Tempest was led through the opulent halls, down one flight of stairs, up another, though not as high, and then through more halls. There a large pair of doors they passed by. Imperial Library and Archive, it read. They promptly went down two more flights of stairs, and then down yet another hall. “That will be where you are staying.” said the servant, gesturing to a door on what Tempest thought was the south side of the hall.

“Got it.” she acknowledged. But they continued on, where they were intercepted by Tempest's second-favorite person in the world after Îrilôs: Sidâl.

“Tempest Blackwind,” he said with a respectful bow. “we meet again.” He turned to the servant. “I will take her from here, you are dismissed.” The servant left silently. He should be lucky to so easily escape Sidâl.

“You'll be taking me to Aharôs?” she guessed.

“I implied as much, did I not? Come along, I have heard about your sidetracking north of the Ôsavon.” he said, in a serious tone. “Including the your unseen passenger.”

“Really?” Tempest said flatly.

“We have been in contact.” Sidâl replied. “In short, you encountered a wraith, a shadow spirit, my master, and then the shadow spirit again, and barely escaped with your life.” The hall was completely empty, for whatever reason. Perhaps Sidâl had something to do with that.

“Did you know I was going to meet our Benefactor?” Tempest asked.

“I was aware that it would happen, though I did not know how or when. Which is why I gave you that crystal at the earliest moment possible, under the pretense of warding off nightmares.” Sidâl told her.

“But it did do that. Until the Far North, at least; now I dream every night again.”

“Indeed, that was me trying to be convincing.” Sidâl glanced around, as if to make sure everything was still empty. “But the Far North is a strange place. What I worked on that crystal was unwound when you passed beyond Kakâdras.”

“The wraith told me that you could not help us there.” Tempest noted. She had almost forgotten about that, in the terror and chaos of that night.

“...Did he?” The too-ordinary sorcerer-spy asked to himself. “Well, it was right in that account. There are spells, ancient ones, in those mountains. Once you pass over them, any magic worked on either side of the barrier is undone once you cross. Believe me, I've studied it.”

“Really? You went to the Far North?”

“I did. How else do you think I got in contact with our mutual benefactor?” Sidâl stopped, standing between a column and a statue of some saint of a bygone century. It is time for us to part ways, Tempest, spoke the Benefactor. “Speaking of which... I believe you need to hand something over to me.”

“Right.” said Tempest, looking at the crystal around her neck. What exactly is your plan, here? Tempest asked to him. That was always on the back of her mind. The Benefactor had been locked away, in several parts apparently, by the alicorns. But why? He said it was because they disagreed on his attempt to bring justice, but... What exactly was he trying to get justice for? Who were his kin? Who was the Benefactor?

You know my name. And with those final, useless words, the Benefactor's spirit shard was in the hands of Sidâl, and away he went until who knew when they would next meet. Tempest scowled. She did not know his name! But at least it was over, for the moment.

“Thank you.” said Sidâl coolly, putting the crystal on its string around his own neck. “Now, to Aharôs.” Sidâl led her the rest of the way there. It wasn't long before they stood before his chamber's door. “I'll leave you to have at it. Just one more thing.”

“Yes?” asked Tempest, wondering what could this annoying man possibly want with her next.

“If you ever mention this business with the crystal to anyone but Snowy or I, then you will quickly regret making that choice.” warned Sidâl. A slight chill entered the air, making Tempest's fur raise.

“As far as they're concerned, it never happened.” Tempest told him, in the hopes of appeasement. Sidâl gave a wordless look of approval. And then he too was gone, leaving Tempest to stand at the door alone.

To be honest, she was a bit nervous. She didn't know why. But it would be good to see Aharôs again, to know he was alive and well. Tempest knocked on the door with one hoof. The response from within was slow, but eventually, the door did open, and there he was; somber and discontent as always. It took him a moment to figure out what he was seeing.

“Uh, hello.” said Tempest, shuffling. Aharôs looked terribly confused.

“I have a lot of questions,” he finally said, “but none moreso than: where exactly did you come from?”

“Turaz and the rest of us sailed in this morning.” she replied. Aharôs nodded slowly, before opening the door fully.

“That would make sense... Come in.” Tempest did as told, and he closed the door behind him. As per usual Aharôs manner, the curtains were half-drawn and all was dark. “You look absolutely terrible.” he noted. “Dangerously thin and sick.”

“Well, that makes two of us.” she retorted, with a weak smile.

“So it does.” agreed Aharôs. “I suppose you have a tale or two to tell... Let's hear it.” Aharôs walked over to an odd piece of furniture. He sat in what looked like a very, very wide chair. It could have held three people; there was nothing like it back in Nikadîon. Tempest followed him up, and sat next to him.

