Tempest Shadow is now back at home with her parents, but an evil entity is coming to destroy everything she now has... including her family.
The Armada Trilogy: Vol. III
Unicorn's Horn
In the third and final instalment in The Armada Trilogy, Tempest Shadow is now back safe in her home town along with her parents and friends. But not everything is all that it seems.
There is one last mystery that is still yet uncovered. When past and present collide, Twilight, Tempest, Celestia and the rest of their friends need to prevent the worst possible scenario. As well as finally being reunited with her family, Tempest learns the truth about who she is, which completes and concludes this trilogy.
"Come on, soldier! Get back on those hooves! Serve your king and the Armada!"
The once peaceful and beautiful red desert was now a war zone. Its vast emptiness had been now filled with blood, violence, hatred and greed, now unrecognisable from being a civilisation. Miles and miles of sand, hills of it reaching up high, like mountains overlooking the land. Its crimson shade reflected in the sunlight. There was nothing, apart from war. A war which seemed to last a lifetime. The oncoming wave of attacks from the other side was like a concrete wall being thrown into the Armada's army. It seemed hopeless, but nonetheless, the Armada pressed on.
The sky was red, like the colour of blood that had been wasted across the battlefield. It had been a familiar sight for the Armada and the opposition; both sides were equally losing. No progress had been made in days. Each side had barely achieved an inch of land per day, pushing back their enemy but only to be pushed back themselves. This was an endless and pointless battle to every creature involved, apart from the leaders on each side who insisted that this blood-filled battle would eventually end with their victory. But regardless of how much each side had gained in this fearsome battle, it had been carnage for every creature.
Each side had trenches buried deep into the ground, with ramps and ladders leading up to the level ground. They were the only shelter for the occupants that were trapped from the oncoming shell fire from the other side. Blasts of magic were fired across the battlefield and crashed into defence towers on the other side, causing huge explosions and fragments of wood being fired off into some of the defenders trying to hold back the opposition. Rain of fire was being flown over the scene, taking down more defences and some of its armed forces.
Fizzlepop Berrytwist, or Tempest Shadow as she was now called, was crawling along the mud-filled ground, trying to advance towards the enemy on the other side. She was sticking to the mud, which held her down to the ground like a predator capturing its prey. Tempest had a long rod in her hooves, which she used to fight off enemies, but even that wasn't enough to help her get through the sticky mud.
Looking up, Tempest saw her commander standing on the sandbanks, waving his weapon around. As she tried to get out of the mud, Tempest watched as the black-coat earth pony defended himself from enemy soldiers coming up towards him. He struck a pegasus in the chest and threw him over his head. The pegasus landed next to Tempest, who screamed as she watched him slowly sink into the sand, head first. After witnessing that horrific scene, Tempest galloped towards the top level of the battlefield and tried to look for anywhere which she could be to protect herself from the oncoming blasts of magic.
As Tempest galloped through the mud-filled, deep and wide trenches, she heard the oncoming wiz of missiles being shot towards her and the rest of the Armada. The orange and white lights of an explosion appeared in the corner of her eyes, as she heard some of the Armada's army being blown up being her. Debris flew into the air and bolts of magic were being fired across one end of the battlefield to the other. The mud splattered over Tempest's face, as she watched both armies fall in great defeat.
A defeat for both sides.
There was a sudden wave of nausea that hit Tempest, as she laid on the ground, watching the blurry images of fire, shadowy figures fighting and bright explosions that consumed some troopers from her view. Scenes of pegasi and Armada ships falling down from the sky were something that Tempest didn't want to see. She hoped that she would be able to retreat back to the Armada's base along with her friends. Well, some of her friends.
The sky was hidden from the grey clouds, with the exception of the odd flash of lightning and the orange light of either weapon being fired or skiffs being blown up. One skiff started to make its way back to one end of the battlefield but was caught in a shot of magic, which caused it to go up in bright purple flames, before crashing down to the ground. Several soldiers were caught underneath and went down along with the skiff.
"I can see the other side! Come on, you lot! We're almost -!"
A giant explosion erupted right where the commanding officer stood. It shot up into the air, a tower of fire reaching into the sky. Debris flew everywhere, like fire raining down on the armies. The skiff made its way deep down into the ground, its engines still on forcing it to go further into the lifeless rock in which Tempest was standing on. She could only watch as her commanding officer vanished in the explosion and the inflamed skiff slowly sunk halfway into the ground.
As Tempest tried to make her way around the crash site of the skiff, she saw five bright white lights flashing in the sky. They were so bright, that Tempest had to cover her eyes as she looked up. She noticed that one of the five skiffs was much larger, as it made its way over the battlefield and towards the enemy. With its large banners and ego-centric appearance, Tempest knew very well who was inside it.
With the Storm King coming to help push the Armada through the ongoing and never-ending battle, things looked good for Tempest. She had a sudden wave of hope and strength left inside of her as she looked up in the sky. But yet, Tempest could still feel the oncoming waves of magic blasts from the other side. One narrowly missed her head; she could feel the heat of the magic fly past her fur. It almost felt as if it was burning her skin, the magic leaving a painful mark across her cheek.
The dust cleared and Tempest's vision focused on the other side. There was now nothing left. It had become lifeless; not much moved, apart from the odd bird that flew across the mud-filled fields and some of the casualties crawling across the ground, trying to escape from the clenches of the Storm King's goons. Above her, Tempest could hear the engines of the skiffs, as they slowly began to lower themselves to the ground. Tempest had become so weak, that as she tried to get up and make her escape from the oncoming skiffs, she fell face-first into the mud and slowly sank into the gloopy ooze.
"Lifeless. Wasteful. Weak."
After the rain started to come down and the battle had ceased, the larger skiff landed on solid ground. By that time, almost all creatures from the opposing side had either ran off, been captured or killed. The ground was still. There were bodies covering the ground, piling up and up as many of the Storm guards picked them up one by one. Only the Armada was left standing, along with its ego-centric and ruthless leader, the Storm King.
