//------------------------------//
// "I Will Not Fail" 
// Story: I Will Not Fail 
// by Raptormon132 
//------------------------------//

Tempest Shadow stood alone on the balcony of the throne room of the castle of the Equestrian capital of Canterlot, looking down at the once proud, happy, and majestic royal city now shrouded in darkness and minor ruin from the recent invasion from her at the Storm Kings' orders. The Storm King's soldiers enslaved the ponies in the city below, each one bound in chains, and wore large collars with his symbol, with unicorns having magic restrictors locked on their horns, and metal rings attached to the pegasi, keeping their wings restrained. All while being guarded by the soldiers, with them also standing guard at all the ways into the ruined city, preventing anyone and anything from ever entering or leaving the captured capital.

Tempest smiled, admiring the accomplishment of capturing the Equestrian capital, before she walked inside. Walking into the throne room, she moved past the numerous stained glass windows decorated between the recently added Storm King banners around the room, looking at them with admiration. Then close to the centre, on the left of her, stood the forms of three alicorn rulers, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance, all imprisoned in reflective, mirror-like stone. She glared with disgrace as her refection showed on Celestia's form alongside her.

"All this power wasted on parties," Tempest Shadow said. "But there are far greater uses."

When invading Canterlot, Tempest and her minions acquired the Staff of Sacanas, a powerful, legendary staff that channels the magic of the four alicorn rulers, giving one wielding it great unlimited power, and sent it to the Storm King. She glared at the frozen alicorn princesses, for she knew that all but one alicorn princess was among the collection, Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship. Her along with her five friends managed to escape during the invasion not so long ago, just after finding the legendary staff.

Tempest growled as she closed her eyes in frustration. "Without the forth ruler, the staff can't reach its full power."

"Commander Tempetht!"

Tempest was suddenly interrupted by the voice of Grubber, her bumbling hedgehog sidekick calling out, where he entered into the throne room from a side door in a fast pace. Grubber stopped and panted out of breath from behind Tempest.

"...thorry...just a thecond." Grubber took a moment to catch his breath. "Alright, I'm fine now."

"What is it, Grubber?" Tempest asked. "This had better be important."

"I know you told me not to dithturb you, but the big guy hath arrived."

Tempest turned to face Grubber. "The Storm King?"

Grubber shook his head. "No, not him." He began to talk quietly, almost to a whisper. "It'th the other big guy. The black mathked man, with the black cape."

Tempests' eyebrows rose with shock. "What?!"

"Yeah. And he should be coming through thothe doorth any thecond now."

Tempest turned her body around, and faced towards the main throne room doors. She and Grubber stood there waiting until there was a firm knock on the doors. Grubber began to step away from his commander nervously towards the side of the room.

"I...think maybe I'll let you do the talking."

Tempest gave her sidekick a sideways glance, before facing the door. She stared at her two personal Storm guards facing her with slight annoyance as she said, "Well? Open the doors!"

Tempest's guards began to open the doors at her command, making a creaking noise, revealing a shadow of a tall figure from what little light that was able to shine into the room in front of her.  

The figure, mostly conceal by mist began to move towards Tempest. The sound of its footsteps along with the eerie sound of mechanical breathing echoed around the throne room, growing more audible as the figure came closer and closer. There was a cold sensation that filled the room from the figure, colder than the coldest arctic wind of the coldest winter that even made Tempest feel a small hint of fear since she became the Storm King's second in command. A tall, masked man dressed in black walked out of the mist. A long, black cape billowed behind him, completing his menacing attire. The masked man then stopped, standing before the pony commander just a few feet away.

"Commander Tempest." The masked man said with a deep, menacing, mechanical voice.

Tempest bowed her head in respect at the masked man. "Lord Vader."

Darth Vader began to pace around Tempest. "You seem unsettled."

"No, just a great amount of things to do in preparation for his Excellency's arrival, my lord."

"My apologies." Darth Vader's response to Tempest reason was sarcastic. "You do have a great many things to explain."

"The invasion of the Equestrian capital went successfully as planned. We have it under our complete control. I also had my men deliver the staff of Sacanas that I promised his Excellency. It will channel the magic of the four rulers of this land.  Giving his Excellency the power of a hundred armies." Tempest began to feel a small hint of fear as Darth Vader slowly paced closer towards her. "I hope he understands its remarkable...potential."

"Its power that you have claimed is certainly something to behold," Darth Vader said. "If it were not for one of the four alicorn princesses needed to achieve this power were to have not escape."

"An oversight on our part, my lord."

"Indeed, I am sure." Darth Vader turned glancing at the frozen forms of Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, where he slowly walked over to them. "You know the Storm King has no patience for failure, Commander? He would be most displeased with hearing about this oversight by you..." He turned towards Grubber who was close by, making Grubber tremble. "And your minions."

"I understand, my lord," Tempest said. "Give me three days. I and my soldiers will recapture Princess Twilight, and her friends. I will have everything ready for his Excellency's arrival."

Darth Vader turned around, and faced Tempest. "I hope so, Commander, for your sake. Only the Storm King has the power to make us whole again." He began pacing closer towards her. "I want you, and any men you can spare to go out, and find Princess Twilight and her companions. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive. If you fail, your horn will not be the only thing that will be broken." 

Tempest nodded resignedly. "Yes, my lord. I will not fail."

"I must now report back to the Storm King. After you bring Princess Twilight and companions back here, I expect you not to rest until you can assure the Storm King that nothing will compromise the staff's power in any way."

Darth Vader turned around and began to walk towards the entrance to the throne room.

Grubber came to Tempests' side while speaking to Darth Vader. "You thure you don't want to thtay a while?" He presented a slice of sponge cake. "We've got thponge cake."

Darth Vader suddenly stopped walking, and stood near the entrance of the throne room, with his back facing Tempest and Grubber. Tempest watched as her bumbling sidekick kept talking.

"No thponge cake? Oh, well. All the more for me I gue-..."

Grubber stopped talking, for he had suddenly felt himself unable to breathe due to a feeling in his throat, like an invisible set of hands were crushing his windpipe. He fell to the ground, dropping the sponge cake as it splats on the floor, all while struggling to breathe.

Tempest watched Darth Vader turn around with his arm partly raised, showing that he was Force-choking Grubber as he looks at her.

"Be careful that your minions do not choke on their gluttony, Commander."

Darth Vader releases his Force-grip on Grubber and walks away out of the throne room, leaving Tempest and Grubber alone, with Grubber gasping on the ground. And just as quickly as he arrived, Darth Vader was gone, leaving behind almost dead silence. Tempest's Storm guards then closed the throne room doors.

Grubber got up, coughing and clearing his throat. "I gueth he doethn't like thpongecake."

Tempest paced away from Grubber. "I need all four for the staff to work."

"Hey, I know! I want the Thtorm King to fix that crazy horn as badly as you do." Grubber continued to speak, unaware that Tempest was getting greatly annoyed. "It lookth like a crackly chipped tooth on the top of your head. And you know you don't look good in hatth."

Tempest snaps, and rushed threateningly at Grubber with her broken horn angrily surging with electricity sparks. "That Princess is not gonna keep me from getting my horn back! Prepare my ship!"

Grubber ran off out of the throne room, leaving Tempest by herself once again. Once Grubber was gone, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Please. How far could one little pony get on her own?" Tempest said to herself.