The Armada Trilogy I: The Lieutenant

by TheMysteryMuffin

Twelve

Armada Occupied Kludgetown
Eight years after Tempest's arrival

"Faster, you miserable lot! Get those skiffs loaded, damn it! The Storm King didn't give you somewhere to stay for you to work slowly! You lot; run for Celestia's sake! You call yourselves ponies? Keep working!"

The Storm Guard swung his whip around in the air, before slashing it at the queue of ponies. The slaves were loading boxes and dangerous weapons onto the hundreds of different skiffs that were all lined up in a row, in the blazing hot sun. The unicorns, who had to wear the spell-prevention masks, suffered from their muzzles sweating underneath the burning metal of the mask.

One teenage colt was busy building a wall along with his older sister, constantly being watched by a scary-looking Storm guard. The colt and teenage mare were both pegasi and had to use their own hooves to lift up the heavy bricks that the Storm guards had provided with them. The colt kept looking at the guard, afraid that he would snap and do something harmful towards, which of course would increase the constant pain of the two ponies. They had to be careful when they were loading the bricks onto the wall, as some bricks would fall to the floor and smash loudly onto the concrete floor.

It was loud and busy in the loading bay. The sound of chains, skiffs taking off and cries from tortured ponies destroyed the silence from what the historical market town used to be. There would be skiffs constantly arriving and leaving in the parking bays, waiting to be either loaded or unloaded by the slaves. Crates, containers and large metal boxes were collected and moved around in the airport. The sound of the engines would drown anything the guards would say to the slaves, making it difficult for the ponies to understand and result in them getting beaten even more.

Meanwhile, in the entertainment building, about three hundred metres from the main loading bay, a crimson unicorn was being walked through crowds of slaves, attached to a chain on her mask, by a Storm guard. The mask had two tiny eye-holes, which glowed light blue. She was covered with scars, bandages and light but strong pony armour, which covered her main body. On her hooves were aluminium boots, that made a clanging noise whenever they would hit the ground, and her tail was all knotted up, along with her mane which had been shaved and cut short, however, a tiny ponytail still remained at the back of her head.

"Make way! Make way! Private coming through!"

The Storm guard pushed aside the slaves using his giant arms, not caring what sort of reaction he got. Ponies yelped from when the Storm guards moved past and stepped on their hooves and chains. They continued waving their way through the busy port of the Armada, towards the entertainment arena, where hundreds and hundreds of ponies were waiting for the fight to begin. Many of the those who were sitting on the benches watching what was happening had most of their manes shaved off and metal pieces embedded into their skin, where some of their flesh had been taken out, either from torture or the element of fighting in wars and battles. The environment was noisy and the chanting of ponies made the situation even more intense for Celaeno, who was waiting in the arena.

She was older now and had grown in height. Her feathers had grown back and on top of her head was an Armada trademarked bandana. A giant scar which started from just above her eye, that went down her face, over her beak and ended at her feathery chin. Her claws and feet were covered with metal armour and wiring, that covered all areas of skin. Her eyes were filled with water and the element of fear. There was no happiness inside Celaeno anymore. The many years of slavery had taken a toll on her mind, causing her to suffer from nightmares and see things which others couldn't. She had even been seen by a mental health doctor, who could only give her some advice for her condition.

"Try not to work too hard, Celaeno. You're killing yourself slowly at the moment. The Storm King should immediately put you into intensive care and education as soon as possible... otherwise, you will die."

Tempest gasped underneath her mask and turned to head back, but the Storm guard pushed her further into the arena, causing the unicorn mare to fall flat on her face. Tempest got back on her hooves and tried to look clearly through the tiny eye holes and target Celaeno, her opponent. Her horn lit up in anger and rage. All of a sudden, for the first time since she lost her horn, she could feel great power through her horn. It was like an addiction, ready to burst from its limit.

Without warning, Tempest rammed into Celaeno, throwing her to the ground and punching her in the chest. The crowd screamed, cheered and roared in admire for Tempest and chanted along whilst watching.

"Tempest! Tempest! Tempest!"

Celaeno scratched as much as she could all along Tempest's mask, making an ear-piercing sound when she dug her claws into the damaged metal. Tempest screamed, as the metal squashed against her skin and Celaeno's claws went into her cheek, causing another injury.

"Celaeno! It's me. Your friend, Tempest!"

But Celaeno didn't listen. She jumped into the air and kicked Tempest in the jaw. The force of the kick made the mask on Tempest's face shake and press further into her skin. The metal was slowly digging into her flesh, like a sword slicing against someone's chest in combat. Tempest screamed at the top of her lungs, making the crowd stamp their hooves and shout louder in admire.

"Get on your feet, bird-brain!" one stallion cried, "Are you a parrot or a pigeon?"

