Tempestuous Hearts and Hooves


                                            >It had been six months since the Storm King’s defeat and Tempest still loathed the idea of attending a party, especially a Hearts and Hooves party.

                                            >But she had decided to go anyway because Pinkie had asked her to come and make fireworks for her.

                                            >Pinkie had also wanted Tempest to meet someone, a human who had mysteriously appeared in Equestria four months ago.

                                            >Tempest had not kept up on the news covering the strange creature but she was not surprised that he ended up living close to Twilight, most likely to be taught of the magic of friendship.

                                            >She was however surprised when she showed up to Ponyville the afternoon before and was told by Pinkie that she would be the only pony at the party without a date.

                                            >Tempest did not want to stand out in this way.

                                            >Since she had invaded Canterlot, there were many ponies that were still able to recognize her by her armor, her broken horn, and by the scar over her right eye, made by a cut that ran from the bottom of her forehead and down to the top of her cheek.

                                            >Those ponies that recognized her had wanted nothing to do with her, and there was no pony still alive after all the time that had passed who could say they still remembered Fizzlepop Berrytwist.

                                            >Pinkie then told Tempest that the only person in town without a date was the human she had wanted her to meet.

                                            >Twilight had said that he never had any intention of going to Pinkie’s party.

                                            >Knowing that she was being set up, but not caring, Tempest went to his house, introduced herself, and—with no further small talk—demanded that he be her date to the party.

                                            >He was surprised and, after some more coercive talk from Tempest, he eventually recognized who she was.

                                            >After excusing himself, Tempest heard him run through his house and exit out the backdoor.

                                            >She guessed that he had gone to see Pinkie, and in the meantime had let herself into his home.

                                            >When he came back he found that she had helped herself to a box of chocolates he had left behind, which were supposed to have been a surprise gift to a friend of his.

                                            >He began shouting at her, and though Tempest was not intimidated she was surprised that he had stood up for himself at all.

                                            >Before she knew it she had even apologized to him.

                                            >He glared at her, and in a low tense voice he made it clear that he was only agreeing to be her date as a favor for Pinkie.

                                            >He said that even though his friends now thought highly of her, he was sure that she was still the same bad pony she had always been.

                                            >Tempest hardly minded him.

                                            >In short tense exchanges, they made their plans for tomorrow.

                                            >Tempest then picked up the opened box of chocolates and went to the front door.

                                            >After she had unlocked it she looked at him from over her shoulder and grinned in a way that left a sour taste in his mouth.

                                            >“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

                                            Yeah, sure. Just don’t expect to have any fun or anything.

                                            >Tempest’s ear suddenly flicked towards the door as she recognized Pinkie’s casual step, which was loud, unrestrained, and quick between steps, just like a rambunctious child’s.

                                            >She jumped to the side as the door slammed open.

                                            >Pinkie trotted in.

                                            >She started bouncing all over the room and in the faces of Tempest and the human.

                                            >“How’d it go? Are you best friends yet? How’d it go?” she kept asking them.

                                            >Pinkie’s eyes paused on Tempest, and what she saw made her gasp with delight.

                                            >“Oh, Fizzy, it looks like he got you some chocolates, you lucky mare, you.”

                                            >The next evening saw Tempest waiting alone in the castle foyer for over an hour after Twilight, Starlight, and Spike had already left with their dates.

                                            >Tempest looked out the window at all the ponies in suits and gowns all walking as couples in the golden veil of dimming evening light.

                                            >Rather than feel self-conscious in her Storm King armor, she thought proudly of herself for not investing as much energy as every pony else who had prepared for the party.

                                            >She was tired of the frivolity that made up the lives of ponies, tired of wasting her time trying to make friends that meant something to her besides having someone to laugh and have fun with.

                                            >Tempest had been excited after Twilight and Pinkie had said that they wanted to be her friends.

                                            >She expected actual, meaningful communication to occur between them, something she had never had with another pony before.

                                            >Her last five months she had been living in the barracks of Fort Crystal in the Crystal Empire, putting the elite members of the Royal Guard through the most demanding training they ever had.

                                            >The beginning of this period was when she anxiously awaited the first letters from her friends.

                                            >But she ended up never having finished reading any of the letters that Pinkie sent her because they were usually filled with jokes, nonsense and long, incoherent run on sentences about whatever had happened to float into her mind while she had been writing.

                                            >The day before, after Twilight had shown her to the guest room in the castle, Tempest remembered how there were six colorful greeting cards waiting for her on the nightstand.

                                            >The pink one read:

                                            >‘Hey Fizzy,’

                                            >‘What comes up but never comes down? I’ll give you a hint: It has something to do with your name.’

                                            >There was more but she had stopped reading there.

                                            >Twilight’s letters were no better, offering her platitudes about friendship and acceptance that did not apply to her, all while finding Pinkie’s foolishness to be endearing to her.

                                            >Discovering the magic of friendship did not give her the same feeling of purpose, that goal towards making her feel whole again, that being in the Storm King’s army had.

                                            >She decided that unless she could find a new reason to stay with the magic of friendship, she was ready to move on—even though it seemed she would have nothing left to move on to.

                                            >While she was lost in her thoughts she heard the flat stomp of his sneakers coming up the castle stairs.

                                            >He opened the door and peeked in.

                                            >He was dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt, brown slacks, a scuffed pair of white sneakers, and a red beanie.

                                            >With curious eyes Tempest looked him up and down.

                                            >“These are your work clothes?” Tempest said.

