Freedom Fightersby greninjaChaptersPrologue: The EscapeChapter 1: RogueChapter 2: LockdownChapter 3: The SparkChapter 4: Turning the TidesChapter 5: What Lies AheadChapter 6: One Step at a TimeChapter 7: OriginsChapter 8: Friendship FallsEpilogue: From the ShadowsPrologue: The EscapeAuthor's Note Sup everyone. As you may know, FIM has reached its end. But that doesn't mean I can write a direct sequel to the My Little Pony movie. Prologue: The Escape "And march!" Officer Willow led the royal guards on their daily routine. One year has passed since the Storm King and his army attacked Equestria. All soldiers were exiled into Tartarus while the Mane Six held onto the Storm King's staff, Sacana. Sacana revealed the location on where the Storm King came from. The Storm Kingdom. All of its residents were placed on lockdown following the fall of the Storm King and were treated under harsh rule. Many royal members were captured and brought to Equestria to face justice for their crimes. Royal Guard member Gusty Gallows witnessed the horrible treatment the royal Storm members. But he had a job to do and kept to himself as he watched the prisoners get tortured for their crimes. When no one was looking, Gusty went out of line to meet with the prisoners. They stuck their paws out like monkeys, begging for food and water. Gusty grabbed a loaf of bread sitting on the table and gave it to the prisoners. They chowed it down likes wolves. He then took out a canteen of water and poured it over the prisoner's mouths. They drank it down in one gulp. They begged for more. "Sorry, that's all I have." Gusty said. The guards returned to their positions as they patrolled the areas around Tartarus. Officer Willow walked up to Gusty. "Gusty!" "Yes, madam!" Gusty saluted. "You are no longer needed to keep an eye on the prisoners. We'll take it from here." Gusty couldn't argue with Willow. He allowed Willow and her allies take the prisoners away. Time passed. Standing in the hallway, Gusty glared at the guards laughing and bad mouthing the Storm King and his army behind their backs. "AAAHHHH!" "It came from over there!" Gusty said to himself. Gusty followed the noise. He noticed sounds coming from the area below the castle. As he crept closer, he saw the Storm Prisoners. "Have a little taste of death!" Willow said. The Storm Prisoner was blasted with a lethal magic shot. He collapsed onto the ground dead. As Gusty examined the dead bodies of the prisoners he once fed, he saw one remaining royal Storm prisoner. He was heavily scarred, he must've received the most torture out of all the prisoners. Gusty had to make a stand. Being a unicorn, he can fight back with magic. He charged through, blasting magic at the guards. "Gusty?" Willow asked. The last Storm Prisoner saw this as an opportunity and knocked her out. "Guards!" One guard yelled out before being subdued by the prisoner. The prisoner shouted at Gusty. "Over here!" Gusty ran after the prisoner. The guards were right behind them. The exit was also blocked by the guards. The prisoner saw an open window the two can jump out of. "Hope you're not afraid of heights." He said. "Wait, we're not..." Gusty said. "Jump!" The prisoner said. "I can't! I'll die!" Gusty protested. Without warning, the prisoner shoved Gusty out of the window. He followed soon after. "Shining Armor is not going to like this." One guard said. Chapter 1: RogueAuthor's Note I quickly learned that you must have at least 1,000 words if you want your story to be actually submitted. Oh boy. Chapter 1: Rogue Gusty dried off his mane as he and the prisoner took shelter in the forest. "You didn't have to push me outside." Gusty said. "Desperate times calls for desperate measures." The prisoner said. "Come on, we can't stay here longer." "My hooves hurt." Gusty complained. "We got to keep moving." The prisoner stated. The two kept moving. "Hey! I didn't get your name!" Gusty said. "Leon." The prisoner said. "Your name is Leon?" "Yep." "That's a very odd name." "Not where I came from its odd." "But where are we heading?" Gusty said. "Kludgetown. Right now they should be transporting supplies to the troops blocking the Storm Kingdom." The guards regrouped back at Canterlot to inform Shining Armor. "He betrayed us?" Shining said. "We saw him fighting for one of the prisoner's freedom." A guard said. "He knocked all of us out and escaped with him." Another guard added. Shining paced back and forth. "I don't know what do now. He could come back with him but much stronger." A guard said. A voice came in. "I got an idea." Tempest Shadow, the pony who sacrificed her life to kill the Storm King but was revived thanks to Twilight walked in. "We place a bounty on Gusty's head. Creatures will kill each other with him alive or dead." "That sounds perfect." Shining added. Wanted posters were placed everywhere for Gusty and Leon. Many creatures seeking their hands on the 1,000 bits offered for their capture or conviction trained for the worst. The Mane Six even got in on the action. "This is gonna be a piece of cake!" Pinkie said. "It is, darling." Rarity added. "I'll fly around with my superspeed and I'll catch them!" Rainbow Dash added. The Young Six, Pillars of Old Equestria, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Wonderbolts, and more joined in. It didn't take long for Gusty and Leon to find out about their endeavors. Three royal guards blocked the two from passing. "Halt! We are looking for a rogue Storm Guard who matches your description." The lead said. "There must be some misunderstanding." Gusty said. "What kind of misunderstanding?" "The kind where you thought we would come quietly." Gusty said, charging his horn. Gusty blasted magic, knocking out the first guard. Leon pounced and knocked out the second guard. He then dodged the third guard's magic attack and subdued him. "New plan." Leon said, getting up. "We avoid the roads. "There it is. Kludgetown." Gusty said. The two were at the edge of town. They snuck their way to the docks. Leon lowered a rope from a nearby ship so that Gusty can climb up. The two then hid behind some boxes. "Okay, we should be safe here." Leon said. "Everything is accounted for, captain!" "Set sail! Next course, the Storm Kingdom!" The cargo slipped gently back and forth as the waves crashed onto the ship. "So tell me all about yourself." Gusty asked to Leon. "You first." Leon said. "You'll pretty much know me when we get to the Storm Kingdom." "Okay, you already know me as member of the royal guard. Or used to be." Gusty said. "I'm now a traitor." "You sure are." Leon said. Gusty and Leon hid in one of the crates as the ship slowly stopped. They were placed onto a wagon. "You know where to go right?" One guard asked. "Yep, to the Captain." Another guard added. The guards pulled the