The yak-like creature towered over all his occupants, even the large goons who walked alongside him. With long legs, sharp claws, two large black horns with faint blue lines crawling across them, and a crown in the middle, the Storm King looked menacing. His temper was short; he growled as he walked over the still wastelands, seeing the destruction he had made and that there was little to nothing else left. Everything he saw now no longer existed. The ground was dead and the only thing that was moving was the wind in the distance; dead trees shook in its gentle breeze and flags left abandoned on poles flapped.
"Why must I waste what I have on these empty lands? Does every creature simply fear me now? Is there no challenger left for me to fight against?"
Squelch!
The Storm King stomped his clawed foot into a deep puddle, his fur stained with dirty water. He growled, the cold wind blowing into his face. The ground was muddy and was almost flooded. It was only on the mounds of earth that the ground was hard and crunched under the feet of the Storm King. He looked around quietly, his blue eyes moving left to right as if they were scanning something.
Something then caught the Storm King's eye, hiding underneath a large pile of debris, mainly concrete. There was slight movement from under the rocks and the unmistakable sound of whimpering of a creature. The Storm King tilted his head and stood still for a moment. He then, slowly, walked towards the pile of concrete, listening carefully to the whimpering. The Storm King could also hear within the whimpering the sound of crying, although it was very quiet. Squatting down, the Storm King slid his claws underneath the concrete and with a slight groan, he lifted it up and pushed the debris to the side, before reaching down and clasping the pony's head tightly.
Tempest gasped for air as she was lifted from the ground. Her face was covered with dirt and blood and had her eyes half-open, half-closed. She lacked any life in her eyes. They were barely blinked and moved very slowly. Tempest vision was cloudy and she could only see the outline of the Storm King, his blue menacing eyes staring back at her. She gasped, her expression changing to a frown.
"You didn't need to find me, your majesty."
The Storm King also frowned, but then grinned mischievously. "Oh really, Tempest? Even though I came to save you?"
With the snap of his claws, two Storm guards stomped up behind the Storm King and grasped hold of Tempest. The Storm King let go of her head and stood back, letting the Storm guards lower Tempest down and strapping her into a patient bed. Tempest looked up at the Storm King, almost growling.
"I had them on the run. We were almost there. It was just an explosion, nothing else! I... ah!"
Tempest groaned in pain, clutching her stomach as if she was going to vomit. Her head was bleeding slowly and she looked as if she had lost her strength from the explosion. A muzzled mare unicorn nurse started tending to Tempest's wounds.
"You can't win every battle without my help, Tempest. Get to the programme already! Only I have the power to give you the strength to defeat my enemies!"
With a frustrated huff, Tempest scrunched up her face and looked away from the Storm King. Immediately afterwards, the medical team and two Storm guards rushed Tempest off to the Storm King's skiff, pushing her up the ramp and into the cargo basement. Tempest lifted her head up, only to see the silhouette of the Storm King at the opening hatch to the skiff and his ghost-like blue eyes piercing back at her.
The Storm King then clambered up the ramp and turned around, seeing the land that had once been covered with green fields and life buzzing in it, which had now become nothing but dust and devastation. He stood on the ramp, holding his staff in one claw and the other leaning on the interior of the skiff. No creature spoke a word during that journey. The atmosphere was very cold and grey, like every ounce of life had been sucked out and there was nothing but an empty space left. He looked down at Tempest, who laid silently as she was attended by a nurse.
From inside the skiff, there was the loud rumbling sound of wind rattling against the walls and engines. A storm had begun and it wasn't long until the rain, lightning and thunder started. Deep into the dark abyss, the skiff flew at full force right past the thick, black storm clouds. And before any creature could look twice, the Storm King and his fierce fleet faded away in the darkness of the oncoming storm...
The name of Mrs Berrytwist's home village was pretty much a summary of where exactly she had lived all her life. Boggy lands, ponds full of frogs, moss growing everywhere. It wasn't really the first place that you would think of that a pony such as her would live. Except, Mrs Berrytwist, like almost every resident, had been living in that small village for all of her life. There was nothing too extraordinary, but a very normal home. It was no wonder that she had never left.
Mrs Berrytwist was a pony who did pretty much saw the same thing every day outside her bedroom window; the dark green trees hanging over her house like arms reaching out to any expecting creature that comes in its way, the pink giant flowers that blossomed brightly along the pavement and dirt road, and the hummingbird that sung ever so sweetly in the same tree, on the same branch in her garden.
Mrs Berrytwist was a dark pinkish-red pony, with slender legs. Her mane was over her eyes, with her eyelashes fluttering every moment or so when the sun crept into her slight, and her personality had become almost completely silent. The only sound inside the house was when she leaned into the kitchen sink and splashed her hooves in the basin like a foal playing in the bath.
Mrs Berrytwist wasn't really washing up anything anymore. The last plates and cutlery from the evening meal were still floating around in the water. They were pretty much clean, but Mrs Berrytwist just stood there, on her hind legs and her front hooves in the sink, completely lost in her own world. Her concentration was a complete blur, her sight focused on the hummingbird singing away in the wind. As her ears picked up and listened to the musical tune, Mrs Berrytwist levitated the warm-soaked yellow sponge and started rubbing it over the surface of a plate. As usual, she was bored to death of the same day coming and going; her eyes had sunken and grown black rings around them.
The sound of a spade being dug into the ground came from the front garden, where a stallion with a very dark red coat was busy digging up a patch of vegetables and piling up the earth next to him. With a swipe on his forehead, the stallion breathed heavily after lifting up a heavy shovel repetitively. His expression was very grey, almost lifeless and he somehow blended into the background of the dull and quiet village where they lived. The little village that they called home.
It was very difficult to find anything inside the Berrytwist's family home that had life, energy and colour. The rooms were all practically the same, with the wallpaper slowly peeling away like memories fading into non-existence. It had been years since their little cottage had any restoration work done. Time had just passed on and things were soon forgotten. Even the bedroom at the front of the house which was the brightest of all the rooms had become filled with dust and grime.
Across the walls, were the faded painted pictures of unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies prancing around. Behind them, the walls were painted in dark purple, with tiny white stars dotted around. There were yellow planets and shooting stars, and the silhouette of a familiar face of an alicorn mare painted in the moon itself, with a dark blue coat and bright white eyes. Shelves, some still standing and others almost falling off the walls, were placed on the opposite side of the room, with dusty books and toys left with cobwebs crawling over them like blankets.
