//------------------------------//
// Chapter 08 
// Story: The Armada Trilogy II: Beautiful Eyes 
// by TheMysteryMuffin 
//------------------------------//

Seaquestria

A party was happening underwater in the throne room of Seaquestria, which was one of the first to ever take place since the arrival of their first guests. Hundreds of seaponies were swimming around playing musical instruments and wearing party clothing, such as huge pink sunglasses and party hats. All seaponies big and small, old and young were getting involved. Well, apart from two that was.

Sitting on the biggest throne which looked down at the party floor, was Queen Novo herself. Next to her was a tiny red-orange octopus holding a tray in one of his tentacles, portraying a range of fishy snacks and seaweed drinks, which were protected in a magical bubble that didn't mix with the salty sea water that was around them. Jamal, the octopus, offered the tray to Queen Novo, who refused and returned to lying on her throne dramatically. Jamal seemed puzzled by his queen's behaviour and swam closer to her face, examining Novo's expressions. He noticed that she was bored, displeased and quite frankly, annoyed. Jamal quickly swam back as Novo sat up and stretched her fishy arms in the water.

"Oh, Jamal!" Queen Novo cried, "I'm so tired of sitting on my throne and watching the kingdom that I rule pass by. I'm tired of my seaweed wraps, I'm tired of nothing happening and I'm tired of my daughter constantly raving on about the 'world above'! Am I going mad, Jamal?"

Novo only got a bubbly response from her favourite octopus. Sometimes, when she was alone with him, Novo did forget that Jamal was an octopus and couldn't really talk Equis Common (English in Ponyish), and instead had conversations with him about how she was feeling secretly away from all the civilians who lived in either Seaquestria or Mount Aris above the water's surface. Each day, she would see seaponies swim up and out of the water and turn into beautiful hippogriffs in the open air. But yet, even now it had no longer become a pleasure but something that Novo would see every single day and have done ever since peace had been restored in and out of Equestria.

"If I ever had the chance to head back to Equestria, then I would take the opportunity. It's changed ever so a lot since I stayed over with Celestia when we were both young in Canterlot for the first time. A time before the Storm King came to the throne after the fall of his father and destroyed the beautiful land that we all called home!"

Jamal replied with exclaimed bubbling, flapping his tentacles about in the water. 

"I know! I know! Mamma's not happy! If you would Jamal, I wish to be alone with my daughter."

As Jamal swam off, Queen Novo sighed and swam away from her throne and off to a large, smooth rock. Unlike the other dull, grey rocks that sat around the room, this rock had a painting on it. The painting showed a family image of Novo, a very small Skystar and her late husband. It was colourful, bright and very well maintained. Novo put one of her fins onto the painting, rubbing over Skystar's chest directly where her heart would be. She then moved her fin across onto her husband's heart and held it there while she rested her head on the wall, but was then interrupted by the sound of a shell being blown into making a musical note. Novo turned and saw two guards, one with the shell in his fin and another beside him.

"Your majesty, Queen Novo! Your daughter has arrived!"

Novo quickly rubbed her eyes out of all emotion and replaced her upset expression with a stern look. She swam away from the picture and in front of the guards, whom both of which bowed.

"Bring her in here, please."

The guards quickly swam off to the seaweed-covered doorway in which they came out and went through into the black abyss. While they were gone, Novo returned to Jamal who was waiting patiently with his tray of delicious treats for to have. Novo picked some up with her fins and stuffed them into her mouth, crunching them perhaps too quickly to swallow. She burped loudly and coughed. Novo bashed her chest with her fist, making the contents in her mouth fire out into the water and float around her. Jamal, not being too pleased, quickly swam up to clean up the regarded food. 

It wasn't long, thankfully, until the guards eventually returned with a yellow seapony in between them at their sides. Princess Skystar was slightly older now and bigger in height and size. Her fins were longer, mixed with a darker blue, and her body had reflective fish scales which would bounce off any light, making her look even more stunning than before. Before, Skystar had a red flower perked to the side of her head, but now she wore a tiny golden tiara with glistering jewels that sat just on top of her head. Despite looking as beautiful, Skystar was feeling her usual self; depressed, bored and annoyed.

