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Chapter 12,028 words
Chapter 22,335 words
Chapter 32,123 words

Chapter 2

Author's Note:

Okay, I need to make this very clear first off. I have absolutely no idea where Abyssinia goes on the map. Why? Because the maps are inconsistent. I can't tell you how many hours I spent trying to figure out a location on the map and then figure out distance between there and Equestria. I'm serious, there are two different maps.

So Klugetown in the comics was part of Abyssinia, but in the movie there was no point where the Mane 6 crossed a large body of water. Now in the movie itself Klugetown in the middle of the dessert...and yet there are no other towns, settlements, etc. in the area or on the map itself.
I'm not making this shit up I swear. Anyway, this is what I'm going to do: I'm sticking to Klugetown being south of Equestria and Abyssinia being on a separate continent. I believe this is the only time I'll have to worry about this.
Anyway, sorry for the long explanation but this had to be addressed to avoid confusion.

“Grubber! Grubber where are you!?” Tempest groaned in exasperation as she looked around the city caught in the aftermath of last night. Most ponies had turned in to pass out from last night although there were a few of those that never made it inside. She was the only out here at the moment; the others had already made their way to her airship.

Luckily, she didn’t have to look too far: the pile of passed out beasts was enough of a clue. In the midst of the bodies sat a small black figure. Typical… Tempest took a deep breath before shouting out, “ON YOUR FEET SOLDIERS, NOW!”

The snow beasts were used to reacting at a moment’s notice and it was slightly humorous to see Grubber fall onto his face. “W-What’s happening?” he asked groggily as he rubbed his head. “Ugh…sugar migraine…I overdid it again…”

“Glad to have you back with us Grubber,” Tempest said. She then looked to the others. “Now listen up, I’m not going to ignore the obvious: the Storm King is dead and while he may not have formally announced it, I have technically assumed control of his armies and fleet. However, I can be lenient and if you wish to leave now and go on your own way, I will not stop you. But I will need your help. We’re pulling out of the territories that the Storm King has conquered. All of them. Again, if anyone wishes to stay here and be done with all of this, step forward.”

However, not one of them stepped forward. Tempest smiled slightly. “Very well, let us be off then. Send word to the other ships, we make way for Abyssinia.” She turned around and marched forward, the others quickly following in step.

Grubber settled for sitting on her back, not that Tempest minded. “So uh…we’re really going through with all this?”

“We have to make things right,” Tempest said. It almost felt strange to say now. “Not just for me, but for everyone…”

It felt strange to be boarding a ship that only two days ago was constantly giving chase to them, more so standing next to the snow creatures that pretty much tore up much of Canterlot, but Twilight and the others were used to this kind of thing now, working with former enemies. Crates were being loaded onto the ship, some which Twilight suspected contained belongings from Celaeno’s former ship. Other supplies, like food and water, were being loaded up as well. At Pinkie’s insistence, baked goods and lots of baking supplies were being loaded as well. Hopefully Celaeno and her crew don’t mind the lack of…whatever it is they ate on a regular basis, Twilight thought.

“I must say, while the architecture of this ship is simply astounding, the color is a bit…intimidating to say the least,” Rarity commented.

“Well yeah, that’s kind of the point,” Rainbow said. “Nothing says ‘I’m big and scary’ like black…though I have to admit I can’t believe the Storm King had such a large fleet.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised none of the princesses knew about him or his entire invasion plan, especially Princess Celestia,” Applejack said.

“Well, Abyssinia is pretty far off, on the other side of the ocean,” Twilight said. “Unfortunately, even my knowledge outside Equestria is pretty limited.”

“It’s a good thing you have an expert then,” Celaeno said, tipping her hat slightly with a grin. “Even when we weren’t the Storm King’s delivery boys, we’ve done enough sailing all across the continent, from Abyssinia to Zebrica.” She then glanced at Capper. “Must be nice to visit home huh?”

Capper suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Uh…why do you say that?”

“I’ve been to the capital plenty of times so it’s kinda easy to tell where you’re from.”

