A Princess's Trials
by Present Perfect
Part 2: Mount Aris
By the time they reached Mount Aris, Celestia was lowering the sun. The guards were relieved immediately upon their arrival, and the senior one flew ahead while the junior, weariness showing through his stoicism, retired to his quarters. A further contingent of six hippogriffs met Twilight and Tempest, escorting them into Mount Aris proper.
The last time Twilight had been here, it had been like stepping into the ruins of a forgotten civilization. She hadn't had time to explore, but part of her had made a note, later discarded, to return and see what she could discover. The civilization may have since returned, but 'ruined' still applied.
Old statues had been righted, the streets were free of rubble and dust, and houses and other buildings were being restored by busy hippogriffs that bounded and flew every which way. Granted, the hippogriffs were using chunks of old coral in their repairs, no doubt retrieved from Seaquestria below, so the city would be restored to a new beauty rather than its old glory. It was like trying to cover up the state of one's dilapidated hovel by laying down new carpet, and the whole city was half grey stone and half mismatched color. Rarity would have been appalled.
Twilight couldn't help but be surprised at how surprised she was to see so many hippogriffs and no hippocampi. Few faces turned their way, mostly those of the younger hippogriffs and their caretakers. Those who watched them proceed to the central hall exchanged half-hidden whispers amongst themselves. The looks sent their way were neither disparaging nor encouraging, but Twilight nevertheless couldn't keep her ears from falling.
A glance at Tempest showed the Captain comported as ever. She spared a glance back to Twilight, along with a small uplift at the corner of her mouth.
Well, if Tempest was weathering this walk of shame with dignity, then Twilight could, too! Tempest possessed just the strength Twilight needed to slough off the sense that she was being judged, the reminder that she was here to be punished. Who knew what sorts of penalties her crimes might incur? No reason not to walk with her head held high...
Well, unless that might be seen as arrogance by the hippogriffs. Yes, definitely arrogant, better to keep her head just a bit lower, try to come off as meek. Or at least humble. And hopefully not humiliated, because she was definitely feeling humiliated at that very moment, and no amount of half-smiles stingily rationed from Tempest Shadow were going to make her feel any better.
She hung her head. So much for that, then.
"Princess Twilight!"
The cheerful outburst rocked Twilight out of her self-pity just in time to see a pair of yellow claws touch down in front of her. They rushed out and gripped her in a crushing hug.
"It's so good to see you again!" Princess Skystar exclaimed, whipping Twilight back and forth in her embrace.
"Princess," said one of the guards, "please step away from the prisoners, they are--"
"Oh, piffle," said Skystar, releasing Twilight so she could make a rude gesture at the guard. "Twilight's my friend! And I'm the Princess, so I can talk to her if I want. So there!"
The guards gave each other concerned looks, but each took a half-step to the side.
"I'm so glad you're here," Skystar continued to babble. "Did you bring Pinkie with you? I really wanted to see Pinkie again!"
"It's good to see you too, Skystar," said Twilight with a light chuckle. "And no, Pinkie's not here. Only Tempest came with me."
It was clear at the mention of Tempest's name that Skystar either hadn't noticed her or had been pretending she hadn't. All of her bubbly exuberance evaporated as she gave Tempest a wan smile.
"Yooooooou're friends with Twilight now, right?" Skystar mumbled, eyebrows knitted.
"I am," said Tempest, expression unchanging.
Skystar sat back, playing with her braid for a few moments.
"You're really scary up close," she whispered.
Tempest gave her a warm, friendly smile and inclined her head. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Apparently done being intimidated, Skystar sprang back into Twilight, claws on her shoulders. "Okay, but Pinkie's coming, right? Your friends will be along later? Because I was just really, really hoping Pinkie Pie would be here."
Twilight sighed and gave Skystar a sad smile, taking her claws in her magic and setting them back on the ground. "Skystar, we all talked about this before, remember? Pinkie doesn't like you that way. She just wants to be your friend, and you should be okay with that."
Skystar frowned and took to the air, which the guards took as a signal to continue their procession.
"I know, I know," she said, scrubbing at her beak. "I-I'm a big girl. I just want to see my friend again, right?"
