Strings of Fate

Prologue

Night has fallen upon Canterlot, and the Friendship Festival was in full swing. All around the square, ponies were dancing and enjoying themselves at the first festival of its kind. Tempest Shadow lifted her gaze to the star filled sky and used her magic to shoot fireworks high into the sky. It was a spectacle; it even made a few of the ponies stop and gaze in wonder.

"Nice touch, Tempest!" A pink pony with bouncy pink hair shouted from over the crowd.

Tempest, with Twilight by her side, made their way over to the element of laughter. "Actually that's not my real name." Tempest admitted.

Pinkie sprung her way over to Tempest and the group, who had noticed them talking. "OH!" She exclaimed, "What is it?"

She leaned her head close to Tempest's, and after a little glance back at Twilight for reassurement, she whispered, "It's Fizzlepop Berrytwist."

The pink mare let out a large gasp. After a moment, she suddenly wrapped a hoof around Tempest's neck and shouted, "Okay, that is the most awesome name EVER!"

"You really think so?" She looked at Pinkie in surprise.

"Pinkie Pie thinks every name is awesome, darling," Rarity added, "but I agree. It suits you."

Tempest lowered her head, almost embarrassed by Rarity's comment. She said, "Not really. At least, not anymore."

"Wait." Twilight spoke up. Everyone looked at her as she asked, "Your name used to be Fizzlepop Berrytwist?"

"Uh, yeah." Tempest misinterpreted Twilight's tone of voice, and mistaken it for disbelief rather than curiosity. She turned to the Princess of Friendship. "You think I'm lying or something, Princess?"

Twilight looked surprised by the tone Tempest used to answer her question. She started fumbling over her words a little bit. "N-no, of course not! It's just sounds familiar is all. I remember hearing about Fizzlepop Berrytwist's disappearance all those years ago as a filly, back before my parents enrolled me in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I remember feeling sorry for the fact that a filly not much older than me had lost something so important to her."

Twilight sighed, slightly lowering her gaze to the ground, looking away from Tempest. "When you told me about your past on the airship, and how you had run away, I didn't want to say anything. Out of fear you would yell at me again."

Everyone stood in silence for a few seconds. Tempest hesitantly lowered herself so she could look at Twilight in the eye. When Twilight met her gaze, she saw fear, but she also saw a trace of sympathy. Tempest asked, "Mind if we talk, alone? I need to ask you something."

"Of course." Twilight followed Tempest back over to the area behind the tents, where they were only a few minutes before. When they got there, Tempest still had her back turned to the Princess. "What is it?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Why?" Tempest muttered.

"What?" Twilight asked, pricking her ears so she could hear Tempest over the music.
Tempest turned and slightly yelled, "Why did you save me back there? After everything I did to you?"

"Because what I saw then was a broken pony with a broken horn who didn't know her purpose in life, yet."

Twilight's answer made Tempest visibly vince a little. She sighed. "I hunted you down for three days straight, turned the other princesses into stone, and in the process of all that, betrayed Equestria! I'm a horrible pony, and I don't deserve anything from you."

She didn't know why she was trying to, but Tempest was trying to convince Twilight to disregard her. She wants to get what she deserved in the eyes of Equestria, so she won't live with the guilt for the rest of her life.