The next week seemed a blur to all the ponies. After his reunion with his wife Tydal had been approached by several retainers. It seemed that with long overdue arrival the entire castle was ready for him to reassume his duties as king. Thus, it was with a roll of his eyes (Applejack had muttered that she was surprised his eyes hadn’t spun out of his from all the rolling he did) that he allowed the retainers to quickly clad him in his royal gear.
Within moments he was wearing steel shoes that rose up his legs, a breastplate bearing the symbol of a tidal wave, and a high crown upon his head. It resembled Celstia's and the princess confessed that after the war with Discord Luna and she had modeled their royal jewelry after the royal armor of Tydal. In fact, many elements of the capricorn race had found their way into Equestria (the royal guard armor, the layout of Celestia’s throne room, even some of the moves the Pegasi Battalion used were merely capricorn attack patterns adopted for the air) and the girls were thankful for this, as it allowed them to deal with the craziness of the next few days with more ease than they would have suspected.
After his crown had been placed upon his head Tydal first act had been to declare to all that there would be 5 days of feasting and celebrating before he would join Celestia, Luna, the 8 ponies and the baby dragon on their journey back to Ponyville, where he would present the great capricorn nation to all of ponykind. The capricorn race had returned and soon all of Equestria would know it.
Everyone in the group found some small way to help the reawakened castle. It had been found quickly that while the keep was as strong as ever there were no more stores of water or food (all of it had been reduced to dust). Applejack had gone with Princess Misty into the Everfree and the two had struck up a fast friendship over their mutual love of gathering and preparing food. It surprised the farmer that a Princess could be so down to earth but Misty told her that capricorn society was much looser with its social rungs than Equestria was (and, Applejack had informed her, it had only gotten worse with time). Even the royal family was expected to pull their weight and Tydal had instilled in his daughters the need to go above and beyond their subjects.
Misty admitted that she was glad her father ruled as, while she was a gifted warrior and currently held the position of Head of the Royal Guard along with Princess Coral (who, being born first, would be the first to take the throne should something happen to Tydal and Merida), she was more at home in the kitchen than on the throne, something the apple farmer could agree with. They had swapped recipes and Misty had shown Applejack several tricks that had been lost to the ages that made the orange mare want to rush home and try them on her own pies.
Rainbow Dash had quickly singled out several of the more daring capricorns warriors and had delighted in showing off her moves, including the sonic rainboom. The capricorns, in turn, performed their own water tricks that had Rainbow Dash for once clapping without a hint of jealousy. While Celestia may have suggested a few moves for the Pegasi Battalion to adopt, Rainbow quickly saw many more that could easily be modified for flight…and moves of her own that the capricorns could learn. Already there was talk of the first Aquatic Rainboom.
Rarity had taken it upon herself to get the entire castle back into shape. She had ooohed and aaaahhhed at the structure and the design she had said that the keep was to drab and did not fit one of Tydal’s standing. The capricorn had grunted but Queen Merida had accepted Rarity’s request and given her a small army of retainers and servants to help get the castle up to date and looking its best. Rarity had been in heaven as she learned from the capricorns their own design styles and tricks and made notes on an entire ocean-line of dresses when she returned to Ponyville.
Of course, after helping Rarity the Queen had set her sights on another pony. Fluttershy had been hiding in her room for the first 5 hours, frightened by the capricorn warriors with their heavy armor and fierce scowls. It had taken some coaxing, but Tydal’s wife finally got Fluttershy to join her in the Meditation Chambers, a massive room that sat on the surface of the water and had a large hole cute in the floor to allow the Mareatine to gently lap at the edges. Merida had explained to Fluttershy that no capricorn or pony was allowed to speak in the Chamber and that it was a place for quiet thought. The pegasus had nearly wept with relief, spending many of her hours with the Queen or other members of the council watching the fish swim below them. She found that, when they were like this, the capricorns were not nearly as scary and other than their fish-tails it was easy for her to believe she was spending a day at the spa.
Pinkie Pie and Coral (her new ‘super bestest non-pony, non-dragon friend ever!’) quickly became the fear of many in the keep (earning the name “The Pink Plague”). All the warriors had learned how to deal with the hyper daughter of Tydal, but with Pinkie Pie added to the mix the old rules were tossed out the window. All the girls admitted that Coral was clearly the Pinkie of the capricorn race, and not just for her frizzy pink hair and bubbly personality. How she managed to pop up on the top of towers or in a hollowed out tree, only her and Pinkie knew.
