Since the time before Celestia, the Royal Palace at Canterlot had always held great murals of painted glass depicting past events or great acts Equestria’s rulers had performed in the main hall.
Tempest Shadow stood in front of one such painted window, looking up at the image of her greatest source of shame, and one of Twilight Sparkle’s greatest victories. As she stared, she could feel the full fury of the Storm King’s furious eyes bare down on her, and for a moment it looked like the jagged lightning around him flashed and came alive, swirling with wild energy that threatened to overwhelm and consume her-
“Commander Shadow?”
With a shake of her head she wrenched her head away from the stained glass window and shifted where she stood. Her uniform had grown tight under one of her legs and she took the time to readjust herself before turning to the speaker.
He was a tall, mottled grey stallion with a thin black moustache and looked about as old as the palace itself was. Though his eyes, despite being clearly very aged, were still piercing and sharper than most who resided in Canterlot, and Tempest guessed he must have had some military training from the way he carried himself before saluting her.
“A pleasure to meet you, Commander,” he said, speaking calmly and clearly as he lowered his hoof. His voice was soft yet firm, and tinged with a hint of endless patience. “My name is Sir Pennyworth. If you will follow me, I will take you to where the princess and her guest are waiting for you.”
Tempest raised her own hoof to her head and saluted him back with a puzzled frown. “Guest? Twili--the princess didn’t mention anything about a guest in her summons,” she said, thinking it best to correct herself in the face of such a grandstanding pony--a sir no less. He answered her with nothing but a cocked eyebrow and a neutral expression before turning to walk away with swift, deliberate steps, to which she matched with her own. She glanced back at the unmoving mural with a wary look in her eye.
Save for their hoofbeats, the palace corridors were silent. Tempest gave the old butler a sideways glance as they walked side by side and eyed him up warily. He seemed to notice and the faintest of smiles graced his face.
“You may have to forgive me for being frank, Commander,” Pennyworth said quietly. “But I must say it is an honour to finally meet you.”
Tempest blinked and fully turned to look at him. “An honour, sir? Why?” she asked in all earnestness. To her, she was nothing more than a public servant, doing her duty for the good of Equestria as a way of atonement for her past actions.
“Why? Isn’t it obvious?” His eyes twinkled as he looked at her with a smile. “If not for you, Equestria and our dear princess would have been lost to that brute the Storm King.”
The dark mare’s ears turned down and she looked away shamefully.
“Oh. That.”
She let out a heavy sigh and remembered the events that led to her where she was today as clear as crystal. The invasion, her turning three of the four princesses into obsidian statues, hunting down Twilight Sparkle and finally delivering her to the Storm King herself, only for who she thought was her ally turn out to be her enemy, and who she thought was her enemy become her friend and reintroduce her back into Equestria.
“Twilight would have done it without me,” she stubbornly answered.
Pennyworth chuckled softly and bobbed his head in agreement. “Maybe so. But you saved her life, Commander, as you save many Equestrian lives today as a Nightmare Knight. Whatever the world may have thought or still think about you, to me you are a hero.” He winked at her and gave her a genuine smile as they came to a halt outside a set of large marble-white doors. “Right, well. Here we are.”
Tempest opened her mouth to argue otherwise, but he pushed the doors open before she could form words, and revealed the princess’s study. It was decorated mostly with books. Rows upon rows of books stretching from floor to ceiling. The princess herself was, sat at her desk like usual, opposite a stranger dressed in extravagant and ornately designed robes. What drew the commander’s eye however, was that this stranger’s head appeared to be made entirely of gold.
The old butler strode purposefully and pridefully with her in tow until he came to a halt by the princess.
“Your majesty and her esteemed guest,” he said as he went into a low bow. “May I introduce Commander Tempest Shadow, as requested.”
Twilight smiled warmly and stood up to greet her properly. “Thank you, Sir Pennyworth.”
The butler turned to the mare beside him with twinkle in his eye and bowed to her. “Until we meet again, Commander.” With that, he turned and left the room his hoofsteps echoing around the otherwise silent room, quietly closing the marble doors behind him.
An awkward silence fell upon the room as Tempest stood there. She straightened her neck and looked her in the eye. “You summoned me, Princess?” she said, trying not to show how unsettled the stranger’s appearance made her or how bitter she was to be kept waiting for so long.
Twilight nodded eagerly and gestured to the seat across from the stranger. “I did. Commander, allow me to introduce the Grand Vizier of Saddle Arabia, a friend and ally to Equestria. Please, won’t you sit? We have something we need to discuss.”
Her guest bowed his head towards the commander, his yellowed and scarred eyes staring directly at her from behind his mask.
The commander nodded back politely as she sat down with a racing mind. Saddle Arabia? That’s a world a half away, what was he doing here? “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Grand Vizier,” she said after a moment’s pause to compose herself and hide her suspicions.
“The pleasure is all mine, Commander,” he replied. His voice sounded muffled ever so slightly by his mask, and dripped with so much charisma she imagined he was a spectacular public speaker. “We have heard tales of you and your Knights even in my homeland. The unicorn with a broken horn is almost as famous as Schehayrazade the Storyteller.” His eyes twinkled despite the scarring, and she got the impression he was smiling behind his mask. “I hope my appearance does not unsettle you so much that we cannot do business.”
