A New Era

by Bluecatcinema

Dark Tides (Part One)

Princess Skystar of the Hippogriffs was on her usual afternoon flight around Mount Aeris, and, as per usual, enjoying every second of it.

"WOO-HOOO!!" She cheered as she happily flew around the curvature of the mountain.

Despite it being some time since the Hippogriffs had returned to the surface, Skystar still celebrated every moment she was free to soar through the skies - mostly because her royal duties had doubled since then.

After the Storm King's defeat, Queen Novo had decided that she and Skystar would split their time between those subjects of theirs who had chosen to return to Mount Aeris, and those who had elected to remain Seaponies. She had said that it was only fair that all their subjects enjoyed an equal amount of the royal family's attention (though Skystar privately suspected part of this decision was due to her mother not being willing to say goodbye to Jamal the octopus' seaweed wraps).

Skystar had no complaints, though. During their time underwater, she had more disliked the idea of being trapped than the water itself, so she was okay with regular trips below. But no matter what, Skystar always found the time for a flight.

"Hello, clouds!" She waved as she flew around the mountain, taking in all the sights. "Hello, seagulls, hello dolphins! Beautiful day, isn't it?"

The seagull flock that was flying nearby squawked, while a dolphin leapt out of the water, almost as if in response to Skystar's words.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly!" Skystar chuckled, playing along with the idea.

As her wings started to grow tired, Skystar decided to take a little break; she landed on a ridge on the north side of the mountain, not too far from Harmonizing Heights.

"Ahh..." She sighed, laying down on the grass and letting the warm sun cascade over her. "Could life be any more perfect than this?"

Skystar spent the next ten minutes gazing up at the sky, thinking about what the clouds above looked like to her: salmon, carrot dogs, oddly-shaped pillows...

'SNAP!'

All of a sudden, the sound of a twig breaking snapped Skystar out of her activity. She sprang upright and looked in the direction of the sound.

"Hello?" She called out. "Anycreature there?"

Aside from a few birds and bunnies, the area was devoid of any other creatures.

"Maybe I've been out here too long." She shrugged. "I've started hearing things..."

As she made to return home, Skystar spotted something close by her hooves; a package wrapped in brown paper, with a note attached to it with string.

"What the...?" She frowned. She looked around once more, but was still unable to spot any who could have left the package.

Skystar picked up the package and shook it. There was no rattling sound, suggesting that whatever was inside was fairly solid, or had little in the way of loose innards. Skystar then extracted the note. The writing was rough and untidy, possibly written with a piece of charcoal. It said:

To Queen Novo

From an old friend

"Okay..." Skystar tilted her head quizzically. "Guess whoever wrote this has never heard of the post office." She shrugged flippantly as she returned the note to its proper place. "No problem. I'll just deliver this to mom myself!"

With that, Skystar took flight once again, making her way to the royal palace. Along the way, she flew through the village, which was bustling with Hippogriff activity. Several were, of course, also flying, requiring Skystar to alter her course somewhat.

"'Scuse me! Comin' through!" She called, ducking and weaving around her subjects.

The populace were largely unaffected by Skystar's appearance, being well used to their princess's exuberance. Some were actually amused by her antics, especially Sky Beak and Terramar.

"Cutting your afternoon flight short today, Skystar?" Sky Beak called out. "What's the occasion?"

"Let's just say I have to see my mom!" Skystar called back, as she swooped toward the royal palace. "Later, uncle Sky Beak!"

"Later!" Sky Beak chuckled, admiring his niece's enthusiasm.

"Say hi to aunt Novo for me!" Terramar added.

"Will do, cuz!" Skystar nodded.

The royal palace had naturally been abandoned and left to rot when the Storm King's invasion had forced the Hippogriffs to flee, but now it was shiny and gleaming, as splendorous as it had ever been. Once she reached the main doors, Skystar zoomed in and rocketed through the corridors, narrowly managing to avoid crashing into surprised servants and guards as she zeroed in on her ultimate destination.

In the throne room, Queen Novo was attending to her royal duties. A few guards and servants were scattered across the room, all standing to attention.

"Don't forget, your highness, you have a ribbon-cutting at the new restaurant tomorrow." Novo's aide, a mint green stallion by the name of Reed, informed her. "And after that, a meeting with the board of commerce regarding this year's import/export summary."

"Very good." Novo nodded curtly. "Let them know I'll be there."

"As you wish, your majesty." Reed nodded, jotting down the information on his notepad.

At that moment, Skystar burst into the throne.

"Hey, mom!" She called. "You'll never guess what!"

"Skystar, honey, we've been over this." Novo sighed. "When you're in the throne room, try to use your indoor voice."

"Oh, sorry." Skystar grinned contritely. "But I didn't just drop by to make noise."

"That'd be a first." Novo joked.

"Ha, ha..." Skystar pouted sarcastically. "Anyway, I found this package." She held up the mystery object. "And it's addressed to you."

"It is?" Novo frowned, casting a skeptical eye upon the package. "Let's take a look..."