“You won't believe what Snowy and I went through.” she said.

“I've heard some mighty strange things lately, Tempest. Speak.”

And so, Tempest began on her second recollection of the previous month and a half's events. Unlike Turaz, Haior, and Streaming Breeze; Aharôs remained silent and contemplative the entire time. The only thing she left out was Snowy and she meeting with the Benefactor, his threat and their discussions. Otherwise, she did exactly as her former voice-in-a-crystal had suggested, and told Aharôs as much of the truth as she could. “The shadow spirit was just bubbling out of the ground, like some oily, sludgy filth. And it screamed. I didn't think much of it at the moment, I was too angry at Reshîv for getting us into the mess, but later... It was horrible. The more I think about it, the worse it gets. I don't know what language it was speaking, but it was something evil. I'm not exaggerating, it was wrong, it was terrifying. We came face to face with real, tangible, evil...” Tempest shook her head, and her ears fell. “I don't know half of what there is to know about the world, but there is something far viler than I ever could have imagined out there.

“Have you ever felt that fear, Aharôs?” asked she. “It's like an icy claw that... that grabs you. It wraps around your throat and- and squeezes until you can't even move. I tried to be like you, I really did. But confidence and courage... they don't come naturally to me, I found out. I wished you were up there with us, you'd have known what to do. But you weren't, and I didn't. I'm not what you tried to make me, I can't do it.” She looked at her hooves, shamed by her inadequacy. Aharôs was still quiet for some minutes more; but eventually, he did break his silence.

“Fighting men is one thing. Standing up to demons, though... That's an entirely different matter. There is no way I could have prepared you for that.” he stated. There was something skeptical in his voice, but he seemed to believe her nonetheless.

“It's not just that.” Tempest looked in the opposite direction, not wanting to see Aharôs's expression. “It’s all of this.” she waved a hoof vaguely around. “I can't do it. I can't fight, I can't rule, I can't even travel from one place to another without things going terribly wrong because... because... I don't even know why they go wrong, they just do! It's a curse.”

“But you can do all that.” disagreed Aharôs. “You've proven yourself in battle already-”

“At Seshîlîon, I killed a peasant soldier and then felt so horrible I got sick.” That stopped Aharôs's train of thought.

“You never told me.” he said quietly.

“It wasn't what you wanted to hear.” Tempest replied, not without some guilt and bitterness.

“Ah...” It was Aharôs's turn to look elsewhere. “I've... never had that issue, myself. Perhaps I hoped my less-forgiving nature would have rubbed off more strongly on you over the years.”

“It didn't.” affirmed Tempest. “It really didn't. But... I had a lot of time to think up there. I figured that it'd be best to just tell you the truth about everything as soon as I could. No more pretending I am anything other than what I am. And that’s not what you want me to be.” There was another moment of silence between them.

“I appreciate your honesty. I didn't raise you a liar.” Aharôs stated, before standing up. Tempest watched him walk to a window, where he peeked out from behind the half-drawn curtain. “It is a cruel world, out there. It does not care for our desires or abilities. It does not ask us what we want. All we can do is act with what we are given. Even when it gives us nothing, takes everything, and stabs you in the back at every chance it gets.”

“I had a feeling you were going to say that.” sighed Tempest, recalling the Benefactor's own words. Despite the rough start to their relationship, at least the Benefactor was easy to talk to. Aharôs... He was as empathetic as a rock, and he understood very little about those around him, which further dulled any sense of compassion he could have had for them.

“Like it or not, you have a path before you, and I intend to keep you on it. I vowed to your mother I would see her work completed.” Aharôs turned back to her, as stern as ever. “You've faced true evil and lived, Tempest. You are not as weak as you think. You can do what has to be done when the time comes. And that time will come; the world is against you as much as it is against me, I fear. You do have that strength in you.”

A few months ago, that little speech would have worked. Tempest would have snapped out of her fear and uncertainty. But now... No. Aharôs's words were empty. She had seen how she did on her own, who she truly was. And it wasn't who Aharôs wanted her to be.

“Alright.” she said with a nod. “Thanks for listening to me... I know it all seems silly to you, but... Thanks.”

“I do try.” Aharôs replied. You did, for what it was worth, sighed Tempest silently. That was very much the story of Aharôs: a man who tried and failed without realizing why. But now, Tempest could see why. It made sense why no one wanted him for a King, why so few respected him beyond the measure of fear he inspired.

Tempest left, and visited the room that would be hers for the foreseeable future. It was actually two rooms, as she found out. A solar, with a thankfully dark fireplace and a door to what seemed to be a small balcony; and then the bedroom itself, where her possessions from Vatherîon had already been placed. She opened her trunk, and pulled out her books, placing them on a table in the sitting room. Someone had placed both her swords, and the rest of her armor, in the bedroom. She didn't bother with moving those. There were two more doors in the bedroom as well. Closets, she assumed, though she didn't know why anyone would ever need more than one.