Tempest turned her ears down and a shameful knot began to form in he stomach. Had he seen through her that easily? She opened her mouth to apologise, only for Twilight to interject on her behalf. “You’ll have to forgive her, Grand Vizier, it’s just that ponies aren’t used to, um...”
He chortled and shook his head as he looked at the princess. “It is quite alright, your grace. I begrudge not a single living thing for being alarmed or even frightened of my appearance. For even in Saddle Arabia is a disfigurement such as mine not commonplace. But I digress.” He leaned back on his chair and pressed his forehooves together, and Tempest saw they were bandaged up so much not a single shred of skin was showing.
“Tell me, Commander, do you believe in fate?” he asked her calmly.
She gave him a puzzled frown and narrowed her eyes. “Fate, sir?”
The Vizier stroked the chin of his mask and exhaled. “The great tapestry that guides us and pulls us on our destinies. We in Saddle Arabia believe in fate very much so, and it is my belief that it was your fate to become a Nightmare Knight, Commander. And that fate brought me here, to your country.” He chuckled softly before turning to the princess. “Just as it was your fate to become Princess of Equestria, your grace, so too it is mine that I come before you to beg for your assistance.”
Twilight was quick to answer him with a polite but firm saying. “Oh, please, Vizier, Equestria and Saddle Arabia have always been allies, you don’t need to beg us.” She smiled, a deep and warm smile befitting the Princess of Friendship.
“But beg I must, and beg I shall, your grace. For I fear the great evil that is choking the life out of my country will eventually turn its attention towards that of fair Equestria if it is not quelled.” The Vizier’s voice began to grow with conviction and passionate anger. He lowered his hooves and leaned forwards again. “I have visited your country many times over the years, and I am fond of its peoples. I wish a thousand years of suffering upon any who would harm it, and will do all in my power to prevent such a thing.”
Tempest’s ear flicked as she thought of her team’s history and couldn’t help but wonder where this guy was when Equestria needed saving countless times ago. “What great evil?” she asked.
“A dark spirit,” the Vizier continued, turning to look at her. “A djinn spawned from the darkest depths of the blackest magic. It is thanks to the machinations of its evil nature that the sultan and his sons were slain in a terrible fire that engulfed the palace.” He gestured towards his face with a bandaged hoof while Twilight turned her ears back and looked shocked and horrified. “And left me with these scarred patches that you see before you now.”
Tempest bobbed her head in apologetic understanding and winced. “A djinn? I see.”
She remembered, with a touch of thanks and a hint of quiet dread, the lessons Tirek had enforced upon the Knights when it came to learning the restless dead.
Out of all types of ghosts they would face; phantoms, banshees, sprites and even demons, djinn were amongst the most vicious and cunning of the bunch. Typically smarter than a regular spirit and highly aggressive, not to mention their uncanny ability to move at lightning quick speeds, a fight with a djinn would leave more than its fair share of physical--if not mental--scars.
“Where did it come from?” she asked carefully.
The Grand Vizier adjusted the hem of his robe hesitantly.
“To put simply, Commander... we do not know,” he answered bitterly. “But my mages and I can safely assume that once the creature has laid waste to Saddle Arabia, it will turn its foul attentions towards that of the wider world.” He stood from his chair and practically grovelled before the ponies. “So it is that I am here today, before both of you. I ask, and beg, that the Nightmare Knights save us and right this wrong, lest we all perish in shadow.”
The commander shifted in her seat as he sank to the ground with his head hung low. She cast a wary glance towards the princess who looked between them with wide eyes and bated breath. Despite the trepidations and misgivings Tempest may have had about the situation, what exactly could she do? Refuse an honoured guest in front of the princess? Turn a blind eye to potential world ending disaster?
She took a deep breath and looked up towards nothing in particular. “Of course we will, Grand Vizier,” she finally answered and said in a serious, not at all sick of it, voice as she stared ahead with irritation marked across her face as clear as day. “Through rain, snow and sleet just like the post, the Nightmare Knights will face any ghost.”
The Grand Vizier and Twilight both breathed sighs of relief, although the latter tittered lightly at her very obviously rehearsed---by Luna’s behest of course--motto. The Vizier quickly stood and dusted the hem of his robe off before raising a hoof to where his mouth would have been and then to the ceiling. “Sands and skies be praised. With your grace’s permission, we will depart as soon as we are able,” he said, looking at Twilight.
The princess rushed out an affirmative yes with a series of quick nods. “Oh, of course, yes. Commander,” she said, turning to look back at Tempest. “How soon can the Knights be ready to move out?”
Tempest’s ears swivelled atop her head for the briefest of moments as she was suddenly filled with anxious thoughts of Chrysalis’s ‘condition’. “Just say the word and they’ll come,” she answered, choosing to hide the truth for the time being. After all, if the government she worked for was allowed to keep secrets, then she would keep secrets of her own.
“Tempest? Is everything alright?”
But of course, Twilight could sense something was bothering her. The commander straightened up and looked her in the eye. “Yes of course, Princess. It’s just we haven’t seen a djinn before. From what Tirek has said it could be dangerous.”
The princess furrowed her brow ever so slightly before slowly nodding. “I’ll ask Mr Pennyworth to have a message sent to them as soon as he can.”
Tempest did not feel good about lying to the princess and bitterly turned her head. She reminded herself why she had to, though, for Chrysalis’s sake. After all, she couldn’t imagine Twilight would be particularly happy about letting a potential security risk like a former villain about to snap go to another country, even if she was a Knight and under supervision. A scowl formed on her face in spite of her attempts to hide it.
