A few weeks later; Twilight and her friends finished making the final preparations to turn Canterlot into a giant party. Celestia agreed to suspend all classes in the meantime, to everyone's delight.
“Alright, everyone! This needs to be our best party ever,” Pinkie directed
For the most part, everything was going fine with all attendees having fun hanging out together and playing games.
“This was a great party,” one of the students said
“I just thought we needed something fun,” Pinkie replied
“Well, I see what looks like incoming party crashers,” Kid said gesturing to a series of ships in the distance
“And I didn't order any extra entertainment,” Pinkie said jokingly
“Attention, residents of Equestria! The Storm King proudly presents his trusted lieutenant; Tempest Shadow,” came an announcement from one of the ships after it descended
Departing the ship was a purple pony in armor with a broken horn, followed by a small creature.
“I'll put this simply. Give up or else. Grubber; do it,” Tempest ordered
To everyone's surprise, the little creature next to the armored pony proceeded to transform into a staff with a lightning bolt on one end. Following behind were wolf-like creatures departing the ships in hoards.
“Those things are kishins,” Kid whispered, having activated his Soul Perception
“What do we do,” Blair asked
“Make sure you stay with the residents. They're going to need protection.”
“Kid; is there anything we can do,” Twilight asked
“Get ready for battle.”
Twilight’s friends proceeded to transform as did Luna and Cadence. Kid held his pistols at his side in preparation of a signal to attack.
“So, you really want to do this the hard way? Take care of them,” Tempest commanded
With that; the skirmish commenced as the wolf soldiers charged the citizens. Kid stood front and center letting loose a stream of bullets that destroyed countless kishins.
“Soul Collect.”
He raised a hand towards the souls as they were drawn to him, before being sucked in.
“This is our chance! Push these invaders back,” Celestia cried
In the confusion, no one noticed another ship land that had a single occupant depart. The creature looked similar to the soldiers, only closer to an ape with horns and carried a staff with him. The Storm King proceeded to remove a few black orbs and throw them towards Celestia and Shining; instantly turning them to stone.
“These would make nice decorations for my new palace,” Storm King taunted
“What are we going to do now? The princesses have been turned to stone,” Twilight asked desperately
“Run straight ahead!”
“Towards the creatures,” Rarity asked “That's insane!”
“Just go!”
As the four meisters ran; Kid proceeded to clean the path of any unwanted passengers before getting the ship to take off. Once on board, the girls headed downstairs to check out the ship; while he had the wheel.
“Kid, there's a bunch of weird weapons down there with large balls,” Twilight said
“Good. Take the balls and get the cannons loaded. We're about to have company. Pinkie; get the sails ready.”
“Aye, aye Captain,” Pinkie said, with a salute
● TWILIGHT ●
“These balls are heavy,” Rarity complained
“I'll use my magic and levitate the balls inside.”
“I probably should have thought of that,” Rarity said sheepishly
“How do these things work; Twilight,” Dash asked
“From what I can tell, a fire is used to light the string here, sending the balls outward.”
● DEATH the KID ●
“Hey, Kid. We've got company,” Pinkie called from the crow's nest
“Get those cannons in position! Left side!”
Under his orders, the girls proceeded to fire the guns as they watched one of the ships get destroyed. Now knowing what to do, the cannons were constantly loaded and fired, sending the enemy retreating for now.
“So, now that we've taken care of those meanies; where do we go,” Pinkie asked
“I'm not entirely sure. We don't want to lead the Storm King (I believe he’s called) to any major town in Equestria.”
“Perhaps somewhere away from them,” Fluttershy suggested “We can let the wind carry us.”
“In the meantime, why don't we get rid of this flag and put this up,” Pinkie suggested, holding a different flag
To Kid’s surprise, the flag was solid black, but had the image of his skull in the center. While he couldn't remember being human; the design did seem familiar to him.
“Keep both of them. We'll use the one as bait to make them think we're friendly, before raising the other to attack them.”
“Is that wise? We're only a small ship against countless others,” Applejack asked
“Um, I hate to interrupt; but there are people in the water,” Rarity said, looking over the side; trying to prevent seasickness
“Grab the ladder and get them in here.”
