A week had passed since the husbands returned to Ponyville, and things had been quiet. Lizzie decided to stay over until the end of the month, as she would have some catching up, while Daisy decided to move to Sweet Apple Acres until she could find a place to stay.
And during that time, everyone made good on the gifts so far.
● Twilight enjoyed her books from Caribouria as she learned more about their culture.
● Applejack and the Apple family planted the seeds in an open spot on the field, and soon enough, the trees will sprout while they look forward to the day, they bear their fruit.
● Rarity began to design her outfits with the fabric, jewels, and stones from Caribouria, and soon it was the talk of the town.
● Fluttershy enjoyed the book about rare animals and played the flute; even Angel and Trusty are having fun with their lady friends.
● Rainbow Dash and Bolt were flying side by side while she and Spitfire trained him at the Wonderbolt Academy to help him with his flying skills.
● Pinkie, Frosty, and their kids were enjoying every 4th wall-breaking moment that would bring tons of laughter to others.
● Emily helped Spike occasionally; if he was suddenly sad, she would use the stone to see why and try to help him.
However, on the seventh night, everyone in Ponyville was fast asleep. Well, almost. Beau was still wide awake as if something had been bugging him since they returned from Caribouria. They’ve been through so much, learned more about their heritage, and learned that there were more secrets than no one would ever want to admit.
He looked at Twilight, who was fast asleep, wondering if she and the others deserved to know the truth. They shouldn’t have any secrets, but he remembered what his grandmother had told him about the Cunabula Knights; if there were others like them, then they would be in danger, and not even the Elements of Harmony could save everyone from that fate.
He suddenly stood up quietly and walked towards his coat and shoes. He got dressed and made his way toward the door. He held onto the handle and slowly looked at Twilight, remembering what he was doing this for. He slowly opened the door and went out while closing it behind her. But as he turned around, he saw Emily, who also had the same idea as she was standing there and looking at him. The two of them soon walked the other way.
They saw Bucky, Silver, Genus, Bolt, Frosty, Daisy, and Lizzie waiting for them outside as soon as they got outside. The latter then regrouped and walked as far from the castle as possible. They soon made their way to the picnic area where Princess Twilight and the others would go, and soon, all of them once they got married. They made a campfire and sat around it, thinking about the events.
“It was quite an adventure, hasn’t it?” Said Bolt.
“No kidding,” said Silver, “No wonder our wives had a much harder time.”
“Still,” said Frosty, “After everything we went through there…do you think they deserve to know the truth?”
“No, we don’t.” said Beau, gaining their attention, “The world’s not ready to learn the full truth about how all of this began.”
“He’s right.” Said Lizzie, “Many creatures, even Equestria, knew about certain events that had happened, and if they discovered that they once came from Caribouria….”
“All order would be lost,” said Daisy, “And it would be far worse than what Equestria’s enemies had ever done.”
“Yeah, especially Canterlot,” said Bolt, “They might use that to their advantage to take control.”
“You honestly think they’d do that?” said Silver.
“No, it’s the truth.” Said Lizzie, “Half the Nobles are Unicorns; some of them have been trying to find a way to usurp Celestia and Luna’s reign for years.”
“You think we should tell them that?” asked Frosty.
“We should, just in case.” Said Beau, “The last thing we need is another power-hungry lunatic.”
“And what about Caribouria?” asked Bucky, “Applejack’s been constantly asking me how the adventures were but…I don’t have the heart to tell her what really happened.”
“None of us do.” Said Genus. “I don’t think they’d want to hear how we nearly killed ourselves over there.”
“Don’t our wives already do that?” asked Frosty.
“But not to that extreme.” Said Silver.
“Agreed.” Said Beau, “I don’t like it either, but we’ll tell them once the time is right.”
********************************************************************************************
Twilight was still asleep and smiling. She then turned around and kept the smile. However, she felt that something was off. When she woke up, she saw that Beau wasn’t there, causing her to slowly sit up and look around.
