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Description
Struggling to fall asleep, Tempest thought about just how kind her friends had been to her. They’d been so accepting, always willing to talk when she needed it. Darksun had even come looking for her in the forest! They’d opened their hearts and shared secrets, and all the while Tempest had held back, keeping hers locked away. It wasn’t fair. They deserved to know the truth, especially now that Darksun had found the circle. I think it’s time to tell somepony. All of it.

Tempest managed to catch Darksun on the way to school and gave him the note she’d written the previous night before racing off to class: “There are some things I need to tell you. I won’t have time after school, so it’ll have to be during lunch.” She slipped identical notes into two lockers on her way.

Once Sissi, Darksun, and Val had all joined her under one of the big trees in the yard, Tempest began, “I’ve already told most of this story to Sissi and Val, but there are some things I left out that time.
“When I was seven, I got into a fight. I don’t even remember what it was about, but the important thing is I got mad. Really mad. Before I knew it, the town was hit by the worst storm in its history, and I instantly knew it was my fault. That’s when my cutie mark appeared. I ran. Ran until my hooves couldn’t carry me anymore. Eventually, I collapsed in a stone circle I’d never seen before. There were four beautiful hooflets in the middle of the circle. I’m not sure why, but I put them on. It was the most terrifying and incredible sensation I’ve ever felt. Immediately, I tried to take them off, only to find out that they don’t come off. A pair of wings sprouted from my back and then she was there. She told me I was special, that I was better than everypony else.
“I didn’t like the way she spoke to me, but it was night by then, and I was too scared to leave the circle. I spent the night there. It wouldn’t be the last time. When I got home the next day, I told my parents that the storm was my fault, but I lied about the hooflets and wings, claiming I didn’t remember where they came from. By the time I got back, though, the whole town already knew I was responsible for the storm. Enough people had seen the fight to put two and two together. Overnight, I’d transformed from ordinary pony to social outcast.
“I figured out pretty quickly that my powers were fueled by my emotions, so I started bottling them up inside. It didn’t always work. When I got desperate, I’d go back to the stone circle, where Thyella would try to teach me to control my powers. Success was mixed. After practicing in the circle for almost a decade, I can reliably make bad weather at the drop of a hat. But I’ve never been able to make bad weather go away.
“After a while, Thyella started to appear to me outside of the circle, but nopony else could see or hear her. She started to get more insistent that I was more important than other people. She kept pushing me to forget my compassion and empathy. I’ve done my best to tune her out, but she can be hard to ignore.
“A few weeks ago, I lost my temper again. Now my old high school has to be rebuilt. My parents thought they were going to have to home school me, but then we got a notice in the mail saying I’d been transferred to Pony Highschool. It went… acceptably until the field trip.
“My group was in trouble and the teachers weren’t going to get there fast enough, so I tried to pull out just enough power to help. I managed to scare off the puma-bear, but then I lost control. I nearly cut loose on my own classmates. That’s why I ran and that’s why I was hiding. Even when I try to use my magic for good it always turns out bad in the end. So I’ve decided never to use my weather magic again.
“There. That’s everything I’ve been keeping from you, from everypony.”
Finished, Tempest waited for a reaction.
“Who’s this ‘Thyella’?” Darksun asked.
This wasn’t a reaction she’d expected. She’d already committed to tell them everything, though, so she answered the question.
“She says she used to be called the Storm Queen until the royal sisters defeated her. I think she’s a ghost.”
“Ghost?!” Sissi yelped.
“You sure?” Val asked.
“Well, I’m the only one that ever sees her and she’s usually transparent, so I think ghost is probably a safe bet. That, or I’m crazy and she’s some evil split personality. I find ghost the more comforting option.”
“Why haven’t you told anypony about this before?” Darksun asked.
“Oh yeah, that’d go over well. ‘Not only does that pony have weather magic she can’t control, her imaginary friend keeps telling her to take over the world.’ I’m already considered a freak and a walking disaster; I don’t need to add criminally insane to the mix.” Her humorless smile became a more wistful look, and she added, “I’m probably only letting this out now because you guys are my first friends in ten years.”
The others sat speechless for a few seconds, letting that last statement sink in.
“That explains a lot,” Val was the first to speak up.
Tempest gave her a questioning, and slightly confused, look.
“I told you before that my … heritage gives me insight into the emotions of others. Ten friendless years would certainly help explain all that anger and sadness you keep bottled up inside. Sorry if that’s a little too personal.”
“No, no, that’s alright. I said I was going to share everything this time, didn’t I?” Tempest answered, looking weary in a way one as young as her shouldn’t. Glancing at the school’s clocktower, she continued with, “Is there anything else you want to ask? We’ll need to get back to class soon.”

As they all headed off to class, Sissi lagged behind to say one last thing to Tempest, “I know you don’t like it, but I don’t think you should give up on your weather magic. It’s an intrinsic part of who you are. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be on your cutie mark. I think you could do some really awesome things with it if you figured out how to control it.”
Having said her peace, she bounded off cheerfully to class. Tempest was left pondering her friends’ words as she made her way to her own class.

