Tempest Shadow leads an attack on Klugetown to liberate its slaves.
After spreading the world of the Storm King's demise, Tempest Shadow feels it is time to further atone for her role in his attrocities by leading an attack on Klugetown to liberate the slaves being imprisioned and sold there. After a rousing speech to convince Equestria's Royal Guard, and an appeal to Queen Novo's desire to make up for years and years of cowering in Seaquestria, an army of ponies and hippogriffs is ready to shatter Verko's hold on the town. With Tempest Shadow, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and the other five Element Bearers leading the charge, victory is all but assured.
What's more, two of the brave creatures among this army are about to have meetings that will significantly alter the course of their lives.
Tempest Shadow stood before an imposing audience. There were various noble ponies, high ranking members of the royal Day and Night Guard, and of course, the three Alicorn princesses of Equestria. She had been thinking of this moment for quite some time, so she was not afraid of making the speech itself. However, she was concerned about the outcome of this speech, and whether or not her words would have the impact that she desired.
Nevertheless, Tempest Shadow stood with stoic poise and a calm demeanor as she made her case.
"For the past few months, I have begun to pay back my debt to society by spreading the word of the Storm King's demise. However, I have only begun to make amends for my misdeeds under the Storm King's command. I truly wish to show my appreciation for the second chance Princess Twilight had given me, and make a truly positive difference in this world I had once hated and isolated myself from. After giving it much thought, the answer finally became clear to me. Under the Storm King's rule, the city of Klugetown became a slave state; and even after his demise, that wretched town still remains a capital of the selling, buying, and ownership of slaves. In that festering den of injustice, hundreds upon hundreds of living creatures, creatures that once had dreams and aspirations, suffer every day of their existence under the grip of their masters."
Tempest Shadow's gaze hardened as she stated simply, "This cannot go on."
The crowd of ponies began muttering amongst themselves. Celestia's expression was unreadable, while Luna simply nodded. Twilight, however, had a face of distress and sympathy for the slaves Tempest Shadows spoke of.
Now raising her voice slightly, Tempest continued, "Those in charge of Klugetown do not care what state the Storm Kingdom is in, or if the Storm King lives or dies. The lucrative allure of the slave trade is too strong for them to resist, and they clearly lack the conscience or compassion to be persuaded to give it up. They will continue the practice of slavery indefinitely. Therefore, I must make the following request: we must send an army to this citadel of evil, and liberate these slaves by force. Even know, I can feel your apprehension at the idea of more conflict. However, I ask you to consider this: If Equestria is aware of the fact that hundreds of innocent creatures are being enslaved, and does nothing, are they not complicit in this practice? Does it not make this land of harmony and friendship hypocritical in nature? But even more than that, consider this: imagine your own friends, family, and loved ones. Imagine them, living live waiting in cages, their limbs in chains, waiting to be sold to those who see them as mere property. Then, imagine them forced to do labor in the harshest of conditions, and forced to bow the every whim of their master. Then, if they do not flawlessly please their master, they are starved, left forsaken in the dark, or cruelly beaten until their bodies are scared with red, bleeding welts."
Pausing a moment to take a sweeping glance at her audience, Tempest said, "Now, I ask. . .what is your answer?"
The massive airship soared at a timely pace through the sky towards its destination. Tempest Shadow stood at the bow of the ship, looking out into the distance. The barren landscape extended seemingly infinitely out towards the horizon, but Tempest knew that Klugetown was out there, getting closer by the minute.
Tempest didn't move or break her gaze when a hippogriff clad in gold armor approached. He walked over and stood beside her, also looking out into the distance.
"General Seaspray," Tempest said with a nod, still looking out into the distance.
The hippogriff general nodded and said, "We should be arriving at Klugetown in less than an hour."
"Indeed," Tempest replied.
General Seaspray let out as sigh, and then he said, "I really must voice my appreciation of the fact that you insisted to include the Hippogriff Kingdom in this campaign. We are all deeply ashamed of hiding away like cowards instead of fighting the Storm King, but this battle might begin to earn back our respect."
"I insisted that we inform the Hippogriff Kingfom of this campaign," Tempest said, "It was Queen Novo who decided that her army would take part in it."
Seaspray's face twitched with the ghost of a smile, and he said, "You have a very stony and hard disposition, Tempest Shadow. If it is mask, I must say that you have started to become it. Yet, Princess Twilight has informed me of your past, so I do believe that there will come a time when you will be able to truly tear down the walls you've built around yourself. Perhaps the abolition of the Klugetown slave trade will be the just the thing you need."
Seaspray then finally turned to look at Tempest and said, "There is more to life than combat, you know."
Tempest had a pensive look to her as she thought about the general's words. Then, he finally turn to meet his gaze and replied:
"We will see."
The eyes of the hippogriff general and the disabled unicorn met for a long while. Two pairs of blue eyes stared into each other. One pair was curiously searching the other for any signs of release, whether it be of pain or of guilt. The later pair was in turn searching the former pain for any reason as to why it was spending any time or effort on them in the first place. But during all this, both creatures began to understand that they both had their own reasons to be ashamed of themselves, although they couldn't agree that other's reason was as shameful as their own.
They were so busy silently analyzing each other that they didn't notice the ramshackle pocket of civilization for a good few minutes.
Verko had a few favorite pastimes: looking over new batches of slaves to be profited from, teasing caged rare animals, disciplining his own slaves, and other such similar tasks. However, his absolute favorite one was what he was currently doing at the moment: sitting at his desk in his counting house/place of residence while counting his money. Stormbucks might have lost their value after the Storm King's death, but Verko already had plenty of gold and gems stashed away even before then. Also, he was able to swiftly convert much of his Stormbucks into goods with actual value before anyone was any the wiser, all thanks to his contacts outside of Klugetown. Verko even figured that if he had lost everything when the Storm King made his one way trip to Hellgates, he would have made back his money quite quickly through the glorious slave trade.
However, not even these thought combines with the joy of counting money was able to keep Verko happy for long. His teeth clenched and his eyes twitched as the ghost of an electric shock shot through his nervous system. The mole-rat had been able to get a new suit, hat and bow-tie, as well as a new pair of goggle-glasses. However, no amount of money could fix what that blasted crippled unicorn had down to his body when she had electrocuted him.
Verko stopped counting his money and clenched his fists, before slamming his right fist down hard on his desk. "I would pay at least one million to have her in my grasp," the silk-clad mole-rat said in a dangerous tone, "I'd rip out the rest of her horn and shove it down her throat. Then, I'd put her through so much pain that she'd be begging me to kill her."