Since she returned to Mount Aris and Seaquestria, Skystar had been grounded by her mother for leaving her home without telling where she was heading to. Skystar, of course, was helping in the Battle of Canterlot after the Mane Six and Spike were kicked out when Twilight stole their magic pearl. She was the only hippogriff to help defeat the Storm King, which did make Novo slightly jealous that she didn't agree to help Twilight in the first place.

"You called for me, mother?" Skystar said. Queen Novo took her daughter by her fin and carefully dragged her along. After using her other fin to wave off the guards, Novo swam back up to her throne and told Skystar to sit in hers.

"Yes, darling. I wanted to just have a discussion; just between the two of us. I don't want you to get too excited, but I have received news this morning that the Princess of Equestria and the Princess of Friendship have landed on our shores."

Skystar gasped with joy and clapped her fins together.

"Princess Celestia and... Princess Twilight! I don't believe it! It's been, like, forever since I last saw Twilight and her friends!"

Novo scowled at the mention of Twilight's name. That retched pony! She was the one she hated the most. Her attitude towards her kingdom was beyond toxic; it was completely disgraceful. Princess of Friendship? She didn't deserve that title! Queen Novo remembered clearly when Twilight's friends distracted her and Skystar while Twilight sneaked up to the pearl and tried to take it, only to gain electrical burns across her body. In Novo's mind, she deserved it.

"Oh, of course. The princess who attempted to steal our kingdom's pearl, the only thing that has prevented us from falling apart and into the darkness of the past. The Storm King stretched across the boundlands and Equestria, destroying all beauty and love from the world! And I lost the seapony whom I loved and Mount Aris, and an alicorn came and nearly took everything away from me! From us!"

Princess Skystar frowned. She thought that her mother had now left the past behind her and had forgiven the ponies who came begging for help, yet to leave and head home with nothing in their hooves. Skystar knew that her mother was strict on sharing the power that she held, even after peace had been declared in Equestria.

"But... they're our friends... aren't they?"

Skystar swam closer to her mother and put a fin on her shoulder in which her mother smiled and sighed heavily. Novo's eyes glimmered, sparkling brightly like diamonds. Many emotions were hitting her hard as if she had been in an accident and went head first into a brick wall. Twisting her lips, Novo folded her arms and put her back to Skystar in frustration.

"They're only our friends if they promise not to betray our kind. The princess and her friends are still not welcome to return to my kingdom unless they promise never to commit any more crimes against Seaquestria. Princess Twilight Sparkle may not visit us again until she has apologised for her actions."

Novo looked away from her daughter again, which made Skystar feel upset and abandoned. She knew that her mother wasn't the same as she used to be ever since her father died. Even though they had Mount Aris back in their power, Novo still looked back to the happier times in the past. Skystar swam up to her mother again, placing a fin on her chin and making Novo look directly into her eyes.

"Mum, please. Twilight saved our home. She defeated the Storm King and gave us a place to call 'home' again. How can you hate somepony who did that all for us? They're waiting for us, above the surface!"

Skystar's pupils then suddenly widened and her face changed to look like an adorable puppy begging to be picked and taken home by a curious pony willing to buy it. She clasped her flippers together and bent her tail, making it look as if she was kneeling to her mother when instead she remained floating in the water and off the steps that lead to her mother's throne. Novo nudged back into her throne at the sight of her daughter kneeling to her. She felt embarrassed, as Novo noticed that many of her guards had been watching them the whole time. Jamal had come back, holding strings of seaweed on one of his tentacles, and stopped dead in his tracks. He made some rather bizarre noises out of his parrot-shaped mouth from underneath his tentacles and then started to back up slightly.

"Please?" Skystar asked again.

Queen Novo groaned loudly. There was no point arguing anymore against her daughter, as she knew they would never stop doing so. There was a brief pause, with every sea creature watching Novo and Skystar silently in the background.

"Fine!" Novo snapped, perhaps too aggressively, "I'll go back to Mount Aris... and meet the princess."

Skystar suddenly lit up with joy and excitement and quickly swam in circles, laughing with joy. Finally, after months of being grounded, she was able to see her friends again.

"Horray! Thank you, mother! Thank you!"