Their cottage was almost completely quiet, apart from the grunts that Mr Berrytwist made while digging up mud and vegetables in the front garden. These vegetables weren't the colourful, rainbow selection that you would usually see. The ones in the ground, mostly turnips and potatoes, were very grey and dull. Once most of the mud had been rubbed off, the stallion would gently place the vegetables into a basket and then chuck the waste into the compost bin at the end of the garden.
"Berries... red ones, blue ones, purple ones..."
After the last plate had been washed and left to dry, Mrs Berrytwist started thinking about the large gathering of berry bushes just outside the village. Because it was a small village, it wouldn't be too long until you would find yourself in the dark undergrowth of the forest that surrounded the area. It was the only life source for miles, especially as it was surrounded by the scorching desert and rocky terrain. The village was so rural, that every creature who lived there almost knew each and every one of them. But alas, only a few residents were left in Ulanbog, so little that it had become nearly completely quiet every day.
"Going out, love?" a voice called.
It was her husband, Sandals. Since it was only the two of them, their relationship and friendship had never been so important. The worst possible case scenario would be for either one of them to go missing like their daughter fourteen years ago. It had been the hardest time for the pair of them. The village still to that day was haunted by that heartbreaking moment, not to mention having to manage an Ursa attack within that month.
There had been days of rain coming over Ulanbog, with its trees, bushes and leaves dripping with drops of rainwater, and this day was no different. It started gently, with tiny specks of rain coming down. They landed on Mrs Berrytwist's face, sweeping into her fur and dripping down her red mane. Puddles that had filled up with rainwater had become tiny pools for frogs and streams of water had been flowing down the hill towards the village, where a little pond was filled with ducks, fish and lilypads. As Mrs Berrytwist made her way through the forest, she managed a few times to step in the pools of rainwater, with a splash at every hoofstep. She kept on going, deep into the forest, until she reached the berry bushes.
"At last..." the mare whispered to herself, "...the berry bushes! Just what I need for tonight's pudding surprise! I'm sure Sandals will love it. I might take a few of every flavour, just to be safe."
Mrs Berrytwist, using her magic, lowered the basket onto the ground and then started examining each of the berry bushes. A cold breeze went straight through her body, making her body shiver as if she had just seen a ghost. The sky had turned grey and the rain came down more and more. Mrs Berrytwist lifted the hood of her cloak up and covered her head to prevent it from getting too soaked, as she continued working on picking the berries. The work itself was okay, with only the rain being the biggest concern for her. It wasn't long, though, until as she was trotting over to another bush, her hoof got stuck in wet, deep mud.
"Drat."
She started digging away at the soaked ground, mud splashing up against her front hoof and leg. It sunk in deeper and deeper. The more she moved, the more she sank down. The mare started panicking. Every creature else was in the village, most likely inside sheltered from the rain. Mrs Berrytwist looked drastically for something to cling onto. There was a nearby branch, which she bit onto. For a while, she stopped sinking, but the branch could only take so much of her weight and eventually snapped off.
Panicking, Mrs Berrytwist only sank deeper and deeper. She called out for help, but there was no creature around. Furiously, Mrs Berrytwist kept pulling her leg, trying to get out of the mud. Eventually, with one long hard pull, she managed to free herself and out came what appeared to be a few loose potatoes.
The unicorn, who had gone out only to expect berries left growing in the forest, didn't expect to see potatoes to be buried in the ground. Food was scarce and potatoes were extremely rare in her village. Feeling as if it was her lucky day, Mrs Berrytwist quickly started picking up the potatoes with her magic and placed them into a sack, as they were too heavy to carry in her basket. One by one, the potatoes were thrown into the sack. Her concentration was cut off, however, when the sound of a branch snapping made her jump and look around. There was, at first, no creature there. Just her, all alone, in the forest.
"WHO'S THERE?!"
The figure gasped lightly and scurried behind a large rock. A quick flash of a rose tail caught Mrs Berrytwist's sharp eye. It looked shockingly similar to her own and recognised that the tail to belong to a mare, but the question was; what, or who, was the mare? All she could hear, at first, was heavy panting from the pony. She sounded scared. Mrs Berrytwist was surprised that the pony sounded more scared than she was. Nothing happened for a while. No movement came from behind the rock. Suddenly, the pony spoke.
"I-It's okay...! I'm h-harmless, I swear! I have no weapons on me. Besides..." There was a brief pause. "...my magic doesn't work anyways."
Another pause followed. Wait? Magic? Only unicorns and alicorns could use magic. It would be extremely unlikely for an alicorn to be stumbling about in a forest situated in the middle of nowhere, so it was most likely to be a unicorn.
How peculiar... Mrs Berrytwist thought, inching carefully towards the anonymous mare. She noticed that her legs were almost slender and fairly injured, cuts and scraps across them. The mare covered them with her cloak and backed behind the rock. Mrs Berrytwist inched closer to the ground like a predator preparing to pounce on her prey, watching with piercing eyes through the blades of grass.
Confused, but curious, Mrs Berrytwist slowly raised her head up above the grass and froze in place, not wanting to go any further. She was close, but couldn't risk going any closer. However, she wanted to know what a unicorn was doing here who didn't belong to the village. There had been no visitors for years. It was too unbelievable to be just a coincidence. There was no response from the unicorn, so Mrs Berrytwist interrogated again.
"What are you doing here? No creature has stepped foot in this village for over a decade. There hasn't been any creature coming as a far as here for fourteen years!"
The hooded mare poked her head out from the rock, still concealing her identity from Mrs Berrytwist. She sounded young, a mare, certain and much younger than Mrs Berrytwist. But this didn't mean that she wasn't able to defend herself from this pony. A unicorn against a unicorn wouldn't be too difficult, surely? However, it didn't sound or seem if the pony was looking for a fight. She sounded... scared, confused, alone... a wave of doubt hit her wherever this stranger was actually of any means a threat to her. What at first Mrs Berrytwist saw was a mare, slowly turned to what sounded like a scared and lost filly.