Verko suddenly became a bit more jovial and said, "Hmm. I'd best get onto that. I'm sure I'll get plenty of down on their luck guttersnipes eager to claim a bounty that size."
The door to Verko's study suddenly opened, and in came Sola, one of Verko's slaves. She was an Abyssinian, with fur that was once pure white, but was now dirty from countless hours of slave labor. She had red eyes that were once piercing, but now downcast and hopeless. Her small ears were constantly folded back with the eternal stress and fear that came with being a slave. Around her wrists and ankles with iron shackles painted blue, signifying her status as a slave.
"Your hard-boiled eggs, master," Sola said as she approached the mole-rat's desk, holding a large bowl of the freshly made food. Even as she set the eggs on Verko's desk, she couldn't help but stare at them. The eggs glistened in the light like pure-white gems, speckled with freshly ground pepper and tiny salt crystals. As Verko began gobbling them up greedily, Sola's entire body seemed to ache as tried to not think about how much she wanted one. For years, all Sola and the rest of the slaves ever ate was boiled, overcooked gruel that looked as bland and unappealing as it tasted. It seemed to just slide down one's through, giving absolutely nothing to even chew on.
Sola shuddered at the thought, but put it out of her mind as she focused on the hear and now, waiting to be dismissed by her master.
Verko chewed a mouthful of egg and swallowed. "Not enough salt," he said flatly.
Knowing very well what this meant, Sola's eyes widened in terror and she said, "M-master! Please! I can fix it! I-."
"Turn around and kneel."
"Please, master! I-."
"You want a quick punishment or a longer, more painful one!?"
This silenced the Abyssinian, and she proceeded to turn around and kneel on the floor as she was ordered, albeit with a look of utter despair stamped on her face, her eyes becoming even more sunken and despairing.
A look of pure wickedness was on Verko's face as he got up from his chair and pulled out a long scourge. The whip was as long as Verko was tall, with a handsome leather handle with a diamond at the bottom. The end of the instrument of punishment came apart into four small strands, each with a sharp bit of stone tied to the end.
A gleeful smile was on Verko's face as he swung the scourge back for the first strike.
SLAM!
A large shark-like Klugetowner known as Mori suddenly burst into the room and shouted, "Boss! Boss! There's a huge airship headed over here! This could mean big trouble for us!"
Verko's smile vanished as he carelessly dropped his scourge and said, "Why must there always be something! I suppose I had better see what this is all about."
Verko glared at Sola and said, "Stay here until I come back. Or else." He and Mori then left the room. Verko wasn't at all concerned about leaving the slave in the room. He had made sure to let all of his slaves know that he knows if anything he owns is stolen, and that a thieving slave is even worse than dead.
Verko stood at the edge of Klugetown with Mori, the two of them looking at the approaching airship, which also appeared to be steadily loosing altitude. Before either of them could comment on this, their attention was suddenly taken by a multicolored streak heading away from the airship. In about ten seconds, the streak shot right up to the pair, stopping right in front of them and knocking off Verko's hat.
Verko stumbled a bit, but gasped as he recognized the pegasus hovering before him. "YOU!" he shouted as he pointed at her, "You're one of those ponies that stuck their noses in here a while back!"
Rainbow Dash winked cheekily at Verko and said, "That's right! And we've brought. . .eh, a few more friends with us. See, I'm here to deliver a message, big guy!" Rainbow folded her forelegs and said nonchalantly, "It's really simple, really. All ya gotta do is free ALLLLLLLLLL of the slaves in Klugetown and make sure that slaves are never bought, sold, or owned in Klugetown ever again. If ya don't? Well, then I guess you're gonna have to deal with a pretty huge army that really doesn't like slavers like you. So, whatdya say?"
Verko stared at the pegasus for a moment, but it wasn't long before he started chuckling, and then laughing uproariously. He turned around walked towards Klugetown, sweeping his top hat off of the ground and putting back on as he called out, "You hear that, slaves!? Do you hear the cute little pegasus!? She says you're all to be freed! Come now! Come out into the streets so that your little pony may free you!"
Verko continued laughing for a moment, and then turned glaring at Rainbow Dash saying, "Curse that crippled unicorn! If it weren't for her, you and your little friends would be slaves right now! Or better yet, dead! It's pathetic how you thought in your tiny little mind that you could- why are you smiling!?"
Indeed, Rainbow Dash was smiling, quite widely in fact. "I was hoping you wouldn't agree," she said eagerly, and she flew off back to the airship, which had come to a landing not too far from the edge of Klugetown.
"Uhm, boss?" Mori asked with uncertainty in his tone, looking back and forth dumbly between Verko and the airship.
Verko's whiskers twitched a bit, then one of the aftershocks from Tempest's electrocution shot through him. He grunted and said, "Liars. Liars and bluffers, all of 'em. Bluffing weaklings. They gotta be-."
Verko's musing were interrupted by a loud trumpet blast, and much to his shock, he could see a large number of pegasi, thestrals, and hippogriffs taking off from the air ship in flying towards Klugetown. What's more, a large number of earth ponies and unicorns were coming out of the airship and charging towards Klugetown as well.
"We're under attack! We're under attack!" Mori shouted as he jumped and up and down in a panic, repressed memories of being taken out by Tempest Shadow coming back in full force.
Verko slammed his fist onto Mori's head and shouted, "I'm aware of that, blubber brain! Now listen! I need you to spread the word than an army of stinkin' ponies and hippogriffs are coming to take away our slaves! Also, tell them that there's a big fat bounty on ever single pony and hippogriff slain by a Klugetowner. Add all that to the hired muscle I already have in this town, and those idiots out there don't stand a chance. Now go! Move yourself!"
And with that, Verko and Mori parted ways. Mori to spread the word, and Verko to hide in his home until the fighting was over.
It was the last time they would ever see each other alive again.
For The Battle of Klugetown had begun.
Naturally, the aerial forces arrived at Klugetown first. Hippogriffs swooped down on the enemy, dodging sword swipes and spear thrusts as they slashed at the foe with their claws. The pegasi and thestrals dive-bombed their foes, shouting battle-cries in the name of the Day Guard and Night Guard.
The Wonderbolts had split up, each taking a section of the aerial forces so that they could spread out across the entire town.
Rainbow Dash had partnered up with Soarin, and she was clearly enjoying the way things were going.