Tempest gave Twilight an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Right," said Twilight, rolling her eyes.
"The central hall" was what Twilight had been mentally calling the great edifice built into the side of Mount Aris proper. It had been where she and her friends had first seen Princess Skystar, before being sucked under the waves into Seaquestria what seemed like ages ago.
Back then, it had been in good repair. Now, she could see that even this hall had undergone major renovation. What before had been a stately stone gathering place was now a vibrant palace, filled with all manner of tapestries, coral murals, and spheres of what looked like the thinnest, most delicate glass, filtering and reflecting light all across the walls. It was not just a hall, but a grand capitol building, befitting a living, breathing society. Twilight was glad the hippogriffs could make use of it again.
They were led up a staircase to a narrow corridor with arrow-slit windows overlooking the town below. Sunlight through stained glass painted the marble tiles in all the colors of the rainbow. Hoof and claw echoed off the flooring before being gathered up into the high ceiling and dissipating into dignified silence.
The further they went, the more Twilight felt a yoke growing heavy around her shoulders.
"Halt," one of the guards finally said, and they stopped before a treble of arched doorways. "Wait here. I shall announce us."
There was only the barest glimpse of darkness as the door opened and closed around the guard. After a moment, the guard opened the door and beckoned for them to pass through.
Twilight and Tempest moved into a pitch-black room, the guards fanning out behind them. Nothing was visible beyond a single spotlight shining from a ceiling that must have been stories high. Between that and the sound their hooves made off the walls, the place must have been huge. Twilight certainly couldn't tell how far they had walked when a boisterous voice announced,
"All rise for the honorable Queen Novo, presiding!"
A periwinkle and grey hippogriff appeared suddenly, above them, flourishing a claw toward the spotlight. A moment later, the Queen emerged on a platform that lifted her above a judge's bench that had been completely hidden in the gloom. She towered above the guards, Twilight and Tempest, who all bowed respectfully.
"Princess Twilight." Novo's voice was calm and sonorous. She was not hiding her disappointment. "I wish our third meeting could have been more pleasant."
Her throat suddenly dry, Twilight croaked, "Me too."
At a nod from Novo, the guards dispersed, blending into the darkness. All that was left was Twilight, Tempest, the bailiff who had made the announcement and Queen Novo. The latter turned a critical eye on Tempest.
"As for you," she hissed, icy vindictiveness dripping from her beak like venom, "I'm amazed you had the guts to show your face here after what you've done."
The breath hitched in Twilight's chest. She was certain Tempest was going to do or say something to make the situation worse. She couldn't even muster the wherewithal to chastise herself mentally for thinking so poorly of somepony she'd vowed to be a friend to. But all Tempest did was bow silently and keep her head low. Twilight let out a long breath and hoped it hadn't been audible.
"She your lawyer?" Novo asked, eyes flicking to Twilight.
"The Captain of my guard," Twilight bleated.
The Queen sucked a breath in through her teeth. "I'll deal with you later. Lucky for you, this is a sentencing hearing."
She turned her full attention back to Twilight. "On that note, I am sure the condemned is aware that she has been found guilty of attempted theft of Mount Aris's greatest treasure during a time of crisis."
"I..." Twilight felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes as she remembered the failure, humiliation and heartbreak which has followed that desperate attempt. "I'm not surprised."
"Your guilt was never in question," Novo said, examining her claws. "Everyone saw you tangled in the Guardian Jelly. It's only a miracle nothing was harmed beyond the goodwill between our peoples."
For a long moment, Novo did nothing but stare at Twilight as she wilted further and further. Tempest was wisely keeping to herself.
"But," Novo continued, "as you were tried in absentia, this court sees fit to ask the condemned if she has anything to say on her own behalf before sentencing begins."
She leaned over her bench, and Twilight was struck by the similarity to an anaconda slithering down from a tree branch to ensnare a hapless animal.
"Well?"
Twilight felt hapless indeed.
She glanced to Tempest, who was eying her sidelong. When their eyes met, Tempest gave her the tiniest nod. It was just what Twilight needed to muster her resolve.