The Grand Vizier cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him once more. “If your grace is willing, should we depart?” he asked, clearly aware of some tension between the mares.
Twilight nodded, turning away from Tempest and forced herself to smile. “Yes, of course, Grand Vizier.” She gestured away with her hoof towards the marble doors. “After you, please.”
The commander followed them, and upon overhearing the Vizier mention his airship, their means of transportation, felt her gut begin to writhe in a new kind of anxiety.
***
Tempest paced back and forth as she waited at the skydocks in upper Canterlot. Twilight’s message must have gotten to them by now, and unless Chrysalis had devoured them all in a fit of starvation, they should arrive at any minute. Still, she couldn’t help but feel impatient, anxiously waiting for her team to arrive.
“Where are you?” she muttered under her breath, and cast a glance towards Twilight and the Grand Vizier who were deep in conversation about the construction of a marvel like his ship.
She looked up towards it, and although it was impressive, she only felt the dread and anxiety in her stomach grow as she was strongly reminded of one of the Storm King’s zeppelins.
The Vizier’s ship was, in a word, huge, and resembled a luxury cruise liner ship more than the warships she had previously commanded, but no less impressive. Held aloft by a massive balloon painted to look like some sort of giant sea serpent, the hull was painted in various shades of purple with marvellous shining, red and gold banners hanging down above the colossal golden fins and propellers that helped pushed it through the air. It was truly an extravagant creation, one clearly belonging to the higher status of someone like the Grand Vizier.
As were the Vizier’s retinue of loyal soldiers that stood guard by the end of the ramp leading up to the ship. All wearing their own finely embroidered robes their master was dressed, each and every one of the tall warriors stood stoically waiting for direction, the bejewelled hilts of their swords sparkling and twinkling in the sunlight. Twilight and the Vizier strode up to them as he said something in their language to them.
Tempest watched as a few of them broke away and began to disrobe, much to the oohing and ahhing crowd that had gathered to see these strangers and their strange ship. A pair of them unsheathed their swords, huge curved blades that ran down the lengths of their bodies, and began to have a quick sparring match, putting on a slight show for the Equestrians watching.
Unfazed by the clang of metal on metal ringing out around her or the muscular and tanned stallions, Tempest quickly scanned the crowd, looking for any centaur or changeling related faces. Alas, there were only ponies as far as she could see, and none of them were the filly she needed either.
Her ear twitched as Twilight and her honoured guest grew close to her and their conversation became audible.
“Oh the first time I was on an airship didn’t end so well, Vizier. Although it was better than the second time. The second time I was in a cage.”
Tempest flinched and her face fell as she looked at her purple monarch. How many times was that going to be brought up today?
“A... a cage, your grace?” the Vizier queried with a tilt of his golden head, sounding understandably shocked.
Twilight balked and ruffled her wings upon spotting Tempest’s dour expression. “Oh... oh no I’m sorry, that’s just an expression, Grand Vizier,” she quickly explained. “There were so many safety regulations and rules to follow, it felt kinda restricting. I meant to say it was like a cage.” She smiled wide, perhaps too wide for it to be natural and let out a stifled and nervous laugh.
The Vizier nodded, making the princess look somewhat more at ease and her smile return to normal proportions. “Oh I understand that sentiment entirely, your grace.” He looked up at the commander. From the way his eyes sparkled, Tempest knew he was smiling, perhaps even chuckling to himself. “What say you, Commander? Have you ever set hoof on a ship capable of flight such as this?”
To her credit, Tempest did her best not to scoff at him. “Once or twice, Vizier,” she answered as diplomatically as she could, choosing to keep the details of her past life as vague as possible for the time being. It wasn’t like she would be needing that knowledge any time soon, right? “Certainly nothing as grand as yours.”
He followed her gaze and looked upwards at his ship, at the name engraved on the side of the hull in finely carved lettering and practically exuded pride, even through his mask. “You would be hard pressed to find such a vessel in any other part of the world. The Grace of Dawn is the only one of its kind, you see?” he explained. “She was constructed to transport only the most important of Saddle Arabians. Although she has no weapons to speak of, her hull is tougher than even the hardiest spice worms’ carapaces. I hope it will offer some sense of comfort to the Nightmare Knights as we journey.”
Before either Twilight or the commander could ask what the devil a spice worm was, one of his guards chose that moment to approach from the gangplank. He spoke in their language, a harsh yet strangely rhythmic series of words wholly foreign and incomprehensible to the untrained ear.
The Vizier nodded and turned his attention to his hosts. “Forgive me, your grace, but I must speak with the captain.” Twilight nodded to him and bowed her head. He returned the gesture and swiftly turned, following the guard away and up the ramp that had been lowered for him.
Tempest and Twilight both craned their necks to look up at the ship and shared an exchange of glances. For a moment, the tension between them was lost, but the princess’s face began to practically glow with joy as her eyes drifted past the commander. Tempest turned and followed her gaze, and was beyond relieved to see all the members of her team approaching, as well as Celestia.
“Woooow...” she heard Cozy Glow murmur in awe, tilting her head back so much she almost tipped overlooking up at the airship. “We’re gonna hitch a ride on that?” she asked.
Flanking either side of her, Tirek and Chrysalis--who looked thankfully wholly unlike an enraged love-sucking monster--rolled their eyes as they all came to a halt. Standing beside Chrysalis, Celestia chuckled softly and gave the commander a subtle nod, one that said, ‘everything is fine’.