The excited teenage princess swam back to her mum and gave her a hug, in which Novo returned the favour, wrapping her arms around Skystar's neck. Both laughed happily, swimming around in the water gracefully as if they were dancing in a ballroom back on land. Knowing their queen's decision, the other seaponies, fish and other sea creatures, including Jamal, started cheering and celebrating. The guards cried with joy and clapped on Novo and Skystar, as they made their way out of the throne room.

"We're going now?" Skystar asked, still excited. 

"Well, of course, dear! The sooner we clear things up between the Princess of Friendship and I, the better. Come, Skystar; we must leave at once!"

Grabbing hold of Skystar's fin, Queen Novo started swimming towards the exit of the chamber, leaving Jamal and the rest of the civilians inside. They swam through the many dark tunnels that led up to the water's surface, right next to the beach where their "guests" were waiting.





Mount Aris

Meanwhile, above the surface, Twilight was sitting on a large boulder completely motionless as she watched the waves move towards her and crash into the large boulders that were placed around the beach. Despite the sound of the water, and the bird-like cries of the hippogriffs as they flew around in the sky, it was almost silent on the shores of Mount Aris. Twilight looked up and saw the hippogriffs fly in circles above her head like birds surrounding their prey in the emptiness of the desert.

The desert.

The last land that Twilight and the rest of the convoy had to go through before they reached Tempest's hometown was yet another desert, the one that Tempest herself had to cross when she left her village for the last time. It was filled with scorpions and rattlesnakes, extremely poisonous and life-threatening if an unexpected hoof landed right on top of them. During the day, the heat was unbelievably strong. Twilight wondered while she was sitting down if Celestia could lower the sun in the sky to a more controlled temperature The sand was the worst; it stung Twilight's hooves while walking through its vast emptiness. It rubbed into her fur, causing blisters, and the dripping sweat from her mane would sink into them. Even an alicorn could feel pain and Twilight remembered how painful it was.

Snapping out of thought, Twilight looked behind her and saw Tempest and Celestia walking side by side towards her boulder. Tempest seemed to be her usual self, but Celestia had bags under eyes and had a massive frown on her face. Her expression looked as if the smallest thing could easily set her off and every time she looked at somepony, Celestia looked as if she was giving off a deadly scowl.

"Any sign of Queen Novo yet?" Tempest asked.

Twilight shook her head in response. 

"I'm afraid not. I don't understand what could be taking them so long. I was told by one of the hippogriffs that they've received word that we've landed on Mount Aris, so hopefully, they should emerge soon from Seaquestria."

It was then Twilight noticed that Celestia looked terrible and extremly tired.

"You seem... tired, princess..." Twilight began but was cut off by Celestia's attitude.

"I am. I had a distasteful dream, Twilight! And the night before that, and the night before! I have been suffering from nightmares for the past month or so!"

"Nightmares?" Tempest asked. 

Celestia then realised that the pony in which she still had a grudge on was standing next to her. Sweat began to drip down her neck and suddenly Celestia started to feel really hot. Twilight and Tempest looked at each other, both presenting confused expressions.

"Why have you been getting nightmares, princess?" Twilight asked, raising a hoof to her chin.

Celestia sighed. "I'm sorry, Twilight, Tempest; everypony and creature in fact. I haven't been sleeping well for the past few nights or so. I know that what I'm about to say is not what you'd expect me to say, but I... I still have..."

"Yes?"

Everypony fell completely silent. They leaned in closer, stretching their necks as far out as they could until they started to make Celestia uncomfortably invading her space. Twilight frowned in dread as what she was about to hear, wasn't going to be pleasant. Eventually, after a gruelling silence, Celestia spoke again.

"It's nothing important. I swear."

The group all sighed in disappointment at the dissolved excitement that led up to what Celestia was going to say. Becoming slightly annoyed, Celestia started to trot away from the group and onto the seashore of Mount Aris. At first, no one tried to get into her way and allowed Celestia to walk on, with her head low and her wings weighed down towards the ground. Twilight had never seen Celestia like this before. Usually, Celestia was the pony every creature in Equestria knew and loved; kind, generous and elegant in every way possible. This was the first time Twilight had seen Celestia so upset before and troubled.

