It has been a year since Queen Novo and her hippogriffs have returned to their home of Mount Aris, and they have managed to accomplish so much since. Re-establishing contact and relations with Equestria and other kingdoms, restoring all the damaged and abandoned structures, and getting back to how life use to be before. As the hippogriffs get ready for their own Friendship Festival to welcome the heroes of Equestria, a seemingly harmless prank goes awry, and scars from the Queen's past might prevent her from fulling enjoying the festival properly.

Princess Celestia had the fortune of being able to go on vacation. Queen Novo hasn't. Needing to unwind from the stressors of ruling her kingdom, Novo is offered by Celestia a chance to go on a little "girl's trip". She excitedly joins in, but will her insecurities affect the trip? Surely her daughter Princess Skystar can handle the kingdom while she's gone, right?

This story is set sometime after the events of Revenge of the Storm King.

With the aid of his loyal followers, the Storm King is resurrected from his shattered stone prison, and as an act of revenge, kidnaps Princess Celestia and Queen Novo, forcing them to compete in his gladiatorial arena. Should the royals successfully win 3 matches, the Storm King will let them go and take no further action. But if they lose, he will unleash an onslaught of attacks on both Equestria and Mount Aris. As Celestia and Novo begrudgingly agree to compete, scars from the past will reopen and it might just jeopardize their chances of making it through this gauntlet in one piece.