Skystar handed the package to her mother, who scrutinized it carefully. She removed the note and looked with a grimace at the uneven writing.

"Very odd..." She mused.

Putting the note aside, Novo proceeded to open the package. Skystar watched, barely able to contain her excitement at what the mystery item could be.

When the last of the paper had been torn away, what was left was a medallion of some sort; fashioned from a dark gray metal, and emblazoned with a curious symbol, one which looked like a pair of Hippogriff wings pointing straight upward, but with no body attached to them.

"Well, that's kinda disappointing." Skystar pouted as she looked upon the medallion. "I excepted a gift meant for the queen to be something a little more fancy, a little more grand. Know what I mean, mom? ...Mom?"

Receiving no answer, Skystar turned to look at her mother... and saw her wearing an expression of abject horror. The eight of it sent chills down Skystar's spine.

"Mom?" Skystar said nervously. "What's wrong? Why do you look so scared? ...Do you know what this is?" She pointed at the medallion. "You do, don't you?"

For several agonising seconds, Novo still did not answer, her frightened gaze fixed on the medallion. Then suddenly, she snapped out of her fearful stupor, her expression turning to one of grim caution.

"Where did you get this?" She asked her daughter.

"I found it on a cliff by Harmonizing Heights." Skystar answered. "I was just lying there, watching the clouds, when I heard a noise. Funny thing is, there was nocreature there. But when I turned around, I found that thing just sitting there. Kinda weird, if you ask me..."

"You didn't see anycreature around?" Novo urged her to confirm. "Nocreature at all?"

"Not a one." Skystar nodded.

Novo fell silent once more, her expression unreadable.

"Captain Skyranger." She finally spoke once again.

"Yes, your highness?" Stratus Skyranger stepped forward.

"Escort Princess Skystar to her room." Novo ordered.

"Wait, what?" Skystar did a double take.

"Effective immediately, the Princess will not be allowed to leave this palace without a guard escort." Novo continued. "Furthermore, she will not be permitted to venture any further than the outskirts of the village."

"Hold on a second!" Skystar yelled indignantly, outraged by all the sudden new restrictions on her movements.

"As you command, Queen Novo." Stratus bowed.

"I-I don't understand." Skystar spluttered. "Mom, what's going on?"

"Never you mind, Skystar." Novo said bluntly. "Now, go to your room."

"But, mom-" Skystar started.

"For once, will you please just do as I say?!" Novo erupted, a mixture of anger and worry in her voice.

Skystar stood in place, absolutely stunned. She couldn't remember the last time her mother had yelled at her like that. Novo seemed to have realized her outburst was indeed a bit much; she took a deep, calming breath before speaking again.

"I'm sorry." Novo apologized. "I didn't mean to yell."

"Just... just tell me what's going on." Skystar pleaded. "Please, mom..."

"It's nothing you need to be concerned about." Novo said bluntly. "It's my problem, not yours."

"It sure doesn't seem that way to me..." Skystar muttered under her breath.

"Please, Skystar." Novo looked her daughter in the eye, concern and worry in her own. "I promise I'll explain all of this to you someday. But for now, trust that I know what I'm doing. And please... just do as I say."

Skystar wanted to argue more, but the look in her mother's eyes shook her to the core.

"...O-okay, mom..." She finally gave in.

"That's my girl." Novo nodded, smiling a hollow smile. "Now get going. Momma's got a lot of important business to get back to."

"Come along, Princess." Stratus urged.

Without another word, Skystar followed Stratus out of the room, still struggling to understand what had just happened.

Once Skystar had departed, the hollow smile fell from Novo's face, replaced by a look of stern determination. She turned the medallion around in her claws, and saw another note taped to the back. Removing the note, she perused the charcoal scrawl written upon it. None of the words were particularly encouraging, but it was the final three that truly filled her with dread:

See you soon

Suppressing a shudder, Novo turned to face Reed.

"Send a message to Equestria at once." She ordered. "Inform Princess Twilight that Queen Novo requires her assistance on an extremely urgent matter."

"Yes, your highness." Reed nodded, readying some paper and a quill.

Novo turned her attention to the remaining guards.

"And starting right now, I decree that the guard presence around the palace will be tripled." She commanded. "I don't want to see so much as a mouse approach without somecreature knowing about it, clear."

"Yes, your highness!" The guards chorused.

"Good." Novo said quietly. "A good start, at least..."

Meanwhile, Skystar walked into her room.

"Sorry about this, your highness." Stratus apologised. "But orders are orders."

"It's okay, Captain Skyranger." Skystar said fairly. "I understand."

With a grateful smile, Stratus closed the door.

With a sigh, Skystar walked around her room.

"It's déjà vu all over again." She shook her head.

Stopping at her dresser, Skystar looked at the two clamshells sitting upon it, clamshells she had attached googly eyes to.

"Oh, Shelly, Sheldon, how did it come to this?" She asked her formerly constant companions. "All of a sudden, I'm trapped again. At least before, I knew why mom was keeping me confined. But she's not telling me anything..."