"I deeply regret my actions," she said, her voice ringing out clear and somewhat louder than she had intended. Novo sat back, motioning for her to continue.
"In the moment when I tried to steal your pearl, I was desperate. I had convinced myself it held a great power that was Equestria's only salvation from the Storm King." She frowned, her eyes turning down. "But I was wrong. And despite my desperation, I knew that sacrificing another kingdom's safety for that of my own was wrong. Yet I did not act on that knowledge, and in doing so, I made perhaps the gravest error of my life."
She looked up to Novo again, and did nothing to stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. "I damaged not only the goodwill of the hippogriffs toward Equestria, but my own friendships. This is a weight I will have to bear for the rest of my days."
Her voice grew hoarse. "I kno-- I know that words may not be enough to mend what has been broken, but I would like this court to know that I am truly sorry for my actions. I throw myself at your mercy."
She hung her head, and did not raise it until she heard three sharp raps from above. Queen Novo was clapping, slowly, looking at her with perhaps a modicum more respect than she had before.
"Princess Twilight," she said languidly, "I have good news and bad news."
A dark pit hollowed its way into Twilight's stomach. "What's the bad news?"
Novo regarded her with a level stare. "Your words, though spoken with great emotion, will hold no sway over your sentence."
Twilight looked away. "And the good news?"
"Paper doesn't last underwater too long!"
All eyes turned up to Novo. That had been a considerably more enthusiastic statement than anyone present had expected.
"You may have noticed we're still in the process of rebuilding our above-ground society," Novo said, with something like a smile on her face. "When we were driven underwater, it was sudden, and we kind of lost a lot of our important documents. Like, say, our laws on how to punish criminals? So you're getting the only punishment we've had available to us for the last hundred years."
As Novo's smile grew wider and wider, Twilight could only think that she never wanted to see a smile again. "Which is?"
Novo picked up a gavel and said in a bright tone, "Banishment to the abyss!" She slammed the gavel atop her bench.
"Bring forth the pearl!" cried the bailiff, with far more enthusiasm than was called for.
Twilight gave Tempest a panicked look. "The abyss? What abyss?"
Tempest looked uncharacteristically helpless before everything kicked into high gear. She tried to take a step toward Twilight, but was apprehended by a pair of guards from behind. Her horn sparked as she whirled in their grip, and Twilight yelled, "No, Tempest!" before a sudden shock knocked the wind out of her.
Someone had thrown a bucket of cold seawater over her.
The pearl she had once tried to abscond with appeared out of the corner of her eye, but Twilight was most concerned for Tempest. She had heeded Twilight's call, or at least it had distracted her, because though she struggled as more and more hippogriffs piled atop her, she wasn't directly fighting them. There was a bright flash, but nothing else.
"I once said you didn't deserve to be one of us," Novo mused from atop her bench. "How fortunate we've shed our aquatic forms."
Dazed, Twilight could only watch as Tempest loosed a bellow, throwing three hippogriffs from her at once.
"You'd better banish me too, hippogriff!" she shouted. "If anything happens to my Princess, I--"
"Order!" Novo banged her gavel. "Hush up!"
Tempest did as told.
"Your crimes against our people are too numerous to list." Novo glared at Tempest. "But this court is not convened to discuss them. I am, however, happy to let you share in her punishment, since you seem so eager. Remove her armor."
Tempest snarled at the guards who reached for her. Twilight could only whisper, "Tempest, please, don't make this worse..."
It must have been enough, as Tempest relented, though she kept a death glare locked on then Queen. "And what will you do with it?"
"Return it to Equestria, of course," Novo said, a hint of smugness in her smile. "We're not thieves, after all. Unless, of course, you'd rather spend an eternity trapped beneath it on the ocean floor."
Tempest was stripped of her armor, which was bundled together and ushered out the doors by a pair of guards. Then she, too, was soaked with a bucket of water and the pearl brought to bear.
Novo watched the proceedings unflinchingly. "A shame that it will likely be the last time we speak with my cousin's realm for the next hundred years. Take them to the pool!"