"HAH! This is too easy! These landlocked losers don't stand a chance," Rainbow said with a cocky smirk.
Soarin had a far more serious expression, and he warned, "Don't get cocky, Crash. This is war!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes and said, "Come on, Clipper! These guys are wimps! They have slaves so they don't have to do any work."
A pegasus solider flew up beside the two Wonderbolts and saluted, "Things are going down smoothly, sir and ma'am! We'll soon have control of all the rooftops, and then- Auuuuggggggh!"
Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide with horror as she witnessed the solider get taken out by an arrow to his heart, his body falling lifelessly to the ground below. Rainbow looked down and saw a skinny shark-like Klugetowner snickering as he reached for another arrow for his bow. Before he could even pull back the string, he was slammed out of the balcony he was standing by a roaring Rainbow Dash flying at speeds only slightly slower than Sonic Rainbow velocity.
As more of the enemy got in position with bows and arrows, the fight just got a bit tougher for the forces of good.
Thanks to the aerial forces causing some confusion, the forces on the ground were able to get a head start in pushing their way into Klugetown. A line of foe spear bearing creatures stood blocking the way, and a line in front charged forward with their spears out and ready. However, this front line did not expect Starlight Glimmer to teleport in behind them and entrap one of them in a large crystal. This sent this front line into slight disarray, and goaded the second line to charge into to take out Starlight. However, this second line did not expect Twilight Sparkle, with Spike riding on her back, to teleport behind them. The pair then split up and went to work, Twilight ripping spears out of the enemy's hands and Spike toasting the enemy's backsides.
"EVERYPONY, GO!" Twilight shouted, utilizing the Royal Canterlot Voice, "WE AND THE UNICORN SOLDIERS I HOOF PICKED WILL TAKE CARE OF THE ENEMIES ON THE TOWN'S EDGE! EVERYPONY ELSE, HEAD IN TOWARDS THE CENTER OF TOWN!"
The rest of the army charged into Klugetown as Twilight, Starlight, Spike, and their battalion took on their foes.
A frilled-lizard like Klugetownian jumped out of the shadows and ran a unicorn guard through with a spear, laughing as the unicorn cried out in pain and died. However, his laughed was cut short as twenty or so razor sharp sewing needles to his face.
With two saddlebags filled with more needles, Rarity averted her eyes from the gruesome spectacle and ran forward along with the rest of the army, frantically looking around for familiar faces. She had lost sight of Pinkie Pie, Tempest Shadow and Applejack had already pushed up ahead as per the plan, and as for-.
A guttural growl from behind distracted Rarity from her thoughts, and she turned to see a massive tortoise like Klugetowner charging towards her. Unicorns did their best to stop his advance, but he used the rhinoceros-like horn on his nose to plow through them.
Rarity slid to halt and turned, sending more needles out towards the brute. The enemy saw it coming, and swiftly turned around to block the attack with his massive spiked shell. This left Rarity in a state of panic as the beast ran backwards at her, then swiftly turned to deliver a crushing blow to the unicorn mare.
"I don't think so!" a voice cried out.
A dark cloaked figure dashed between the Klugetowner and Rarity, neatly cutting the attacking brute's throat with a single swipe of his rapier. The beast let out a gurgle before falling down on his back, and the victor tipped his hat to him.
Rarity let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Capper Dapperpaws had agreed to lend a paw in the campaign and boarded the airship.
Capper smiled and swept his cloak majestically as he said, "I must say, my dear Rarity, that this outfit you gifted me suits swordplay quite well."
Rarity smiled bashfully and said, "Well, I would say it simply suits an Abyssinian of cation like yourself quite well, if I do say so myself."
"So, this is what Capper gave up being the greatest thief in the land for: being a dressmaker's dummy for an air-headed unicorn. How sad," a new voice remarked.
Capper closed his eyes and sighed, then he opened and looked towards the source of the voice. Walking out a building was another rapier wielding Abyssinian, this one was azurish-grey and white, with black stripes and brilliant cornflower blue eyes.
"Hello, Chummer," Capper said with a frown.
Chummer smirked and said, "What? Not surprised to see me?"
Capper shrugged and said, "Something told me that you weren't unlucky enough to go down in a flaming airship and die in the desert, even if I never wanted to see you again. I'm kinda confused though. I wouldn't think Verko would allow you to live here after you double-crossed him with the Misfortune Malachite."
"It was simple," Chummer said with a slick smile, "I just duped some suckers into helping me patch up my airship, tricked them into coming to Klugetown with me, and then gave them to Verko as slaves. He liked my initiative, was sour over how you turned out, and all was forgiven."
Capper expression was cold and disgusted as he responded, "First a double crossing backstabbe, and now a slaver. You kept getting worse and worse."
Still smiling, Chummer raised his rapier and said, "How about an assassin? You owe Verko quite a bit, and you clearly have no intention of paying him back, so I'm sure he'll be pleased when I present him with a fine brown rug."
As the battle continued to rage around them, Capper raised his rapier as well and said without taking his eyes off of Chummer, "Rarity, go on ahead with the rest of army. Stay close to them and stay save."
Rarity shot a nervous look towards Chummer and started to say, "Capper, I simply cannot-."
"I need to do this. I have to settle this by myself," Capper said with a level of seriousness rare for him, "If I don't, I'll never be able to live myself or have any peace. It's a long story, and I promise to tell you later if you just let me do this and stay out of trouble."
Faced with a stubbornness that rivaled that of Applejack's, Rarity breathed out and nodded before leaving the scene.
Chummer chuckled and said, "Wow, isn't she nice. I'm gonna have to track her down after I've killed you. She'd make a perfect slave. I could use a cap and hat like the one you're wearing."
Capper hissed as he held his rapier at an angle. "En garde, Chummer."
Chummer smiled mockingly and said, "What happened to 'I like being with you, Chummer'?"
Capper snarled and lunged forward, only to be defied by a swift block from Chummer. A flick of the blade sent Capper stumbling backward a few steps, and Chummer leapt forward to take advantage of the opening. Capper hopped to side, narrowly avoiding Chummer's forward thrust, and swung his rapier at him, only to once again have it blocked.
"Why are you so angry at me anyways?" Chummer questioned, "It's like I said back then; you were going to leave me eventually, so I made the smart choice by leaving you first!"
Chummer then jumped back and took a swing at Capper, and both rapiers clashed several times as Capper forced Chummer backwards. Both Abyssinians were locked in fierce combat with one another, blind to battle going on around them. Their swordplay was so fierce that even the surrounding combatants felt that it would be best to let the two cats alone.
