Deep within the depths of Seaquestria, Princess Skystar is out looking for shells. The young SeaPony was hoping to make a new necklace and wanted to find only the most beautiful shells for it. After sifting through the sand, she stumbled across a unique, brightly colored red shell with white patterns on its side. She began to swim closer towards it, wanting to add it to her collection. That is, until...
"PRINCESS SKYSTAR!!!"
The call echoed through the deep blue. There was no mistaking that sharp tone. It was her mother, Queen Novo. And she was not happy with what her daughter is doing.
"Oh! Uh, hi, Mom!" Skystar chirped, trying to get the shell.
"What in the Seven Seas do you think you are doing out here?" The Queen sternly asked.
"Well, I was gathering shells for my new necklace, and I saw this really pretty one and I wanted to use that for-"
"You know better than to swim outside the kingdom boarders!" Novo interrupted. "Are you not aware of the dangers that lurk outside? And I don't mean sharks or sea serpents!"
"But Mom, I-"
"No buts!" Novo interrupted again. "I don't want you going anywhere you're not suppose to! Especially towards our old home. That monster may still be out there, watching, waiting. I already lost your father on that tragic day, and I do not want the same thing to happen to you!"
"Can't I at least get more shells?" Skystar pleaded.
"You already have enough shells, honey. Come on now."
"But haven't you ever thought about going back home?" The young SeaPony asked.
"This is our home now." Novo stated. "I miss Mount Aris every day, but right now, we can't go back. Maybe someday we will, but for now, we must remain here where its safe. Now come along. Your cousin Silverstream is visiting ,and I know you she's been wanting to see you."
"Oh, fine..." Skystar said in utter defeat. While her mother was not looking, she managed to snag that shell, and she swam to her mother, looking rather confident "Do you think anything exciting will happen today, Mom?" She asked. "Mom? Mom?"
"Mom? Hey, Mom? Are you there?"
Novo woke up from her nap. She hadn't gotten much sleep from the prior night, and she was a bit drowsy. "Wh-what's going on, Skystar?" She yawned.
"Remember that the festival is today? The one where you invited Princess Celestia and the ponies of Equestria as the guests of honor?"
"It's today?!" Novo was in shock. "Why didn't you tell me that sooner?! Make haste, dear, we gotta make sure that everything is in order!"
The two hippogriff royals flew from their palace to check up on setup for the Mount Aris Friendship Festival. A year has passed since the hippogriffs reclaimed Mount Aris following the defeat of the dreaded Storm King. The hippogriffs have been hard at work restoring their old home to its former glory, making sure things are as they once were. It was tireless, but they managed to accomplish so much. They even restored their railway system to better travel to the other kingdoms. For Novo, it has been a long and arduous journey to bring Mount Aris back on the map, and while she had her daughter Skystar at her side, it was harder still without her dear husband, King Waverider. He died during the invasion of Mount Aris at the hands of the Storm King, and the Queen has not been the same since.
At last, they arrived at the bottom of the mountain, close to the beach where the festival would be held. It was similar to Equestria's own Friendship Festival, and Novo decided to hold one at the suggestion of Equestria's ruler and her closest friend, Princess Celestia. There was food, games, a concert stage, souvenir stands, and more. Everything seemed in order, but Novo was still on edge.
"You okay, Mom?" Skystar asked in concern. "The festival look amazing!"
"I'm fine dear," Novo said, sounding a little uneasy, "and I do agree that the festival is looking nice. It's just, you remember that Celestia said that Equestria's Friendship Festival was attacked by the Storm King. I don't want that to happen to us. I can't have a repeat of that day ever again..."
"Don't worry, Mom, the Storm King in in hundreds of tiny pieces!" Skystar was trying to reassure her mother. "I don't think he'll be bothering us anytime soon!"
"Yes, that may be so," the Queen added, "but you never know. Someone out there is going to try and keep his legacy."
Novo then looked at the position of the Sun. "Oh, how could I have forgotten! We have that statue unveiling to attend. The festival isn't until later on in the day, and everything seems fine. Come now, Skystar, we can't miss this."
The two hippogriffs took off and flew to the middle of the mountain, where many of the hippogriffs reside, as well as the location of the caverns that lead to Seaquestria. Upon restoring Mount Aris to its former glory, the hippogriffs wanted to construct a statue of their fallen king for the sacrifice that he made. Novo felt it was the only proper way to honor his memory, but she felt it would open up old wounds for her. They arrived at just in time for the ceremony to begin, where Novo gave a speech to the whole kingdom.
"My dear hippogriffs and SeaPonies, it has officially been a year since we reclaimed our home with the help of the little ponies of Equestria. I have known Princess Celestia for many years, and while she won't arrive until later on today, I give her my full blessing, as well as to her devoted subjects. While we got off to a rough start, I do commend Twilight Sparkle and her friends in helping us return home, as well as our dear Princess Skystar, who aided them in bringing down the very monster who tormented us and sent us into exile all those years ago. And, it is with great honor, that we unveil this statue to our late king, my dear husband, the one who gave us all a chance at a future..."
The cloth was taken off to reveal a large, prominent statue of King Waverider, holding a trident regally in one talon. Engraved in the statue read "Dedicated to our beloved King, who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we would have a future. We will always remember you." The hippogriffs were in awe at the statue, some even got emotional. Novo was one of them. Seeing her late husband engrained in stone was bringing back memories, both good and bad. But the bad ones were starting to seep in, as it reminded her of how he died in the first place; being turned to stone by an Obsidian Orb, then shattered to pieces by the Storm King. And Novo saw it all.
She tried to hide her emotional pain, but Skystar took notice. "Mom? Is everything okay?"
"I-I-I'm... fine." Novo tried to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry. Seeing your father's likeness after all these years... I wish he was here to celebrate with us..."
The hippogriffs were also quick to notice Novo's change in emotion. They've never seen her this upset in years. The began to worry. "Do not worry, my subjects," the Queen proclaimed, "I am fine. Just... a little overcome with emotion is all." She tried to maintain her composure. "Anyway, we have a busy evening planned. Thank you all for attending this unveiling. I know our dear King would be proud of what we managed to accomplish. Now then, on with the festival!"
The hippogriffs all headed back to where the festival would be. Novo and Skystar stuck around the statue a little more, but they had to leave, as it was too much for poor Novo to handle at the moment, and she didn't want to look like an emotional wreck in front of Celestia or her subjects. They headed for the festival as it would soon begin. Novo saw a train in the distance and noticed its distinct look. This was the train from Equestria. Celestia would soon be here.
"Alright, everygriff, our visitors are going to be here at any moment. Be ready to give them a good ol' fashioned Mount Aris welcome!" Novo said.
Novo and Skystar headed for the station. They were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, along with her friends. While they did not meet each other on the best terms, Novo wanted to at least make proper amends with Twilight, who was kind enough to allow Novo's niece Silverstream attend the Friendship School as a student, and help further strengthen the bond between the ponies and hippogriffs after they had been apart for many years following the hippogriffs' exile.
The train pulled into the station and the cab door opened, with Celestia and the Mane 6 walking out. It was time for the Mount Aris Friendship Festival to begin.