                                            Only the shoes are, but they’re my only pair. I wore the rest because I didn’t want to be cold later tonight.

                                            >“I got you something.”

                                            >Tempest went to the kitchen and came back with a heart-shaped box in her mouth.

                                            >He took it.

                                            You bought me chocolates.

                                            >“I figured I owed it to you to replace the ones I ate. I don’t even like chocolate, really.”

                                            Is there anything you do like?

                                            >“My armor—which also happens to be my work clothes.”

                                            >He pursed his lips and placed the box under his arm.

                                            >“Are you still going to give those to your friend?”

                                            Maybe when her date isn’t around.

                                            >“So your friend is a lady.”

                                            I sure as hell wasn’t going to give a heart-shaped box of chocolates to a guy.

                                            >Tempest smiled.

                                            >He held the door for her and then briefly jogged to catch up with her after he closed it.

                                            >They walked in silence until they could hear the muffled music coming from town hall booming in the air around them.

                                            >They passed some ponies mingling on the porch outside and entered the ballroom where the party was being held.

                                            >The inside had been so plastered in hearts of all shapes, sizes and colors, made up of all kinds of paper, cardboard, and plastic that not even Tempest’s most disdainful eye could have seen them all in one glance.

                                            >So many ponies were crowded inside that Tempest could not turn sideways and stretch out her leg without hitting some pony.

                                            >Everywhere they stepped the floor was covered in confetti, and the air was so loud with talk and music that they had to shout in order to hear each other.

                                            >He got her attention and then pointed across the room to where some seats were lined up against the wall.

                                            >Tempest nodded.

                                            >“Let’s go.”

                                            What?

                                            >He pointed to his ear.

                                            I can’t hear you.

                                            >“I said let’s go.”

                                            What?

                                            >“I said . . . Just follow me.”

                                            >Making sure that he was behind her, Tempest twisted and turned through the crowd until she reached the wall he had pointed at.

                                            >They found two empty seats and sat down to observe the party.

                                            >The ponies not dancing were playing games like Pin the Tail on the Pony, and the ponies that were not playing games were at the snack table stuffing themselves with cupcakes and red velvet cake.

                                            >As one song ended he took advantage of the silence and said to her:

                                            Is there anything you want to do in particular?

                                            >“I’m looking for Twilight and her friends. Can you see them?”

                                            >He stood up and looked from one end of the room to the other.

                                            >He told her that he did not see them.

                                            >Then he asked her to save his seat, and he left her.

                                            >Further down the line of chairs there sat a group of four mares who were all chatting together and Tempest wondered where their dates were.

                                            >She noticed similar groups of both stallions and mares all over the party.

                                            >He came back with a slice of red velvet cake on a pink paper plate and started eating it with a blue plastic spoon.

                                            >He turned to her, pointed at the red velvet, and said with his mouth full:

                                            It’s the same color as your mane. You sure you don’t want some?

                                            >Tempest’s stern eyes looked from the cake to him before she slowly shook her head.

                                            Don’t tell me you don’t like cake either.

                                            >“It’s too sweet.”

                                            Actually, it could’ve used more sugar, or don’t you like sugar?

                                            >“Not really.”

                                            Not even as a kid?

                                            >“Look, a party isn’t exactly the best atmosphere for discussing my childhood in.”

                                            >He shifted his eyes forward.

                                            >Tempest watched him curiously for a second as he took a joyless bite of cake.

                                            >Then she heard a familiar hoof step in between all the party noise.

                                            >“Pinkie’s coming. Quick, give me your cake.”

                                            >He jerked his head up and scanned the crowd.

                                            >Tempest took advantage of his distraction by pushing the plate up out from his hands and then juggling it over his arm and onto her lap.

                                            >He looked at her for a moment in stunned silence, still holding his blue spoon limply between his thumb and forefinger.

                                            >Pinkie hopped out from the crowd and landed right before both of them.

                                            >“I’m so glad you two made it,” Pinkie said. “Aw, and you’re both sharing a piece of cake. That is so adorable.”

                                            >Tempest kept her stoic expression firm towards Pinkie’s smile while the human had started blushing.

                                            >“I’m glad you like your cake, Fizzy,” Pinkie said. “I made it just for you.”

                                            “The cake is the same color as my mane,” Tempest said.

                                            >“Oh, you noticed,” Pinkie said. “That’s just the extra little touch that you get when you’re friends with Pinkie Pie.”

                                            >He leaned forward.

                                            Where’s your date, Pinkie?

                                            >“Probably hanging with his friends,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “We had a great time, though.”

                                            >Tempest looked him over.

                                            >He was still blushing long after Pinkie had embarrassed them and now his limbs were locked stiff, yet he was shaking on the inside.

                                            >She could always tell when one of the recruits she was training felt nervous or overwhelmed by her demands.

                                            >They always looked just like he did now.

                                            >Though Tempest was about to do something she had never done before with any of those failed recruits.

                                            >“Why don’t you give Pinkie the present you got for her?” Tempest said to him.

                                            >“Oh, did you get me something for Hearts and Hooves, you sweet thing?” Pinkie said.

                                            >With a timid smile, he mumbled that it was just a small thing as he pulled the heart-shaped box out from under his arm and held it out for Pinkie.

                                            >Her eyes lit up.

                                            >“You got me chocolates. Oh, I love chocolates.”

                                            >She took the box and carried it in her arm.