"I'm... it's complicated... I've come from Equestria on behalf of Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia. They were asked to come to a village near here... for something important... about... it's past. I swear that I was with the princesses whilst journeying here, with no intention to harm you or anypony else!"
She sounds like... she's telling the truth... Mrs Berrytwist thought. She was considering on wherever she would help this mare, especially as she did mention Princess Celestia and another princess' names. She hadn't heard of the second princess before, though - not much news had reached this isolated land for years and years. It was as if they had been left in the past to fade away with the sand and dust, to be picked up by the wind and never seen ever again. Why now? Why would something so important happen now? But Mrs Berrytwist knew that the princess was there to help. Why wouldn't she?
The figure moved behind the rock, making Mrs Berrytwist quickly pull out a small sharp knife from underneath her cloak. She pointed it towards the mare but didn't lash out. The mare spotted the tiny knife glinting away, however, this didn't make her stop creeping towards her. Mrs Berrytwist saw that there was nopony else, which made this stranger all the more peculiar.
"Where are Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia, then? If you say that the ruler of Equestria is coming, then why isn't she here... with you?"
A wave of sudden guilt came to her then. She heard the strange pony starting to pant from underneath her hood and backing away, her hooves making squelching sounds as she stepped into the bog that surrounded them. Mrs Berrytwist saw that she was frightened, scared and alone. If this pony was telling the truth, she would have travelled for hundreds of miles; Equestria was far off beyond the wastelands.
Too much...! Mrs Berrytwist thought. She could just be some poor soul wandering alone. She needs help.
Mrs Berrytwist could hear the mare starting to cry. Maybe she was just a pony who had gotten lost. She sounded young, nowhere near her age. Before she could say anything else, the pony spoke again.
"We crashed... a few miles back... I... I escaped and continued on hoof. I just want somewhere to stay for a while. I hear that you're from a village. It's not far from here, is it? Could it be the place that I have been seeking?"
She thought for a moment, a hoof to her chin. She turned to look away and then rubbed her forehead. Mrs Berrytwist really didn't know what to think. This pony did seem as if she was telling the truth, but yet there were reigns holding her back that warned about this mare potentially being a threat or a distraction. What was she going to tell her? The truth? Was it worth it? It sounded as if it could happen. After all, the desert and wastelands weren't safe places. Storms, strong winds, lack of food and water, dead trees providing little or no shelter and barely a soul for miles.
"It could be... how can I know that I can trust you?"
Then, without expectation, the stranger calmly poked her concealed face up from the top of the rock. She slowly started to come out, one hoof after the other, but then stopped. Most of her body was still behind the rock. Mrs Berrytwist cocked her head to one side, trying to see the stranger's face. She could make out a dark orchard muzzle, but the rest of the stranger's face was concealed.
"See? I have nothing on me. I'm just a simple traveller. I don't even have my magic anymore, well, what it used to be. It's a complicated story. My horn... it's-"
She paused. Mrs Berrytwist waited for her to continue, but the stranger cut herself off. Her horn? What exactly about her horn? What was with this stranger and her horn? Was she injured? Was it some kind of curse that was preventing her from using magic? She kept repeating the words "my horn" a few times like it was drilled into her.
"I'm... lost... I need to find somepony who can help me. Is this Ulanbog? I came here with my friends. But we crashed back in the desert. I've continued alone and now I must know where to go next. Tell me, please. I... I... I would love some help on the last leg to Ulanbog."
After keeping a distance away from the cloaked stranger, Mrs Berrytwist inched closer to a comfortable distance and then did something she didn't think she would do when she first laid eyes on her. She offered a hoof to the mare, still concealing her face underneath her hood, and stood there silently waiting for her offering in friendship to be accepted.
"Come... come into the light..."
The stranger looked up in disbelief. Her head slowly came out from the boulder and she stood up in her normal posture. Mrs Berrytwist was surprised to see that she was taller than she first appeared to be and how graceful she moved. She was certainly a young mare and nowhere near Mrs Berrytwist's age. Once she crept into the sunlight, the stranger took off her hood and let her mane fall out to the side of her head. It was a moderate rose, shockingly similar to Mrs Berrytwist's own mane. Everything from the shape of her body to the colour of her fur was close to an exact mirror image. Her tail the exact same shade of rose and her eyes a glistening moderate opal. But the two most haunting aspects were the large scar over the pony's right eye and the broken base of what was a unicorn's horn.
"You... you see?!" she stammered, "... I... I'm just a pony! A simple mare travelling somewhere. I mean no danger or offence to you or to anypony here. Please let me pass. I need to find... somepony."
Mrs Berrytwist froze. She felt her hooves freeze in place. All the anger and fear had left her, leaving only disbelief and pure shock. She was motionless. Mrs Berrytwist had never felt what she was experiencing in her life before because nothing had ever been as heart-stopping as this very moment. Her vision became masked with disbelief and even tilted her head as if to look at the mare from a different angle. Could it be? She... she looked like she could be her? Was she... or was she an intruder disguised as the mare who she thought it was, like a changeling? But it had to be her. Everything she was saying was coming together and truth never lies.
Looking down, Mrs Berrytwist saw the pony's front hooves matching the exact front hooves of the pony she was thinking of. Yes, it was coming all back. More of her memory started to flow back to Mrs Berrytwist, despite the mud covering the fur around the top of the mare's hooves. No other pony Mrs Berrytwist had met had that same shade of orchad. She looked like, apart from the age difference, the filly in the photograph back at her cottage.
Her daughter.
The mare then went off on a tangent, becoming more upset as she spilt out anything that came to her mind. Mindless words and sentences rolling off her tongue. The more she spoke, the more she became upset. Soon, it became a mixture of frustration and sobbing. For a moment, she was silent, looking down at the ground as her teardrops landed in the puddle on the ground, causing ripples which spread to the sides from the impact.
Mrs Berrytwist saw that she was in complete distress and surprise had taken over her reaction. Instead of screaming or running to her daughter, she just stood there watching. It took a while for her to take in the shock before stepping closer to the strange mare.
"You're not a freak, Fizzlepop. And you most certainly are not a monster."
