//------------------------------//
// Part 23: Until We Meet Again 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic The Movie: What If? 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

All good things must come to an end eventually, and the Festival of Friendship was no exception. Eventually, Songbird finished her final song and bowed to the audience, basking in their thunderous applause.

Afterwards, Princess Celestia smiled as she observed the crowd that was just beginning to disperse. "Well, Twilight," She said in a confident tone of voice. "It would seem that your first annual Festival of Friendship was a great success, even if it had to be moved to Ponyville at the last minute."

Twilight smiled back. "Well, I can't take all the credit. If it wasn't for the help of my friends, none of this would've been possible. They believed in me and trusted me despite everything I put them through. And of course, they were far more willing than I was to make friends outside of Equestria on such short notice."

"Indeed," The sun princess nodded. "Still, it was ultimately thanks to you that we restored ties with the hippogriffs and ensured that the realm will be forever safe from the threat of the Storm King. You continue to amaze and impress me, Twilight. You've come so far in so short a span of time. And thanks to you, I'm looking forward to the future with confidence."

Princess Luna then chimed in. "It would seem there are still some loose ends left to be tied up. Something tells me I'm going to be very busy over the next few nights thanks to the invasion."

"Well, hopefully we'll all be able to put it behind us soon." Twilight declared as she watched and observed Flurry Heart flying towards her freed mother, happily embracing Princess Cadence with a tight hug.

Princess Cadence, meanwhile, was happy to be reunited with not only her daughter but also her loving husband. "Sorry if I made you worry, dear." She said to him.

Shining Armor just nodded back. "Well, you're okay now, that's all that matters. Now come on, I think it's time we returned to the Crystal Empire," He let out a sigh. "I think it might be time for me to officially pass the torch and let somepony else take over as captain full time."

Princess Cadence replied as she took her husband by the hoof. "We can discuss all of that once we're safe at home. Besides, there are some things I want to look into concerning a pony who moved into the Crystal Empire not too long ago." And with that, she, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart all trotted away, heading for the train station to board their train back to the empire.

Celestia and Luna seemed to realize what this meant, as they both looked to Twilight before the elder of the two sisters said. "Well, Twilight, I think it's time for Luna and I to head back to Canterlot."

And Luna added. "We'll leave the cleaning up to you and your friends. And when and if Queen Novo's ready to forgive you, let us know so we can advise you on what to do."

Twilight waved goodbye to the royal sisters until they were out of sight. Then she turned her attention back to the now empty stage. Songbird Serenade had already departed, undoubtly delighted at how well the concert had gone over. So there was nothing left to do but take down the stage, remove the decorations, and then call it a night.





As Twilight and her friends went about cleaning up after the festival a short time later, many of their new friends came to say goodbye to them. Captain Celaeno and her crew were the first ones to do so. "Thanks for your help, mateys," She said to the ponies. "You've really inspired us. Now we're free to go back to our roots and relive our glory days."

"But what about your ship? You can't really be pirates if you don't have a ship." Rainbow Dash pointed out.

Captain Celaeno chuckled. "I have a feeling that after what happened to the Storm King, a lot of his zeppelins will be up for sale at a very reasonable price. It shouldn't take more than a little spit and polish to turn one into an airworthy vesel. In time, it may even become better than the ship we used to have."

Fluttershy then nervously saw fit to ask. "You're not ever going to try to conduct attacks or raids on Equestria, are you? I mean, you are pirates."

Captain Celaeno shook her head from side to side. "We know better than to make an enemy out of an ally. Equestria is going to be strictly off limits for us," She was quick to add. "But if you ever find yourselves in need of our help again. Well, you have only to ask," Clapping her claws together, she then called to her crew. "Come on, scallywags. It's time for us to head home!" And in a matter of mere moments, all of the pirates had flown away.

Capper spoke up not long afterward, having changed out of the outfit Rarity had made for him for the concert and having once again put on his red buttoned jacket. "I reckon it's time for this cat to go home too. Don't get me wrong, Equestria is a nice place, I might just have to come back and visit it someday. But for now, I just wanna go back to Klugetown and put my affairs in order. With the Storm King gone, I have a feeling Verto's not gonna last much longer either."

Rarity immediately questioned the charming cat. "So, what? You're just going to step in and run things in Klugetown all by yourself?"

Capper protested. "Nah, that's what the old me would've done: Taken advantage of a desperate situation. Thanks to you ponies, I realize now that it doesn't always have to be everycreature for themselves," He flexed a bright smile. "With a little luck, I'm gonna try to convince the other residents of Klugetown that if we work together and help each other out, we can build a brighter future for ourselves. Worse comes to worse, though, don't be too surprised if you find me trying to make a living for myself in Equestria somewhere. I've heard there's a place where a crafty cat like me could fit in just fine."

Applejack snickered. "I reckon I know where that would be. It's definitely up your alley."