Keeping his composure all the while during the clanging of steel, Capper addressed his adversary, "Listen to yourself, Chummer! First you remark on how I liked being with you, and then you tell me that I was going to leave you no matter what. Make up your mind!"
Chummer clenched his teeth as he parried Capper's attack and jabbed at his neck, scowling when Capper dodged out of the way. "Stop it! You're just trying to trick me!" he shouted as he swung sideways at Capper.
The rapiers clashed yet again as Capper twisted his wrist to catch Chummer's blade. Capper then dropped down onto the ground and swung his blade at Chummer's legs. Chummer jumped to dodge and jabbed down at Capper, who quickly slid backwards and got back onto his feet.
Chummer glared fiercely at Capper and said, "You really should just stand still and let me slay you. Then at least I'd have time to get out of this war-zone. Then at least one of us would live. Face it, Capper, you're gonna die here! Why not let it be by someone you know?"
Capper smirked at Chummer and said, "Oh really? Is that what you think? Oh, Chummer. . . I'm afraid I'm on the winning side here. The ponies and hippogriffs have got it made. The slavers of Klugetown are going down hard, and it looks like you're going down with them."
"Shut-up and die already!" Chummer shouted as he charged forward with his rapier held straight out in front of him.
Capper was ready to knock away Chummer's thrust, but the striped cat surprised him by swiftly strafing to one side and swinging his blade hard at him. This knocked Capper's sword arm to the side, and another swift stab caught Capper's right side.
Capper winced from the pain, and quickly looked down at his wound as he stepped away from his opponent. The attack had drawn a bit of blood, but it was merely a scratch that would heal, assuming he got out of this duel alive.
All traces of humor gone, Capper hissed at Chummer, who was still advancing upon him, and said, "'Die already'? Those words seem appropriate, considering this isn't the first time you've expected me to die!"
"Just the thought of you has kept me up at night!" Chummer shouted back as he renewed his assault.
Capper blocked a few swings from Chummer, and he continued, "Yeah, I still remember that day. Back on that burning airship, with me holding onto the railing, slowing loosing my grip, not sure if I'd die or not from the fall. I said I needed you, that I needed a friend. I begged you to help me, and all you had to pull me up and I would've forgiven you."
Chummer held his rapier longways to block and braced himself as Capper gripped his rapier with both paws and swung hard four times, punctuating each strike with his words, "But! You! Didn't! Did you?!"
Capper's fourth strike actually windmilled around and struck from beneath Chummer's rapier, breaking Chummer's block and allowing Capper swing back down. Chummer attempted to duck and dodge out of the way, but he wasn't quick enough.
Slichkt!
Chummer screeched with pain as Capper's rapier sliced off the tip of his right ear. The striped cat rolled out of the way, but quickly stood back up and said, "See what letting others into your life does? When you're alone, you're free to live your own life!" Chummer's face changed from that of pain to that of sadness and regret, "You don't have worry about being betrayed!"
For a brief moment, in Capper's eyes, the Chummer before him became the Chummer that looked down on him back when he was hanging onto the airship's railing.
"You shouldn't have come after me, Capper! We could've been free! We could've lived our own lives! We don't need each other!"
Then, everything flashed back to the present, and Capper lunged forward shouting, "It was you! It your fault! You ruined our future! You betrayed me!"
As Chummer played defensive, he answered back, "I did what I had to do! Caring about others is too hard! It holds you back from getting what you want! I had to force myself to stop caring about you in order to get somewhere! But then that was hard! I had nightmares for months! I still have them! What is it, regret? It couldn't be! I made the right choice! I still don't get why I felt so bad! What did you do to me!?"
Chummer suddenly kicked out Capper's legs, catching him in the left leg and causing Capper to stumble backwards. However, Chummer made the mistake of swinging his rapier downward, letting Capper lift his rapier up to block it.
Chummer growled angrily as he pressed downward onto Capper's blade with his own. "But if I can just get rid of you. . . " Chummer said, ". . .once and for all. . .then maybe I'll finally be free of. . .caring about you!"
"You. . .care?" Capper said with wide eyes and through clenched teeth.
"Yes I do. . ." Chummer said, regret once again filling his eyes as he kept pushing his blade down, forcing Capper down onto his knees, "I said you shouldn't have come after me. What I did was for our own good. I don't have a choice anymore. We're better by ourselves. I don't want to kill you. . . but I don't see any other way out. . ."
"You're wrong," Capper said as he continued to push back against Chummer, "My new friends. . . made me better. . . stronger. . .like Rarity. . .She made. . . this cloak!"
Capper used his free paw to grab his cloak, tear it off, and throw it right into Chummer's face. Chummer cried out in surprise, and Capper used this opportunity to knock Chummer's rapier off, and then struck his opponent's sword paw hard, causing it to let go of the blade.
Chummer finally threw the cloak off of him, only to be knocked down onto his rear by a kick to the chest by Capper. Capper kicked Chummer's rapier out of reach and swiftly put his own rapier at Chummer's throat.
With his blue eyes wide with shock, Chummer looked up at the triumphant Capper, who currently had a sad, almost disappointed look on his face.
Chummer blinked his eyes once, and then frowned grimly before saying with as much dignity as he could muster, "Just do it. But make it quick. That's all I ask. Come on, just hurry."
Capper looked down at his opponent, his mouth set in a deep frown as he looked at the defeated yet solemn looking cat sitting before him.
"It's okay, Capper! We still got each other, don't we?"
"Hey c'mon buddy! Long as we got each other, we can make it anywhere."
"We wouldn't have gotten this far without each other. We need each other. Don't we?"
"Chummer an' Capper, best thieves in the land! Yeah. . ."
Capper threw aside his rapier and suddenly lunched forward, catching Chummer in a hug.
". . .Wha-?" was all Chummer could get out.
"It was Verko," Capper said softly as he hugged the other cat as tightly as he could, "His . . .ideals, if you can even call them that. He. . .they. . . It poisoned you somehow. . .someway. You liked stealing. Thieving was a cool talent to you, so you took to his words easier than I ever could."
"You. . .aren't gonna kill me?" Chummer asked dumbly, his brain struggling to catch up with what had occurred.
"I told Verko that you were never my friend. What was I thinking?" Capper said as rested his head on Chummer's shoulder, "We were friends. We were always friends. You just did something really stupid, something that hurt more than anything. You'd ruined our future. . ."
