could.  But..."

Scootaloo licked her lips, leaning forward as though peering intently at something just beyond the kingfisher's perch.

"Sometimes, when it's been a long day, or if Rainbow Dash has been encouraging me a lot, or if I'm just... you know.  Just sometimes.  Sometimes, I think that I'll probably never fly at all.  That there's something wrong with me, and nothing I can do will ever fix it." She closed her eyes.  "Sometimes, I know my wings will never grow in."

Not knowing what to say, Tempest said nothing.

"But I also think about Apple Bloom sometimes."

"Is... That's the earth pony.  Your friend?"

Scootaloo nodded.  "Yeah, her.  She can't fly either.  She wasn't born able to.  And there's nothing wrong with her."

She shifted around a bit.  "Sometimes I think that means there's nothing wrong with me, either."

A wind blew through the reeds, sounding a soft, unfocused melody.

Tempest smiled.  It was small but genuine.  "Quite the wise thing to say."

Scootaloo's face reddened, and she looked away.

"Is that why you followed me?"

"I-I..." Scootaloo swallowed.  "I wanted to ask about your horn.  And I didn't want you to feel, um... What's the word?" She tapped on the side of her head.  "Alienated?"

Before Tempest could inquire, she continued.  "I mean, my friends and I have had fights before.  We've said some really mean things we regretted and apologized for later.  So I know this'll blow over.  But I thought, maybe if I went with them to try and smooth things out, well, you might feel left out.  And that you might need somepony to talk to.  Even if maybe you didn't want to see me again so soon."

"Well." Tempest watched the kingfisher fly away with something flopping in its beak.  "I certainly can't complain about the conversation."

After a few more moments of watching the bird fly, Scootaloo said, "How come you didn't go right back to the castle?"

Tempest grunted.  "This pond is just so tranquil, don't you think?"

"Oh."

The filly licked her lips.  "Well, if you ever need somepony to talk to, you know, about whatever, I wouldn't mind.  I mean, just if, you know, you're okay with it."

A fin broke the pond's surface, but what it belonged to, neither of them could see.

"I'm supposed to be a Friendship Guard," Tempest said to nopony in particular.  "I suppose that means I ought to start practicing friendship.  Having a pony to talk about... whatever with.  That doesn't sound too bad."

She started as a warm weight wrapped around her leg.  She stared down at the filly hugging her.

"I'm sorry Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said mean things to you," she said in a rush.  "I'm glad you got your cutie mark, and I think you really have changed."

"I..." Swallowing, Tempest looked around the glade, tracking everything she could lay eyes on.  "I suppose I shouldn't judge all foals the same.  Or take out my irritation at the princess on them.  I am sorry too, for... for treating the three of you so poorly.  Now and back in Canterlot."  She squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'd never before considered my childhood lost, or cared that it was.  And like with the cloak, well..."

"It's okay." The weight released her.  "Apology accepted, Tempest.  I'm gonna go see how my friends are doing.  I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"O-okay..." Tempest shook herself.

"Bye, Tempest!" Smiling, Scootaloo dashed off, stopped, waved back at her, shouted, "I'll tell Pinkie Pie to make your party a cute-ceañera, too!" then dashed off back up the hill.

Tempest watched until she disappeared over the crest, wondering just what that had meant.





"I NEED TO THROW A WHAT?"





Somehow, Friendship Castle had never looked more inviting as Tempest approached it, flank marks -- cutie marks -- fresh on her sides.  She was even more pleased to see Princess Twilight trotting out the front doors to greet her, smile wide on her face.

When the two were close, Tempest swept the cloak off herself in a dramatic flourish and bowed low.

"One cutie mark, in duplicate," she said, "just as Your Highness commanded."

"Oh wow!" Twilight, grinning clapped her hooves together.  "Tempest, this is great!  I'm so happy for you!  Oh my gosh, and that looks like..."

Tempest flinched as Twilight brought her nose very close to her flanks.

"Is that my cutie mark in your cutie mark?  It looks just like my star!" The princess's eyes twinkled with wonder.  "Is it even possible to get somepony else's cutie mark as your own?  This is so incredible!  It's just too bad we won't have any time to study it right now."

Rising, Tempest gave her princess a confused look.

"No time to study it?  Why not, Princess?"

Twilight chuckled nervously.

"Ah, well, you see, the reason I came out here to greet you when I saw you coming is..."

Tempest bristled as a pair of hippogriffs, clad in full armor and carrying spears, emerged from the castle's double door.  They both bore the scowls of loyal guards carrying out important orders on a time table.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle," called one of the guards, voice severe, "can we assume you are now ready to answer for your crimes?"

"Ha ha, yeah, sure!" Twilight waved at them before turning back to Tempest, a fake smile plastered across her face.

"I have some bad news!"
> A Princess's Trials - Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Part 1: Call of the Hippogriffs

"What did you say?"

Hippogriffs were some of the few creatures who could actually look down at Tempest.  Regardless, she glared at the guard, her rear legs tensed and head lowered the slightest bit.

"Tempest..." said Twilight, a note of warning in her voice.

The guard's voice rang strong and clear across the crystal walls of Friendship Castle.  "Princess Twilight Sparkle has been found guilty of  theft, lèse-majesté and crimes  against the Crown of Mount Aris and its peoples.  She will be taken to Mount Aris immediately to face sentence.  Any attempt to interfere with this process will have catastrophic repercussions on the peaceful friendship between Mount Aris and Equestria."

The last was accompanied with narrowed eyes and a dour scowl.  Tempest lowered her head and ears even more.

"Just watch me interfere," she said, voice in her chest.

A bolt of panic shot through Twilight's nerves, accompanied by flashes of angry yak eyes.  She fought it back only with clear focus.  Squaring her shoulders, she intoned, "Stand down, Captain!"

To her credit, Tempest immediately relaxed, snapping her head up and retreating to Twilight's side.

"Apologies, Your Highness," she murmured.

Twilight was at last able to relax as well.  "It's fine."

"We are ready to depart, Your Highness," said the second guard.  "If you will follow us."

With a nervous grunt, Twilight craned her head around to look at the castle doors.  "My friends should be here any second..."

"Don't tell me you're actually letting these... interlopers spirit you away from your own castle," Tempest growled.

"Tempest." Twilight put a hoof to Tempest's chest, locking eyes with her and imploring understanding with her gaze.  "Please, let's not have a fight.  I talked to them before you arrived, and I'm giving myself up quietly.  I know it came as a big shock when I first heard, too, but everything's going to be all right.  Just trust me."

Worry and frustration flashed through Tempest's eyes.  When it seemed like the storm in her mind might break, she turned away from Twilight.  "As you wish."

At that moment, there was a flash and crash of teleportation magic as Starlight and the rest of Twilight's friends appeared in the foyer.

"All here!" Starlight said, cheerful despite collapsing immediately to her stomach, sweat pouring down her face and breaths heaving.

"Sorry we're late," said Rainbow Dash.  "Kinda caught me in the middle of storm training with the weather team."

"But now that we are here," said Rarity, "just what is all the fuss about, Twilight?"

"I'm going away for a while." Twilight strode toward them, meeting eyes with each one in turn.  "I'm not sure how long for."

She tore her gaze away from them, as one by one they steadily grew more concerned.  It ate at her.

"I'm going to Mount Aris," she said quietly, squeezing her eyelids shut.  "You all know I don't like bringing it up, but... It's time for me to face what I did there."

There was a collective gasp.

"Twilight!" cried Pinkie, rushing to her side.  "You don't mean..."

"I do."

Her friends crowded around her, worries and fears percolating from their lips.

"We're coming with you!" said Rainbow Dash, hovering over Twilight and getting in her face.

"No, Rainbow," Twilight said quietly.  "I need to do this alone.  I can't drag you all through what I'm about to do.  Not again."

Rainbow pointed with both hooves over to Tempest, standing aloof and silent.  "Well, you're at least taking Tempest, right?"

"No one could stop me from coming," said Tempest with stoic finality.

"I..." Twilight stopped herself, smiling.  She couldn't quite explain the feeling to herself, not beyond the satisfaction that came with knowing her friends understood and supported her decisions.  She looked to Tempest, who returned the look just as stoically.  "Of course.  Thank you, Captain."

"Then it's settled," said Applejack, exchanging satisfied grins with Rainbow.

"We will miss you, Twilight," Fluttershy said, giving her a quick hug.  Rarity produced a kerchief from somewhere and dabbed at her eyes as the others filed in for a last embrace.

"Don't worry," said Twilight, giving a smile she wasn't quite feeling up to.  "I've arranged with Starlight and Spike to look after the castle.  And each other." Starlight waved from her place on the floor.  "You can all come give them a hoof if you feel like it.  Otherwise, I have c..." Her voice caught in her throat.  "Complete faith in their ability to get along without me."

Starlight gave her a sad frown but said nothing.

Shaking herself, Twilight turned to the hippogriffs.  "If you're ready, gentlecolts, we're prepared."

"Very well." The lead guard moved ahead of Twilight and Tempest as the other brought up the rear.  "Our Queen will doubtless have words for the Conqueror's right hoof."  He narrowed his eyes at Tempest, who returned the gaze.

Her friends waved final goodbyes, and Twilight watched them leave with sadness and a little confusion written across their faces.  She couldn't help feeling like she was tearing apart their friendship all over again.





Tempest Shadow was not the sort of pony who often found herself in a daze.  She was sharp, sharper than most in Ponyville, always aware of her surroundings and frequently calculating the entry and defensive points of whatever building she was in.  Her job was and always had been vigilance.  Neither warlord nor princess would prize a guard captain unable to maintain awareness at all times.

This was why she remained quiet as the hippogriff guards loaded her and her liege onto the cramped and somewhat rickety sky carriage ahead of their flight to Mount Aris.  She simply had no idea what to do when dazed, and things were happening too fast, too outside her own sphere of influence, for her to catch up with them.

They waved goodbye to the gathered ponies below as they lifted into the air.  Twilight's friends faded into pinpricks of color.  Ponyville became a smear of light green against the darker foliage of the Whitetail Woods.  And they were on their way.

Well past the point when she could likely actually see them, Twilight kept her eyes focused on where her friends had been, her brow growing heavier minute by minute.  At last, her head drooped, and she heaved a long sigh.  Tempest reached her hoof toward her, hesitated, and dropped it.

"Are you all right, Princess?" she asked, voice low.

"Yes.  No." Twilight sighed again.  "I don't know.  Doing the right thing is rarely easy, you know?"

Tempest snorted.  "If you don't mind my saying so, Your Highness, I have to wonder why you are doing this at all.  Why let them take you?"

A noise of disgust grated out of Twilight's throat.  "Like I said, it's the right thing to do.  I just wish that some princess had notified me sooner that she'd been talking with a certain queen about renewing extradition treaties!"

At that final, shrill word, one of the hippogriffs craned his head back and barked, "The prisoners will be silent during transport!"

Tempest's brow furrowed.  She might not know what to make of being suddenly and unceremoniously whisked away on a prison flight, but she definitely knew how to handle a challenge.

With a voice that could freeze a lake in summer, she barked back, "The escorts will mind their own business."

The guard locked eyes with her, daring her to try anything to follow up the unspoken threat.  They glared at one another for fifteen wingbeats as clouds soared past the chariot.  The guard turned back to the fore, undoubtedly preferring to keep an eye on where he was flying.

Tempest grunted.

"Well, at least Rainbow Dash was right."

She looked down at Twilight as a hoof brushed against her foreleg.  The Princess smiled up at her.  "I'm glad I don't actually have to face this alone."

"But why, Princess?" Tempest shook her head slowly.  "You owe these hippogriffs nothing."

Letting out a breath, Twilight sat back on the bench and dropped her chin to her hooves.  "I wronged them, Tempest.  In a moment of weakness, I stole something precious which belonged to them."

And Twilight told Tempest all about what had happened during her first visit to Mount Aris.  Toward the end of Twilight's story, her eyes widened.  "At least, I hope that's all this is about."

A twisting mass formed in Tempest's stomach, as though something were trying to sprout up her throat.

"The point is, the hippogriffs are friends of Equestria, and as a Princess of Equestria, it's my duty to do right by them and face their justice."

Twilight looked through the porthole at her side, shuddered, and returned her gaze to the floor.  "If I'm being honest, I didn't want any of my other friends to come because... That whole incident is still kind of a sore spot between us.  I don't like thinking about it.  One more reason I'm glad it's you who came along."

Twilight's intent was immediate, but Tempest couldn't help feeling just a bit stung.  Add that to the list of things that had happened in the past hour she didn't quite know how to deal with.  Maybe, if the idea that she lacked some shared experience with Twilight that Rainbow Dash and the others had, however negative or painful, then this whole 'friendship' thing actually was something she wanted.

"Are you all right, Tempest?" Twilight placed a hoof on Tempest's leg, and she jumped slightly, rocking the carriage.  "You went quiet all of a sudden."

"I do that," was Tempest's immediate reply, but she shook her head.  "Forgive me.  I cannot help feeling that, what you and your friends went through wouldn't have happened if not for me.  That, however partial, however indirect, it was my fault."

She could not meet her Princess's gaze.

"Tempest..."

Strong hooves wrapped around Tempest in a hug that felt like fire, then ice.  Tempest could only accept it; she had no other choice.  Perhaps it was what she needed.  She would ever admit if it were.

"If it helps," said Twilight softly, "I forgive you.  I'd forgive you ten times over before I forgave myself."

Tempest couldn't help but smile.  "I know that feeling all too well, Your Highness."

Yes, maybe Tempest was on the right path after all.

However many stones that path might hold.
> A Princess's Trials - Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Part 2: Mount Aris

By the time they reached Mount Aris, Celestia was lowering the sun.  The guards were relieved immediately upon their arrival, and the senior one flew ahead while the junior, weariness showing through his stoicism, retired to his quarters.  A further contingent of six hippogriffs met Twilight and Tempest, escorting them into Mount Aris proper.

The last time Twilight had been here, it had been like stepping into the ruins of a forgotten civilization.  She hadn't had time to explore, but part of her had made a note, later discarded, to return and see what she could discover.  The civilization may have since returned, but 'ruined' still applied.

Old statues had been righted, the streets were free of rubble and dust, and houses and other buildings were being restored by busy hippogriffs that bounded and flew every which way.  Granted, the hippogriffs were using chunks of old coral in their repairs, no doubt retrieved from Seaquestria below, so the city would be restored to a new beauty rather than its old glory.  It was like trying to cover up the state of one's dilapidated hovel by laying down new carpet, and the whole city was half grey stone and half mismatched color.  Rarity would have been appalled.

Twilight couldn't help but be surprised at how surprised she was to see so many hippogriffs and no hippocampi.  Few faces turned their way, mostly those of the younger hippogriffs and their caretakers.  Those who watched them proceed to the central hall exchanged half-hidden whispers amongst themselves.  The looks sent their way were neither disparaging nor encouraging, but Twilight nevertheless couldn't keep her ears from falling.

A glance at Tempest showed the Captain comported as ever.  She spared a glance back to Twilight, along with a small uplift at the corner of her mouth.

Well, if Tempest was weathering this walk of shame with dignity, then Twilight could, too!  Tempest possessed just the strength Twilight needed to slough off the sense that she was being judged, the reminder that she was here to be punished.  Who knew what sorts of penalties her crimes might incur?  No reason not to walk with her head held high...

Well, unless that might be seen as arrogance by the hippogriffs.  Yes, definitely arrogant, better to keep her head just a bit lower, try to come off as meek.  Or at least humble.  And hopefully not humiliated, because she was definitely feeling humiliated at that very moment, and no amount of half-smiles stingily rationed from Tempest Shadow were going to make her feel any better.

She hung her head.  So much for that, then.

"Princess Twilight!"

The cheerful outburst rocked Twilight out of her self-pity just in time to see a pair of yellow claws touch down in front of her.  They rushed out and gripped her in a crushing hug.

"It's so good to see you again!" Princess Skystar exclaimed, whipping Twilight back and forth in her embrace.

"Princess," said one of the guards, "please step away from the prisoners, they are--"

"Oh, piffle," said Skystar, releasing Twilight so she could make a rude gesture at the guard.  "Twilight's my friend!  And I'm the Princess, so I can talk to her if I want.  So there!"

The guards gave each other concerned looks, but each took a half-step to the side.

"I'm so glad you're here," Skystar continued to babble.  "Did you bring Pinkie with you?  I really wanted to see Pinkie again!"

"It's good to see you too, Skystar," said Twilight with a light chuckle.  "And no, Pinkie's not here.  Only Tempest came with me."

It was clear at the mention of Tempest's name that Skystar either hadn't noticed her or had been pretending she hadn't.  All of her bubbly exuberance evaporated as she gave Tempest a wan smile.

"Yooooooou're friends with Twilight now, right?" Skystar mumbled, eyebrows knitted.

"I am," said Tempest, expression unchanging.

Skystar sat back, playing with her braid for a few moments.

"You're really scary up close," she whispered.

Tempest gave her a warm, friendly smile and inclined her head.  "Thank you, Your Highness."

Apparently done being intimidated, Skystar sprang back into Twilight, claws on her shoulders.  "Okay, but Pinkie's coming, right?  Your friends will be along later?  Because I was just really, really hoping Pinkie Pie would be here."

Twilight sighed and gave Skystar a sad smile, taking her claws in her magic and setting them back on the ground.  "Skystar, we all talked about this before, remember?  Pinkie doesn't like you that way.  She just wants to be your friend, and you should be okay with that."

Skystar frowned and took to the air, which the guards took as a signal to continue their procession.

"I know, I know," she said, scrubbing at her beak.  "I-I'm a big girl.  I just want to see my friend again, right?"

Tempest gave Twilight an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Right," said Twilight, rolling her eyes.





"The central hall" was what Twilight had been mentally calling the great edifice built into the side of Mount Aris proper.  It had been where she and her friends had first seen Princess Skystar, before being sucked under the waves into Seaquestria what seemed like ages ago.

Back then, it had been in good repair.  Now, she could see that even this hall had undergone major renovation.  What before had been a stately stone gathering place was now a vibrant palace, filled with all manner of tapestries, coral murals, and spheres of what looked like the thinnest, most delicate glass, filtering and reflecting light all across the walls.  It was not just a hall, but a grand capitol building, befitting a living, breathing society.  Twilight was glad the hippogriffs could make use of it again.

They were led up a staircase to a narrow corridor with arrow-slit windows overlooking the town below.  Sunlight through stained glass painted the marble tiles in all the colors of the rainbow.  Hoof and claw echoed off the flooring before being gathered up into the high ceiling and dissipating into dignified silence.

The further they went, the more Twilight felt a yoke growing heavy around her shoulders.

"Halt," one of the guards finally said, and they stopped before a treble of arched doorways.  "Wait here.  I shall announce us."

There was only the barest glimpse of darkness as the door opened and closed around the guard.  After a moment, the guard opened the door and beckoned for them to pass through.

Twilight and Tempest moved into a pitch-black room, the guards fanning out behind them.  Nothing was visible beyond a single spotlight shining from a ceiling that must have been stories high.  Between that and the sound their hooves made off the walls, the place must have been huge.  Twilight certainly couldn't tell how far they had walked when a boisterous voice announced,

"All rise for the honorable Queen Novo, presiding!"

A periwinkle and grey hippogriff appeared suddenly, above them, flourishing a claw toward the spotlight.  A moment later, the Queen emerged on a platform that lifted her above a judge's bench that had been completely hidden in the gloom.  She towered above the guards, Twilight and Tempest, who all bowed respectfully.

"Princess Twilight." Novo's voice was calm and sonorous.  She was not hiding her disappointment.  "I wish our third meeting could have been more pleasant."

Her throat suddenly dry, Twilight croaked, "Me too."

At a nod from Novo, the guards dispersed, blending into the darkness.  All that was left was Twilight, Tempest, the bailiff who had made the announcement and Queen Novo.  The latter turned a critical eye on Tempest.

"As for you," she hissed, icy vindictiveness dripping from her beak like venom, "I'm amazed you had the guts to show your face here after what you've done."

The breath hitched in Twilight's chest.  She was certain Tempest was going to do or say something to make the situation worse.  She couldn't even muster the wherewithal to chastise herself mentally for thinking so poorly of somepony she'd vowed to be a friend to.  But all Tempest did was bow silently and keep her head low.  Twilight let out a long breath and hoped it hadn't been audible.

"She your lawyer?" Novo asked, eyes flicking to Twilight.

"The Captain of my guard," Twilight bleated.

The Queen sucked a breath in through her teeth.  "I'll deal with you later.  Lucky for you, this is a sentencing hearing."

She turned her full attention back to Twilight.  "On that note, I am sure the condemned is aware that she has been found guilty of attempted theft of Mount Aris's greatest treasure during a time of crisis."

"I..." Twilight felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes as she remembered the failure, humiliation and heartbreak which has followed that desperate attempt.  "I'm not surprised."

"Your guilt was never in question," Novo said, examining her claws.  "Everyone saw you tangled in the Guardian Jelly.  It's only a miracle nothing was harmed beyond the goodwill between our peoples."

For a long moment, Novo did nothing but stare at Twilight as she wilted further and further.  Tempest was wisely keeping to herself.

"But," Novo continued, "as you were tried in absentia, this court sees fit to ask the condemned if she has anything to say on her own behalf before sentencing begins."

She leaned over her bench, and Twilight was struck by the similarity to an anaconda slithering down from a tree branch to ensnare a hapless animal.

"Well?"

Twilight felt hapless indeed.

She glanced to Tempest, who was eying her sidelong.  When their eyes met, Tempest gave her the tiniest nod.  It was just what Twilight needed to muster her resolve.

"I deeply regret my actions," she said, her voice ringing out clear and somewhat louder than she had intended.  Novo sat back, motioning for her to continue.

"In the moment when I tried to steal your pearl, I was desperate.  I had convinced myself it held a great power that was Equestria's only salvation from the Storm King." She frowned, her eyes turning down.  "But I was wrong.  And despite my desperation, I knew that sacrificing another kingdom's safety for that of my own was wrong.  Yet I did not act on that knowledge, and in doing so, I made perhaps the gravest error of my life."

She looked up to Novo again, and did nothing to stop the tears flowing down her cheeks.  "I damaged not only the goodwill of the hippogriffs toward Equestria, but my own friendships.  This is a weight I will have to bear for the rest of my days."

Her voice grew hoarse.  "I kno-- I know that words may not be enough to mend what has been broken, but I would like this court to know that I am truly sorry for my actions.  I throw myself at your mercy."

She hung her head, and did not raise it until she heard three sharp raps from above.  Queen Novo was clapping, slowly, looking at her with perhaps a modicum more respect than she had before.

"Princess Twilight," she said languidly, "I have good news and bad news."

A dark pit hollowed its way into Twilight's stomach.  "What's the bad news?"

Novo regarded her with a level stare.  "Your words, though spoken with great emotion, will hold no sway over your sentence."

Twilight looked away.  "And the good news?"

"Paper doesn't last underwater too long!"

All eyes turned up to Novo.  That had been a considerably more enthusiastic statement than anyone present had expected.

"You may have noticed we're still in the process of rebuilding our above-ground society," Novo said, with something like a smile on her face.  "When we were driven underwater, it was sudden, and we kind of lost a lot of our important documents.  Like, say, our laws on how to punish criminals?  So you're getting the only punishment we've had available to us for the last hundred years."

As Novo's smile grew wider and wider, Twilight could only think that she never wanted to see a smile again.  "Which is?"

Novo picked up a gavel and said in a bright tone, "Banishment to the abyss!" She slammed the gavel atop her bench.

"Bring forth the pearl!" cried the bailiff, with far more enthusiasm than was called for.

Twilight gave Tempest a panicked look.  "The abyss?  What abyss?"

Tempest looked uncharacteristically helpless before everything kicked into high gear.  She tried to take a step toward Twilight, but was apprehended by a pair of guards from behind.  Her horn sparked as she whirled in their grip, and Twilight yelled, "No, Tempest!" before a sudden shock knocked the wind out of her.

Someone had thrown a bucket of cold seawater over her.

The pearl she had once tried to abscond with appeared out of the corner of her eye, but Twilight was most concerned for Tempest.  She had heeded Twilight's call, or at least it had distracted her, because though she struggled as more and more hippogriffs piled atop her, she wasn't directly fighting them.  There was a bright flash, but nothing else.

"I once said you didn't deserve to be one of us," Novo mused from atop her bench.  "How fortunate we've shed our aquatic forms."

Dazed, Twilight could only watch as Tempest loosed a bellow, throwing three hippogriffs from her at once.

"You'd better banish me too, hippogriff!" she shouted.  "If anything happens to my Princess, I--"

"Order!" Novo banged her gavel.  "Hush up!"

Tempest did as told.

"Your crimes against our people are too numerous to list." Novo glared at Tempest.  "But this court is not convened to discuss them.  I am, however, happy to let you share in her punishment, since you seem so eager.  Remove her armor."

Tempest snarled at the guards who reached for her.  Twilight could only whisper, "Tempest, please, don't make this worse..."

It must have been enough, as Tempest relented, though she kept a death glare locked on then Queen.  "And what will you do with it?"

"Return it to Equestria, of course," Novo said, a hint of smugness in her smile.  "We're not thieves, after all.  Unless, of course, you'd rather spend an eternity trapped beneath it on the ocean floor."

Tempest was stripped of her armor, which was bundled together and ushered out the doors by a pair of guards.  Then she, too, was soaked with a bucket of water and the pearl brought to bear.

Novo watched the proceedings unflinchingly.  "A shame that it will likely be the last time we speak with my cousin's realm for the next hundred years.  Take them to the pool!"

"Wait," Twilight gave Novo a shocked look as her words sank in.  "You're... Celestia's cousin?  But I saw you two talking and hugging at the Friendship Festival!  I thought you'd made up!"

Novo waved a claw, and the guards began hauling the two of them out of the room.  "Yes, we were talking," she said unhurriedly.  "I was asking her permission to extradite you.  Celestia was rather peeved at me, pardon my language, but then she always has been soft." Novo stretched and stood.  "But we haven't had relations with Equestria in a hundred years as it is.  What's a hundred more years between friends?"

The courtroom doors slammed shut behind them.





Twilight spent the trip from the courtroom down to the pool with her head down, sighing.  Tempest, on the other hoof, kept her head held high, seething inwardly.

If Twilight hadn't stopped her, she'd have given these hippogriffs a name to fear more than 'Storm King'.  The guards were soft, still unused to life on land, and all they had on her was numbers.  She'd have bucked every last one of them, then blasted the smug grin off the judge of that kangaroo court who dared call herself 'Queen'.

But there was nothing Tempest could do.

Inwardly, a small part of her wondered if maybe this wasn't a good thing.  If maybe standing up for Princess Twilight and accepting her punishment as well meant she was doing something right.  That part was being shouted down by the part of that missed her armor and really wanted to kick these guards' beaks in.  Maybe it had a point.  She couldn't say for certain, and Princess Twilight likely was in no mood to give her a straight answer.

They were marched to the edge of the large pool that had greeted them when they first entered this place.  Massive waterfalls spouted from stylized hippogriff busts along the walls.  Tempest didn't have long to contemplate the area before one of the guards shoved her from behind, with a shout of, "In you go!"

When she and Twilight hit the water, their bodies released a blinding light.  Tempest writhed as her rear legs fused together.  Her body felt hot and wet, inside and out, as hair became scales.  Her mane lengthened down her back, thinning into a long fin, and more fins sprouted along her back and sides.  For a split second, her body told her she was drowning, and she gasped on thin air, hooves at her throat.

The soft hoof of Princess Twilight rested against her shoulder, and Tempest immediately calmed.  She looked over to Twilight, who had undergone the same transformation and was smiling sadly up at her.

"It's all right," she whispered, though the wisp of a smile died on her face the moment after.

The two guards had climbed into the water after them, now both seaponies.  They wasted no words, motioning them under the water's surface, tridents prodding them onward.

Not even Tempest's mood could withstand beholding the wonders of Seaquestria for the first time.  She soon found herself lost in admiring the glowing corals, colorful fish, and natural architecture abandoned by the hippogriffs as they reclaimed their former home on the mountain.

"These forms are remarkably easy to adapt to," she said as they made their way past hippogriffs gathering building materials and what looked like personal effects.

"Something something high level transformation magic," Twilight said in a low moan.

Unsure how to respond to such a mopey nothing of a statement, Tempest fell behind until a trident poked her rear fin.  It was such a strange sensation to experience, she didn't even complain about the small jab of pain.

They went on like this for a while, none of the workers nearby paying them any heed.  In fact, it seemed as though the way was always open for them, hippogriffs moving aside without being asked and closing ranks behind them to continue their work.  She had to wonder if it was them, or just her.

The only one who approached them was a pink octopus with a frill on its face reminiscent of a dapper mustache.  It got their attention, which finally was enough to perk up Princess Twilight.

"Oh, hello there!" she exclaimed, as though waking after a long sleep.  "You're... Jamal, right?  How nice to see you again!" She gave a short-lived smile.  "It's a shame I'm not exactly visiting on good terms..."

The octopus waved its tentacles, swimming along beside them, occasionally making popping noises.

"I wish Fluttershy were here," Twilight said softly.  "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're trying to say.  It's good knowing you're doing well, I suppose."