One of those doors opened, and revealed Snowy. “Oh, hello!” she greeted. “I didn't know you were in here.”

“Snowy, why are you in my closet?” Tempest asked, tilting her head.

“Uh, I sleep through there-”

“Why are you sleeping in my closet?”

“It's a washroom, Tempest. My room opens up to it from the other side. I saw this door, and decided to see what was through here.” explained Snowy. “It looks like we'll have to share this.”

“Well, at least we have our own rooms again.” Tempest said thankfully.

“It will be nice.” her friend agreed. “I've missed real beds.”

“A shame about the weather, though.” Tempest gave a baleful glance out the windows. “I have a feeling it's going to be far too hot and sunny for my tastes.”

“We are several hundred miles south of Nikadîon.” Snowy pointed out. “But... Look at what I have!” She ran back through the washroom, and came back a moment later, with a ring of keys in her mouth.

“What are they for?” Tempest asked.

“These,” Snowy said after placing them on the same table as the swords. “are the keys to the Imperial library!” She was beaming with joy, and as she had been on their arrival to Ar-Athazîon this morning, almost bouncing with excitement. “Duke- er, Emperor Îrilôs gave them to me.”

“How nice of him.” remarked Tempest. It did make her day better to see Snowy was so happy about something. She deserved it, after the last few months of troubles, and how hard she had worked to get through it all.

“Well?” prompted Snowy, smiling eagerly. Even though she was quite tired from her recent ordeals, Tempest wasn't about to make her friend explore alone. Snowy had put up with their flight from evil through the Far North despite her exhaustion, Tempest could put up with a few hours in a perfectly safe ibrary despite her own weariness.

“Alright, let's go see the library.”

Snowy made a wordless sound of delight, grabbed her keys, and trotted back the way she came. As Tempest followed her somewhat less energetically, she saw just how little Snowy actually owned. There was her pack from the Far North, her hairbrushes, her well-serving lantern, her copy of the Kaiathîsa, a book of the study of mathematics, and... that was it. Everything Lady Snowy Farpeak owned in the world, on a single bedside table.

Once they were back in the main hall, Tempest took lead; as she actually knew where the library was. It was about forty yards west of their rooms, and then up two flights of stairs, and then back a bit east. “I've heard about this place.” Snowy said. “It's three stories tall, and thousands of square feet in area.” It must have been one of the taller, boxier parts of the residence that they had seen from afar earlier. “There are more books here than there are in the rest of Sarathûl combined, I imagine.” Snowy stuck one of the keys in the lock, and turned it.

“I wouldn't go that far-” Tempest immediately cut herself off when they entered through the double doors of the library. “Alright, maybe I would.” she conceded.

From floor to ceiling, there were twenty-foot tall shelves packed with books. Long, narrow windows stood on the other side of the room, spanning its long length. This place had to be as long as the walls of Ar-Athazîon were tall, or more!

“Lord of Heaven, be praised,” Snowy said in quiet awe, “for I have seen what lies in the promised realm to come.” It sounded like she was quoting something... Tempest had a good guess as to what.

“This is certainly something.” agreed Tempest, looking around in amazement.

“I could spend a lifetime in here, I bet!” And the game was on. For three hours, Snowy led Tempest around, talking about history and culture and everything else that came to her mind which could be found in this library. Of course, Tempest knew little of what she spoke about, and understood less, but she didn't mind that. Snowy's pure, unbridled enthusiasm for these subjects was what Tempest appreciated, she had a way of making them interesting when they should have been as dry as imaginable. It was a side of Snowy that rarely got to show itself.

Finally, they found themselves in a corner of the third and uppermost floor. The setting sun's rays coming through the windows illuminated the columns of dust in the air, giving the entire place a gilded look. She had to sit down at one of the many little tables between the shelves and the windows.

“As much as I enjoy learning about why it might be better to measure angles in arc segments of a circle, I'm afraid I don't have any more left in me.” Tempest yawned. “It's been a very long journey. All I want to do now is eat supper and go to bed.”

“I've been looking forward to both.” said Snowy, eager as ever. “Real food, real beds... A giant library we've even barely scratched the surface of... What else could you want?” Tempest didn't reply for a moment, taking the question seriously.

“I can think of a few things.” she mused, stopping herself from going any further with that thought lest she ruin her friend’s spirits. “But, first, I'm hungry. You must be too.”

“Very. All this excitement today has certainly left me with an appetite. I wonder what they'll have for us...”