Capper then pulled away from Chummer and looked him in the eyes. Chummer's breath was taken away when he saw that Capper was crying, and yet had a warm smile on his face.
"But that couldn't erase our past," Capper said simply.
Chummer's mouth opened, but he found himself unable to speak, so Capper continued on himself.
"The Storm King is history, and Verko and his slave trading criminal empire are almost through. We'll both be free to start over, and to learn from our mistakes. Rarity and her friends set me straight, so I'm sure that you can be set straight too."
Chummer finally found his voice, and he whimpered out, "But. . .I betrayed you. . .I tried to kill you. . ."
With the warmest of smiles and the most sincere tone he had, Capper said three words to Chummer:
"I forgive you."
The shock-wave of emotions that ran through the striped cat were indescribable. It was only three simple words, yet those three words were some of the most powerful words in all of creation. They represent a power that can save any living soul from the deepest pits of despair to the greatest magnitudes of suffering. The most wretched of beings can find solace and new life in those words, and Chummer was no exception.
What started as a few sniffles was suddenly loud and ugly bawling as Chummer threw himself onto Capper, clinging to him as he cried like a baby, not wanting to let go for anything.
"I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry, Capper!" he wept, his whole body aching as years of trying to forget about his closest companion finally caught up with him.
Capper just smiled and gently hugged him back. "It's okay. It's okay. We're both better now. We can make it better. You said it yourself once, 'a couple of cats like us will always land on our feet.'"
As the pair of Abyssinian knelt on the ground embracing, a troop of medic ponies quickly made their way over to them as the battle raged on deeper within Klugetown.
Fluttershy, clad in a red and white medic's uniform and with saddlebags filled with medical supplies, led her team of similarly equipped medic ponies into Klugetown. Members of her team had already broken off to tend to a few wounded allies, including Capper and Chummer. For Fluttershy, It was heart-wrenching to see so many wounded creatures. Even worse were the slain bodies of Klugetowners and the occasional pony, thestral, or hippogriff. However, Fluttershy forced herself to press on, knowing that lives depended on her and her team.
Fluttershy bit her lip as she passed by a moaning, spear bearing Klugetowner, reaching out as he rapidly lost blood. As much as she wanted to save every creature, she knew that she had to focus on her allies first. After all, the Klugetowners were slavers, and had put countless innocent creatures under such ruthless torture, ripping them from their homes and destroying their lives. They needed to face the consequences for the horrible atrocities they had enacted upon the weak and helpless.
Fluttershy gasped when she spotted a pegasus guard lying on his side, his wing bent at an unnatural angle. She flew over to him saying, "Oh dear, oh dear. Your wing! It'll be okay! It's dislocated, but I can fix it. Right now. You'll be okay. Trust me."
Fluttershy took out a syringe from her saddlebag and said soothingly, "Here we go. I'm going to numb the pain, then your wing will be all better. Deep breaths now. Deep breaths."
Fluttershy injected the painkiller into the pegasus' wing joint, continuing to calm the guard with her voice as she waited for the medicine to take affect. Then, without warning, she quickly grabbed the wing and relocated it back into place, causing the guard to grunt a bit.
"There! There. It's done. All better. Just stay off of it for a while and you'll fly again. You've done enough now. You can head back to the airship."
The guard, now newly invigorated, jumped up and said with a gleam in his eye, "Go back? I've only begun to fight!" The pegasus then took off on foot shouting, "FOR LIBERTY! EEEEEEEEQUESTRIA!"
Slavemaster Dorf, a boar like Klugetowner with a large red snout and a pair of long sharpened tusks, scowled as he guarded the entrance to the slave compound. Beating obedience into the slaves imprisoned there was a favorite past time of his, and the cries of pain and pathetic pleas for mercy were music to his ears. Therefore, the idea of a bunch of ponies and hippogriffs coming in to take away their slaves insulted him a great deal, and he planed on using his trusty whip to flay alive any creature who dared try and free any of the slaves he was in charge of.
"Hey? Mister slaver guy?"
Dorf turned to the side to see a pink pony with a big smile staring up at him.
"I just wanted to know," Pinkie Pie said, still smiling at him, "Are ya more ugly than you are evil, or are ya more evil than you are ugly?"
Dorf snarled as he swung his whip back, and he said, "I'll slice your face in half!"
Pinkie nodded and said, "Uh-huh! I'm sure ya will, but before you do, I have one more question." She then held up a metal ring with keys hanging on it and asked, "Are these yours?"
Dorf's eyes widened, and looked down at his belt to see that his keys had indeed been stolen. He looked back up at Pinkie, only instead to see the inside of her Party Canon.
POW!
Dorf cried out in surprise as he was launched up into the air by a blast from the Party Canon. He flipped over and saw that he was headed towards a nearby roof, but what surprise him was that Pinkie Pie was someone already there and had her Party Canon aimed right at him yet again.
POW!
Dorf cried out a second time as he was launched back up into the air again, only to smash right through the roof of the slave compound with a tremendous crash.
Pinkie smiled and nodded, but her moment of satisfaction was cut off by the sound of several angry voices.
"Gah! Look what that pony did to Slavemaster Dorf!"
"Get her! Kill the pony!"
Pinkie turned and looked over the edge of the roof to see a bunch of spear wielding Klugetowners scaling the side of the building to reach her. She just laughed dementedly as she aimed her Party Canon down at them.
"Boys, Pinkie Pie's serving humble pie! Get it while it's hot!"
POW!
Dorf was dazed from the landing, and laid on the ground for a bit as he tried to regain his senses. As he slowly got it together, he began to hear voices all around him.
"Oh my gosh, it's Dorf!"
"Hey, he doesn't look so tough now!"
"That sick monsters! Always beating us for no reason!"
"That punk laughed at me when I was crying and begging him to stop!"
"He's evil, mates! Evil!"
"Let's get him!"
"Yeah, everycreature get him!"
"Kill him!"
Dorf's eyes widened as he saw that he was surrounding by a multitude of furious, hot eyed slaves. There were many types of creatures within the compound. Ponies, griffons, abyssinians, and more. However, every single one of them looked upon the slave master with unadulterated hatred.
Dorf reached for his whip out of reflex, only to find that he'd lost it during his high flying encounter with Pinkie Pie. He held out a hand in front of him as he shouted, "Get back! Get away, you slaves! I command you!"
Some of the slaves actually laughed a bit at this, while others simply continued to stare darkly at the slavemaster as the entire group closed in on him. Dorf let out a terrified scream as his former victims began the process of tearing him limb from limb.