The octopus seemed to sigh and shake its head.  Tempest realized something then.

"Could it be the fish?" she ventured.

"The fish?" asked Twilight.  "What about them?"

Tempest swept her hoof at a small school of reef fish half-hidden in the corals around the edge of the underwater city.  If she didn't know better, she'd say they looked like unhappy foals who wanted to join in a game but were too shy to ask.

"Is it my imagination, or do they look... sad?"

Twilight studied the fish for a moment.  "You're right... They do.  Jamal, is this what you were trying to tell me?"

The octopus nodded.

Twilight let out a long sigh.  "Well, I'm sorry to say, I can't help.  We're being banished to the abyss right now."

The octopus let out a tiny squeak, accompanied by a small spurt of bubbles.  It released a cloud of ink and vanished, leaving them coughing.

"What was that about?" groused Tempest.  She even hazarded a glance back at their guards, who seemed unperturbed.

They resumed their slow journey until one of the guards announced, "We are here."

The four of them stopped between two tall cliffs, before which spread a yawning void.  The continental shelf, which had held the sand-and-shell path they had been following all this time, simply dropped out from beneath them at a sharp angle.  Below was only blackness, fathomless and cold.

Tempest felt something grip her heart.

"Your sentence has been served," said the guard.  "We shall wait here to ensure that you have left.  If ever you return, there will be consequences."  His eyes narrowed.

Tempest looked at Twilight, who had deflated some time ago.

"I understand," Twilight said softly.  "Thank you for your service, gentlestallions.  We'll go now."

She took off at a slow pace, out over the great chasm that seemed like it could reach up and swallow her whole at any moment.

Tempest gave the guards one last searching look.  They glared back at her, tridents held crossed as they floated between the cliffs.  It was a hopelessly impregnable entrance to the kingdom.

With a nod to them, she followed her princess.





How long the pair swam, Tempest could not tell.  They simply meandered above the deep, deep ocean waters before they found a small shelf along the cliffside.  Twilight settled down onto it, and Tempest followed suit.  Twilight dragged her hoof through the light covering of sand, staring blankly at a starfish which clung to the rock beside some kind of fern-like growth.

"We're leaving, right?"

Tempest's own voice actually startled her.  Everything was strange underwater.

Twilight lifted her head slowly.  Her gaze might have been questioning if not for the princess looking like she'd just given up on everything.

"What I mean is, we're in open water." Tempest did her best not to look down at it.  "So long as we do not return to the hippogriffs' domain, we're essentially free to go.  They don't seem to have anyone watching us, anyway."

"Huh."  Twilight swung her head around, gazing out across the water.  Silhouettes large and small swam by in the distance; none seemed interested in bothering them.  "I guess you're right." She sniffed.  "But we should probably spend the night here, right?"

She gave Tempest a smile that taught her the meaning of heartbreak.

"I mean, we're being punished and all.  We should at least pretend like we're completely miserable for one night before we... before..."

Twilight gave a wretched sob and buried her face in her hooves.  Tempest froze, unsure of what to do.  She could only marvel at how, instead of tears, Twilight's eyes released a stream of bubbles into the waters around them.  A little crab came down the rock face to investigate, popping one of the bubbles with its claw before scurrying away.

Everything was weird underwater.

Well, Tempest, she said to herself, you're underwater, in a different body, with your princess and charge an emotional wreck.  You have no armor and no idea where you are.  How do you get out of this one?

If they were going to spend the night on a piece of 'land' just big enough to hold the both of them, it would be up to her to make sure it wasn't a completely miserable experience.

Slowly, she reached her hooves out to Twilight.  Hesitating every step of the way, she gathered the princess into her forelegs, drew her in close to her chest, and squeezed.  Twilight buried her face in Tempest's coat.  Or scales.  Whatever was there now.

They stayed like that for rather a lot longer than Tempest would have preferred, until Twilight's crying slowed and she was able to breathe normally.

"Was this an appropriate response to the situation?" was all Tempest could think to say.

Twilight looked up at her, bubble-tears rimming her red eyes and a look of utter bafflement on her face.

"I... Yes, Tempest.  Thank you for the hug."

"Good." Tempest tried to release her, but Twilight latched onto her, entwining her tail in Tempest's.  It was surprisingly warm, if smooth and slick.

"Please," she whispered.  "I just need a friend right now."

Tempest hesitated.  It was a guard's duty to protect her princess.  And right now, her princess was in grave distress.  Even if there was nothing to fight, she had to do something to save her.

"Very well," she said, the words hitching in her throat.  "I'm here for you... Twilight."

The two of them sank to the floor of the shelf, and there they remained for the duration of the night.
> A Princess's Trials - Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Part 3: The Abyss

"There you two are!"

Tempest jerked awake at the sound of the cheerful, upbeat voice, forgot she had two fewer hooves than normal, and rolled herself into a ball somehow trying to meet her challenger head-on.  Also, she woke Twilight up.

Swimming towards them, looking exceedingly happy despite the earliness of morning, was Princess Skystar, in her seapony form.  "I have been looking everywhere!  And now I found you both wrapped up on this ledge, and oh my gosh I had no idea you two were like that!"

The smugness of her grin could have rivaled that of her mother's.  Tempest now had two hippogriff faces she wanted to destroy.

"It wasn't like that," she hissed, looking to Twilight, who was coming to much more slowly.  "You saw nothing, do you hear me?"

"Oh, I hear you," Skystar said, giggling as she flicked Tempest under the chin.  "I saw loooots of 'nothing'."  She made little flapping motions with her fins.

"Skystar?" Twilight said groggily.  "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to rescue you two, of course!" Skystar exclaimed, flipping end over end.  "Well, y'know, lead you out of this place, anyway.  I've heard lots of horrible things about the abyss, and it sounds like Mom wanted you two here for a loooong time, but anygriff knows the only way to not get out of here is trying to get back into Seaquestria."

Tempest was momentarily pleased with herself for having figured that out already.

"I thought you wouldn't enjoy staying here," Skystar continued, "so I wanted to come help you get home to Equestria!  You do want to go to Equestria, right?  Nowhere else first?"  She pouted ever so slightly, clasping her fins together.

Twilight frowned.  "Does your mother know you're here?  Won't she be angry if she finds out we left?"

"Oh, pfft, please!" Skystar waved a fin.  "I'm already grounded, what's she gonna do?  Super-ground me?"

Tempest found herself relaxing for the first time since she'd woken up.  Skystar might have been... flighty, to put it one way, but she certainly meant well, and there was no sense discounting someone willing to risk her own comfort to help out others.  That was, after all, what friendship was all about.  Wasn't it?

"Anyway," said Skystar, grasping their hooves with her weird, clammy fins, "follow me, I'll have you back in Equestria lickety split!"

Tempest gave Twilight a look.  Twilight, for the first time in a day, smiled.  Then her stomach rumbled and her face turned bright red.

"Oooookay!" Skystar swam out in front of them.  "First, I show you how to get food underwater.  Then we go to Equestria."





Getting food underwater was nothing like either of the ponies expected.  Things were likely different in Seaquestria proper, but out here in the wide ocean, it was simply a matter of "Find whatever kelp you can, don't eat the blue stuff, also fish are friends."  Tempest had no idea why she'd added that last bit.

Kelp, as it turned out, was filling but hardly tasty, being far too salty for any palate but the hippogriffs'.  Breakfast was thus a quick and practical affair, all too soon leaving them once again facing their primary concern.

"Do you know how to get back to Equestria?" asked Princess Twilight.

"Um."

Princess Skystar put a fin to her chin, stuck her tongue out and squinted at the water all around them.  She spun in place, very slowly, tapping her chin the entire time.  When she was done, she moved to Twilight's side and stage-whispered, "I don't want you to freak out, but I actually have no idea where we are."

Unimpressed, Tempest raised an eyebrow.  "Could we perhaps get a bearing from the ocean's surface?"

"Oh!  Good idea!" Skystar jabbed a fin at her.  "Wait here, I'll be right back!"

She ascended like a rocket, leaving Tempest and Twilight staring at one another through the bubbles left in her wake.

After a moment, Twilight said, "Kinda wish I had that much enthusiasm right now.  Part of me is just dying to do some up-close studying of sea life."

"We may have more pressing concerns, Your--"

"Back!"

Skystar appeared between them in an explosion of bubbles.

"Did you find the shore?" Twilight asked with a thin, hopeful smile.

"Nnnnnno," Skystar replied, looking chastened.  "In fact, I spun all around and didn't see any shore at all!  We're way out in the ocean, I guess!"

It took every ounce of Tempest's willpower not to roll her eyes.  "Did you notice the position of the sun, perhaps?  Equestria lies to the west.  That should be all we need."

Skystar regarded her, eyes slowly growing wide.  "Oh wow!  I never thought of that!  Hang on!"

Once again, she shot up to the surface.  This time, Twilight gave Tempest a rueful grin and pointed up.  They followed the wake of bubbles, but much more slowly, meeting Skystar almost halfway as she came back down.

"Whoa!  A lot closer to the top than I thought!" She giggled madly.  "Okay, so I have good news and bad news."

"What's the good news?" asked Twilight.

"Checking the position of the sun was a really good idea!"

Tempest sighed a stream of bubbles.  "And the bad?"

Skystar poked her fins together.  "I forgot to say the first time that it's foggy up there, and that's why I couldn't see anything.  Including the sun."

Tempest groaned and wished she could kick something.

"All right," said Twilight, placing a hoof on Skystar's fin.  "Look, if we just go back the way we came, we'll run into Seaquestria and Mount Aris eventually, right?  And then we can just..." Her ears folded back.  "Not go there.  But it'll be a good marker for direction, right?"

Tempest nodded.  "Do you remember which way we came from, Princess Skystar?"

"Yes!" said Skystar quickly.  "Probably.  I think so." She nibbled on her fin.  "Oooooh, I hope so!"

She flitted back and forth as Tempest fixed her with a level gaze.  After hemming, hawing, chewing her fins and gnashing her teeth for a solid minute, Skystar took a deep breath, squared herself up, and saluted them.

"Okay, I've got it!  This way!"

And she took off.





Tempest had been content to let the two Princesses take the lead, but after a half hour or so of somewhat aimless swimming, Skystar dropped back to level with her.

"Soooo, Tempest," she said, an enormous grin on her face.

"Your Highness."

She rolled her eyes.  "Okay, first, call me Skystar.  Second..." She bunched her fins up under her face.  "I saw you and Twilight way snuggled up together this morning!  Are you two in looooove?"

Tempest's mood soured automatically.

"No," she said flatly.  "She is my Princess, and I am her guard.  My duty is to protect her from all threats, which apparently include emotional distress and loneliness.  We are... friends.  Nothing more."

"Are you suuuuure?" Skystar flipped upside-down, regarding Tempest from below.  "I don't meet a lot of 'friends' who get that close."

"Just.  Friends."

Skystar gave a small pout and stuck her tongue out, returning to swimming alongside her.

Tempest hesitated for a few moments.  But this Princess was really getting on her nerves; why not turn the tables a little?

"You're very odd for a princess," she said calmly.

"What?" Skystar's eyes bugged out.  "Odd?  Who said I was odd?  Was it my talking shell-puppets?  Because I don't use those anymore, I have real friends now!"

Holding back the urge to sigh and roll her eyes, Tempest said, "Why bother coming with us?"

Skystar tsked.  "Uh, duh!  Twilight and her friends go on cool adventures all the time.  No way am I missing out!"

"Surely you're needed back in your kingdom?  You must have some royal duties, some ruling that's more important to perform than going on some frivolous journey?"

For the first time since Tempest had met her, Skystar went quiet.

"Nah," she said at last, voice soft.  "My mom does all that kind of stuff.  I'm too young, and I keep getting in trouble all the time anyway.  She never listens to me."

"I see." Taking a deep breath and making certain her voice was as gentle as possible, Tempest said, "Perhaps your mother is waiting for you to show you're mature enough to lead before she takes your decisions into account."

Skystar lapsed into contemplative silence and remained that way until Princess Twilight dropped back to join them.

"What are you two getting up to back here?" she asked, a hint of a smile on her face.

"Just talk, Your Highness," Tempest said evenly.  "You are welcome to join it."

"Good to hear it.  I actually do have something I wanted to ask about, Skystar."

Skystar perked up.  "What's that, Twilight?"

Twilight licked her lips.  "When we were... swimming through Seaquestria, we noticed the fish looked really... sad?" She sent a look Tempest's way.

"Oh." Skystar's ears and fins fell.  "Yeah.  They've all been kind of mopey since we started moving back to the surface."

Twilight gave Tempest another look, then put her hoof on Skystar's side.

"Queen Novo said you'd abandoned your seapony forms.  And it looks like you're taking the underwater palace apart, too."

"Yeah." Skystar rubbed her fins together.  "We were kind of stuck down there for a hundred years.  Mom says we need to be able to stretch our wings again."

"It seems a shame," Twilight said at length.  "Your people have this amazing ability to move between worlds.  Why stick to just one when you can have both?"

Skystar gave a noncommittal shrug.  "It's what my Mom decreed."

"Jamal was there.  He seemed pretty upset.  I was sorry we couldn't talk to him."

Skystar sniffled.  Twilight put one of her delicate wing-fins over the other princess's back.

"I know you're all ready to make new friends on the surface," Twilight said softly.  "But don't abandon the ones you've already made down here."

Slyly, Tempest added, "You know, a plan to unite two worlds is the kind of thing that would mark a Princess as a mature decision maker..."

Skystar perked up at that.  She swam out in front of them, a determined look on her face.

"You know what?" she cried.  "I'm gonna do just that!  When we get back to Mount Aris, I'll stay, and I'll tell mom about all our unhappy fish friends, and... And I'll try and talk something out with her!"

Tempest became suddenly aware of movement behind the princess.  "Skystar..."

Skystar pounded one fin against the other.  "Yeah!  We'll look for another place to get building materials from, and rebuild the coral palace, and the above-ground palace, and everyone's homes..."

A number of silhouetted forms weaved back and forth among one another.  They were growing steadily larger.

"Princess..."

"...national edict to sing songs and play games..."

Twilight swam up to Skystar, grabbed her head, and turned it.  "What is that?"

The silhouettes roared.

Skystar went pale.

"Tiger sharks!" she shouted, grabbing Twilight.  "Swim for iiiiiiiit!"

Tempest turned to face the threat as Skystar and Twilight shot past her in the other direction.  They had been swimming so long already; she wasn't about to give ground, or water, to some overstuffed fish.  There were three of them, each twice again as big as herself.  Their stripes and gaping, fanged maws grew more visible by the second.  Charging her horn, she lowered her head and--

Pain lanced through her body.

Tempest was overwhelmed by confusion.  What had happened?  Why was she just floating in nothingness?  Why could she hear her name, being called from somewhere far away?

Something tugged on her hoof, and nothing she did could keep it from lugging her away.  As sensation slowly crept back into her head, Tempest saw a yellow blur whizzing back and forth in front of those looming walls of teeth.

"--pest, snap out of it!  Come on, please!"

Tempest shook her head.  "Princess?  What happened?"

"I don't know!" Twilight looked her over, panic written across her face.  "I think you might have tried using your firework spell and it backfired somehow!  We've got to get out of here.  Skystar!  Come on, we have to leave!"

With a shout halfway between a warcry and a sob, Skystar lashed out at the nearest shark, dove under its strike, and scurried past them, screaming, "Actually swim for it this time!"

Tempest and Twilight followed without argument.





The tiger sharks proved to be relentless hunters.

They chased the trio clear across the ocean.  Sometimes, they would lose sight of them and slow down, only to find themselves nearly surrounded a minute later.

Tempest could do nothing to fend them off, complaining that fighting underwater was like trying to embroider while on a trampoline.  Twilight had tried using her magic, but it reacted like trying to push her hoof through jam.  She could not conjure, teleport, evoke or telekinesse in time to save them from anything.

And so they swam on.

The sharks never gave up until the shore was in sight, and the sandy ocean floor rose up to meet them.  Without enough water to support them, they could only churn angrily off the coastline.

Twilight, Tempest and Skystar crawled out of the water, up onto the sandy beach, the moon shining brightly above in the clear sky.  This is exactly why I went for the pearl, Twilight thought.  Life outside Equestria is too hard.

They fell into exhausted unconsciousness.
> A Princess's Trials - Part 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Part 4: The Dragon Lands

Twilight Sparkle was not the kind of pony whose mind shut off for long periods of time.

When she woke from her exhausted slumber, the first question on her mind was not where she was, or how her friends were doing, but how she was going to get the seapony transformation to undo itself when she barely understood how the hippogriffs' pearl worked in the first place.

"You're awake!  She's awake, Tempest!"

Skystar, currently in hippogriff form, waved to something out of Twilight's line of sight.

Twilight looked down at herself and saw hooves, legs and wings all where they were supposed to be.  She laughed.

"Well, that was easy!"

Skystar gave her a wary look, and called, "Okay, but she might be crazy, too!"

With a laugh and a burst of energy, Twilight flung herself off the sand and raced into the ocean.

"Make that definitely crazy!" Skystar yelled.

The moment she was fully submerged, Twilight felt the pearl's magic course through her.  A flash of light, and she was back in her seapony form.  Laughing, she broke the waves, splashing and hooting like a foal on Hearth's Warming Day.

She waved back to shore.  Skystar watched her, dumbfounded.  Tempest was tending to a small fire a little ways up the beachhead.

"Skystar!" Twilight shouted.  "Are you all right?"

"Uh..." Skystar gave a hesitant wave back.  "I guess?  Are you?"

"Yeah!  Tempest, how about you?"

"Just fine, Your Highness!" Tempest called back, not looking up from her fire.  "I recommend not staying in the water long.  The sharks left sometime during the night, but who knows if they might come back."

Suddenly feeling foolish, Twilight swam back to the beach, where she dragged herself out of the water and flopped over on her back.

"I just realized my entire body hurts," she said, panting.  "Don't mind me if I just lay here for a day or three."

Skystar appeared above her a few moments later, prodding at her.  "Seriously, are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay!" Twilight laughed, still feeling giddy.  "Think about it, Skystar!  The pearl's magic is still active.  It reacts with seawater!  Tempest and I are going to be the first seaponies to set hoof in Equestria in... I don't even know how long!" She clopped her hooves together.  "Isn't it exciting?"

The thinness of Skystar's laugh told Twilight maybe she was focused on the wrong things.  Rolling over, she propped herself up on her forelegs, though even that was something of a titanic undertaking, given the soreness of her muscles.

"Tempest!" she called, and her Captain looked up, holding a makeshift ladle in her mouth.  "Any idea where we ended up?"

"Some," Tempest replied, setting the ladle in a hollow turtle shell that was sitting over the fire.  "I think it would be best discussed after breakfast."

Breakfast consisted of a stew of small berries, tubers Tempest had dug up at the edge of the beach, and kelp harvested by Skystar from the shallows.  It warmed and filled, but they all agreed it was the worst food they had ever tasted.  Twilight spent her meal lying on her back, just marveling at her piscine tail as she flicked it back and forth over her head, flinging sand everywhere.  Eventually, her skin began to dry, and when enough of the seawater had evaporated, her tail let out a dim light before reverting to legs once more.  She was almost sorry to see it go.

"My best guess as to our location," Tempest began, drawing her attention, "is here."

Tempest pointed the handle of her ladle -- a bent branch attached with vines to half a coconut shell -- at a small, ovular rock.  Above it was a much larger rock, and to the left of those, a massive heap of pebbles.

"Judging by the sand yams we ate, this is the Dragon Lands.  Most likely southern, because of the marshy terrain."

Twilight boggled just a bit.  She had never expected Tempest to be knowledgeable about geography!

"Equestria--" she pointed to the pile of pebbles-- "lies to our west, across the Celestia Sea." She drew a line from the small rock to the pebbles.  "If we were to, say, swim straight west, we would wind up in the great desert surrounding Klugetown."

"I don't think I want to swim to Equestria," Skystar said with a shudder.  "Swimming here was bad enough..."

"I agree," said Twilight, regarding the waves with a sober weight in her stomach.  "The ocean is a lot more dangerous than I think either of us expected."

Tempest nodded.  "I concur.  So our best route is to head north." She traced the ladle up the side of the rock, making a small X at its tip.  "If we follow this strip of beach, we will eventually crest the northern point of the island."

"Which leaves us with another body of water to cross." Twilight tapped the X, frowning.  "The Griffish Channel.  I suppose we could fly across it."

Tempest flushed slightly.  "I think I would be more comfortable on hoof for a while, Your Highness."

"I'm not a very strong flyer yet," Skystar mumbled, flexing her wings.

Clearing her throat, Tempest said, "I expect we will have ample time to concoct a plan to get us across the Channel.  Afterward, it will simply be a matter of traversing the Griffon Lands until we reach a rail line or other means of mass conveyance." She rapped the ladle against the top half of the larger rock.  "Somewhere around the Guto River, if I'm not mistaken."

The last of the giddiness Twilight had been experiencing that morning completely evaporated.  "That's going to be one horseapple of a hike, Captain."

"I am aware." Tempest used the ladle to scatter the pebbles and markings.  "I am prepared for the ordeal, and I am prepared for both of you to not be, begging your pardons."

"Well..." Twilight licked her lips.  Turning her head and shading her brow, she gazed out across the ocean.  It sparkled and shone as far as her eyes could see.  "I do have a friend here in the Dragon Lands.  Maybe we could ask her for assistance."

Tempest gave Skystar a searching look.  The hippogriff shrugged.

"Who might this friend be, Your Highness?" Tempest asked.

Twilight grinned at her.  "Ohh, just the Dragon Lord."





Twilight continued to be surprised by Tempest Shadow.  They had only been in the wilderness for three days now, but she seemed to be thriving where Twilight and Skystar most assuredly were not.

In particular, she had all but insisted they spend their first entire day in the Dragon Lands right there on the beach where they had washed up.  Though Tempest had framed the decision in terms of Twilight's own health and tiredness, Twilight didn't miss the looks she threw Skystar's way when she thought no one was looking.  She wasn't being judgmental; it was more a pragmatic realization that the younger Princess was very much unsuited to life above the waves, to say nothing of energetic adventures anywhere.

As they took off along the strand the next morning, Twilight brought it up.

"Well," Skystar said, her voice filled with its usual pep, "we were kinda stuck underwater for like a hundred years, so I guess some of us really aren't used to land legs anymore."

"What?" Twilight snapped.  "A hundred... I thought you were my age!"

Skystar sniffed haughtily.  "Ugh, no, my mom's a hundred and stuff.  She's Queen, after all.  I'm still young, I'm almost seventeen!" She puffed out her chest a little with that.

"That would mean you were born underwater," said Tempest thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Skystar nodded.  "Like, a lot of hippogriffs were, and I guess they're the ones who are having the hardest time?  But Mom let me go up to the pool room, you know, the place we met for the first time, Twilight?  She let me go there now and then when she thought it was safe, so I'd 'better acclimate to life on land'." She snorted and kicked at a pebble.  "Diiiiidn't do me a whole lot of good."

"Hey, it's all right." Twilight moved to her and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder.  "We're going to be walking back to Equestria.  From the Dragon Lands.  It's kind of a ridiculous thing to have to do.  No one expected you'd have to do it, too."

She wasn't sure that was quite as reassuring as it had sounded in her head, but Tempest chimed in with, "And we will be keeping the pace light.  Give it time, and you'll build endurance for the longer journey." She almost smiled.

"Thanks, girls," Skystar said, looking relieved.

Their plan for the moment was to follow the beach north until they caught sight of the volcano perched in the northern jungles.  They could then use that as a landmark while navigating further east inland, and hopefully be able to find Dragon Lord Ember somewhere.  It wasn't a particularly solid plan, a fact that gave Twilight no small amount of concern, but right now, it was the best they had to go on.  The last time she'd come here, after all, had been via hot air balloon, inside a boulder costume, and that had taken two days' round trip.  She couldn't be blamed for not exactly remembering the path to get to the dragons' seat of government.

They spotted the volcano by the end of the first day, though it was quite distant.  They settled back into the sand for camp, Tempest building them a lean-to without even being asked.  All three of them were growing tired of sand yams, for all that they were filling and at least a bit nutritious, but there wasn't a whole lot else to eat in the swampy forest aside from plain leaves.  Twilight suggested they all take a swim to cool off -- she was still fairly giddy about the idea of transforming the moment she hit the water and secretly looking for more opportunities to do so -- but Tempest had warned against it, saying a storm was coming.  After all, why else had she built them a shelter?

That night, Twilight was awakened by the crack of thunder.  Though she was able to get back to sleep shortly thereafter, the storm turning into a soft but steady rainfall, she couldn't shake the feeling that hadn't been the only reason she woke up.





In the morning, Twilight made sure to go swimming.  A small part of her felt guilty for leaving all the survival stuff to Tempest, but not only did she make camp, break camp and cook their sand yams without complaint, she seemed to be honestly enjoying herself.  Twilight decided to ask her about it as they ate their morning stew and waited for her tail to wear off.

"Before I served the Storm King, I learned a lot about living off the land." Tempest snorted, pointedly ignoring Skystar's shudder at the Storm King's name.  "I learned it all the hard way, out of necessity.  I was on my own for quite some time."

She stirred her bowl, smiling softly down into it.  "Raiding campaigns under the Storm King's command would occasionally stretch into weeks or months.  I thrived in the wilderness where my crewmates and subordinates floundered.  Survival is how I climbed my way up the ranks of the Storm King's army.  Even if the prize at the end of a siege was always far more comfortable, I enjoyed having a skill that set me apart from the others."

Eyes widening, she cleared her throat and quickly added, "Not that conquering a city is anything I am interested in nowadays."

Twilight giggled.

During their day's walk, Tempest estimated they would be able to make camp in the jungle, perhaps at the foot of the volcano.  Twilight agreed, and they made good time, the smoking mountain growing larger and clearer to them with every step.

Their journey was only interrupted by the sound of a rock plunking into the ocean.

Twilight took point when she spotted the red form up ahead, at the edge of the sand.  She couldn't shake the feeling that this was very familiar, and that she really didn't want to see this dragon right then.

"Garble," she growled as they got within earshot of him.

Sure enough, the teenage red dragon turned to them with a sneer of disgust.

"Why, if it isn't Princess Tinkle Sprinkles herself.  Just my luck.  What're you doing in the Dragon Lands, pony?"

Twilight put on a smirk.  "Looking for your Dragon Lord.  Seen her lately?"

Garble rolled his eyes and chucked another rock into the waves.  "Like I'd ever help you find the Dragon Lord.  Why don't you get back in whatever stupid pony balloon brought you here and buzz off?"

Twilight looked at Tempest, who was bristling openly, no doubt all too eager to show the dragon his place.  She held up a hoof, rubbed her chin, and said, "What're you doing out here all by yourself?"

That seemed to get his attention.  He paused in the middle of hefting another stone, taking a moment to answer.

"What's it to you?"

"Oh, I dunno." Twilight moved over to him, though not too close.  "It's just strange that, out of all the dragons who must live in this place, the first one we'd run into is you.  And you're just throwing rocks into the water?  None of your cronies around to cheer you on?  Just seems to me something must be up."

"Ugh." Garble let the rock drop.  "If it'll get you to leave me alone, I'll tell you.  All the other dragons are busy having some kind of stupid dragon games thing." Twilight could hear the gears grinding in his brain.  "I mean, y'know, they're pretty pointless and everyone else got mad at me for winning so much."

"They kicked you out for cheating," Twilight said flatly.

Garble snorted, a tiny jet of flame spurting from his nostrils.  "So what if they did?  Maybe I thought rock chucking was more fun than those stupid games the Dragon Lord got from you ponies!  Now didn't I tell you to get lost?" He snatched up the rock and heaved it an impressive distance, kicking up a small fountain of seawater.

"With pleasure," said Twilight, smiling.  "Just as soon as you tell us where to find Dragon Lord Ember."

He rolled his eyes.  "At the games, duh."

"And those are?"

"Ergh!" Fists clenched, Garble stuck his face in Twilight's.  "What part of 'scram' do you not understand?"

"The part where you help us out, and we get out of your hair." Twilight met his gaze calmly, for all that she wasn't feeling too calm.  "Or Tempest makes you help us, and your day gets worse."

Garble snorted, glaring at Tempest.  "What's she gonna do, tickle me to death?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes.  "Tempest?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Tickle him, please.  As hard as you like."

"With pleasure, Your Highness."

Garble scoffed as Tempest stalked up to him.  He stuck out his chin and snorted.  "Hit me with your best--"

He was knocked off his feet by an explosive blast of magic.

The next few minutes were, if Twilight was being thoroughly honest with herself, extremely cathartic.  Sure, Garble had gotten his just desserts after the Flamecano incident, what with being forced to hug his fellow dragons and all, but there was just something oddly satisfying about watching an unrepentant bully get the snot 'tickled' out of him.  She did not like that she was enjoying this so much, but enjoy it she did.  She kept her wing over Skystar's eyes the entire time, much to the younger princess's consternation.

By the time Tempest was finished, Garble was bruised, caked in dirt, and visibly demoralized.  He lay on his back at the grassy beach edge, trying and failing to scramble away from Tempest on exhausted limbs.

"What are you?" he choked out as Tempest kept her gaze, and her sparking horn, levelled at him.