Suddenly, the mare froze and ceased crying. It was as if something had clicked inside her. She... recognised the name. Her own name. Looking up, Fizzlepop continued to cry, unable to get another word out of her mouth. Slowly and calmly, Mrs Berrytwist removed her hood and revealed her identity to her daughter. With a sigh of relief, she crept her hoof up to the other pony's cheek and touched it.
"You look... beautiful."
The stranger stammered, unable to say anything. She was in complete shock and was exhausted, so was only able to stare at Mrs Berrytwist with a hint of disbelief in her eyes. Yet, the truth had sunk in and a tiny smile ignited as she realised who this was.
"Mum?"
The words escaped Fizzlepop Berrytwist's mouth as if she had no control over her speech, sounding slightly mumbled and confused. It became such an unclear moment to Fizzlepop, that she was also unable to move from her spot in the forest which she was standing in, which wasn't too far away from her childhood hometown. She could still recognise the smells of the flowers which she used to pick as a filly, the forest where she used to run around in and the same songs that the birds would sing around her. Almost the same as it was fourteen years ago.
Fizzlepop could feel plants and damp moss filled with water. Some of the plants were crunchy and hard, whilst others were moist and wet. As the water travelled down the slope towards Mrs Berrytwist, who spread her legs apart to avoid getting wet, Fizzlepop continued to eye-up the familiar-looking unicorn.
"Fizzlepop."
After the mention of her real name, Fizzlepop dragged her mum into a hug and held onto her tightly, before letting out the last of her tears. She clung onto her like she used to do back when she was a foal. Finally, a sense of protection shielded her from her surroundings and it was a sensation which she hadn't felt for a very long time. Her mother then wrapped her hooves around her daughter, tears of joy pouring down her cheeks, muzzle and lips.
"Fourteen years... fourteen years, I've waited for you. My baby. Your father and I thought you were dead!"
Mrs Berrytwist's words muffled slightly, as her muzzle was deep into Fizzlepop's shoulder. As she cried, Fizzlepop leaned her head into her mother, whilst wrapping her hooves around her waist. She didn't want to let go, not again. Never in a million years. The relief to see her mother after all those years of being alone, tricked and mislead.
"I thought you two were dead. I never thought I would see you again, mum. I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt any of you two. I was foolish and stupid and-"
Before she could continue, Fizzlepop was brought back into another hug from her mother. She stopped talking and just wrapped her hooves again around Mrs Berrytwist's waist. The older mare hushed Fizzlepop, soothering her as if she was rocking her to sleep. Fizzlepop slowly attempted to calm down, her sobbing becoming quieter and breathing slowed down to a regular pace.
"You have nothing to apologise for," Mrs Berrytwist said, gently rubbing Fizzlepop's frazzled mane, "we should be saying sorry. We never intended you to get hurt, Fizzlepop, and everypony here didn't want you to leave. We all love you so much."
The two continued hugging before Fizzlepop moved back and wiped the tears from her eyes. Exhaustion quickly spread through her body and her legs struggled to keep her up. She had become too weak to stand by herself. Her mother held her up and tried to keep her out of the mud and marsh. Slowly and with great difficulty, Mrs Berrytwist started dragging Fizzlepop back to the village.
"I'll take you back home where you can rest, dear."
Her words of encouragement helped Fizzlepop to drag herself towards Ulanbog, despite the pain and tiredness that she was experiencing. With one hoof around her mother and the other three trotting through the marshes, she continued to press on for the last leg of her journey.
The crackling of the fire, that glowed against the metal framework of the wrecked skiff, was the only sound that could be heard for miles throughout the desert. Its emptiness and blanket-covered mounds of sand stretched out as far as any eye could see. As the wind blew, the tiny grains hovered over the mountainous sand dunes and were flown into the air, creating swirling movements and looked like dancers performing elegantly. The tiny flakes of burnt wood made their way up towards the dark blue sky. They spun in continuous circles until their orange light burnt out. Other than the silver glow of the stars that shone across the night sky, the fire provided the only source of light for miles on end. What logs that could be sourced from dead bushes and the remains for the skiff's framework were laid into a firepit, surrounded by large grey stones that encircled them. The sand underneath was once a golden yellow, was now covered in white and black ash, with burning flakes of wood dropping below and their light slowly dying out.
Five travelers sat around the fire in a circle, all wrapped up in blown cloaks and their heads mostly concealed by a large hood that draped over the top of their eyes. One of the travelers had her lavender hooves wrapped around her chest as she sat in front of the fire, leaning forwards to gather as much heat as she could. Her eyes shined as the light reflected in them, staring deeply into the fire, her concentration was fixed on the logs slowly collapsing to the bottom of the ash-filled pit. The lavender alicorn shivered from the freezing temperature of the desert in the nighttime. Suffering from the scorching hot heat of the sun during the day and shivering from the cold winds at night, the desert was not the most ideal location to camp. But alas, the alicorn and her companions had no choice.
The alicorn had a dark purple mane and tail, with a raspberry pink stripe running through both. Her eyelashes that were once straight and regularly straightened back in her castle, were now bent with tiny grains of sand stuck in them. Her hooves were sore, scratches all over them, but thankfully not bleeding. On her flank was a large rose-pink star, with a smaller white one hiding behind it, and five tinier stars dotted around. Her flank was sitting on the back of her brown cloak, as it was the only comfortable alternative to just sitting on the sand. Large flat rocks were simply too uncomfortable to sit on.
"I hope what you know what you're doing, Fizzlepop."
A small pinkish-purple dragon with green scales running down from the top of his head, down his back, to the tip of his tail, and tiny wings was sitting next to the alicorn. He pushed the logs in the pit with a stick from the pile of collected dead bushes they had collected during the day, specifically for the long nights. A pile sat next to him, along with some rocks and whatever they could salvage from the wreckage of the skiff.
"Twi... do... do you think she'll be alright out there? All alone? In the desert? It would take her days to walk by hoof. Does she know what she's doing or even know how to get back to her home?"
Twilight Sparkle, the alicorn, kept staring into the orange flames that erupted before her eyes. Her gaze did not leave the fire. It was like the fire had hypnotized her. It wasn't until Twilight felt Spike's claw reach out to her lavender hoof, gently stroking over the smooth hard surface. He noticed the chipped edge of her hooves, worn from the miles Twilight had walked. Twilight couldn't fly continuously through the desert; the heat was far too unbearable and the wind was strong, not to mention the grains of sand that were picked up and managed to get into her eyes and blur her vision.