Capper chuckled. “Oh Captain, don’t you know it’s not nice to stereotype? Sure, most felines do come from there but our race pretty much spans all over the continent. But yes, Panthera was my home at a time. I haven’t been there in awhile as you girls probably could tell.”

“Ooh, now I’m very excited to see it,” Rarity gushed. “Going out of Equestria is one thing but to see a whole other continent, oh I simply can’t wait. Tell me Captain, is it anything like Canterlot here?”

Celaeno and Capper’s eyes met. She had seen plenty of the capital and while it has been awhile since she and her crew had last been there, it wasn’t under the best circumstances. The Storm King had a tight grip of most of the land, setting up puppet governments that answered to him. She had a feeling Capper was aware of this as well. “It’s…something alright.” As vague as it was, her answer seemed to be enough for the filly.

It wasn’t long before Tempest and Grubber showed up. “Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Tempest said. She then looked at the other mares. “I suppose there’s no way to get you girls to change your mind? This could be dangerous.”

“Like we haven’t faced danger before,” Rainbow scoffed.

“Rainbow is right,” Twilight said. “However, I believe a third party will be needed for talks…if there are any. Also, this gives us, and all of Equestria, a chance to have a voice in world affairs.” She then grinned. “After all, I’m not the Princess of Friendship just by name alone.”

After all that’s happened, and those six mares are the same as they’ve always been. Maybe I am underestimating them, Tempest thought. Or maybe they’ve truly seen their own share of hardships… “Very well, we’ll be on our way then. Half of the fleet will be returning to Bleak Valley. As for the rest of us, we’ll be heading to the capital city of Panthera in Abyssinia. Captain, how long do you think the journey will take?”

“Only about half a day, depending on what direction the wind blows,” Celaeno replied. “Out on the ocean the weather can be unpredictable too.”

“Then we should depart immediately if we want to reach the capital before nightfall,” Tempest said. She then addressed the storm creatures, telling them to take to their stations. The procedure was common practice for them and it wasn’t long before the ship was lifting off the ground. As they soon departed, many of the airships turned towards the south, while Tempest and the others maintained a course east.

It felt good to be in the air again. Tempest knew she wasn’t the only one since Celaeno and her crew had a certain gleam in their eyes. This was their life, their passion. As for Tempest, this was hardly a pleasure cruise…though she admitted once this was all done she could use a proper day of relaxation.

She paused in thought as she stared out on the main deck of the ship, looking towards the ever-continuing blue sky. It had only been a few hours since they left Canterlot and they were currently making their way across the Badlands. Everyone for the most part had settled down while her crew made sure the voyage was a smooth one.

As she was staring, a thought suddenly came to her. What was going to happen afterwards? It’s not like she could just go home…she hadn’t been home in…it felt way too long.

When she had left home, she knew her parents would’ve been upset and somehow it never bothered her. Perhaps they looked for her, but maybe in the end they had given up hope. As far as they knew, Fizzlepop Berrytwist was gone.

Every time she said that name, it felt foreign to her. Tempest Shadow was a name many knew (well, outside Equestria that is) and many feared. So why doesn’t she just get rid of it?

Because that filly is gone, she thought. Whatever was left of her was destroyed by the Storm King’s hand. Tempest is all that remains of me now, even if I’m no longer a cold-hearted pony. And yet, she wasn’t fully convinced of that. Tempest closed her eyes and once the wind died down she picked up two individuals in a discussion nearby.

“I have to say Captain, this truly is a mighty fine ship.” The voice belonged to Celaeno’s second-in-command, Mullet. “Though I have to admit, the Storm King’s choice in color is less than impressive.”

“Hmm…you may be right about that,” Celaeno replied. “But this is Tempest’s ship so we’re gonna respect whatever color scheme she likes. Still, maybe if I manage to butter her up a little, she might be willing to sell it off for a good price.” Tempest couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Begging your pardon ma’am but…you’ve been a little anxious almost all morning about something.”

Celaeno chuckled. “My facade is slipping again huh? Then again Mullet, how long have we been doing this?”

“Not long enough to settle down comfortably.”

Celaeno let out a sigh. “I think all of us are aware what happened to Panthera, well aside from those ponies.”