Skystar walked over to her bedroom window, hoping that she would see only blue skies outside. Those hopes were dashed when she was greeted by the sight of two guards holding a mid-air vigil right outside.

"Oh." She groaned, disappointed but not surprised. "Hi, guys." She waved halfheartedly. "Hope you're having fun out there. Somecreature has to..."

With little else to do other than wallow in her newfound confinement, Skystar lay on her bed with Shelly and Sheldon, hoping against hope that the rest of the day would somehow fly by, and she could go to bed. Unfortunately, she was in for another disappointment...

Three Days later...

Skystar was in the dining room, finishing up her breakfast. Despite it just being days since Novo had inexplicably ordered that her freedom be restricted, she was barely able to withstand the monotony her life had gained.

"Okay, I'm done with breakfast." She called out to a nearby Sky Beak (who had been assigned to watch over her for the day). "Getting ready to leave the room now! Like I somehow can't go anywhere by myself anymore..."

"I know you're frustrated, Skystar." Sky Beak said fairly. "But I'm sure your mom has a good reason for all this."

"If she does, then she's determined to keep it to herself." Skystar pouted. "So I get to be stuck having a foalsitter everyday, and I don't even know why."

Sky Beak didn't like to see his niece so upset.

"Tell you what, why don't we go take a walk into the village?" He offered. "You can get some fresh air, see the sights, maybe visit Terramar..."

"I guess it's better than nothing." Skystar shrugged. "...Thanks, uncle Sky Beak."

"Anytime." Sky Beak smiled. "Now let's get going."

"Lead the way, my royal guard escort." Skystar joked.

Meanwhile, Novo was in the throne room. She was still on edge, barely able to focus on the paperwork she was poring over.

"New fountain for the village square? Sure." She muttered, barely invested in what she was reading. "New wing for the Museum of Hippogriff Heritage? Why not?"

With what she had read in the note still weighing on her mind, everything else seemed small and inconsequential in comparison.

Her attention was drawn by the opening of the doors. Twilight entered the room, joined by Flash Sentry and Stratus.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle has arrived, your highness." Stratus announced.

"Thank you, Stratus." Novo nodded. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Princess Twilight."

"For an ally of Equestria, it's no trouble." Twilight nodded. "Your summons sounded urgent, but not very forthcoming. What's the trouble?"

"The trouble is an old threat from my past." Novo revealed. "A threat I thought had disappeared... Until he saw fit to send me a 'gift'. This threat is highly dangerous, and knows this palace like the back of his claw. He won't stop until a powerful Hippogriff artefact is in his possession. And I have no doubt he will use this power to lay waste to Mount Aeris. That's part of the reason I asked you to come here; to help protect this artefact."

"I'll do whatever I can to help." Twilight nodded. "But I need to know: who is this threat to Mount Aeris?"

"Somecreature I once cared for." Novo revealed. "Somecreature who was practically family to me. Somecreature who betrayed my family. Who took somecreature very special away from me. My late husband's brother: Typhoon."

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

My late husband's brother: Typhoon

Why do I get the feeling Typhoon has some connection to whatever happened to Novo's husband?

[Yoshifan30]

"Hello, clouds!" She waved as she flew around the mountain, taking in all the sights. "Hello, seagulls, hello dolphins! Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Wow she really miss being up in the sky so much poor girl

[Yoshifan30]

"Escort Princess Skystar to her room." Novo ordered.

Well that freedom was short while it was lasted for Skystar

[Yoshifan30]

Oh wow this is getting very interesting and kind of scary at the same time so it looks like skystars is enjoying her Freedom outside of the water and she's been waiting for this for a long time but then she had a special delivery from an unknown creature apparently it's for Queen Novo so she delivered the package to her mother and once she did she showed her the package and they open it apparently it was a medallion which apparently Queen Novo knows who Could That Be and unfortunately she was scared that she knows somebody who will threaten them and she wants princess skystar in her room being protected which she was not too happy how about this it's basically Deja Vu again for the past 3 days she's been very impatient what is going on and something tells me she's going to learn that sooner or later so Queen Novo sent an SOS to Twilight and once she got there she told her what is going on and apparently something has to do about her husband and the husband's brother name typhoon is the one threatening to the family and try to steal the artifact of the hippogriffs I wonder how they're going to stop him I guess we'll find out next time

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Wow, this is interesting. We have an arc focusing on the Royal Hippogriff family. Skystar and Novo both sadly dropped off the radar after the movie like the other movie characters (aside from a brief cameo), so this is a great idea to give them some focus and a look into their background.

So, Novo's late husband (sorry for her loss) has a brother, Typhoon. Why do I have a bad feeling things between them went similarly to how it did with Mufasa and Scar?

[Melody Song]

Oh wow, twist!!!

I wish Novo would tell Skystar about this though. Speaking from personal experience as a teenager, often times we more readily obey orders given to us like that when we know why they're being given, especially if they don't seem to have a reason