“Once again your skills of deduction are proven to be invaluable,” the changeling answered sarcastically. She fluttered her wings ever so slightly as she spoke, the movement drawing Tempest’s eye to them. They sparkled and shone in the sun, glistening and shimmering like dew drops on blades of grass. The commander frowned, they didn’t always look like that, did they?
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said after clearing her throat, drawing the Knights’ attention to her, and in turn their present company, and roused Tempest from her own thoughts. She smiled warmly, looking on like a proud parent. “It is so good to see you again, my student.”
The Knights all quickly saluted and stamped their hooves in unison as Twilight nodded at them all before rushing to give her old mentor a tight embrace. “Celestia? Oh, it’s good to see you too, but what are you doing here? I thought you were in Las Pegasus?”
Celestia chuckled and placed a wing over the princess’s shoulder. “Oh, I was, but it got very boring very quickly. What’s new with you? I hear you may be holding entrance exams into the school for gifted unicorns soon?” She winked at the commander as Twilight quickly began to gush, and steered the pair of them away, out of earshot of anything the Knights may speak about.
The Knights themselves stamped their hooves and saluted before the commander with a range of expressions on their faces. Tempest tilted her head upon seeing Cozy’s rather large grin. “Did something happen in Ponyville, Cozy?”
Cozy’s smile only widened. “Ohh, Tempy,” she crooned. Tirek bristled and let out a soft growl. “You won’t believe what I’ve seen today.” Her voice was riddled with absolute glee and sounded very much like a gossiping mare at the spa. She leaned forwards and cupped her mouth with her hoof, whispering at a barely audible level. “So, get this, right? Terry and Jack-”
“I warn you, you little half-windigo,” the centaur finally snarled and clamped a hand down around her muzzle. “Breathe a word of what you saw to anyone and you won’t live to see your tenth birthday.”
He released her and folded his arms in a huff. His threat didn’t stop her grinning, although she shrugged and mined zipping her mouth shut. She still winked at the commander and puckered up her lips to make kissy noises for half a second, quickly stopping when Tirek’s redder than usual face twisted into a mask of barely restrained loathing.
Tempest found herself smiling and shook her head. She figured it was about time the lovebirds did something about their situation, although she hadn’t expected Tirek to make the first move. She looked Chrysalis in the eye and noticed how calm and serene the former queen looked, and her smile faltered.
“And you, Chrysalis? Not ‘hungry’ anymore?”
“I... no. Not anymore, Tempest,” Chrysalis answered hesitantly in a rather uncharacteristically ‘nice’ tone of voice. She flattened her ears down and turned her head. “All I needed was... some bed rest.”
It must have been in her imagination, but as the changeling looked towards the white alicorn and the pair of them shared a sideways glance, Tempest swore she saw Chrysalis’s cheeks form a nice shade of pink.
“Well, it’s good to have you back anyway,” she added, and her voice took on an authoritative tone. “Now, all of you this is a very important mission. I’m sure you got the gist of it from the princess’s letter, but here are the facts. We’ve been summoned for a job in Saddle Arabia.” She paused as they all appeared intrigued. “And we’re going to be facing a djinn.”
Tirek’s eyes widened and he unfolded his arms to scratch at his chin. “A djinn, you say? Interesting.”
“That’s not all.” Tempest took a deep breath and gave them all a very serious look before continuing. “It’s not afraid to move out in the open, and it’s already killed some very important ponies. We need to stop it before it gets any stronger.” She inclined her head towards them and tapped her hoof on the ground as they looked at on another warily. “Another thing, Knights. While we’re in Saddle Arabia, I want all of you to be on your best behaviours. We’re not only representing the princess, but all of Equestria. Anything less is unacceptable.”
The Nightmare Knights all nodded in agreement under her stern gaze. Even Cozy looked took her warning to heart more so than usual and gave her a hearty salute. “We know what to do, Tempy. We won’t--whoa.” She turned her head slightly as movement caught her eye and began to stare. “Geez I’ve heard of gold going to somepony’s head, but really?”
Tempest knew exactly what, or rather who, she was referring to, and turned to see the Grand Vizier striding towards them.
“Ah, the famous Nightmare Knights!!” he cried happily. He bowed low to them all in turn upon reaching them, making bemused expressions spread across their faces. “Lord Tirek, Lady Chrysalis, Commander Tempest Shadow and, of course, young mistress Cozy Glow. It is a great privilege to meet you all, and so fortuitous that you arrive when you do. The captain has informed me that we are just about ready for take-off.”
Upon hearing him speak, Celestia and Twilight chose to re-join the group and stood side by side, giving him a courteous greeting. As his gaze fell on the alabaster alicorn, he bowed so low his mask nearly touched the ground.
“Lady Celestia,” he said as his voice took on a slightly more enthralled tone. “Since our last meeting your beauty has only grown, though your age has not.”
Celestia smiled and returned the bow as her cheeks reddened ever so slightly. “You are too kind, Grand Vizier.”
Tempest swore she could hear Chrysalis let out a low growl behind her, but when she turned her head the changeling’s face was neutral and unwavering. Her green eyes held a certain gleam to them, however.