“Beau?” asked Twilight while she rubbed her eyes. “Beau, where are you?”
She looked at the corner and saw his coat and shoes gone. She stood up and began to dress in her robes too. But the moment she was out, she saw Spike was outside too.
“Twilight?” said Spike, “Have you seen Emily anywhere?”
“What, she’s not here too?” said a surprised Twilight.
“No,” replied Spike.
They suddenly heard a loud knock at the castle doors. Thankfully Moonlight was asleep, so she didn’t know what was happening. The two of them quickly made their way toward the door. When they opened it, the first pony she saw was Applejack.
“Twi, have y’all seen mah husband anywhere?” asked a worried Applejack.
Twilight looked behind her, and to her surprise, the rest of her friends were outside too.
“Uh, no,” said Twilight. “And Beau’s not here either.”
“Same with Emily.” Said Spike as he came from behind her.
The rest of the girls were surprised to hear this.
“Good heavens,” said Rarity as she began to worry. “Where could our husbands be?”
“They could be anywhere.” Said a worried Fluttershy.
“We could always look at the picnic spot.” Said Pinkie Pie, with the girls looking at her.
“What makes you say that, Pinks?” said a confused Rainbow.
“Because there happens to be a campfire over there.” Said Pinkie as she pointed ahead.
True and behold, smoke came from the other side of town, near where they held their picnics.
“What in Equestria could they be doing there?” asked a surprised Rarity.
“Maybe we should ask?” asked Fluttershy.
They nodded in agreement and went over to them.
**********************************************************************************************
Beau and the others were still talking around the campfire.
“And to think,” said Beau, “Our legacy had been here the whole time, and we were taken away from our homes, and it was all forgotten.”
“True,” said Buck, “I can’t believe things had taken that turn of the worse for us.”
“But then again,” said Silver, “Even if our lives were not what we had in mind, we somehow found our way here. We were finally home. We finally gained a family.”
“We did.” Said Bolt, “And we have to make sure we keep it that way. For their sakes.”
“Agreed.” Said Genus. “The last thing we need is another foe taking them away.”
“Amen to that.” Said both Frosty and Emily altogether.
Unknown to them, the Mane 6 and Spike approached them and were surprised to see the looks on their husbands and Emily’s faces.
“I think for now.” Said Beau, “We just try to live our lives. One day at a time.”
They nodded in agreement, not wanting to press this any further, which caused Twilight and the others to be worried. Just when they wanted to say something, something unexpected happened…
With his eyes closed, Beau began to hum a certain tune from Caribouria, which surprised Twilight and the others. Soon, everyone around the campfire began to hum in harmony, and within a split second, spirits of the Caribou and other creatures appeared as all of them hummed, which shocked the others again from what they saw.
And from Ponyville and Canterlot, everyone heard the tune and slowly woke up. One by one, some stood by their windows, some by the doors, and some in the middle of the streets. Even Celestia and Luna, along with their husbands and the Pillars, all heard the song from Beau and the others.
Twilight and the others didn’t say anything. All they could do…was listen to the song.
(Beau)
Far over, the mountain home
To green landscapes
And trees so high
We must return
At the break of dawn
(Beau, Bucky & Silver)
To find our long-forgotten home
(Bucky, Silver, Bolt, and Genus)
The winds were howling throughout the night
Telling our tales of lives of old
The sunshine bright
The moon alight
The sky so blue; alight with hope
The Mane 6 and Spike were surprised by what they were seeing and that they were singing something they’d never heard of before.
(Lizzie)
Far away, the forgotten lands
The blue oceans
And brightened shores
We will set out
At the midday
(Lizzie and Daisy)
To find what has, been taken away
(Lizzie and Daisy)
The storm is coming, beyond the darkness
The waves are crashing
In the bright day
The sun burns bright
The cooling moons
The heart of home, calls us home
Beau and the others suddenly thought about their families and friends, thinking of them so far away from them, longing for their embrace, making some shed their tears. Everyone between Ponyville and CHS felt as if they were entranced by the song as they all listened to it. As the spirits continued to hum, they continued to sing.
