Queen Novo stalked in the star-glistened night, leading her fellow companions throughout Ponyville, the home of Princess Twilight Sparkle. It was about time Twilight had invited her over to her castle; she was ever so curious about what lie in the lives of ponies, and if it were any different than the hippogriff’s way of living.
As the Hippogriff Queen suddenly came to a halt, along with the other four—a parrot, another one of her kind, a small hedgehog, and a feline—she gazed upon a purple, sparkling castle, towering above her. It was magnificent.
“Mother!” Novo’s ears flinched back when her daughter, Princess Skystar, yelped cheerfully in a shrill voice, whilst bouncing up and down repeatedly. “We’re gonna see Princess Twilight Sparkle and all of her friends again! Ooh, I’m so excited! Aren’t you all, too?” She turned her head rearward, facing the other creatures whoms eyes were wide with awe.
“Of course we’re excited!” Captain Celaeno let out a prideful cry of joy. “That blue pony—was it Dash?—helped us get our mojo back! I can’t wait to see her again!”
“Well, all right, then,” Capper, the anthomorphic-cat creature, swished his tail from side to side on the snow-covered floor below him. “Are we going to head in, or wait until all of our pelts freeze in the snow?”
“On the contrary, cat one,” Grubber, the charcoal-dyed hedgehog remarked, padding closer to the golden castle doors. “We’re all mammals here, so we could technically survive out here; even though we wouldn’t really—“
“Grubber,” Capper’s ears flattened, obviously not wanting to stay in the cold much longer, and gave Grubber a sharp glare. If looks could kill, that one would have striked Grubber down in a heartbeat.
“Fine. But there’d better be cake!” He bounded up to the castle door, his stubby legs carrying him at a fast, yet bumpy pace. He strived to unlatched the humongous golden gates, but Novo had already done the deed.
Everycreature paced in, one by one, taking in the sights of the castle interior. They all were certainly not used to this, but they were willing to meet some old friends even if it was unusual.
“Queen Novo!” A small, purple pony—an alicorn, specifically— with a sleek-navy mane raced down one of the many hallways, grinning widely. She brushed her muzzle against the queen’s fur, as Novo mirrored the action. The pony caught her breath, and gazed onto the five creatures.
“It’s so good to see you all again!” she gasped, while motioning her front right hoof along the walls of the castle. “I’m glad you could make it!”
“As are we, Princess Twilight,” Novo blinked her eyes at the pony princess, dipping her head. “After all, without you, all of us would have faced The Storm King’s wrath for as long as we live. Princess Skystar and—Princess Skystar!” Novo spontaneously spat with anger, as her daughter had already flew among the hallways, assumingly looking for the other ponies.
“Hold on a second,” said Novo, as her eyes closed and opened her muzzle for a sigh. “Let me go and retrieve my daughter, who definitely has no manners.”
“Oh, no, there’s no need to—“ Twilight did not have time to finish her sentence before the ruler had swooped off to find the hippogriff princess. Now, Twilight turned to the other creatures, greeting them with a smile.
“It’s good to see you all,” she finally pivoted towards the other side of the hall. “Come this way, my friends are waiting.” She tried her best to remain calm and collected, but the excitement of seeing old friends again was too great for her to hold in; she was the princess of friendship, however. It was common in pony nature, as well, to react positively to seeing old friends once more.
After walking throughout a few halls, the row of creatures skidded to a stop when Twilight slowly creaked open one of the many doors. Inside were the mare’s closest friends: Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, who had accompanied her on the great journey she had made with the creatures once again crossing paths.
What else was noticeable, however, was the fact that Novo and Skystar were off to the side, having a talk with each other; Novo’s expression clearly stated that she was not the happiest eagle at the moment.
“Princess Skystar, you do not—“ she was interrupted when she saw Twilight and the others had arrived onto the same hall. “Okay, Princess Twilight, we’re done. Go ahead.”
Twilight nodded, and gestured the others inside the room. It was nicely decorated; leaf-like green lushes hanged from the walls, and the centered table in the middle of the room was set up neatly with crystal-encrusted plates peppered around it.
“You certainly went all out on this, didn’t you?” Celaeno gave a little chuckle, appreciating the ornaments around the castle.