wagon as they headed towards their destination. Something then hit Gusty. "Wait, what if we get caught while we're in here?" Gusty said. "Uh...." "You didn't think this through, didn't you? Now we're dead!" "Don't blame me! It was foolproof! They're just gonna leave this crate alone, and then we'll escape from there." "Okay. I trust you for this one." The two waited. And waited. And waited. "Now!" cried a voice. "It's an ambush!" A guard shouted. The guards around were captured by mysterious figures. The others were killed or have escaped. "Loot the supplies!" The crates were looted off of the wagon. As they opened the crates, they found a Storm Creature and a unicorn cowering in fear. They aimed their weapons at the creatures. "Wait, I know him!" One Storm Creature said. "That's prince Leon!" "You're a prince?" Gusty asked. "Now you know." Leon sarcastically remarked. Another Storm Creature got a call from his superior. "More are coming on the way?" He asked. "Then we gotta get out of here!" Left with no other choice, Gusty followed Leon and the Storm Creatures. Chapter 2: LockdownSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3: The SparkPhoenix returned to their base. "Good job, everyone." Connor said. "We're one step closer in freeing our city." "It's been a long day. We should get some rest." Leon said. "Wait, what about Princess Luna? She can track us in our sleep." "This is why we use this." Connor said. A headband was placed on Newton's head. "A dream blocker. It'll prevent you from dreaming, but it also prevents Luna from entering our dreams." A Storm Soldier replied. "I thought Luna's only goal is to prevent nightmares and raise the moon." Newton said. "She cannot create nightmares, but she can use the other ponies to make things harder for us. We need to be extra careful." "Ok, but where's my room?" Since there weren't many rooms. Newton slept with two female Storm Creatures. One of them had a larger body type, while the other resembled Connor but a female. "You'll sleep here tonight." Connor said. "It's much better than sleeping on the street." "We're sleeping with a boy? Awesome!" The larger body-type Storm Creature cheered. "We're sisters by the way." The other Storm Creature said. "Meet Newton." Connor said. "Hi, I'm Angel." The Connor look-alike said. "And I'm Hannah." The larger Storm Creature said. "You should get some rest." Connor said. "We have a big day ahead of us." Newton went to lie down on his bed. Of course he made sure to use his headband. The sounds of people cheering awoke Newton. Getting up, he noticed Storm Creatures cheering for a younger, smiling Storm King and his wife, the Storm Queen. The Storm Queen held an infant, in her arms. "Newton... hear me." Newton turned to find an older, mostly scarred Storm King standing next to him. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" "I am dead. But after my death, I can enter anyone's dream regardless if they have a dream blocker or not. When I turned into obsidian and shattered, I was cursed to haunt any creature's dream." "But, you aren't haunting me. Maybe it's just me, but you're just standing there, doing nothing." "Because I am not as evil as the creatures say." "Wait... WHAT?!" "This was the reason behind my reign of terror." The world around Newton changed. The cheering crowd was changed into a burning city. Storm Creatures were running as far away from the city as they could. Ponies and other creatures were pillaging, raiding, and burning houses to the ground. Newton ran up to stop them, but his body went through one of the creatures. "You can't fight back here." The Storm King said. "You can only just watch." Newton noticed a familiar female mint-green pegasus with brown eyes. It was Willow, assisting with the raids. "Who's leading the attack?" Newton asked. "I never knew. Because of this." "Mom!" Newton recognized that voice. It was Leon. Newton ran to the direction of the voice. Leon was lifting a plank of wood trapping the Storm Queen. Newton ran to help, but his hooves passed through the wood plank. "You cannot do anything here, remember?" "But Leon needs-" Newton realized that the Storm King was right. "Leon... listen to me." The Storm Queen said. "You have to stay strong... I believe in you." "Mom, I can still help you!" Two more Storm Soldiers arrive to carry Leon away and out of the house. "No! I can still help her!" As the house the Storm Queen was in crumbled to the ground. "I love you, Leon..." "MOM!" "Oh no..." Newton gasped. "This was just the beginning." The world around Newton changed again. This time two Storm Creatures have captured one of the raiders and sent him for interrogation. "Now, you will tell me who sent those creatures." One Storm Creature stated. The raider acted all smooth and spoke in a chill tone. "I think you should answer that question yourself." "We interrogated him." The Storm King said. "We never got anything, we came to the conclusion that all creatures except the Storm Creatures are to blame." "But that's not-" "The answer? I learned that after my death." The vision changed. Two creatures, both cats, one male and one female were captured by the Storm King himself for interrogation. "Let us go!" The male cat said. "You have joined in my wife's death. You will tell me why you joined in on my wife's death." "We were paid to kill her!" The female cat said. "Tell me why!" "Never! If I tell who is behind the attack, my superiors will kill me!" "You are already dead to me!" Both cats were dragged away to the prison in front of the Storm King. The vision then changed again. This time, reluctant Storm Soldiers were training for a massive war for the creatures. "Father, what are you doing?" It was Leon. He was watching the whole scene and was horrified to see the innocent Storm Soldiers fighting a war they will not win. "What do you mean to ask? My wife was my life. I must avenge her death!" "Then find the one who murdered her." Leon said. "Find the one who sent the raiders. There are innocent creatures who did not attack the Storm Kingdom." "THERE ARE NO INNOCENTS!" The Storm King yelled. "Anyone of them could be my wife's killer." "I will not let you do this!" Leon said. "You cannot stand up to me! I am your father!" With a blast of magic, Leon was knocked down. "Behold, the Staff of Sacanas! With this power, I can drain the magic off of any creature. Set forth, soldiers! I shall avenge my wife!" The Storm King stated. As Connor arrived to help Leon up, the latter could only watch as his father was blinded by vengeance. "It was suicide. We pillaged and burned, we only gave them strength." The vision changed once more to Tempest joining the Storm King. Then to the Storm King's invasion of Equestria. Then to his untimely death. "My rage ultimately got the best of