"I don't know, Spike. I can't believe she managed to walk through this desert all those years ago. She was only just a filly. I can't imagine what was going through her mind. All alone for days on end, walking away from the safety of her home. Into the claws of the Storm King and going through battles, capturing civilians and causing mayhem and destruction behind everywhere they went. I am only pleased that the Armada has been eliminated. We cannot afford Equestria to undergo as much chaos as there was back then."
The situation that Twilight and her friends underwent in the invasion of the Armada left Equestria in a rather unstable condition. The balance of peace between civilisations such as Kludgetown, the skies, Seaquestria, and Mount Aris had been left on a knife-edge ever since the rise of power for the Storm King and his almost-unbeatable Armada.
"The experience of which Temp- I mean Fizzlepop underwent as a filly is certainly one of the traits that led her down the path she chose into working for the Storm King. Just a small filly, before being made to fight as a soldier in war after war. So traumatising and unimaginable."
Celestia spoke softly under her hood, her white muzzle reflecting in the light of the fire and her technicolor mane seeping down her shoulder, floating gently in the dark blue of the desert night. Her horn illuminated her magic aurora as her magic wrapped her white and golden cloak tighter around her body. Celestia's wings slithered underneath the cloak, draping down her hind legs, the feathers so soft against her fur. Even alicorns can feel the cold in the dead of night. The fire did provide some heat, but alas freezing air would breeze through the camp occasionally.
Spike shuddered and edged closer to Twilight, his claws grasping tightly onto her cloak. He closed his eyes and a tear trickled down his purple cheek and over his lips, tasting its saltiness. As he grabbed tighter, he felt Twilight's lavender hoof carefully stroke down from the top to the back of his head. Twilight pulled Spike in, wrapping her cloak over him and resting her head on top of his.
"Spike... hey, it's alright, Spike," Twilight whispered to her friend. "We will fix this and find Fizzlepop, I promise. She's the bravest and toughest pony I've known."
Ever since saving her from being sucked away in the ferocious tornado summoned by the Storm King, Fizzlepop had developed a strong friendship with Twilight and Spike from her occasional visits to her castle in Ponyville. Sure, Fizzlepop did manage to take time to spend the day with Twilight's other closest friends; Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Starlight Glimmer in their usual places of work, but it was always Twilight whom Fizzlepop would go to for advice and guidance. This was particularly evident with the residents of Canterlot who still had rather ill opinions of her since the invasion of the Armada whilst the Mane Six left Equestria to seek help from the hippogriffs.
Three other creatures sat next to one another on a large rock also looking aimlessly into the crackling fire. The first - Capper - sat as still as a statue on the edge of the rock in a red trenchcoat with golden buttons on his cuffs and down his lapels, reflecting the fire and shining a proud golden colour. His fur was a moderate gamboge - besides his back and front paws, the end of his fluffy long tail, the tips of his large and pointy ears, and his strickenly attractive face - matched with a pair of extended whiskers coming out from under his red nose. Two light green eyes stood out from the shadows of the feline's silhouetted head, with a curl of his indigo hair draping over his enigma expression.
The second - Celaeno - was an anthropomorphic parrot, towering over the feline and was by far the tallest of the travelling party. Mainly covered in cream coloured feathers, the parrot was decorated in a maroon pirate getup with golden earings - which she stole as a youngster - a maroon pirate captain's hat with a large feather gently flying in the wind, her emerald tail hanging over the back of the rock she sat upon and the green pegleg she acquired during her swashbuckling adventures. A strand of long, thin emerald feathers poked out from under her maroon pirate hat, hanging over her sparkling raspberry eyes, addressed with eyeliner and emerald coloured eyeshadow. Much like Capper, Celaeno was also subject to the strict and unpleasant occupation of the Armada, and her crew under specific orders by the Storm King to transport goods across the Sea of Clouds to locations all over the Armada outside of Equestria.
The third - Skystar - was the princess and heir to the throne of hippogriffs at Mount Aris. Young, ambitious, and bubbly, Princess Skystar had been hiding along with her mother and the remainder of the hippogriffs underwater in their new kingdom, Seaquestria, disguised as seaponies, since she was young. So much like any excited young teenage princess locked away in her quarters throughout her childhood, Skystar loved exploring the world above, feeling the ground through her claws once she had transformed back into her hippogriff form. Her feathers were a greyish yellow and covered all over her body; from her bright, gentle face to the top of her orange claws. The mane which hung from the side of her head was an artic blue shade, as well as her majestic tail, and her yellow wings which were normally outstretched with uncontrollable adrenaline were tucked into the sides of her body. Skystar's cyan eyes sparkled in the darkness, with light freckles dotted around between them, and her small greyish-orange beak still and inaudible. A necklace of colourful shells hung from her long neck, each colour representing the pony friends she met back when they asked for her help to save Equestria from the Storm King; pink for Pinkie Pie, the pony who encouraged Skystar to go ahead and assist the Mane Six in their fight against the Armada, light blue for Rainbow Dash, white for Rarity, yellow for Fluttershy, orange for Applejack and lavender for Twilight Sparkle. A pinkish-purple flower sat adjacent on her head, representing a crown to declare her authority as the heir to the throne of Mount Aris.
Spike sighed. "You'd think she'd leave a note to tell us which way she's going at least." He shivered, his claws tightening around his arms. "I hate this place. At night it's too cold and during the day it's boiling."
Twilight nodded in agreement. However, she still had a tiny fragment of hope inside of her on getting to Tempest's hometown. From a regular unicorn from Canterlot who had no interest in friends whatsoever to an alicorn princess who had saved Equestria countless times with her friends by her side on each occasion, this was not a task too big to handle. Twilight, Spike and the rest of the Mane Six had travelled by hoof all the way to Kludgetown before, so tackling more of the desert wasn't too much of a challenge, surely? But hitch-hiking on Captain Celaeno's skiff to Mount Aris had cut the journey drastically. Plus the fact that she and her friends never went further than Mount Aris, which was now miles back from where they were.