(All)
Far beyond, the great plains of home
The fatherland
And motherland
We will come home
Within nightfall
To finally, be back home
The songs of angels, calls us forth
The people cried
Throughout the lands
Their freedom’s bright
Their love alight
And True Harmony, to Salvation
They were stunned by what they had seen. Applejack looked at Twilight and asked, “What happened over there?”
None of them knew how to respond, but they knew they would tell them when ready. Beau and the others continued to sit until they heard something. To their surprise, they saw Twilight and the others, all of who had concerned looks on their faces. Soon, each of them sat with their respected husband and held them close, with Spike doing the same for Emily.
They’re not sure what the future will hold. But what they do know is they will face it…together.
However, far from them was Starswirl, watching them from afar as the humans had piqued his interest.
“I’d thought I’d find you here.”
Starswirl turned around and was surprised to see a familiar face.
“Master Brightstar.” Said Starswirl, “I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“I’m everywhere these days, Starswirl,” said Brightstar, “Still watching over the dangers of the world and those that have come far. So, what are you doing here?”
“Watching the humans.” Said Starswirl as he looked at them with the Mane 6. “In all my years, I had never seen humans interact with them before. Although…”
“Don’t even think about wanting payback for the punch in the throat.” Said Brightstar, “You had that coming for a long time.”
“Excuse me?” said Starswirl as he looked at her.
“I told him everything about what you did.” Said Brightstar. “Discouraging Twilight, trying to use the Elements of Harmony to destroy, which would result in them being destroyed and leaving Equestria in chaos?”
“I was trying to protect Equestria.” Said Starswirl.
“Oh, sure, that worked out well.” Said Brightstar. “Remember, the Elements didn’t always belong to Equestria. The Caribou were the ones who helped them create it, not you.”
She stood near him and said, “You will not touch her husband.”
“And why would you care?” said Starswirl with a flexed eyebrow.
“Because his ancestor is Achilles Rohan,” said Brightstar, “My Husband.”
Starswirl was shocked by this and said, “So it’s true. You did have an offspring.”
“Who, along with my husband, was forced to leave this world when humans were suddenly blamed for something they didn’t do.”
Brightstar looked at the campsite and said, “Seeing him here was also a miracle. I never thought in my entire life I would see the line of Achilles come back to this world, and with more humans with good souls to boot as well.”
She then looked back and said, “But back on topic, you had no right to use the Elements to do as you please.”
“We had to destroy…” said Starswirl before he was cut off.
“There you go again,” said Brightstar, “Thinking that everything needs to be destroyed without consulting them first.”
“Consulting?!” said Starswirl in shock, “Stygian was the one who accepted darkness in his heart and turned on us!!”
“Which wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t accuse him of trying to steal your magic without asking them first!!” said Brightstar as she pointed the tip of her staff at him, “And he wouldn’t have gone off and accepted it, had you only listened to him or given him a chance to explain!!”
She then leaned at him face to face. She said, “And if I remembered correctly, you once accused me of being evil, your own teacher, when she had tried to cast a rune spell to keep the likes like Tirek out of Equestria, and because of your overzealous carelessness, all of Equestria was in danger.”
Starswirl was shocked by what she had revealed, while Brightstar chose to stand up straight and kept her staff in her hand.
“Ponykind really has fallen far, for if just one small pin drops, everypony automatically turns on one another over false accusations and rumors.” Said Brightstar, “No wonder the Windigos nearly destroyed Ponykind’s ancestral lands because you couldn’t let go of your own selfish pride. At least the ponies in Caribouria see common sense where all of you have failed.”
“But we were deceived…” said Starswirl, making a weak defense.
“No,” said Brightstar as she interrupted him and looked at him sternly, “You were deceived long before Equestria’s enemies came along, for you have deceived yourself. You see foes where they are friends and monsters when they are but servants of good. Stygian and I weren’t the first to be wrongly accused in your war against dark magic, and not all have been as lucky as we.”