                                            >Then she threw herself on top of his lap, wrapping her free arm around his side and pressing her cheek against his waist.

                                            >“Thank you so much. That was so sweet of you.”

                                            >After seeing an encouraging look from Tempest, he started awkwardly patting the back of Pinkie’s neck with his nervous hand.

                                            >A moment later Pinkie had left with the chocolates.

                                            >Tempest started smirking as he had turned to say something to her but could not look her in the eye.

                                            How did you know those chocolates were for Pinkie?

                                            >“You’re easy to read,” Tempest said while turning away from him.

                                            You don’t think she’s going to think I’m weird, right?

                                            >“That pony is in no position to judge others for being weird. Besides, isn’t it normal to give each other frivolous gifts on this day?”

                                            I guess, but you make it sound like that’s terrible.

                                            >Tempest went to say something but stopped when she noticed that he was not facing her.

                                            >All behind his head the wall was decorated with paper hearts as he gazed at Pinkie from across the room.

                                            >Tempest sighed, put her cake on the empty seat next to her, and got up from her chair.

                                            >“I’m going to go see Twilight and the others. You coming?”

                                            >He looked again at the table and at the five other girls with Pinkie.

                                            >Tempest saw the nervous twitch of his eye as their high collective laughter reached him.

                                            I think I’ll stay here. I wouldn’t want Pinkie to think I’m smothering her or anything, you know?

                                            >Tempest rolled her eyes, then turned and began maneuvering through the crowd.

                                            >The other girls all cheered when she reached their table.

                                            >Soon she was sitting between Twilight and Pinkie, watching as they all scarfed down sweets and tried to hide their embarrassment when they teased each other about their dates.

                                            >Pinkie then called attention to herself by taking the heart-shaped box of chocolates out from under the table and placing it in the center for every pony to see.

                                            >“Look at what Tempest’s date got for me,” Pinkie said. “Chocolates!”

                                            >Pinkie opened up the box and told every pony to feel free and take one.

                                            >Tempest was the only one who did not.

                                            >Soon more than half the box was empty.

                                            >Rarity finished eating one of her morsels and was daintily wiping her mouth with a pink napkin.

                                            >“Simply delectable,” Rarity said. “They must be from Bon Bon’s confectionery.”

                                            >“See, every pony?” Pinkie said. “I told you all he was a sweetheart, didn’t I?”

                                            >“How’s your date with him going so far, Tempest?” Twilight said.

                                            >“Okay, I guess,” Tempest said.

                                            >The other girls all leaned forward, eager for more.

                                            >But Tempest did not indulge them.

                                            >Pinkie Pie did.

                                            >“Tell them about the chocolates he got you yesterday, Fizzy,” Pinkie said.

                                            >The girls all turned towards Pinkie, who told the story of what she had seen yesterday.

                                            >When she came to the parts where Tempest and he had been alone, they laughed at all the innuendos and jokes Pinkie had inserted into her narrative to cover for both her lack of knowledge as to what really happened and her absence for most of the story.

                                            >They did not notice Tempest’s scowl as Pinkie, following the lull after another tide of laughter receded, spoke in a conclusive tone:

                                            >“. . . And they were already halfway through them by the time I got there.”

                                            >“It sounds like he’s finally breaking out of his shell,” Rainbow Dash said.

                                            >The others nodded.

                                            >“Who knew that our little human was actually quite the romantic deep down?” Rarity said.

                                            >“He must be pleased as punch to be here with you,” Applejack said to Tempest.

                                            >They all smiled her way, and Pinkie Pie was nodding vigorously.

                                            >Tempest straightened up in her chair.

                                            >“Actually, he’d rather be alone,” Tempest said. “But I don’t mind. I just wanted to come to the party.”

                                            >“I take it you don’t like him much then?” Applejack said.

                                            >“I have no real interest in him,” Tempest said. “I needed him to come to this party, and that’s the end of it. After tonight, I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.”

                                            >“Is there something you think that’s particularly wrong with him?” Rarity said.

                                            >“There are many things wrong with him,” Tempest said. “Don’t pretend you don’t know.”

                                            >The ponies at the table all shrugged their shoulders and stated that he seemed perfectly nice to them.

                                            >Tempest, suppressing the urge to scoff, said in a cold voice:

                                            >“He’s a pushover. He lets ponies half his size order him around and is willing to humiliate himself to make others like him. He’s never fought for anything he might want in life, but he expects you to feel sorry for him. He always sounds nervous when he talks and he jokes around hoping that you won’t notice. He may be tall but you can cut him down with either a word or a glance.”

                                            >The other ponies all gave Tempest concerned looks but she shook her head and continued.

                                            >“He’s weak, shy, and ineffectual, easily one of the first recruits I would have weeded out during my training. And as a date he’s nothing special either, but I knew that from the moment I made him take me.”

                                            >“You can’t really mean all those awful things you just said,” Fluttershy said.

                                            >“You wanted to know what I really thought of him,” Tempest said. “I just told you.”

                                            >“But you could have expressed yourself with some more finesse,” Rarity said.

                                            >“If you feel like defending him, go right ahead,” Tempest said.

                                            >The table fell silent for a moment where no one at all looked ahead except for Tempest.

                                            >“We just want to know if there’s anything at all that you like about him,” Twilight said.

                                            >“Yeah, can’t you name one thing?” Pinkie said.

                                            >“I guess I appreciate that he brought me here,” Tempest said. “But even then he would not have done so if it wasn’t for my pushing him.”