Celaeno spat in disgust on the ground, before getting back on her feet and looking back directly at Tempest, who was backing away slowly.

"They've... they've changed you... listen to me Celaeno!" Tempest cried, "LISTEN TO ME!"

Celaeno then sprinted towards Tempest like a runner on a race track. The unicorn could only shake her rotting body like a rattlesnake in response but then thought of an idea. If she could only manage a way to get the mask off her face, then she could use it as a weapon and win the fight somehow. Perhaps banging her head against the floor or when ramming into Celaeno like a bull in a Spanish bullfight. However, Tempest only had a few seconds to make up her decision, as Celaeno had just leapt into the air and was heading straight into Tempest. If she could get her mask off, then Celaeno would stop fighting her.

Celaeno landed right on top of Tempest. The force made Tempest bang her head again on the ground. In fact, the force was so strong that it made the back of the mask split in half, making it hang from Tempest's face. Her broken horn poked out from a tiny hole in the mask, which then buzzed with an electrical magical current. It glowed a blue-green colour each time it sparked again, becoming more powerful each time.

"What's happened to you?" Celaeno asked Tempest, "I thought we were friends?"

Tempest could only stare at her friend. She gasped for air, before falling unconscious.

Two Storm guards went over and picked Tempest up, carrying her out of the arena and through the sea of slaves crying out for more entertainment, only to be ignored by their masters. Celaeno soon regretted her choice of words and decided to get up and go over and talk to her only friend.

"Tempest!" she cried, "Tem-!"

But Celaeno was soon cut off when two more Storm guards grabbed hold of her and dragged her out of the hot, sweaty and very loud building...

---

Tempest was led to the Storm King's giant apartment that was plonked on top of the skiff-port. It was the second-biggest building in the Armada camp, just slightly smaller than the Canterlot castle, and was continuously patrolled by Storm Guards twenty-four hours a day. Over time, the camp had grown in size to fit its slave capacity and had become an industrial estate. It was like a little city, plonked in between the desert that led to Equestria and the lands beyond, and even had its own nationality.

The Storm Armada.

It even had its own motto in Latin;

Si tamen plures sunt, unum sumus.

When translated to British-English, it said the following;

"Though we are many, we are one."*

Tempest noticed this on the walls of almost every building, wall, house, entertainment block and slaughtering house in the city. The words were placed underneath the Armada symbol and were lit up by blue LED lights. Over the years, the Armada had stolen magical electricity from other civilizations, including its base in Kludgetown. Even though scientific technology had caught up, some of the poorer states in Equestria and other countries were still running on centuries-old machinery.

The guards dragged Tempest along the floor as if she was just a mere corpse. They went past the restricted section of the apartment and eventually reached the front door of the building, where the sounds of a tantrum from the Storm King could be heard from outside. A loud smash followed, of which it sounded as if a chair had just been thrown against the wall and smashed into pieces of wood. Tempest couldn't see a window or a keyhole to look through into the Storm King's office, however, she didn't need to, as one of the guards knocked on the door, which was followed by a short silence.

Suddenly, the sound of the Storm King settling back into his throne was the next thing that Tempest could hear and knew that she was indeed expected.

"Bring her in here!" the Storm King ordered.

The guards opened the heavy doors, which revealed the beautifully decorated bedroom of the Storm King. Two thrones were placed directly opposite each other, of which one was ready for Tempest to sit down on. Before she could say or do anything, the Storm guards pushed her further into the room and placed her on in the chair. They then waited for further instructions from their leader.

"Take the mask off her."

The other Storm guard obeyed the Storm King's instructions and unlocked Tempest's mask off her face. When revealed, Tempest's mane had been shaved, leaving what looked like a Mahican, and a small strip of mane that poured down the back of her head, which was tied up into a ponytail, just like what she had as a filly. She had more scars on her face, but no one could match in size compared to the first scar that she got in the Ursa attack. There were stitches all over her body from training and fights that she had gotten into whilst training with the Storm King. Of course, her only "friend" was Celaeno, but after remembering what had happened back in the arena, it seemed unlikely that she was anymore.

Tempest didn't say anything at first. Her mind was full of hurtful things, including the time she was once ordered to execute an innocent civilian and torturing a mare for theft. The only thing that kept her sane were the memories of her family back in her birth village, however, even that seemed like it was only a dream. All Tempest could do was sit and wait for her sinister ruler to begin their conversation.

"Tea, perhaps?" the Storm King asked.

A grey, pegasus maid walked in with a tray of drinks and biscuits. Tempest hadn't seen food like that for the past eight years; she had been living on a diet of oats, pies and other disgusting types of meals, so to see a cookie was like seeing a banquet. The tray was parked next to the Storm King's desk and the maid then curtsied before the satyr before waiting for further orders.