“Captain Celaeno?” A blue pegasus, known as Rainbow Dash, hovered up from where she was sitting, and bolted to the pirate captain’s position. “It’s you! I’ve missed you so much! How long has it been? Four moons?” she flapped her wings as she gave a hug to the parrot, laughing.
“How could I forget the mare who helped me and my crew stand up to that horrible Storm King?” The bird then waved her arm towards the other ponies with glee.
“Princess Skystar!” Right after Skystar walked in to join them, her mopey look turned to merry when she and Pinkie Pie exchanged hugs with each other.
The same happened with Capper and Rarity; the two bowed their heads with grace, and thoughtfully blinked at each other.
“Twilight?” Another voice came from the corridor at the edge of the hall, of which some of the creatures recognized. “I’ve gotten you the—“ it was revealed that the voice belonged to a dark-velvet mare—Tempest Shadow, a unicorn with a broken horn, who one chose to walk the path of evil after her trust for all kind and walked alongside The Storm King.
She was carrying a saddlebag along her back, and her mane was down and straightened, as contrast to her signature mohawk-styled hair.
“Uhm...” she finally spoke, and her eyes darted between the strange looks she received from the creatures of the south. “I...Twilight, you told me they would arrive later.”
“Tempest, it’s all right,” Twilight walked over to the unicorn and gave her a thoughtful glance. “We’re all friends now, right?”
“I...yeah.” The fractured-horned pony slowly sauntered over to the table, putting her saddlebag down. Carefully, she used her one hoof to carry over a basket of bread rolls and butter to Twilight.
“I suppose we shall all sit, now,” Twilight beckoned her tail to the east, where the table was. Everycreature, and Tempest, took a seat on each of the placed chairs, one next to each pony.
“Okay, let’s get started!” Clapping her hooves together, Twilight curled around the chair nearest Tempest, and passed out a buttered roll to each of the guests with her magic. “I hope you like these. Tempest made them by herself!”
A tiny growl released from Capper, as his ears flicked back in disgust while showing canine-like fangs. His amber-colored pelage stood upward, and let out a hiss while remarking, “Why is she here?”
“There’s no need for that, Capper.” Rarity, the pony to the cat-being’s left, shot a glance at the young abyssinian. Capper gave a snort, but said nothing more in return.
“Please, everypo—everycreature,” said Twilight, taking a bite out of her bread roll from the plate. “Tell me, what has been going on after The Storm King was defeated?”
“Well, all of the Seapony Kingdom was super happy to hear about the defeat,” Skystar announced, giving a small squak of delight. “So, Mount Aris was repaired, and it’s so beautiful! We even have a train station so ponies of Equestria can visit! You’ll visit, right? I mean, of course you will! Did I tell you about the one hippogiff who can’t decide where to live, above or below the sea? I think his name was—“
“To put it shortly,” Novo, although irritated by her daughter’s rambling, couldn’t help but laugh at her bubbly sense. “The mountain was repaired, and everything is fixed. We all have one piece of the pearl on a necklace”—she pointed to the jewel around her neck—“so we can transform as we please.”
“Anything I’d do to swim in the water again!” Applejack piped, yelling a brief ’yee-haw!’. “It darn felt like I had just sprouted a new pair of wings. Why, when I told Apple Bloom all about our little adventure, she even said she wanted to be a Seapony too!”
“Who knows?” Twilight added in. “Maybe the map will expand south and we can have missions to these brand new locations!”
“Er...Twilight, I don’t think they know ‘bout the map, sugarcube.”
“We’ll explain later. Now, how goes it with you, Capper?”
“I’d thought you’d never ask,” the cat unsheathed a claw and scratched at his ear. “Well, Klugetown is definitely a much better place, now. See, after The Storm King’s death was spoken to the citizens, everyone is much more friendly. Me? Well, I sometimes visit the newly fixed Abbysinnia to see old friends, and such...” he trailed off, and his ears fell back, his whiskers drooped.
“What’s wrong, Capper?” asked Rarity, noticing the sudden change of expression.