me." "NOOOOOOOO!" Tempest yelled as she blocked the obsidian ball thrown by the Storm King. Both were hit. "As I fell, I realized how blind in rage I was." The Storm King said solemnly. SMASH! The Storm King broke into pieces. "I am so sorry, Leon. I am so sorry...." The Storm King said. Newton spoke up. "It's not your fault. It was theirs. You may not be able to see it, but we will liberate your kingdom." "I give you my strength and my will." The Storm King said before disappearing. Newton awoke to find himself back where he was. Many Storm Soldiers were doing things as the ponies would. Brushing their teeth, eating breakfast, and taking showers. The unicorn borrowed a toothbrush and some toothpaste. As he brushed his teeth, he thought about the Storm King's words. He was now the enemy, and he must carry the spark of the resistance. He went up to Leon to talk about his dream, but decided against it. "Welcome Newton, here's your next assignment." Connor stated. Author's Note Okay, this is where the MLP movie fans come in and complain that everyone's out of character and that the Storm King is a relatable antagonist. Before you call the police, let me explain. The Storm King's motive was only addressed as "evil because he's evil" and "lust for power". There's got to be some more motivation behind that. As a viewer of the movie, I couldn't help but root for the Storm King despite him betraying Tempest and enslaving all of the ponies. Also, I find it funny that the entire Storm Army was easily forgiven since they were partying with the ponies in the credits. I want to humanize the Storm Creatures by making them not as evil as the creatures say they are. I get that the Mane Six and their allies are evil, but I want to write them as evil so that the Storm Creatures can have an antagonistic faction to face. Plus, what other stories have them as evil and not just corrupted? Chapter 4: Turning the TidesAuthor's Note For this chapter, I'm going to be adding a soundtrack from a movie. I recommend you to play them while reading this just to get the full immersion. Chapter 4: Turning the Tides "And they did what to you?" "The resistance robbed us of our goods!" A royal guard said. "They must be led by that backstabbing traitor Gusty." The officer said. Shining Armor walked in. "Listen up, everypony! We're sending a bounty hunter after Gusty. He will quake in fear when she captures him!" "Who's the bounty hunter?" The officer asked. Tempest Shadow walked into the scene. "Time for a little storm-hunting." She stated. Newton vandalized propaganda of Celestia and replaced with a sign of Phoenix telling the creatures to not surrender. "Another one off the list." Newton said. "Statue of the two Sisters destroyed." A Storm Soldier said. Even Storm Creatures who weren't part of Phoenix joined in. A group of royal guard soldiers in charge of patrolling the Storm Kingdom walked into a small part of town. "Hey, creatures! We are hungry and thirsty!" One guard asked. "Bring us water! And food!" Another guard added. No one came. "Bring us water! And food!" The guard said louder. "Ow!" A guard said. "What happened?" "I was hit by a rock or something." "Who threw that!" One of the guards stated. "Ow!" Another guard said. "Ow!" "Ouch!" "Ow!" "Ow!" "Ouch!" "Ah!" "Who keeps throwing rocks at us!" The leader of the group of guards stated. "We are your masters! Do as told! You owe us!" One Storm Creature popped up. "We owe you nothing!" Another Storm Creature emerged from cover. "We know what you did!" All of the Storm Creatures threw rocks while shouting. "Liar!" "Murderer!" "Fraud!" "Thief!" "We got to retreat!" One guard said. The guards were forced to back away. "Unhand me!" The unicorn leader in charge of occupying the Storm Kingdom, Mossy Rock, had Fernand in his grasp. "You are a member of Phoenix yes?" "Yes. Now do what you will. Kill me and be done with it." "No. But tell me, why did you leave Phoenix?" "Connor has allowed a scum in our lines. Your traitor, Gusty." "And you left your master. Well, come with me. I will introduce you to your new master." "What are you talking about?" Another group of prisoners were freed by Phoenix. "Light it up!" Leon shouted. Posters promoting Celestia and Mossy Rock were burned to the ground. Protestors took notice and launched a riot in the city. They were swiftly captured and taken away. "We did well, didn't we?" Connor said through Leon's communication device. Leon and Newton walked throughout the city noticing the Storm Creatures rioting in the streets. "We should head back to HQ." Leon said. "Yes." Leon noticed Connor working with a Storm Creature inventor named Kylan. "There we go, it's done!" Kylan stated. "Leon, you're just in time. We need someone to showcase our newest weapon." What looked like to be a shortened version of a blunderbuss was now in Leon's hands. "What is this?" "I call it The Dragon." Kylan said. Leon pointed it around. "Careful, it's extremely lethal." "What should I use it for." "In combat. It would go great with your sword." Leon held his sword on his right hand and his Dragon on the left. "Now, let's practice your aiming." Kylan said. The same targets used for archery was now used for shooting practices. After firing one target, Leon noticed a clicking sound on his Dragon. "It's out. I'll give you some ammunition and teach you how to reload." Newton practiced his magic on a different set of targets. He learned how to fight with stealth and fight with his hooves. "What you got there?" Newton asked. "It's called Dragon. And not the creature kind of Dragon. Whatever this is, it shouldn't be messed around with." "Newton, we have a mission for you." Connor said. "I'm all ears." "Another group of Phoenix members left the resistance due to the Speaker's propaganda. Her speeches are killing us. I want you to go over there and silence her." "You got it." Newton got the coordinates on a map Connor left for him. It was telling him to head towards the radio station. As Newton walked into the radio station, he was met with magic blasts from unicorns guarding the Speaker. "Keep him pinned!" Newton opened his pack and tossed out a small, round, black ball at the unicorns. "Ha! You missed!" A unicorn shouted. POOF! A cloud of smoke erupted from the ball. Newton ran in and blasted magic at all of the ponies. A male dark red pegasus attacked him from behind, but Newton tossed him to a wall and subdued him. Another female brown earth earth pony attacked with a broomstick, but Newton disarmed her and knocked her on the head on the end. He kicked the door open just as the Speaker was giving out a message. "What are you doing here?" She said. Newton took out a piece of paper written by Leon. "Read it." He threatened. "But they'll-" "Read it, you weasel!" Newton stated louder. "Creatures of