Twilight clopped her hooves together and trotted up beside them.  "Good work, Tempest!  I think he'll cooperate now."

Tempest's horn went out immediately.  To Garble, she said, "You are going to take us to the Dragon Lord, or a location close enough for us to find her in short order.  Now, without question.  And we are going to fly there so we don't waste another day walking.  Do I make myself clear?"

His eyes filled with a combination of fear and awe, Garble nodded.  "H-how are you gonna fly there though?"

Tempest gave a devilish smile, first to Twilight, then to the dragon.





Tempest had to admit that being lugged through the air across an island jungle by a surly teenage dragon was one of the least dignified things to ever happen in her life.  Top ten, certainly.

But it was awfully satisfying.

The Princesses were able to keep up with no problem, which only told her how much trouble the dragon was having in hauling her.

"Pathetic," she said after they dipped close to the treetops for the umpteenth time.  "I'm not even wearing my armor, yet you can barely lift me.  You wouldn't have lasted a day under my airship command."

"Y-yes, ma'am," he said, only a hint of resentment audible in his words.  "I-I mean... no, ma'am?"

"Stow it."

The rest of the flight passed in silence, and in a little under two hours, they arrived at their destination.  The jungle below thinned without warning into scrubby plains that were quickly overtaken by fields of tall, irregularly placed rock columns.  They touched down in a clear spot, Garble panting as Tempest disembarked.

"Just go... that way..." he wheezed, pointing ahead.  "Look for a bunch of dragons... You'll find the Dragon Lord."

He paused, rubbing his hands together.  "I don't care if you wanna beat me up again, but I ain't goin' back there.  I got better things to do."

Tempest gave Princess Twilight a look she returned questioningly.  A small pang had coursed through Tempest as she watched Garble cringe before her.  True, he never would have lasted under her command, but she had seen more than one rebellious young creature put straight with enough supervision and discipline.

She walked up beside him and threw a leg around his shoulders.  "Listen," she said conspiratorially as he flinched away from her.  "You may be an idiot and a screwup, but maybe there's hope for you yet.  If you ever find yourself without anything meaningful to do, or if you ever wander into Equestria, look for a place called Ponyville, and ask for Tempest Shadow." She thumped him in the chest.  "That's me.  I'll show you how to make something of yourself."

He rubbed the spot she had struck, and for a moment, there was a spark in his eye, the look of a brute who'd never had anyone reach out to him before.  It was sadly brief, replaced in a blink with habitual opposition.

"As if!" He shoved her hoof away.  "Like I'd ever want to hang out with ponies.  Smell you geeks later!" He kicked off the ground.  He paused to shoot a backward glance at Tempest, then rocketed off over the treetops.

Twilight smiled at her.  "That was very magnanimous of you, Tempest.  I'm proud."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Tempest said, heat rising into her cheeks.  "I only did what I thought you might."

Skystar scratched her head.  "It was nice and all, but... 'Smell you geeks later'?  Really?"





They came upon Dragon Lord Ember around half a mile from where Garble had left them, perched on the tallest rock column in sight, head swinging frantically this way and that.  Before her, across the field of stones, dozens and dozens of dragons were in what seemed to be some kind of contest to see who could do the most wildly incongruous things at the same time.

Dragons flew, ran, jumped, lifted heavy objects, threw things, wrestled each other, swung on ropes, scrabbled across the rocks on all fours, and spat huge gouts of flame at nothing at all.  Around them, tents, poles and all manner of colorful banners and streamers had been set up, though the bulk of them lay in ruins, smoldering or otherwise.  As for the Dragon Lord herself...

Tempest counted herself unimpressed.  She had been expecting something a little more massive.  Dragons tended to grow larger as they aged; certainly, one who had become the leader of their people could be expected to be old, wise and above all, massive.  This slim, blue dragoness seemed attentive enough, but that was all.  She wouldn't have been surprised to learn she was Garble's age.  Tempest wasn't about to let her guard down, however; she'd learned that much, when it came to creatures Twilight Sparkle associated with.

"Hello, Ember!" Princess Twilight strode out in front of them, a large grin plastered on her face.  "Surprised to see us?"

The Dragon Lord, to her credit, did not startle much, keeping her eyes on the dragons even as she spoke.

"Princess Twilight?  What are you doing in the Dragon Lands?"

Twilight chuckled and rubbed her pastern against her foreleg.  "Funny you should ask!  It's kind of a long story..."

"Oh, wait, wait!  I'm forgetting something."

Dragon Lord Ember hopped down from her perch, moving to Twilight and lifting her up in a crushing hug.  Twilight struggled for a minute before she was set down on her hooves again.  Ember followed up by giving Skystar the same treatment, and then Tempest, who reinforced her opinion that dragons were dangerous and not to be underestimated.

"Pony friends!" cried Ember, giving them an exceedingly awkward smile.  "Welcome to the Dragon Lands!" Her smile fell as she pointed first at Tempest, then at Skystar.  "Except I don't think I know you.  And I don't think you're a pony."

"This is Tempest Shadow," said Twilight, stepping between them.  "She's the Captain of my royal guard.  And this is Princess Skystar of the hippogriffs!  Tempest, Skystar, this is Dragon Lord Ember.  And now we're all friends, right?"

Ember gave a half-hearted laugh.  "Ha ha, yes!  Friends!" She swung a fist across her body.

Tempest frowned.   "You're not particularly good at this friendship thing, are you?"

"Who told you that?" Ember glanced around, as though expecting ambush.  "I'm the best at friendship!  When it comes to dragons.  Except maybe Spike."

Tempest thought this Dragon Lord might not be so bad, after all.

"It's fine," said Twilight, throwing a hoof around Ember's shoulders.  "You're doing great!  So what's going on around here, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ember let out a screech and spun around.  "Fire and flames, I almost forgot!  Augh!" She ran her hands down her face as she surveyed the rocky plains.

There were considerably more smoldering ruins than there had been a minute ago.

With a groan of "Ashes of the dawn!" Ember ground her fists into her eyes.  Grabbing the small whistle slung around her neck, she blew a loud, shrill note.  "TIME!"

The assembled dragons literally dropped what they were doing, some with moans of protest.

Another blow on the whistle.  "Whoever puts out the most fires in the next five minutes gets a medal!" Ember bellowed.  She turned back to the ponies and hippogriff with a strained smile.

"So!" Her smile strained even toothier.  "This is an ancient, time-honored, completely forgotten tradition called the Dragolympics.  After Spike told me about your Equestria Games, I asked my dad, and what he came up with was..."

She waved a claw in a circle by her temple as her smile fell.  "Look, he's pushing a thousand, he was getting ready for a nap, maybe his mind wasn't exactly where it needed to be."

"This is some kind of sporting event meant to bring dragons together in harmony and friendship?" Twilight came closer to self-levitation with each word she spoke.  "That's fantastic!"

"It... could be better." Ember stuck her tongue out.  "Dad kind of forgot everything about the games, including why we stopped celebrating them, so the rules are whatever I can come up with at the moment.  Mostly, I just have to promise medals to the winners and then keep an eye on them.  A very close eye.  Or things end up catching fire that weren't meant to."

She turned to Skystar with a slightly less strained smile.  "Soooo, Tinkle Binkle!"

Twilight facehoofed.  "Ember, that's Skystar."

"Right!" Ember winced.  "Kind of was trying to pay attention to a pack of huge babies with no self-control when you made introductions.  Anyway.  I've never met a hippogriff before or even heard of one.  What would you say to me making you the, uh, Official Hippogriff Ambassador to the Dragon Lands?" Officialness dripped off her every word.  "That way we can forge a, you know, strong bond of friendship between our peoples.  And stuff."

Skystar boggled at the dragon.  Stars bloomed in her eyes.  "I get to be a friendship ambassador?"

Squealing loud enough to attract the attention of some of the other dragons, Skystar hopped in place, gripping Twilight's forehooves and shaking her up and down.

"Eeeeee!  Twilight, I knew coming with you on this adventure was the best idea ever!  I can be an ambassador!  Just wait till I tell Mom, she'll be so impressed with how grown-up that is--"

Tempest cleared her throat.

"I mean, uh..." Having at least the decency to blush, Princess Skystar ceased her jumping, dusted herself off, and turned to address Ember with surprising imperiousness.

"I, Princess Skystar of Mount Aris and Seaquestria, do hereby accept your gracious offer, Dragon Lord Ember.  May our peoples come together in a strong bond of harmony and friendship and..." She grinned and held out her claw.  "Stuff."

Ember smiled and shook it.  Twilight and Tempest clopped their hooves on the ground.

"You know, you're pretty fun," said Ember.  Her smile faded immediately thereafter.  "Wait... Fun... Games?  Valley of the damned!"

She spun around.  The fires were out, for the most part, though quite a lot of the tents were smoking still.  As were some large piles of rocks.  And not a few of the dragons.

"I did it, Dragon Lord!" shouted a fat, brown dragon some distance away, hopping and waving his arms.  "Do I get a medal?"

Ember squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her fists, and made a sound like a volcano getting ready to blow its top.

"Yes!" she finally yelled.  "You get a medal!  Good job!" She blew her whistle.  "Okay, break's over, back to the games!"

The other dragons groaned and went back to whatever it was they had been doing.  Ember breathed a sigh of audible relief.

"So!" said Princess Twilight as the scene settled back into organized chaos.  "To get back to your earlier question, we just kind of happened to swim to the Dragon Lands from the land of the hippogriffs.  Can you believe it?  Just... totally wound up here by accident!"

The Dragon Lord did not take her eyes off the other dragons as she spoke.  "That sounds pretty crazy. I'm somehow not as surprised as I thought I'd be, though.  Maybe because it's you, Twilight."

"Tell me about it." Twilight laughed good-naturedly.  "We've got a plan to get back home, so don't worry there.  Unless you know of a way to get us to Equestria in short order?"

"Hmm-nnn." Ember shook her head.

"That's fine.  Our only real obstacle right now is getting across the Griffish Channel to the north, but I'm sure we'll figure something out.  In fact, unless there's anything you can suggest, we might as well get out of your scales now, since, y'know..." She swept a hoof across the field.  "Time-honored dragon traditions and all!"

"There's plenty of rocks around if you need provisions," Ember said distractedly.

Twilight frowned.  "Ember, you know ponies can't eat rocks, right?" After a pause, she added, "And hippogriffs can't either."

Ember winced and sucked in a breath through her teeth.  "Ooh.  Yeah.  Right.  Sorry about that." She suddenly snapped her claws.  "Wait, you said you need to get across the Channel?  I think I know something that might help!"

They watched in bafflement as the Dragon Lord blew her whistle, not just once but three long blasts in a row.  Standing atop the cairn she had been sitting on, she addressed the crowd of boisterous onlookers with the kind of vociferous might only a true dragon could muster.

"All right," she shouted, "listen up!  New game!" She pointed at the three of them.  "Get these three ponies... Er, uh, two ponies and one hippo-thingy across the Channel to the north!  Whoever gets the most across gets a medal, and then we'll call the games for the day!"

Crossing her arms over her chest, she smiled at them.  Behind her, dragons with greedy glints in their eyes crawled their way over the stones.

"No need to thank me," said Ember airily as the dragons broke into a run.  "It's the least I could do."

Tempest lowered her head, ready to meet the oncoming charge, but Twilight's magic tugged her aside.

"Run!"

And for the second time that week, they were chased across the wilderness by a pack of slavering predators.
> A Princess's Trials - Part 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Part 5: The Griffon Lands

Tempest could not be sure which hurt worse: the blow to her pride at being thrown across a body of water by a dragon hopped up on adrenaline and greed, or the impact with the other side.  At least Twilight had been able to teleport them the final stretch, after the land had come into view and they'd realized they would land slightly short of their goal.

Now, however, the Princess lay unconscious on the rocky shore, as Tempest and Skystar rose to shaking hooves and did their best to remove bits of gravel from their hides.

"I-is she okay?" Skystar asked, watching the alicorn fearfully.

Twilight's chest rose and fell, but Tempest still made a show of checking her for a pulse.

"She'll be fine.  Probably magical burnout.  The teleport was likely too much of a strain.  We can make camp here, and she'll be recovered by morning."

"All right, miss Captain, ma'am!" Skystar gave a poor salute.  "I'm ready to assist however I can!  Just point me in a direction, and I'll go!  Zoom, whoosh, pyow!"

Tempest clapped Skystar's beak shut.  "While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Your Highness, rule number one is no unnecessary sound.  We're all quite a long way from our homes."

Skystar gave her a sheepish, apologetic look.  "Oops.  Sorry."

"As for how to help, see what you can forage." Tempest pulled a large leaf from a tree further up the shoreline and fashioned it into a sack.  "The southernmost Griffon Lands are covered in jungle, the same as the northern Dragon Lands, so there should be plenty of ripe fruits.  Fill this up, and keep the beach or Channel in sight at all times so you don't get lost." She gave the princess a quick once-over.  "Do you think you can handle that?"

"Yes, ma'am!  Uh, whoops, quiet." She giggled.  "I mean, yes, ma'am."

Tempest was really going to have to teach Skystar how to salute properly.

As the princess made her way off into the foliage, Tempest allowed herself the brief luxury of a long-suffering sigh.  Then she got to work, making sure Twilight was more comfortable before gathering materials for a fire and shelter.

While she was half convinced she would be off tracking down a wayward hippogriff princess by sundown, Tempest had decided she would rather deal with being hungry for a few days than risk exposure.  Left to her own devices here on the beach, even with an order to watch over Twilight, the young princess would definitely have gotten herself into trouble.

She was like the angry young dragon, Tempest thought: full of energy and roiling emotion that just needed some focus to be forged into something more sensible.  All young creatures were like that, and not all of them turned out to be lazy good-for-nothings.  Foraging was the right task to have given her.

As the sun started its decline and the pessimistic half of Tempest prepared her to dash off into the underbrush, Princess Skystar emerged on the beach, hoisting over her head a leaf that had been filled to bursting.  She didn't even make a commotion, Tempest was pleased to note.  She was, however, stuffing her face with something small, juicy and red as she approached.

"Wow, Tempest," she said through a mouthful of the berries, "you were right!  This jungle is packed with food!  I didn't recognize most of it, so I just grabbed a little of everything!"

She laid out the leaf, untying the top so Tempest could see the bounty.  A bevy of smaller leaves, fruits, berries and a few mushrooms promised full bellies for all tonight.  If not for one important thing, that was.

"Poisonous," she said, trying to keep as much disdain out of her voice as possible.  She pointed to each offering in turn.  "Poisonous, poisonous, edible but makes ponies gassy, poisonous, I'm allergic to that one, poisonous, deadly poisonous..."

Tempest was suddenly aware of the sickly sweet smell in the air.  The smell coming from Skystar's beak.

"Sorry I couldn't find more edible stuff, but these are great!" said the hippogriff, holding out a clawful.  "Want some?"

"Skystar." Tempest swallowed.  "Those are poisonous, too."

"Oh." Skystar dropped the berries and wiped her claws on her chest ruff, staining it the same deep red as the feathers around her beak.  She stared at Tempest for a long moment before offering her a sheepish smile.  "Uh, oops?  I guess I shouldn't have eaten so many.  Maybe that's why everything's going all rectangle stork boooaaaat..."

Skystar collapsed.

Tempest stared for a moment as the hippogriff's body went completely slack.  Then she let out a wail of anguish, frustration and pure, seething fury.

That absolutely tore it.  This bubbleheaded idiot who dared call herself a princess had just poisoned herself and might, in fact, die.  And it was Tempest's duty, her sworn duty, to make sure said idiot did not, in fact, die.  Which meant finding the nearest source of fresh water.  Which, if Tempest's knowledge of this part of the Griffon Lands was anything to go by, meant at least a day's trek north carrying both princesses somehow.

She wanted to rage.  She wanted to kick and scream and throw things.  To stamp and stamp and stamp her hooves until this whole stupid rock beach was nothing but a flat expanse of sand.

But Tempest Shadow was not a mare who let her emotions get the better of her.  Not when they could be put to better use, like, for instance, destroying the shelter she had so painstakingly made for them in order to convert it into a sledge.  Princess Twilight only groaned softly as she was lifted onto it.

Tempest was in control.





The going had been extremely slow.  Tempest was strong enough to pull two creatures as large and heavy as herself via a rough wooden sledge over rougher terrain, but that didn't mean it wasn't tiring her out.  She was pacing herself as much as she could, balancing the need to get Skystar to water quickly with the possibility of them not getting anywhere at all if she succumbed to exhaustion.

To temper her own anger, Tempest set her mind to blaming Queen Novo for everything.  Yes, things would have been better if Skystar had not eaten poison berries.  Yes, things would have been better if Twilight had let them finish the swim across the Griffish Channel themselves.  But none of it would have been possible if not for that half-baked harpy who dared call herself queen and her idiotic kangaroo court.

She wondered if she shouldn't have acted at some point, instead of silently following Twilight's lead.  She could have saved them both if she'd only lashed out at the right time, kicked those guards out of the castle, or dived them both out of the chariot or started a scuffle outside the halls of Mount Aris.  What could they have done, started a war?  She would have taken them on.

Tempest missed her armor.  Yes, it would have meant an extra weight to drag around, but it would have been a weight she welcomed.  With her armor, she wouldn't be jumping at shadows and starting at every sound that filtered out of the jungle.  She wouldn't feel exposed, and she wouldn't have been trying to psyche herself onward by imagining fighting hippogriffs.

Which wasn't to say she was incapable of defending herself.  She had been able to intimidate a Bugbear that had ventured surprisingly south of its natural territory with a simple threat display.  But she couldn't help think that it wouldn't have approached them if she had had her armor.  Armor would have made her a less enticing target, even with the two unconscious creatures being dragged slowly behind her.

The armor would not have helped with the insects, however.  She needed to get to that river soon.  And start growing her tail out.

With every slow, scuffling step, she was aware of just how ragged and shallow Skystar's breathing was.  The poison had coursed through her at lightning speed, and Tempest could do nothing about it, not least because she knew nothing about hippogriff biology.  In fact, she admitted to herself, this entire operation was borne of desperation because she felt she needed to be doing something until Princess Twilight woke.  Yes, she was counting on Twilight to save them.  No, she didn't like it.

She really missed her armor.

The sound of bodies moving through the foliage caught her up short.  Ears perked, she craned her head to spot two figures not very far off.

There weren't paths as such through this jungle, though creatures definitely passed through regularly enough to leave impressions in the foliage.  To the north, on another such animal track, stood what could only be two hippogriff guards.  Tempest recognized their helmet plumes, similar to those worn by the pair that had brought her and Twilight to Mount Aris.  They were obviously scouting the land, each looking in a different direction.

Ducking, Tempest unharnessed herself from her sledge.  A few seconds of silence told her they hadn't spotted her.  No doubt they were out looking for their runaway princess and escaped criminals.  What would happen if they were seen?

She could just hear Skystar's voice, fretting about being dragged back to her mother, hyperbolizing about the punishments that would await all three of them should they return.  While part of Tempest knew it would be hyperbole, so too did she know she had no choice but to avoid detection and capture at all costs.

Dragging the sledge and its occupants precluded avoiding detection.  There was but one course of action left her.

Keeping her body low to the ground, she crept into the undergrowth.  One of the guards' ears swiveled in her direction, but his attention was quickly diverted by the biting insects.  She crept forward leaf by leaf, breath hushing in and out of her nostrils, timing her movements to the slaps of the guards' tails at their hides.  It was the work of five long minutes as they meandered down their path, but by the time she was on them, they still had no idea they had company.

Charging her horn, Tempest crept up behind the rear guard as close as she dared.  At the last second, she discharged a blast of raw magic into the back of his skull, and he dropped like a sack of rocks.  The other guard whirled at the sound of the blast, but he was too slow.  She had started for him the moment her spell had loosed, and she was on him by the time he had faced her.

Her hoof struck home at the seam under his right arm, and he dropped his spear.  Recovering with what she had to admit was at least above-average training, his left claw balled into a fist that he swung at her horn.  But above-average wasn't good enough; he was moving by rote, not reacting to the reality of the opponent before him.  She barely had to duck as his left hook sailed into her mane.

She sent a series of body-blows into his chest only for them to be repelled by his armor.  He fell back but didn't stagger as much as she'd anticipated, and he wrapped his right claw around her hoof.  She trapped it against her other pastern and yanked.  He went over sideways, and she bucked her back legs up and around his shoulders.

He was hers now.

Her weight and momentum sent him fully to the forest floor.  She wrapped her back legs around his neck, pulling his left arm around his back.  His right fist beat futilely against the dirt, but she never relaxed her hold, and there was no referee to tap him out.

Part of her made note of how easy it would be to snap his neck from this position.  To take out some of the frustration and anger she'd been feeling all day on a target who more than deserved it, the symbol of the very queen who had left them in this mess.

Choking that part of herself back came easily enough to surprise Tempest; maybe Princess Twilight was making a good impression on her after all.  Though she also wished she could have had time to threaten him or send a message.  No doubt, when the guards awoke, they would go straight back to their queen with news of the escapees in Griffon Lands.  Stars only knew where they would be by that point.

She struck the guard in the back of the head, and he went limp.  She lamented that hippogriffs wouldn't have an airship or other conveyance nearby for them to hijack.  Natural flyers never did.  Besides, it would be too convenient.

Breathing hard and shaking the dirt off herself, Tempest set about gathering more vines.





When Twilight Sparkle awoke, it was to a full-body headache, the sensation of being pulled along the ground, and an upside-down view of the muscular rear end of a very tired-sounding Tempest Shadow.  At least something around here was pleasant.

She tried to say something but emitted little more than a harsh croak.  It was enough to catch Tempest's attention, at least; the dragging stopped immediately and the unicorn looked back at her, not a small amount of relief on her face.

"Princess, you're awake," she said, voice not sharing the relief.  "Here's the situation.

"You've been unconscious all day, since you teleported us halfway across the Channel.  Princess Skystar has poisoned herself.  I've been pulling both of you through the jungle on a sledge, and it may not be long before I succumb to exhaustion."

She swallowed.  Twilight could only boggle at how matter-of-fact she was.

"What..." Her voice came out harsh and dry.  "Poison?"

"We need to get fresh water to Skystar hours ago.  If you have any strength to fly or use magic, you must fetch it from the river to the north.  It will expedite the process of saving her life."

Something electric shocked through Twilight.  She stood bolt upright and flared her wings, though every muscle in her body screamed in fierce protest.  "Y-yeah," she said, voice failing her once more.  "You said there's a river to the north?"

"Yes, Princess.  Please hurry, it shouldn't be far.  I can make a leaf carrier if it will help."

Magic flowed into Twilight's horn, and she was pleased to find no resistance or pain.  At least something was painless.  "I'll carry it back via magic.  I'll fly north, then teleport back here, all right?  Don't strain yourself anymore, Tempest, just wait here."

"Very well, Princess." Tempest bowed her head, and the rest of her body followed suit.  Fatigue ebbed from her haunches into the forest floor, and Twilight experienced an intense of wave of gratefulness.  She was incredibly lucky to have this mare with her on this trip.

That alone was enough to put a fire in Twilight's heels.  Still achy, but willing to push it all back for the sake of her friend -- she had made a point not to look at Skystar on the sledge next to her -- she took off, flying above the darkened jungle.  The river soon came within sight, and after ten or so minutes of fevered flapping, she teleported back to the random patch of greenery she had left, a bubble of water held in her telekinesis.

In that time, the sledge had been dismantled, and Tempest was converting into a shelter.  She was visibly running herself ragged, but Twilight couldn't have been prouder in that moment, to see her working so tirelessly to protect someone she'd not only just met a few days ago, but hadn't exactly gotten along with.  She poured the water into the rolled leaf Tempest offered as she reappeared and started nursing Skystar.

"Is she running a fever, Tempest?" Twilight sighed in relief as the first drops of water made their way down the hippogriff's throat.

"Not that I was able to notice, Your Highness." Tempest cleared her throat.  "I have been rather busy today.  There was a rogue hippogriff patrol that required subduing."

"What?"

Twilight hadn't meant to be that loud.  She actually jumped at the sound of her own voice.

What she couldn't figure out was Tempest's expression.  She looked... hurt.  As though she were afraid of disappointing Twilight, and the outburst served as proof that she had.

"They were obviously looking for us," she said quietly, "no doubt to take us back to finish out our sentence.  I promise you I dispatched them with non-lethal measures.  I left them tied back-to-back to a tree, with one claw each free.  They'll be able to escape with some effort.  I just wanted them to get the hint and not come looking for us again."

Twilight nodded and let a small smile show as Tempest finished her tale.  "You've done a good job, Tempest.  You've done far more than I ever could have asked of you.  You rest and watch Skystar, I'll take care of the fire and finish the shelter."

For a moment, Tempest looked as though she would protest.  But, with a sigh, she settled down on the bracken pad she had crafted outside the lean-to, nodding to Twilight.

Later that night, Twilight and Tempest sat, watching the fire crackle and occasionally shooting glances back to Skystar, who slumbered in the lean-to.  Thanks to the less than ideal lighting, Twilight had found precious little in the way of edibles, and though Tempest was obviously tapped, she refused to sleep before Twilight.  They were both a little on edge, though they still huddled close to each other to conserve the warmth.

Twilight was starting to nod off when Tempest said, "I was just thinking of what you would do."

Starting a bit, Twilight looked to her companion.  "Oh?"

"When I attacked those guards.  It would have been simple to leave them as corpses for the jungle scavengers to find."

A shiver ran down Twilight's spine.

"But I knew I couldn't.  I knew you wouldn't want me to.  And I knew... I knew it wasn't the right thing to do.  Despite what the hippogriffs have done to us, for all that they might report back and give away our location, it was better that I leave them alive."

"We'll just have to make an early start and keep moving, then." Twilight smiled and placed a hoof against Tempest's side.  "You really did do the right thing, Tempest.  Queen Novo might be angry with me, but the hippogriffs aren't our enemies.  Sometimes, friends quarrel.  I guess that can be true for entire kingdoms, too."

Tempest nodded and poked a stick into the fire. "Now that I have time to, I've been thinking a lot about what you did.  Why you would go along with that sham of a trial." She closed her eyes and stretched her front legs ahead of herself.  "If I may be frank..."

"Always."

Tempest gave her a wry smile.  "At first, I thought you were being silly about the whole thing.  Just ignore the summons, let them have their little fit, go on with your life.  But I realize that what you did was a gesture of goodwill.  You showed them what kind of person you truly are."

Twilight grew aware that Tempest was analyzing her like Twilight might analyze a sample of crystal.  She scooted away from the mare, just a little bit.

"You may not be a ruler, Twilight, but you are a good leader, and a good princess." Tempest's smile grew wider.  "I made the right choice in pledging my loyalty to you.  You're someone worth following."

Cheeks growing hot, Twilight looked away from Tempest.  Stars above, she could even be intense about compliments!  "I-I, I'm glad you think so, Tempest."

"Awww!" said a groggy voice behind them.

The pair looked back to see Skystar sitting up, eyes bleary and bloodshot, body wavering.  She gave them a drunken smile, her words slurring together.

"You three are sooooo cute together!"

With a groan, she collapsed back into the shelter.

Laughing, Twilight gave Tempest a relieved smile.

"I think she'll pull through after all."
> A Princess's Trials - Part 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Part 6: ...And the Crown of Sacanas

The next morning, they agreed another day spent recovering would be for the best.  An early rain added to their desire to stay put, though Tempest and Twilight still went out foraging, leaving Skystar to rest.

It was during Twilight's first sojourn that Skystar rolled onto her side, gave Tempest a contrite look, and said, "I'm sorry, Tempest."

Taken aback, Tempest could only ask, "Sorry for what?"

"For..." Skystar's eyes closed.  "For being dumb and nearly getting myself killed." She exhaled a long, raspy breath.  "I guess I really wasn't as ready to come on an adventure with you and Twilight as I thought I was."

When she opened her eyes, they were sparkling with tears.  "I just don't want you to be mad at me."

'Mad' did not begin to cover the range of anguish, frustration and torment Tempest had struggled against over the past day.  But as Tempest gazed into the earnest guilt wracking the eyes of the young princess before her, she could only sigh.

"You don't have to apologize," she said slowly.  "I admit I was upset, but it was with myself.  I expected too much of you, didn't give you enough coaching to ensure your success.  Survival isn't something a person can just intuit."

She bowed her head.  "My own rash actions endangered your life.  I know we haven't gotten along well, but I want to say I am sorry, and I'm glad you're all right."

In the moments that followed, Skystar regarded Tempest with disbelief etched on her face.  It was only broken when she rushed forward and grabbed Tempest up in a crushing hug.

"Oh, Tempest!" she cried, sobbing into Tempest's mane.  "I'm so glad we're friends now!"

"I am too," said Princess Twilight, smiling from the entryway.  She moved into the shelter, depositing a leaf filled with fruits on the floor.  Winking at Tempest, she mouthed, "Good job."

Tempest did not know how to feel about any of it.





The next day, they made a steady if leisurely pace, just glad to be travelling again.  Even Tempest seemed to be in good spirits; she taught Skystar how to make a water vessel out of a large leaf.  Twilight did aerial recon, something the younger princess wouldn't be helping with until she was feeling a hundred percent.

