Braeburn and the rest of the stallions couldn't bring themselves to say or do anything. They simply remained in their make-shift tower as the skies cleared and all the storm clouds disappeared one by one. There was no trace of Shining Armor anywhere.
"I... can't believe it. He's actually gone," Soarin finally commented and broke the silence. "After all that, after all the hardships, he still sacrificed himself for us."
"What are we gonna tell Twilight and the others?" Fancy Pants pondered. "How are we going to explain that we let this happen?"
But Braeburn only shook his head. "There was nothin' we could've done. I get the feelin' this was all destined to happen one way or another."
"But that's ridiculous!" Thunderlane complained. "How could this be the only outcome possible?! Surely there had to be something we could've said or done to prevent this!"
"It's pointless to think about what could've been, it ain't gonna bring him back," Big Macintosh declared. "'Best if we all start thinkin' 'bout how we're gonna break the news to everyone and put the pieces back together."
However, at that very moment a ray of sunshine shone down from above. The stallions all looked up and their mouths collectively dropped wide open! It couldn't be, could it?!
It was! Shining Armor descended from the sky with the staff firmly clutched in his hooves and looking none the worse for wear. "Hey guys." He greeted.
Big Macintosh was the first to speak, once he found his voice that is. "What are you? Some kind of ghost?"
Shining laughed as he shook his head. "A ghost? Me? I don't think so. I'm as real as real can be. But if you don't believe me, see for yourselves."
His friends all came running over and embraced him openly, tears welling up in their eyes. "How did you survive?" Fancy Pants questioned. "We all thought you were... you know."
"The vortex mercifully spit us out just before it broke apart," Shining explained. "I was then able to fly up with the staff and get to safety. As for the Storm King, somehow I doubt that whirlwind was enough to finish him off for good. But I get the feeling he won't be bothering us again anytime soon. If he's smart, he'll lay low, lick his wounds, and hope no one picks him off in his weakened state."
The stallions just continued the embrace, relieved beyond a doubt that their best friend was still with them in the world of the living.
From afar Tempest observed the whole scene silently. It made no sense at all how Shining Armor could've survived with no magical powers of his own to counter the Storm King. And yet here the prince stood, triumphant, with the Storm King nowhere to be seen.
The broken horned unicorn simply let out a soft sigh and began to turn and trot away. "Guess I'd better go find Grubber and get out of here before somepony tries to hunt me down. Oh well, I survived on my own before and I can do it again if I must." She thought to herself.
But all of a sudden the sound of panting and grunting caught Tempest's attention. She spun around, and what she saw struck her with horror!
The Storm King was climbing up the balcony, clutching one of the magical bombs he'd given to Tempest with which to capture the alicorns. "Still alive, fools!" He bellowed as he began to pull himself over the balcony ledge! "TIME TO DIE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs and threw the bomb directly at the still largely unsuspecting stallions!
Tempest barely even noticed as she charged forward, her sights locked on the Storm King! It never even crossed her mind that she was risking her life for the same ponies she'd previously hunted down. All that mattered to her was keeping the stallions safe no matter what the cost may be. "NO!" She cried, lunging forward and tackling the Storm King just as he was in the midst of throwing!
"What?! NO!" The Storm King cried in protest, and that was the last thing he said before the close range bomb detonated! The green mist enveloped both him and his former commander, turning them both into crystal. But while Tempest was pulled safety with the magic of the staff, the Storm King was not so lucky. His crystallized remains plummeted off the balcony and onto the palace's front step, where they shattered into pieces! The Storm King was nomore.
With his friends surrounding him, Shining clutched the staff as he pulled Tempest's crystallized body towards him.
Though still in a state of shock, it took but a moment for the stallions to process what had just transpired.
"Whoa! She... saved our lives!" Thunderlane realized.
"I have to admit, that was quite the gutsy move she just pulled," Soarin commented. "Never would've imagined we'd end up saved by the likes of her. But then, this whole adventure has been full of surprises."
"What are we gonna do now, Shining?" Fancy Pants questioned his friend.
Shining looked down at the staff very briefly, before he firmly declared to his friends. "There's only one thing we can do! Use the magic in this staff to return everything to normal, then give the magic back to its rightful owners and destroy this object before it falls into the wrong hooves."