"Bring a robe for our guest. She is cold and tired."

The maid left, allowing the Storm King to begin his discussion with Tempest.

"So, here we are then..." the Storm King began, "...eight years later. You and I have changed a lot, Tempest. You've become a proper mare, I am quite certain of that. Please, eat and drink. You may never have another chance..."

Tempest picked up a collection of treats onto a cake plate and scoffed down the food. She then found a bowl of milk with a straw and started drinking from that. She was so hungry and tired. The food felt so good in her body; it was a change from eating porridge and oats every day. Tempest also picked up an apple and munched into that along with her cookie, sucking in all the apple juice and taste that came with it.

The Storm King watched Tempest eat her way through the treats before he continued.

"Since I succeeded from my father, King Azagon, I have always wanted to make a powerful nation outside of Equestria. I am as old as Celestia. I have lived for centuries and have seen Equestria and its wastelands change dramatically. This land has had hundreds of rulers, including myself. However, there are a few things that I can't do anymore. I can no longer lead invasions or fight in my battles anymore, for I am old and badly wounded. You see what I'm saying, Tempest? I have to lead a hundred armies, all of which under the fierce power of the Armada!"

Tempest continued listening. The Storm King then stared at her, before rising to his feet and banging his fist on the desk in fury, which made Tempest jump back.

"DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING?!"

In response, Tempest nodded quickly. The words were lost from her mouth. She could only listen. Her mouth only begged for more food. Tempest leaned down and ate more from her plate.

"So, I've decided that I must step down as commander, and replace myself with a second-in-command whilst marching through the fierce lands of Equestria. They will lead the army through valleys and cities such as the famous Canterlot. I will be stationary in the Armada, whilst my army is destroying everything in their path, ready for my new empire. That commander will be seen as the most powerful creature in this miserable, stinking world, and I will, as King of the Armada, bow down to them as my leader."

"And... who might that be, my king?"

"You, Tempest."

There was nothing that Tempest could say. Her body had become numb and she had turned as white as a sheet. Nothing could compare to how she was feeling, even the day when she lost her horn in that cave whilst trying to get her friends' ball didn't match the amount of stress and confusion that was going through her brain. The power of a thousand armies was close to being in her hooves. She would become the most powerful creature to ever step hoof in Equestria and she would be worshipped as a god. The only thing that she would have to do, was to agree to what the Storm King was offering.

"Me?!" Tempest asked in shock, "But... I've only been training for eight years! I'm nowhere near as experienced as your other soldiers! What... what will I even be?"

The Storm King pointed to a mirror. Tempest got out of her chair and walked over to the mirror, where she stopped and stared at herself. Tempest couldn't understand what the Storm King was on about until he appeared behind her.

"I see a great leader in that mirror. I can see that this young mare has... talents, which I think anypony would find fantastic. Including, myself. I've known you since you were just ten years old. for eight years, I've found you to be a fantastic pony. I regret my actions towards you; you aren't like those weak ponies, are you?"

All of a sudden, all of the kindness and love had left Tempest like an illness that had been cured. Replacing those things were new thoughts of darkness and sinister memories. For the first time since they first met, the Storm King's heart had become warm again and so had Tempest's. It was replaced by something else.

Joy.

"I will promote you."

The Storm King was just about to leave, but was stopped by Tempest.

"To what?" she asked. The Storm King gave a cunning grin and turned around to face Tempest.

"To my Lieutenant."

Author's Note:

*used from the Christian song Though We Are Many by Tom Inglis.

I'm trying to get the story moving now, which is why there may be a long wait in between new chapters being uploaded. This is my first story on FiMfiction anyway, so Armada: Volume II should be better in description and writing style.

Finally, I promise that these stories will not be clopfics because I can't write erotic fiction. There will be only a few innuendos, but other than that the story's clean. And the odd romantic scene will be short and not the main centre of the storyline.

Comments

[TheMysteryMuffin]

Okay, honestly, I'm not surprised that Chapter Twelve got so many dislikes. It was a bad chapter and it lacked any effort. I promise that Chapter Thirteen will be better and will make up for the crappy chapter before that. I'm avoiding the romance as much as possible. Besides, the Storm King is like hundreds of years old and Tempest is eighteen, so yeah.

No romance from here onwards. You're not getting that in the Armada Trilogy, that's for sure! Again, if you thought that Twelve was bad, then Thirteen will hopefully save you! Thanks to everyone who either liked or disliked the story. If I didn't receive dislikes, then I wouldn't improve!

[Texus]

"Celaeno! It's me. Your friend, Tempest!"

the one that is hurting you right now, why are you doing this to me?

"What's happened to you?" Celaeno asked Tempest, "I thought we were friends?"

I'm reading a bit fast now, but I'm confused because they both act as if it is the other one that has the problem.