"Wait," Twilight gave Novo a shocked look as her words sank in. "You're... Celestia's cousin? But I saw you two talking and hugging at the Friendship Festival! I thought you'd made up!"
Novo waved a claw, and the guards began hauling the two of them out of the room. "Yes, we were talking," she said unhurriedly. "I was asking her permission to extradite you. Celestia was rather peeved at me, pardon my language, but then she always has been soft." Novo stretched and stood. "But we haven't had relations with Equestria in a hundred years as it is. What's a hundred more years between friends?"
The courtroom doors slammed shut behind them.
Twilight spent the trip from the courtroom down to the pool with her head down, sighing. Tempest, on the other hoof, kept her head held high, seething inwardly.
If Twilight hadn't stopped her, she'd have given these hippogriffs a name to fear more than 'Storm King'. The guards were soft, still unused to life on land, and all they had on her was numbers. She'd have bucked every last one of them, then blasted the smug grin off the judge of that kangaroo court who dared call herself 'Queen'.
But there was nothing Tempest could do.
Inwardly, a small part of her wondered if maybe this wasn't a good thing. If maybe standing up for Princess Twilight and accepting her punishment as well meant she was doing something right. That part was being shouted down by the part of that missed her armor and really wanted to kick these guards' beaks in. Maybe it had a point. She couldn't say for certain, and Princess Twilight likely was in no mood to give her a straight answer.
They were marched to the edge of the large pool that had greeted them when they first entered this place. Massive waterfalls spouted from stylized hippogriff busts along the walls. Tempest didn't have long to contemplate the area before one of the guards shoved her from behind, with a shout of, "In you go!"
When she and Twilight hit the water, their bodies released a blinding light. Tempest writhed as her rear legs fused together. Her body felt hot and wet, inside and out, as hair became scales. Her mane lengthened down her back, thinning into a long fin, and more fins sprouted along her back and sides. For a split second, her body told her she was drowning, and she gasped on thin air, hooves at her throat.
The soft hoof of Princess Twilight rested against her shoulder, and Tempest immediately calmed. She looked over to Twilight, who had undergone the same transformation and was smiling sadly up at her.
"It's all right," she whispered, though the wisp of a smile died on her face the moment after.
The two guards had climbed into the water after them, now both seaponies. They wasted no words, motioning them under the water's surface, tridents prodding them onward.
Not even Tempest's mood could withstand beholding the wonders of Seaquestria for the first time. She soon found herself lost in admiring the glowing corals, colorful fish, and natural architecture abandoned by the hippogriffs as they reclaimed their former home on the mountain.
"These forms are remarkably easy to adapt to," she said as they made their way past hippogriffs gathering building materials and what looked like personal effects.
"Something something high level transformation magic," Twilight said in a low moan.
Unsure how to respond to such a mopey nothing of a statement, Tempest fell behind until a trident poked her rear fin. It was such a strange sensation to experience, she didn't even complain about the small jab of pain.
They went on like this for a while, none of the workers nearby paying them any heed. In fact, it seemed as though the way was always open for them, hippogriffs moving aside without being asked and closing ranks behind them to continue their work. She had to wonder if it was them, or just her.
The only one who approached them was a pink octopus with a frill on its face reminiscent of a dapper mustache. It got their attention, which finally was enough to perk up Princess Twilight.
"Oh, hello there!" she exclaimed, as though waking after a long sleep. "You're... Jamal, right? How nice to see you again!" She gave a short-lived smile. "It's a shame I'm not exactly visiting on good terms..."
The octopus waved its tentacles, swimming along beside them, occasionally making popping noises.
"I wish Fluttershy were here," Twilight said softly. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're trying to say. It's good knowing you're doing well, I suppose."
The octopus seemed to sigh and shake its head. Tempest realized something then.
"Could it be the fish?" she ventured.
"The fish?" asked Twilight. "What about them?"
Tempest swept her hoof at a small school of reef fish half-hidden in the corals around the edge of the underwater city. If she didn't know better, she'd say they looked like unhappy foals who wanted to join in a game but were too shy to ask.
"Is it my imagination, or do they look... sad?"