the Storm Kingdom, your faithful Royal Guard watching over you has lied to us... I can't read this! They'll kill all of you!" "Yeah, right! You expect me to believe some creature who is making the resistance fall down?" The Speaker tried to make a run for it, but Newton tackled her down, tied her up and held the paper in front of her face. "Creatures of the Storm Kingdom, your faithful Royal Guard watching over you has lied to us. They may be strong, but they are not stronger than all of us combined. I ask you to stand up, grit your teeth, and fight your way out! You want your home? Get it now! You want freedom? Get it now! I ask you brothers and sisters to stand up now and take back what's ours! Because they're not going to let us do this the easy way." Newton untied her. "You can go now." The Speaker ran off. "Newton, that was awesome!" Connor said. "The entire Storm Kingdom saw Leon's message." "Although it would be better if I say it." Newton said. "Yeah, it would be. But anyway, head back to HQ. We're taking back our kingdom today." "On it." Newton arrived back at the Phoenix base. "We did it, Newton! We caused enough civil unrest in the Storm Kingdom!" Connor stated. "Payback time." Leon stated. "But I can never go back home again. I am forever labeled as a traitor." Newton said. "You can live with me." Leon said. "I am the Storm King's successor after all." "Phoenix, let's move out!" Connor stated. Led by Connor, Phoenix soldiers lined up and prepared for battle. They gathered rioting Storm Creatures around for one last showdown. Mossy Rock witnessed this and gathered the royal guards. The guards pulled a wagon full of bits taken from the Storm Creatures. "They're transporting another convoy." Newton said, scouting the area. "A money one too. Let's do this." Leon added. Teaming with Hannah and Angel, the four knocked down a large statue praising Celestia. As it crumbled to the ground crushing two royal guard members, Connor and the other rioters were enough to distract the guards. The guards approached the rioters, not noticing Kylan behind the guards setting up a trap. He poured a line of oil behind the column of guards and in front of the Storm Castle ahead of the rioters. "Throw it, Connor!" A rioter said. "Throw it!" Connor tossed a ball of fire that confused the guards. It landed onto the oil trail, causing a huge wall of fire. "Charge!" Connor shouted. The rioters brandished clubs, shields, spears, swords, and whatever weapon they could find. They attacked the royal guard. "They're distracted!" Newton said. "And the convoy's unguarded." Leon said. The four made it to the convoy. More Storm Creatures arrive to carry it away. "What do we do now?" Angel said. "We go for the castle." Newton said. The four then turned to the Storm Castle. The four burst into the Storm Castle, taking out guards patrolling the area. Newton threw a smoke bomb, blinding the creatures once more. He and his group knocked out the remaining royal guard members. "To the throne!" Angel said. The group made their way to the throne room. Hannah went in first, but was shot down by an electric blast. "You have arrived." "Tempest!" Newton said, noticing the voice. Tempest walked into the room. Her companion, a small warthog named Grubber was also there. "Gusty Gallows." Tempest said, noticing the unicorn. Leon and Angel charged for Tempest and Grubber, but were knocked out by the unicorn's swift kicks. "You're in a lot of trouble, now!" Grubber said. "I'll give you one more chance. Kill these creatures before you, or die." "I'll never join you! You ponies became corrupted in your own power!" "We were trying to keep things orderly! But you had to mess that up!" Grubber added. "You know what? Why are we wasting time talking to him?" Tempest said. "That bounty on his head will be ours!" A blast of magic knocked Newton down. Grubber hit the unicorn with the club. "You have turned against us! Time to understand the true meaning of friendship!" Newton was continuously hit with a beam of magic from Tempest. Grubber occasionally got to hit him with his club. The two did not notice a hand grasping for the Dragon. BLAM! Tempest collapsed onto the ground. The unicorn who murdered the Storm King was now dead. Grubber was now quaking in fear. Noticing Leon rising up, he dropped his club and surrendered. He was immediately subdued by the former. "You okay?" Leon said, helping Newton up. "I don't think so..." Newton gasped. Angel got up as well. She went to check on Hannah. "She's gone..." She sadly said. "We need to get Newton to safety." Leon said. As the three made their way out of the castle, they saw the rioters turning the tides of the battle." "Guys, I need... to... lay down..." "You aren't dying on me!" Leon stated. "I see him! The bounty's ours!" A group of royal guard members lined up to execute Newton, Leon, and Angel. Newton braced for impact. "Get them!" "Protect Newton!" Connor led a small group of soldiers in defending the three creatures. "Retreat! Retreat!" The royal guard said. But they had nowhere to run. The entire land of the Storm Kingdom was finally liberated. Everyone cheered in victory. The world sounded muffled to Newton. He fell unconcious. "Newton! Newton!" Newton awoke to find himself with the Storm King again. "You're back." Newton noticed. "And you liberated the Storm Kingdom." The Storm King replied. Newton looked around the world around him. It looked like an orphanage. It hit him. "This is the place where I grew up." "So you were an orphan." The Storm King guessed. "Of course. I only had a sister." An old earth pony walked in. She treated the children horribly. "Grassy. I knew her." Newton said. "Those who shirk their duties will get an extra beating. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, Grassy." The children said enthusiastically. "One more thing! You can forget adoption, no one will adopt you. You will always be here, until you get thrown out into that horrible world. Now, what do you say?" "We love you Grassy, thank you for your kindness." "Where is that little Gusty? He isn't here." Grassy said. "That was where I escaped." Newton said. "I couldn't take it anymore." "He escaped! Bring his sister in!" A female earth pony with a blue coat and red mane was brought in by Grassy's assistant, Shade. Like Grassy, Shade didn't treat the orphans kindly. "Your sister is quite attractive." The Storm King said. "You're in love with my sister?" "You're Neytiri, right? What a bad name, what kind of ill-mannered parents would give a normal name to their son but a terrible name to their daughter?" "It's not a bad name! My brother did the right thing!" "By leaving his sister behind? Beat her!" "Does this haunt you?" The Storm King asked. "Years later, I met her again. She's now a gardener for a flower