She then stood back up and said, “My brother, Catastros was one of those whom you accused, just like everyone else did when they accused him of being a traitor that resulted in the humans getting banished.”
Starswirl looked down in shame, with Brightstar saying, “You’re an embarrassment and bring shame to all of Equestria Starswirl. This is exactly why I stripped the elements from you long ago because your pigheaded and narrowmindedness had nearly cost Equestria everything. More importantly, when you were gone, Equestria had been built on Friendship, Harmony, and Trust, and you don’t save it by ignoring what it stands for.”
Starswirl lowered his head, then looked back at her in shame as he said, “I promise you, my lady, I will do whatever I can to redeem myself and to ensure that never happens again.”
“I would hope so. For all our sakes.” Said Brightstar. She then pointed the tip of her staff in another direction and said, “Now, I believe you have some packing to do.”
“Ma’am?” asked Starswirl.
“You heard me,” said Brightstar, “Because of your actions and ignorance, it nearly cost the life of a misunderstood incident and Equestria’s safety by sacrificing its first and last line of defense. So while you think about what you’ve done, you will go on a journey and learn what you can about friendship, like Princess Twilight. And you will return only when you’ve truly learned the word’s true meaning. Am I understood?”
Starswirl was surprised about this at first but knew better than to challenge his old teacher. He bowed to her and said, “Yes, master.”
Starswirl soon left to ready his things while Brightstar looked at Beau and the others.
“I feel that whatever is to come, their friendships and trusts will be challenged.” Said Brightstar.
Soon she left to watch over the world while Beau and the others continued the peaceful night around the campfire before turning in for the night.
***********************************************************************************************
Far away, at the unknown parts of Equestria’s borders, on what appeared to be a large island with spiked mountains, a dark figure was walking along the rocky path, holding his battle axe with his sword on his back. The figure stopped and looked ahead. Up ahead, there was a large stone wall with skulls decorated on all sides. He looked ahead and squinted his eyes, knowing what he would do. He walked ahead and made his way toward the gate.
At the gate, there were two guards, both of them who looked large, yeti-like maybe. Both of them were grunting and also a bit bored. However, they saw someone approaching them, causing them to get together and point their spears at them while also producing their shields. Two guards grunted in their language, demanding the intruder to stand down. However, when the entity was close enough, he presented his hand as if one would hold an apple. But the moment he held his hand in that position, the guards suddenly choked as they dropped their weapons and grasped onto their necks, trying to breathe.
They were suddenly lifted up from the ground before the figure waved his arm hard to the left, causing the guards to be flung hard in the other direction. Without a second, though, the entity kicked the door down, causing the doors to fly and scatter upon impact, surprising all the guards when they looked.
The entity walked in, holding his axe to the ready. Many guards were about to attack; however, one of the creatures gasped in shock and pointed at the axe and sword, causing many to fear the intruder and move away while some bowed in front of him. At the same time, he still continued to make his way toward its intended target, which appeared to be none other than a fortress.
From within, many were still carrying on and about, minding their own business; from the top of a stone staircase was a throne facing away from his subjects. He looked closely to the guards, but from the crown, he was none other than a king, while on the left was a pony, but from what looked like a broken horn on top, and on the right was a Hedgehog, munching on goods like a pig.
“So, Storm King.” The pony beside him said, “I know your conquest of Ornithia was successful, but what should we do know?”
“Oh, Tempest,” said the Storm King, “I don’t need a destination; I only take a kingdom that gains my attention.”
“And which one does get your attention?” asked Tempest.
“Let me think…,” said Storm King.
Then all of a sudden, the doors were blown away, with two Storm Guards in front of it, surprising everyone in the room, even the Storm King when he turned around. From out of the smoke, the hooded figure appeared and walked down the pathway straight towards the Storm King, with some of the Storm Guards readying their weapons as they aimed at him. However, just before the four guards could do anything, the figure pointed its axe, causing green energy to appear, making the four guards glow with energy, but scream in pain and agony. Before they knew it, the four guards were skin and bones before they collapsed onto the ground.