Tempest Shadow use her horn to blast down the front door and strode calmly into the house. A Klugetowner with dark blue hair, pink loop earrings, and short brown antlers was cringing with fear as she shakily brandished a soup ladle while standing in front of a group of four teenage slaves; two Abyssinians, a pony, and a griffon.
"Don't hurt me!" the Klugetowner shouted in fright, "I surrender! I'm okay with having the slaves freed! Honestly! I actually took those slaves in during the fighting! I'm just keeping them safe! Please believe me!"
The pony slave nodded and said, "Yeah, it's true! Vera is helping us! She's on our side! The slavers would have either recaptured us or killed us if it hadn't been for her! Please, don't hurt her!"
Tempest Shadow's horn continued to crackle and spark as she studied the faces of the group before her, making sure to look long and hard at Vera's expression. Then, with her own facial expression still unreadable, Tempest said slowly as her horn stopped sparking, "You are lucky Princess Twilight taught me the importance of mercy."
Vera sighed in relief, slowly lowering the ladle she had been holding up.
Tempest turned and stuck her head out the door way. "Hey! You! And You! You two guards! We're making a safe house for the slaves here! Yes, here! And you! Yeah, you thestral, up there! Spread the word that any slaves we come across are to be directed to this home, which is to be guarded at all times until this battle is over!"
Not long after Slavemaster Gorf was disposed of, the door to the slave compound was suddenly knocked off it hinges, it's lock broken like a china plate. Through the entrance marched Applejack, smiling proudly as led a group of pony soldiers. Before her was a large metal gate that held in the slaves, who were all gathered together with wide eyes as they beheld the bold, confident Earth Pony mare.
"Howdy, ladies and gents!" Applejack said grandly, "Anycreature fancy being liberated today?"
This sent all the slaves into an excited tizzy as the spoke amongst themselves, certain that this was too good to be true.
Suddenly, a villainous voice from outside shouted, "They're in the slave compound! Don't let them take it!"
One of the royal guard ponies turned to their leader and said, "Ms. Applejack? We might be in trouble, and we have our orders to protect the Elements Bearers. . .."
Applejack nodded and said, "Ya'll go on and fight 'em off. Ah'll stay here and keep all the soon to be ex-slaves calm."
As the royal guard quickly exited to keep the foe out of the slave compound, a deep, southern sounding voice called out, "Applejack?! Did that stallion say Applejack? Applejack!?"
Applejack felt a strange sensation run through her. The voice seemed to trigger something deep within her, as if she knew who it was. Deeply confused, Applejack turned and looked at the mass of imprisoned slaves as somecreature began to force his way towards the front of the pack.
"Applejack? Applejack? Let me through! Let me though, Ah need to see! Please!" the voice said.
Applejack slowly stepped towards the metal gate, and when the speaker finally made its way towards the front, Applejack mind seemed to blow itself apart and come back together several times in rapid succession.
Applejack beheld the face of a stallion with a pale yellow coat, a messed and dirty brilliant red mane, and green eyes. Those eyes were filled with pain and desperation, but now they were slowly filling up with hope, and perhaps even a bit of joy.
Applejack was at a loss for words, her mouth was hanging open even though no words would come. However, one word eventually came to mind, and she forced herself to say it.
". . .Pa?"
Tears were streaming from Bright Mac's as he beheld his eldest daughter. "Oh, Jackie. . .Ah was so afraid. . .Ah'd. . ." he chocked on his words as he slid his right forehoof through the bars, which wasn't an easy feat due to the shackles around his legs. ". . .that Ah'd. . never see the amazin' young mare Ah'd always known ya'd be. . ."
As if in a trance, Applejack slowly walked over to the gate, slowly closing the distance between her and her father. She then slowly raised her own right forehoof and touched it to his.
"Yer. . .yer real. . ." Applejack said softly, her voice a subtle whisper as her eyes widened even further, then a smile of the purest joy spread across her face as she repeated louder, "Yer real! Here! Alive! Ah. . .Ah don't. . .how!?"
Bright Mac smiled with all the love in his heart filling his eyes, then her managed to tear his gaze away from his daughter long enough to look behind him and below, "COME ON! GET OVER HERE! QUICK! GET A MOVE ON!"
A moment after calling out, a voice could be heard slowly getting closer.
"Ah tell ya, Bright Mac, it ain't possible. Ya heard wrong. Why would she . . . be. . .here. . ?"
The crowd of slaves made some room, and Applejack once again found herself at a loss for words as she looked upon a light coated mare with long tangled orange hair and brilliant turquoise eyes. The mare gasped and lifted a forehoof to cover her mouth, her eyes shimmering with utter disbelief. Again, not an easy feat due to the shackles.
Applejack had to step back, her entire body shaking as she looked at the two ponies standing behind the metal gate. "Ah. . .wait. . .no. No, Ah don't believe it! It ain't possible! Ya'll were lost in that rock slide."
Bright Mac shrugged and said with a sad smile, "Well, Jackie, either it was just plain ol' dumb luck, or those slavers set off that rock slide on purpose to cover their tracks after they nabbed us."
This was all too much for Applejack, and she ended up falling on her knees as said in between her tearful sobs, "All this time. . .fer years. . .the whole time. . .you was. . .we were. . .why!?" She pulled her hat down over her face as she found herself unable to control her tears.
Pear Butter finally found the strength to put her forehoof back down and step forward. "Applejack. . .please, darling. Don't cry," she said soothingly.
Applejack lifted her hat back up and tearful looked at her mother, love and care seeming to radiate out from her. "Ma. . ." she sobbed as she got up and ran towards the gate. The mother and daughter shared a nuzzle through the bars, tears streaming down both their faces as the did so.
Applejack regretfully pulled away as she said with a look of determination, "Right. Stand back, all of you! I'm gonna buck open this gate!"
Bright Mac shook his head sadly and said, "That won't do much good, Jackie. We've tried to knock these gates down time and time again. Ain't nothin' gonna break these down."
Applejack turned and planted her hooves firmly on the ground, and she said, "Maybe creatures that are beaten and starved and abused can't break 'em down, but Ah don't think they can stand against a Sweet Apple Acres mare that's ready and raring to go with a fire in her heart! So stand back, 'cause here Ah go!"
CLANG!
All of the slaves jumped back as Applejack's hooves struck the gate dead center. While the lock holding them closed still held, the gate did move quite a bit from the strike.