Twilight studied the fish for a moment. "You're right... They do. Jamal, is this what you were trying to tell me?"
The octopus nodded.
Twilight let out a long sigh. "Well, I'm sorry to say, I can't help. We're being banished to the abyss right now."
The octopus let out a tiny squeak, accompanied by a small spurt of bubbles. It released a cloud of ink and vanished, leaving them coughing.
"What was that about?" groused Tempest. She even hazarded a glance back at their guards, who seemed unperturbed.
They resumed their slow journey until one of the guards announced, "We are here."
The four of them stopped between two tall cliffs, before which spread a yawning void. The continental shelf, which had held the sand-and-shell path they had been following all this time, simply dropped out from beneath them at a sharp angle. Below was only blackness, fathomless and cold.
Tempest felt something grip her heart.
"Your sentence has been served," said the guard. "We shall wait here to ensure that you have left. If ever you return, there will be consequences." His eyes narrowed.
Tempest looked at Twilight, who had deflated some time ago.
"I understand," Twilight said softly. "Thank you for your service, gentlestallions. We'll go now."
She took off at a slow pace, out over the great chasm that seemed like it could reach up and swallow her whole at any moment.
Tempest gave the guards one last searching look. They glared back at her, tridents held crossed as they floated between the cliffs. It was a hopelessly impregnable entrance to the kingdom.
With a nod to them, she followed her princess.
How long the pair swam, Tempest could not tell. They simply meandered above the deep, deep ocean waters before they found a small shelf along the cliffside. Twilight settled down onto it, and Tempest followed suit. Twilight dragged her hoof through the light covering of sand, staring blankly at a starfish which clung to the rock beside some kind of fern-like growth.
"We're leaving, right?"
Tempest's own voice actually startled her. Everything was strange underwater.
Twilight lifted her head slowly. Her gaze might have been questioning if not for the princess looking like she'd just given up on everything.
"What I mean is, we're in open water." Tempest did her best not to look down at it. "So long as we do not return to the hippogriffs' domain, we're essentially free to go. They don't seem to have anyone watching us, anyway."
"Huh." Twilight swung her head around, gazing out across the water. Silhouettes large and small swam by in the distance; none seemed interested in bothering them. "I guess you're right." She sniffed. "But we should probably spend the night here, right?"
She gave Tempest a smile that taught her the meaning of heartbreak.
"I mean, we're being punished and all. We should at least pretend like we're completely miserable for one night before we... before..."
Twilight gave a wretched sob and buried her face in her hooves. Tempest froze, unsure of what to do. She could only marvel at how, instead of tears, Twilight's eyes released a stream of bubbles into the waters around them. A little crab came down the rock face to investigate, popping one of the bubbles with its claw before scurrying away.
Everything was weird underwater.
Well, Tempest, she said to herself, you're underwater, in a different body, with your princess and charge an emotional wreck. You have no armor and no idea where you are. How do you get out of this one?
If they were going to spend the night on a piece of 'land' just big enough to hold the both of them, it would be up to her to make sure it wasn't a completely miserable experience.
Slowly, she reached her hooves out to Twilight. Hesitating every step of the way, she gathered the princess into her forelegs, drew her in close to her chest, and squeezed. Twilight buried her face in Tempest's coat. Or scales. Whatever was there now.
They stayed like that for rather a lot longer than Tempest would have preferred, until Twilight's crying slowed and she was able to breathe normally.
"Was this an appropriate response to the situation?" was all Tempest could think to say.
Twilight looked up at her, bubble-tears rimming her red eyes and a look of utter bafflement on her face.
"I... Yes, Tempest. Thank you for the hug."
"Good." Tempest tried to release her, but Twilight latched onto her, entwining her tail in Tempest's. It was surprisingly warm, if smooth and slick.
"Please," she whispered. "I just need a friend right now."
Tempest hesitated. It was a guard's duty to protect her princess. And right now, her princess was in grave distress. Even if there was nothing to fight, she had to do something to save her.
"Very well," she said, the words hitching in her throat. "I'm here for you... Twilight."
The two of them sank to the floor of the shelf, and there they remained for the duration of the night.