“Before Abbysinnia was destroyed, I used to have an old friend—the name was Chummer, I think. We used to do a lot of stuff together; we would always grab from some markets when we were kittens.” he sniffed a little.
“But, of course, things had to change one way or another. Turns out, Chummer never trusted me. He left on an airship, and he said that I was going to leave him first.”
“Why, how terrible!” Fluttershy, who had not spoken a word until then, let out a gasp.
“But I’ve been doing—huh? What is it, Rarity?” Capper was cut off when the diva- mare whispered something into his ear; whatever it was, it was certainly not pleasing to the cat, who had yowled with surprise.
“What!? Cats on four legs?”
Rarity chuckled. “Yes, darling. Many ponies around Equestria own their precious kittens as pets. My Opal is the sweetest.”
“Cats...pets? Four legs...?” At this point, Capper could not even speak correct English. The feline breathed heavily, and Rarity scoffed once more while soothing the cat.
“Er...Celaeno! What ever happened to your crew?” This time, Rainbow Dash was the one to address the next creature.
“My crew, you say?” Celaeno ruffled Dash’s mane a bit, and the pegasus replied, “Hey, that tickles!”
“My crew is...pretty much the same, I guess. Our airship is spruced up, and we’ve gotten rid of all of the Storm King merchandise. No more hauling for us! Say goodbye to one-a-day lunch breaks!”
“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash fluffed her feathers a bit. “You’ll have to invite me back on your ship one day. I wanna try to steer the entire ship, because I know the best place to view all of Equestria from!”
“It’s a deal, captian.”
“Oh, stop...” Dash blushed while stepping her hooves quietly on the floor.
“And, that leaves...” Twilight skimmed the room, eyes darting. “Tempest! I know you already told me what you’ve been up to earlier, but I bet you’ve got quite the story to tell to our friends!”
Tempest remained silent, glancing downward.
“Tempest?”
“Fine.” she looked up once more, sighed, and flicked her ears.
“Hang on, I’m gonna get the cider. You all just listen to her story.” Twilight got up from her chair, and exited the dining room.
After the door was closed, the tone of the room changed completely. Soft growls and grunts echoed around the table, whilst the ponies remained quiet.
“I...” Tempest stuttered, cautious of her choice of words. “I’m just around Canterlot. That’s all.”
“Surely there is something more?” asked Rarity.
“No. That’s all,” she repeated, this time with a more aggressive tone.
“Tempest, cheer up!” Pinkie Pie attempted to revive the unicorn of her strive. “You’re not so big and bad anymore, right?”
“But nothing changed.” Now, Tempest’s distress was starting to bubble and simmer. “You all know the terrible things I had done to you. Capper, I’ve held you at my mercy and injured your head, possibly. Celaeno, your airship was completely obliterated by me. And, the ponies...oh, the ponies... There will never be a price too high enough to pay for my sins against your home. I am sorry, I am. But I know that I can never take back all the things I have done.”
“Tempest, don’t get yourself too worked up,” Grubber stated. “As long as you’re not serving that big bad Storm King anymore, then you’re pretty much good with it.”
“Why, Grubber?” Tempest, now, was close to shedding a tear or two. “Why are you always showing gratitude to me? The things I should be most ashamed of is the things I put you through. I know you wanted to help, I know you wanted to assist me, but I pushed you away. I’m a monster!”
“I’m back, everypony! Who wants—“ Twilight had returned, but after seeing the body of a whimpering Tempest quivering onto the floor, she nearly dropped all of the twelve jugs of cider onto the floor. Her jaw shot open, and frantically ran over to Tempest after dropping the mugs of cider onto the tables.
“What have all of you done?!” she pointed a hoof to the other creatures present. “I should have known that—“
“No, Twilight, don’t blame them,” Tempest’s eyes were locked on Twilight’s, while she kept shivering and sobbing. “They have suffered enough, from me. They hadn’t said a word while you were out.”
“Why are you crying?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Tempest pushed herself away from the alicorn’s grasp, and stomped her hooves against the cold, hard floor. “Twilight, I’m a monster. I’m a terrible pony. My broken horn should have been the punishment for all that I had done, but it had to be a gift! By the Gods of Tambelon, why am I treated so greatly by others? Twilight Sparkle, strike me down! I command you to END MY—Are you laughing?”