“Hey! Come on up,” Dash called throwing the ladder over
As they climbed aboard, the group seemed to be unnerved at the sight at multiple birds in front of them. Each of them had a missing limb of some kind, leading to them possibly being trouble; especially since everyone carried a sword on their side.
“Thank you for the rescue. The name's Celano and this here is my crew,” Celano said, drawing her blade as her crew did the same
“What gives? We save you and you choose to attack us,” Dash demanded
“It's not an attack. It's respect.”
Twilight and the others watched as the birds raised the hilt of their sabers towards their beaks before bringing it to their right side with the blade angled downwards. Kid snapped to attention and brought his right hand towards the corner of his eye. In response, both salutes were lowered as all sabers were returned to their sheaths.
“You aren't part of the Storm King’s crew. And you, certainly are different from your friends (no offense),” Celano said
“Name's Death the Kid, the Grim Reaper. These two are my weapon partners Cloud Chaser and Flitter.”
“My name is Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends Rarity and Fluttershy and our friends and weapons; Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Applejack,” Twilight added
“I wasn't from around here. Someone named ‘the Merchant’ sent me here where I've lived for the past two years.”
“Thank you again for the rescue. What exactly brings you here,” one of the birds asked curiously
“The Storm King attacked our home and turned the rulers to stone. We left to protect ourselves.”
“Sorry to hear. He pushed us into service as a delivery crew against our will,” another bird added
● VINYL SCRATCH ●
“Blair, what exactly are we going to do?”
“Whatever they want. It's best we try not to resist. Besides; no one wants to be turned to stone,” Blair replied
“You're right. I just hope Kid and the others get back soon.”
“I'm sorry we had to just bow to the Storm King,” Blair said sadly
“There isn't anything to be sorry about. Training the students in combat is easy, but a real situation like this is much different. None of them would be able to make much a difference.”
● DEATH the KID ●
“Where exactly were you heading,” one of the birds asked
“Right now, we don't have a destination. The plan was just to get away from home.”
“I've heard of a town in the desert that might be perfect to get away,” Celano said
“Kluge Town. A friend was there years ago under different circumstances. The one problem I see is that we're going to need money.”
“I did find a box full of coins and gems downstairs. Perhaps we can use some of them,” Rarity commented
“I'll bring only a small amount as we really don't want to draw excess attention to ourselves.”
Looking around in the hull, Kid managed to find a pouch and filled it with enough coins to use and not worry about it. One of Celano’s crew took over guiding the ship as they finally made it towards the desert.
“Let's head towards the outskirts of town. Maybe we can slip in unnoticed.”
The group departed the ship while the birds elected to stay behind in order to protect it. Kid led everyone towards the house in front of them before Twilight stopped without warning.
“We shouldn't be here. I sense a witch's soul,” Twilight said
“It's fine. The house is empty. Besides, the original owner was destroyed years ago.”
“Who was the owner,” Fluttershy asked furiously
“A centaur named Tirek. The Cutie Mark Crusaders fought against him with assistance from Justin Law.”
With slight reassurance, they headed inside the house; unaware they were being watched. Everyone found a place and made themselves as comfortable as they could.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
“Greetings my friends. May I come in,” Capper asked
“Who exactly are you,” Dash demanded
“Capper’s the name. You lot seemed to make a big entrance coming in a ship belonging to the Storm King. Many residents won't take kindly to you staying in the house their beloved leader Tirek lived in,” Capper replied “Who are you, now that I've introduced myself?”
“Death the Kid; the Grim Reaper and these are my friends. From left-to right: Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Cloud Chaser, Rainbow Dash, Flitter, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle.”
“Nice to meet you, your Deathness. What brings you all out here,” Capper asked with a bow
“We just want a little while to rest and than we're gone. By the way, just call me ‘Kid’.”