"Celestia, wait!"

Leaving the others behind, Twilight trotted after Celestia as quickly as her hooves could take her. She galloped through some thick thorny branches and larger plants until she arrived on the beach. Twilight ran onto the sand and screeched to a halt when she was close enough for Celestia to hear her.

"Where are you going? What's wrong?"

Celestia stopped walking along the beach and turned around. She looked upset. Twilight noticed that there were tears in Celestia's eyes, reflecting in the sunshine. They looked like diamonds instead of dirty tears, shining brightly, and showing different colours instead of a natural grey colour which would normally be expected to appear in tears. The drips of tears created long lines down Celestia's cheeks; they poured down the sides of her mouth, some of which went into her mouth, and then transferred down her neck.

"I'm sorry, Twilight."

Twilight couldn't do anything, but give her a hug around the neck. Celestia accepted the embrace and pulled Twilight in closer, using her front left leg. It had been a while since they last hugged each other, but the wait was worth it. Twilight then pulled away and sat herself down on a dry bolder with seaweed attached to its sides, while Celestia sat on another bolder with starfish attached to it, hanging over a small rockpool full of different sea creatures.

"What I'm about to say must stay between you and I and no other pony. I can't afford... anypony else to know, because I mustn't risk any more problems with... with our friends."

Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm... I'm confused, princess. Is this about Tempest and Grubber?"

Celestia, at first, nodded but then stopped and bit her lip. "Well, not so much Grubber. I'm more concerned about Tempest. You see, I don't... it's very difficult for me to explain."

"I understand." 

For a moment, they remained silent. Sitting as still as possible, Twilight and Celestia simply listened to the sound of nearby waves that crashed into the rocks along the beach, the cries of seagulls as they flew over the cliffs of Mount Aris, the laughter of the hippogriffs in the villages in the mountains and the music of the Harmonising Heights that played the most beautiful and charming of all music pieces. All of these things put together made Mount Aris look like the perfect place to live and the most spectacular of all kingdoms. A gust of wind blew over the water towards Twilight and Celestia; it was cool, making them shiver. Celestia pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, covering up her blue-green mane and her white ears. Twilight felt goosebumps pop all over her body, and suddenly she became very cold.

Slightly turning her head, Twilight looked back at Celestia, but she didn't move. Celestia continued to stare down at the grey water while wrapping herself in her cloak and lifting the hood up over her head. Splashes from the waves of the sea landed as drops onto Celestia's cloak and sometimes into her loose mane. Celestia licked her lips, tasting the sea salt that had landed near her muzzle and jaw, and shivered whenever a light breeze passed her.

"I was talking to my sister, Luna, this morning at breakfast," Celestia said, seeming quieter than usual, "she says... she says that there is something... dark... inside of me."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin and thought for a while, trying to think back to anything that she could relate to what Celestia had mentioned. She then remembered something.

"Is this about... you know... your alter ego that Starlight mentioned?"

Celestia looked back at Twilight again. "You mean, Daybreaker?"

Twilight nodded. "Starlight told me this when she returned to my castle. More specifically, an evil counterpart. Starlight said that she went under the pseudonym of Daybreaker and had a similar look to you, with the addition of sun-related designs over her body and an orange colour that resembled the sun."

Celestia shuddered at the thought of it. "I never want to become that hideous beast! Never in my years will I want to become something that could easily destroy Equestria in the blink of an eye. I am meant to be the Princess of the Sun, not the Princess of Destruction."

Another pause followed. Twilight struggled to find the words that would make a constructive sentence, rather than something that was going to make everything worse. Really, this was too far away from home and wasn't the place to sort out Celestia's problem. But, being a good friend, Twilight tried her best to comfort her. Leaning over to her, Twilight awkwardly rested her head on Celestia's chest, feeling her soft white fur and placing a hoof directly on top of her physical heart.

"Celestia," Twilight began, "you are the greatest teacher to have taught me, especially the important value of friendship. I never listened to you, because of my stubbornness and addiction to the value of learning. If anything, you would be the least likely pony to destroy the land we both know and love."