“If the circumstances of your visit were different, I would happily invite you for a round of tiddlywinks,” the former princess continued, “but Princess Twilight has explained to me the urgency of your situation in full, and I have no doubt in my mind that the Nightmare Knights will give an exemplary performance in helping your situation.”
The Vizier stood up and held his head up high. As he stood across from her, Tempest could see clearly now that he was indeed as tall as Celestia as she suspected, although his mask gave him a few centimetres more on his head. “Alas, were that I could, but these are dark times we find ourselves in, your grace.” He turned and gestured towards the ramp up to his ship. “And I must beg your forgiveness for my abruptness, your humble majesties, but we must depart while the winds are willing.”
Twilight was quick to nod and give him a short bow. “Of course, Grand Vizier. We wish you the best of luck.”
He brought his hoof to his chest before raising it up past his head. “As-salamu alaykum,” he said, bowing his head in respect.
Celestia mirrored the same gesture back to him with a bow of her own head. “Wa ‘alaykumu s-salam,” she answered in perfect Arabic, showing a slimmer of the vastness of her worldly knowledge. Her former student looked up at her in awe and with an open mouth. She returned the look with a simple wink and a knowledgeable grin.
The Grand Vizier stamped his hooves and called out, signalling his retinue to return to the ship to the sound of an impressed but disappointed crowd. The soldiers that had been sparring sheathed their weapons and began laughing amongst themselves as they began to board, clapping each other on the backs and speaking in their own language.
The Knights followed their Commander as she led them aboard, following the Grand Vizier. The airship seemed to grow as they went further in, appearing much larger on the inside than the outside and resembled something of a first-class train carriage complete with servants. Cozy traced a hoof along the intricately carved wood making up the corridors of the ship as they entered the hold, proceeding to follow their host up into what he described as the luxury guest lounge.
“Please,” the Vizier said to them all as they took a look around a particularly clean and comfortable looking room, filled with silky pillows, ornate furniture and the finest decorations from his homeland. “Make yourselves at home. We should arrive in Saddle Arabia, favourable skies willing, by sundown. I would advise getting some rest until then, but of course feel free to wander about the ship as you see fit. We have an on-board library, alchemical lab and a small medical facility should you have need of it, sands forbid.”
Even behind his mask, Tempest could tell he was beaming with pride, glad for a chance to gush about the luxuries the Grace of Dawn provided to somepony firsthoof.
“There is a dining room and adjacent kitchen in the room opposite this one, should any of you require food. I will also inform you that all of your varied diets have been taken into account as well.” He bowed his golden head to them all and then straightened up and adjusted his robes. “But for now, you must excuse my absence. To put it simply and as kind of an image as I can provide, my bandages require changing.”
“Thank you, Grand Vizier,” the commander said with a polite nod. Although remaining wary, she was impressed with how cordial he was, and how uncaring--or unknowledgeable--he was about their various histories and past lives as villains. He looked at each of the Knights in turn with total admiration in his scarred eyes before turning to leave, leaving them to themselves.
Tirek stretched his muscles and looked around the room. “An odd fellow, but friendly nonetheless,” he murmured. “With your permission, Commander, I would like to see this library. There may be perhaps some knowledge about our alleged djinn in such a place. Saddle Arabians have always been notoriously secret, and so I wonder what can be gleamed from their history now that we have access to one of their libraries.”
Cozy was quick to sit on his shoulder like a parrot. “Oh yeah, and I wanna look around this place too. I’ve never been on an airship before.” She nudged the centaur and batted her eyelashes and put on an imitating voice of a certain somepony. “Won’t ya keep me company, Mistah T?”
The centaur flared his nostrils and shrugged her off with a menacing growl in his throat. “Commander do I have permission to throw Cozy Glow overboard?”
“Permission denied,” Tempest idly commented with a yawn. “Besides it would be a waste of effort on your part. She could just fly back aboard.” She stifled a grin as Cozy’s expression changed for a moment to one of shock and abject terror, before quickly switching back to her usual cockiness.
“Heh, Tempy I didn’t know you had a sense of humour. C’mon big guy,” she said to Tirek. “Let’s have a look around. Ooh let’s get some grub.” She tugged at his arm towards the door, very much like how a child might pull at a parent at the zoo. Tirek, to his credit, begrudgingly followed after her, leaving the changeling and the scarred unicorn alone.
The commander sat down in a seat nearby the window and watched as they began to rise into the air. She could hear the roar of the engine spring to life and the gears underneath her hooves turn, bringing a wave of unwanted memories back to her as the large mechanical fins on the side of the hull began their work.
She looked down and spotted Twilight standing with Celestia, growing smaller and smaller by the minute, their hooves raised as they waved their goodbyes along with the rest of Canterlot.
Chrysalis sat down and looked out the same window, particularly down at the princesses with a look that Tempest, if she were a poet, would describe as heartfelt longing. Not being one for such fancy wording, however, she thought she must be imagining things. “Something on your mind, Chrysalis?” she asked casually.
The changeling remained silent, clearly deep in thought.
Choosing not to press the issue and with very little else to do, Tempest closed her eyes and prepared to rest, grateful for a moment of reprieve from the world--however brief it may turn out to be. She quickly drifted off to a quiet slumber, not realising how exhausting the day so far had been.
***
The sound of cannon fire. The roar of an engine.
The wind howling around her. The rain lashing against her face.
Commander Tempest Shadow of His Excellency the Storm King’s navy stood on the prow of her ship, sneering down at her prey.