shop. And she seemed to have forgotten the past." Newton said. "Sounds like you two made up to each other." "Yeah." The door to the orphanage opened, revealing a bright light. Newton was being sucked towards it. "You're waking up." The Storm King said. "I'll see you soon." Newton added. Newton awoke to find himself in the hospital wing of the Storm Kingdom. He noticed his bandaged body after his fight with Tempest. "You're awake." Leon was there. Newton quickly embraced him. "I guess this is what they mean by bromance." Leon said. "Did we win?" "Of course we won." Newton slowly made his way outside as the remaining royal guard soldiers were evacuating the Storm Kingdom. The Storm Creatures raised their flag for the first time in a year. "Fellow Storm Creatures, today independence has been reborn. We have won it for the time being. But the fight to keep freedom starts now." "Connor, look!" One Storm Soldier said. "Along with Storm Creatures being held prisoners, ponies, changelings, griffons, dragons, yaks, and hippogriffs alike were being held prisoner." "Is that?" "Gusty!" Neytiri was among those who were captured. As she embraced Newton, she told him of the royal guard's misdeeds. "They're doing what?" Newton gasped. "The leaders of each of the creatures are capturing and murdering their own kind without their followers noticing. Princess Celestia and Luna and their subjects are aware of this and are accepting it." "Those fiends!" Leon stated. "Well, I guess we have a new land to save." Connor said. "Phoenix!" Newton cheered. "Rise from ashes!" shouted the creatures. "Phoenix!" Leon added. "Helps the weak!" "Phoenix!" "Fights for freedom!" "We may have won the battle, but the war still continues..." Newton said. Chapter 5: What Lies AheadSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 6: One Step at a Time"Yeah, it's me." Willow said. "Why are you here? Didn't you want me dead?" Newton asked. "Not really. It wasn't until I was dismissed from the royal guard." "That doesn't answer my question and furthermore, how did you get here? This place is technically an island!" "Like you and Leon, I traveled by boat. Took a lot of rowing." "And with no navigation tool. Except for a map but even then you still don't know where the Storm Kingdom is." "Maybe she could help." Connor said. "Why trust her?" Newton asked. "Because it was just like what Neytiri is saying. Creatures are being horribly treated by their superiors." "I still don't trust you." "And you seem to believe your sister?" "I still don't believe it either." Leon said. "If what you're saying is true, then we have a bigger war to fight." "Besides, who imprisoned Neytiri and the other creatures?" Connor said. Willow returned to Canterlot. She was tasked by Leon into gathering evidence of princesses' crimes. "Hey, what is that camera for?" An earth pony said. "Oh, we're reporters." Willow said. "Can you take a picture of me?" "No." Willow then arrived at the dungeons. She photographed various creatures being tortured by the royal guard. "That should be enough information." Willow said. "That's all the information you're getting for us? Creatures being imprisoned?" "It's enough, Newton." Willow said. "You know, you need more evidence of the princesses' crimes before we actually." "That's enough. Ponies will believe anything." "Really?" "Think about it. They are so gullible, the Flim Flam brothers were able to scam their money many times." "But we're fighting for our freedom." "And you just did." "Now we're fighting against an empire." "And you'll need the creatures' help." Twilight gathered all of her allies and took them to Canterlot Castle. "We have gathered here today to stand up to a foe that is claimed to be invincible." She stated. "The Storm Kingdom!" Every creature looked at each other. "A few days ago, the Storm Kingdom has taken back their land from us. It wouldn't be long until they arrive here and take over Equestria once more." "We need to do something!" Applejack said. "Exactly, which is why I gathered you all here. You will stand your ground and promise me you will protect Equestria for as long as possible!" "Yeah!" Every creature said. "We'll fight until the last of us falls!" Pinkie added. "Wherever you go, I will follow!" Rainbow Dash stated. "That's right, with all of us together, no pony can take on us!" Twilight stated. The doors to the castle burst open. The Young Six had just arrived. "The creatures are rebelling against us!" Sandbar said. "I tried to calm them down, but they threw me out!" Smolder said. "Yona tried to talk to them, but Yona was attacked!" Yona added. "The Storm Kingdom, they've returned!" Silverstream panicked. "They're gonna kill us all!" Ocellus added. "We need to flee!" Gallus said. "Calm down!" Twilight said. Everyone went silent. "Bar the doors and arm up! We need to be ready for them." "So that's what you did?" Newton said. "You should've seen the faces of each of the creatures' leaders." Willow said. "Since they're taking down Thorax, Rutherford, Novo, and Ember, we can have these creatures on our side!" "But they need a rallying cry." Leon said. "Neytiri, gather your friends and tell every creature to meet at the Storm Kingdom." Connor instructed. "You got it!" Neytiri left with her friends. "What are we going to do?" Newton asked. "Us? We're gonna train harder." Connor said. "I've asked Kylan to invent new weapons for us to use against the creatures." "You've already got swords, spears, shields, and these things called guns." Newton summarized. "What else do you need?" "Magic." "There could be some magic barrier preventing us from attacking Canterlot." Leon added. "But with all the creatures combined, it wouldn't be a problem." Newton said. "We have to try." Connor said. "Get him! Get him!" Thorax, the leader of the changelings, was captured along with his followers and his brother Pharynx. "Thorax, you have murdered your own kind, tortured and destroyed the changelings, and lied to us." A changeling said. "How do you plead?" "Not guilty! I don't know what you're talking about!" "Burn him!" Before they could light a fire, Neytiri arrived by sounding off a horn. "All changelings head to the Storm Kingdom!" She stated. "The Storm... Kingdom?" One changeling asked. "I heard that place looked like Tartarus!" "It isn't." Neytiri said. "If you want to stand up against Celestia and Luna, come with me!" The changelings reluctantly followed Neytiri. Using a scuba mask to see clearly underwater and a rebreather that converts water into oxygen Neytiri arrived at Mount Hippogriff. A majority of the hippogriffs were underwater. They were taking on Queen Novo. "Guys!" Neytiri spoke through the communicator on the rebreather. Everyone turned to find a scuba diving pony behind them. "The Storm Realm..." Neytiri