Applejack grunted, disappointed that she hadn't broken the lock with one blow, but this only served to strengthen her resolve to get the gate open.
CLANG!
Many of the slaves let out gasps of surprise when they saw that Applejack's second buck actually bent the metal a bit.
"Applejack, no!" Pear Butter cried out nervously, "Ah don't want you to hurt your-."
CLANG-ACK!
The slaves all yet out shouts of surprise after Applejack's third buck, and for good reason. A single crack had appeared in the massive lock.
CLANG-ACK!
Applejack huffed and puffed, her entire body straining from the exertion.
"Almost there. . ." she thought to herself, "Just a bit more strength. . . more power. . and I can-."
"You're doing it the hard way, Applejack!"
Applejack turned to see Pinkie Pie leaning against the gate, holding the late Gorf's keys and swing them around her forehoof.
Applejack blinked at the grinning pink mare, then shook her head and said, "No. . .matter of principle. . ."
Pinkie shrugged and said before hopping away, "Okie dokie lokie! Suit yourself!"
Applejack closed her eyes and went into deep concentration. She thought of all of these slaves and all of the tortures they had gone through. The beatings, the humiliations, the destruction of their hopes and dreams, and the separation from their families. This led her to think of her parents. She thought of what they went through just to be together, their hardships caused by the hated Apple-Pear feud. She then thought of how she felt when they were declared deceased, much much she had missed them, and how much they had missed out in no just her life, but in Big Mac and Applebloom's lives. The fire that had been lit by seeing her parents faces again after so many years suddenly became a blaze that could burn a thousand Windigoes, and the place gave her the strength to unleash one final, mighty buck.
CLANG-SNAP!
The slaves let out a rousing cheer as the lock was finally snapped in two, allowing the hated gate to swing wide open. Slaves were jumping for joy and hugging each other, all so happy that they barely noticed Pinkie zipping around them, unlocking their shackles and removing their chains like a spirit of freedom.
As Pinkie swiftly removed their chains as well, Bright Mac and Pear Butter just stood watching their daughter in amazement as she fought to catch her breath. Applejack finally steadied he breathing, turned around to face her parents and smiled, wiping the sweat off her brow and standing proudly.
Bright Mac smiled back and said, "That's my girl."
Pear Butter ran forward and embraced her daughter like she'd disappear if she let go. Applejack all but buried her face in her mother's mane as she felt her own tears return. Bright Mac walked over and caught the two in a hug as well.
And at that moment, it didn't matter where they were, who was nearby, or what their situation was. For that one, glorious moment, there was nothing except the three of them.
Verko had gone from standing irately at his window to watch the battle to standing with his back to the wall beside the window so he could occasionally peak out before quickly moving back out of sight. The last thing he wanted was to be struck by an arrow, spear, or magic bolt that came zipping through his window. He had been so sure that the combined forces of his hired muscle, slave guards, and slave owning citizens would be enough to send the attackers all to Hellgates. However, as the battle ranged on below, even from his own ivory tower could Verko see that his side was loosing.
Verko body suddenly convulsed violently, causing him to slide down the wall and land on his rear. He cursed Tempest Shadow's name a bit, then let out a far more venomous stream of curses on the ponies and hippogriffs. He eventually managed to refocus his attention on his current predicament. It was clear to him that his criminal empire in Klugetown was finished. From his high vantage point, he witnessed the ponies take over the slave compound, and he knew that any slave strong enough to work would also be strong enough to fight, making his current situation all the more hopeless.
Verko slammed his fist into the wall behind him before heaving himself back up onto his feet. The only option he had was to simply leave Klugetown and start his plans anew somewhere else. He smiled as he recalled his special escape tunnel, and his own personal secret airship waiting at the other end of it.
"A mole-rat lives to run away. . .so he can scheme another day!" he said gleefully as a wicked smile grew on his face.
Verko swiftly shuddered the window, and then ran right towards a wall-safe on the other side of the room. He opened it and proceeded to load his pockets with coins and gems. He cackled to himself, finding joy in the fact that those meddlers couldn't get rid of him so easily. He was a mole-rat of means who could make it pretty much everywhere with his wealth and cunning.
"Verko. . .the world's greatest criminal mind!" he praised to himself as he shoved a claw full of bits into his pocket. Already he had plans to hire on whatever criminal element was sure to exist in whatever city he decided to settle down in. Then maybe dig up some blackmail worthy dirt, and he'd be in business again in no time.
It wasn't long before Verko's pockets were full, but the wall safe was still packed with valuables. Verko frowned at this, and sighed as he shoved a few important deeds and other documents into his top hat. It hurt to leave behind any of his wealth, but he'd grabbed enough, and his secret airship also had a stash of loot for such an emergency. Verko turned to leave, but paused when he finally noticed that his Abyssinian slave Sola was in the room with him, silently standing behind him the whole time.
Recognizing an opportunity for an elegant solution, Verko gave the slave a curt not and pointed to the safe. "Slave! Gather up as much of the contents in the safe as you can and follow me."
Sola didn't move a muscle.
"Move!" Verko demanded.
Sola still did not move. She merely stood with her arms behind her back; and a cold, hard stare on her face.
"Have you gone simple?! Carry out my orders, slave!" Verko spat furiously.
Sola's gaze didn't change as she continued to start at Verko, then she moved her left hand from behind her back, revealing that she was holding Verko's coiled up scourge.
Verko blinked in surprise at the sight of his ornate weapon. He briefly looked towards his desk, realizing he had left the scourge there earlier. He then glared his loathing and rage at the slave and said viciously, "You filthy, disgusting, worthless little thief! Give that back to me!"
". . . . .Yes," Sola finally said, and with a flick of her wrist she uncoiled the four-tailed scourge, the four bits of sharpened stone on the end seeming to glint like the diamond on the handle. "I'm going to. . .give it to you," Sola said smoothly, the loathing in her eyes clashing with her eerily calm demeanor.
Red in the face and still enraged, Verko took a step forward and held out his hand, saying, "No more games, slave! You are mine, and you will obey me! You have no life of your own! You exist to serve me! You are PROPERTY! Get your filthy paws off of my-!"
It was at this moment that something happened that finally caused Verko's cruel, craven spirit to fail him.
Sola smiled the biggest, most satisfied smile Verko had ever seen.
And Verko began to scream.