                                            >“But you must appreciate it more that he’s giving his time to you,” Rarity said.

                                            >“Yeah, he could have said no,” Rainbow Dash said.

                                            >“Let’s stop pretending,” Tempest said. “You all know that I never would’ve let him say no to me.”

                                            >The music ceased and there was a moment of silence.

                                            >Twilight asked if there was any chance that he and Tempest could be friends.

                                            >Tempest sighed.

                                            >“Just because he’s done a few nice things doesn’t mean that we’re going to be best friends.”

                                            >No pony responded to her.

                                            >Another song started up and the ponies by the dancefloor cheered as they began moving again.

                                            >Noticing that the eyes of the table were avoiding hers, Tempest felt herself being pushed away.

                                            >In a tone of appeal, she said:

                                            >“Besides, I don’t really need him as a friend. You girls are all much better than him.”

                                            >At this she watched as they began sharing apprehensive looks with each other.

                                            >Now a gust of anger was passing through Tempest’s mind.

                                            >She had only told them what they wanted to know, how she truly felt, and yet her friends were now trying to distance themselves from her.

                                            >Rarity had asked her for more finesse in how she expressed herself but if that meant suppressing who she was then she would have none of it.

                                            >These six were the strongest ponies she knew of in regards to the magic of friendship, and yet in her eyes they were weak.

                                            >If she could not speak to the only ponies who liked her without worry of offending their sensibilities then what hope was there of finding any other friends who were different?

                                            >She decided then and there that she would not let them turn her into a nervous, well-meaning sentimentalist who wasted her life playing party games and giggling at gossip.

                                            >She felt her heart throb in pain.

                                            >Then all that pain disappeared, falling into a dark well of determined anger as Tempest contemplated what she would do next.

                                            >It was Pinkie Pie who finally broke the silence by suggesting they all go play some party games.

                                            >The others all nodded in agreement and got up out of their chairs.

                                            >Only Pinkie and Twilight stayed behind with Tempest.

                                            >Pinkie looked hopefully into Tempest’s eyes.

                                            >“You sure you don’t want to join us? There’s a game of Twister that’s got a red spot with your name on it.”

                                            >“I think I’ll just get back to my date now,” Tempest said. “I’m getting tired of this party.”

                                            >“You’re not going to leave, are you?” Pinkie said. “I want to see your fireworks.”

                                            >“I won’t forget your fireworks,” Tempest said. “I promised you, remember?”

                                            >Pinkie forced a smile and then hopped into the crowd.

                                            >Only Twilight remained.

                                            >Tempest regarded her as one might the last few fibers that held a piece of cloth from being separated into halves.

                                            >“You know, you don’t have to go just because we had an argument,” Twilight said. “Friends can disagree and still be friends.”

                                            >Tempest nodded falsely.

                                            >“Yes, I know,” Tempest said, “because even though I’m quite disagreeable with nearly everything, I can always count on you to help me regardless.”

                                            >“That’s right. I’m glad you understand.”

                                            >Twilight smiled.

                                            >Tempest looked her boldly in the eyes.

                                            >“I guess that you are my closest friend then.”

                                            >Twilight stood before her for a moment before she extended her arm out towards Tempest.

                                            >Tempest sighed and hopped off the chair.

                                            >She stood rigid and let Twilight hug her.

                                            >“I’ll always be there to help you,” Twilight said.

                                            >“Thank you, princess.”

                                            >Twilight let go and took a step back to stare at Tempest.

                                            >She blinked a few times at her friend’s stoic expression.

                                            >“Well, I’ll see you back at the castle,” Twilight said. “In the morning, before you go, I think you and I should see our friends one more time.”

                                            >“Sure,” Tempest said.

                                            >Twilight walked away in the direction her friends had gone.

                                            >Tempest watched her merge with the crowd of ponies.

                                            >Then when she went to leave something caught her eye.

                                            >The opened heart-shaped box of chocolates was still on the table.

                                            >There were many empty divots inside it, as most of its morsels were missing, and the papers they were wrapped in had been wadded up and left strewn about the table and floor.

                                            >Tempest regarded the open box for a moment with soft eyes before she turned away.

                                            >He was still sitting in the same chair when Tempest found him.

                                            >He sat hunched over with his arms resting on his legs.

                                            >When she approached him she noticed the cake plate was empty.

                                            Oh, you came back. I thought you were ditching me for a second there.

                                            >“Are you ready to leave?”

                                            You want to leave already?

                                            >“Yes.”

                                            Yeah, I was ready from the moment we walked in.

                                            >Outside he and Tempest walked by the light of the streetlamps which shone in the dark like illumined pearls.

                                            >They could hear the music throbbing outwards and disappearing into the empty air before them.

                                            >Tempest had thought that leaving the party would clear her head but instead she seemed uncertain about everything.

                                            >Should she have left the only ponies that cared for her in anger like she had?

                                            >Was there really no hope left for her in the magic of friendship?

                                            >Where would she find her purpose now?

                                            >She was actually glad when he broke the silence.

                                            Why’d we leave so quickly? We were barely there an hour.

                                            >“I thought you knew that I didn’t like parties.”

                                            Well, after all the trouble you put me through, I’d have thought that you liked them a little better than that.

                                            >The air was completely still now.

                                            >All the houses were dark and the only sound was of their steps crunching in the dirt.

                                            So what sweet things did you used to like?

                                            >“I said that was none of your business.”

                                            You said that talk about your childhood wasn’t right for a party atmosphere. Well, we aren’t at the party now.