A crippled and rudderless vessel with a broken mast limped into view from behind come clouds, smoking lightly from the barrage it had just received. It wasn’t even big enough for a full crew, maybe even just the captain and some deckhands. Normally, a sloop like this wouldn’t have even warranted a cursory glance, but this particular ship was carrying something immensely important. An artifact, one of unimaginable power, the first step in the Storm King’s master plan.
Tempest spotted the captain of the downed vessel, a simple pegasus pony, step out onto the deck and wave a white flag. Pathetic, but at least they were smart enough to not fight back. She signalled to two of her Storm Guards to board it with her as her ship aligned itself with it. She hopped down and landed with a heavy thud, her cold steel shoes clinking against the rain soaked wood. The mark on the flank of her armour cut through the darkness like a beacon with its electric blue glow, showing all who she belonged to.
The captain meanwhile fell to his knees and flapped his wings uselessly as the Storm Guards held him in place, grunting in their guttural yeti language at him. He hung his head and pointed with a trembling hoof to the cargo hold and began begging for his life, but sounded far more concerned for his ship than his life.
Tempest hated her own kind with a passion. They were all so materialistic, so preoccupied with things that they never saw the bigger picture. With a sharp jut of her head she ordered one of her Guards to retrieve the artifact. After some rummaging he returned holding a bundle, and knelt as he offered it to her.
The commander reached down and unfurled the wet cloth. Her eyes widened as she gazed upon the object. The Staff of Sacanas. It was real after all, allegedly capable of absorbing and distributing magic at will.
With it, her master could restore her horn.
With it, she could be whole again.
Turning swiftly to leave and spying the wretched flag of Equestria billowing in the wind, a cruel thought entered the commander’s mind. Whistling through her teeth and without looking, she condemned the captain to go down with his ship, and as she set hoof aboard her own ship she smiled as her cannons opened fire once again.
To her surprise, she sound of splintering wood never came.
Instead, a cackling laughter filled her ears. An unnatural and juxtapositional laughter, broken and hollow yet at the same time full of mirth and revelry. As she turned, she found herself suddenly floating in a sea of darkness, alone and cut off from anything and anyone bar the unnamed captain, although he appeared different now. Changed. Unponylike. His coat darkened, his teeth grew into points, his wings receded into his back and a horn sprouted form his head. He bared his fangs and his unnaturally green eyes flashed at her from the darkness. He reared back and howled with laughter, and then everything went black...
“Tempy? Tempy wake up! Tempy! Tempest!”
Tempest’s eyes snapped open as somepony gave her a shove, accidentally pushing her off of her seat and sending her sprawling onto the ground. Feeling groggy from the unexpected wake-up call, she cast a quick glance out of the window to see dark and stormy clouds, coupled with the flash of bright green and orange lights. She blinked and rubbed her head for a few seconds as she got her bearings. “Cozy?” she panted, looking up at the apologetic filly floating next to where she had been sitting. “What is it?”
Cozy shrugged. Her wide eyed and afraid expression set Tempest’s teeth on edge. “You gotta come see. The crew’s gone loopy and I think it’s just us now. You me, Chrysalis and Tirek.”
“Where are they?” the commander asked as she noticed the chair Chrysalis had been sitting in was empty. “And what do you mean ‘loopy’ and ‘just us’?”
“It’s easier to explain if you see for yourself. C’mon!”
Without much further ado, Cozy flapped her wings and darted across the room towards the door. Tempest picked herself up and followed her, galloping close behind, inadvertently stumbling over the upturned chairs and cushions littering her path.
As Cozy yanked the door open the commander saw a bone chilling sight.
Lining the passageway, all of the Grand Vizier’s guards, servants and airship crew members were slumped over with a glazed look in their eyes. They were breathing, which was a positive for sure, but clearly under some sort of mass hypnosis spell. Some, the few coherent ones, mumbled under their breath in their rhythmic language, eyes transfixed on nothing in particular.
Tempest swallowed and carefully stepped over them as she moved quickly down the corridor. “What is this?” she breathed. Cozy remained silent, flying past them all with a worried look on her face. As they rounded a corner they spotted the Vizier sitting by some stairs, staring at nothing in particular.
“Grand Vizier!” Tempest called in concern, and knelt beside him. He looked like he was in a bad way, groaning softly as his metal head hung low. The filly flittered beside her, looking up the stairs in concern.
The Vizier’s breathing was laboured, and his hooves began to tremble upon hearing Tempest speak. He turned slightly to look at her. “Commander... the djinn...” he rasped before trailing off and murmuring something else in Arabic.
His words serving only to confirm her suspicions, Tempest gently lowered him to the ground. His chest rose and fell steadily, but the ship suddenly lurched to one side, sending her stumbling into a wall and the Vizier’s mask to clink against the ground. “If the whole crew is like this, then who-” She shared a cautious glance with Cozy, who winced and tried to hold herself steady in md-air. “Then who’s driving?”
The pair of them both darted up the stairs, out into the open. The cold air hit Tempest like a brick, almost knocking the wind out of her. A thin layer of frost covered the deck--which even for this altitude was strange.
“There they are! Guys, I brought Tempest!”
Tempest turned and looked at who Cozy was shouting and pointing at. Chrysalis and Tirek stood back to back, firing spells into the darkness surrounding them. Chrysalis glanced over and gave her a nod of acknowledgment.