"I agree, Spike... at first light, we leave this instance. We must find Fizzlepop and ensure that she's safe. I believe it's time for us to rest. We have a long journey tomorrow."
Soon, one by one, every creature laid down on the soft sand under warm blankets and closed their eyes as they drifted to sleep. All but one were now sleeping under the white, glinting stars over the neverending terrain of the desert. Celestia sat on the edge of the sand dune, staring into the distance. She couldn't help but notice the faint hoof prints embedded in the sand, leading towards the horizon. Still there; fresh and not blown over. Fizzlepop was not that far ahead. Her home must be just over those sand dunes. But alas, Celestia was not the princess of night, but of day, and even she could not see all the way to Fizzlepop's hometown. After placing a protective shield around her companions, Celestia laid down next to the fire and closed her eyes, hearing the last of the wood crackling and floating up into the night sky.
The tears rolled down Fizzlepop's face as her mother led her along the dirt road deeper into the overgrown woods. Her injuries ached and patches of wounds were bright red and bruises were black like ink. The exhaustion caught up to Fizzlepop, who was now limping, her breaths were weak and her eyes were half open, half closed.
"I hurt so many creatures."
"Shhh, sweetie, we're nearly home."
As they reached the front garden of Fizzlepop's home, which was now covered with vegetation and brambles, Fizzlepop could no longer stand by herself and soon her back hooves were dragging along the ground. Mrs Berrytwist went up to the door and opened it by using her magic. There, she took Fizzlepop inside.
Fizzlepop saw that the house had over time been left to crumble, cobwebs hanging from the wall and the rooms all faded from colour and life. All except for Fizzlepop's room, which was just the same as she had left it fourteen years ago. The guilt got to Fizzlepop, as she started crying, wailing and howling, as she tightened her front hooves around her mother.
"There, there. I promise I won't let you go."
Her mother gently laid Fizzlepop onto her childhood bed, her cuddly toys still sitting on her pillow. Fizzlepop rested her head on her pillow, her arms still clinging to her mother. She was just like a child again.
"D-don't go, mummy!"
"No, I would never, my angel."
"I-I'm so sorry!"
It was the first time since fillyhood that Fizzlepop said 'mummy'. Her eyes were balling with salty tears streaming down her face. Fizzlepop yelped as she lay on the bed, her mother stroking her mane. Miss Berrytwist then quickly rushed to the medical cabinet, grabbing some antiseptic wipes, bandages and plasters, before attending to Fizzlepop's wounds.
"This may sting a little, honey."
Trying her best, Fizzlepop kept her mouth shut as she groaned from the antiseptic wipes being rubbed over her exposing wounds. Mrs Berrytwist spent some time cleaning out her daughter's wounds, picking out the infections and throwing the wipes into the bin next to the bed. She then used her magic to wrap up Fizzlepop's hooves, hind legs and forehead with more bandages. Mrs Berrytwist then grabbed a bottle of water, poured it into a cup and brought the cup to Fizzlepop's swollen lips.
Fizzlepop shivered as she tried with what little strength she had to lap up the water. Some poured down her chin, dripping and soaking into the bandages. Her breathing was heavy, gasping for what air was around her. She could feel her mother stroking the top of her mane, hearing her hush her and her hoof intertwined with hers.
"There... shhhh, it's okay. I'm now here."
The two of them were together for a while. Fizzlepop knew that after fourteen years, her mother couldn't possibly bear to lose sight of her. Mrs Berrytwist held onto Fizzlepop tightly, allowing Fizzlepop to calm down a little, yet she could still feel the tears stinging in her eyes as she cried.
"I was so stupid... I thought running away would help, but it made things worse! I'm sorry, mummy."
Her voice squeaked, her mind coming back to a child's again, after being away from the comfort of her mother for so long. She trembled, her swollen lips shaking. Saying that word; 'mummy'. She was talking like a filly again. That inner foal inside of her. The one that didn't have a fillyhood like the other fillies in her village. Her fillyhood was stolen, corrupted, lost... and now it was coming back.
As she cried, memories of her younger days came flooding back, like she had thrown herself into a brick wall. Everything was there, but it was all jumbled. The memories that included baking with her mother and getting frosting all over each other, as they laughed happily. The days where her father would carry her on his back, sometimes on the way to school. Every laughter, every tear, every outburst, every hug, every moment of tender love. Nothing was holding it back anymore.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Fizzlepop," Mrs Berrytwist whispered.
As Mrs Berrytwist poured some water over the wounds, Fizzlepop groaned and yelped. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, leaving soaked sheets underneath her. The burning sensation rippled through Fizzlepop's body. It even made her broken horn spark what little magic it had left.
"There... the wounds are bandaged," Mrs Berrytwist said softly, "you need to rest to help ease the pain. You must be exhausted. How did you get here all by yourself? I thought you were in Equestria?"
Fizzlepop quietened at the mention of Equestria. She started turning red with embarrassment and shame. All those ponies she hurt, all those ponies she captured, all the lands she conquered alongside the Storm King. All this time. For fourteen years she had been away from home, from her family, and from her friends. At least her mother recognised her broken horn, knowing exactly who she was. That saved explaining.
"It's a very, very long story, mum." Fizzlepop replied. But to be frank, she wasn't really in the mood to tell the whole story to her mother just yet. What would she even say? "I... I wanted to leave, because... I felt I didn't belong here."
Mrs Berrytwist gave a soft smile and held her daughter's crippled, bleeding, infected hoof. "Fizzlepop... you will always belong here. No matter what happens and nopony can ever take that away from us. You are our daughter. Our only pony. I can't imagine what it must be like to lose your horn. But not having a horn is not what makes you a unicorn, sweetheart. It is what's inside of you that matters the most."
Fizzlepop was beginning to calm down and her breathing had slowed.
"You must rest, Fizzlepop. Don't you worry. I'm not going to leave you. I never have and I never will."
The loud chirping of birds woke Fizzlepop up from her deep sleep. Expecting to be covered in sand again from the never-ending sand dunes of the desert, she instead found out she had been tucked up into her fillyhood bed, with her head resting next to one of her plush animals. The duvet sheets were the same as she remembered and as she looked around her old bedroom, she noticed the pantings she made as a foal, old posters of rock bands she used to listen to, photos of her and her parents, and her make up stand and mirror. It was exactly as she left it. Not a single thing had moved, been altered or changed in the slightest.