                                            >Tempest grumbled underneath her breath.

                                            >He told her to repeat so he could hear it, so she screamed:

                                            >“It was soda pop.”

                                            >He waited for her echo to die before responding.

                                            How long has it been since you had one?

                                            >“I don’t know.”

                                            >He pointed towards a road that was ahead of them and to the left.

                                            There’s a soda machine right around that corner. Let’s get you one.

                                            >They walked on and turned down the street he had pointed to.

                                            >Eventually they came across the blue and red Fizzy Cola machine, which was buzzing and flickering inside from a faulty light.

                                            >He paid and selected, and soon can of cola dropped down into the dispenser near their feet.

                                            >He opened the cola and handed it to her.

                                            >She stared into the fizzling hole on top of the can.

                                            >She took a small sip, then tilted the can back for a big drink.

                                            >A second later the can fell to the ground and Tempest was turned away from him and spitting.

                                            >“That’s awful stuff! I can’t believe I used to like that.”

                                            >He laughed, picked the can up, and took a drink.

                                            >She turned back to him and started wiping her mouth until, seeing he was drinking the cola, she started to gag.

                                            >She started walking away and he followed.

                                            It’s a pretty sorry thing to meet a girl named Fizzy and find out that she hates soda pop.

                                            >“Maybe you were just right and I don’t like anything.”

                                            Spend more time with Pinkie. She’ll fix you.

                                            >“You’re the one that needs to spend more time with your little pink crush. If it wasn’t for me, you’d have held on to those chocolates all night.”

                                            I just don’t want to be weird. Pinkie is one of the only ponies that really likes me. I’m not exactly the guy that ponies are eager to hang out with. I know that I’m not particularly interesting or nice to look at.

                                            >“You sound pathetic. You should probably feel lucky that Pinkie likes you as much as she does.”

                                            Well, you should feel the same about Twilight. She’s the only reason you’re not rotting away in a dungeon somewhere.

                                            >Tempest scrunched her muzzle, then started to glare at him.

                                            >But he regarded her with an indifferent expression and soon she had turned away, a cold sneer still stuck on her lips.

                                            >The wind had unsettled and was blowing through the spaces between the dark homes next to them.

                                            >It swept through their hair and their skin shuddered at its cold swift touch as it kept passing them by.

                                            >They turned back onto the street they had diverted from. In the distance Twilight’s castle stood over them and the thatched roofs of Ponyville.

                                            >The glow of the streetlamps below the castle faintly reflected off the lower base crystals like candles placed around a room to compensate for a dark chandelier.

                                            >Tempest noticed that, following her every step, the highest and pointed crystals seemed to stick the black-sheeted night sky and poke in it the twinkling holes which made the stars.

                                            >“Let me ask something. Why are you and Pinkie friends? What do you actually like about each other?”

                                            Pinkie’s nice, friendly, funny, she thinks about me when no one else does—just friendly stuff like that.

                                            >“And that’s enough for you to consider her a friend?”

                                            Yeah, it’s enough for me. It’s hard to find people, well, ponies, that . . .

                                            >He did not finish whatever his thought was.

                                            >Then, in a quiet, hesitant tone, he said that she had taken him with her to see movies a few times but that they really had not done much else together.

                                            >He thought for a moment before adding that he went to Sugar Cube Corner every day before work for breakfast.

                                            >He and Pinkie would talk about things then, except when customers came in or if she was in the kitchen.

                                            >He fell quiet afterwards but made it seem like he was thinking of more things they had done.

                                            >Tempest waited a moment before asking about the time he spent with the rest of his friends.

                                            I barely see Applejack and Fluttershy. Dash is nice, but we don’t have much in common. Rarity just gives me so much of my clothes that I feel awkward around her now. I don’t have the money to pay her anything yet.

                                            >“What about Twilight?”

                                            She worries about me because I’m the only human, because I’m here where I don’t belong. You know how it is, her being the princess of friendship and all.

                                            >“Yeah, I get it. Do you do anything together?”

                                            A lot of my time with Twilight feels like a wellness check. She asks me how I’m doing, about my plans, if I need any help. We go over my finances, too. I couldn’t get a bank account when I got here, so I share my account with Twilight. She says that she’ll help me get my own account eventually, but everything gets paid for through that account. I can’t afford to live in the house I’ve got on my own either.

                                            >Tempest stayed silent this time.

                                            I guess Pinkie, Twilight and her friends will like anybody, really. You don’t have to be special or anything, although in your case it certainly helps.

                                            >“How’s that?”

                                            You asked me about what made Pinkie and I friends. Well, now I’m asking you the same.

                                            >“Don’t bother. I have no idea why they consider me to be their friend, at least no idea in any way that true friendships are made.”

                                            Yeah, well, I don’t either. But at least they’re trying, unlike you.

                                            >Tempest’s dark face tightened into an angry trembling expression.

                                            >“I did try to be a good friend to them. Despite being a bad pony, I can choose to be nice. But I don’t want to be nice like Twilight is, or share in Pinkie’s lame sense of humor. I don’t blame you or the ponies that still hate me for thinking the worst of me. Everywhere I went I made a lot of lives a lot worse for a long time, but just because I’m sorry now doesn’t mean that I’m going to start throwing parties for everyone and smiling while I beg for their forgiveness. Bad or good, I’m still that same pony who did all those horrible things, and through it all that pony was never weak.”

                                            >Tempest sighed irritably.

