It was hard to imagine only a few hours ago the city of Canterlot had been in a state of ruin. A city that had been ready to celebrate its first Friendship Festival had suddenly been reduced to almost nothing, even more so after the Storm King had unleashed the true power bestowed in his staff. Alicorn magic was a mysterious thing; in the right hands it was a force of harmony, in the wrong hands it was a force of complete chaos and destruction. The same magic that almost destroyed Canterlot was able to bring it back to its radiant state.
For the longest time, Tempest Shadow was certain that friendship was a flawed practice and the whole “friendship is magic” nonsense was exactly that. But she saw it first hand and her doubts were swept away. But even as she accepted this, still she hung back, avoiding the many ponies (and others if you included pirates, a certain alley cat, hippogriffs and most surprisingly her former underlings) that were enjoying themselves amidst the celebration.
Princess Twilight Sparkle had made it sound so simple; that those led astray could find the right path and be redeemed. But it wasn’t simple at all. She had come here and attacked not only these same ponies, but their leaders as well. She should be in a dungeon, awaiting her final sentence. Instead, she was sitting on the sidelines watching ponies eat cake and drink punch.
But there was another reason for her hesitation. She knew this was her home and while it would take time to adjust, there was unfinished business left to attend to. The Storm King may be gone, but his empire still remains and while she may not have been witness to them, she was aware many lands were currently under his control. Many of his subjects didn’t even know he was gone. An empire without an emperor is like a pillar of salt. In due time, it’ll just erode away and everything will come tumbling down, and that’s what worries me the most.
Tempest finally turned around and headed towards her skiff which she hoped was still intact. She’d find Grubber and take some of her former subordinates, assuming they were willing to follow her, and-
“Tempest?” Tempest froze in her tracks. Of course, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get away that easily. She looked back and saw her former adversary staring at her.
“Are you turning in already?” Twilight asked, a slight look of concern on her face.
Tempest held back a chuckle. Either the mare was naïve or perhaps she didn’t want to straight out ask the question. “I don’t think parties are quite…my thing,” she replied.
“You sure? Everypony here sure is enjoying themselves,” Twilight said. “Look, I know it’s hard to look many of these ponies in the eye, considering what happened but that doesn’t matter now. Friendship doesn’t happen right away either, I know from experience, but if you just take the time to talk-”
“Twilight,” Tempest in a gentle yet strong tone. “I appreciate the thought but…I’m not staying.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked. “Isn’t Canterlot your home?”
“It was,” Tempest replied. “But I’m not ready to come back. Not yet. There are still things I need to do…wrongs that I need to right. The Storm King may be gone now but…this war isn’t over.”
Twilight wanted to say something but couldn’t. Instead, she only sighed in defeat. “Well, at least spend the night here at the palace. I can imagine you’re exhausted.”
She wasn’t wrong about that. And knowing Grubber, he was probably too busy eating cake and punch. I guess it couldn’t hurt to let him have his fun…and get some rest as well. “I appreciate your generosity.” She then turned around and again made her way towards the palace.
“One more thing Tempest.” The mare was surprised the princess wasn’t using her given name. It’s probably appropriate…I’m no longer that mare anyway. “I never got to say this before but…thank you. For what you did.”
Tempest could remember that moment rather vividly: seeing the Storm King appear on the balcony, ready to petrify the princess as a last act, and Tempest suddenly running towards her, shielding her, or rather her and her friends, from harm. Tempest smiled slightly. “You saved me as well, twice in fact. So technically I owe you one.” She walked off and even Twilight couldn’t help but smile slightly.
It turned out Tempest was more exhausted than she thought since the second her head hit the pillow she was out. She woke up feeling refreshed, more so than she had in a long time. Queen sized beds weren’t something the Storm King had offered her.
She looked at the set of armor sitting next to her bed, the insignia of the Storm King still very apparent. It quickly reminded her of what needed to be done. With slight reluctance, she put on her chest piece before putting on her iron shoes. Her plan had not changed, but there were a few ponies she had to see first.
It was rather quiet in the castle, save for the sentries that were posted around parts of the castle. Many cast her with suspicious looks and she couldn’t blame them. Maybe she should’ve waited to put the armor on her ship.
She finally found her destination which was currently guarded by two of the Royal Guard. “I’m here to speak with the princesses,” she said casually. She was expecting them to either do nothing or ask her to leave. To her surprise, they both nodded and let her pass. The doors opened to a room Tempest recognized rather well.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were sitting at their thrones and they seemed to be surprised by the unicorn’s visit. At least they hadn’t tried to attack her; Tempest hoped to keep it that way. “Tempest,” Celestia said, addressing the pony. “This is a surprise visit. What can we do for you? I hope you were able to enjoy yourself last night.”
Tempest looked at the two alicorns in slight confusion. She wasn’t sure if they were playing a game with her, but if so, she wasn’t having it. “I don’t understand you two,” she said calmly. “Considering I attacked your city, imprisoned you and your fellow princesses, and unintentionally almost contributed to having said city completely destroyed, I shouldn’t be addressed so warmly nor given a warm bed to sleep in!”