As for Twilight, she was utterly delighted when not just Princess Celestia but also Princess Luna had asked her to come with them as soon as they had entered the castle. The two sisters hadn’t walked through the Tydal’s keep in a thousand year but they still knew every twist and turn, smiling slightly when they glanced at some doorway or alcove that held memories of childhood antics.
They had finally arrived in the great library, which was nothing like what Twilight had expected. It made sense of course that capricorns, being aquatic, would not use scrolls, but the heavy stone tablets that Celestia brought down with her magic. They had Twilight suddenly longing for the Canterlot library and its light, easy to carry books.
“What are we doing here?” Twilight had asked softly.
Her mentor had smiled. “Tydal mastered many spells and there were a few that were lost to us when we placed the castle under the stone sleep. I think it is time you learned a few…”
For the next two days Twilight and the princesses left the library only for meals, rest, and their duty to see the changing of night and day. For Twilight the hours became a whirl of spells and lost knowledge. It seemed as if every hour she was letting out a gasp, discovering some forgotten trick or casting. Works that had been believed destroyed after the burning of the Library of Marexandria lay on the shelf for her greedy mind to devour and Twilight came to the conclusion that, were it not for her friends, she would be happy to spend the rest of her days cataloging the great library of the capricorns.
Every once and a while Tydal would appear, muttering to himself as he looked over a particular tablet one of the three ponies were examining. Sometimes he would shaking his head, other times merely stroke his beard or stomp his hoof before leaving them to work. Twilight still hadn't worked out what exactly was a good reaction from the capricorn but Celestia and Luna always seemed pleased.
It was a bit strange for Twilight to see her steady, all-knowing mentor actually studying and making notes. Celestia at times looked like Pinkie after a sugar binge, hurrying over to this shelf or that, grabbing what she could only to mutter in annoyance when she didn't find what she wanted.
"It’s different for her," Luna had confided in her after the first night. "I was trapped on the moon for a thousand years but it felt like the time hardly passed at all." When Twilight had stammered something about her assumption that Luna had been awake the entire time the moon princess laughed softly. "You thought I was peering down at you from the moon, plotting my revenge?"
When Twilight didn't answer Luna glowered just a bit. "I was mad but I wasn't insane, Twilight. And had I been awake those thousand years with only the stars to keep me company, I would have been a sobbing wreck who could barely walk. No...think of it as a dream that seemed to last forever but only for moments. A thousand years lasted a second but a second lasted a thousand years, if that makes any sense."
"Kinda," Twilight said, trying to wrap her head around the analogy.
Luna glanced over at her sister, who looked more tired than she had after their first battle. "For me, it has only felt like a few years passed since I became Nightmare Moon and only 500 years since Tydal fell. For her...she has had to live with the loss of both of us for 1,000 years. Put yourself in her shoes, Twilight: if Celestia reappeared after leaving for a thousand years, would you too not be anxious to prove yourself to her?"
Twilight gulped, thinking about how much of a basket case she would be is such an event took place. "Good thing I won't live a thousand years, right?" Luna got a strange look on her face, like she had bit into a sweet apple only to find it filled with custard. "Princess?" Twilight licked her lips nervously. "Why did Tydal call us the Immortal Elements?"
"...that is a story for another day." With that the Princess of the Moon made her escape, leaving a befuddled Twilight in her wake.
As for Twilight's 'Number 1 Assistant', he had thankfully been allowed off the hook and given free roam the keep at his pleasure. Castle had been given the same leeway during his free hours and the dragon and the writer had become fast friends, their first disastrous encounter forgotten. They bonded over being the 'sidekicks' to powerful women...as well has being forever surrounded by them. They two were a common sight all over the keep, looking around the different rooms and bugging anyone they could to tell them about the history of the capricorn race.
As for Beckett, she had mostly drifted, checking on everyone and feeling very much like a mother hen. It was hard not too; even though the girls were considered adults by Equestria standards they behaved like teens and Beckett didn't want them to be hurt or neglected. If she were to be honest with herself, she actually liked having ponies in her life that she could mother (not counting Castle, who was more like a baby at the best of times). Fluttershy made her want to stop whatever she was doing and sit beside the pony and hold her till she had the strength to face the world. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie had her half in fits and half laughing at their crazy antics. Applejack and Rarity, while very mature, still needed guidance. And Twilight...