During one such trip to check their bearings, Twilight spotted the last person she had ever expected to see out here in the Griffon Lands.  A lone pegasus popped in and out of the treeline some distance away.  Baffled, Twilight made her way over.  By the time she recognized the grey feathers and pith helmet, her heart was racing.

"Daring Do!"

The pegasus stopped halfway into her next dive, crashing onto the forest canopy instead of through it.  She lay, blinking, tangled in a half dozen tree branches and a bird nest.

"Princess Twilight?  What are you doing out here in the Griffon Lands?"

Laughing, Twilight gave her a hug, which Daring returned with distinct awkwardness.  "You won't believe how much I've been hearing that lately.  It's a long story.  I'm sure you're busy, but come with me just a minute, you can meet my traveling companions!" At Daring's suspicious look, Twilight amended, "Who are most likely not crazed fans."

Daring relented, and after a few minutes, all four were assembled on the forest floor.  There was, however, one small problem as Daring Do spread her wings threateningly at Tempest.

"What's she doing here?"

Twilight cleared her throat and gave a nervous giggle.  "Um, Daring, calm down just a second and I can give introductions!"

"No need." Daring lowered her head and pawed at the ground.  "I'd know Commander Tempest Shadow, right hoof of the Storm King, anywhere!  Give me a good reason why I shouldn't lay you out here and now!" She snorted and gave a shout as Twilight encased her in magic and lifted her off the ground.

"Okay, just calm down!"

"Former Commander of the Storm King's fleets," said Tempest, words tumbling out of her mouth like boulders off the edge of a cliff.  "I go by Captain of the Friendship Guard now.  It's a... pleasure to meet you?  Miss..."

Daring snorted.  "Put me down, Twilight!  Do you know what this pony's done?"

"Yes," said Twilight darkly, "I do.  And I stopped her, and now she's my friend.  That's kind of what I do, Daring."

"Ooh, ooh!" Skystar bounced up and down on her hooves, waving her claw.  "Can I guess?  Is she that Daring Do pony you told us about?  Was that a play on words with her name just now?  That was really funny, Twilight, good job!"

Clearing her throat loudly, Twilight said, "Daring, meet my bodyguard and captain of my royal guard, Tempest Shadow.  And this is Princess Skystar of Mount Aris.  Tempest, Skystar, Daring Do."

"Charmed," said Tempest in a way that suggested she was anything but.

"I'm so excited!" Skystar cried, rushing up and shaking Daring's hoof even though she was upside-down.  "I've heard so much about you!  Okay, I've heard, like, two things about you, but they're both true!  That's the pithiest pith helmet I've ever seen!"

"I..." Daring went slack in Twilight's magic.  "A hippogriff?"

Keeping a close eye on her, Twilight set Daring back on her hooves.  "Another long story.  If you don't mind some company, we could walk and talk?" She cast a look to Tempest, who was struggling to maintain an impassive mask.

Daring shook her head slowly.  "Give... give me just a second, please."

Without another word, she rocketed up into the treetops.  Twilight sent a questioning look at Tempest, who shook her head.

"My reputation precedes me," she said softly.  "I'm used to it."

Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder, but Daring returned through the trees before she could say anything.

"Well, I'm in luck," said said, grinning.  "I've been using this to search for the Lost Temple of Omeyocan for the last three days."

She held up a bronze chain, at the end of which dangled a thin, cracked lens.  Twilight thought it looked like an ancient monocle, in extremely poor repair.  "Legend says that the last light of the sun, when seen through the Amulet of Coyolxauhqui, will reveal the path to Omeyocan's temple.  And I just spotted the mountain pass!"

Tempest and Skystar exchanged glances.  Twilight just laughed.

"I guess I wouldn't mind some company," Daring said slowly.

"Your Highness," said Tempest with as much imperiousness as she could muster, "we aren't exactly at liberty to gallivant around this jungle looking for ancient legends.  We should try and get back to Equestria as soon as we can."

Daring raised a questioning eyebrow at Twilight.

"We're trying to get back home," Twilight said, lowering her eyes.  "We've been lost in the Griffon Lands for... Well, I can explain while we follow you."

Daring nodded.  "I'd be happy to do whatever I can to help you get back to Equestria once I've finished my business in the temple..."

Twilight, sensing Tempest remained unconvinced, said, "Come on, ladies.  Going to the mountains won't take us too far out of our way, and it'll be nice to have a fourth pony to talk with, right?  Just a new, friendly face to help speed the journey along!"

"Yes!" Skystar cheered and clapped her claws.  Tempest merely glowered at Daring.

"I don't like you," she said flatly.

"And I don't trust you," Daring returned.  "But I trust Princess Twilight.  And if she trusts you, then I guess we can get along.  For now." She hefted her saddlebags and took off east toward the mountains.  "Follow me."





"...and we've been trying to get home ever since.  It's just crazy happenstance we ran into you where we did!"

"It sure is." Daring chuckled.  "Good thing for me, too, since you got me into the right position to find the mountain pass."

"Speaking of..." Tempest grunted.  "Just what's so special this temple you're looking for?"

Daring glared at her, but soon relaxed into a look Twilight recognized, all too familiar with the joys of expounding on one's field of study.

"The Temple of Omeyocan was an important sociological and thaumaturgical hotspot in the mid to late Paleopony Period.  It was the capital of Tenochtitlan, for starters.  Once the Tenochtitlan civilization fell, the temple became the go-to site for any wizard cockamamie enough to want to use its fell power to fuel their dark rituals.  Most of its power is gone now, but pretty much every big bad from early pony history has gone there and left a piece of themselves behind: Axayacatl, Beezin, Stygian, Ahuizotl himself, Sacanas, Matlatzinc--"

"Wait," said Tempest, bringing them up short.  "Did you say Sacanas?" She gave Twilight a look as worried as it was excited.

"Yeah," said Daring, confused.  "Rumor has it he left one of his relics there.  I'm more interested in the Twin Goblets of Meztli and Tonatiuh myself.  Oooor the Great Cornucopia of Tonacacihuatl, if it's still there.  Why the interest in Sacanas?"

"We've found two of Sacanas's relics very recently," said Twilight, growing serious.  "We're trying to find the rest.  If we didn't have a reason to follow you on this adventure already, we sure do now."

Tempest nodded.  "If there's a chance we could find one of his relics in this temple, there's no better time for us to go looking for it.  I won't risk it falling into anyone else's clutches, whatever it is."

Daring appraised Tempest with what Twilight hoped was a modicum of respect.

"Well, the bad news," said Daring, "is that with any luck, it already has.  My last encounter with Caballeron led me to believe Ahuizotl had his eyes on his old stomping ground, which means he's got a major head start on me."

The trees began to thin out as the mountains rose before them.  Skystar let out an appreciative "Oooh!" once their full majesty became apparent.

"We'll have to make camp here in the foothills," Daring continued, her face darkening, "but the temple isn't too far beyond them.  We can reach it by midday tomorrow, and then we'll see just what Ahuizotl's up to."

Unbidden, Tempest broke off to follow the treeline.

"Princess Skystar, remember what I told you about foraging this time."

"Aye-aye, Captain!" said Skystar with a salute.  She whizzed off into the canopy, and Twilight laughed.

"Seems you've got a regular survival crew with you," said Daring with a chuckle.  Flapping her wings, she led Twilight over to an outcropping of rock that would provide shelter.

Twilight rolled her eyes.  "Times have been rough, but we're managing." She lowered her voice.  "Please don't try and antagonize Tempest.  I know she's done terrible things in the past, but she's really trying to change.  I'm never quite sure if she's hurting or ready to snap at a moment's notice, but I swear, she's not a bad pony once you get to know her."

Daring paused in unpacking her bags.  She rolled her tongue around in her mouth.

"The Storm King was a major destructive force outside Equestria for a very long time," she said, matter-of-fact.  "I've been lucky enough to avoid him and his cronies during my travels, but I've seen time and time again his effect on towns, cities, countries, you name it.  He never left a civilization without wreaking some kind of destruction on it.  I guess he didn't like sharing."

She narrowed her eyes.  "But everything he did to those people over the last decade, he did through her.  Mark my words, Princess, Tempest may be a changed pony now, but back then?  Back then, she was a force of devastation.  And she liked it."

Twilight swallowed but said nothing more as the others came back with camp-making materials.  They would have a proper lean-to and warm food tonight, at least.

While the four of them got the campsite ready, Twilight couldn't help but notice Daring sneaking glances at Skystar at every opportunity.  It took the other princess quite some time to notice.

"What?" shouted Skystar, whipping her head around.  "Is there something in my mane?  I'll bet there's tons of stuff in it, actually.  Just so long as there's no bugs.  Are there any bugs?"

"Nope!" said Daring, nervous.  "No bugs."

"Oh, whew." Skystar wiped her brow.  "Because I hate it when bugs crawl on me.  So many legs!" She shivered.

"So," said Daring, clearing her throat.  "You're, uh, a hippogriff, right!"

"Last I checked!" Skystar looked down at her claws, tapping the ground with them.  "And also this time.  Yup, definitely a hippogriff."

"And, you're from Mount Aris," said Daring slowly.

"I sure am!" said Skystar cheerily.  "It's been really nice getting to live on land since Twilight and her friends defeated the Storm King!"

Daring mouthed 'Defeated the Storm King?' at Twilight, who gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged.

"Ah," she said aloud.  "Well, you see, the thing is... Mount Aris was kind of abandoned for a long time, and nopony had heard from you hippogriffs in ages, so..."

Casting glances at her companions, Daring coughed loudly.  "Uh, I might have pilfered an artifact or several from you that will need to be returned once I can get on the diplomatic channels back in Equestria."

Skystar gasped.  "Is that where my mom's earrings went?  She's been on my case about them ever since we got back to the surface!"

Daring mumbled something about a museum.  Twilight laughed.





The Lost Temple of Omeyocan seemed somewhat misnamed now that they had travelled through its labyrinthine inner passages.  It hadn't been an easy trek, thanks to the requisite slew of traps and hazards, but they'd succeeded at every turn.  The place was feeling all but familiar, if Twilight were being honest.

Princess Skystar had been resoundingly impressed every time Daring or Twilight had passed one of the numerous death traps they'd encountered.  Twilight couldn't help but be rather impressed by herself; after all, Daring was able to get as far as they'd gotten by years of personal experience and danger.  Twilight was simply copying what she'd read second-hoof from the mare herself.

Also impressed was Daring, at the exploits of Tempest Shadow.  Despite being a new hoof at dodging traps -- Twilight had asked -- she nevertheless took to temple-delving with aplomb.  Twilight suspected there was a grudging respect budding between them, even, ever since Daring, preoccupied with solving a glyph puzzle, had activated a swinging mallet trap, and Tempest had saved her with a powerful double hindleg buck.

If this little journey got Daring or Tempest more friends, then it was worth it to Twilight.

But as their group reached the top of yet another uncountable flight of steps, a very familiar voice stopped them.

"End of the line, Daring Do."

Daring crouched low, flaring her wings.  "Caballeron!"

Caballeron scowled.  "How many times must I remind you to use my honorific?"

"You have to finish a degree to become a doctor," said Daring with the hint of a smirk.

"Is he a bad guy?" Skystar stage-whispered to Twilight.

"Yeah," she replied.  "Doctor Caballeron and Daring Do have been nemeses since Terrifying Towers."

Skystar let out a quiet squeal.  "I'll bet they're secretly former lovers, playing out their age-old lovers' spat as the hunt for ancient artifacts!"

"I can hear you, you know," said Caballeron, his face wrinkling.  "That is disgusting."  He spat on the ground and waved his hoof, as though that would wash away the conversation.  "No matter.  While you and your friends were busy dealing with the booby traps, I made some friends of my own."

From the shadows behind him emerged the trio of his usual loyal henchponies, along with three very tough looking griffons.  The largest strode up alongside Caballeron and cracked his knuckles.

"As we speak," Caballeron continued, "my employer is uniting the Twin Goblets of Meztli and Tonatiuh.  Imbued with their power, he will become the true ruler of night and day." With a little chuckle, he shined his hoof on his vest.  "And make us all very rich."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Daring cried, leaping into the air.

Tempest cracked her neck.  "Shall I dispose of these interlopers, Your Highness?"

Twilight opened her mouth to say "yes", but a deep voice from back in the shadows cut her off.

"That will not be necessary."

From the gloom of the archway strode a tall, lanky being.  Blue, with an angular head and tiny face, he walked on his knuckles like an ape.  Twilight hadn't gotten a chance to really drink Ahuizotl in the one time she'd faced him, having been far too concerned with his followers and a collapsing temple.

Now, at short range, she wasn't too proud to admit he was imposing, intimidating even.  He exuded the sinister confidence of an antediluvian creature with untold power.  Right now, it was clear to everyone in the room that he didn't just think, but knew he'd won.

She noted, with no small amount of satisfaction, Tempest's surprise at his appearance.

Daring had whirled around the moment he spoke.  "Ahuizotl!"

"Daring Do," he said, not bothering to disguise his contempt.  "So good of you to join me for my moment of triumph!  Ah-ah-ah!" He lifted a finger as the pegasus moved to intercept him.  "Attacking me will do you no good this time.  The ritual has already begun, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

He reared back, fingers clenching and unclenching as he laughed and laughed, his minions joining in.

"Seize them!"

The griffons and ponies strode forward, and both Daring and Tempest rushed to meet them head-on.  Despite the odds, the fight might have gone their way, too, had Caballeron not reacted quickly, tossing a small pouch over his minions' heads that exploded in the center of the melee.  The henchponies covered their noses and the griffons took to the air as Daring and Tempest fell to their knees, coughing. 

It all happened so fast, Twilight didn't have a chance to react.  The next thing she knew, Ahuizotl's tail was around her neck.  His fetid breath washed over her, stifling her own as he hissed into her ear.

"Princess." The word was spoken with utmost contempt.  "Call off your lap dogs."

"Tempest!" Twilight's voice came out as a hoarse squeak.

Tempest shook off the effects of whatever powder had laid her low, and her eyes went wide as she saw Twilight at Ahuizotl's mercy.  To her credit, she did not struggle as the henchponies chained her legs to Daring's.  Skystar was covered by the last henchpony, held at bay by the fear writ plain across her face.  Ahuizotl released Twilight, and two of the griffons flew over, taking one of her wings in each of their claws.

"Don't do anythin' stupid," said one of them.

Ahuizotl swept dramatically to the side, snapping the fingers of his tail-paw.  "Come, my enemy!  Watch as the goblets merge, and the strength of sun and moon makes me the most powerful being in creation!"

Daring gave them a defeated look.

At the minions' prodding, they all filed into a long, dark tunnel with a single point of light at the end, which grew larger with each step they took.  Once or twice, Twilight thought Daring was going to do something reckless, the pegasus's wings rustling beside her.  But she remained surprisingly calm and collected as she followed her greatest nemesis to who knew what terrible fate.

Eventually, they were brought into an expansive chamber.  At least as wide across as the throne room in Canterlot, the caldera had an open roof, letting the sunlight pour down into a seething, riling cauldron of boiling lava far below.  Their little rabble was perched on a stone platform, just large enough to hold all of them, which jutted out of the ragged stone walls that sloped up above them.  And in the middle of the area, hovering in midair, were two goblets the size of Twilight's head.

One was silver, the other gold, and a bright beam of sunlight shone down directly atop them, as though the clouds had parted just to let it through.  True to Ahuizotl's word, the lines of each cup intersected the other, and as they watched, the pair was slowly merging to become one item.

"Just a few more minutes," hissed Ahuizotl, a note of proud triumph in his voice.  "The powers of the sun and moon!  Just think of it, Daring Do!"

"You'll never get away with this, Ahuizotl," Daring said, though her heart didn't seem in it.

Ahuizotl barked a sharp laugh, shaking his head.  "As if there were anything you could do to stop me.  The ritual has already begun, and it cannot be undone." His voice rose to a howl of victory.  "My ascension is inevitable!"

"'Inevitable' isn't the word I'd use," said Twilight.

All eyes turned to look at her.  Her horn was aglow, and her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth due to the effort she was exerting.  Ahuizotl, panicked, looked from her to the goblets, which she held in her aura.  With every ounce of her magical strength, she was keeping the goblets from merging further, and, hair's breadth by strenuous hair's breadth, the process was reversing.

"What?" shrieked Ahuizotl.

"It's simple, really," said Twilight, grunting under the strain.  "You yourself gave me the details I needed to identify the ritual you enacted.  Not that stopping it is easy -- nngh -- but understanding is nine-tenths of the process!  I'm sure somepony famous said that."

"Twilight!" cried Daring Do.  "You're amazing!"

"Stop her!" screamed Ahuizotl.

Before the words had left his mouth, Twilight felt the griffons at her sides wrench her wings down.  She shrieked, and the goblets shuddered, her magic losing its grip on them as pain took over her mind.

Then there was the sound of a hoof breaking through a chain, and the pain suddenly stopped.  The griffons fell back, clutching their bruised beaks.  The other goons rushed in, but Daring and Tempest, now free of their shackles, were on them in a heartbeat, punching and kicking anypony who stood in their way.  They put up a threat display, standing vigil over Twilight as she worked on undoing the ritual.

"Are you all right, Twilight?" Tempest asked, breathless.

"I'll live," Twilight grunted.  She strained to reassert her magical control over the ritual.  "Skystar!  I need you to fly out here and catch the goblets when they fall."

Skystar nodded and lifted into the air, eying the griffon mercenaries warily.

Daring spread her wings, glaring at the griffons.  "I'll fly air interference."

"And I shall interfere on the ground," said Tempest, lowering her head.

"Idiots!" Snarling like a caged tiger, Ahuizotl stomped toward Twilight, his fur bristling.  "I will end this meddlesome princess myself!"

There was a flash of lightning and a yelp of pain.  Tempest was on top of Ahuizotl, forelegs wrapped around his neck, biting down hard on his ear.  The thug ponies moved forward to assist their boss, but Daring menaced them back.

Ahuizotl was at the savage mercy of Tempest Shadow.

One by one, the mercenaries and goons backed off, faces blanching.  Caballeron tugged at his collar, unable to take his eyes from the carnage.

"N-next time, Daring Do," he said after a long, terrible minute.

He turned for the tunnel and fled, ponies and griffons hot on his tail.

Twilight's eyes flicked from the interrupted ritual to the... Wow, Tempest was putting a lot of pressure on that joint!  And she wasn't sure she'd ever seen teeth utilized in that way.  Or hooves.  Or...

Twilight drew her wings across her eyes.  "I can't watch this!"

Beside her, Daring Do groaned.  "I can't publish this."

"YEAH TEMPEST!" shouted Skystar, pumping her fists in the air.  "KICK HIS SORRY BUTT!  WHOO!"

Twilight and Daring stared at her.  They remained staring until Ahuizotl let out a weak and pained "I surrender!"

Tempest immediately disengaged and snapped a smart salute.  "I have subdued the opponent, Your Highness."

Twilight felt queasy.  "Thank you... Captain..."

Ahuizotl lapsed into unconsciousness.  Then three things happened all at once.

Twilight's magic separated the goblets.  Skystar swooped up and caught them.  The temple around them began to shake.

"Oh, come on!" cried Twilight, rubbing her horn.  "Do any of these ancient temples not suddenly start collapsing when you stop the magical whatchamacallit?"

"Not in my experience," said Daring, taking the goblets from Skystar and stowing them in her saddlebags.  She moved to Ahuizotl's side.  "Come on, Princess, help me out."

"Skystar, get Tempest out of here," Twilight said.

Skystar shouted, "Okay!" and zipped over to where the mare was digging through the mercenaries' packs, left behind in their haste to flee.  Skystar shoved her claws under Tempest's forelegs, earning a cry of surprise and a brief struggle before she slowly lifted them out of the caldera.

Turning to Daring, Twilight frowned.  "Not to be overly dark or anything, but why go to the trouble of saving your greatest nemesis?" She moved forward and took one of Ahuizotl's arms over her withers.  "He's caused you and the world so much trouble.  Why save him?"

Daring snorted.  "He may be my nemesis, but that doesn't mean I want to see him dead." She juked to the side as a large boulder went tumbling down the walls into the pit of lava below.  "I'll take him to the nearest settlement to be locked up.  Maybe he can finally be put on trial.  It's what he deserves."

Her face darkened for a moment, and the two of them were silent as they struggled to lift the giant creature between them, Twilight fighting against the pain in her wing joints.  Then Daring smirked.

"Besides, when he finds out I saved his sorry butt from certain death?  He'll never live it down."





The four of them set down in a tiny griffon village a short flight over the mountains.  Ahuizotl was passed off to the village chief, who, after being paid a hefty sum, promised he would be kept in irons.  Daring stowed the goblets and made sure to give Twilight the Crown of Sacanas, which Tempest had pulled out of one of the packs along with some provisions.

"Well," said Daring, hitching up her saddlebags and their precious cargo, "I have to say, I was impressed by your display back there, Captain Tempest."

"I could say the same for you, Daring Do." Tempest gave her a small smile.

Daring held out a hoof.  "I'm not too big a pony to say I misjudged you.  Twilight was right, you're really changing.  Friends?"

Tempest looked to Twilight, who gave her a vigorous nod.  Taking the hoof in hers, she said, "Friends."

Nodding to Twilight and Skystar, Daring adjusted her hat.  "Griffonstone's a short flight or a few days' walk from here.  I'll be heading there first, then flying or taking the train to Equestria.  I expect you'll do the same?"

"That's the plan," said Twilight, looking to Tempest and Skystar, who nodded at her.

"Well," said Daring, flaring her wings, "if I find anyone who can help you get home faster, I promise I'll send them your way.  Good luck, Twilight!"

With that, Daring took off, leaving Twilight, Tempest and Skystar to contemplate their way home.

"At least this trip wasn't completely fruitless," said Twilight, nodding to the Crown.

It was large enough for any of them to wear.  Forged of dark metal and inlaid with silvery lines and spikes, it was far more menacing to behold than any previous relic they'd found.  Tempest had warned that, while not as corruptive as the Orb, it was still dangerous, and so they decided the three of them would carry it in shifts, to minimize the risk.  Griffonstone would be a few days' trot, but with their new provisions, they felt more than up to the challenge.

As Daring Do vanished over the horizon, Twilight caught a sigh from behind her.  She turned to see Princess Skystar gazing off at where Daring had disappeared to, a wistful look in her eye.

"Skystar?" she asked.  "What's up?"

"Oh, I was just thinking," said the hippogriff, as though in a dream, "isn't it such a great story, how Daring Doodle saved her arch-nemesis Avocado from the collapsing temple?"

"Uh," said Twilight Sparkle.

Skystar let out a high-pitched giggle.  "It's the kind of thing I read about in my mom's romance novels all the time.  Former enemies, united by a common foe, finding something in each other beneath all the animosity.  Hey, do you think they're secretly--"

"No!" shouted Tempest and Twilight.
> A Princess's Trials - Part 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Part 7: Griffonstone

You're a burden.

You may gallivant through dangerous forests and ancient temples with the best of them.  You may hold your own against centuries-old traps and monster and everyone might treat you like you're some kind of hero, but you know what happens next.

Back to Ponyville.

Back to those soft ponies and their staring, judging eyes.  Back to the place where you don't know the first thing about how to even exist.  Back to being nothing but a drain on the patience and resources of Princess Sparkle.

You know it's coming.  So does she.  Look at her.  You can see the pity in her eyes.  She's just waiting for you to go back to being weak and helpless.  She's preparing herself to have to hold your hoof the entire time.  She's saying to herself, I really can't blame her, poor thing, I'll just have to do my best to mold her into a functional pony, if that's even possible.  This is the burden I took upon myself by offering to help, after all!

You can hear it in her voice because it's true.

The other princess has no less pity for you.  Oh, sure, you intimidate her, but you made certain you would from word one, because the intimidated are less likely to pity you.  But you've been travelling together for so long, she can see right through you by now.  Those ditzy, softhearted types are always good at seeing through facades.  And she knows that you know that she knows you're just one trip around the world away from having no idea what to do with yourself and lashing out at those around you in impotent rage.

Don't you just make yourself sick?

So go ahead, keep telling yourself that you're here to be a bodyguard for one of the most powerful unicorn mages in the world.  Tell yourself it's something she actually needs.  Tell yourself it's your destiny, tell yourself that it's something you were always meant to do but never got around to because why?

Oh right.  Your horn.

If you need any proof of just how weak you are, look at what happened when you were a filly.  Playing games and having friends only got you into trouble.  And when you were in that cave, with the jaws of death bearing down on you, what did you do?  Cried for your daddy.  Wept because you felt a little pain.  Ran for home and mourned your loss instead of bucking up, going back there and showing that beast who the real monster was.

That's what a warrior would have done: taken a hit and kept on fighting.  But you're no warrior.  You hide behind that scar on your eye because it terrifies softer ponies.  If they're terrified, they won't want to talk to you.  Talking to ponies is the most terrifying thing you can think of, isn't it?  Talking isn't something you can just punch and kick into submission.

Approach ponies like you've approached every problem throughout your life, and you'll become an outcast, a freak.  You can't just go off and hide behind a commander's armor anymore.  You have to coexist, you have to live under their soft rules, or you'll never have a place to belong again.  Everywhere you go, ponies see the ruthless Commander Tempest Shadow.  They remember what happened in Canterlot, or elsewhere along the Storm King's trail of conquest, and they revile you.

It really is too bad you lost your armor.  You could have fought that soft queen for it, but of course, we know how you are when it comes to fighting your problems.  But that armor, oh, that armor.  That's the most important thing you've lost, isn't it?  Without a horn, you can still fight.  Without a leader, you can still command.

But that armor protects you from more than other combatants, doesn't it?  It's a layer of defense against the world.  It insulates you, like a baby's blanket.  It really is like a blanket, a security blanket, and you're just a baby, throwing a tantrum because you don't have it.  You may be taking out your frustrations on the local wildlife and that hand-tailed beast from the temple, but you know the truth.  You're scared.  You're scared, because you're weak and exposed, and you know you'll never, ever fit in, no matter where you go.

These poofy princesses can't possibly understand.  They've had everything handed to them on silver platters their whole lives.  They don't have to fight if they don't want to.  They never have had to struggle.  They can't possibly know what it's like to be under siege, to smell the threat of attack at your door day in and day out.  They're powerful, but they don't defend their power.  Not like you.

They don't know the sick, toxic pang of desperation.  They don't know what it's like to steal the food you need to survive, then fight off all the other starving, desperate mongrels just so you have enough time to eat.  They live on ceremony and decree.  They've never scrounged.  They've never been hungry.  They've never fought.

But you know what it's like.  Your weakness turned to anger, and your anger turned to strength.  You've got the scars and bruises to prove your struggle, to show that you're not a coward, not hiding from the ills of the world in some crystal castle like a pampered pony princess.

The darkness is inside you because you let it in.  The darkness is real.  The darkness is what separates the survivors from the dead.

"Tempest?"

Stay in the darkness.  Stay in the night!  The darkness of the real world calls to you, because you belong there!  Leave these princesses 

"Tempest..."

could burn this whole jungle down with but a thought!  They're weak.  They're helpless.  They're just going to hold

"Tempest!"

the truth!  They're the burdens!

Tempest's head snapped up as a magic tingle rippled across her skin.  Her vision was slightly obscured by the metal crown resting atop her head.  It sat cocked askew by the stump of her horn.  She swallowed; her mouth was dry.

"Your Highness?"

Princess Twilight met her gaze, head lowered, horn glowing, and eyes filled with a mixture of worry and steely determination.  In the level voice of a ship's captain demanding obedience from his crew, she said, "Give me. The crown."

Even though the magic holding her in place relented, numbness filled Tempest's limbs.  She reached up ever so slowly, never taking her eyes from Twilight's and removed the Crown of Sacanas from where it perched on her head.  She bit back the tiny voice that told her to hesitate, to question, to wonder just why Twilight needed the crown, and she gave it over.

"Good," said Twilight.  The magic surrounding Tempest vanished as Twilight took the Crown from her and rested it between her wings.  "Thank you." She placed a hoof against Tempest's shoulder and met her gaze.  "Are you all right?"

"I..." Tempest licked at her lips.  Her heart pounded in her chest.  It seemed as though she had been underwater for an overlong amount of time, only now breaking the surface and remembering what it was like to breathe.  "I think so?"

"Why were you keeping the crown, Tempest?" Concern warred with admonishment in Twilight's voice.  "We were supposed to be switching off every few hours.  It's been three days now.  I'm just sorry I didn't realize it sooner."

"I know, I just..." Tempest lowered her head.  "After I started hearing the whispers, I didn't want either of you to have to deal with it.  I was trying to protect you."

Twilight said nothing.

"That was foolish," Tempest said, her voice low.  "I'm sorry, Princess."

Twilight pulled her into a one-legged hug around the neck.  Tempest didn't protest.

"It's all right," said Twilight.  "Just remember, a burden shared is a burden halved." She gave Tempest a lopsided smile.  "Skystar might be a princess, but even she has more strength than you or I might think.  We can all handle this, together."

Tempest nodded.  Something in the sky caught her eye, and she looked up to see Skystar coming in for a landing.

"You guys!" she shouted.  "I think I see Griffonstone over the next rise!  I mean, it matches what you told me about how it looks, anyway.  We should be able to make it before sundown!"