Groaning as she got up, Fizzlepop threw the duvet off with her front hooves and swung her hind hooves round to the edge of the bed. Fizzlepop slowly lowered her back hooves onto the wooden floorboards, feeling the uncomfortable burning sensation inside. Instead of seeing cuts and bruises, Fizzlepop's hind hooves were wrapped up in white bandages, tied neatly in a bow.
"Mhm..." Fizzlepop mumbled, but then managed to find the words she was looking for. "Nicely done, mum."
Yawning, Fizzlepop started limping to her bedroom door. She pushed it open with her right front hoof and then continued her way along the first floor and then down the stairs, where she could hear noises. As Fizzlepop grew closer, she could tell that the noises she was hearing was faint chatting.
Fizzlepop recognised her mother's voice, of course, but the other sounded male and deeper. It also sounded tired, slow, aged. However, that didn't stop Fizzlepop from beaming a smile on her face as she came face to face with her father.
Mr. Berrytwist stopped talking to Mrs Berrytwist and turned his face to meet with Fizzlepop's. As soon as he saw his daughter's smile, he smiled too. A tear poured out from his left eye and travelled down his cheek, soon dropping onto the blue wooden table.
Other than the wrinkles under his eyes and his mane turning a shade of grey, Fizzlepop's father was just the same as she remembered.
"Welcome home, my bundle of joy!"
The stallion's voice was deep, but was still recognisable to Fizzlepop. Still the loving, yet stern, tone she remembered all that time ago. Only age was the clear change Fizzlepop could see in her father.
"Hi, Dad."
Fizzlepop trotted up to her father, suddenly being met with a giant hug, where the two stood on their hind hooves for a while. As much as Fizzlepop loved the long-awaited hug from her dad, her hooves started to hurt again and she winced as she backed down, holding onto a chair for support.
Mrs Berrytwist used her magic to pull out a chair for Fizzlepop, where she sat down and looked back at her parents from across the table.
"You must be starving!" Mr. Berrytwist said, "Here..."
Mr. Berrytwist used his magic to conjure up a bowl of fruit in front of Fizzlepop. Fizzlepop's pupils widened and her mouth started drooling. With her hooves, Fizzlepop started munching on the fruit, eating quickly and loudly. The sweet juices of the fruit embellished her, her life almost coming back again.
Soon, her bowl was finished and her mouth was covered in fruit juice. Mrs. Berrytwist chuckled and used her magic to wipe Fizzlepop's face with a cloth.
"Such a messy eater!" Mrs. Berrytwist said, chuckling, "Exactly how you were as a filly."
Fizzlepop blushed again. "Thanks, Mum, but I am twenty-four now."
Mr. Berrytwist also chuckled and sighed, as he sipped his coffee. He let out a loud cough, continuing into a sequence of coughs. Fizzlepop frowned. She had never seen her father this ill before. Fizzlepop watched as her mother bashed Mr. Berrytwist on his back, ending his saga of coughing.
"Well, tell us about Equestria!" Mr. Berrytwist said, "What did you get up to?"
Fizzlepop made a face and leaned back and forth, trying her best to avoid the fact that she attempted to conquer Equestria as part of the Armada's empire, ruled by the ruthless Storm King.
"I made some new friends..." Fizzlepop started, speaking as honestly as she could, "...including the Princess of Friendship."
Mr. and Mrs. Berrytwist looked at each other wide-eyed and then back to Fizzlepop. "The Princess of Friendship?! The Twilight Sparkle?!"
Fizzlepop nodded. "Well, yeah. She rules alongside Princess Celestia, you know? She actually came with me along part of the journey along with my other new friends, like Spike, Capper, Princess Skystar and Celaeno. We were travelling on a skiff when in crashed in the desert. I... I don't know if they made it."
"Oh no!" Mrs. Berrytwist cried.
"So, I just kept walking through the desert to find help and... well, managed to find you two again." Fizzlepop then gasped. "I need to help them. I- oooo!"
As Fizzlepop jolted out of her seat, pain hit her like a hard punch, forcing her to sit down again.
"No, no, no, no, no, you must rest, darling!" Mrs. Berrytwist ordered. "I'm sure your friends are safe and well. But you must recover. Besides, we must have a reunion party immediately! We need to invite the whole town here and celebrate that you're back home safely!"
Then Fizzlepop remembered two very special ponies she used to know and love very well. "Avon and Star Myth! Are they-?"
"Yes, they're still here. Bigger, mind you!" Mrs. Berrytwist said, chuckling. "They will be very excited to see you again."
Mr. Berrytwist then coughed, but this time with intention and less violent. Fizzlepop and Mrs. Berrytwist turned to face him.
"Eleana, I believe we should present our daughter with the 'welcome home' gift."
"My 'welcome home' gift?" Fizzlepop laughed gently, trying not to strain her chest, "What have you got for me?"
Mrs. Berrytwist pulled out a brown wooden box from the highest shelve in the kitchen. It was covered in cobwebs and dust. Mrs. Berrytwist made sure to blow the dust away from her husband and then placed the box onto the table.
"Here," Mrs. Berrytwist said, "we've been saving this for you on your return."
Fizzlepop Berrytwist was really back in her childhood home. It was as if she had never grown up and time had stood still. She couldn't believe it. A gift? After everything she had been through, her mother and father had to be the most generous and kind ponies in all the land. With a smile on her face, Fizzlepop creaked open the lid of the box and pushed it up. And then stopped.
Suddenly, the happy and joyful world she had been teleported back into had stopped. Dread started sweeping back into her. Her ears flopped to her sides and her pupils shrunk in disbelief. How? How could it still be here? Why did they keep it for all this time? And why did they give it to her? Showed it to her? Part of Fizzlepop wanted to throw the damn thing out of the window or use her unreliable magic to disintegrate every inch of the gift that was before her.
Inside were fragments of a dark orchid unicorn horn, along with the long top half of the horn, resting on a padded turquoise base. It was Fizzlepop Berrytwist's old horn.
