Yeah, best friends. What have they done for me?
Tempest suddenly shook her head and tried to settle back to the physical world that she was in. Her surroundings began to sweep back from what was the old village that she used to call home was then into the beach and greenery of Mount Aris, that loomed over her like a tower. Everything kicked back when she heard the sea again crashing against the rocks, the sound of the wind blowing over and the smell of the sea salt that had risen into the air.
"Are you okay there, Tempest?"
Twilight waved a hoof in front of her friend, which made Tempest flinch and forcefully move her friend's hoof out of way. Tempest looked at Twilight, trying to refocus on what was actually there in front of her, rather than a simple trick in the eye or a memory playing on her mind. Everything was a blur for a moment, but slowly the physical world started to fill around Tempest and eventually settled down to its natural cause.
She began to visualise Twilight's face again, adjusting her eyes to every detail of her friend and recognising her as somepony she knew, rather than a complete stranger who had decided to wander up towards her. Tempest, at first, backed away, but then stopped, surprised that her reaction was so subtle.
"Oh... I... er..."
Twilight looked confused. She noticed that Tempest had been acting weirdly recently, as well as Celestia. Unaware of what the main cause was, Twilight pursed her lips and rubbed her chin with her hoof.
"Well?"
A smile appeared on Tempest's face, which somehow made her laugh. Twilight, who at first didn't understand what was wrong with her friend, started to laugh as well, which turned into a mixture of laughing fits. Both mares collapsed onto the ground, laughing away loudly and in a way that only a filly would laugh like.
"Go on then! Tell me!"
Twilight eagerly waited for Tempest to reply, but only got more laughing fits as a response. Tempest eventually managed to control her and got up, dusting away the sand that had stuck to her body.
"Oh, it's nothing, Twilight. You shouldn't always worry about me. I just was thinking of something that happened a while back, that's all. Besides; why should I explain it all to you now, when we're actually heading back to my village?"
Twilight nodded, still trying to stop laughing. "Well, you have a good point there, Tempest. I bet it's so beautiful, your hometown."
Tempest looked towards the direction of where her birthplace was, squinting to see if she could recognise anything in the distance. There wasn't much to see, though.
Behind Mount Aris were a few more islands, slightly smaller, but still inhabited with hippogriffs. They were all in random spots all over the ocean, all different sizes and structures. Beyond the islands, there was barely anything else. The sea that was once a dull grey transformed into a glistening blue, that sparkled the sunlight. Everything that once looked as if threatening, had suddenly turned calm, peaceful and innocent. Twilight looked into the engulfing fog that was approaching, beginning to question wherever they would make it through there without any struggle.
"Beyond the most dangerous of islands, past the most fearsome of storms and across the deadliest of all deserts... that is where my home is."
Twilight then looked at Tempest quite surprised. She hadn't expected her friend to be able to cross such dangerous of lands, especially for a ten-year-old little filly. A vision suddenly occurred in Twilight's mind; a storm, so fierce that no pegasus could fly through it. And with the raging sea below them, Twilight could only imagine water being sprayed into their faces, flashes of lightning, rumbles of thunder and the possible outcome of their skiff going down into the dark ocean below. Twilight tried to remember any creature from the hundreds of books she had read that had been able to cross these frightening parts beyond Mount Aris. It was no wonder that Queen Novo was especially strict of who went beyond there, as she would surely fear that no creature would be able to make it over alive.
"You managed to cross all of this?" Twilight asked.
Tempest shook her head. "Not all of it, no. Remember, that I only made it to Kludgetown... by going the long way around. I wasn't able to travel either by boat or skiff across the ocean. It would have been far too dangerous."
Twilight nodded, understanding the obstacles that were hidden away in the desert. She wouldn't be surprised if some kind of monster would appear out of the abyss and attempt to attack them. It was like an Daring Do adventure, except this time it was all real. Anypony could get hurt. Anypony could even get killed.
"The sand was so hot that my hooves were cooking. It was so painful not wearing any horseshoes and I was exposed to the heat of the sun. If I was lucky, I would find an oasis and sleep in the shade near a pool of water. Seeing my reflection was not a pretty sight when I woke up in the morning, though. I looked terrible before I reached Kludgetown, the first civilisation I came across on my whole journey before I, purposely, stepped into the claws of the Storm King. Yet, I remember each and every day I was in that training room, each success, each failure, each achievement, each and every injury that I got from training to be a soldier."