"That's great news!" Twilight cried.  "Well, there's no sense standing around here, let's get a move on!"

Magic surrounded the crown, and it floated over to Skystar.

"Skystar, it's your turn to carry the Crown.  I'll relieve you before we get to Griffonstone, okay?"

Saluting, Skystar stuck the crown on the end of one outstretched wing.  "You got it, Princess!"

As their journey continued, their next destination so tantalizingly in sight, Tempest nursed her stung pride with the thought that Princess Skystar was now feeling good enough to do reconnaissance.





Griffonstone: the capital of the grand and mighty Griffon Empire.  Those glory days were long, long behind it, but right now, it seemed as though it might one day be possible for it to reclaim a shade of its former grandeur.  One day very far in the future.  After a lot of work.  And at least one miracle.

But the ratty nest-houses the griffons lived in weren't exactly falling apart, and the ruined stone buildings were clearly being mended.  Though night was swift approaching, they saw signs of work sites all over the settlement, with fresh brickwork and mortar in abundance, even if few walls had actually been fully restored.

Tempest would have had more time to appreciate the low-key but stolid griffon work ethic, were it not for the milk-eyed old vulture berating them at the top of his lungs from his front door.

"I don't care if it's storms a-comin' or a swarm of parasprites!  No gold, no rooms, ya understand?"

Twilight shrank back, ears folded.  "Please, sir.  We've walked all the way from the Dragon Lands and just need to stay the night before setting out again.  Can't you find it in the goodness of your heart to give us some shelter?"

The griffon snorted.  "I can't find it the goodness of my heart nor the emptiness of my wallet!"

He stopped, sniffed, and his tongue flicked out around the edges of his beak.  His eyes fixed on a spot behind Twilight's head.

"Though," he said, drawing the word out, "that there shiny trinket looks like gold.  I might be able to find a bit of extra space in the old nest if you're willin' to part with it..."

"No," said Tempest sharply, stepping in between Twilight and the griffon, who shied back from her, wings flaring.  "The crown is not for sale, and that is not negotiable."

"Feh." The old griffon made a rude gesture at them.  "Ya obviously ain't as hard up fer beds as you claim, then.  You lot walked here from the Dragon Lands, so go sleep in the jungle.  You're clearly fit for it!"

He slammed the door in their faces.

"Wow," said Skystar after a moment's pause, "I can not believe they're distantly related to us."

Tempest narrowed her eyes and glanced to Twilight.  "Now is when you give me a good reason why I shouldn't knock this door down and wring that griffon's scrawny neck, right?"

"Give me a minute," said Twilight, icicle sarcasm dripping from her voice.  "I'm trying to think of one."

From inside the house -- the last in a long line of gold-hungry griffons unwilling to help a stranger -- arose a clamor.  Tempest put her ear to the door, catching undefined screams, shouts and the occasional sound of something shattering.  She retreated as claws marched up to the door.  It opened to a large, brown female griffon with purple feathering around her eyes.

"You'll have to excuse Grandpa Gruff," she said in a low, gravelly voice, "he's kind of a jerk.  You're Princess Twilight, right?  Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie's friend?"

"Oh!" Twilight smiled and held out her hoof.  "You must be Gilda!  It's nice to finally meet you."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Gilda.  "Look, griffons are still kind of getting used to helping each other, so we're really not too interested in helping out strangers.  But if you need a place to sleep for the night, I can put you up in the old library.  Construction's more done there than anywhere else."

Twilight's eyes lit up at the mention of 'library'.  "You mean the world-famous ancient Griffonstone Library?  We'd be honored!"

Gilda grunted and stepped out, closing the door behind her.  "It's the least I can do for you ponies, after what you did for us.  C'mon.  I'll even make sure there's a tarp or something."





As rain pounded down against the tarp overhead, Twilight triple-checked her warding spells keeping the books around them dry.

"There's so much forgotten knowledge here!" she moaned.  "Don't they even care?"

"If today was any indication," said Skystar, yawning, "griffons don't seem to care about much.  They're just big meanies.  Well, most of them anyway.  Gilda was kind of nice.  And her friend Greta.  Okay, good night!"  She plopped down on one of the folded blankets Gilda had found for them amongst the workers' things and fell instantly asleep.

"Agreed," said Tempest, casting a glance to Twilight.  "I won't miss this place when we leave tomorrow, no matter how... egh, world-renowned it's supposed to be."

"I wish we could stay and take in the sights." Twilight sighed.  "Such as they are.  I've always wanted to visit Griffonstone, and now here I am, stuck playing booksitter for just a single night." She sighed again.

Tempest lay down on her blanket.  "You should get some sleep, Your Highness.  All that magic is going to take a lot out of you."

"I know, I know." Casting one last, longing look at the books, she made for the third blanket.  "Besides, if this is how they've been treating their library, I'm probably too late to do anything useful.  But I just can't leave defenseless books to rot in the elements!" Her eyes watered, and her lower lip quavered.

Tempest nodded, saying nothing and looking pointedly away from her.  For a moment, everything was quiet but for the rain.

"Tempest?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Do you want to talk about what happened today with the Crown?"

Tempest snorted.  "What's there to talk about?  It was a lapse in judgment that could have left me incapacitated.  I won't let it happen again."

"I just can't help but feel something's off." Twilight rubbed her leg.  "Are you okay?"

"I am fine."

Even Twilight could tell Tempest knew she'd answered too quickly.  Dropping her eyes, she amended, "This journey has been a strain on all of us, even me.  I may not be coping in the best way."

Nodding, Twilight gestured at her to continue.

"I feel like I have to protect the both of you.  That I cannot slip up once, lest some horrific disaster befall either you or Princess Skystar." She ground her teeth and stamped a hoof.  "Since I'm sharing my feelings, Your Highness, if you must know, I feel more vulnerable right now than I've ever been, and I hate it."

Twilight nodded slowly.  "You miss your armor, don't you?"

The hitch in Tempest's breath told Twilight she was on to something.

"It means more to you than just protection from attack, right?" Twilight lay on her stomach, watching Tempest.

Tempest's face hardened, but still she said nothing.

Reaching out a hoof to her, Twilight whispered, "I hope you don't think you need protecting from me." Forcing herself to smile, she added, "I mean, it seems like we're just gonna keep saving each other back and forth, over and over again at this rate."

Tempest's gaze dropped to where the Crown of Sacanas lay at her hooves.  She would be keeping it safe tonight.

"I may have saved your body twice," she murmured, "but you saved my soul.  That is a debt I can never repay."

And, grabbing the crown, she flopped onto her side, facing away from Twilight.

Twilight sat in stunned silence.  There was that deep, soulful intensity again, which she could only interpret as another layer of armor.  Sure, there was much more to Tempest than she let others see.  She'd even opened up a little bit, but...  Well, that was that, then.

She contemplated Tempest's answer until she fell asleep.

Eventually, the rain let up.  Twilight woke sometime in the night to the sounds of water drips and a pony whimpering and thrashing about.  She lit a soft glow with her horn and cast it over Tempest, who was kicking out as though trying to run on her side.  Tremors shook her body from nose to tail, and the muscles of her torso were taut, stony cords.

"Tempest?" hissed Twilight.  "Tempest!"

Nothing changed.  Growing frantic, Twilight tried to come up with a solution.  Her mind drifted back to the night they spent underwater.  How long had it been since then?

Using her magic, she scooted her blanket over beside Tempest's, lay down next to her and wrapped her legs around Tempest's barrel.  There was no way she could stop the kicking: the other mare's strength was overpowering.  But Twilight cooed into her ear, shushing her while holding on as tight as she could.

"It's okay," she whispered.  "I'm here.  You're safe."

Bit by bit, Tempest's thrashing slowed.  Soon, she settled back into sleep, heralded only by a last whimper.  Twilight let out a long breath and did her best to get comfortable next to the larger mare.

"We'll just keep trading, back and forth," she said, smiling.





In the morning, Gilda and Greta woke them.  Gilda brought griffon scones and did little to hide her reluctance at giving them out gratis.  Tempest found them palatable and filling, considerably better than the hardtack she'd dealt with on long airship voyages, but the princesses' reactions suggested the griffons had a ways to go before their cuisine would become as renowned as their libraries.

Besides, they had far larger concerns at the moment.

"Where's the crown?"

Tempest remembered little of what had happened that night.  Those few dark and strange flashes which came to her explained to her just how someone could have stolen the crown out from between her own legs.  She was exhausted by her nightmares, she was confused by waking up with Princess Twilight wrapped around her midsection, and she was thankful Princess Skystar did not open her beak to say anything about it.

She had been right when she'd said this journey was taking its toll on all three of them.  As they searched the immediate area of the library and came up with nothing, her heart sank further and further into her stomach.

"This is all my fault," said Twilight at last, sitting down with a huff and contemplating the ancient, moth-eaten carpet.  "If I hadn't used so much magic protecting those books last night, I could have protected what was really important." She winced.  "Even if saying those words is hurting me physically."

"Do not blame yourself, Your Highness," said Tempest, placing a hoof on her shoulder in what she hoped was an encouraging gesture.  "The fault lies with me alone.  I should have been more vigilant in the night."

Twilight looked like she was about to protest, but Skystar cut her off.

"Uh, it's neither of your faults, duh?" She passed a concerned look between the two of them.  "I mean, it's the fault of whatever big meanie pants stole it, right?"

Tempest had to laugh.  From the mouths of babes and so forth.  "Quite right, Your Highness."

Skystar slapped a fist into her open palm.  "And I know just who the cupola is!"

"Do you mean culprit?" asked Twilight sardonically.

"Yes!" Skystar pointed at her.  "That!  It was the mean old griffin from yesterday!  He was eying it like he was really, really hungry and it was a piece of ripe, juicy fruit!"

They were all startled when Gilda let out a tremendous guffaw.  "Oh yeah, that sounds like Grandpa Gruff all right!"

Tempest gave her a searching look.  "Are you saying you know he stole it?"

"No," said Gilda, wiping her eye and shaking her head, "but I really wouldn't put it past him."

"This is no laughing matter," said Twilight, standing.  "That crown is cursed.  If he holds onto it for too long, it will drive him mad!"

Greta shuddered.  "What if he tries to sell it?"

"That's just the thing," said Tempest.  "Due to the nature of that curse, he won't want to.  You can trust me on this."

"So what do we do?" asked Skystar.

"Let's go ask him if he stole it," said Tempest.  "Nicely."

Gilda snorted.





"Yah, go boil your heads, you weirdos!"

The door slammed in their faces.

"Coulda told you he'd do that," said Gilda with a sigh.

Skystar dragged her claws down her face.  "Gahhh, what now?"

Twilight turned her eyes to Gilda, who held up both claws in front of herself.

"I know what you're thinking, and no way!  My generosity's stretched pretty thin right now.  I ain't about to let you all go barging into my house." She shivered.  "I mean, I won't even go in Gruff's room..."

Twilight let out a frustrated groan and dragged her hooves down her face.  "We can't leave until we get it back!  This is not how I wanted to spend time in Griffonstone!"

Greta sent a worried look toward Gilda.  "It's really that important?"

"We delved an ancient temple full of death traps to find it," said Tempest levelly.  "We're not just going to give up and leave it behind after all that work, nevermind the danger the curse poses."

"I think I have an idea." Greta whispered into Gilda's ear.  The other griffon made a surprised noise but shrugged and entered her home through the window sitting at its peak.  Soon, the house was full of clattering, banging and the shouts of Grandpa Gruff.  A few moments later, Gilda emerged through the front door with a load of pots and pans in her arms.

"Here." She tossed a few at Greta, who caught them.  "You, too."

Twilight grabbed the last few pans in her magic, then watched, confused, as the two griffons rose into the air and started banging them together.  With a short laugh and a bemused look at Tempest, Twilight gamely joined in.  In short order, griffon heads emerged from windows and doors the city over.  Disgruntled cries filled the air as griffons flew in from every direction, clamoring to know what all the racket was about.

"Everyone shut up and get out here!" screeched Gilda, dropping her pans.  "Listen up, 'cause this is important!"

The assembled griffons didn't seem pleased but nevertheless shut up and listened.

Greta pointed to Twilight and Tempest.  "These ponies came here with a crown, and it's been stolen."

"We know it was one of you jerks," added Gilda.  "And whoever did it is gonna give it back right now, or else."

"Is it this one?" asked a beefy male griffon with grey plumage.  He held aloft a cracked and bent iron crown, its gemstone insets long since emptied.  "Cuz even if it is, they ain't gettin' it back without a hefty downpayment!" He and his nearby cohorts guffawed loudly.

Twilight waited until their laughter died down, then amplified her voice with a spell.

"Citizens of Griffonstone, my name is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.  What was taken from us was an important and dangerous artifact called the Crown of Sacanas."

The name seemed to have an effect on the griffons.  The crowd's earlier attitude of irritation evaporated, replaced with concern and maybe even a little fear.

"If the thief will step forward, now or in private, and return the crown, we will not seek repercussions." She gave the crowd a sad smile.  "Suffice to say, you're not going to want to hold onto it for long."

"The crown possesses dark magic," said Tempest, stepping up next to her.  She did not need an amplification spell.  "If you stole it hoping to sell it later, that magic will prevent you from wanting to get rid of it.  And the longer you have it, the more the magic will eat into your mind."

She cast a piercing glance out over the griffons, none of whom met it.  "Trust me when I say, in three days' time if not sooner, we'll know who took it.  The only penalty you have to face is losing your mind to the crown's power."

This caused the griffons no small amount of consternation.

"If you want to approach us in private after the crowd has dispersed," said Twilight, "we'll be..." She made a noise of disgust deep in her throat.  "I guess in the library.  If we're going to be stuck here, we might as well do something useful."

"Eh, go for it," said a lanky brown griffon, part of the grey one's group.  "It'll be a load of work off our claws." His fellows nodded their agreement.

And with that, the crowd dispersed.  But no amount of waiting produced a confession, not even after the ponies and hippogriff had moved back to the library.

Tempest let out a long breath as Twilight examined the shelves.  "Something tells me we're going to be waiting the full three days."

Twilight swallowed.  "Let's hope it's not too long, for the sake of whoever stole the crown."





The days in Griffonstone passed slowly.

After her initial disappointment that neither honesty nor self-preservation was motivation enough for the thief to confess, Twilight contented herself with organizing and cleaning the ancient, crumbling library.  Tempest helped out the first day, mostly with the heavy lifting involved with ceiling repairs.  Between the two of them, the outer shell was at least leakproof by the end of the day, and they both slept well.

The second day saw Tempest and Skystar out in Griffonstone together.

"So I figured, because he was waving that old, broken crown around so much, that big grey griffon had to be the thief!"

The princess babbled like a rushing river as the two of them crouched behind a stack of crates and work equipment, watching said griffon and his gang as they rebuilt a large section of stone wall.

"But two days ago," said Tempest, "you were sure the culprit was Grandpa Gruff."

Skystar smacked her palm with a fist.  "I thought so too, but then I was brilliant!  I followed this group around all day yesterday, and do you know who I saw them with?  Don't ask, I'll tell you.  It was Grandpa Gruff!" She gasped.  "I know, right?  So now I'm totally sure that he's like, the dark, shadowy boss of an underground crime ring here in Griffonstone.  He's a criminal mastermind!  He has his underlings steal precious artifacts for him so he doesn't get his claws dirty!  It all makes sense!"

Tempest thought that it in fact made no sense, and that convincing Skystar of her theory's ludicrousness would not be a good use of her time.

"All right," she said, uncurling herself from where she'd been wedged.  "So let's go ask him.  That worked so well last time, after all.  Hey, you there!"

The griffons stopped their work and turned to regard her.  Some looked confused, most surprised, and more than a few, their target included, seemed quite irritated by her interrupting them.

"Oh, it's you," said the big grey one.  "This ain't about that crown again, is it?"

"As a matter of fact, it is." Tempest stood at the foot of the wall, gazing up at them placidly.  "Specifically, the one you showed off the other day.  Where did you get it?"

The griffon snorted and lowered himself from the wall.  Up close, he was about the same height as Tempest, though a good bit bulkier owing to his species.  He eyed her up and down like a hungry predator, though his attempts at intimidation were sadly misaimed.

"And who're you supposed to be again?"

"Captain Tempest Shadow of the Friendship Guard." After a pause, she added, "Yourself?"

The griffon regarded her with a suspicious squint.  "The name's Gungnir.  And if you must know, that hunk of junk's been handed down through my family."

"Pretty sure it was passed down from King Guto!" yelled one of the griffons up on the wall.  The others laughed.

Gungnir rolled his eyes and lashed his tail.  "Yeah, yeah, so what if it is?  I just pull it out sometimes for a laugh.  It ain't worth much more than that these days."

"Wait!"

Skystar emerged from behind the equipment, and Tempest was intrigued to note Gungnir's reaction.  Upon first sight of the princess, his eyes widened with that appraising look males often got around females when they didn't know any better.  Then his eyes travelled down the length of her body, and he made no attempt to hide first surprise and then disgust.  Skystar, thankfully, had not noticed.

"Does that mean you're from royal blood?" she asked, seeming intensely upset.

Gungnir snorted.  "Who cares if I am?  Griffons ain't had a king since the Arimaspi stole the Idol of Boreas.  No one's got time for stuff like that.  Besides, nobody in their right mind would want to rule a dungheap like this place."

He turned his attention back to Tempest and growled.  "I didn't steal your dumb crown, okay?  And none of my boys did, either.  Griffons may be greedy, but we've got pride.  And we ain't stupid either.  You don't mess with stuff that belonged to Sacanas." He stared directly into your eyes.  "That okay by you?"

Tempest held his gaze for a long, unblinking minute.  "I suppose it will have to be."

Without another word, he turned and rejoined his work crew.

At least when they got back, it was to find the library fully organized and Twilight very happy.





That happiness was short-lived, however.  The night was a restless one as they dreaded what was to come, and the third day dawned to an unspoken but overwhelming tension.  Twilight set herself to checking each book and cataloging which were in poor shape, but her heart obviously was not in the task.  Just like Tempest, who had resorted to brooding to cover her own helplessness ahead of the unpleasant outcome, she knew there was nothing to be done.

Sure enough, an hour or so before noon, the relative peace of Griffonstone was shattered by an ear-piercing scream.  Gilda, who had been watching Twilight work while trying not to seem like she cared too much about the library, immediately sprang into the air.

"Greta?" she shouted, flapping off toward the western edge of town.

Twilight and company exchanged glances before followed her to a small nest house.  It was distinguishable from its neighbors only by the small box in its front window, which displayed a few weedy flowers.  The screaming had grown continually louder as they approached, and Gilda did not hesitate before breaking through the door.

Greta lay on her side in the middle of her living space, curled into a ball.  Her body was wracked with sobbing, and her shaking paused only when a scream tore its way out of her throat.  Gilda stopped short, the color draining out of her face.

"W-what's going on?" she croaked, feet rooted to the floor.

Tempest strode froward, eyebrows knitting.  "There's only one thing it could be."

It took quite a lot more of Tempest's power than she would have imagined to roll a full-grown griffon hen onto her back against her will, but when she did, the cause of Greta's troubles was plain for all to see.

The Crown of Sacanas was held in a death grip by all four of her limbs.

"Twilight!"

The griffon's grasp was nearly too strong for the combination of Twilight's magic and Tempest's strength, but the two of them were able to wrestle the crown free at last, Gilda holding on to Greta's head and looking fit to weep herself.  As the crown sailed over onto Skystar's back for safe keeping, Twilight loosed a sigh of relief and fell back onto her haunches.

"Grett, are you okay?" Gilda asked, her voice shaking.  "Please, tell me you're okay."

"Give her some space," said Tempest gently.  "She should be fine momentarily."

"I don't get it," Skystar said, looking from the crown to Greta.  "Greta was so nice!  Why would she steal the crown from us?"

"That's a very good question," said Twilight gravely.  She arranged blankets around Greta, which had some calming effect on her.

After a few minutes, she said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry."

"Why'd you do it, Grett?" Gilda asked, wrapping her arms around her friend.  "You heard them say it was gonna drive you crazy!"

"I thought..." Greta heaved in a great shivering breath.  "The last time ponies were here in Griffonstone, things changed for the better.  I thought if I could keep them here, even for a little while, maybe things would improve more." She clutched at Gilda and buried her head in her chest.  "What would it matter what happened to me, if I could make Griffonstone a better place?"

Twilight exchanged a pitying look with her companions.

"Greta," she said, her voice soothing, "you could have just asked us to stay and help out.  It would have been our pleasure to help someone in need, I promise."

Gilda sniffed.  "Griffons don't usually help out if you just ask.  It takes threats or bribes."

"I'm sorry," Greta said.

"Darnit, Grett, you didn't have to do this.  That dumb library isn't worth risking you over."

"I'm sorry," Greta repeated.

Tempest let out a long breath.  "And I am sorry this had to happen, but it's over now.  We'll take the crown and be on our way.  Unless you've any objections, Your Highness?"

"No." Twilight shook her head.  "Tempest is right.  This crown is too dangerous to leave outside a safe relic vault for any longer than we have to.  We need to get home."

She walked up and touched Gilda on the shoulder.  The griffon shrugged it off.

"If it's all the same to you," she said lowly, "I won't mind seeing your backs.  If you hadn't come here, Greta wouldn't have done what she did.  So don't take it personal if I say get out and don't come back.  Train station's a half hour flight north."

"Good luck," whispered Twilight, and they filed out the door.  Around the little house, a crowd had gathered, onlookers gawking and trying to get a glimpse of what all the clamor had been about.

"Go back to your lives, citizens," said Tempest.  She held up the crown.  "The situation has been resolved."

The griffons dispersed with some grumbling and speculating.  Gilda appeared at the doorway, looking stricken.

"Hey," she said in a low tone, "thanks for helping out, okay?  Tell Dash and Pinkie I said hey."

"I will," said Twilight with a smile.





"Well, that was something," said Skystar as they at last left the city walls of Griffonstone.  "Something I definitely hope I don't have to live through again."

"You said it," said Tempest.

"I just hope Greta will be all right," said Twilight.

"Mmm." Tempest rolled her tongue in her mouth.  "I am no expert, but I expect she will.  The crown obviously had a worse effect on her than it did me, but the damage it does is purely in the mind."

"Even still..." Twilight scowled.  "When we get back to Equestria, I'm going to do... something, just so the griffons don't have to feel so desperate if they want to make their homeland a better place to live."

"Well," said Skystar with a chipper hop in her step, "at least I learned that not all griffons are meanies."

Twilight smiled at her.  "I'm very pleased to hear that, Skystar!  You can't judge a whole people by the actions of just a few."

Skystar's eyes sparkled. "I mean, did you see how worried Gilda was?"

Tempest hmmed.  "She certainly seemed capable of taking care of her friend until she recovers."

Twilight giggled.  "Rainbow Dash told me that after she and Pinkie came here to retrieve the Idol of Boreas, Gilda was able to mend her old friendship with Greta.  I guess they'd fallen out of touch while Gilda was in Equestria, since griffons don't value friendship quite as much as ponies do."

"Okay," said Skystar, excitement oozing from her every pore, "so that definitely means they're in love." At Twilight and Tempest's disbelieving looks, she said, "Don't you see?  A childhood crush, and then a falling out because of a long separation, only to be reunited by the help of another old friend.  A dire, dramatic crisis reignites long-repressed feelings, and now that passion can blossom into the love that dare not speak its name!"

Tempest stared.  Twilight, incredulous, said, "Skystar, do you see love everywhere you go?"

"Love is all around us!" crowed Skystar.  "It's just such a grand and wonderful thing.  I love love!  Can you be in love with love?  Because if so, I definitely am." She tittered.  "Though not as much as I'm in love with Pinkie Pie.  I'm so excited that we're close to Equestria.  I get to see Pinkie again, and we can share another kiss, and then we'll consummate our love under the--"

"Hang on," said Twilight, bringing them all up short.  "Skystar, you kissed her, remember?  I'm pretty sure she didn't kiss you back.  That's not how love works."

"Pshaw!" Skystar waved a claw.  "Our love is timeless and star-struck.  And maybe one or two other words I haven't thought up yet.  Don't worry, you'll see once we get back.  I promise she is super-duper in love with me, the same as I am with her!"

At Twilight's pleading look, Tempest just shrugged.  The alicorn sighed.

"Skystar, when we get back, why don't I introduce you to my sister-in-law?  She's the Princess of Love, and I'm sure there's a lot you two could talk about."

"There's a princess of love?" Skystar squealed.  "We sure could talk about a lot!"

They left the subject there.

The trip took a bit longer than it would have by air, but the vistas of the Hyperborean Mountains made for pleasant sight-seeing.  Once they hit the train station, however, Twilight's dreams of neat timetables and a speedy return trip collapsed into a living nightmare of broken windows and rotting doors.

As Twilight ranted about the griffons' clearly backward priorities when it came to empire-rebuilding, Tempest noticed something in the sky.  On the road, they had seen nothing larger than the occasional griffon winging their way back to Griffonstone, but this new shape only grew as she watched it.

And it seemed somehow familiar.

"Your Highness..."

"Infrastructure is the backbone of any-- Yes, Tempest?"

Tempest pointed.  "Does that look like an airship to you?"

The two princesses turned to gawk as what was indeed a large airship hove into view.  Its rigging was set for speed and no cannons were visible, but it did fly a pirate flag.

"Could it be?" wondered Twilight aloud.

"Ahoy, mateys!" came the cry from above, someone obviously using a megaphone.  The airship slowed to a stop above them and a long rope ladder unrolled from the side.  "Climb aboard!"

Twilight's eyes lit up.  "Captain Celaeno!"

Skystar hopped in place.  "Oh my gosh, it's her!"

Tempest's ears flattened.  "Oh no."

At Twilight's urging, she did indeed climb the ladder, while Skystar flew the Crown up to the deck.  Once they were assembled, the parrot harpy pirate crew watching them, the Captain came out to greet them.

"Princess Twilight!  Princess Skystar!" cried the Captain as both rushed up to give her hugs.  "Oof!  You're looking fit!  I heard y'might need a ride, so the crew and me came fast as we could."

"How did you know we were here?" asked Twilight.

Celaeno chuckled.  "Ran into a pony north of the Griffon Lands, said she knew ya.  What was her name, Darkling...?"

"Dangly," offered a pirate.

"No, no," said another, "it were Dirk!  Like a dagger.  Dirk?"

"Dinkle..."

"Dorky?"

"I think y'all mean Darin' Do," said a mellifluous voice to the side.  All heads turned to find an Abyssinian in a long maroon coat and tri-corner hat leaning against the mizzenmast.

"Capper!" exclaimed Skystar and Twilight.  He was prepared to catch them both in a hug.

"Hi to you two, too!" he said, laughing.  "And before you ask, Cap'n Celaeno here said she'd take me on as crew, give me a tour of the skies and whatnot."

At the look that passed between himself and the captain, Skystar began her "I sense romance in the air" squeal.  It stopped as Capper turned his eyes to Tempest.

"The real question is, what's she doin' here?"

All eyes turned to Tempest.  Her attempts to make herself invisible had been unsuccessful.

"I was wonderin' the same thing myself," said Celaeno, stumping over to her.  "Commander Tempest Shadow."

"Captain Celaeno."

The two of them stared each other down, eyes narrowed.

"Never thought I'd see you again."

"I could have put off a reunion."

Twilight interposed herself between them.  "Celaeno," she said, a note of warning in her voice, "Captain Tempest Shadow is with me.  She's part of my royal guard now, and I can vouch for her if need be."

Tempest cleared her throat and broke the stare-down, turning her eyes to the side.  "If it helps," she said measuredly, "I could apologize for blowing your ship out of the sky last we met."

Celaeno was silent, tapping the blade of her sword with one claw.  At length she said, "You know what?  Don't worry about it.  You did what you had to, I did what I had to, ain't nothin' to apologize for.  The crew's hearty and hale, and we've got a ship to carry us through the skies." She thrust out a hand.  "I can forgive and forget."

Tempest gingerly extended her hoof.  The crew cheered as Tempest and Celaeno shook.  Tempest noted Capper watching her warily.  That was fine; she hardly expected forgiveness, but she'd take what she could get.

"Besides," said the Captain, relaxing her posture, "that glowin' mark on yer butt tells me everythin' I need to know.  It's a pleasure t'see anything besides the Storm King's logo there!"

"Wait." Tempest looked back at herself.  Indeed, her cutie mark was glowing, rippling with light and letting off a soft ringing noise.  "Is it supposed to be doing that?"

She turned her gaze to Twilight, only to see that the princess's mark was doing the same thing.

"Are you kidding me?" Twilight screeched.  She looked from her own flank to Tempest's in rapid succession.  "Now?  Here?  How is this even possible?"

"What's going on?" asked Skystar, looking as confused as Tempest felt.  "Is it broken or something?  I actually have no idea what that is, now that I think about it."

"No time to explain." Twilight threw herself at Celaeno.  "Captain!  We have to get back to Equestria, now!  Full sails or whatever nautical terms are appropriate!"

Celaeno, who had been staring slack-jawed, shook herself.  "You heard the Princess!" she roared.  "All claws on deck!  Full sails an' runnin' speed!" She drew her sword, pointing it aloft, and the crew, Capper included, hopped to, readying the ship for fast travel.