Celestia looked up at the grey sky and watched the tiny dots flying about, recognising them as hippogriffs. They would disappear into the clouds and then reappear, swooping down at speed. Celestia exhaled, before closing her eyes and leaning back onto the rock. The atmosphere around her was relaxing; hearing the sound of the waves and the cries of the hippogriffs was a glorious change from what she normally heard in the busy streets of Canterlot. Her ears flopped down to her sides and she smiled.

"You really think so, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

"Of course, princess."

They lay together, not too close but close enough that they were comfortable with. They didn't move for a while. Celestia wrapped her cloak around Twilight, who was beginning to shiver from the cold. The water continued to crash against the rocks and splash them, as the clouds continued to gather and turn the sky a dark grey.





On the shore, back where Capper had parked his skiff, Spike, Tempest, Grubber, Capper and Celaeno all gathered together underneath some shelter from the freezing wind that was sweeping across Mount Aris. Capper and Celaeno were thankful that they were still wearing their long thick coats, but Spike and Grubber were exposed as they wore nothing. Tempest still wore the cloak that she wore everywhere she went, but it was old and had holes across it. More water splashed near them, making Spike and Grubber jump out of the way and hiding behind the others.

"Queen Novo is obviously taking longer than I imagined," Tempest said. The others looked back at her. "I thought that now the Storm King has been defeated and that there is peace among us now, that she wouldn't have to live in... what is it called again?"

Captain Celaeno scratched the back of her head, trying to remember the name of the place. "I believe it was called 'Seaquestria'."

Tempest's eyes narrowed until they were approximately the shapes of semi-circles, making her face emotionless. "The one place that we tried to track down and find. The Storm King wanted the power of the hippogriffs for himself after he would defeat the four princesses, including Twilight. Of course, it never worked."

Capper coughed loudly, which managed to silence the group.

"If I know my Queen Novo and her daughter, Skystar, they'd be happy to help out any day, now that the Storm King has been defeated."

Tempest then rubbed the back of her mane with one of her hooves and blushed. "Well, this would be the first proper time that we've met in fourteen years when I took her place in the Armada. I can't imagine what they would have done to Skystar if they put her into the Storm King's army. It would have crushed Queen Novo's heart for sure, especially after losing her husband."

Spike quickly looked at Tempest in surprise. "She had a husband?"

"He was lost in combat years ago," Grubber explained, "it was a war between the hippogriffs and the Armada. Of course, the Storm King swooped in and made them leave here. Queen Novo's husband tried to distract the Storm King from hurting her and Princess Skystar, but... he didn't make it."

"Oh," Spike replied, sounding grave, "I see."

"My parents were killed in an invasion by the Armada," Celaeno added, "I was only a teenager then. The Storm Guards threw me into the Armada, but I escaped and joined a crew of, well, pirates as you say. All of whom had lost something or someone. So we did what pirates did; found treasure, explored the skies, all that stuff that happens in stories. But then the Storm King found us again and forced us to work for him. Hense why we became delivery guys and gals."

Spike nodded. He then looked at Grubber. "What about you?"

Grubber licked his lips, looking up at the sky, presumably in thought. At first, he didn't say anything, but after a while, he eventually started his story.

"Well, looking back, all I can remember is meeting Capper when I was abandoned by my parents. Capper took me in and raised me as his own. It stayed that way for a few years and then we met Tempest after she ran away from her home. It's a blur after that; I don't remember the rest until we started planning the attack on Canterlot. That's all I got."

"I see," Spike replied, intrigued, "and you, Capper?"

Capper sighed and leaned on a large boulder. He then started to fiddle with his paws, crisscrossing each of his anthropomorphic fingers and picking at the tips of his claws.

"I come from far, far away from Equestria, a place where there isn't a pony in sight, but all different and fantastic creatures living and working together. I was in a band since I was in my mid-teens, the name of which I can't remember, which was my main income. But when the Storm King came to the throne, he rose the taxes and we split up and went our separate ways. I was broke, hence why I started selling slaves to him. I must have been sixteen."

After Capper finished, everyone fell silent for a while. But it didn't last long.

"So, when is Queen Novo and Princess Skystar coming again?" Celaeno asked.