The guards were shocked by what they had seen, with Grubber walking forward and said, “Okay now, who do you think you are to….”
Before he could say anything else, Mor’du suddenly appeared, grabbed Grubber’s head, and bashed him hard onto the ground. Poe the Crow flew in with his Crow Guards and placed their spears against the Storm Guard’s necks, while Smaug the Black Dragon spewed fire all over the place to send everyone in disarray, with a few Dragon Guards blocking the way.
The Storm King was impressed but frowned at the newcomers.
“I do not know who you are, and though I am impressed by your display,” said Storm King before he stood up and said, “But I do not allow party crashers!! Tempest!!”
Before Tempest could charge, a powerful blast knocked her backward, making her crash against the wall and collapse onto the ground. Before the Storm King could react, he felt a powerful force grabbing him and pulling him toward the hooded figure. The two of them soon face to face with the Storm King sneering.
“Who do you think you…?!!”
Before the Storm King could say anything, the hooded figure removed his hood, which was none other than Dainn himself, making the Storm King gasp in shock.
“Lord Dainn?!!”
Dainn released the Storm King from his magic, making the so-called despot bow before him.
“Wait,” said Grubber while he was struggling, “My lord, you know him?!”
“Indeed he does.” Replied Dainn. He then noticed Tempest standing up, pointing his axe at her, and said, “And why is there a pony among you?!!”
“S-she serves me my liege.” Said Storm King, “She pledged her allegiance to me and….”
“ENOUGH!!” bellowed Dainn as he smashed the bud of his axe onto the ground, which startled the Storm King as he kept his head lowered. “I’ve come here to require your…services.”
“M-my liege?” said the Storm King, shakingly looking at the corrupted Caribou.
He pointed his axe at the chair and said, “Sit. We have much to discuss.”
The Storm King soon sat down, with Lord Dainn standing close to him, while the Storm Guards, Tempest, and Grubber were sent out of the room, with only Dainn’s generals and his guards remaining.
“So uh…what brings you here?” said the Storm King nervously.
“I did not wish to come here, even of my own free will.” Said Dainn while he still held onto his axe with both his hands on top. “I came here because I demand your services.”
“Services, my liege?” said the Storm King nervously.
“Indeed.” Said Dainn. “Not too long ago, I was the ruler of Caribouria with an iron fist until I was driven away by the heir to my family’s throne.”
“Heir?” said the Storm King, “But I thought you slayed your entire family.”
“Not all of them.” Said Dainn, “Thorin Oakenshield had survived and led a small feeble rebellion against me. Though it did not matter to me, what mattered was the help he required.”
“Help?”
Dainn slowly growled like a hell beast saying, “By humans.”
“Humans?!” exclaimed the Storm King, “But I thought they were just a myth!!”
“Not so much.” Said Dainn, “Long ago, they were banished to another world. Until recent events showed that humans have been arriving in Ponykind’s kingdom one by one.”
“Equestria? The Land of cuteness.” said the Storm King, “Blegh!! I never could stand, cute.”
He heard Dainn growl again while gripping his axe’s top, while the axe’s power was generated with dark energy, warning the Storm King not to test his patience, which caused Storm King to instantly be quiet.
“In any case,” said Lord Dainn, “One of the foolish Caribou found a way to leave Caribouria while I struggled to break its damn barrier, and he went there for help. However, he forgot that all creatures beyond the kingdom are forbidden to travel there. Yet somehow, Harmony itself has chosen the humans to go with them. They came to Caribouria and, somehow, became the one thing that the legends have spoken of before.”
“And that would be?” inquired the Storm King before taking a sip of his goblet.
“The Knights of Harmony.”
The Storm King did a spit take in shock in the left direction, then looked at him shockingly and said, “The Knights of Harmony?!!”
“Precisely.” Said Dainn. “And if you must know if they are dangerous. Then you know that a few of them have slain one of my Generals, Azog the Warg Warchief.”