                                            >He stared at her with a soft expression that burned her face with shame.

                                            That’s fine, but you could at least apologize to me for what you put me through.

                                            >Tempest frowned and raised one eyebrow at him.

                                            >He pursed his lips.

                                            Yeah, I know you don’t want to, but it’s the right thing to do.

                                            >“Okay, fine, I’m sorry.”

                                            What are you sorry for?

                                            >Tempest scrunched her reddening muzzle.

                                            >“I don’t know, for being mean or something. Can you just accept the stupid apology?”

                                            I guess. Although it isn’t a very good one, I’m glad you tried.

                                            >“That’s good, because I’m never going to force myself to apologize when I don’t want to again.”

                                            You do remember that you apologized to me yesterday when you ate Pinkie’s chocolates.

                                            >A thought flew by Tempest’s mind, making her smirk.

                                            >“Well, I kind of had to after you flipped out on me. It looked like you were going to start crying over some candy.”

                                            That’s an exaggeration.

                                            >“Not really. Your eyes were getting all red and weepy.”

                                            I think I know how my eyes looked.

                                            >“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s okay to cry among friends.”

                                            >He was shaking his head but both of them were smiling.

                                            I was not going to cry.

                                            >“I’m just glad you didn’t. Even as desperate as I was, I don’t think I could’ve gone out with you if you had started bawling over a few pieces of candy.”

                                            >Tempest stopped and put her hoof over her mouth but in another moment she had broken and started laughing.

                                            >He watched her laugh so hard that her body shook the same way leaves and branches do when a strong wind pushes them.

                                            >Her laughter came from deep within her, loud and full, and those who heard it remembered it as something rare, the same as seeing a falling star.

                                            >Tempest wiped her eyes free of a few bright tears and the two of them continued going down the dark street.

                                            So what were you talking about with Twilight and her friends back at the party?

                                            >“We were talking about you, and Pinkie was the one who praised you the most. She called you a sweetheart in front of all her friends.”

                                            That’s great, except that no girl has ever been swept of her feet by a sweetheart.

                                            >“You mean hooves, but the point is that she obviously likes you. If you won’t take advantage of that, then you’re beyond help.”

                                            I’ll ask Pinkie out sometime, but I don’t know why I should be taking dating advice from you.

                                            >“It’s not dating advice. I’m just telling you what you should do. If you want dating advice, ask your friends for help.”

                                            The same friends that set the two of us up? No, I think I should just do it myself, when I’m ready.

                                            >“You’re halfway there. All you got to do is make sure that by ‘when I’m ready’ you don’t actually mean ‘once it’s too late’.”

                                            You really think you know everything about me after one bad date, don’t you?

                                            >“It was my job to read ponies for a very long time. But I must say that you have surprised me a bit while we’ve been together.”

                                            >He took another drink, finishing the last of the soda he had been carrying.

                                            >He was about to run over to a trash bin that was a bit ahead of them on the street but he stopped after the first few steps.

                                            >He turned around and looked at her with earnest eyes.

                                            You don’t offer any profound insight, but you give good advice. I’ll try to follow it. Thanks.

                                            >As he turned and jogged up the street towards the bin, she viewed the chances of him ever acting on her advice with a cold distant eye.

                                            >Whether she favored him now or not, she knew that she had always been right about him from the start.

                                            >She watched him as he ran back towards her, and something changed inside her.

                                            >Though she knew that he would never act because of her, never change his life by following her orders, she knew that she had made a significant impact on his life anyway, that she would be one he thought of in passing moments, perhaps even for strength.

                                            >That she had done this alone, without an army or a cause to serve, made her feel stronger than she had ever had before.

                                            >She trotted forward and met him at the end of the street.

                                            >They stopped and regarded each other for a moment, both of them happy, before they continued on.

                                            >When they reached the front door of the castle he stood off to one side and looked down at his feet.

                                            >Tempest saw this and rolled her eyes before opening the castle door.

                                            >Once inside, she found the lights and then, sticking her head back outside, she yelled at him:

                                            >“Are you coming?”

                                            >They walked together through the halls silently until they reached Tempest’s room.

                                            >She told him to come in before he had a chance to be left standing awkwardly in the hall.

                                            >The guest room was plain except for the six colorful greeting cards that were on the nightstand.

                                            >He sat on the edge of her bed and grabbed off the nightstand a pink card with blue and yellow heart-shaped stickers on it.

                                            >He tried to read Pinkie’s sloppy writing but eventually his eyes were looking over the top of the card and at Tempest.

                                            >He watched as she sat down at a writing desk that was in one corner of the room and spent a minute writing something on a small piece of paper.

                                            >When she finished she laid it on the nightstand where the cards had been.

                                            >As she turned and went to the closet he leaned over and read what she had written.

                                            >Her note read, in bold hard-writ letters:

                                            >‘Twilight, thank you for saving me, but now I must find my own way to live in harmony with this world.’

                                            >His eyes stared at the note until he was made aware that he too was being watched.

                                            >Tempest stood in the center of the room without her armor on but with a bedroll and two saddlebags on top of her back.

                                            >She went to the door and, smiling, motioned with a turn of her head for him to follow her.

                                            >He nodded, gathered the cards in his hand and met her in the hall.

                                            >They walked together.

                                            So, are you leaving town already?

                                            >“Yeah, I am. I’m going to go out and see the world on my own.”

                                            Where do you think you’ll go?

                                            >“I don’t know yet. Maybe somewhere where there aren’t a lot of ponies.”