Tempest’s eyes suddenly shot open. What is she talking about?

“And we didn’t say anything why?”

“I think it’s better if they find out themselves…”

Tempest couldn’t concentrate on listening anymore and quite frankly, she was both confused and apprehensive. What did the Storm King do? She quickly made her way towards the cabin.

At that exact moment, the door opened and out came Grubber, helping himself to what appeared to be a scone. “Hey Tempest, have you tried that pink mare’s baking it’s-oof!” He was suddenly dragged towards her, scone still in his paw.

“We need to talk,” Tempest said.

“Uh…right now?” The hedgehog could tell the unicorn was upset and, from experience, that always meant a painful ending.

“What happened in Panthera?”

“…You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific.”

“The Storm King said he invaded the capital and plundered all their treasure. But that wasn’t the whole story was it?”

Now Grubber was starting to look uncomfortable, more so than usual. “Well…no.”

“I’m waiting.”

“He uh…you know that malachite you found?”

“Oh no…”

“Yeah, that’s where it came from. And once he got what he wanted, he just left…but not before burning the entire city down to the ground.”

Tempest couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She knew the Storm King could be unsympathetic, and sure stealing priceless artifacts was one thing, but to destroy an entire city? She felt like she was going to be sick. If the capital even still stood, the people there were going to run away in fear to avoid another onslaught.

“Why didn’t you tell me this!?” Tempest kept her voice down but the anger in it was quite clear.

“Because he made me not tell you.” Grubber sighed. “Look, I was just an underling when it all happened. I had nothing, but you already know this story. I didn’t understand it all at the time.”

Tempest had to take a deep breath to control herself. She couldn’t blame him; he was only following orders, what choice did he have? Unfortunately, the situation was much worse than she had planned. “A change of plans then,” she finally said. “We’ll have to keep the fleet back, mostly to avoid scaring off the residents. “If it’s only one ship, perhaps they won’t feel threatened.” Or so she hoped.

“And the others?”

That was another issue. If they found out the truth, would they blame her? Would they think twice about forgiving someone who once supported such a vile monster? “We say nothing…for now.” To be honest, she thought it better to speak to Twilight one on one about it. Surely she would understand…

Coincidentally, it was her that happened to come through the cabin door. “Oh there you are Tempest!” She then happened to notice the two of them were in discussion. “Um…am I interrupting something?”

Don’t just sit there Tempest, do something! “Oh uh, no!” She suddenly grabbed the scone out of Grubber’s paw and took a big bite. “Grubber just wanted me to try this scone! It’s…very good!” That last part wasn’t a lie, the scone was extraordinary.

Twilight giggled. “I’m sure Pinkie will appreciate hearing that. She made enough for the entire crew!”

“…Seriously?”

“Yeah, that mare works like crazy fast,” Grubber chimed in. “Not that I’m complaining though…”

“Well free to come in and have some,” Twilight said. “Of course, Pinkie isn’t just a good baker, she can make all sorts of things.”

Tempest was kind of hungry, even though the news before kind of soured her stomach. “Well…since you offered…”

“Great! Actually, I did want to talk to you Tempest. Capper filled me in a bit about Panthera and Abyssinia in general. I figured we should figure out a strategy on how we can help the people there and of course build relations.”

Tempest almost put a hoof to her face. Of course the cat would know about all that. But did he tell her what really happened? “Uh…when you say help…?”

“Well, I’m not sure if the Storm King had left any of his forces there to keep the city secure or not, but Abyssinia is a large country so I’m sure it’ll be an issue getting all of those troops out of there in such a short amount of time.”

So he didn’t tell her. Was everyone trying to avoid the issue or did they just not want to traumatize these girls? Tempest didn’t care anymore, she had to tell Twilight, but not here. “Very well, how about we discuss it in my personal quarters?”

“Great! I knew this would be a great idea. I do appreciate your help of course Tempest. I know it may be not be easy to convince everyone that you don’t support the Storm King’s actions but I promise I’ll do everything I can to put a good word in for you.”

“I appreciate that Twilight…” And I’m going to need it because we’re going to get nothing close to a warm reception…

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