took a breath from the regulator. "...is the place where you want to go!" "But they tried to steal our pearl!" One hippogriff asked. "They can help you!" The hippogriffs agreed and took Neytiri back to the surface. Neytiri's friends gathered yaks, other ponies, dragons, and griffons to come to the Storm Kingdom. The creatures were stunned to see that the Storm Kingdom wasn't like what Celestia said it was. "It actually looks futuristic." A dragon said. "I'm so flustered with their technology!" A griffon added. Newton went out to meet with Neytiri. "That's him! That's the one!" One unicorn said. "I thought he was a myth..." A hippogriff said. Newton cleared his throat as he stood on a high spot for every creature to see. "Creatures... The princesses.... deceived us." Everyone gasped. "Turned creature against creature..." Every creature looked at each other. "Murdered our love ones..." Some creatures embraced each other when they heard that. "And now everyone and everything is at risk..." "We once trusted them..." Leon added. "And now, they've turned on us..." "This weapon..." Connor added. "The Staff of Sacanas, was once wielded by a good creature...." "The Storm King was good the whole time?" A creature said in the audience. "And it has been proven to weaken alicorns..." "It is now in our hands..." Newton said. "Your leaders have feared you and you know why? Because they fear what would happen if we come back from the brink!" "They were right to be afraid!" Leon said. "Join us.... right now. Here we will make our stand, not as many... but as one!!!" Everyone embraced Newton as their orator. They went off to train with the Storm Soldiers. All that was left was Newton, Connor, Leon, and their allies. "We're dealing with not only the princesses, but their allies and followers as well." Willow reminded. "We may have Sacana, but Neytiri didn't bring many creatures." "And there are so few of us..." Neytiri added. "I'm not afraid." Newton stated. "I have run many times before, but I am done running. Tonight, we take back our freedom." "And we will stand with you." Leon stated as well. "Alright, let's get to work." Connor said. Everyone was split up into several groups. Former captains serving the Storm King's army trained the creatures with keeping up the pace with running, Leon trained the dragons in using swords and shields since they were the only creatures who stood on two legs, Kylan taught the ponies to make explosives they can use against the princesses' followers, Willow trained the yaks into breaking down barricades, and Neytiri trained the hippogriffs, changelings, and griffons on using their flying capabilities for combat although she couldn't fly. Newton was left training alone with Connor. "I think we're ready." Connor said. "Ready? We still need-" "Not them. You and me." "Huh?" "Although it's the job of the Storm Prince to name his lieutenant, which is me by the way, he gave me the choice to choose a second in command." It hit Newton. "You're not saying..." "I'm choosing you as my second in command." Newton was given Tempest's old battle suit. It fit him perfectly. "Do we still have the obsidian balls?" Newton asked. "No." Connor said. "Well, that's pretty much what I'd expected." "It's payback time." Chapter 7: OriginsAuthor's Note I can see the dislikes here but I wouldn't mind if you dislike it because I am aware of what is wrong with this either. If I say anything about it more, it would be counted as lashing out at negative criticism and no one likes that. Nothing much more to say. Chapter 7: Origins One day has passed since the Festival of Friendship. Ponies lined up for therapy to deal with anger, fear, and sadness from the Storm King. As the Mane Six observed the aftermath of the Storm King's reign, they had their own events. One was the opening of the School of Friendship, dozens of creatures from all over Equestria came to escape their problems with the Storm King. The other was the formation of the Young Six. These six; a male earth pony named Sandbar, a female dragon named Smolder, a female changeling named Ocellus, a male griffon named Gallus, a female yak named Yona, and a female hippogriff named Silverstream, were the school's best students. But fears of the Storm King still overshadowed them. "Take deep breaths." Applejack said. "But the Storm King-" Twilight panicked. "He's dead. He won't hurt you anymore." It wasn't just the Mane Six that was haunted. "Mmmmm..." Celestia groaned. "Oh my..." Luna said. "You didn't sleep well? I was certain I helped you with your nightmare." "It came back... The Storm King..." Celestia collapsed onto the ground. Luna had to take over for her place. "Man, this just blows." One royal guard member said, watching all of this. "She's still haunted from the Storm King." "I didn't think he was that threatening." Gusty said. "Gusty, he turned the princesses into obsidian! You're only saying that because you got the best treatment out of Storm Guards!" "Hey! Being fed adequate food and not being caged or shackled like the rest of you does not mean I received the best treatment! I was still told on what to do!" Sometime Ago... Back when the Storm King invaded the Festival of Friendship in Canterlot, they imprisoned all the ponies and turned some of them into slaves. Gusty was among those caged, but he had a plan to escape. Noticing the Storm Guards' advanced weaponry, and how some of them were easily gullible, Newton got the attention of one guard. "Hey! That's a cool..." "Sword?" said the Storm Guard. "I was going to say thing. But if it's called a sword... Where'd you get it anyway?" "Yeah, we built it back at the Storm Kingdom." "There's a kingdom called the Storm Kingdom? I've never heard of it." "That's because we remain unknown to the creatures." "Oh really?" "Yeah, want me to show you our armory?" "Of course." Gusty was let out of his cage. The surrounding ponies witnessed this. "May almighty Celestia have mercy on his soul." One unicorn said with fear. Gusty followed the Storm Soldier to the armory. It used to be the royal library, but now it was the Storm armory. "Careful with these, you don't want to shoot your eye out." The Storm Guard said. As the two browsed the weapons, both of them worked up an appetite. "Hey, you hungry?" The Storm Guard asked. "Sure am... Uh, what's your name?" "Daryl." The Storm Guard said. "Huh." Newton said. "What's yours?" Daryl asked. "Gusty Gallows." "Well Gusty, want to eat?" "Sure!" The two then arrived at for lunch. "Uh Daryl, what is he doing here?" Daryl's superior said. "He wants to join us for lunch." "But we can't have these things eat with Storm Creatures." "Come on captain, he's different." "Yeah, I don't mind." Gusty said. "Fine. But he doesn't eat with us. He gets to have our food, but he doesn't sit with