                                            How long do you think you’ll be away?

                                            >“Why, are you worried you might not see me again?”

                                            I was just asking because Twilight is going to want to know. It isn’t exactly normal to leave in the middle of the night without a word.

                                            >“I guess you’re not worried about me after all.”

                                            I know you’ll be fine. I just don’t really get why you’re leaving.

                                            >“Because I need to find my own purpose in life. I have to go out on my own and rediscover who I really am and what it is that I want.”

                                            But you can find all that out here, right? I know ponies give you a hard time now, but if you stick with Twilight long enough they’ll change their minds about you.

                                            >“All my life, I’ve always believed that I was strongest on my own. Yet I was so lost after I first left my home that I eventually joined up in the Storm King’s army just because I thought it would help me feel whole again, help me find out what my purpose in life was. I wonder now which lie about my life so far has been true, the one that tells me I’m strongest on my own, or the one that leads me to joining up in causes I don’t believe in just so that I may have some direction in my life.”

                                            >They reached the foyer and stopped before the door so they could face each other.

                                            >“Friendship may be powerful, even powerful enough to have saved me from who I had once been, but it is just another cause to me. I will count on myself, not friendship, to lead me to my destiny. In doing so I face the greatest challenge of my life, the biggest question of all.”

                                            What question?

                                            >Tempest looked over her shoulder, towards her flanks.

                                            >He followed her eyes until he saw that, beneath the Storm King’s armor, her flanks had been bare all along.

                                            >She had no cutie mark.

                                            >He looked at her again.

                                            >Her scowling mouth was as thin and small as it had ever been.

                                            >It was her eyes that were open to him and through which he felt her warm, trembling heart touch his own.

                                            >“I must ask myself this question: Who is Tempest Shadow?”

                                            >They both stood still for a moment, regarding each other with solemn eyes.

                                            >Soon he understood, and he bowed his head and opened up the castle door, holding it open for her to leave through.

                                            >She waited for him at the bottom of the castle steps, watching him come down to her after shutting the castle doors.

                                            >Once he reached her he tried to convince her to take the cards with her.

                                            >“I don’t want them.”

                                            You can’t just leave them. Look, let me read one to you.

                                            >He opened up one of the cards and read it aloud.

                                            Hey Fizzy, what comes up but never comes down? I’ll give you a hint: It’s got something to do with your name.

                                            >Tempest’s ears pointed straight up and a look of recognition came to her face.

                                            >“I can’t believe I almost forgot.”

                                            >Tempest turned her back to the castle, closed her eyes and bowed her head, her face tense.

                                            >Her mane stood up as she channeled her energy into her broken horn.

                                            >From out of her horn’s jagged edges, sparks popped before her like they were fragments of bone being chipped off, and small arcs of blue lightning crackled and flashed briefly in the air around her before fading away.

                                            >When a small white ball of energy had collected in the crater of her broken horn, she glared up at the sky and released her energy.

                                            >An arc of lightning left her horn, then flashed in the charged air and shot up into the night sky.

                                            >It went between the stars and then exploded. Everywhere up above the darkness had filled up with rumbling red and purple lights.

                                            >When the lights had settled and faded away there followed more explosions with different colors.

                                            >Tempest looked up at the bright flashing lights she had created as they shone down on her face and in her eyes.

                                            >She could hear all around her the echo of the explosions as they shook the cold night air, which now seemed to sing with joy in a voice that was full, deep and throbbing.

                                            >She smirked as she addressed the lights and the sounds.

                                            >“Enjoy your party, because I’m never throwing one for you again.”

                                            >She wiped the cool sweat from her brow as he came up next to her.

                                            >They had to shout in order to hear each other.

                                            I didn’t know you could do that.

                                            >“I thought you knew that I was going to make fireworks for Pinkie.”

                                            I figured they’d be sparklers or something, not actual full-blown fireworks.

                                            >Tempest was amused by his amazement, but inside her heart she felt anxious to leave and begin her new journey.

                                            >He was the only resistance she faced now, but should she wait any longer she faced the rest of her friends finding out her plans and trying to stop her.

                                            >She had to say goodbye to him and then leave without ever looking back.

                                            >Of this she felt sure, and yet it seemed so hard for her to leave on her own.

                                            >But she knew she had to.

                                            >When she looked at him again to say goodbye, she was struck by how serious his expression was and how his eyes were calling to her.

                                            >All her strength was failing her and she could feel her legs shaking.

                                            >“I have to go now.”

                                            Will you ever come back?

                                            >She hesitated.

                                            >“I don’t know. I might want to . . .”

                                            What?

                                            >He pointed to his ear and leaned in closer to her.

                                            >Behind his head she could see pink fireworks bursting in the sky.

                                            >She shouted out the words she had still been questioning in her mind for some time.

                                            >“Do you want to come with me?”

                                            >He looked at her in surprise.

                                            What did you just say?

                                            >“I asked if you wanted to come with me.”

                                            I can’t come with you. You don’t even know where you’re going.

                                            >“That doesn’t matter. We’ll live.”

                                            Tempest, I’m not like you. I can’t do anything useful out on my own.

                                            >“I can teach you. You’re not the worst case I’ve ever had.”

                                            This isn’t the army, though. There’s more to it than just teaching me things.

                                            >“I don’t care. Look, I’ve never asked anyone else to follow me on my own before because I never had anyone who I wanted to ask. But now I’m asking you.”