“If you're anything like your friend who was here two years ago; I could make a suggestion to keep the residents from bothering you,” Capper suggested
“What do you propose,” Twilight asked cautiously
“Show off your weapons. Once they know you're likely to attack them; you should be fine,” he said
“Kid, what do you think? Is that a course of action we should take,” Rarity asked
“For now, let's keep to ourselves. If we need to, I'll use my pistols.”
“Very well. Just be careful. I do have one favor to ask of you,” Capper suggested “When you leave, could you take me with you? Anywhere is better than here.”
“Deal. Would you mind assisting us to take on the Storm King?"
“I don't have any experience fighting; but I'd do anything to get payback for destroying my home,” Capper replied
“Welcome aboard the crew. We'll be leaving to go home soon.”
After their meeting, Capper departed as the others decided to rest for a while. Looking around the house, not much in food was found that was still usable as it all had grown mold over the years.
“Well, it looks like we're going to need food. Girls, please transform and we'll head out.”
● TEMPEST SHADOW ●
“That purple female that escaped looked an awful lot like this one one here,” Storm King said, motioning towards the frozen Celestia
“What do you propose?”
“Find them and bring them back. The one with those duel weapons could prove to be a valuable asset,” Storm King directed “Do this and I will fulfill my promise.”
“Of course, sir. Come along, Grubber.”
“Yes, Tempest, ” Grubber said, following behind her
● DEATH the KID ●
The group headed into town to a very unfriendly welcome as many of the residents stared at them.
“Is there a place my friends and I can get some food?”
“Yeah, but be ready to pay up. And you might want to leave soon. Lord Tirek lived in that house,” a merchant replied
They were directed into a nearby building and sat down. A big blue creature emerged from a swinging door carrying multiple plates of food and set them in front of everyone. Kid released the girls so they could get food as well. Once everyone had a plate, they dug in.
“Thank you for the food. How much do I owe you?”
“50,” came the reply
Kid reached into the pouch and made sure to remove the amount before storing it back in his coat. As they turned to leave, a hand grabbed his wrist.
“Just a minute. You are to leave as soon as you can. That house isn't to be used by anyone. A group like yourselves destroyed Tirek two years ago and we still haven't forgotten,” a resident said angrily
“We plan on it. We'll probably get something to eat in the morning and we're gone.”
Returning to the shelter as fast as they could, the group was joined by Celano and her crew. Kid handed enough money for them to get someone to eat and hoped both groups wouldn't be linked.
“So; what do we do now,” Rainbow asked
“We're going to have to leave tomorrow. I'm not going to have an angry village against us.”
“Very well. Sorry to interrupt your conversation. I thought it was best to stay here for a while,” Capper said
The next morning, everyone headed to get something to eat, occupying the entire room. Kid removed the remaining contents of the pouch to pay for their meals and told them to keep the rest.
“Come on, everyone. Let's go.”
“How's about you make this easy and just surrender,” Tempest suggested
“Get on the ship. I'll stall.”
“The Storm King actually wanted you brought back to serve him. Be good and do this the easy way,” she replied
“Nah. I don't work for dictators,” Kid countered as the girls changed
“So, you have a weapon too? Do you really want to do this,” she asked
“That's up to you. Let us go in peace and don't speak of this. Otherwise, I may have to destroy a fellow meister.”
“Tempest; are you really going to let them escape,” Grubber asked
“Just get out of here before I change my mind. I'll tell him that I missed you,” she said dismissively
With that, he climbed back on board as the crew took off. Cloud Chaser and Flitter were free to return to normal as he found a place and sat down.
“Where to,” Celano asked
“Equestria. It's time to take the country back.”
● TEMPEST SHADOW ●
“Good to hear from you, Commander. So; do you have my guests,” the Storm King asked, via hologram
“Unfortunately by the time I got there, they were already gone.”
“Is this true, or is she lying,” he asked Grubber
“It's true. What do you want us to do now,” Grubber asked
“Come back to the castle. If you missed them; it might mean they are heading here,” Storm King replied, before disappearing
“Was it wise to lie to him,” Grubber asked
“No, it wasn't. When we head back we'll end up confronting them.”