Description
Struggling to fall asleep, Tempest thought about just how kind her friends had been to her. They’d been so accepting, always willing to talk when she needed it. Darksun had even come looking for her in the forest! They’d opened their hearts and shared secrets, and all the while Tempest had held back, keeping hers locked away. It wasn’t fair. They deserved to know the truth, especially now that Darksun had found the circle. I think it’s time to tell somepony. All of it.

Tempest managed to catch Darksun on the way to school and gave him the note she’d written the previous night before racing off to class: “There are some things I need to tell you. I won’t have time after school, so it’ll have to be during lunch.” She slipped identical notes into two lockers on her way.

Once Sissi, Darksun, and Val had all joined her under one of the big trees in the yard, Tempest began, “I’ve already told most of this story to Sissi and Val, but there are some things I left out that time.
“When I was seven, I got into a fight. I don’t even remember what it was about, but the important thing is I got mad. Really mad. Before I knew it, the town was hit by the worst storm in its history, and I instantly knew it was my fault. That’s when my cutie mark appeared. I ran. Ran until my hooves couldn’t carry me anymore. Eventually, I collapsed in a stone circle I’d never seen before. There were four beautiful hooflets in the middle of the circle. I’m not sure why, but I put them on. It was the most terrifying and incredible sensation I’ve ever felt. Immediately, I tried to take them off, only to find out that they don’t come off. A pair of wings sprouted from my back and then she was there. She told me I was special, that I was better than everypony else.
“I didn’t like the way she spoke to me, but it was night by then, and I was too scared to leave the circle. I spent the night there. It wouldn’t be the last time. When I got home the next day, I told my parents that the storm was my fault, but I lied about the hooflets and wings, claiming I didn’t remember where they came from. By the time I got back, though, the whole town already knew I was responsible for the storm. Enough people had seen the fight to put two and two together. Overnight, I’d transformed from ordinary pony to social outcast.
“I figured out pretty quickly that my powers were fueled by my emotions, so I started bottling them up inside. It didn’t always work. When I got desperate, I’d go back to the stone circle, where Thyella would try to teach me to control my powers. Success was mixed. After practicing in the circle for almost a decade, I can reliably make bad weather at the drop of a hat. But I’ve never been able to make bad weather go away.
“After a while, Thyella started to appear to me outside of the circle, but nopony else could see or hear her. She started to get more insistent that I was more important than other people. She kept pushing me to forget my compassion and empathy. I’ve done my best to tune her out, but she can be hard to ignore.
“A few weeks ago, I lost my temper again. Now my old high school has to be rebuilt. My parents thought they were going to have to home school me, but then we got a notice in the mail saying I’d been transferred to Pony Highschool. It went… acceptably until the field trip.
“My group was in trouble and the teachers weren’t going to get there fast enough, so I tried to pull out just enough power to help. I managed to scare off the puma-bear, but then I lost control. I nearly cut loose on my own classmates. That’s why I ran and that’s why I was hiding. Even when I try to use my magic for good it always turns out bad in the end. So I’ve decided never to use my weather magic again.
“There. That’s everything I’ve been keeping from you, from everypony.”
Finished, Tempest waited for a reaction.
“Who’s this ‘Thyella’?” Darksun asked.
This wasn’t a reaction she’d expected. She’d already committed to tell them everything, though, so she answered the question.
“She says she used to be called the Storm Queen until the royal sisters defeated her. I think she’s a ghost.”
“Ghost?!” Sissi yelped.
“You sure?” Val asked.
“Well, I’m the only one that ever sees her and she’s usually transparent, so I think ghost is probably a safe bet. That, or I’m crazy and she’s some evil split personality. I find ghost the more comforting option.”
“Why haven’t you told anypony about this before?” Darksun asked.
“Oh yeah, that’d go over well. ‘Not only does that pony have weather magic she can’t control, her imaginary friend keeps telling her to take over the world.’ I’m already considered a freak and a walking disaster; I don’t need to add criminally insane to the mix.” Her humorless smile became a more wistful look, and she added, “I’m probably only letting this out now because you guys are my first friends in ten years.”
The others sat speechless for a few seconds, letting that last statement sink in.
“That explains a lot,” Val was the first to speak up.
Tempest gave her a questioning, and slightly confused, look.
“I told you before that my … heritage gives me insight into the emotions of others. Ten friendless years would certainly help explain all that anger and sadness you keep bottled up inside. Sorry if that’s a little too personal.”
“No, no, that’s alright. I said I was going to share everything this time, didn’t I?” Tempest answered, looking weary in a way one as young as her shouldn’t. Glancing at the school’s clocktower, she continued with, “Is there anything else you want to ask? We’ll need to get back to class soon.”

As they all headed off to class, Sissi lagged behind to say one last thing to Tempest, “I know you don’t like it, but I don’t think you should give up on your weather magic. It’s an intrinsic part of who you are. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be on your cutie mark. I think you could do some really awesome things with it if you figured out how to control it.”
Having said her peace, she bounded off cheerfully to class. Tempest was left pondering her friends’ words as she made her way to her own class.