                                            >He stared into her earnest eyes.

                                            >Then he dropped his gaze, turned and took a few steps away from her, and started rubbing his forehead with his palm.

                                            >He looked at the cards in his hand and thought over what she had said, but he could not come up with an answer on what he should do.

                                            >He could see in his mind Twilight staying up at night and wondering where he could be, and Pinkie watching the front door of Sugar Cube Corner waiting to see if he would walk in.

                                            >He turned around to ask Tempest if they could talk it over with the rest of their friends.

                                            >Then he saw that he was alone.

                                            Tempest . . . Tempest . . . ?

                                            >He looked all around for her, even circling the castle until he was not sure how many times he had gone around.

                                            >He kept calling out her name.

                                            Tempest . . . Tempest . . . Tempest . . . Tempest. . . .

                                            >He stopped and sat down on the castle steps.

                                            >There was sweat on his forehead and in his pits where his shirt stuck to his skin.

                                            >He was still holding the cards in one hand but his fingers were so froze that he took to rubbing the top of one hand with his open palm for warmth.

                                            >For a while he watched the fireworks.

                                            >The sky burst with pink and purple lights and he kept his eye on them even when they were fading and other colors tried to cover them up.

                                            >He then started talking aloud even though he knew he was by himself.

                                            You could’ve waited to hear my answer at least, or were you afraid of what I’d say?

                                            >It was quiet and he was waiting for the fireworks to start again.

                                            >A quick succession of six bursts rang out and the sky filled with color.

                                            >He nodded and then turned his head down, away from the brightness.

                                            I’m sorry I ever said you were a bad pony. Pinkie was right to trust you. She was right and I was wrong. I hope you find that out.

                                            >He ignored the fireworks now and looked down at the cards that were in his hand.

                                            >The lights from above flashed on the pink card that was on top of the pile.

                                            >He rubbed his beat-red thumb over one of the little blue heart-shaped stickers that Pinkie had decorated it with.

                                            I know you probably think that you know everything about me, but I’ll show you someday. Then you’ll have to come see it for yourself to believe it. I’ll have a pop for you when you do.

                                            >He stood up and went to the castle doors to return the cards, and all over the castle walls the lights from the fireworks, now red and blue, reflected in the crystals.


                                            >She was the only pony travelling down the pitch-black road.

                                            >All around her the wind had picked up and it bit her frozen cheeks and whipped her sore, tired eyes.

                                            >She could still hear the fireworks echoing behind her as she crossed the dark meadow.

                                            >When she reached the treeline of the woods she halted and turned her eyes towards Ponyville.

                                            >Neither the light nor the warmth of the fireworks touched her as the last of the explosions faded away.

                                            >Darkness soon settled over the town again and she watched as the stars came back and shone silently in the distance.

                                            >She was thinking of how she was again leaving to be on her own, and she was wondering if she had made the right choice.

                                            >She wondered why it was that just when she had given up on friendship was when she had connected with him.

                                            >It seemed only now, as she stood there and looked out in the dark, that she could truly feel the special touch his companionship could bring her.

                                            >He was someone open to talk to down a road where it was wise to be silent.

                                            >He was someone different whom she could relate to in a world where she had always felt alone.

                                            >In her heart she knew of a warm life with him where she could hear herself laughing as she teased him for his meekness, frowning when he displayed his sweet tooth, smiling when touched her on the back of the neck, beckoning her to his side.

                                            >In face of these visions of hope and happiness, she worried that her coming journey of self-discovery, which she had been convinced was so important to her, was nothing but a retreat into self-indulgence and pride, brought on from her defeat at the hands of friendship.

                                            >She worried that perhaps she had taken another misstep.

                                            >She worried that she would spend her life fruitlessly searching for that which she did not understand.

                                            >She worried that she would be forced to retire alone somewhere before she could say that she knew one single truth about herself that she had found on her own.

                                            >She worried that only when she could travel no more would she realize that she herself had no identity except that which others had thought of her.

                                            >But by then perhaps there would be no one left who would still think of her, and she would have discovered such truths too late, just as it had been with him and the magic of friendship.

                                            >The wind picked up again and it was sighing and swirling around her body.

                                            >She could hear the branches above her bobbing in the air and the leaves flapping in the wind as it cut through them.

                                            >With wind-chilled eyes she looked up at the shining stars above her.

                                            >She knew that she had made the right choice in leaving him behind, that he was honest about his uses in her journey.

                                            >The ways of him helping her that she had imagined in her heart were all just her fantasies, her speculation, her wishful thinking—though she liked to think that he had them too.

                                            >He could have been her savior or her greatest regret, she did not know.

                                            >She could read his thoughts and accurately predict his actions at most moments, but she never considered or had any idea of the truths of his life which had led him to become the person he was.

                                            >The truths of her own life were hers alone to discover without judgment from anyone else except for her own reflection, and they could only be discovered after they had passed, after they were done and could not be changed, for it was only then that they were truths.

                                            >She knew this was true and, looking over her life thus far, she knew that she would always be an outsider to everything and everyone forever.

                                            >Whatever happened to her and wherever she went, she would always leave alone, and only be aware of what she had lost after she had moved on.

                                            >Though she may change, and though she may change others she came across, answering their own silent reflections as though she were a breeze passing at the right moment, she knew that to be this way was her destiny.

                                            >As she turned away from Ponyville, she told herself that she had made the right choice, and she crossed into the pitch-black forest, leaving her heart behind her but following her hooves towards her future.