● DEATH the KID ●
Most of the group fell asleep on the trip back home. Each of the birds took shifts at the wheel in the meantime. Kid sat against the mast while the others ended up downstairs to sleep.
“We're getting close. What's the plan,” Celano asked
“We're going to split up. If you don't mind Captain Celano; your crew will rescue the citizens. Fluttershy; I was hoping you and Pinkie could help me eliminating the wolf creatures.”
“What about Rarity and I,” Twilight asked curiously
“Rarity may have to use Applejack and battle against Tempest while Twilight uses Dash to fight the Storm King.”
“What do you want me to do; Kid,” Capper asked
“Join with Celano and company. When we drop the ramp, split up to your respective group.”
An hour later, the ship reached Equestria, before touching down at the castle. Before departing, all meisters had their weapons ready as one of the birds readied the gang plank. Kid led to off as two groups took off. The meisters headed left to take care of the fighting, while the others circled around.
○ CAPPER & PIRATES ○
“Please done hurt us,” a citizen said moving away from the cage door
“We're here to rescue you. Kid sent us,” Celano replied, opening the lock
“Hey, ugly,” Capper called “Not you, I was looking at the other one!”
With that comment, a group of wolves charged towards Capper, before crashing into the cage as the feline dodged at the last second. He proceeded to relock the door.
“Alright, let's get these cages open,” Celano ordered
“Yes ma'am,” everyone said
A little while later, all the residents were released with many of the meisters wishing to have payback for their capture.
“Let us join them,” a student argued
“No. Kid and the others have trained to take of this. You might get hurt,” Vinyl replied
“Captain; what do we do now,” Capper asked
“You can find a place to get everyone to. We'll take out any of these things in our way and rejoin with the others,” Celano replied
○ TWILIGHT & RARITY ○
“Come on, we're almost to the castle,” Twilight said panting
“Just give me a moment,” Rarity asked
“You can rest after I've beaten you,” a voice said from behind them
“Take care of the Storm King,” Rarity said as Twilight left
“Do you really think you have a chance to beat me,” Tempest asked arrogantly
“I don't have to beat you, just stall you,” Rarity replied calmly
• RARITY vs TEMPEST SHADOW •
Rarity snapped the whip out and straightened it, in order to have it act like a lance. In response, Tempest had Grubber transform into the lighting staff. The two clashed before Tempest launched a bolt towards Rarity.
“Had enough? I can do this all day,” Tempest taunted
“Your armor must be cutting off circulation. I'm not giving up without a fight,” Rarity retorted
The two clashed a second time but Rarity was prepared. She caused the whip to relax and wrap around the staff and pulled. Tempest could only watch as it landed some distance away. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, Rarity immediately used a spell to stun her opponent.
• KID, FLUTTERSHY & PIRATES vs STORM KING MINIONS •
“I can't keep going. There's too many,” Fluttershy panted
“Take a break. I'll continue.”
“Not without us, you aren't,” a voice called
“Good to see you, Captain Celano.”
“What exactly are those things that are floating,” Celanon asked
“Souls. They belonged to these creatures. They're called ‘kishins’, to answer your imminent question. Soul Collect,” Kid said
“Kid; I thought souls could only be eaten by weapons,” Fluttershy asked
“You're right. I'm just gathering the souls as is the duty of the Grim Reaper.”
“Take these things out! No quarter,” Celano cried
With that, the pirates drew their swords and charged into battle taking out as many of the creatures as they could. Kid looked around and watched as the hoard just kept coming, with no end in sight.
“Shift. Machine Guns.”
The weapon switch proved to be beneficial as it helped quickly dispatch the creatures.
“Do you think you can win, boy? I have an endless army on my side,” the Storm King yelled from the top of Canterlot Castle
“Give me a moment to solve that problem. Beelzebub.”
Before the Storm King knew what was going on, Kid took off towards the ships and shot them, destroying anything in his path. Once he landed, the souls were summoned to him.
• TWILIGHT SPARKLE vs STORM KING •
“These insolent pests! How dare they,” Storm King yelled
“We will take you down! You'll never win,” Twilight said defiantly
“You look so much like my favorite statue over there. So fierce, yet naïve to believe she could win. How do you think you will fare,” he said
His question went unanswered as she charged at him with her gauntlets raised. A series of punches caught him in the stomach, temporary stunning the Storm King.