"We make for Equestria or bust!"
> A Princess's Trials - Part 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Part 8: Canterlot

As Mount Canterlot rose before them, purple and majestic, Twilight couldn't hold back the tears.

After she'd come to grips with being summoned by the Cutie Map while nowhere near Equestria, the thought of finally returning there had helped stave off the anxiety.  The airship journey across the Celestial Sea and northern Equestria had taken a few hours, but now here they were, home.  They could have stopped in Manehattan or Baltimare or even Starlight's old village, and it wouldn't have mattered, because they were back in Equestria.  Still, Twilight had requested they touch down at the palace, where she could get easily word to her friends that they were safe and sound.

And home.

"It's funny..."

Twilight nearly jumped over the rail.  Tempest had materialized next to her somehow.

"The last time I entered Canterlot via airship," she continued, "I had meant to conquer it.  Now, I would be surprised if they even had advanced word we're coming."

Twilight steadied her breathing via the Cadence Maneuver.  "Well, the pirates did send someone out a little while ago to get airspace clearance."

Humming, Tempest rubbed the rail with one hoof.  "It's just odd.  The parallels and the differences."

Part of Twilight wanted to press Tempest for her exact meaning.  Instead she asked, "Do you have any regrets?"

Tempest hummed again.  She gazed out across the bowsprit to their right.  Beyond and below, the forward scout was talking with a trio of pegasi in Royal Guard armor.  As they watched, the scout waved back at the ship before winging his way back aboard.  The guards followed, forming an escort around the bow.

"It's as the Captain said." Tempest stood, stoically tracking the pegasi with her eyes.  "I did what I had to.  Given the time, given the place, given our respective situations then and my position... My only real regret was underestimating you."

A little part of Twilight was proud to hear that, which surprised her.  Another part of her shuddered.  Had Tempest not underestimated her, could her friends have saved Equestria from the Storm King on their own?  She settled on just being glad things didn't turn out worse than they had.

"But knowing what I know now," Tempest continued, her gaze alighting on Twilight, "I would have preferred Canterlot's first impression of me to have been more like this.  Peaceful.  Friendly.  Less likely to be thwarted."

As they watched the palace airfield hove into view, Twilight could only smile.





The next few minutes were a blur for Twilight.  The ship was guided down to a landing strip.  They disembarked, bidding the pirates and Capper farewell.

And then she was caught up in a familiar, warm embrace, and her world was nothing but white feathers and the scent of tea.  There was that other scent as well, the one she could never describe, which she only ever encountered in the palace.  Twilight had always thought of it as the scent of wisdom.  It certainly wasn't anything else recognizable.

"Oh, my faithful student," Celestia murmured breathlessly.  "I'm so glad you're safe."

It was all Twilight could do to return the hug.  "I'm just happy to be home, Celestia."

"I'm so sorry, Twilight."

They parted, Celestia with palpable unease, and Twilight could only wonder about that last pained whisper.  Settling herself, Celestia gave a polite nod in Tempest and Skystar's direction.

"Captain Tempest, I hope you are well?"

Tempest saluted.  "Well enough, Your Highness, thank you."

"And Princess Skystar.  It's been some time since I last saw you!"

Skystar bounded over and gave Celestia a quick hug.  "Hi, Cousin Celestia!  Just wait'll you hear what we've been doing!"

With a wry chuckle, Celestia said, "Oh, I expect we'll have plenty of catching up to do.  But first, come with me to the palace.  The three of you will doubtless want to clean up and rest."

As they fell into step behind Celestia, Twilight grunted.  "Well, I'm not sure how much time we have for resting right now.  Tempest and I kind of got called on a friendship quest this morning, and we still have no idea where we're even supposed to go!" She made a gurgling noise in the back of her throat.  "And I want to get ahold of my friends, I have to give you this evil arcane relic we found, I want to tell you about what happened just as much as Skystar does..."

"One thing at a time, Twilight," Celestia said with a soft laugh.

She brought them directly to the Royal Baths, taking the Crown of Sacanas along the way and passing it off to a guard captain to be stored with the rest of the dangerous relics.  Twilight felt somehow disappointed that giving it over had come with no ceremony; they'd certainly been through enough to get it here.  The feeling didn't last.  The Princess bid them join her in the throne room after their cleanliness was overseen by the finest spa attendants in Equestria, and she turned her anticipation toward that.

As Twilight relaxed in the steaming, scented water, she reflected with no small amount of smugness that even her ever-stoic Captain had not objected even a tiny bit to being fussed over.  She wasn't exactly splashing in the water like their hippogriff companion, but even the tireless Tempest Shadow had limits.  More importantly, she was giving herself to them.

Twilight really wanted to be contacting her friends right now, but the royal spa ponies were just too darn good at their jobs for her to feel anxious about anything.  She couldn't even muster disappointment at not having gotten her seapony tail back the moment she stepped into the water.  Celestia was right: now that they were back in Equestria, there were no time tables or deadlines to be concerned about.  She had all the time in the world to get herself back in order.

After a fiendishly short rest in the spa, they were dried and back on their way to the palace throne room.  As they moved toward it, Twilight couldn't help but notice the presence of Storm Guards everywhere.  They were repairing what minor damages remained on the walls and furnishings, as well as hauling large, broken chunks of marble out of the palace and cleaning up here and there.

And as they passed through hallways Twilight knew like the back of her hoof, every single one of those Guards stopped what they were doing and fell in line behind them.  They moved unbidden and made no noise.  The tiny feathers at the base of her wings stood on end, electrified.

Skystar stuck close to Twilight, though Tempest seemed unfazed.  In fact, her only reaction was to declare that she would wait in the hall while Twilight and Skystar went into the throne room.  Twilight was happy to leave her to whatever she planned.  Her upcoming chat with Celestia promised a chance to get everything back in order, and nothing could keep her from it.

They were announced, and the great doors opened to give them entry.

"Twilight!  Skystar!" called Celestia from across the room.  Luna sat next to her on her own throne.  "I trust you're feeling refreshed?"

"Yessss!" Skystar cheered, leaping into the air.  Her enthusiasm dried up the moment a third figure emerged from behind the thrones, and she sank to her claws, deflating.  "--Sssssoh.  Hi, Mom."

Twilight started, rushing ahead a few paces.  "Queen Novo?  What are you doing here?"

"Twilight Sparkle!" Novo stalked down the steps from the dais, glaring daggers at Skystar, her voice hard.  "I am three kinds of completely ticked off right now, and one of those is reserved entirely for myself!"

The words took a moment to sink in.  "Wait, what?"

Novo stopped before them and lowered her head.

"Princess Twilight, I am so sorry.  This is all my fault.  I thought I'd been clear the trial and punishment were ceremonial, but obviously I was not." She let out a long breath, unable to meet Twilight's gaze.  "Everything you've been through could have been avoided if I'd just swallowed my pride a little and made sure you were fully apprised of the situation first.

"I'd only intended for you and your captain to be in the Abyss for a day, after which we'd have escorted you back to Equestria.  Had you stayed put, you'd have been perfectly safe, I swear.  But not only did I not inform you of this properly, I have a sneaky suspicion someone gave you the wrong idea about my intentions..."

Novo moved past Twilight then, and Celestia and Luna came down from their thrones to join her in watching the Queen embrace her daughter tightly, much to Skystar's surprise and dismay.

"Young lady," said Novo, "you and I are going to have a long talk when we get home..." Her voice softened.  "But I am so glad you're all right.  Celestia wasn't the only one who was beside herself while you were missing."

Twilight looked to Celestia, who seemed to be intent on studying the frieze above the doors.  "Beside yourself?  Really?"

"Indeed, Twilight Sparkle," said Luna, moving up beside her to give her a brief one-winged hug.  "My sister does care for you like family, after all." She smiled, and Twilight didn't miss the hint of smugness in it.  "Worry causes her to act like a queasy mother hen.  It is nevertheless admirable."

Celestia buffeted her sister with a wing.  Luna only laughed.

"I was truly worried, Twilight.  It seems our search parties were one step behind you the whole time you were missing." Celestia dipped her head.  "And I, too, am sorry.  I also could have told you about the situation ahead of time."

Twilight gave her an awkward smile.  "It's all right," she said, pressing a wing against Celestia's chest.  "I forgive you."

That was not something she would ever get used to.

"The one thing I don't get," the queen said, standing with an arm around an uncomfortable looking Skystar, "is how my search parties never found you.  My soldiers are highly trained trackers.  Hippogriffs can spot a minnow in a kelp forest!"

"That would be Tempest's doing, Your Majesty," said Twilight with a light chuckle.  "Skystar and I were incapacitated, and Tempest was under the impression the guards were there to drag us back to the Abyss." Her ears folded back.  "I just hope she didn't hurt them too badly."

Novo let out a long groan, covering her face with a claw.  "I'll have to ask for casualty reports when I get back to Mount Aris." Whirling on Skystar, she growled, "Now what's this I just heard about you being 'incapacitated'?"

Skystar quailed, shrinking back onto her haunches.  "I-I only poisoned myself once, I swear..."

Queen Novo gave a strained smile and hugged her daughter a little too tightly.  "You are super-grounded when we get back."

"But, mom!" Skystar's ears drooped.  "I know I'm not super-great at stuff, but I walked from the Dragon Lands to Equestria, and I didn't really get hurt, and I'm the Official Mount Aris Friendship Ambassador for the Dragon Lands now, and I didn't even complain once about how sore my claws were from walking, and don't you think I'm too old to be grounded?"

"We'll talk about it after you're done being grounded," said Novo.  Then she froze, and one of her delicately plumed eyebrows lifted into the air as she gazed at her daughter anew.  "Friendship Ambassador?"

"Yeah!" Skystar did a little hop.  "And also we need to talk about the sad fish!"

Chuckling lightly, Celestia moved to Novo's side and nudged her gently with a wing.  "I think it is safe to say my erstwhile cousin has learned a valuable lesson about displays of power."

The Queen had the decency to blush, ever so slightly.

Leaning down, Celestia murmured in Twilight's ear.  "We had a bit of a talk before you all arrived."

Standing, she continued in her regular voice.  "Now, to what I'm sure is the next question on your mind, Twilight.  Spike has been keeping your friends in Ponyville up to date on your situation, ever since we learned of your disappearance from Novo.  When your mark appeared on the Cutie Map, they were the first to let me know.  They said they'd be catching the next train to Canterlot, so I expect you'll be seeing them soon."

Twilight let out a long breath, and a weight lifted from her shoulders.  One less thing to worry about, one more thing to look forward to.  "Thank you, Celestia," she said, giving her a grateful hug.





Outside the Canterlot throne room, twenty-six former Storm Guards ringed silently around Tempest Shadow, who recognized more than a few of them.  They had never had names, per se, and many unfamiliar with the Storm King's people claimed they all looked the same, but she had known them.  A leader did not forget the faces she led in battle and conquest.  Those few she didn't recognize had burns on hair and flesh that disguised the subtle indicators of their identity.  Many sported slings and other signs of medical treatment received sometime after the failed invasion.  Trust Equestrians to show kindness to their enemies.

"What do you want?" she asked, though she knew full well the answer.

Once again, they were looking to her for leadership.  She wasn't sure she was fit to provide it.  And she was keenly aware that elite Royal Guards stood just behind her, before the doors of the throne room.  Their eyes bore into the back of her head.  There was no worse place to have an incident.

The Storm Guards exchanged murmurs in their bestial half-language.  One stepped forward and dug something out of a satchel slung across his chest.

Tempest studied him.  Like the others, he still wore his helm and mask.  His kind tended to be fiercely protective of those masks; no surprise, as they were the single piece of property they had been allowed to own.  In the particular highlights of this one's mane, though, she caught markings that she last saw crouched beside a yellow pony -- Fluttershy -- while he broke down in tears.

What a remarkable talent that mare had.

The Guard held up a bundle he had found in his bag and, at her nod, unwrapped it, handing it to her.  She took it, and her breath caught in her throat.

It was a broken piece of the Storm King's petrified face.

His right eye was locked open in confused fury.  A sliver of nostril and the upper part of a fang were the only other things that suggested this had once been a face.  Nothing was left of the mouth that might have told her to set course for their next kingdom to conquer, or upbraided her for some imagined slight against his image.  A familiar tightness clamped around her throat and for a moment, she couldn't move.

"Get that out of here!" she hissed, pressing the stone -- how she tried to tell herself it was just a stone -- back into the huge, meaty paw that had given it to her.  "I don't want to see it!"

The Guard cringed as though struck.  Tempest swept her gaze across the others.  They likewise cowered, though their body language expressed not just fear but also sadness.  Or was that disappointment?

"Listen to me," she said, struggling to keep her voice low, "I didn't come here for you.  The army is dead, it's done for.  I'm not your queen."

A chorus of dismayed murmurs ran through their group at that.

"What are you all doing here, anyway?"

The one who had given her that horrible piece of stone looked back at the others, then explained as best as it could that they had been helping to fix things, here in the palace and also in the city, and they were almost done.  Trust Celestia, thought Tempest, to ensure that the homes of the populace were repaired before her own.

"That's good," she said, placing a hoof gently against the lead Guard's shoulder.  "You've done well, and I'm proud of you." She looked to the rest of them, speaking as clearly and slowly as she could.  "But we're done.  I'm not your leader anymore, I'm not your commander.  You're not soldiers.  When you've finished here, you all should pack up and go home.  Let them know what happened."

Her gaze turned to one of the stained glass windows lining the hallway.  She didn't recognize the ponies depicted in it, but the poses suggested rejoicing after the defeat of some great evil.

"Find yourselves new lives to live, and live them in peace."

"Well said, Captain," said a soft voice behind her.

Tempest whirled to see Princesses Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Skystar, accompanied by Queen Novo, exiting the throne room doors.

"These creatures might have been intimidating in the field of battle," Celestia continued, "but they have since been a tremendous help in rebuilding Canterlot."

Bowing, Tempest said, "It pleases me to hear so, Your Highness."

Twilight took a few steps forward, and the Storm Guards all shied away from her, grunting fearfully.  Concern writ large across her face, she asked, "I never got the time to find out before... What are you, exactly?"

"They are Storm King's people, Your Highness," said Tempest.  "But half-breeds.  It takes some effort to learn how they communicate.  Mostly, they're used as shock troops and heavy laborers.  They're just beasts, easily trained." She rubbed the nearest one's head.  "As smart as dumb children, at best.  But they're good boys."

The Guard cooed.

"They are under no obligation to stay once the repairs are complete," said Princess Celestia, moving up beside her.

Tempest turned to her, overwhelmed by anticipation.

"I fear they may not have much of a future here in Canterlot," Celestia said softly.  "There have been... troubles with ponies out in the city.  Mistrust has bred hate, I'm sorry to say.  What they need is organization."

There it was.  Tempest searched the Princess's eyes, finding nothing but matronly warmth and patience.  The sheer love the Equestrian princess radiated at any moment was far too intense to behold for long.; Tempest had to avert her gaze.  Instead, she studied the Guards, huddled together, regarding her with longing, like lost children in need of a mommy.

Her stomach squirmed.  After all she had just been through, she had proven herself physically fit but otherwise in need of... remediation.

"I'm sorry," she said, voice grating a little in her throat.  As she looked over the Guards, she could feel their disappointment mirroring itself in her heart.  "I don't have what you need.  There's no life for you here in Equestria.  Finish your jobs and go home."

If Princess Celestia was likewise disappointed in her, she did not show it.  Though she did seem to be waiting.

"But..." Now Tempest's eyes searched the marble tiled floor.  It was cool beneath her unshod hooves.  Her legs were starting to ache.  "If you can find someone to write for you, you can send me letters at the Friendship Castle here in Equestria.  Let me know what happens in the next step of your lives." She gave them a small smile.  "I'd like that."

The Guards grunted happily and saluted.  Celestia beamed at her.

"I shall see them transported safely back to their homelands once they've finished," she said.  "The castle's staff includes at least one pony who can understand them."

Tempest bowed.  "Thank you, Your Highness."

The Storm Guards lined up before Tempest, shuffling past her as she patted each one on the head.  She ignored the assembled royals' amusement.

"And now," said Princess Celestia at length, "I think Twilight has a train to catch."





Twilight, Tempest and Skystar had barely gotten off the palace grounds before the question that had been plaguing Twilight for the past twenty minutes finally burst out of her.

"So what exactly are they half-breeds with?"

Without looking at her, Tempest said, "You don't want to know."

Twilight couldn't help but feel a tad condescended to.

"Let's just say," Tempest continued, "that Grubber is what you get from a three-quarters breed."

"Eww," said Skystar, sticking her tongue out.

Twilight wondered if seeing the Storm Guards again hadn't made Tempest nostalgic.  Did she care about where her former lackey had gone off to?  The little imp had disappeared after the invasion was stopped, and she herself hadn't thought about him since.  Was he all right?  She had no way to find out, but that didn't prevent the worry coming on all of a sudden.

She switched her train of thought.  Since their visit to the palace, Skystar had been somewhat less excitable than usual.  No doubt the specter of the grounding of a lifetime that awaited her when she got home was dampening her mood.  Queen Novo had let her out with them on the condition they stay together, recognizing that Twilight's friends were Skystar's friends now, too.

The queen had also returned Tempest's armor.  That had been something to see, her captain utterly speechless as the brash queen apologized to her for putting her through their ordeal before formally banishing her from Mount Aris and Seaquestria.  When Novo had said back at Mount Aris that they would return her armor to her, she had meant when they left the next day.  She'd been holding onto it personally ever since.  Though, now that there was a promise of new armor on the horizon, Tempest had actually thought twice about putting it on; presently, she carried it through the streets in a bundle on her back.

Hopefully, the Royal Armorer would be able to get them a time estimate before they left.  Or any kind of contact at all, since she'd not heard from them yet.

"Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight jolted and turned to see a familiar yellow unicorn in thick horn-rimmed glasses walking with a pink-maned white unicorn.

"Moondancer!  Twinkleshine!" With a broad grin, Twilight trotted over to them, her little party coming to a halt behind her.

The trio exchanged embraces.  Twilight couldn't help noticing Moondancer lacked her usual barrettes.  Mane long down her neck was quite a pleasing look on her, not least because it was clean and brushed.

"What are you doing in Canterlot?" asked Moondancer, smiling.

"It's a long story.  But nevermind that, you look great!" Twilight exclaimed, with what she hoped was not too much enthusiasm.  "How've you two been?"

"Oh, you know," said Twinkleshine, waving her hoof noncommittally.  "Dangerous invasions aside, it's just the same old same old around here!"

Moondancer giggled and nudged Twinkleshine.  "Since your last visit, Twilight, things have been so much better.  I have friends now, and more importantly, I'm living life instead of hiding in my house or the library all day." She gave a happy sigh.  "And I have you to thank."

"Oh, don't thank me, I--"

Twilight was cut off as a pair of warm, yellow lips pressed against hers.  Stars exploded in her vision and her entire body went slack.  Dimly, she became aware of Tempest yelling at somepony.  It didn't seem that important at the moment.

When the kiss broke, Twilight plopped onto her haunches and stared straight ahead.

"Sweet Celestia, did that feel good!" crowed Moondancer, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.  "You know, I set up that party to confess my feelings for you, Twilight, which is kind of why you not showing, you know, broke me?" She let out a hysterical giggle.  "But it's all right now!  I'm over that, and I'm actually glad nothing came of it because I was definitely not ready for a relationship back then.  Anyway, thanks again, Twilight, I really owe you, and I totally forgive you, too.  Hi, Twilight's friends, bye Twilight's friends!"

With that, she and Twinkleshine walked off, tails entwined.

"Buh," said Twilight Sparkle.

Three pairs of hooves approached her from behind.  A high-pitched squeal suggested one of them belonged to Princess Skystar.

"I did not see that coming," said Tempest sardonically.  "Rest assured, Your Highness, the interlopers have been dealt with."

"Buh," said Twilight.

"I had no idea you had a mare waiting for you at home!" Skystar bubbled.  She hopped up and down in front of Twilight, eyes sparkling.  "Oh, romance is so precious!  I love it so much!  But I think that one's taken, Twilight, so you'll have to find another one somewhere else."

"Buh."

Skystar wrapped an arm around Twilight's shoulder and whispered in her ear.  "Don't worry, I can totally help you find one.  I'm great with this stuff!"

Twilight at last shook her head, regaining some semblance of normal functionality.  She looked back at her flank.  Tempest and Skystar followed her gaze.

After a minute or so of nothing happening, Tempest asked, "Are you all right, Princess?"

Twilight gave her a desperate look.

"How was that not the friendship problem?"





As luck would have it, the train from Ponyville arrived shortly after they made it to the station, so they only had a few minutes to wait before the joyful reunion.  Twilight broke down in tears during the group hug, and Fluttershy joined in for moral support.  Rarity and Pinkie Pie went out of their way to welcome Tempest back, while Rainbow Dash gave her a grudging and half-hearted "Good job keeping Twilight safe, I guess."

Then there was Skystar.

In her defense, she waited until the pony pile had parted before shouting, "Pinkie!" tackling her to the ground and planting a big, sloppy kiss on her lips.  Only Rarity took this as a positive, cooing while the others watched in surprised confusion.  Twilight and Tempest shared a look of apprehension.

When the kiss broke, Pinkie looked up sadly into Skystar's eyes and patted her on the cheek.

"I'm happy to see you too, Skystar," she said with a sigh.  "Come on, let's go find a quiet place where we can talk."

Skystar trotted off behind her, babbling at her in the way only the one person who hadn't gotten the hint could.

"Come on, girls," said Twilight, "let's give them some privacy and head back to the palace."

"The palace?" asked Rainbow Dash.  "Aren't we catching the next train back to Ponyville?"

"Yes," said Rarity.  "Spike and Starlight are dutifully holding down the fort at the castle, as it were, but they are expecting to see you home sooner than later."

"I'd love to go home right now," said Twilight, "but Tempest and I haven't found our friendship problem yet."

"Ohhhh!" said Twilight's friends, all together.

"Goodness, Twilight," said Fluttershy, "don't friendship problems usually show up right after you arrive where the map sent you?"

"We don't know where the problem is," said Tempest.

Twilight shook her head.  "And it hasn't exactly been the first thing on my mind until now, either."

"Ya gonna tell us the whole story of what happened?" asked Applejack.  "We've all been worried sick these past weeks."

"You got it, AJ." Twilight smiled, but it was short-lived.

Before she could say anything further, Princess Skystar flew past them, headed back to the palace in tears at breakneck speed.  A short minute later, Pinkie Pie arrived behind them, her mane looking decidedly less poofy than usual.  Fluttershy lent her a comforting hoof, and the others looked on with worried, sad expressions.

"I think I'd like to hear that story now," said Pinkie with a sniff.





It was late as they returned to Canterlot Castle, and rooms were arranged for all.  Twilight and Tempest were reassured that Canterlot was indeed where their marks had appeared on the Cutie Map.  Rarity promised to check on her Royal Armory contact in the morning, and the others bid each other good night.

Except, Twilight noticed, for Pinkie Pie, who had been moping about since the incident with Skystar.  On her way to following Pinkie to her room, she was surprised by Queen Novo surging at her from around a corner like a wave over a rocky shore.

"Princess Twilight, could I have a moment of your time?"

Twilight shivered but gave a little bow of her head regardless.  "Of course, Your Majesty."

Novo frowned.  Somehow, Twilight got the impression it wasn't meant for her.  "Did something happen to my daughter while you were out?  She flew in here an hour ago, locked herself in her room and won't answer the door."

"As a matter of fact, Your Majesty," said Twilight, squaring her shoulders, "I was just about to go find out the answer to that question myself."

The queen followed her, though her confusion when they reached Pinkie's door was palpable.

"Come in," came Pinkie's soft voice at Twilight's knock.  That was a good sign, at least.

The room was dark, save for the moonlight shining in through the large, open windows at the other end.  Pinkie sat on a bench placed under one of the windows, gazing out at the night sky.  The stained glass cast a shadow of wings stretched along her back.

"Hi, Twilight," said Pinkie, mustering a bare modicum of cheer.  It waned when she noticed Twilight's companion.  "Oh.  Hello, Queen Novo.  I'd say it was nice to see you again, but I figure you're probably mad at me."

"What?" The queen looked taken aback.  "Why would I be mad at you?"

Pinkie heaved a tremendous sigh.  "Because I made Skystar cry." She sniffled and scrubbed at her face.  "When we got off the train, she was there with Twilight and Tempest, and then she kissed me.  Again."

"Oh." Novo's eyebrows furrowed.  "Oh."

"Yeah." Pinkie gave a halfhearted smile at nothing in particular.  "So I had a little talk with her, and she said she loved me and had been waiting so long to see me again, and I just... I just don't feel the same way."

Pinkie turned toward them, her eyes filled with tears.  "I don't feel the same way, and I told her so, and now she's sad, and it's all my fault!"

Twilight went to Pinkie, sitting on the bench and putting an arm around her, squeezing her tightly.  Queen Novo, to her surprise, joined them, crouching down in front of the bench so she was eye-to-eye with Pinkie.

"Pinkie Pie, I want to apologize for my daughter's behavior," she said with a long-suffering sigh.  "I don't know where that girl gets her ideas.  I tried to do good by her, honestly I did, but she's just such an airhead sometimes." She drew a claw down her face.  "All I can say is I hope living on land will change her for the better, so something like this doesn't happen again."

Twilight frowned.  "With all due respect, Queen Novo, I think you're being a little hard on Skystar."

Novo and Pinkie turned at her, mirrored surprise on their faces.

"I mean, yes, she is a little childish, and she's got some strange ideas about how love works..." Twilight glanced out the window as a Night Guard flew past on patrol.  "But she's really trying to figure out who she is, to find her place in the world.  She loves finding the good in things, and she bounces back quickly from setbacks.  She might grow up a little bit more if you treated her more like an adult." She snorted.  "Give her some space to grow, is what I'm saying, just, you know, don't let her too far off the leash."

Novo responded with contemplative silence.

Finally, she stood with a long stretch, shaking her head.  "Well, I don't know about you two, but I need some sleep!  Good night Pinkie Pie, Your Highness."

"Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty..."

Twilight waited until the queen had left, then got down off the bench.  The hour was late, and Novo was right; it was all she could do to suppress a yawn.  But a pink hoof on her shoulder stopped her from going any further.

"Twilight?"

"Yeah, Pinkie?"

She turned and looked up into Pinkie's shimmering blue eyes.  So rare was it to see Pinkie Pie as introspective as she had been this evening that Twilight wasn't about to leave her alone if she still needed comfort.

"Why do ponies fall in love?"

The question hit Twilight like a brick.  Her thoughts immediately turned to Moondancer, the sudden kiss, and the sight of her and Twinkleshine walking much more closely together than she had first realized.  Heat rose to her cheeks.

"I, that..." She coughed.  Climbing back up onto the bench, she scooted close to Pinkie and said, "I don't really know.  Love... well, romantic love isn't something I've ever really dealt with before."

Pinkie pressed herself close to Twilight and sniffled.  "I hear ponies say all the time that the worst thing that ever happened to them was asking somepony they liked on a date, only to be told, 'We should just be friends.'  But isn't being friends good?  How come it's not enough?"

Twilight hugged Pinkie close as her tears started afresh.  "Oh, Pinkie Pie..."

"Twilight, why doesn't Skystar want to just be my friend?" She broke down, sobbing into Twilight's shoulder.

Twilight was tired, and she had no idea how to answer any of Pinkie's questions.  But her friend was hurting, and if there was one thing Twilight Sparkle knew how to do right, it was being there to help a friend in need.

"I don't think she doesn't want to be your friend, Pinkie," she said soothingly.  "The whole time we were gone, she kept going on and on about how happy the thought of seeing you again made her.  And, yeah, she has this crazy idea that the two of you are in love, but..."

She licked her lips.  Turning Pinkie's head with her hoof, she looked into her friend's tear-filled eyes.

"I know you don't like seeing other ponies cry, Pinkie.  I know you don't ever want to hurt them.  But don't blame yourself, okay?  Skystar's still young, and maybe she needed something like this to realize that her fantasies of romance are just fantasy." She smiled.  "I think, if you can give her some time, she'll come around and be okay just being your friend."

Pinkie sniffled, and Twilight floated a hoofkerchief over from across the room for her to blow her nose.

"Do you really think so?"

"I do.  You and I both know how strong friendship can be, after all."

Nodding, Pinkie wadded up the snotty cloth and let it fall to the floor.  "I just always see romance and mushy stuff getting in the way of ponies being friends." Her voice grew small.  "Sometimes I really, really hate it.  I don't care about love, Twilight.  Not the kissy-smoochy kind of love anyway.  I just want to be everypony's friend and not have to worry about complicated stuff."

Twilight smiled, patting her on the back.  "I'm happy to be your friend, Pinkie.  And I know anypony who gives you chance is glad to have you as a friend, too."

All of a sudden, Pinkie threw her hooves around Twilight's neck.  "I'm so glad you just want to be friends!"

Twilight laughed.  "Me too, Pinkie Pie.  Me too."
> A Princess's Trials - Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect

Epilogue

Tempest let out a sigh of relief as her body lurched, the train beneath her chugging its way out of the station.  Part of her had feared they would never leave Canterlot, but now here they were, on their way back to Ponyville.  The company was sound, all was well, and she had to admit the new armor was not only comfortable but comforting.