"Sounds dangerous." Tempest waited for Twilight to continue, but she remained silent.
"I couldn't ever imagine going back. It's like going back in time. You expect everything to be the same, but it won't be. I've seen so many changes in Equestria and beyond when I used to patrol the skies in my skiff. I got to meet the most powerful and probably the most dangerous leaders, rulers and creatures. Yet... never in a million years would I ever think of returning home."
"Understandable," Twilight replied, "when I left my parents to study at college, I felt extremely lost. I was terrible at friendship and I dismayed my friends, like Minuette, Lemon Hearts and Twinkle Shine. There were others as well whom I could list out, but honestly, I was the worst at friendship. I felt, some days, that friendship had abandoned me as well, Tempest. But remember that you are still their daughter, no matter what happens."
Twilight placed a hoof on Tempest's shoulder, who placed her hoof on Twilight's.
"Thanks, Twilight. Just sometimes... I think it takes a friend to let you know what really is important. It doesn't matter if my village wants to be involved with Equestria or not, or that Celestia is coming with us on this journey. I think this is just one of those trips which I believe we're going to enjoy, no matter what happens."
Tempest smiled back and leaned in for a hug. Twilight hugged her back and then separated when a familiar face appeared next to them. Queen Novo leaned her head down and looked at Twilight and Tempest, with robotic-like eyes moving from left to right. Feeling embarrassed, both mares blushed, and inched away from each other, leaving some space between them. Queen Novo, however, looked as if she didn't care and didn't smile either.
"Did Celestia ask you to come on this... journey?"
Twilight and Tempest looked at each other, at first not knowing who Novo was referring to. But after a while and a brief suggestion, Tempest nudged Twilight. Novo looked directly towards Twilight, who looked back at her and tried to say anything that was able to come from her mouth.
"Well, yes, she did. She asked both of us, including Spike and Grubber. She's really the pony, though, who has been organising everything. For once, it actually isn't me!"
Novo squinted her eyes towards Twilight like sharp shards of glass. Unlike any pair of eyes Twilight had seen before, Novo's were an unusual and haunting strong magenta, and her eyelashes pointing away like the end of a feather, so elegant and enchanted. It was almost impossible to not stare directly into them; they were nearly hypnotic, yet so beautiful. As Novo narrowed her eyes, they became sharper. Sometimes, you could mistake Novo to be a marble statue that had been trapped under the sea for years on end, because of well she looked.
"Yet I thought you wouldn't want to return to my kingdom, Princess Twilight," Novo explained, "I thought after our... sensitive meeting last time that coming back here would be... quite sensitive, shall we say. I always knew that you were trouble since the first day we met and that you would be the same the second time we met."
Twilight gasped, angry at Novo's distasteful comments. She, the Princess of Friendship, was trouble?! Sure, stealing the pearl was wrong, but she had learnt her mistakes by this point. Heck, it had been months since Equestria had been restored to peace again and surely Novo would be happy that she and her friends had managed to defeat the Storm King. Then again, it was Tempest that had saved them from being turned into solid marble.
"I came on a very important journey with Princess Celestia and Tempest Shadow, as well as my other friends. I have come a long way on my journey with friendship. It has made me a better pony, Queen Novo, and that's why I trust it. If I didn't want to apologise to you for what I caused, then I wouldn't have come all the way here, now would I?"
Queen Novo inched forward towards Twilight, suddenly looking much taller than she originally was. Twilight backed off slightly but stopped when Princess Skystar quickly jumped in between them and held out her claws.
"Mother, please! I thought that we had all become friends again? Princess Twilight and her friends saved us from the Storm King, even after he took their home as well! Let her be; Celestia has already said that she did it for the good of all of us."
Novo groaned, irritated by the disruption that her daughter had caused. "Please move out of the way, child! This pony is nothing but trouble!"
Skystar shook her head and frowned.
"No, mother."
Novo scowled, making Skystar back up into Twilight, who was beginning to feel intimidated and extremely frightened. Novo slammed her front claws into the sand and leaned her neck in closer, making her look like a wild animal stalking its prey.