“Nice of you to join us, Commander!” Tirek cried. “Watch out, here it comes again!” He lifted a finger to point out into the dark. The swirl of magic between his horns glowed like a bright beacon as he fired a stream of energy towards his unseen target.
Tempest squinted. There, from the darkness, or perhaps what was the darkness, was what she would describe as a living shadow, snarling like a ravenous animal as it deftly avoided being hit, twisting and coiling through the air like a snake, occasionally lashing out with tendrils of black smoke towards the Knights.
This must have been the djinn, Tempest guessed, and with a growl she readied herself to enter the fray, only for the ship suddenly lurched to one side again. She felt her stomach churn and perform somersaults, and she stumbled where she stood.
“Tempy!”
Cozy’s shrill voice calling to her made her turn and look towards the youngest of the Nightmare Knights grip a tight hold of the wheel, trying desperately to hold it in place and stop it spinning as they lurched to the left.
“Help?!”
The commander deactivated her horn and charged towards her to help her steady the ship. Beside the wheel was an unconscious Arabian, face planted into the deck with his flank raised unceremoniously into the air. She supposed this was the captain, and internally apologised to him for taking command of his ship before rearing up on her back legs to grip the wheel. She quickly spun it, calling upon her muscle memory from her old sky sailing days, and righted the ship once more.
Cozy released her grip of the spoke and took a step back with some relieved breaths. “Phew. At least we should stop spinning now,” she said as her teeth began to chatter. “How far away from Saddle Arabia do you think we are?”
“I have no idea, Cozy,” Tempest answered truthfully. The smoke and clouds around them made it impossible to see anything past the prow of the ship. “But I hope we’re close.”
The shadow of the djinn came around again, snarling and laughing. Some tendrils that spawned from its body struck the deck, slamming down and denting the wood. Tirek dodged to one side, narrowly avoiding being crushed, and lifted up Chrysalis to save her. Ignoring her sudden and sharp yelling, he placed both hands on her and held her steady, pointing and aiming her towards the shadow like a living weapon as she fired blast after blast.
No doubt she would have some cross words for him later for such an indignancy. One of her energy beams made it dodge downwards, and slam into the side of the ship with such force it sent them all rocking and careening off to one side.
Out of instinct, Cozy jumped up and began to flap her wings as the unsteady ground made her wobble. Unfortunately, she didn’t realise how close to the railing she was, and a sudden gust of wind sent her tumbling through the air. “Whoa what the-” she cried, and desperately tried to catch herself on something.
Tempest managed to jam the wheel in place and lunge towards the filly, just barely managing to catch her tail in her teeth before she disappeared over the edge. “Got you!” she grunted, holding on as best as she could to keep herself from being dragged overboard too.
Hanging over the side of the ship, Cozy looked down at the great void of nothing beneath her and froze. Her blood ran cold, sweat began to dot her brow and her wings clamped down to her sides, petrified by fear. As a flood of bad, forgotten memories came back to her, all she could do was squeeze her eyes shut.
She heard the voices of her brothers and sisters inside her head call out to her. They called her a weak flyer and laughed endlessly at her, taunting and jeering her just because she couldn’t do magic, relentlessly mocking her for not only being a pegasus, but a pegasus afraid of heights.
Suddenly a voice louder than the others called her name and the others were silenced. She recognised the new voice, it being wholly distinct from her cruel family. She opened her eyes as warm, red fingers closed round her mid section and pulled her back with a sharp tug, snapping her back to reality in the process.
No longer looking down into the absence of everything, she turned to look at her saviour and stared up into Tirek’s face as he held her. Behind him, Chrysalis had been given use of her own legs and continued to sling spells into the darkness, her magic lighting up the sky like fireworks. After a few seconds of staring up at the centaur’s face the filly’s lower lip trembled, and she thudded her head into his chest.
Tirek himself rested his hand on the top of her head gently, and appeared genuinely concerned for her, then somewhat embarrassed at such an act of compassion as Tempest raised her eyebrows at him, and finally he cleared his throat and scowled as he set the child down, pointing a judgemental finger at her.
“I told you not to fly around the edges of the ship,” he warned, towering over her. “Didn’t I tell you it’s dangerous? Didn’t I tell you you could get blown overboard?”
Cozy rubbed her eyes and sniffed, quickly returning to her usual argumentative self. “Hey I’m a Knight as much as you are!” she snapped back and puffed her chest out, looking up at him defiantly. “Besides that guy wasn’t much help and with you two doing your thing, somepony needed to try and stop the ship from spinning around like that.” She pointed to the captain, still slumped face down and flank in the air.
Tempest watched them glare at each other in silence for a few moments. Maybe it was her imagination, maybe it wasn’t, but she sensed a familial connection between them, and a small smile graced her lips.
Tirek opened his mouth to no doubt scold her again, only for Chrysalis to shout at them all over the howling wind as the djinn’s form began to swirl and coil through the air towards them.
“Need I remind you all that we are fighting for not only our own lives but those of everyone on this miserable ship?!” She gritted her teeth and her horn remained ignited, ready to cast any offensive or defensive spell when necessary as the swirling mass of shadow pulsed and shifted in front of them all.
Tempest cleared her throat as her own horn began to spark and crackle with lightning. “Chrysalis is right,” she said, flexing her legs and narrowing her eyes at the living shadow. “With me, everyone. Get read-”
With a roar of anger and frustration the shadow began to swirl and grow until it was bigger than anything any of the Knights had ever seen, seeming even bigger and more foreboding than the shoggoth in Manehattan. From the folds of its smoky body a dark beam of black and purple magic fired forth.