General Seaspray took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He could no longer hear sounds of battle echoing through the streets of Klugetown, for they had finally faded away. Now there was only the sounds of moaning from the inured as they were being tended to, of buzzing from the flies gathering around the bodies of the dead Klugetowners as they waited to be carted off to be burned, and of joyful weeping from the freed slaves being escorted to the allies' airship.
However, Seaspray did not smile. He simply stood firm in the street, and watched as hippogriffs and ponies alike followed proceeded to restore order to the defeated city.
"General Seaspray."
The hippogriff felt a feeling a deja-vu as he spoke without turning to look at the newcomer, "Tempest Shadow, what do you wish to report?"
Tempest stood perpendicular to him, taking a brief moment to take in his right-side profile, and she said with regret in her voice, "Minimal causalities on our side. About 13 pegasi and 6 thestrals were slain by arrows. Some hippogriffs were seen getting shot down as well, but I assume you've already received a report about them from one of your own soldiers. On the ground, 11 earth ponies and 3 unicorns were lost. As for the wounded, we've got 89 ponies altogether. There's no doubt that they'll recover. The Abyssinian Capper received a minor injury as well. The Elements of Harmony, as well as Princess Twilight's unicorn student and dragon assistant, were all unharmed."
General Seaspray nodded silently, urging Tempest to continue.
"Every Klugetowner guarding the slave compound was slain," Tempest said in a serious yet slightly bitter tone, "Same goes for Verko's hired muscle. Klugetowners with families had barricaded themselves in their homes. Most of the older slave owners fought back and ended up all dying in their attempt to torment their slaves another day."
Tempest then smiled ever so slightly as she continued, "However, a number of them were willing to let their slaves go. One of the Klugetowners, a female named Vera, is acting as a spokescreature for them all. They want a chance to make Klugetown a better place now that we've cut out all of its tumors."
Tempest was fully smiling now, and she declared, "All in all: we've won."
General Seaspray merely nodded in response.
"You aren't smiling," Tempest remarked. It wasn't a question or a challenge or any sort of judgement. It was merely a statement that she had stated.
"War is something I could never get any sort of satisfaction from," Seaspray said sternly, "Nor do I believe any other creature should. Nevertheless, this was my duty. Our duty. Something had to be done, needed to be done. Pure and simple. Where there once was injustice and evil, is now liberty and freedom."
There was a moment of silence, and then Tempest walked over and stood beside the hippogriff general.
Desiring for there to be more conversation between them, Seaspray asked, "And what of this Verko character?"
Tempest shifted on her hooves nervously, and she was thankful that the pair weren't looking at each other as she said with slight embarrassment, "I. ..wanted to take care of him myself. . .so after setting up a slave safe house with Vera. . .I made a dash for his residence."
Seaspray shook his head and said, "Going at it alone? Quite a foolish move, my dear Tempest."
The unicorn felt her cheeks heat up, much to her embarrassment. What's more, she couldn't determine if her blushing was due to her foolishly reckless action, or the fact that Seaspray had called him his "dear." Nevertheless, she continued, "Well, I found him. . .strangled with his own scourge."
Seaspray breathed out slowly and said, "By one of his own slaves, no doubt. Ironic, yet perhaps he got off easier when one considers the scope and duration of his crimes."
At this, Tempest Shadow finally turned to look at the hippogriff. ". . .His clothes were thoroughly shredded, and his entire body was covered in deep, bleeding cuts," Tempest said in a near whisper.
General Seaspray smiled.
While the bodies of the foes, including those of Mori, Dorf, and Verko; were consigned to massive bonfire lit a mile away from Klugetown; the bodies of the fallen pony and hippogriff freedom fighters were reverently carried back into the airship, where they would be magically preserved so they could be taken back to Equestria or Mount Aris respectively for their proper burial. It was a sad affair, seeing the bodies of such brave champions of good being carried past after they had given their lives to come to the aid of the oppressed and condemn their oppressors.
All thoughts of an after battle victory party were wiped from Pinkie Pie's head because of this. However, her cheerful demeanor was restored nearly instantly when it occurred to her that there was a group that needed smiles more than anycreature else right now: the newly freed slaves.
And so, below deck, in a section of the airship that purposely kept empty to accommodate the transport of Klugetown's slaves, Pinkie Pie proceeded to do her good work. The liberated creatures were treated with cakes and treats that brought tears to their eyes, and were treated to music that made their spirits soar. The amazing party pony regaled the freed creatures with tales of how much the world had changed for the better. Stories of new foods, movie theaters, arcades, holiday celebrations, and of course Princess Twilight's School of Friendship and the wonderful new union between the races of the world excited the imaginations of the freed creatures. She assured that those who wanted to go home would be home soon, and those who did not remember their homes would be given all the help they needed to find their place among their kind.
However, two of these freed slaves were more interested in hearing things from a certain other pony. That being said, Applejack was so ecstatic and excited that she was nearing Pinkie Pie's energy level. Applejack went on and on, telling her parents about the dear friends she had made, the adventures they'd had, and the things she had come to learn about running the farm, the Apple and Pie Families, and family in general. She also hinted at how Applebloom had gotten her Cutie Mark in a big, big way, but resolved not to reveal it so that the youngest member of the Apple Family could tell the tale herself. This left Bright Mac and Pear Butter filled with suspense and anticipation, and all the more eager to finally return to their dear sweet home of Sweet Apple Acres, and their all the more precious family. Again and again, Pear Butter spoke of how she just wanted to hold her precious little Applebloom again; and Bright Mac kept assuring her that she would, while also expressing a desire to see the big strong stallion Big Mac had become.
All the while, Applejack forced herself to keep the news involving the Apple Family's new connection to Sugar Belle and Grand Pear a surprise.
As for the remaining Klugetowners, a new deal and a new plan was made, overseen by General Seaspray and Princess Twilight Sparkle. Slavery was officially abolished in Klugetown, and Vera was unanimously made Mayor of Klugetown. It was an honor that Vera was quite hesitant about taking, but when Tempest Shadow spoke of Vera's actions during the battle, Twilight wasted no time in assuring the new mayor that she was just the creature for the job. And so, being a concerned citizen who really wanted to make things better, Vera accepted.
And so, at long last, with a battalion of guards staying behind to ensure that order would be restored, the airship finally took of to Equestria, a land of both friendship and of hope, a land from which a greater power resides which will always be there to strike down those who do evil anywhere on the planet.
And so, any of you who value friendship and see it's limitless potential, I welcome you to become a part of this wondrous land that embraces the fact that Friendship is Magic. It's gates are always open.