"I told you to move, Skystar! I'm tired of this alicorn. She has done nothing, but caused me pain-!"
"You think that it's all about you, isn't it?" Skystar interrupted, "It's all about your kingdom and your pearl! Twilight was only trying to get the pearl so that we could have saved every creature who was still above the water! If she and her friends didn't stop the Armada from destroying all of Equestria, then we wouldn't be here today, mother! Twilight didn't cause any pain whatsoever... you are the one who has caused the pain!"
Everypony fell suddenly silent, including Celestia, as they all couldn't believe Skystar's sudden outburst. Novo growled like a fierce tiger ready to pounce, but then quickly turned away.
"Friends forgive each other, Queen Novo," Twilight explained, "so... I forgive you... would you, as a queen to your kingdom, forgive me?"
There was a brief pause. Novo didn't respond for a while and just stared into space as if she had been frozen in time. She hesitated multiple times, but eventually reached her arm out and spread out her claw. Twilight looked at Celestia, who smiled back.
"Forgiving is part of friendship, Novo," Celestia added, "remember those days when we studied together under the supervision of Starswirl the Bearded? We were great friends back then! You and I got on so well and we had so much fun back in Canterlot. I really do want to go back to that time when we were so close together and were the best of friends... but I can't do that if we don't put this scenario behind."
Novo stomped the ground and went up close to Celestia's face. Celestia didn't flinch, but inside she was starting to not only doubt herself but also Novo. Novo's guards were still waiting for their queen near the water's edge and were in the defence position, pointing their spears towards Celestia and the others.
"This isn't the end, Tia. Twilight Sparkle will pay for stealing the pearl that protected our kingdom. We will meet again after your journey beyond Mount Aris, as well as the rest of these creatures!"
"Stop it, mother!" Skystar interrupted her patience now at its lowest. "Why can't you just move on from that. We should be happy! We are free from the slavery of the Storm King."
In frustration at this ongoing fight, Novo growled loudly and flicked her tail towards everyone, before making her way off towards the seashore. Completely shocked at what she was witnessing, Skystar raced up towards her mother, but then stopped suddenly.
"Mother! Where... where are you going?! I didn't mean to snap-!"
Skystar's words couldn't stop her mother from making her way back into the water, as she knew that by this point nothing would be able to get past her character. Novo's expression was beyond fury; a shade of red appeared just above her muzzle and she was shaking her legs, trying to hold any unforgiving action that she might cause.
"Go on this journey with you 'friends', Skystar! It is your choice who becomes your friends and who you trust most. But hear me now, for I won't come with any of you! Your mission does not interest me the least!"
Novo then turned her gaze towards Twilight, who was watching with her jaw opened, completely in shock and disappointment at how Novo had portrayed herself. Twilight knew exactly what was coming next.
"And for you, Princess Twilight, this isn't that last you've seen of me! I swear to you... we will meet again! And the next time we do, it won't be pretty! You, Twilight Sparkle, are hereby forbidden to enter my kingdom or step hoof on Mount Aris, EVER AGAIN!"
And with that final performance, Queen Novo majestically lept into the air and transformed back into a seapony, before diving into the ocean and back down to Seaquestria, without another word. The water bounced back up into the air, before crashing back down onto the water's surface.
Princess Skystar reached out her hippogriff claw but soon realised that she couldn't do anything else. Her mother was gone now, and it would take a lot to convince her to surface again (besides telling her that Twilight and her friends had left, although Novo could easily tell if non-residents of Mount Aris and Seaquestria were still present). Skystar couldn't do anything else but simply stand and watch the ripples in the sea fade away.
Twilight quietly trotted up beside Skystar and looked in the same direction as she did, monitoring the sea and its oncoming waves that continued to hit the edge of the beach. Twilight didn't turn her head to look at Skystar, as she knew that she was standing right next to her. Struggling to find the words, Twilight at first mumbled something, but then found the confidence to speak up.
"I'm so sorry, Skystar..."
That was all she could say. Twilight felt, personally, responsible for her actions and there was a dark guilt inside her stomach, slowly rising up to a point where she could have easily just collapsed onto the sand and fallen into a deep sleep. A tear appeared in the corner of her right eye, though Skystar didn't attempt to wipe it away.
