This morning, Tempest Shadow had two reasons to live:

She had to replay Twilight Sparkle’s forgiveness.

She had to make sure she put Equestria in a better state than she and the Storm King had left it.

Two reasons weren’t very many. When she was done with them, Tempest figured that she could just stop living. But for now, two reasons were enough.

So Tempest got out of her bed. Because today was another chance to take a reason off her list.

[hr]

The knock on her door while she ate breakfast was unexpected. The pony at her door, even more so.

“Hello, Fluttershy,” said Tempest when she opened the door and recognized her visitor.

“Hi, Fizzlepop.” A smile stretched from cheek to cheek, punctuated by dimples on each side. “Sorry for bothering, but if you haven’t heard, Applejack’s dog, Winonna, had the cutest little litter of puppies a couple of months back, and they’re going to be big enough to leave their momma soon.”

Tempest wasn’t sure if this was a normal thing for ponies to knock on their neighbors doors about. So she tried to put on a smile and said, “Yes?”

Fluttershy blushed a little. Apparently, Tempest’s fake-smile needed work.

“I-I was just wondering…” said the pegasus, rosy-cheeked and eared but still smiling, “a-and I’m asking all my other friends who don’t have animal friends yet, of course… but do you think you’d be able to take one of the puppies?”

Fluttershy was a pretty mare, and the way she looked up at Tempest with sincere eyes knotted up Tempest’s chest and made her speak before she knew what she was saying.

“Sure. I’d love to.”

[hr]

In a surprisingly short amount of time, a little brown fuzzball was sitting in the middle of Tempest’s living room, looking up at her with a tilted head.

Fluttershy had said it was a male, and that its breed made good guard-dogs. So she decided to give it the scariest name she could think of.

She took the only bowl she owned—the same one she ate cereal out of every morning—and piled it high with stinking dog food. She pushed it in front of the puppy.

“Chow time, Ursa. Ten minutes.”

Tempest sat and watched as Ursa ate only about a third of the food, before spending the remaining minutes wagging his tail and rolling head-over-paws on top of Tempest’s rug.

Tempest poured the rest of the bowl back into the tarp bag of doggy food that Fluttershy had left. Maybe puppies didn’t eat that much; Tempest had no idea.

… She should ask Fluttershy for advice.

The thought was a fun one, and it made her heart skip.

Then, Ursa threw up on Tempest’s rug.

[hr]

The next morning, as a wet tongue assaulted every nook and scar on Tempest’s face, she had three reasons to live.

She had to repay Twilight.

She had to better Equestria.

And she had to take this goofy thing on a walk, before it made a mess in her kitchen again.

[hr]

“I’d be happy to see how Ursa’s doing!” said Fluttershy.

Her smile was soft, and her voice was genuine. The opposite in every way to how the Storm King and his minions had spoken to Tempest.

She wore a big, white sunhat to shield her from the afternoon sun and—Tempest suspected—from the hustle and bustle of the marketplace crowds. For some reason, Tempest felt strangely jealous of the hat.

“Alright,” said Tempest. “Be at my place, tomorrow night at seven? I can fix dinner.”

Tempest didn’t know why she said that. She had no idea how to cook.

“Then, it’s a date!” Fluttershy said, with just enough nervous warble in her voice that both of them knew it wasn’t entirely a joke.

Tempest’s heart was leaping and laughing within her chest, as she struggled to imagine a comprehensible series of words to speak.

“Okay. I’m—um...—looking forward to it,” she managed to choke out.

“Me too!” said Fluttershy, waving goodbye with the tip of a delicate wing as she turned back into the market.

[hr]

Tempest had four reasons to live.

She had to give back to Twilight what the princess had generously given to her.

She had to make sure Equestria was bettered by her time in it.

She had to train Ursa to be the best damn watchdog there ever was.

… And she had to ask [i]somepony[/i] for help with putting together a dinner from scratch on short notice.