And, sure, maybe it was a little stylish too.  Silver, as it turned out, looked quite good on her, especially with that blazon of her cutie mark on the flanks.

"Come sit down, Tempest," Twilight said, giggling as she patted the seat next to her.

Tempest nodded, joining her princess, and appreciating how well the armor held up to being sat on.

Their car was empty save for the two of them.  Twilight had wanted to ride with all of her friends, of course, but the others had ushered Pinkie Pie out shortly before their departure, at Pinkie's own behest.  The mare had been positively vibrating, trying to keep some sort of secret to herself, and asked the others to not only escort her from the train, but to also keep an eye on her, lest she spill the beans.

Tempest could only wonder what lay in store for them in Ponyville.

"Well, it's all over now, Your Highness."

"Yeah." Twilight shook her head.  "What a crazy couple of weeks this has been."

"Mm." Tempest gazed across the car, watching the spires of Canterlot disappear as they moved into the first dark tunnel.  "I want to apologize."

"What?  What for?"

"If my behavior during our... adventure was in any way untoward.  I fear I may have been overbearing, toward both you and Princess Skystar."

"Tempest." The chiding came with a soft hoof against her arm.  "Everything you did, you did to keep us safe.  And you did a magnificent job!  I couldn't have asked for a better guide for that whole trip."

Tempest was thankful the momentary darkness hid the warmth rising to her cheeks.  "Thank you, Your Highness.  That is relieving to hear.  Though..." She swallowed.  "I must admit a certain amount of... trepidation as we venture back into civilization and familiar climes."

The tunnel ended, and Tempest didn't miss the knowing look that passed over Twilight's features.  "Oh?  Afraid you're not going to be able to deal with pony problems as easily as wilderness problems?"

Tempest's ears went flat, and her eyes widened.  "How did you...?"

Giggling, Twilight said, "I'm starting to figure you out, Captain.  What you're going through is normal for a pony unused to friendship.  But think about it.

"Every time we met somepony who knew you and knew what you had done in the past, you ended up winning them over with your actions.  You've proven time and time again that you're changing, you're becoming a better pony." She smiled.  "And remember, you can always trust in me and my friends to help you out when you're feeling out of your depth."

Tempest was quiet for a while, staring down at her hooves.  Maybe she hadn't proven herself to the pirates, but even Captain Celaeno had been willing to bury the hatchet without much prompting.  They all trusted Twilight to trust her in turn.  Maybe she should start trusting herself more.

She drew in a long breath.  "Friendship." She let it out.  "Is that why you're not seeking any kind of retribution against Queen Novo?  After all we've been through..."

"Of course," said Twilight in a tone that brooked no argument.  "She was trying to do what she thought was best for her people, just like I was trying to do what I thought was best for Equestria.  We were both wrong, so there's no need to cast remonstrations."

She sighed.  "I talked to her a little bit the other day, here in Canterlot.  It sounded like things weren't going very well for her, just in general." She shifted slightly in what might have been a shrug.  "Maybe she's having just as much trouble readjusting to life on land as the rest of her people.  Or maybe it's more like the trouble Dragon Lord Ember has having.  Running the Dragolympics does sort of bring herding cats to mind, doesn't it?"

Tempest let out a snort, enough to cover the laugh she had almost loosed, if not the smile.  Twilight's eyes twinkled for a moment, before she looked away.

"Admittedly, that all does make me kind of glad I don't have a kingdom of my own to run yet." She scraped her hoof along the windowsill beside her.  "I can't imagine what it's like, having responsibility over that many people, trying to make edicts and decrees that will improve their lives while balancing the needs of the nation..."

She lapsed into a silence Tempest didn't feel the need to break.  When Twilight next spoke, it was with a shake of her head.

"Well anyway, if we hadn't gone on that adventure, we wouldn't have stopped Ahuizotl and found the Crown." She gave Tempest a conspiratorial smile.  "Unless you have any lingering regrets, I'd say it was a solid learning experience."

"No regrets, Princess," said Tempest softly.  "I suppose it was quite lucky we were able to be in the right place at the right time, if what that beast said about his plans was true."

"I keep telling you, Tempest, it's destiny." Twilight smiled up at her, and Tempest saw pride and respect radiating from her in equal measure.  "And I feel like it was destiny that we went on that adventure together.  You were the right mare for the job.  I may have missed my other friends, but I wouldn't have wanted anyone else alongside me."

The smile wobbled, withering as she swallowed hard.  "Which is why I'd like to apologize now."

"What for?" asked Tempest, taken aback.

"I should have trusted you more during our friendship quest.  I knew you'd never done one before, and I'd been so sure my plan would work..." She sighed.  "But you saved the day.  I'm sorry I didn't have more faith in you."

Tempest snorted.  "For what it's worth, Princess, I didn't have much faith in myself.  Nor was I particularly taking the whole thing seriously."

She hummed.  "We did end up making a difference in those ponies' lives though, didn't we?"

Twilight nodded.

"Even if they were the most annoying ponies in Equestria."

Twilight let out a sound halfway between a snort and a guffaw.  "Tempest!"

"Sorry." Tempest regarded her with mischievous smile.  "I'm not exactly a friendship problem-solving master yet."

Twilight countered with a smile of her own, that same soft, knowing one.  "But you did say 'yet'."

"Uhm..." Tempest nodded.  "Well, apology accepted, Your Highness."

"You've got nothing to worry about, Tempest." Twilight grinned and touched her shoulder lightly.  "You're already thinking like a true Guardian of Friendship."





It was near midnight when they stepped off the train.  It was so late, in fact, that the conductor bid them good night and went to find a berth in the train station ahead of resuming his rounds in the morning.

"Is that some kind of net?" Twilight wondered aloud, eyes pointing skyward.  Indeed, something thin and amorphous seemed to be superimposed darkly against the night.

"I can't wait!" shouted Pinkie Pie, racing ahead of them.  "Is everypony ready?"

Tempest was about to inquire who she was speaking to when a brief flash of light illuminated a mob of ponies in front of them.  It took only that flash for her to interpose herself in front of Princess Twilight, head lowered and legs spread.

The light was followed by another, and another, until all at once, dozens of fireworks, candles and other light sources had banished the darkness from Ponyville town square and illuminated the hundred smiling ponies waiting there.  Tempest scoffed and shook her head, relaxing her defensive stance.

"It figures."

"WELCOME HOME!" shouted the crowd.

"Sorry we weren't quicker," said a lone stallion somewhere off to the right.  "We kind of fell asleep while we were waiting."

"That's okay!" said Pinkie, giving him a hug.  "'Cause now you've all got all the energy you need to party all night long!"

The crowd cheered.  Tempest gave Twilight a questioning look, which the princess returned with a bemused one.  Pinkie appeared in front of them, bouncing on her tail.

"Were you surprised, huh?  Were ya?  'Cause my Pinkie Sense told me we were gonna be needing a huge party, so I decked the town out in my super-duper bestest decorations, and then the Cutie Map told us you were in Canterlot, and I said to everypony, just wait here for us!  Then we got on the train, and I guess that was a few days ago, wasn't it?"

"We took shifts!" shouted a mare.  She waved a sparkler around and high-hoofed another pony nearby.

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically.  "I knew I could count on you all!  And now we can throw Tempest her super-dee-duper biggest party ever, because there's a whole bunch of parties I needed to throw right the hecksies now, so I rolled them all into one ginormundous one!  Come on, everypony's waiting to say hi!"

She bounced off, and Twilight's other friends followed.  Tempest hung back, and Twilight noticed after a few paces, stopping to turn and look back at her.

"Does she do that often?" Tempest asked, concerned.

"Occasionally." Twilight gave her a huge smile.  "There's no time like the present to start getting used to it.  Welcome home, Captain Tempest."
> The Captain's Party
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Captain's Party
by Present Perfect

There were five banners above the party in Town Hall.  They read, from top to bottom:


WELCOME HOME TWILIGHT AND TEMPEST!

HAPPY CUTE-CEAÑERA TEMPEST!

CONGRATULATIONS CAPTAIN OF THE FRIENDSHIP GUARD!

THANKS FOR NOT BEING A BAD GUY ANYMORE!

WELCOME TO PONYVILLE FIZZLTEMPEST SHADOW!!!


Tempest was not sure what to make of any of it.  Granted, she was tired after her long weeks of adventure, and the night was late, but that somehow hadn't seemed to dampen the spirits of the ponies of Ponyville.  Sure, after the initial hurrahs, those with foals had taken their yawning children home to bed, but some had returned after.  There was a certain magic to this party, and it was keeping everyone lively and enthused well past when they all should have been asleep.

Sipping the punch, too sweet for her tastes, she wondered how the morning would look.

"Well, well," said a wet, smarmy voice from behind her, "if it isn't the mare of several hours!"

She turned to see a grin perched atop a long pole made of mismatched animal parts.  It held out a claw that appeared to have been stolen from a griffin.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure.  Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, lately reformed."

Tempest cleared her throat and shook the appendage which, to her mounting disgust, detached itself from the creature's elbow.  Another grew in its place.

"Tempest Shadow.  I'm... charmed?"

"Oh, you should be." Discord chuckled and wrapped himself around her shoulders.  "I'm sure we're going to be involved in plenty of madcap shenanigans in the future, but for right now, I wanted to extend you an exclusive offer."

She tried to shrug him off and scowled when he stuck to her with honey-like viscosity.  "It wouldn't require the willing gift of my soul, would it?"

That got a hearty belly-laugh out of the beast.  "Oh, goodness, no!  I haven't traded in souls for millennia!" He wiped tears from his eyes, one of which morphed into a small index card.  "No, no, this is far less metaphysical.  Big fan of your work in Canterlot, by the way, wish I could have been there to see it myself."

He snapped his fingers and a little clay diorama appeared before them, replaying Tempest turning Princess Cadence to stone before making rude gestures at her.  Much to her own surprise, Tempest found herself wracked with chagrin.  She'd told Princess Twilight earlier that she had no regrets, and yet, watching the scene from another angle, her resolve shook just the tiniest amount, even if parts of said scene were obviously being fabricated.  No doubt she would be making a formal apology to this princess sometime in the future.

"But!" Another finger-snap and the diorama vanished in a puff of smoke.  "We, of course, don't do things like that anymore, right?  And that just so happens to be the reason our little club was formed."

He held the index card up in front of her.




SOCIETY OF REFORMED VILLAINS
Membership

Discord, Esq., S.o.C.&D., H.R.P.i.t.A., X.J.Q.11.V. (Handsome President for Eternity)
Starlight Glimmer (Second Best Pony)
Trixie Lulamoon? (Present By Default)
Sunset Shimmer (FORWARDING ADDRESS REQUESTED)
Darkscowl McEdgehorse (Prospective Newbie)
Princess Luna (Treasurer)




She did indeed scowl darkly as the second-to-last name hastily erased and rewrote itself as "Tempest Shadow".

"We meet on the twelfth Norsday of each month," he said, sliding the card into her mane.  "Plan to bring something for potluck.  Dues will be collected when you least expect them!" He chuckled.  "Support groups are all the rage these days, and coincidentally are good at helping control rage!  Anyway, give it some thought, won't you?"

He put two fingers in his mouth and blew.  A small horn emerged from his left ear, loosing a blast of noise and producing a little flag that read "AWOOGA".

"Oh, Pinkie Pie!" he cried, waving over at her.  "Don't you think it's time to kick this party up a notch?"

Tempest was glad she didn't know why he was suddenly wearing a chef's outfit as he said that.

"Discord, you are sooo right!" Pinkie hopped onto the little stage at the back of the room, the crowd turning to watch her.  "Twilight and Tempest, you're the ponies of the evening!  Give us a speech!"

The ponies cheered, stomped their hooves, and began a chant of, "Speech!  Speech!"

Twilight, across the room with her other friends, lifted into the air and fluttered over, waving to the cheering crowd.  Tempest allowed herself to be pushed on-stage by Discord, who was somehow able to keep a hand on her hindquarters all the way there despite not moving himself.  He gave her a little finger-waggle once she had met with Twilight and disappeared himself in a swirl of energy.

"Thank you, everypony, for coming out to a party thrown this late at night!" Twilight started.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world!" shouted a stallion near the front.  The other ponies cheered their agreement.

Twilight smiled.  "All I want to say is how glad I am to be home again.  It was a rough journey, and I'm sure you'll hear all about it in the coming days, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that there really is no place like home."

More applause followed.  A sort of low-level panic began to seize Tempest's chest.  This speech was not going to be very long, and then...

"But of course, I wouldn't be standing here today if not for the real mare of the hour.  Won't you all give a warm welcome to Tempest Shadow?"

As the Princess stepped back, the crowd's reaction was scattered and varied.  Some cleared their throats, some gave little taps of their hooves on the floor, others did their best to look into their drinks.  A weight took hold of her muscles, and stepping up toward the edge of the stage was like trying to force her way through centuries of cobwebs in an ancient temple.

"Well," she said, and cleared her throat as her voice caught for a moment.  "My name's on an awful lot of those banners, isn't it?"

This actually got some chuckles from the assembled partiers.  Eyes and more than a few smiles turned toward her.  Tempest was momentarily aware of Princess Twilight being right behind her, a whisper of "Good!" in her ear.

"I... haven't been in Ponyville long enough to make many of your acquaintances," Tempest began.  "But I know a lot of you were in Canterlot... recently."

The reference was missed by none.  There were a few pairs of eyes in which she could see reflected the exact same fear she had reveled in as she stepped off that airship.  Her head sank.

"I hope none of you will let that stop you from giving me a second chance, as Princess Twilight has.  I know forgiveness is not always easy."

She paused, raising her eyes to the ceiling.  Colorful decorations hung from every nook and cranny of the spacious meeting room.  They marked this as a place of festivity and celebration, not gloomy recrimination and regret.

Tempest squared herself and took a deep breath.  "If you haven't heard, the Princess has seen fit to appoint me the Captain of her new Friendship Guard.  I have to admit, I'm not quite sure what that means yet, but... Well, the Friendship Guard starts with 'friendship', doesn't it?

"So that is where I would like to start, with all of you.  I would like to be your friend, if you'd have me." She raised her glass and gazed out over the crowd.  In the far corner, Twilight's friends were smiling at her, silently supporting her as she knew the Princess herself was.

"To friendship!" Tempest cried.  "And Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

"To friendship!" shouted the crowd, and the weight in Tempest's chest lifted.  "To Twilight!"

"And also to Captain Tempest Shadow!" shouted Twilight, bringing a glass around in her own magic.

"To Tempest!" the ponies responded, and Tempest was surprised to note that their enthusiasm had not dimmed.

As the company drained their glasses, Pinkie Pie appeared on stage between Twilight and Tempest, hugging them both.

"And now that all the kiddies have gone to beddy-bye," she yelled, "the real fun begins!  Line up for adult punch, everypony!"

A purple earth mare wheeled out a cart with another large glass bowl, sloshing with liquid that matched her coat.  Ponies lined up for a refill, and the music and chatter started back up, filling Town Hall will life and warmth.

"Not bad," said Princess Twilight as the two of them made their way across the floor.  "Not bad at all, Tempest!" Ponies patted Twilight on the back, welcoming her home, and though they tended to keep their distance from Tempest, she got just as many warm welcomes.

"I honestly don't know where any of that came from," Tempest said.  "But I decided to... roll with it, you might say."

Twilight gave her a huge smile.  "I keep telling you, you're a natural.  You've got as much potential for friendship as anypony.  Give it some time, and you might even stop being surprised at what you can accomplish."

She finished with a wink, and they came up to the little knot Twilight's friends had made.

"Welcome back, Twilight," said Fluttershy, greeting them with a soft smile.  "Hello, Tempest.  Those were very nice speeches you made."

"Hear, hear!" cried Rarity, mirroring her smile.  "Once Rainbow Dash gets back with more punch, we will simply have to have our own private toast for the both of you!"

As if on cue, Rainbow showed up, her arms full of cups, which she handed out to those present.

"Alright, gals, I got your refills!  Plus a little extra for yours truly!" She let out a bark of laughter and gave Tempest the side-eye.  "Tempest."

Tempest returned the glare.  "Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow let out a yelp as a bit of purple magic tugged on her tail.  "Hey!"

"Rainbow, don't be mean!" Twilight said, pulling her down to the floor.  "Tempest is trying her best to be friendly with everypony.  The least you can do is give her a chance!"

Rarity tutted.  "As much as it pains me to come to Rainbow Dash's defense, you'll recall she did take quite some time to warm up to Starlight Glimmer." She sipped daintily at her punch then added, "It's simply dear Rainbow's own style of making friends to be protective of those she already has."

"Yeah!" cried Rainbow, rubbing at her dock.  "What she said!"

"Not exactly," said Applejack, throwing an arm around Rainbow's neck with a shit-eating grin.  "As I recall it, you spent a lot more time takin' peeks at Starlight's butt than tryin' to get to know her."

"What?" Rainbow's face turned a vibrant shade of purple as she tried to wriggle free from AJ's iron grip.  "N-no I didn't!"

"Sure you did, Dashie!" cried Pinkie as she appeared on Dash's other side and joined in the hugging.  "'Cause you've always had a thing for older mares!"

Dash's face turned pink.  "Whu-- Uh-- Er-- No!" And with that, she zipped backwards out of the group hug, taking off over the party-goers as her friends had a good laugh.

As the laughter died down, Fluttershy piped up.  "I never realized Starlight was much older than us."

"Oh, sure!" Pinkie said, nodding emphatically.  "She'll be thirty-eight this winter!"

Pinkie's face turned a vibrant shade of purple as Rarity spit a mouthful of punch all over it.

"Mmm!" said Pinkie, licking it all off in one go.  "Tasty!  Catch you later, gals, gotta go party!" She bounced off, singing, "La la-la la-la!"

"Thirty-eight?" gasped Rarity as Fluttershy patted her on the back.  "She's thirty-eight years old and she needed our help?"

Twilight gave her a lopsided smile and rolled her eyes.  "It's never too late to learn about the power of friendship, Rarity.  Besides, Starlight's doing just fine now."

Tempest took a long draw of her punch, giving Twilight a sidelong glance.  "So just how much older than you is she, since it's such a shock?"

"Ooh!" Twilight grew animated.  "I remember we figured this out a year or two ago.  So, Fluttershy's the oldest--" Fluttershy nodded-- "and then it goes Rarity, Applejack, me, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash.  She and Fluttershy are two years apart, and Rainbow just turned twenty-six.  So the answer is ten!" She clapped her hooves together, while Rarity and Applejack shared a light chuckle.

"Why?" Twilight continued.  "How old are you?"

Clearing her throat, Tempest gave the question a bit of thought.  "Well, I haven't exactly kept up with birthdays for some time, you understand..." She tapped her chin.  "I suppose, looking back on it, I might be... twenty years old?  Twenty-one?"

She lifted her head after a moment's silence to see them all staring at her, open-mouthed.

"What?" she asked, taken aback.

Rarity coughed.  "You know, I think I actually felt my hip go out just now."

"All the stuff you done in your life, and you're maybe only twenty?" Applejack shook her head.  "I'll drink to that." She lifted her cup and took a long draught.

Pinkie Pie was suddenly in their midst.  "Did I hear somepony say she hasn't had a birthday in years?"

"Yes, Pinkie," said Twilight.  "Tempest said she's maybe twenty-one, and I have to assume the Storm King was not big on celebrating birthdays." She gave Tempest a sidelong glance, and Tempest nodded slightly.

Then she sputtered as Pinkie clamped her arms around Tempest's next and started chanting.

"Tempest is the baby!  Tempest is the baby!"

"I'm not a baby!" Tempest groaned, trying and failing to push her away.  "Get off me!"

"Don't worry, Tempest!" Pinkie gazed up into her eyes, grinning from ear to ear.  "Just tell me when your birthday is, and I'll make sure the next one will make up for all the parties you missed!"

And just as quickly as she'd appeared, Pinkie vanished back into the crowd.

"Does she do that often?" Tempest asked, rubbing her neck.

Rarity nodded.  "Give it a year or so, dear, you'll learn to stop questioning."

"Or just drink more," said Applejack, downing her cup.  Fluttershy offered hers, which AJ took with a tip of her hat.  "Much obliged, Fluttershy."

"No problem.  I can't drink much."

"Hey, Tempest!"

The five mares turned their heads to see Starlight Glimmer, Trixie and a large white pegasus coming up behind them.  The last stopped when Tempest turned, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"There you are.  Pinkie mentioned something about you not mingling much at your own party, and you said you wanted to make more friends, so I thought now would be a perfect time to make introductions!" She gave a hysterical little giggle, followed by a hiccup.  "Tempest Shadow, meet Bulk Biceps!"

Tempest took a few steps toward the pegasus, marvelling at how a pony so massive could seem so incredibly shy.  "How do you do?"

"Uh!" he said, in a voice that filled the space around him.  "Hi!"

Starlight sidled in between them, still grinning like a goat in a trash pile.  "He's the pony I told you about earlier!  I think you two have a lot in common."

She began rubbing her hooves together as the two ponies sized each other up.  Behind Starlight, Trixie swayed slightly.

Tempest narrowed her eyes.  "So tell me... Bulk.  Are you as strong as you look?"

A grin split the stallion's face, exposing a misaligned row of enormous teeth.  He reared back and flexed his forehooves, his biceps living up to his name.  "I sure am!"

Tempest shot a quick look at Starlight.  "Get us a table."

"The Great and Pofferful Trissie provides!" cried Trixie, horn guttering.  After a second, there was a pop, and a picnic table appeared between Tempest and Bulk.  They took their seats and placed their forearms on the table as the others crowded around.

They locked eyes.  Tempest grinned.  "You ready, big boy?"

"I was born ready!" he bellowed.

"Three, two, one!" they cried in unison, then began straining against one another.

The little crowd around them cheered and hollered, attracting more and more ponies from the party until just about everyone was in attendance.  Muscles strained and sweat poured from the combatants' foreheads as they pushed and struggled.

Then, with a loud thud, Tempest's hoof hit the table.  The crowd cheered.

"Yeah!" shouted Bulk, standing and lifting his hooves in triumph.  Tempest grinned at him and rolled her shoulder.

"Best two out of three?" she asked.  "I think I have your measure now."

Bulk sat back down, an eager grin on his face, and locked fetlocks with her once more.  This time, it was his hoof that hit the table, and after not nearly as much battle.  The crowd went absolutely crazy as she beat him a second time, almost as soon as they had started the round, and then once more for good measure, with their off-hooves.

When Tempest stood, it was to a cowed but smiling opponent, and a herd of ponies chanting her name.  She held out her hoof to Bulk, and he shook it.

"I've got a lotta raw muscle," he said good-naturedly, "but I don't get to use it much.  That was great!"

"Don't sell yourself short," said Tempest, smiling.  "You're easily the strongest pegasus I've ever met, by a league.  I think we could be friends."

"I'd like that!" Bulk stood, dusting himself off and accepting a cup of consolation punch from Starlight.  "But if you want a real hoof-wrestle, you should take on Maud Pie!" He gave a little shudder and glanced around, as though someone might have heard him.

How could anyone not have?

"Did somepony say Maud Pie?" Pinkie cried from somewhere in the crowd.  The ponies parted to reveal her pushing a grey earth pony mare with her head.  "Well, here she is!"

Tempest feasted her eyes upon the mare.  She stood, barely blinking, a placid, nearly gormless expression on her face.  She wore simple clothes that made her at once less impressive and considerably more intimidating, as though her true power were hidden beneath.

"Pinkie, do you know how late it is?" she asked in a flat, bored voice.

"Aw, just one teensy-tiny hoof-wrestle, Maudie?  Tempest would definitely like to make your acquaintance, wouldn't you, Tempest?"

"I suppose I would," said Tempest, sitting down again.  Maud blinked at her, then at Pinkie, then sat down with a small sigh.

"I don't really like showing off my strength," she said as she placed her forearm on the table.

"Understandable," said Tempest, keeping tone cagey.  "Just one round, then."

And as Tempest locked hooves with Maud Pie, she suddenly knew fear.

Bulk Biceps had been right about himself.  Raw muscle was no substitute for the talent and skill necessary to use strength well.  But Maud, who was considerably less impressive on the outside, had the body of a boulder.  Her skin sat upon taut cords the like of which Tempest had never encountered in her life, not even against the largest monsters that had been set against her.

This mare was a physical goddess.  She was a testament to the power and nobility of earth pony lineage.  Starlight and Trixie were counting down from three, but Tempest didn't even need 'two' to know she had already lost.

To her credit, she put up a valiant effort.  There was a split second where neither hoof moved, and the room held a hushed breath as though smothered by a blanket.  But in a trice, it was all over.  Tempest's hoof went partially into the tabletop, and she had to leap from her seat to avoid being flung end over end.  She lay on her back on the table bench, panting, her hoof pinned by the other mare, who showed no signs of exertion.

The crowd went wild.

Maud walked around the table to stand over Tempest.  Tempest's face was drenched in sweat, her chest heaving as she sucked in breaths.  Never in her life had she experienced such exquisite defeat.  Yet the other mare just blinked at her.

"This is why I don't like showing off," she said placidly.

"I think I could be friends with you, too," Tempest gasped, her cheeks flushed.  "Very good friends."

Maud looked away.  "We'll see." And then she just left.

The party didn't last too long after that.  With the main source of excitement over -- to say nothing of the punch -- and nopony else willing to see if they could best Tempest at hoof-wrestling, ponies found themselves drifting off to the realm of sleep.  Quite a few would spend the night in Town Hall, with Pinkie promising to get blankets for any who couldn't make it home.  Cleanup was a worry for tomorrow.

Tempest, for her part, made it home with no trouble, helping support a sleepy, tipsy Twilight while Starlight carried the Soused and Unconscious Trixie on her back.  They arrived at an unlocked castle, and Tempest accompanied Twilight in checking on Spike while Starlight made for Trixie's room.

They said their good nights and plummeted into a long, deep sleep.





The next day essentially did not happen.  Ponyville's older populace would later agree, the town hadn't had a hangover that massive since the Great Caramel Shortage of Eighty-Four.
> The Captain's Question
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Captain's Question
by Present Perfect

Thorax was not what Tempest Shadow had expected from a king of changelings.

She had come into conflict with changelings once in the distant past, a small hive of infiltrators outside Kludgetown that had given the Storm King's forces the runaround for the better part of two years.  The Storm King himself had never seen fit to conquer the bug ponies, despite their potential usefulness as espionage agents.  It just hadn't been his style.  So a little light combat and one or two crewmates had been the sole extent of Tempest's experience with the race.

Changelings, as Tempest knew them, were ruthless, vicious and conniving, as mistrustful as they were untrustworthy.  Their unwavering devotion to their rulers made them terrifying opponents, ever willing to sacrifice themselves to bring down an enemy for the good of the hive.  Seeing through their disguises was impossible even with magic, and their skills at mimicry only made it harder to determine whether someone was who they claimed to be, or a changeling scout gathering intelligence.  The only way she had known which of her crew were changelings was that some simply hadn't cared to disguise themselves.

Also, they hadn't been quite so... colorful.

That had caught her off guard far more than any dropped disguise ever had.

King Thorax towered over Starlight, Trixie and even Princess Twilight as he walked the hallways of the Castle of Friendship, laughing and chatting.  His mannerisms had struck Tempest as rather unfitting of a ruler, especially a changeling ruler.  He was open, friendly, light of heart and, to her utmost surprise, quite unsure of himself.  Twilight had been giving him leadership advice, not that she had much to draw from, in between their talks about adventures that had happened prior to Tempest's arrival in Ponyville.

Behind them trotted a small passel of changeling drones, each more colorful than the last.  They had mostly been reticent, content to observe and, in a few cases, literally take notes on what they saw.  Spike had endeavored to engage with them more directly, and was now regaling them with tales of his own exploits.  These, they were equally content to listen to and take notes of.

Which left Tempest herself, taking up the rear of their little coterie, alongside her changeling counterpart, a teal stag named Pharynx.  She had taken a liking to him immediately, recognizing in him a kindred spirit upon first sizing each other up.  The pair had spent the time in silence, communicating solely through knowing looks and the occasional half-smile.

But now that everyone else was busy in conversation, it seemed like the right time to start their own.

"So," she said, keeping her voice low, "I may be unfamiliar with changeling military, but you have the bearing of a fighter."

His eyes flicked towards her, and he gave a slight nod.  "Head patroller under the old queen.  I had a big part in planning the invasion of Canterlot." He smirked.

"An invasion?  I've done that once or twice myself."  She steeled her expression to neutrality and took no small amount of satisfaction when his mouth dropped open slightly.

"You're pulling my damn leg," he said, clearly struggling to keep his voice down.

She gave her head a minimal shake.  "I rode with the Storm King until just recently.  Led his conquest of Canterlot myself." She was not completely successful at keeping pride from worming its way into her tone.  "Served with a few changelings over the years, too."

A note of surprise burbled at the back of his throat.  "No kidding.  Anyone I know?"

Tempest shrugged.  "Crypsis was the one who made the biggest impression.  From a southern hive, as I recall.  I always assumed she was a defector, but I never really pried."

"Possible, I suppose." He inclined his head toward Thorax.  "My brother has been trying to make diplomatic overtures to the other hives, but, well... Communication is slow, they're inherently mistrustful, and the message of 'stop taking love and embrace it instead' isn't exactly winning converts, even with a promise of never going hungry again."