us." A small piece of food with a bone sticking out was then placed on Gusty's plate. Daryl and Gusty went back to Gusty's cage. "What is this, anyway?" "It's chicken. Eat some." Gusty took a bite. "It's delicious!" The other ponies who were witnessing this gagged. One of them fainted. "You know, you guys aren't so bad after all." Gusty said. "We aren't bad creatures. We're just trying to live just like you." Daryl said. "Besides, the real reason why we're here is that-" "AMBUSH!" The two then turned to find Twilight's friends along with the allies they made along their way to the hippogriffs fighting the Storm Creatures. Daryl drew out his sword and joined the fight. He wasn't seen again. Present Day... "How could think of the Storm King at a time like this?" "Daryl was a nice Storm Creature!" Gusty said. "Well, seeing you commiting stuff like animal slaughter, treason, and whatever else you did with the Storm Creatures, I could just report to Shining Armor and have you dismissed. But I decided to be a good pony and overlook it. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes..." Gusty grunted. "I wonder what this is all about." One guard said. The entire royal guard was gathered by Shining Armor. "Attention everypony!" He stated. "I am proud to have served as your captain for many years." "Yeah, I don't know how long you served." Gusty muttered. "A few days ago, we were all traumatized of the acts of the Storm King. His invasion on Equestria has left a scar among us. While our princesses were unharmed, other neighboring kingdoms have suffered far more. Lives were lost, villages were raided, and homes were destroyed. But we have found the source of the Storm King's invasions. It is an island known as the Storm Kingdom." "The Storm Kingdom?" someone asked. "It's their homeland." another creature added. "Princess Celestia has given us full opportunity in crippling their forces." "You're not saying..." Gusty began. "We have occupied the Storm Kingdom and will seek to keep them under lockdown and supervision." "That's punishing them!" Gusty shouted. "We're doing what the Storm Kingdom did! Just occupying them just like what they did to us!" "We're keeping them weakened." Shining Armor corrected. Gusty wanted to speak up, but remembering what he heard earlier, he kept his mouth shut this time. Six months have passed since the Storm Kingdom was occupied. Some of the Storm civilians were evacuated shortly before the ponies arrived, but many of them were tried and found guilty. They were sent to prison camps. "Let me go! Let me go!" The prisoners looked up. The Storm King's son, Leon, was being dragged onto a ship along with other high ranking members of the Storm King. "Leon!" A prisoner yelled. Leon was boarded onto the ship along with the other prisoners. The royal guards arrived to keep the prisoners under control. One prisoner had enough. Connor, who was a captain of a Storm Soldier unit, kept his identity a secret. Until now. "Enough is enough! I have had it with these total garbage creatures on this total garbage place! Everyone rise up with me!" "Yeah!" "We want freedom!" The prisoners charged for the royal guards. The latter was overwhelmed with this giant pool of Storm Creatures rebelling. They were forced into retreat. The prisoners all cheered at their newfound freedom. Connor helped the prisoners escape as two Storm Creatures approached him. "You did well out there." One of them said. "Yeah." Connor said. "We need to fight back." "So we're forming our own resistance?" "Of course." Connor said. "We shall stand our ground!" Three months have passed since Connor formed the resistance. "Okay, is the message ready?" Connor said. "Ready!" A Storm Soldier said. "Let's do it!" Attaching the message to carrier bird, the resistance sent it off to search for Leon. "Do you think he'll get it?" A Storm Soldier asked. "He'll get it. It has to be." Two days passed. The same messenger bird arrived to the resistance. "It's from Leon! He got our message!" The resistance cheered at this newfound success. "But wait, Leon is still imprisoned." A Storm Creature pointed out. "I'm not giving up." Connor said, walking into the scene. "Leon is tough. He can handle just about anything. No matter where he is or how much damage he is suffering, he will still fight to live." Chapter 8: Friendship FallsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Epilogue: From the ShadowsFour months have passed since the battle of Equestria. The princesses have fallen, all of its allies were imprisoned, and peace prospered. Although crimes continued, crops continued to grow, Storm Creatures were forgiven for their past actions, and the Storm King and Queen was given a proper burial. "What's wrong?" Leon asked to Newton who was not eating his dinner one night. Newton ate his mash potatoes slowly. "We never found out who sent the attacks on us in the first place." "What do you mean by that?" Connor said, wiping his chin. "Those creatures that burned and pillage the Storm Kingdom? Causing the Storm King to go blind with revenge?" "We decided not to go after who was responsible. Considering what Dad did in his quest for revenge, I'm not going to repeat his mistakes." Leon said. "But wouldn't you want to find out who did this?" "I mean, yes... but how is finding out who killed the Storm Queen going to help us?" After dinner, Newton went up to Willow, who was patrolling with the Storm Guards. Willow was among those who attacked the Storm Kingdom a year ago. She was serving a reduced sentence by working as a Storm Guard. "Willow." Newton said. "Oh, hello... Newton." Willow stammered. "You have trouble with my name?" "It's just that your new name is... awkward. Every Storm Creature's name is... odd. Like what creature would name their kids like Ralph and Sam?" Newton crossed his hooves. "Oh, okay. So what brings you here?" "You know the attack on the Storm Kingdom that claimed hundreds of lives including the Storm Queen?" "Yeah." "You were there. Who sent you?" Willow opened her mouth to speak, but not a sound came out. "I don't know actually." "What do you mean you don't know? Clearly someone sent you!" "All I know about my master is that my master paid every creature a large amount of bits for us to attack the Storm Kingdom." "You don't even know your master's gender?" "No!" "But I do know is that you can ask princesses about it. Because they advocated it." "They're dead." "You could ask Twilight's friends." "But how am I going to get to Tartarus?" Newton went back to Leon. He was in learning how to control the magic from the staff of Sacanas. "Hey, Leon?" "Yeah Newton?" Leon said, noticing the unicorn. "I need a way into Tartarus." Leon was surprised. "What? Why would you want to go there?" "I need to talk with the princesses' allies. They