//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Aftermath // by FoxMcCloud7921 //------------------------------// There were two things Tempest noticed as soon as she and Twilight entered her quarters. One, the princess for some reason decided to rearrange everything in her room, from the small book collection she had near her bed to everything on her desk (which actually wasn’t much, aside from from some documents and half-melted candles). The second was that Twilight had somehow boiled a pot of tea and two cups were currently at her desk. “Princess Celestia always says to start your day with a warm cup of tea,” Twilight beamed as she sat in the chair opposite Tempest’s own. “I hope you don’t mind peppermint.” “That’s fine.” Tempest sat down in front of her and finally her annoyance showed through. “Were you messing with my stuff?” Twilight giggled slightly and blushed. “It’s…kind of a bad habit of mine. I didn’t look at anything I promise, just performed a simple rearrangement spell. It was kind of…disorganized in here.” Tempest sighed. If it had been anyone else, she would’ve thrown them overboard in an instant. Well, at least the old Tempest would have. “When I was a filly, I knew a pony just like you. She was so obsessed with organization if you moved one book out of place she’d have a panic attack.” Twilight rolled her eyes playfully. “Come on, I’m not that bad.” There was a small pause in the room. Honestly, she had expected Pinkie to burst out of somewhere to contradict her but surprisingly she didn’t. “Anyway, I finally managed to find a book about some of the neighboring countries and it says that in Abyssinia the kingdom is ruled by a king and queen so obviously we need to make a good first impression. For starters, I was thinking of sending one ship down instead of the entire fleet being seen. You know, that way we don’t send everyone the wrong message.” “Um…right,” Tempest said. “Listen, Twilight-” “Also, I thought it would be best to give the king and queen a gift, to symbolize our new alliance between Equestria and Abyssinia.” “That’s wonderful, really, but Twilight…” “Oh, sorry I kind of got ahead of myself again, what is it?” Twilight asked. “Well the thing is…I wasn’t aware at the time, since I wasn’t with the Storm King at the time…” “…Yes?” Twilight looked slightly confused. “Look, what I’m trying to say is, the entire capital has been-” Suddenly, the sound of a horn filled the room, which to Tempest only meant one thing. It took everything not to groan right in front of the princess. This was not going the way she had planned; she had to tell her now. “Twilight-” “Oh, we’re here already, that was fast,” Twilight commented as she started heading out. “We might as well take a good look before we make our descent.” She hummed to herself happily, leaving Tempest in her quarters. The unicorn could stare in bewilderment as she finally let out her frustration. Once Twilight, got to the deck, she could see that the other mares were already looking out, though judging by their faces they seemed confused. “Hello girls, how’s the view? We should getting a good look of the capital from here right?” “Uh…what capital?” Rainbow asked. “Don’t be silly, these are the exact coordinates where the capital is located.” “Um Twilight…we don’t see anything that resembles Panthera,” Fluttershy said. “Yeah…no buildings at all…though I’m seeing what look likes a lot of tents,” Applejack said. “Oh c’mon girls, nice try but-” Once she looked out, the words got stuck in her throat. All that she could see were hundreds upon hundreds of white tents, usually the kinds that held refugees. All around them were ruins and scorch marks, which immediately told her what had happened. “Panthera…it’s completely-” “Gone.” Tempest had finally joined them on the deck. “Like anything else in the Storm King’s possession, once it was no longer needed, he disposed of it. He burned the entire kingdom to the ground.” Twilight turned to her. “Tempest…don’t tell me…” “I didn’t know about it til just recently and this was before the Storm King recruited me.” Tempest then turned to Capper, who was standing near the barracks. “You were there, weren’t you? And yet you never thought to tell them? None of you?” “It doesn’t really matter does it?” Capper asked. “Whether we told them upfront or not doesn’t change the severity of it, we all know that. Now you’re seeing exactly what the Storm King was capable of.” Though it wasn’t obvious in his tone, Tempest could tell that was a slight jab towards her and not seeing through the Storm King’s empty promises. Twilight took a deep breath. Now was not the time to point hooves. “Okay, it’s not like we weren’t expecting this…” She paused for a moment. “Alright, we’ll continue as planned. We’ll set the ship down and meet with the king and queen. Capper and Tempest will come with us. Captain, you and the rest of the crew will stay behind and keep an eye on the ship.” “It’s probably for the best,” Celaeno said. “Despite our intentions, pirates kind of have a bad reputation no matter what part of the world you travel.” Tempest looked slightly uncomfortable. “Are you sure bringing me along is such a good idea?” In reality, even though she wasn’t involved in what happened here, it was going to be difficult to look at any of these victims in the face. Twilight nodded. “I know it’s not easy but as the leader of this army you have to take charge. Show them that you’re not anything like the Storm King.” Tempest looked up at her horn which suddenly zapped with magic. A leader… The airship landed about a hundred meters from the perimeter of the camp. Naturally, a small group of citizens approached the ship, some of them armed. “Twilight, darling, I’m starting to think perhaps we’re only, what does Applejack call it? ‘Kicking the hornet’s nest?’” “No, they have every right to be suspicious,” Twilight said as they descended down the ramp. “The only way we can settle this peacefully is through words.” Once they reached solid land, the group stopped and Twilight stepped forward. “Greetings, citizens of Panthera. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria and I’m here-” “Did the Storm King send you!?” One of the citizens yelled. “I recognize that ship anywhere, that was one that set fire to our entire capital!” Another yelled. “The whole fleet is up there! What else does the Storm King want from us!?” “Oh dear, I guess they’re still pretty angry,” Fluttershy whispered. “And obviously rude, interrupting a princess like that,” Rarity scoffed. “Now hold on everyone!” Capper said, stepping forward with his paws in front of him. “Let’s just take it easy for a moment. My friend Twilight here, see her land was invaded by the Storm King as well but, with a little help from friends abroad, we were able to defeat him once and for all. Now, I know it seems hard to believe but don’t underestimate these little ponies-” “Oh come on, how were you able to defeat the Storm King and his entire army!?” “Well that definitely calmed them down,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes slightly. “Please listen!” Twilight almost yelled. “I understand what happened here, what the Storm King did for the same thing almost happened to my home. Working together, my friends and I did in fact defeat the Storm King. But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here because Equestria wants to extend aid to every country that was affected and as Ambassador, I hope Abysinnia and Equestria can work together not just to rebuild but to better understand and improve relations.” The group was silent for a moment and at this point, an audience was growing near the perimeter as many citizens had stopped what they were doing and looking outwards towards the scene before them. Finally someone spoke up. “How do we know this is all true? How do we know this isn’t just some ruse the Storm King came up with?” “Because currently the Storm King is in about twenty different pieces.” Tempest was the one who spoke up as she stepped forward next to Twilight. “And before you ask, yes it was I that put him in that state.” The crowd looked slightly unnerved and even some of the mares looked concerned. “As such, I’ve taken command of the Storm King’s remaining forces but as Princess Twilight already said, this is not some raid but rather Equestria extending its arm to help those in need. If you have the need to vent out your frustrations, do them at me for I too was deceived by the Storm King and committed acts that…I’m no longer proud of. With that being said, all we want is to speak to your king and queen. And if not, we’ll be on our way then, just like that.” The crowd was silent again, many of them looking toward one another. The girls on the other hand looked at Tempest in surprise though Twilight was having a hard time concealing a small smile. Finally, a feline stepped forward from the group and judging by his attire, he looked to be part of the Royal Guard. “If it is aid you wish to give us, then the King and Queen will no doubt want to speak with you. I will bring you to them at once.” With a nod, the rest of the large group dispersed, returning to their daily duties while Twilight and the others followed the guard. “So uh…Capper,” Rainbow said, walking alongside the feline. “I’m guessing you used to live here.” “For a time,” Capper replied. “Though I guess ‘living’ is kind of an odd choice of a word. I was an orphan growing up. Lived on the streets, no home or shelter to look forward to. Things weren’t so bad though, at least compared to now.” Tempest was looking around the large camp. Many children were either helping their mothers cook what looked like large pots of stew or helping their fathers building infrastructure with what materials they had. Many of the older folk were either knitting or sewing clothes or blankets. No doubt it got cold each and every night. “I was there when the entire city burned to the ground,” Capper continued. “These people have a right to be upset: they got caught up in a war they never asked for. I can imagine its the same for many other countries.” His words only stirred anger inside Tempest, who could only watch in sadness. All of this for one treasure, something that she had tried to steal and in the end the Storm King found worthless. Well maybe not entirely, she thought somewhat bitterly. After all, it did end up doing the Storm King in… Finally, they reached a large pair of tents, larger than the ones that surrounded the camp and was in an assortment of different colors. “Wait here one moment,” the guard said before going inside one of the tents. “Twilight, I have to be realistic here,” Tempest said suddenly. “If most of the country is in this state and if many of the neighboring countries are in a similar crisis, how in the world is Equestria going to be able to afford all of this?” “I admit that…doing all the calculations that the amount of money needed will be…astronomical but it will take years regardless what we do to rebuild everything,” Twilight said. “But don’t forget we have friends just outside of Equestria who would be willing to help. But as far as that goes, I think I’ll leave the planning to Celestia herself.” Tempest sighed. “I don’t understand how you can always be so optimistic.” “It comes with being a princess,” Twilight said. “It’s also a good way of spreading confidence among your subjects. By the way, thanks for the save before.” Tempest smiled. “Well, I didn’t think you would be so willing to explain how the Storm King died. Plus, I’m kind of owed the credit.” The two mares giggled slightly. “You know, I have to admit, I didn’t think those two would hit it off so easily,” Applejack chuckled slightly. “Considering one was trying to capture the other.” “Well, Twilight does have a sense of seeing the good in others I suppose,” Rarity said. “And honestly, Tempest isn’t the worst villain we’ve faced…” “Even though she did imprison the princesses and she blew up an airship,” Pinkie pointed out. “Eh, I think we’ve forgiven worse,” Rainbow added. Finally, the guard came back out. “The King and Queen will see you now.”