She chuckled quietly.  He let out a long breath.

"But I suppose in time, it might.  Assuming Chrysalis doesn't get to them first."

Tempest's reply was cut short as she overheard Princess Twilight declaring something "a great idea."

"I suppose I could send Pharynx out with them," said King Thorax, his voice full of doubt as he looked over the other changelings.  "I don't like the idea of us being completely unguarded in Equestria just yet."

Pharynx frowned.  "What are we doing now, brother?  I was having a pleasant conversation, I'll have you know."

Tempest was a bit taken aback at his tone.  Sure, the King might be Pharynx's brother, but did that relationship not still demand some deference?  Perhaps things simply worked differently in the hive.

She would need to rethink her entire understanding royalty, at this rate.

Twilight indicated the entourage.  "Thorax was just suggesting some of the changelings here go out into Ponyville to learn about our culture a little more directly."

King Thorax gave a sheepish little laugh.  "Ah, well, it wasn't my idea, exactly..."

"That's right," Starlight said, turning a wide smile to one of the entourage.  She was sky-blue, with a prominent set of ethereal pink fins, and judging by her size, she must have been a filly still, or whatever the changeling equivalent was.  "It was a very good idea, though.  What was your name again?"

The changeling filly squeaked something imperceptible.  One of the others prodded her in the side, and she yelped, "O-Ocellus, Eques Glimmer!"

Tempest mouthed "Eques?" at Starlight, who waved a hoof in response.

"Oh, that.  Trixie and I miiiight have received changeling knighthoods after we saved the hive from a big monster." She snort-laughed.  "It's not a big deal, really."

Trixie made a sweeping gesture with her cape.  "Eques Lulamoon considers it a very big deal, as well as a great honor."

She gave the king a wide grin.  He, for his part, had the decency to get the conversation back on track.

"Ocellus is one of our brightest young scholars," he said, gazing at her with pride Tempest might have termed 'fatherly'.  "She can be a little reserved sometimes, but she's been really excited to learn about pony culture up close and personal."

The other changelings snickered at the 'reserved' comment, while Ocellus used her notebook and quill to hide the blush purpling her cheeks.

Tempest, pensive, looked at Pharynx for a moment.  "Princess, would you perhaps allow me to join the changelings as an escort instead?"

Everyone seemed taken aback, save for Ocellus, who lowered her notebook and protested in a soft, reedy voice.

"O-oh, but... Having a pony in the group might skew how other ponies interact with us!  W-we need to have a solid control i-if we're going to gather valid data!"

Tempest noted the princess's sudden interest in Ocellus, the sort of quiet mania that bubbles to the surface when a lifelong scholar recognizes a kindred spirit.

"It doesn't have to be a problem," Tempest said smoothly.  "I will admit my knowledge of changelings is a bit outdated--" she gave the king's antlers a pointed look-- "but last I knew, your shape-changing magic was as applicable to other creatures as it is to yourselves."

Ocellus and her companions made murmurs of confusion, but the king let out a sudden gasp.  "That's a great idea!  Why didn't I think of that?  What do you say, Twilight?"

Twilight rubbed her hooves together.  "Oh, you know me!  Any excuse to learn new magic!"

Without further ado, the king inclined his head, and Tempest stepped up to him.  She had never actually experienced this before and had no idea what to expect.  First came the tingle of a shared spell resonating with the remains of her horn, then a slight shimmer over her eyes as the spell took hold.  She felt her form shift, though not in any way she could put words to.  And then it was over, and she felt... mostly normal, really.

"An impressive effect!" Trixie grinned as Starlight lit her horn, summoning a large mirror.  "That is an illusion worthy of the Great and Powerful Trixie herself!"

The mirror's reflection was mesmerizing.  Instead of herself, Tempest saw a turquoise changeling doe of her size, with a green carapace and a single maroon head fin.  What held her gaze the strongest, however, was the jagged horn atop her head.

The same jewel-shined turquoise as the rest of her, it bent like a lightning bolt, first forward, then down at an angle before curving gently back over itself.  Her hoof pressed against it unbidden.  The horn's surface was cold, hard and unyielding.  It felt somehow wrong, yet it felt somehow right.

"It's no illusion," said Pharynx in a gruff rasp.  "Right now, Captain Shadow is as much a changeling as any infiltrator would be a pony."  He chuckled, but it cut off at a sharp glance from the king.

"Now there's six of us!" said one of the other changelings.  "This way, we can split up and cover more ground!"

"Oh," said the king, "but I, uh..."

Tempest wouldn't have looked away from the mirror, save that Starlight dispelled it.  She kept glancing over to where it had been as the five changelings ignored their ruler's protests and arranged themselves into pairs.  At the behest of an older, bespectacled doe, and words to the effect of "learning to be more outgoing", Tempest found herself paired with the young Ocellus and assigned to the town market district.

"By your leave, Princess," she said, bowing to Twilight, who bowed back.

Pharynx chuckled.  "And in case anyone comes asking..." Green flame flashed from his horn, and in a moment, he had been replaced by a perfect replica of Tempest.

"I think I can do a decent impression," said the duplicate, in much the same way Tempest herself might have.

The other ponies just stared, no doubt unnerved by his ability to mimic her mannerisms.  Tempest merely cleared her throat and turned away to hide a slight blush as memories of an intimate encounter with Crypsis resurfaced.

"Well then," said the older changeling, "are we all set?  Ready to go out and make some friends?"

"Yes, Professor Urtica!" chorused the other, younger changelings.

"And look at it this way," Starlight whispered to Tempest as she walked past, "now you won't have to worry about not fitting in in Ponyville!  Unbiased commentary about anything you like, straight from the source!"

She gave Tempest a big wink, and then the royal entourage moved off into the castle, leaving the changelings and their sole impersonator to file back out into the town and their information-gathering assignments.





The disguise, of course, did not stop ponies from staring at Tempest, but there was some ineffable quality about the stares that was different from those she was used to.

It certainly helped that she wasn't alone in the Ponyville marketplace, and Ocellus was getting the same stares.  Really, it was just the mood, the town's atmosphere that had changed.  Ponies didn't expect to see a pair of metamorphosed changelings standing near their favorite produce stalls, but once they had ascertained there was no danger present, they continued on their way with kind, if distant, nods of approval.

Somehow, this did not make Tempest feel better about herself.

She had had ample opportunity to take this all in as all she and Ocellus had done for the past ten minutes was stand at a street corner and let ponies gawk at them.  Ocellus was clearly out of her depth trying to ask questions of random passersby, and Tempest felt like the little doe wouldn't learn anything if she wasn't taking point on this mission.  Plus, Tempest's horn was distracting her.

Then again, Ocellus wouldn't learn anything if she didn't talk to anyone.

She watched Ocellus try and fail for the fourth time in as many minutes to start up a conversation.  The girl turned defeated eyes up to her, eyes whose unspoken plea Tempest could not ignore.

"Don't worry," she said quietly.  "Let me show you how it's done."

A brown stallion with a curious expression was hovering nearby, so Tempest swallowed her unease, held her head high and trotted toward him, calling, "Excuse me!"

He gave a little start.  Clearing her throat, she continued in a slightly higher, lighter register.

"Hello there, sir or madam.  My name is--" she hesitated, trying to think about insects-- "Honeypot, and this is my friend Ocellus.  We're from the changeling hive, and we're here in Ponyville hoping to learn about pony culture."

The stallion's curiosity gradually morphed into the comfort of one presented with a well-meaning stranger.  And why should he feel otherwise?  They were just curious outsiders trying to learn about a foreign culture.  Nothing about that was untoward or undesirable.

"Oh," he said, "sure!  Ask away!"

Tempest found herself relaxing into the persona she was borrowing.  Behind her, Ocellus let out a long breath, and Tempest beckoned her forward.  She was the one with the questions, after all.

"I-I'd like to start with pony holidays, if you don't mind," Ocellus said, quickly finding her voice.  "What could you tell me about..." She consulted her notepad.  "Hearth's Warming?"

The stallion smiled.  "Hearth's Warming?  Oh, that's my favorite holiday!  The trees, the lights, the gift-giving... Would you like to hear the story of Hearth's Warming first?"

Ocellus nodded eagerly.  'Honeypot' just stepped back and let her listen, a small smile on her face.





They spent the afternoon chatting up ponies about holiday celebrations, family structures, gender roles and food, and Tempest found herself learning quite a lot.  In some ways, she was also a foreigner here, alien shape aside.  These ponies certainly had a lot of holidays, and whichever was being asked about tended to be that pony's favorite.

But she also couldn't help but notice something else.  Once a subject, or sometimes two or three, found out that they were just trying to learn about Ponyville and pony culture, all became relaxed around them in ways Tempest had never experienced.  That she, another pony, had never received this treatment prickled at the back of her mind, to the extent that she lost track of what was going on around her.

"Thank you very much for your time," said Ocellus to a pair of mares she had been grilling about romantic relationships.  "Um, Honeypot?  Do you want to take a break?"

Tempest shook herself.  "Sorry, I just spaced out there for a bit."  Clearing her throat, she turned toward the two mares.  "I've actually got one more question, if you don't mind.  Our kind have done some... awful things to yours in the past.  Yet, when we introduced ourselves as changelings, you didn't seem afraid or even apprehensive.  Why is that?"

The mares shared a look.  Ocellus regarded her quizzically, clearly unaware of where her question might be going.

"Gee, you're right," said the earth mare, placing a hoof comfortingly around the other mare's neck.  "We were both here when changelings took Princess Twilight and her friends, and Lyra, well..."

"I... was in Canterlot during the first invasion." The mare's voice was hoarse, and her contented expression had hollowed into a thousand-yard stare.  She closed her eyes and shook her head.  "I was a bridesmaid.  The changeling queen took over my mind and made me fight Princess Twilight.  I-I still have nightmares about it sometimes."

She shuddered.  Tempest glanced at Ocellus, who stared wide-eyed.

Frowning, the earth mare pulled the unicorn closer to her.  "She doesn't like to talk about--"

"No, Bonnie, it's alright."  She gave both of them a long, searching stare.  Then, to Tempest's surprise, she laughed.

"You know, if I really think about it?  When I hear 'changeling', I envision black monsters, sharp fangs, and that terrifying--" She swallowed.  "But you two aren't like of that.  You've both been nothing but kind and friendly.  I guess to my mind, you're just strange-looking ponies, and there's nothing at all wrong with that.

"I don't know the details about what happened to make you look the way you do now, but if I'm being honest, I guess I don't believe you when you say you're changelings?  Like, I do, but not like... for real." She shrank back a little, concern written heavy on her face.  "Does... does that make sense?"

Tempest nodded at the same time Ocellus shook her head.  The mare gave a laugh with no heart behind it and shrugged.

"That's the best I can do, sorry.  For what it's worth?  I'd much rather you all be somepony we can make friends with now."

There was a moment's hesitation, and then Tempest was taken aback as Lyra's forelegs wrapped around her neck.  She could only wonder if the blush showed through her changeling carapace.

"Whatever changed you," she whispered, "it's a sure sign you have changed.  We ponies don't get to be that easy to deal with."

Just as quickly, the pressure was gone, and the two mares were walking away.

"My therapist is gonna be so proud of me," the unicorn said happily before she was out of earshot.

Tempest watched them for quite a while as they disappeared into the crowd.

"This is only the beginning," she said to no one in particular.

Ocellus only gave her a questioning look.





Tempest had very purposefully sought out Bulk Biceps when she saw him hawking roasted nuts in the town square.  Another stallion, a blue one who had been making a purchase, ended up caught in their conversation.

"So changelings are not seen a threat because we look different than we used to," she said, having caught them up to speed.  "So what about Starlight Glimmer?  I've heard she did some terrible things before she came to Ponyville."

The stallions exchanged a glance.

"Uh," said the blue one, "well, the fact is... I guess if I think about it, I only know that because other ponies have told me?"

"I dunno," said Bulk, a wary note in his tone.  "She did put a major brain whammy on me once.  I kinda don't remember it too well.  But mind control's pretty evil, right?"

The other stallion nodded.  "Yeah, it is.  But she apologized afterward, didn't she?"

"She did!" Bulk slammed his hoof down on his cart, leaving a dent.  "And Princess Twilight says she's really come a long way since her days of being a bad pony!"

The blue stallion turned back to Tempest and shrugged.  "I guess that's your answer.  Nopony in town was around to see Starlight at her worst, just the Princess and her friends.  And anything she's done since that was actually bad, well..."

"Everypony makes mistakes!" Bulk bellowed, tearing his little paper hat off his head and ripping it in two.  "Forgiveness is an important part of friendship!  YEEAAHHHH!"

The blue stallion recoiled from the enthusiasm.  "Uh, right.  Not to mention, she's a hero of Equestria now.  She saved Ponyville from that second changeling invasion, after all!  Uh, no offense."

Tempest hesitated for a moment, lost in thought.  Then she barked a quick, "Thank you!" before tearing off down the road, leaving Ocellus behind.





Flying was amazing.

Tempest hadn't wondered whether or not she could fly in this body.  She just saw the grey pegasus lofting overhead and willed herself to follow.

Despite the fact that she was dead-set on interrogating said pegasus, she at least had the presence of mind to appreciate the experience of flight.

"Tempest Shadow!" she shouted over the rushing wind.

"No!" cried the mare.  "Derpy Hooves!"

"I mean she's in town!" Tempest ground her teeth.  "What do you think of Princess Twilight bringing a pony who tried to conquer Equestria into Ponyville?"

"Oh, that!"

The pegasus braked so hard, Tempest shot past her and ended up tangled in a cloud.  She was saved when the pegasus pulled her out and sat them both down atop it.

"I dunno," Derpy said with a shrug.

"You were in Canterlot when the attacked happened," said Tempest.

The mare goggled at her.  "How did you know?"

"Uh, you just... have that look?"

"Oh." Derpy nodded, as though anything had been explained.  "You're right, actually.  And I even got turned to stone by Tempest Shadow!"

Tempest leaned in.  "Do you hate her for that?"

Derpy shook her head.  "Oh, no, not at all!  I mean, it wasn't very nice, but it's hardly the worst thing that's ever happened to me." She giggled.  "Plus, I'm all better now!  And Princess Twilight told me that without my heroic sacrifice, she wouldn't have been able to stop the forces of the Storm King!" Her words were measured, as though she were trying hard to relate precisely what someone else had said to her.

"And anyway, I'm a forgiving kind of pony."

Tempest stared, dumbfounded, into the smiling face of the one pony in this town other than Twilight whom she had most personally wronged.

"I, um, hear tell that she still gets fearful looks in the street, while Starlight Glimmer, another former villain, has no such issue, and even myself and my friend have encountered nothing but friendly smiles."

Derpy gave her a confused look.  "What friend?"

"Uh..." A small stone sank in Tempest's stomach.  "Nevermind."

"Well," said the other mare, "I can't speak for everypony in town, but I think a lot of them were there in Canterlot with me.  They didn't get turned to stone, so they saw everything that happened.  And maaaaybe seeing Tempest around is a sore reminder of a time that wasn't much fun for any of them."

Tempest sat back on her haunches, gaping.

"I mean, she did make a nice speech at her party." Derpy rubbed the back of her head.  "But I guess words might not be enough to make somepony forget seeing a pony do something really scary."

Derpy might have shivered.  Tempest couldn't be sure.

"But," she continued, cheer returning to her face, "that also means that if Tempest does a bunch of good stuff while she's in Ponyville, ponies will get used to her and not be so scared.  Give her enough time, and eventually when they hear the name 'Tempest Shadow', they'll think of the kind pony she's become and not the scary pony she used to be.

"Or something like that, maybe." Derpy's smile was wide and genuine.  "I'm the forgiving kind of pony, not the thinking kind!"

Tempest drank in the mare's words.  "So you'd say she has a chance to really... turn her life around?  Make friends?"

"Call me a hopeless optimist, but I think she can do it.  All she needs is time and effort!" Derpy stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth.  "And good spirits.  And stick-to-it-ive-ness.  And..."

Tempest was going to interrupt but didn't get a chance as someone below called, "Honeypot, there you are!"

"Thanks for your time, ma'am," Tempest said quickly, before diving off the cloud.

"Bye, Miss Captain Shadow!" Derpy called after her, waving.

When Tempest hit the ground, it was next to a very irate-looking Ocellus.  She hadn't thought the timid little changeling actually could be irate, but her angry face was as unmistakable as it was remarkable.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" she shouted sans preamble.  "You just left me in a ditch back there!  What were you even doing all this time?  I'm so angry I could just..."

In a flash, she turned into a juvenile dragon and loosed a burst of fire heavenward.  Three ponies in the distance screamed.  Ocellus returned to her normal form, panting heavily.

A wave of unexpected guilt washed over Tempest.  "I was..."

At the time, she'd justified it internally as helping Ocellus with her fact-gathering.  But really, what had she been doing?  Snooping around Ponyville in disguise, trying to get ponies to gossip about her so she'd know what they thought of her?

She hadn't liked what they'd said, but she didn't like what she'd done even more.

Her ears and tail drooped as she debased herself before this tiny changeling and her infinite fury.

"I'm... sorry, Ocellus," she said, taking care not to mumble.  "I got caught up in what I was doing and forgot I was supposed to be helping you.  I was thoughtless, and for that, I apologize.

"Do you... want to continue talking to ponies?"

Ocellus pouted.  It would have made her look cute, if not for the scowl in which it sat.  "No.  I've got enough.  Let's just go back."

Tempest nodded slowly, and the two of them trotted their way to the castle.





They found Twilight's party in the banquet hall.  Only the ponies were engaged in eating, the changelings seemimg content merely to observe.  Ocellus and Tempest were the first ones back, though not by much, which made Tempest feel just a tiny bit better.  Ocellus had a hushed conversation with Pharynx, still in Tempest's form, who approached her afterward.

"I know what you're going to say," said Tempest.

Her doppelganger regarded her with bemusement rather than the anger she had expected.  "You left her in a ditch?"

Tempest rolled her eyes.  "She means I ditched her.  Which, yes, I did.  And I feel bad about it, so I apologized to her."

"She did say that, yes."

Tempest squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated.  Lightning sparked out of the base of her crooked horn.  After a few seconds, the false form of Honeypot popped and vanished, leaving behind a shower of sparks and Tempest herself.

Her double snickered.

"Impressive," 'she' said.  A flash of green flame, and Pharynx was himself once more.  "So, you learn anything good?"

Tempest gazed over at Ocellus, who was now chatting amiably with her peers and Princess Twilight.  All trace of her earlier temper was absent, and she even laughed at another changeling's anecdote.

It was a lucky thing Tempest had been given this chance to go out and learn more about Ponyville.  Really, truly lucky, considering that morning she hadn't even known what questions to ask.

"I think I did," Tempest said, more to herself than anything.  "I learned a lot, in fact."

Pharynx raised an eye ridge.  "Oh?"

Before Tempest had a chance to respond, Ocellus trotted over, looking contrite.

"I, um... I just wanted to say I'm sorry for yelling at you.  I was upset you left me behind, but you did help me talk to a lot of ponies, which I definitely couldn't have done myself, so... Thank you."

Without any warning, Tempest found herself in the second unexpected hug of the day.  Stricken, she could only send a silent plea to Pharynx, but his face betrayed no emotion, nor did he move to assist.  She mustered the resolve to pat the little changeling on the back, which seemed to mollify her, such that she parted the embrace.

"You have every right to be angry with me," said Tempest.  "I wronged you far worse than you wronged me."

Ocellus gazed up at Tempest with round, earnest eyes.  "I've heard that forgiveness is an important part of friendship.  So, I have decided to forgive you, because you helped me overcome my shyness." She looked down at the floor, digging at the carpet with her hooftip.  "Even if it was just for an afternoon."

She stayed like that for a moment, then hop-skipped away, giving a little wave and rejoining the party of other changelings to pick back up on their conversation.  Pharynx watched her with obvious pride that mirrored his brother's.

"She really is quite an exceptional scholar," he said.  "With changelings like her around in the future, I can't help but think the hive is gonna be in good hooves." He cleared his throat.  "Not that it's doing poorly right now, mind you."

Tempest chuckled.  "Of course.  And I agree, she is quite the scholar." She let out a long breath through her nostrils.  "And as to your earlier question, well..."

She looked back over to Twilight, but it was the myriad multicolored faces of Ponyville townsponies that she saw.  There were so many.  She knew a scant few by sight, even fewer by name.  And so many of them only knew her as a boogeymare, a creature of darkness that had descended from above to make their lives a living nightmare.

She swallowed.

"If there's anything I learned today, it's that I have many more apologies to make."
> The Captain's Friends I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Captain's Friends I
by Present Perfect

The breath left Tempest's mouth in a strained rush.

"Forty-eight..."

Her muscles were on fire, but she refused to give up.

"Forty-nine..."

With all her willpower, she loosed a mighty heave, exerting every fiber of her body through her forelegs.

"Fifty!"

The clank of the weightlifting bar settling back into its stirrups signalled her victory.

"Fifty reps at ninety-two horseshoes!" Bulk whistled.  "You really got what it takes, Tempest!"

"I sure do," she said, a breathless smile on her face as lay on the weight bench and took a few moments to recover.  "I'm sorry to say, that took a lot out of me, though."

"Not a problem." Bulk clasped her hoof in his and helped her sit up.  "For a pony your size, that's really impressive.  And real close to my personal best, too!"

She grinned at him and clapped him on the back, sweat trickling down her brow.  "I'll take that as a high compliment."

A tinny ringing interrupted any further conversation.  Bulk lifted his foreleg, revealing a watch affixed to his pastern.  Really, it was two watches rigged in such a way that they held each other in place, but they got the job done.

"Horsefeathers," he said, "I hate to cut things short, but I gotta get to my job.  I promised Ms. Almond I'd do an extra shift today."

Tempest tilted her head to the side for a moment before nodding.  "Mind if I tag along?"

Bulk scratched the back of his head with the watch.  "Well, I can't promise it'll be any fun, but sure, if you wanna."

She gave him a smile and slapped a foreleg around his withers.  "The whole idea's to spend a day together getting to know each other better.  Why not?"





"CINNAMON NUTS!"

Bulk's bellowing echoed from one side of the marketplace to the other, and then halfway back besides.  The volume -- not to mention the enticing smell of almonds and cashews roasting in cinnamon sugar -- attracted as many customers as it drove away.  Thankfully, quite a few returned after a moment's courage-gathering, that smell ultimately completely irresistible.

Tempest had been content to watch all this for the last hour or so from a seat on the grass behind Bulk's movable cart.  That he'd given her a free sample hadn't hurt, either.  These nuts were pretty darn good.

One thing she'd noticed about life in Ponyville so far was that the ponies here ate an awful lot of sugar.  With just about every meal, there seemed to be some sort of accompanying sweet, assuming dinner wasn't just a platter of cupcakes to begin with.

As she crunched slowly through another cinnamon-sugar coated almond, she had to admit to herself that, if all those sweets were this good, she was doomed to become as soft as the rest of these ponies.

"...So after my old man passed," Bulk said, continuing their earlier conversation, "I basically had to take over as the stallion of the house.  Ma did her best, but raising two kids alone ain't easy for a widow."

Tempest swallowed her bite.  "No family nearby to help out?"

"Nah.  Or at least, I guess my dad's mom never saw eye-to-eye with Ma for some reason and they weren't on speaking terms.  Dunno, never met her.  CINNAMON NUTS!"

A passing stallion turned his head at the outburst, looking rather startled, but continued walking.  Tempest shuffled to the side a bit more, to put Bulk between herself and the passing crowd, lest her mien dissuade the more skittish potential customers.

"Must've been hard for a kid," she said, fully aware that whatever experiences Bulk had gone through during his foalhood no doubt paled in comparison to her own.  She chose not to mention this.  Twilight would likely have approved.

Bulk gave a short, wry laugh.  "Sure was.  Quit school, got a job, and had to learn a lot about raising a foal besides.  Nothing I'd wish on any kid, even the mean one.  And it's around that time when I got into..." He took a few furtive looks around in their immediate vicinity before leaning in and whispering, "Performance enhancers."

Tempest raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Yeah, I know, right?" He chuckled, again mirthlessly.  "I wanted to follow in Pa's hoofsteps, y'know?  He was always real strong.  I remember watching him carry huge trees he ripped out of the ground himself for his logging company." His eyes grew misty and unfocused for a bit.  "I always wanted to be like him.  And Ma's real strong, too, even though she's tiny.  Me and my brother both take after her, if you can believe it.  And when you grow up with strong parents like that...

"Well, it wasn't too long before I looked more or less like I do now." He flexed a foreleg, flashing his usual self-assured grin.  "And then it took me a looooong time to realize that wasn't what real strength was.  But at least I can say I got better.  Cleaned up, started working out for real.  Nowadays, I'm pretty sure most of this is genuine Bulk." He poked his bicep, which reacted much like a bicep should.

"Let me guess," said Tempest, looking at him sideways, "it was still too late to save your wings."

Bulk sighed, though he was still smiling.  "Yeah.  It's a nice reminder of what's important in life, at least.  And I sure won't make that mistake twice.  COME GET YOUR FRESH, HOT CINNAMON NUTS!"

A pair of mares trotted up to them, chattering excitedly, and made a sizable purchase.

"And hey," said Bulk, after the sale had closed, "at least none of that matters for a job like this, right?  There's lots of ways I can make ponies smile."

Tempest remove the last nut from her cone, crunching down on it, feeling the hard clumps of cinnamon sugar grind between her teeth.  She watched the two mares walk away from Bulk's cart, laughing and chatting, even more animated than they had been, their tails twining together.

Maybe if becoming soft meant sampling that degree of happiness, she could deal with a little sugar.





Thinking back over the day, Tempest was still surprised to discover that the series of events had led her to hanging out around the Ponyville schoolhouse.  It was just the last place she would have ever pictured herself being.  But, Bulk had insisted she come meet his brother when it was time to pick him up from school, and now the bells were ringing, foals laughing and cheering as they ran from the front door.

In hindsight, Tempest should not have been surprised that Bulk's brother turned out to be a tiny kid with a bowl cut and buckteeth.  He was at that age where skinny and gawky were just the way the body worked, and he wore both with a certain inborn, adorable earnestness.

The two brother exchanged a series of hoof bumps before the junior flapped up and landed on Bulk's back.  He trotted them over, grinning.

"Tempest, meet my li'l bro, Featherweight!  Feather, this here's my friend Tempest!"

Tempest gave what she hoped was a calm, reassuring, and not at all intimidating smile.  "Nice to meet you," she said, and meant it.

"Whoa!" said Featherweight, eyes and mouth agape.  "Bulk, you know her?  I've seen her around town a bunch!"

She glanced at Bulk, wondering just what this could mean.  He didn't seem to know, either.

Featherweight buzzed his wings and alighted on the ground next to Tempest.  "Can I take your picture, Miss Tempest?  I think you're really pretty!"

A hot blush wormed its way over Tempest's cheeks, and she backpedalled just a bit.

"D-- I-- Uh, uh, I, wha--"

"Hey, don't sweat it," Bulk said, absorbing his brother's enthusiasm.  "Feather's a real hot shot camera jockey.  He can even make me look good!"

Bulk laughed, and Featherweight's camera went 'click!'

After the flashbulb stars had cleared from her eyes, Tempest was presented with a photomatic picture of herself looking considerably more put-together and confident than she had been feeling just moments prior.  Had this kid really been able to capture this single good moment amidst all her flustered stammering?

She looked from the photo to Featherweight, his face alight with youthful anticipation.

"Your brother's right," she finally said, casting a glance at Bulk.  "This is some kind of magic."

"Told ya!" Bulk barked.

"You really like it?" Featherweight said, all but falling on his face, he was leaning toward her so sharply.

"I really do," Tempest said, and this time, her smile came more naturally.  "As a matter of fact, it gives me an idea, if you're up for it..."

Featherweight nodded so fast, she feared his head might fly off.





That evening, Tempest returned to the Castle of Friendship, a bit drained from the day's activity, yet somehow at the same completely mentally and physically refreshed.  Twilight greeted her from the dining room.

"How was your day off, Tempest?"

Tempest smiled and bowed her head.  "Enjoyable, Your Highness, and a most excellent idea.  I'll have to take further advantage of such off time in the future."

Twilight smiled at her.  "Glad to hear it!  Oh, what's that you're carrying?"

Tempest shimmied over to the table and shouldered the stack of photographs off her back.  They spread out across the surface, and Twilight picked one up in her magic, studying it.

"As it happens, I met quite the promising young photographer today," Tempest said, letting her eyes roam over the photos.  "He gave me an idea, and we had a little photoshoot."

"Hm." Twilight picked up three more and scrutinized them.  "I wondered why you'd come back for your armor.  These are pretty good.  Great, as a matter of fact!  And you look really, I don't know... Cool?  Inspiring?"

"I'd been hoping you'd think so." Tempest grinned and moved one particular image to the front of the pile.

"Should we ever wish to expand the Friendship Guard," she said, "here's what we use to make recruitment posters."

Twilight laughed, sudden and sharp, and dragged Tempest over to her with her magic so she could put a foreleg around her withers.

"And that, my Captain," she said, "is just one example of many why it's so great to have friends."