"It's okay... Twilight... there was nothing that you could have done..."
Skystar continued to look straight into the distance, not making the effort to look around her or look back at Twilight. She didn't flinch when the splashes of the sea went onto her feathers or when droplets of salt water landed near her eyes. Twilight then, without realising so, lifted up her hoof and wrapped it round Skystar's neck and pulled her in closer. Skystar didn't resist, but simply leaned in closer and both of them rested on each other's shoulders.
"So... I'm guessing you won't be going back down there for a while then?"
Skystar nodded, sniffling quietly. "I don't really want to, no. I don't want to see mother for now... maybe later... but I feel... that I don't want to at the moment. I also don't think that I want to go anywhere near Mount Aris either. But, then, where do I go? I just don't understand why mother and I have been fighting all the time, recently. Before father died, we never fought. I miss him, my father, but mother misses him more, so maybe she doesn't tolerate it as much as I do."
Twilight could understand Skystar's feelings. She, herself, had gone on the wrong side of Novo, ever since they first met. They never got on, and it seemed that they never would. Though, she did get on with Skystar and the rest of the seaponies in Seaquestria and the hippogriffs on Mount Aris. Trying to remain positive, Twilight moved away from Skystar and made her look directly at her, face to face.
"You are an amazing princess, Skystar. I may not understand completely how you may be feeling, because Celestia isn't a queen, but just because your mother watches over you perhaps too protectively, that doesn't mean you are no less of a creature than I am, she is or any other being."
Skystar nodded and smiled, before wiping away the remainder of her tears that made her cheeks sticky and dirty. She gave Twilight another hug, in which Twilight wrapped her hooves around her neck and brought her closer. An idea suddenly came to her mind and she let go of Skystar and held her right front claw in her hooves.
"Tell you what, why don't you come with us on an amazing adventure to Tempest's hometown? It would be like an exciting holiday!"
Skystar gasped and squealed. "That sounds... AWESOME!!! Yes, please! Oh, but, mother..."
Twilight shook her head. "Don't worry about her. We'll take you back home before she even bothers to surface. We could do with an extra traveller, especially as we'll be travelling in Capper's skiff."
"Sounds great!"
Twilight and Skystar made their way over to the skiff, where every other creature was. Capper was on the top deck at the steering wheel, of course, Celaeno was repairing some damaged parts on the skiff, Spike and Grubber were loading some exotic fruit that they had found on Mount Aris, and Tempest was busy checking things off the list of things that needed to be done before they left. When Twilight and Skystar walked up to Tempest, she looked up and raised an eyebrow, perhaps not surprised by what she was seeing.
"I see that we have a new passenger," she said, "it's nice to see that you're coming along with us, Princess Skystar."
Skystar smiled back. "It's nice to properly meet you as well, Tempest Shadow."
"Please, allow me."
Tempest led Skystar up the skiff's plank and onto the top deck, where Capper was busy admiring himself in some fancy pirate uniform that he had found in the crew's wardrobe somewhere on the skiff. Celaeno jumped up onto the deck, which made Capper jump. Capper turned around and frowned at Celaeno, who sniggered in the fact that Capper was very easy to scare. Capper frowned and crossed his arms.
"That wasn't funny."
Celaeno stepped forwards, her peg leg thumping against the wooden deck. She then stopped at a point where she was close enough to Capper and smiled.
"Since we first met, Capper, you've always made me laugh... even when you don't try to. But just a reminder that I'm still the captain of my crew here, including this skiff."
Capper frowned. "Oh really? Is that so? I was the one who brought Princess Twilight and her little friends over from Kludgetown all the way here, so I believe that I'll be driving this vessel."
Celaeno grunted loudly, kicking her left bottom claw on the deck, causing scratches along the wooden planks. This made Capper very angry.
"Hey! This has just been painted!"
Celaeno stopped but grinned mischievously. She enjoyed annoying Capper, though Celaeno did find him a pain when it was his turn to annoy her.
"Yeah, well, what's a skiff that doesn't show who's been on board and who's been driving it? Besides, you deserved that, fleabag."
Capper hissed back, before presenting his claws to Celaeno. "Why you little-!"
"ENOUGH!"
Capper and Celaeno looked down and saw Twilight and every other creature watching them from below on the ground. Twilight had scrolled up her scroll, which she used to point towards Capper and Celaeno as she complained about their fighting.