"Twilight hopes that they'll be arriving soon from Seaquestria and landing here on Mount Aris," Spike replied, "but we know that Queen Novo is a difficult hippogriff to persuade. She's probably still down there, arguing with Skystar."

Everyone suddenly jumped at the surprised sound of thunder, crashing loudly up in the sky. The clouds became a darker grey and morphed closer together. It became very dark and little light was visible. A single raindrop then fell from the sky and landed into a tiny puddle on the hard rock surface. More followed, bouncing on the hard surface. The rain also landed on the sandy beach at the edge of the island, making it soggy and clay-like.

Spike rushed under a large tree with huge leaves, in which everyone else followed from behind. Even though it wasn't the most efficient way of staying dry, there was very little to hide underneath. Still, they got wet, especially Capper, whose fur had become completely drenched.

"I hope they arrive soon," Capper added, "I hate rain, and I hate getting wet."

"That's because you're a cat!" Tempest said, "And cats hate water, especially when they get covered in it. It's biological."

Capper frowned and folded his arms. "That's offensive."

Tempest snorted angrily. Since they first met fourteen years ago, she and Capper had been constant rivals. From Capper selling Tempest to Tempest taking everything away from Capper, they had been non-stop enemies. Even after peace had been restored in Equestria, the two of them knew that it would take a miracle to bring them together again. Spike, Grubber and Celaeno backed up to give the two some space.

"I thought that you were my friend! I thought that you would help me after I left my home. But then you sold me to the Storm King when I was just a filly!" Tempest shouted.

"Well, I wasn't the one who destroyed someone else's skiff while their 'friend' was still on board!" Capper argued back.

"Guys, shut up," Celaeno snapped, stern enough to grasp both their attention, "just in case you two have forgotten, we're still waiting for Queen Novo and Princess Skystar. I think the last thing Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight need are pointless arguments that just aren't going to get us anywhere."

Tempest and Capper immediately stopped fighting. Both had a sudden wave of guilt wash over them like nausea or a headache. They looked away from each other in opposite directions and didn't give eye contact. Celaeno sighed and walked away, heading her way back to the princesses.

"It won't be long soon," Celaeno said to herself, "I know Queen Novo will be coming soon. Her daughter, Princess Skystar, would surely persuade her to surface from the water."





Twilight and Celestia were still sitting on the same rocks, watching the water move closer towards them as the day moved on. The reflection of the sun's light had changed from a white-yellow to a golden orange, and it had become much warmer than it was previously. Celestia removed her hood from her head and let her enchanted mane wave in the wind like a flag tied to its pole, and then she breathed in the strong smell of sea salt.

Suddenly, a patch of bubbles arose to the surface about a metre away from Twilight and Celestia, before popping out of existence, which caught the attention of the two princesses.

"What was that?" Twilight asked. Celestia scratched the back of her head with her hoof and stuck her lower lip out.

"Could it be...?" she said, trailing off, "...I can't really tell from this far away."

Twilight and Celestia jumped off from their rock and inched forwards towards the water's edge. Another sequence of bubbles followed, forming in exactly the same place where the previous bubbles appeared.

"Could it be a fish, perhaps?" Twilight asked.

They were then distracted when Spike, Tempest, Grubber, Capper and Celaeno appeared from behind a long row of boulders placed purposely together to form a wall, which trailed from the sea to the cliff face at the bottom of the mountain. They walked up to Twilight and Celestia, before stopping on the wet sand.

"Anything yet?" Spike asked.

"Look there!" Twilight replied, pointing her hoof to the bubbles.

More appeared, until then a glowing golden light formed from underneath the water's surface. Another light appeared next to it but was instead white. Then, two creatures floated up from the two lights into the air and started to change shape from a seapony to a hippogriff. Twilight and the others watched from below in amazement and then stepped back to give space for the two creatures to land onto the beach.

One of the hippogriffs was yellow, with a blue silk-like mane and the other was white and slightly bigger, with large feathers across her body. Both were wearing crowns and had majestic eyes, shining brightly like polished jewels and other treasures that would be found under the sea. The white one stepped forwards and smiled elegantly, looking more beautiful than ever.

"Princess Celestia," Queen Novo said, "it's been a while."