Capper nodded back. "Right. But like I said, that's not going to be anytime soon. I at least have to give Klugetown a fair chance. Otherwise, I'd be a liar. And after what we've been through together, I don't ever wanna be known as a liar ever again if I can help it!" Soon afterward, he too had departed.

And with Princess Skystar, Queen Novo, and the hippogriffs all having left as well, that left only Tempest and Grubber. And it wasn't long before they were going their separate ways as well.

Grubber, in fact, was most surprised when Tempest visited him to inform her of a personal decision she had made. "I think this is where we'll have to say goodbye, Grubber."

"Wait, you mean you're not gonna stick around?" Grubber blinked in surprise. "Yours truly just got a job working in the kitchens of the royal castle in Canterlot. It's a dream come true! And I'm sure I could easily find something for you."

Tempest shook her head from side to side. "Thanks for the offer. But for right now, I just want to travel the world. There's a lot of other creatures I've wronged over the years. I owe it to them to try to atone as best I can. If they forgive me, great. If not... well, I'll just have to do my best to show them that I have changed."

Grubber sighed, but still smiled. "Well, if you ever run into trouble, Tempest, just let me know. After all we've been through together, I'd say we're family now!"

Tempest was taken aback by the little hedgehog's sentiment. "You really mean that, Grubber? The only family I ever knew was back at that orphanage," She frowned and whimpered. "And that was the family I ran away from long ago, before I'd even gotten my cutie mark."

Grubber sweetly said. "So? This time, you've got a family that you can never run away from. You have a family that you can always come back to no matter what."

The hornless unicorn smiled ever so faintly and slowly. "Thank you, Grubber."

Grubber blinked in surprise and confusion. "For what, Tempest?"

"For just being you," Tempest replied as she gave Grubber a hug. "You were the first friend I ever knew, long before I ever realized that friendship was always there for me. It never abandoned me, it was there all along: Just waiting for me to come back."

Grubber nodded. "Hey, what are friends for?"

The hornless unicorn's smile grew brighter. "I don't know, Grubber. I get the feeling that there's a lot about friendship I'll have to learn on my journey. But it's a journey I must make! It's what I must do for my atonement." And with that, she set off.





But Tempest had only just reached the outskirts of Ponyville when suddenly she heard a familiar voice calling out to her! "Tempest, wait!" In a matter of seconds, Princess Twilight swooped down in front of the hornless unicorn.

Tempest was more than a little surprised to see the pony she'd once pursued to the ends of the world now standing in front of her. "What is it, princess? Are you here to talk me out of leaving Ponyville? Out of leaving Equestria?"

"If you'd like, you're welcome to stay here while you think about what you want to do next," Twilight explained. "Ponyville is very much the place to be if you want to make a fresh start. It's a town of second chances."

The hornless unicorn nodded and replied. "So I'm told. But I already know what I want to do, princess. I can't have you protecting me from the consequences of my actions. I want to go on this journey. I want to see where the magic of friendship will take me. Maybe someday I'll know where I truly belong. Until then, I'm content to wander and go wherever the wind takes me."

The young princess then replied. "Well, I hope you'll at least come back to Ponyville someday. I know your past is a lot more complicated than mine, but I still believe we do have a lot in common, Tempest."

At that, the hornless unicorn blushed. "Actually, princess. Tempest Shadow isn't my real name. That's just a name I gave myself," She leaned in close and sheepishly whispered. "My real name: It's Fizzlepop Berrytwist."

Twilight let out a gasp upon hearing this confession! Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Tempest having a different name. She struggled to keep from snickering.

The raging blush on Tempest's cheeks slowly faded. "Yeah, you can see why I felt the need to change it. It wouldn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of others. Besides, if I started using it now, I'd be denying who I used to be. I'm not taking the easy way out. I'm going to see to it that Tempest Shadow is a name that doesn't strike fear into others," She then slowly lifted up her armor, revealing her cutie mark. It was in the form of two bright swirls of magic. "I always wondered what this cutie mark could mean. Now, thanks to you, I know. It means that my past and my future are intertwined. Always have been and always will be. Fizzlepop and Tempest are one and the same."

Twilight nodded and gave a knowing wink as she hastily whispered. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"You can tell the others if you want," Tempest said with a shrug. "Makes no difference to me. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way. I already know where I want to go first: The Crystal Empire." She then trotted off towards the horzion, slowly but surely disappearing from sight.

Twilight flew back to Ponyville proper a moment later, smiling to herself as she reflected on all that she had been told. It seemed that yet again, she had converted an enemy of Equestria into a friend. The magic of friendship continued to be full of mysteries.

And just as the young alicorn princess landed outside her castle, she would be greeted by one last surprise. She could hear Spike excitedly shouting to her! "Twilight! You've gotta come see the map! You'll never guess what it just did!"