"None of us are going to get anywhere if we all want to play 'captain'! It would be useful if you could at least decide between the two of you on who will drive the skiff when we head off to Tempest's town, rather than having your own war on who gets to drive! Celestia needs to get there for serious political matters and it would cause the whole of Equestria embarrassment if we arrive arguing and fighting with each other over things that aren't important whatsoever!"
Capper and Celaeno looked at each other and then back to Twilight. Celestia, who had been helping Tempest, Grubber and Spike pack the rest of the things for their journey on the skiff. Once everything had been loaded, Celaeno jumped down and went to say farewell to her crew. After hugging each one of her crew members, Celaeno moved away and started her way to the skiff, but was stopped by Grin, who grabbed her wrist.
"Are you sure that you won't need us, Captain?"
Celaeno turned around and sighed. "It will be fine, Grin. Celestia just asked me to come along. We'll be back before you know it, I promise."
Grin shook Celaeno's claw and smiled. "Whatever you say, captain."
Celaeno made her way onto the skiff and helped the others collect everything that they needed. Once everything and every creature had been boarded, Capper removed the walkway to the skiff and closed the doors that led to the lower deck. Twilight and every creature else stood on the top deck and waved, shouting farewells and best wishes to every creature who was watching from below.
"It was great to see you all again!" Twilight called.
The skiff's engines started up, roaring into motion. Fumes appeared from behind, including the odd blast of fire, from the exhaust pipes. Capper blew the horn and the skiff slowly hovered up into the air. The back engines then turned from a fiery orange to a bright light blue and then blasted energy into the air. The skiff then slowly made its way to the sea behind Mount Aris, as it emerged from the many trees that had their branches leaning over like some kind of tunnel. As the skiff skimmed over the water's surface, ripples appeared and spread over the sea, scaring some of the fish underwater.
Capper then flew slightly higher into the air, before it leaned to its side as it made its way over the ocean. The bright blue water revealed seaponies leaping up and performing acrobatics in the air, and all the other marine life that was below. Everything was surprisingly clear for miles and miles, as Capper drove the skiff straight into the distance. The warmth of the sun made the start of the journey seem so peaceful and enjoyable, the sort of expectancy if one was travelling on a cruise or Zeppelin.
"Full speed ahead!" Capper cried, "Let's eat up those miles, shall we?!"
Pressing his foot against the accelerator, Capper drove the skiff over the ocean and across the coral reefs below. He blew the horn again, disturbing the peaceful quiet atmosphere around them and speeding towards their destination. Twilight, who had rushed up beside Capper, looked over the map and over his shoulder.
"If we keep going straight ahead, then we should arrive at Tempest's town by the next day. How much petrol does this thing have, Capper?"
Capper looked at the fuel dial, which was shaking madly at the control desk, as well as the other dials. The red needle was halfway between an empty and full tank. Smiling happily, Capper changed gear and continued to look straight ahead.
"By my estimate, we should arrive there before the skiff runs out of fuel. Probably we'll get there by either late at night or sunrise tomorrow. We just need to avoid any obstacles and we'll be fine."
The skiff bumped and shook at the speed that Capper was driving at. Twilight looked at the speed dial, shocked at how fast they were actually travelling at. Estimating how far they needed to run and reading the Armada designed speed dial, Twilight reckoned that they were going at around seventy miles per hour. The scenery past them so fast, that they didn't have a chance to every small detail around them. Twilight's mane waved about in her face and every creature else on board was thrown about or attempted at least to try and hold on.
Hours passed and Capper braked in a dark and gloomy area, filled with sharp rocks pointing out of the water from below. Not much life remained; barely any plant life remained on the rocks or growing out of the water. There wasn't even a hint of movement from a fish. Capper looked down at his compass and found that it started to spin out of control, pointing in different directions. He tapped it with his paw and the needle suddenly spun back into its natural position.
"Something's not right..." Capper whispered. He looked around and felt a shiver go down his spine. "...we should be going in the same direction. The desert that surrounds Tempest's village is straight ahead."
Tempest jumped up beside Capper and peered into the distance with her one good eye. She gasped and attempted to grab the skiff's wheel, but was pushed aside by Capper.