“Soul...Protect…Off,” he said through breaths
Unbeknownst to Twilight, both Rarity and Fluttershy were heading towards the castle with their friends to cheer her on. Kid elected to stay behind as this was to be their fight.
“You can beat this meanie,” Pinkie cheered
“We're here you; darling,” Rarity added
“This guy was nothing compared to Asura,” Applejack added
“You can do it, Twilight,” Fluttershy added
“Thank you for the confidence girls,” Twilight replied
“Ah, Commander. Nice of you to join us,” Storm King said calmly
“When were you going to fulfill your promise to restore my horn,” Tempest asked directly
“You actually believed me! No one can restore a broken horn! News flash; I was using you,” Storm King said with a laugh
He reached towards his waist and removed a black orb and prepared to throw it at Twilight and the others.
“Shift. Sniper Rifle!”
Kid proceeded to ready his shot as the orb was thrown and destroyed it in midair. Twilight immediately used a shield to protect the seven from the gas.
Once it dissipated, Twilight immediately started punching the Storm King as Tempest struck him with a bolt of lightning; causing him to be destroyed.
“What's that thing,” Tempest asked
“A witch soul,” Twilight replied
“You defeated him so you deserve it,” Tempest replied
“So, how do we change our friends back,” Rarity asked
“Allow me,” Tempest replied
While Twilight handed Dash the soul for her to eat, Tempest used the staff to return the frozen ponies to normal.
○ CAPPER ○
“Hey! Can I get some help,” Capper called
“What are you doing,” Kid asked
“I wanted to check those ships out. Get anything of value out before they get destroyed,” Capper replied
“Very well. Ah Vinyl, nice timing. Could you grab the rest of the meisters and help Capper here?”
“Of course,” she said before departing
A few minutes later she returned with the students following behind her. As they approached the ships, small groups were formed and each headed to a different one. In the meantime, Kid decided to head to the castle to see how things transpired.
A few boxes were removed from the ships that were revealed to contain coins and gems. Under suggestion from Vinyl, everything would be brought to the castle for the guards to protect.
● DEATH the KID ●
“Kid! Thank you for the help,” Twilight said, hugging him
“I didn't help that much.”
“It was you that destroyed that orb of the Storm King,” Rarity replied
“What are the students doing,” Luna asked
“Cleaning out the contents of the Storm King’s ships.”
“Where is everything being brought to,” Celestia added
“Inside the castle. As I entered, I saw the guards protecting the boxes.”
“What are you going to do with me,” a very nervous Tempest asked
“Perhaps we'll discuss that later,” Celestia replied
As the group left the castle, the freed citizens were there cheering for them with Capper and the pirates in front. Tempest trailed behind with Grubber; having stripped off the armor she wore.
“On behalf of Equestria, we'd like to thank you for your assistance in eliminating the Storm King,” Kid said, motioning towards the front
“You are welcome. It was our pleasure to work with you,” Celano replied
“It was fun getting to help out,” Capper added
“I would like all the weapons of the DWMA to step forward. I have something you all might like. Soul Recall.”
Kid held out a hand and allowed all the kishin souls that were recently destroyed to be removed. The collection totaled a few thousand, which allowed each weapon to have 50 souls each for starters.
“Thank you,” the weapons said collectively
“You are welcome. After what happened, you deserve to have something.”
“So, when are we going to rehave the party,” Pinkie asked
“Let's wait a while before doing so. We still have something to take care of.”
“Tempest; you will be staying in the castle along with your friend in the meantime,” Celestia decided
Tempest decided to take a walk to actually see the town she attacked. When far enough away from the castle, someone decided to place a hand on her shoulder; causing her to stop.
“Sorry if I scared you. My name is Starlight Glimmer. I was hoping you could help me,” she asked with a smirk
“Tempest Shadow. What do you need my help with,” Tempest asked curiously
“You'll see,” Starlight replied