Indeed, Twilight was softly giggling. She sighed, and then said, “Tempest, why would I ever choose to destroy you? You’re one of the nicest ponies I’ve ever met. Why should you be ashamed of yourself for no reason?”
“Because I can never take back what I have done.” Again, Tempest withdrew from the princess, ears drooping down. “All of it, I can never reverse. They think so, too.” She shot a glare at Twilight, one mixing of dismal and splenetic emotions. “They will never forgive me. You should not forgive me, either.”
“Tempest Shadow,” Capper arose from his stance and walked over to Tempest’s convulsingc body. “I’ve got something to say.”
“Go ahead, please,” Tempest begged, voice quivering and unbalanced. “Strike me with your tail. Use those serrated claws of yours and scarficate my other eye.”
Capper’s tail lifted off the ground, swaying in the same motion above Tempest, and the mare’s eyes closed tightly, bracing herself.
But the whip of his tail she was wishing to feel did not come, however. Instead, his tail wrapped around her body, the soft fur of it drying away the tears on her cheeks.
“There, now,” Capper stroked her back gently, as she calmed down. “It’s okay. You’re forgiven. You might not be able to take away the things you’ve done, but that doesn’t mean you can be a brand new, good mare.”
“We forgive you,” Skystar padded up to them, and leaned down to where she could look into Tempest’s eyes. “Our home is safe, and everything is good again. I know a great friend when I see one, especially if they make great cooks!” Without hesitating, she clinged to her in a hug. “You’ve got friends all around!”
“No,” Tempest shrunk herself down, her hooves covering her lowered ears. “No. You...you can’t—”
“Come on, up you go.” Capper ignored her, and pulled her up from the floor. She sniffled a bit, still shook a little, and sat back down on her chair.
“That’s better,” the smug cat lay his tail on her shoulder. “How about we have some cider? I’ve never tried it myself, but”—he handed her a wooden jug with his paw—“I’ve heard it’s pretty good.”
“T-thank you,” Tempest shrugged, while tasting the cider. When she removed the jug from her lips, she smiled a bit. “Woah. That’s...really good.”
“Family recipe,” said Applejack, knowing how she admired the cider. “Is it your first time trying?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, y’all can visit the barn anytime you like. We’ve got tons of apple-based treats that you can try, if you’d be interested.”
“You’ll have to invite me,” Celaeno had already finished her cup of cider. “I can’t get enough of this stuff! It’s delicious!”
“Looks like we’ve got another thing in common!” Rainbow Dash remarked to the parrot.
“Tempest?” Twilight Sparkle once again walked to the deformed unicorn. “Are you all right?”
“...yes, Twilight,” Tempest now was grinning, cheeks no longer stained with wet tears. “Thank you. For your forgiveness.”
“That’s not a problem, Tempest.”
“Twilight?” Novo spoke up from the other end of the table.
“Yes, Queen Novo?”
“When shall you visit the southern lands again?”
“Well, we came not for a visit, but to find you,” the alicorn commented. “But I’m sure we could visit Mount Aris, Klugetown, and Celaeno’s airship once again. I would like to see more of your homes.”
“I would tell all of Klugetown and Abyssinia about Equestria, your majesty,” Capper added, tapping his claws on the table. “But I think these pastel ponies you rule over would flip out if they saw walking fish and lizards around—what’s the name?”
“Ponyville.”
“Yes, Ponyville. It’s peaceful enough here.”
“Oh, but I wish they could stay here!” Pinkie Pie whined, making a sad face. “Why do they have to go? I like making friends with cats, pirates, and mermares!”
“You know, Pinkie,” Twilight commented. “They don’t have to leave just yet. And, like I said, we all could visit them anytime we like. It’s south of Equestria, and we know where to go.”
“I guess I will be seeing you on Mount Aris soon, then?” Novo asked, smiling.
“Yes, certainly.”
“Well,” Fluttershy said. “What now?”
Twilight chuckled, and said, “What if I told you all, that I once went through a mirror portal and saw an alternate universe where humans live?”
She got ten weird looks after that.