"We're going to crash into one of those deadly rocks!" Tempest cried, shaking Capper's arm, hoping in some way that would make him listen to her. "Go a different way!"
Capper didn't respond to Tempest's restraints and continued driving through the large sharp rocks that obstructed their path. And with the thick fog that swept through over the water, Tempest realised that they were travelling blind, winding through an endless and deadly maze that was preventing them from making any real progress. The waves of the water below were bigger than the ones back at Mount Aris and caused more damage to the things that they hit, including the skiff.
Twilight yelped at the sight of a wave coming over the skiff and created a force field around her, bouncing the water back.
"The waves are getting stronger! They'll crush the skiff!"
Suddenly, Capper drove the skiff into a sharp turn, just missing a large rock that was in their path. Everypony on board was thrown to the side and crashed against the wall of the skiff. The rain poured down heavily and the sprays of water from the waves splashed over the deck, making it slippery and dangerous.
"We can make it!" Capper cried, "We just need to make it through this storm!"
A flash of lightening appeared right next to the skiff, making Tempest jump and fall onto her flank. She tried to grab on, which was very difficult, using her hooves to grasp around a secure object. Spike and Grubber had been thrown to the back of the skiff, Celaeno and Skystar were trying to control the skiff's sails and Celestia ran out of the cabin and made her way to the skiff's wheel.
"What's happening?!" Celestia asked. She looked straight ahead and saw nothing but a foggy darkness that seemed to go on endlessly.
"The storm..." Capper explained, fighting against the spray of water that was going into his face, "...it's a strong one! But we can make it!"
Celestia looked around her and noticed that the weather had become too intense, that eventually, sure enough, the skiff would be torn to parts and they would be left defenceless to the fierce sea that they would be swimming in. Knowing that they were heading not for the next land but for certain doom, Tempest pushed Capper away from the steering wheel and started steering the ship away from the rocks and up towards the sky. Capper was thrown down to the floor and spun around, discovering that the deck was completely soaked and was very slippery. He then spun into some barrels, where he bumped his head and was knocked out cold.
Tempest, now in charge of the skiff, tried to find a way out of the storm but struggled in the strong winds that blew them about. Celestia stood beside her, zapping lightning bolts and waves that came too near them. She then created a protective bubble around herself and Tempest, before they continued to focus on driving the skiff through the storm.
"We're so close!" Tempest said, "We can make it to the desert. Then we can walk to my village! We just need to make it through this storm!"
The skiff continued to struggle in the storm, as the weather and the environment around them got worse. Heavy sprays of water crashed into the walls to the skiff, until, eventually, Tempest completely lost control and started to spin out of control.
"We're going to crash!" Tempest cried, "Hopefully we can just make it to the edge of the desert!"
Celestia shook her head. "No, we won't! We can land the skiff if we just go a different way!"
Without having a chance to react, Tempest watched as Celestia used her magic to steer the skiff's wheel towards the right, which headed away from where they originally wanted to go. Tempest disagreed with Celestia's choice of route and grabbed hold of the wheel, pulling it against Celestia's strength.
"My home is this way! I can get us out of here!"
Tempest fought against Celestia and managed to pull the wheel to the left, making the skiff turn so quickly that they ended travelling at an angle.
"That way isn't safe, Tempest!" Celestia argued, pulling the wheel towards her, "We need to go the long way round!"
"No!" Tempest replied, yanking the wheel to her side, "Home is this way!"
Both ponies argued back and forth until they both lit up their horns and created a spark that threw both of them away from the wheel and into the skiff's sides. The wheel shook and quickly turned to one side, causing the whole skiff to lean over and angle as it hovered over the ground. Sand blew from underneath the bottom of the skiff and went into everypony's eyes and mouths, before eventually crashing into the sand and flipping onto its side.
Celestia and Tempest continued to shoot magic at each other, lighting up the whole scene. It wasn't until the skiff was flipped into the air and crashed back down into the ground, that the two ponies stopped fighting and tried to hang onto the skiff. Celestia was buried in sand, while Tempest was swept down the sand dune along with Twilight and every other creature, including the knocked out Capper, and landed in a heap on the ground. The skiff continued to slide down the mountain of sand until it eventually stopped halfway down and everything went completely dark.