Tempest dove forwards while Chrysalis leapt backwards, quickly grabbing both Tirek and Cozy with her magic to drag them with her as the magic cashed down into the deck of the ship, instantly creating large, black crystals in its wake. As the smoke cleared, from inside the crystals several figures shifted and burst forth, revealing themselves to be abnormally, dangerously thin, hairless and bipedal creatures that chittered and squealed as they stared at the Knights with glowing, bulbous eyes. Each of them had a small pair of horns atop their heads and in their twisted and elongated fingers they each held a sharp and cruel looking weapon.
One of them lurched forwards towards the changeling queen, its sword held high to strike. Chrysalis curled her lip in disgust and cast a spell towards it, striking it in its chest and knocking it back several steps. It paused for a moment and looked down at where her magic had struck, then looked up and made to charged again.
“Ghouls,” she spat and spread her shimmering wings. She looked up past the creatures and locked eyes with Tempest as she looked back. “Focus your efforts on the djinn, Commander!” she called out, and fired another blast at the ghoul that charged her. “Leave these foul wretches to us.”
“Yes, destroy it, destroy them!” Tirek added as he pointed to the djinn above them with a snarl,. He leaned down and grabbed a piece of broken timber as one of the ghouls charged at him. He swung his weapon and collided with the thing’s head, sending it sprawling.
Cozy proceeded to kick and strike it as hard as she could as her own ghoul charged for her. Its awkward, stiff movements couldn’t keep up with her dexterity as she danced around it, however, and its blows fell onto nothing. She giggled at one point as its axe embedded into the wood beneath its feet, even going so far as to blow a mocking raspberry at it.
Tempest couldn’t help but feel her insides swell with pride and made a mental note to congratulate them all properly for working s a team as she picked herself up and released another blast of magic towards the djinn. It immediately returned fire with spells of its own, the same black and purple magic as before.
Both streams of magic met in mid-air, lighting up the blackened skies around them. Clearly not expecting to be matched, the djinn began focusing all of its might onto its enemy, forcing its form to shrink and the clouds it had conjured begin to dissipate. Tempest gritted her teeth and pressed on with as much power as she could muster, digging her hooves in as she felt herself begin to slip.
She craned her neck upwards, arcing her lightning skyward to try and navigate her opponent’s defences, yet it matched her and arced its own black magic upwards too. So much so that she got a good look at it now, and nearly lost her concentration in surprise as the shadows fully receded and the light of the setting sun shone down around it.
As it turned out, the djinn wasn’t a djinn at all, but a pony--albeit one very well versed in dark magic. Not a Saddle Arabian either, but an Equestrian; a dark stallion whom of which had green and red eyes accompanied by trails of purple smoke that flowed outwards like ethereal tears. Atop his brow and the source of his magic was a curved and sharp looking red-stained horn that crackled with purple and black lightning. Around his head and flank a mane and tail made of the same shadow he himself had been made out of just moments prior formed and flickered like the dying flames of a fire. A wicked, vicious snarl graced across his muzzle as he locked eyes with her, and glowered at her with palpable hate.
As a few seconds crawled past of this stalemate they were in, Tempest realised who the unicorn was. She recognised him from the murals in Canterlot, from the stories she had heard during her travels to the Crystal Empire. She should have guessed from the black crystals--who else in Equestria was known to be a living shadow? Who else, other than...
“King Sombra?” she whispered.
King Sombra, the Tyrant of the Crystal Empire and Lord of the Dark Crystals himself, deactivated his magic, sending Tempest’s blast firing upwards past him and searing through the very air.
“Who in Tartarus is Sombra?” he growled. His surprisingly calm voice echoed around them both as an eerie silence fell upon them.
The Grace of Dawn broke through the clouds, and the shining capital of Saddle Arabia came into view behind him, along with several rapidly approaching airships of the Saddle Arabian navy. Tempest felt herself grow lightheaded, their duel proving to be more taxing than she originally thought, and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Sombra looked down at her and tilted his head in bewilderment and confusion as she lay there gasping for air. They locked eyes for a moment before his horn began to glow and crackle again.
The shadows that once surrounded him reconstructed themselves and lifted him high into the air. He looked down at the Nightmare Knights, glowering at the trio behind the fallen unicorn as his spectral body faded away like dust in the wind, slipping out of their grasp before they could even get their bearings.
With his departure, the ghouls he had summoned dropped where they stood and disintegrated into nothing. Free of combat, the Knights rushed over to their Commander as she struggled to stand.
Not a word was spoken as they helped her up. They knew what they had seen, yet like Tempest, they couldn’t believe their eyes. Of all they had seen and done in the past year, none of them ever expected to see him again. It didn’t seem possible. It wasn’t possible, yet it had happened. Sombra was alive. Noises from below deck told them the crew was beginning to wake up, and a good thing too for the Arabians on the approaching airships looked non too pleased even at this distance.
Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy exchanged silent glances as Tempest stared up at the sky, eyes brightly blazing with magic. Her heart pounded in her chest. She felt her hooves tingle and her legs turn to jelly, and then the fatigue of her fight suddenly overcame her. She collapsed into a dreamless sleep as she fell, with nothing but the piercing eyes of the ‘djinn’ striking deep into her mind...