Storm King was shocked to hear one of Dainn’s greatest generals be brought down.
“They helped Thorin Oakenshield become the true king by accepting the Blessings of Caribouria.” Said Dainn, “And since he is now at full strength with the might of Caribouria’s magic, he has defeated and driven me from my home. But just because I was banished…did not mean I was out of the fight.”
“If you claim to be still powerful,” asked the Storm King, “Then why come to me for aid?”
“Because half of my forces are slain while most are scattered.” Said Dainn, “And while my generals try to gather them, I will embark on a journey to awaken the rest of my armies from every kingdom around the world that has been in slumber for thousands of years. It will take time, but it will take all the time I need to regain full strength.”
“And if I refuse?” asked the Storm King, until Dainn sharply raised the tip of his axe at the Storm King’s neck, shocking the Storm King.
“Because you made the blood pact with me long ago when you wanted to learn dark storm magic.” Growled Dainn. “And I will warn you, ‘Storm King,’ you are indebted to me, and you will uphold your end of our bargain, or there will be consequences. You made a deal with me long ago, and I’m here to ensure you honor it.”
The Storm King grunted, knowing he had made that deal and the subsequent consequence. Seeing he had no choice, he grunted in defeat, allowing Dainn to lower his axe and place it back in position.
“And what do I get out of this if I do?” said the Storm King.
“I assume you have heard of the two sisters, Celestia and Luna?” asked Dainn. When the Storm King nodded, Dainn said, “What if I told you there are two more Alicorns in the kingdom?”
The Storm King was surprised and said, “I’m listening.”
“You invade Equestria and burn half the country to the ground while killing the Knights of Harmony.” Said Dainn, “In return, you can take the four Alicorns’ magic for yourself and do what you please with it.”
“Hmm, tempting.” Said Dainn, “But as far as I know, they won’t go down easily without a fight.”
“That is why I have these.” Said Dainn as he presented five different stones in a bag to him, allowing the Storm King to accept them. “These stones will help you turn all four Alicorns into stone; not even their shielding magic can stop them. They will encase them in stone, allowing you to easily take their magic as your own.”
“I see.” Said the Storm King as he smirked until Dainn grabbed him by the armor and pulled him to his face, surprising the Storm King.
“And you had better keep your word.” Threatened Dainn, “If not….”
Dainn then placed his hand on the Storm King, making him grunt in pain as his face went pale and skinny as if his life force was being taken from him.
“Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes…my lord.” Muttering the Storm King, allowing Dainn to release him, returning the
Storm King to normal as he gasped for air, then looked at Dainn.
“Remember Storm King,” said Dainn, “Uphold your end of the deal. If not, then remember….”
He leaned closer and spoke in a dark tone, “I am always watching.”
The Storm King trembled in fear while Dainn moved away from him to the center of the room, with his followers gathering around him. Dainn used his magic to teleport via flames. When he disappeared, the Storm King was still afraid. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and stood up. He walked through the doors with his followers waiting.
“My lord?” asked Grubber.
“Tempest, Grubber, all of you,” demanded the Storm King, “Gather all of our ships and forces. We have another kingdom to invade!! You have 3 months to gather all of them!!”
“Yes, my lord!!” said Grubber as he and the guards left.
“And Tempest,” said the Storm King, gaining the latter’s attention as she looked at him, with the Storm King smirked and said, “Looks like you’ll be going home after all.”
Tempest was slightly surprised but smiled in a deadpanned tone while she walked away to gather their armies.
The Storm King stood at the edge of his walls and watched the horizon as his armies gathered.
“Soon, their magic will be mine.” Said Storm King, then shuddered over what Dainn had said. He smirked and said, “I think it’s time…that I meet the Knights of Harmony.” The Storm King walked away, for soon, his invasion would begin.
TOO BE CONTINUED
Stay tuned next time for
MY LITTLE PONY THE MOVIE: RISE OF THE KNIGHTS OF HARMONY