...Twilight was the little sister she hadn't realized she was longing for.
Beckett thought about all of this as she stood on one of the tower balconies, watching the sun as it slowly set over the Mareatine. The feelings that bubbled up within her, so foreign and yet so wonderful, had her questioning everything she knew about herself.
"It's hard, isn't it?" Tydal said softly, joining her by the rail. Beckett had become use to the mighty capricorn’s presence; even though he towered over her there was something comforting about having him nearby. She supposed it was the same way Twilight and her friends felt about Celestia.
"What's hard?" Beckett asked, glad Castle wasn't there to turn that little question into a dirty joke.
"Having charges." Tydal glanced down at her, fin waving back and forth in tune with the waves. Or maybe the waves were moving in tune with his tail. "Especially ponies. They are so emotional and love their extremes...my hair was three times darker before those fillies arrived on my drawbridge." Beckett chuckled at the comment. She wasn't surprised that Tydal knew what she was feeling...heck, she felt rather stupid for forgetting that he had been in the same boat she found herself in now. "But when you look at them, even when they think they know better...you just can't stop helping them."
Beckett nodded, eyes never leaving the water. "They want to be independent, I get that. But they need someone in their lives...they need a mother or a big sister...I don’t know if that can be me."
"Then don't," Tydal said simply. He raised his hoof before she could object. "It's like Celestia said: why define your relationship? The Princesses...they are my daughters, my sisters, my nieces, and my students. It is such a tangled ball of seaweed that I'd need to spend another 1000 years in stone just thinking it over to make some sense of it. So I don't bother. I love them and they love me...that is good enough for us. Why can't it be the same for you?
"But that isn't the real problem, is it? The real problem is that you don't know if you should stay or go home"
Beckett blinked but realized once again it was stupid to wonder how he knew. Tydal was thousands of years old and had knowledge and skills she could never hope to obtain. It would be silly to question how he was able to read her...especially when Beckett was sure that her mood could be read by even the slowest pony.
"When did you know-"
"That you aren't from this world?" Tydal asked. "The moment I learned your name...no self respecting pony would have a name like that...and the only beings that care about having two names are humans."
Now she was really shocked. "You know about humans?"
Tydal stroked his beard. "Know about them? I've been one." He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "You honestly think it was pony magic that made you into...well, a pony."
"I didn't-"
"Seems my Mother has a sense of humor...go to one world and you become the dominate species. Rather handy, save for the gaining of limbs." He waved his hoof about. "I do miss having fingers though." He paused, chuckling slightly. “Merida always complained about that.”
“Merida… she was a human?”
“Indeed. Why my queen decided to follow me back here and fall in love with an old grumpy like me…”
"So...I can go back?" Beckett asked.
Tydal smirked. "I think I'll stay quiet on that. I get the feeling my faithful student wants to show off and it would be no fun if I played the mean mentor and spoiled all her plans."
Beckett smiled softly, the last rays of the sun falling upon her skin. She knew somewhere in another tower Celestia was stepping away to let Luna raise the moon. The capricorn's words rang in her head and she felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't have to choose between her home and this wonderful place. "Lord Tydal-"
"None of that," the king said sternly. "I made you my royal guard, which gives you the right to not put on airs or treat me like one of those simpering dolts Celestia is forced to deal with in Canterlot. None of my subjects should feel the need to elevate me and I expect no less from you."
"-Tydal, I wanted to ask...you, Celestia and Luna…you say you are gods…just how powerful are you three?"
The capricorn wasn't expected that and Beckett felt a shot of pride that she had been able to surprise him.
"Hmmm...how powerful are we?" He tapped his hoof against his chin, his shoulders slump and his stance lax. His eyes were half closed and for a moment Beckett thought the old king might actually go to sleep. It was such a great contrast to the swirling ocean that suddenly rose up sharply, shooting into the sky as if gravity had been reversed. Tydal did not even move as the waters went white as the entire Bridle Bay formed into a giant capricorn's head. She took a step back as the head slowly loomed towards her, so large that it could easily swallow the castle whole. Within the clearer parts of the behemoth she could make out startled fish swimming about.
"Let's just say that was pretty easy for me." The waters receded as quickly as they had risen, leaving a startled Rainbow Dash and her capricorn friends slack jawed. "Goodnight, Kate Beckett," Tydal leapt from the tower to the water below, leaving Beckett to ponder all he had said as he disappeared under the waves for his evening swim.