Tempest made a note in her mind: bring Snowy to the library often. She'd never been this lively before, nor so outright happy. It was troubling for Tempest to realize that she had never really seen her friend in such a truly good mood, but here it was. At Nikadîon, there always had been something haunting her, she always looked ready to flee or hide... Not here, though. Something in Snowy had changed on their journey through the wilderness. She wasn't afraid anymore. Not always, at least. It was the wraith, I bet, thought Tempest. The wraith, and the Benefactor. I wonder what he said to her... Well, it wasn't for her to find out. Their mysterious ally seemed like a secret-keeper.

They had supper with Streaming Breeze that evening, and for Tempest, it was the first time she'd had a real meal since their time in Vatherîon. Excluding their stay with the knight and his daughter in Jutan, of course. Snowy said there was only biscuits, water, and dried fruit on the ship south, so it was the same case for her. Not that Tempest would have known what they had to eat on that dreadful voyage...

The other two pegasi seemed to be enjoying themselves here, but Tempest did not have a clear conscience. There used to be eight of them. Now there were three. She had hardly known any of them. For their Queen, Tempest had never been very considerate of the ponies that followed her for no reason other than loyalty; misplaced or not. Snowy had been her friend for more than ten years, but the others had just been there. Even her late uncle, who had never been particularly friendly to her until his last months. Well, that was his fault, not mine, he said so. Should she have done more for them? What could she have done? They all would have died for her at Vatherîon anyway, and if she had known them better, their loss would actually hurt. Perhaps it was better she had hardly known them.

Tempest felt very guilty for thinking that.

While she thought her thoughts, Streaming and Snowy were having a discussion entirely without her. Of all her followers, the red mare had always been the least hostile to Snowy... That was fortunate. But why her? Why did she survive, and not the others? Of all the pegasi to come out of Vatherîon alive, she had expected it to be Coldstar, a hardened fighter. Streaming Breeze was... What was she? Tempest knew almost nothing about her, just like with the others. She came from a poor commoner family, joined the Blackwind army because she was hungry, gained favor with Coldstar, and then stayed with her new Queen in Athair for a decade with nothing good to show for it. Tempest didn't understand her. She didn't understand anyone, for that matter; not even Snowy.

“...I'm sure of it, Lady Snowy, the local rats are up to something. The humans should have never let them move in.” Streaming Breeze was saying. “Before you know it, they'll have the whole city undermined.”

“Why would they do that though?” she asked. “Destroy the ones who shelter them?”

“It's the nature of parasites to destroy what they feed on. They cannot help it anymore than we can help being disgusted by them.” the red pegasus stated.

“I guess so...” Snowy agreed, frowning, and no doubt remembering her uncomfortable encounter this morning.

“We ought to warn the Emperor about them. The humans probably don't know our history with the vermin.” proposed Streaming.

“I can do that.” Snowy said. “I'll be seeing him quite a bit in the future.” Wait- why? Wondered Tempest.

“My Queen, are you alright?” asked Streaming, when she saw Tempest's confusion.

“You've been awfully quiet, Tempest.” noted Snowy.

“Yeah, I'm fine... Just tired.” Tempest stood up, and made to leave. “I think I'll be heading to sleep now. It's been a long month and a half.”

“Goodnight, my Queen.” said Streaming, with a respectful nod. Snowy nodded too, and the two resumed their conversation. Tempest made her way back to her room, but found it uncomfortably warm. Even with the windows open to the cool night air, it was still too hot to even go under the covers. She settled for laying on her back, looking at the ceiling. Sleep did not come. Minutes slowly ticked by on the mechanical clock in her room, and they surely turned into hours. She heard noise in the washroom, and then a soft knock on her door.

“Yes?” she said, in a very awake voice.

“I'm not disturbing you, am I?” Snowy asked, poking her head in.

“No. It's too warm for sleeping.” sighed Tempest.

“Yeah...” her friend said. “But really, is there something wrong? You've been distracted all day.”

“I'm fine.” repeated she.

“Right...” Snowy made it obvious she wasn't buying it, but did not pursue the issue any further. “Do try to sleep, Tempest, you need it after all this. Goodnight.” She retreated back to her own room.

How long Tempest spent lying there, looking at the ceiling, she didn't know, but eventually, sleep did come to her. She dreamed of wrath and ruin and all the fires of Hell unleashed upon the world; then a mysterious visitor, asking the way to the library, and then of bees. As Tempest would recall later, it was something small but pleasant to end an overall trying few weeks.

Author's Notes:

And that concludes our four chapters all taking place in the same day. Tempest, as usual, wraps things up on a mostly grim tone. Stop being so moody, you 15 year old.

Next week, we get some actual fighting! Kind of! As you might tell, we're hitting a part of the story I have very well mapped out, so updates are being very regular for the foreseeable future.