The two princesses glanced at one another before the two of them burst into a fit of giggles. Tempest could stare in utter disbelief. These were the rulers of Equestria? “Tempest, I understand your guilt about what happened but honestly…it’s not the worse thing we’ve ever seen.”
“And believe us, we’ve seen plenty,” Luna added. “We’ve forgiven Discord for worse things, honestly.”
“You may think we’re not taking this seriously, but we are,” Celestia said and the smile on her face disappeared. “We did have our opinions on the matter but Twilight Sparkle came to your defense and explained what you did. The selfless act that you did speaks volumes, despite what you did prior.”
“I…” Tempest was at a loss for words. The Princess of Friendship was certainly living up to her title. “I realized the Storm King was using me and…considering that Princess Twilight helped me I returned the favor.”
“Interesting, I’d say that’s the beginning of a true friendship,” Luna mused. “But forgive us; I’m sure this isn’t the real reason why you are here now.”
At that moment, the door to Tempest’s right opened and a small group made their way inside, one she recognized right away.
“I must say, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Equestrian cuisine but it definitely exceeded expectations,” Capper said. “Definitely better than anything from Klugetown.”
“Ha! Anything is better than Klugetown,” Celaeno said. “All it is is a place of slavers and slaves.”
“Oh we’re aware, especially since ol’ Capper here almost ended up trading us away,” Applejack said sharply.
Capper sighed. “You’re not planning on letting that go anytime soon are you?”
“Not a chance darling,” Rarity said sweetly.
“Oh hey Tempest!” Pinkie said happily. “Wait, are we still calling her Tempest or are we going by Fi-?”
“Tempest is fine,” Tempest said quickly. It wasn’t as if she was embarrassed by the name, but she didn’t want to bring up the subject.
“Are we interrupting something?” Twilight asked.
“Not at all,” Celestia said. “We were having an interesting chat. Tempest here is a little behind the times is all.”
“But do tell why you’re actually here,” Luna added.
Tempest glanced at the two princesses before turning her eyes on the motley crew before her. The only one missing was Skystar but she recalled that she and her mother had to return home to, well, fix their home. Considering what I did, maybe it was best not to approach the queen.
“I’m here because while Canterlot is free of the Storm King’s reign, this war, crusade, whichever you’d like to call it, isn’t over. Across the ocean the Storm King has claimed many nations and they are still under his control officially.”
“Wait…are you saying…?” Rainbow began.
“Yes, as the Storm King’s former second-in-command, I am now officially the leader of the Storm King’s forces.”
“That means you have an entire armada at your disposal,” Celaeno said, clearly impressed.
“I suppose that may be true but the point is as acting leader I can officially end this reign of terror.” Tempest sighed. “I may not have been there when these lands fell but I still feel I bear some responsibility.” She had noticed that Capper was studying her quite closely and it was making her uncomfortable. “With that being said, I will depart Canterlot at once with whatever forces that still remain. You have my word that Canterlot will never be invaded again.” Without another word, she turned around and was on her way to exiting the throne room.
“Wait.” Tempest stopped and looked back, seeing it was Twilight who spoke. “If you’re leaving, then we’re coming too.”
“Huh?”
“What, did you think you were gonna do this all by yourself?” Rainbow smirked.
“I know it’s probably going to be dangerous so…you might need some help,” Fluttershy added.
“I dunno, she does have an entire armada on her side,” Celaeno pointed out. “But my crew and I are coming along cause technically you owe us a ship.” Tempest grimaced slightly.
“Hmm…” Capper said, something on his mind. “Now that I think about it, a certain pony pretty much did trash my residence in Klugetown.” He then smiled. “However, since you seem to be going to Abysinnia…”
“Alright, alright you made your point,” Tempest groaned. “But is having all of you come really necessary?”
“Actually, I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Celestia said. “I believe Twilight and her friends would serve greatly as representatives of Equestria. We’re always open to building new relations. We wish you luck in your endeavors.”
Tempest knew at this point she should’ve just left unannounced but it was too late now. “Fine, you can all come,” she said. “Not that I expect much out of this…”
“Oh, you know much is going to come out of this,” Pinkie winked.
“Right…well get your things and-” Tempest was suddenly interrupted as a long roll of parchment was almost thrust into her face. “What is this?”
“Oh just a list of damages regarding our former ship,” Celaeno said. “It’s all in the fine print of course.”
“Damage fees…loss of food fees…airship insurance…” Tempest stared at the avian in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh don’t worry, I figured the Storm King has a couple things that are worth quite a fortune and just enough to pay for a new ship,” Celeano grinned. “So no worries.”
“…You’re enjoying this aren’t you?”
“Oh you have no idea.”
“Fine. Whatever. My skiff is nearby so-” She then paused as she realized what was missing. “Actually…I’ll meet you all there momentarily. My new second-in-command is lying somewhere in town passed out from cake…”