~MC~MC~MC~
"You're sure they are coming?" Mrs. Cake asked nervously. On her back, her twins Pound and Pumpkin giggled, happily hanging from her baby carrier saddle bag.
"Yes, Mrs. Cakes," the mayor said. "Twilight Sparkle's letter said they should arrive by noon."
It had been nearly a week since Twilight and her friends, along with two mysterious ponies, had gone running into the Everfree, trying to catch a capricorn monster that had nearly destroyed the Ponyville Museum. As was the norm, the town didn't worry when they most famous (or as some would say, infamous) residents went clamoring off on an adventure, but when Derpy had spotted both Princess Celestia and Luna racing out of Twilight's home with a screaming Spike on the younger's back, the ponies of Ponyville had become nervous and wondered if the heroic mares had finally met their match.
"I see something!" Bon Bon called out, squinting in an attempt to make out the shapes that were coming out of the Everfree.
The crowd began to cheer, only to go silent when they saw it was not the girls that emerged from the forest but Princess Celestia herself, her little sister matching her step. Between them, his head held high, was the capricorn that had escaped from Mr. Piles' exhibit. All three wore their finest royal armor, the power they radiated making several ponies instantly bow.
Behind them came Beckett and Castle. Each of them wore specially designed armor: silver shoes, breast plates bearing their cutie mark, and helms that resembled those of Celestia's royal guard. Riding on Castle's back was Spike, who had been given a silver-thread cloak with a tidal wave symbol upon the back and a small helmet modified to fit his head. Castle and Beckett led a procession of 25 capricorn warriors, each warrior wearing the same armor as the two ponies, only with the tidal wave symbol (clearly the mark of the capricorn's house) on their breast plates.
Surrounded by the warriors were Twilight and her friends, but they did not look like any prisoners the town had ever seen. Each of them wore jewelry that resembled Celestia and Luna's royal adornments, though each piece had been emblazed with their own respective cutie marks and were silver instead of gold. Beside the girls were two capricorn girls in golden armor and a stately capricorn female who nearly rivaled Celestia in size.
The marchers, numbering over 40, stopped several yards from the mayor and the rest of Ponyville. It was so quiet they could hear a mouse 3 miles away burp.
"Princess Celestia...P-princess Luna..." the mayor stammered.
Celestia smiled, her regal bearing firmly back in place after a week of running about like a filly. "Mayor Mare...citizens of Ponyville...I am sure rumors have spread about what happened at the museum and the nature of the being that escaped into the Everfree. I hope to answer all your questions and put your minds at ease." She turned her head, gesturing towards the capricorn in question. "May I present Lord Tydal, king of the Mareatine and god of the sea. He is my brother."
It was as if everyone that lived in Ponyville had been struck dumb. They couldn't have been more shocked in Celestia had declared that she was going to married Discord.
Tydal stepped forward. "I have been informed by Princess Luna that the use of the Royal Voice has gone out of...style." He rolled the word on his tongue. "Yes, style. Therefore, I shall speak to you in my normal tones." He turned to all the citizens, clearing his throat. "For thousands of years I have slumbered...but now I have awakened...and thanks to the brave efforts of two ponies and the wisdom of 6 young mares...I and my subjects are ready to enter the world again." He stomped his hoof and one of his royal guard stepped forward with a small chest in his teeth, which he placed beside his king. "Is a Mr..." he frowned, turning towards Twilight.
"Piles, Tydal."
"..Piles here?"
The curator stepped forward, wondering just what awaited him. He was sweating a bit, wondering if Celestia was going to have him banished for displaying her family in a museum for the last 4 months.
Tydal looked down upon the pony. "I believe I promised rewards when I returned with my army." He opened the chest, revealing it full of bits. "I hope this will suffice till I can properly reward you and this town."
Piles began to stammer, his glasses rising up from his face to be polished only for his shock to cause him to snap them in half.
"We also have other things for ya, Mr. Piles!" Applejack called out. "Bunch of artifacts and such from the Mareatine."
"I..I..."
"I think we broke him," Castle said with a laugh.
"Well, i know how to fix it!" Pinkie exclaimed. She glanced over at Coral, who shared her grin. Both reached into the bushes and, through forces no one could begin to understand, pulled out a cannon and a small catapult. "PARTY!" the two pink haired maniacs fired their weapons, the entire edge of town suddenly covered in balloons and streams.