may have a lead on who killed the Storm Queen." "Newton... why are you doing this? You're going down the path that is the Storm King." "I know what I'm doing, Leon." "Fine, but I'm going with you." Leon used Sacana to open a portal to Tartarus. "Sacana can actually do that?" Newton said. "Of course." Leon said. "Come on." "Oh, it's you." Pinkie grunted, noticing the newly crowned Storm King and Newton. "We're here to ask some questions." Newton said. "And what will come out of us?" Applejack said. "You'll get a reduced sentence. We'll let you go after that." Leon said. "Really now?" Rarity said. "Of course." Newton said. "Fine, ask away." Rainbow Dash said. "Who sent the creatures that attacked the Storm Kingdom? One of raiders who was there said that the princesses agreed to the attack." All of the prisoners laughed. "You really think the princesses are okay with the attacks?" Sandbar said. Leon held Sacana out to threaten the prisoners. "Fine. I'll tell you. The pirates." Rainbow Dash said. "The pirates?" "The pirates have boasted about meeting a creature who is not like them." "Where are they now? "At their home, Parrot Peaks." "Parrot Peaks?" "I've heard rumors that the pirates, not the princesses, advocated in the attacks." "That kind of makes sense actually." Leon thought. "Pirates are known to pillage." "Alright, I hope Parrot Peaks doesn't mind the unicorn who took down the princesses in their country." Kylan said. "Just steer the ship, Kylan." Newton said. Newton, Kylan, and Angel were on an airship heading to Parrot Peaks. As home of Captain Celano, Newton arrives seeking for answers. "I wonder if Parrot Peaks will attack us. We're using a Storm Ship after all." "Is this Storm Ship armed?" "Why yes, it is." "Ready whatever weapons are on it." "You got it. Load the launchers!" The ship continued to sail in the sky. A large tall mountain similar to Mount Aris appeared in their sights. "Look at that." Newton awed. "Strange, no one's attacking us." Angel said. "Let's just play it safe. They could be luring us into a trap." Kylan said. "Oh yeah, hide the Storm Sails." Angel lowered the sails with the Storm King's insignia and replaced them with generic white sails with no insignia. The two then hid as the dock inspector came to check on them. "Hello there." The inspector said. "Why hello to you too." Newton said. "Is it just you with this ship?" "Of course." "Okay, I'm going to be checking your cargo." Newton held his breath as the inspector checked his cargo. "It's just nothing but cargo." The inspector said. "Huh?" "You're free to park here as much as you like." The inspector went off to check on other ships. "Kylan? Angel? Where are you?" Newton called. Kylan and Angel pulled themselves onboard. "Had to go overboard for a bit." Kylan said. "Inspector ain't too good with checking everything." Parrot Peaks looked like it barely changed before and after the Storm King took over. It was just like how Newton imagined it. A quiet little mountain village. As Newton kept away from the creatures walking around, a hoof clasped over his mouth. "Shh!" Newton wrestled the hoof off, but he stopped when some guards walked pass. The hoof let go. Newton turned to see who grabbed him. "What in the world are you doing here?" Neytiri was catching her breath from catching up to Newton. "You think I won't let you do this on your own?" "Neytiri? How'd you get here?" "I snuck aboard your ship. I want to solve this mystery on who killed the Storm Queen as much as you do." Newton groaned. "Consider this as a mild punishment for leaving me behind at the orphanage." "Fine! Let's go!" Newton grunted. The two avoided the parrot guards and villagers as they made their way to the center. "Why are we here?" Neytiri said. "I'm looking for the pirates that the Storm King used to haul his cargo." "You mean Captain Celano?" "That's right." "Don't pirates hang out in bars or taverns?" It hit Newton. "Oh." The Tavern, called The Glugging Beak was very popular among pirates and non-pirates alike. Newton and Neytiri entered while keeping their heads low. "You gonna buy a drink?" The bartender asked. Newton placed a small sack of bits. "Give me something to eat for me and my friend." The bartender left. He returned later with birdseed. "Of course." Newton said. Neytiri took a seed and placed it in her mouth. "It's terrible! Who eats stuff like this?" "The birds." Newton corrected. The two saw several pirates competing against each other in an arm wrestling match. "Look!" Neytiri said. Captain Celano was pirate dominating the other pirates. "I win!" Celano stated. "You owe me a drink!" The pirate that lost to Celano drew out his sword. "I don't think so, lad." "Oh feathers, here we go again." The bartender groaned. The two got under the tables as a fight broke out. Celano grabbed a dog pirate and threw him over a table. She then grabbed a cat pirate and smashed her head against a table. "This is not what I was expecting at a bar!" Neytiri shouted over the chaos. "Everybody!" The bartender said, finally standing up. The fighting died down. As everyone stopped and looked at the bartender. "If you want to fight, take it outside." The pirates teamed up and tossed out the bartender. "That's not what I meant!" He shouted as he was tossed outside. The pirates continued to fight each other inside the bar. Captain Celano drew out her sword and fought off pirates that tried to attack her. "How are we going to get her?" Neytiri asked. The two noticed a large, stocky parrot twice the size of Celano. He didn't seemed to be faze by the fight going on behind him. He just stood there, casually eating a loaf of bread. Newton picked up a bottle and threw it at the back of his head. The parrot turned around, wondering who hit him. Newton pointed to Celano. The parrot stomped over to Celano. As he glared at him, Celano backed away nervously. "Uh...." Celano was lifted up into the air and was thrown into a wall. Newton and Neytiri winced at that injury. "Is she..." Neytiri said, walking up to her body. "She's unconscious. Help me pick her up." Newton said. "Neytiri, I thought you were supposed to stay behind with Leon." Kylan asked. "I couldn't let Newton do this on his own." She replied. Angel noticed an unconscious parrot in Newton's clutches. "Is this Captain Celano? She looks a lot different than what I expected her to be." "Yes, this is Captain Celano." Newton said. "She's going to regain consciousness soon, so tie her up." The cold, stinging feel of ice water woke Celano up. Newton, Neytiri, Kylan, and Angel placed her in an interrogation room. "Where am I?" Celano said. "You're in the Storm Kingdom now." Horrible memories of worker as the Storm King's crew members flashed back into Celano's mind. "No! I don't want to go back as a stocker!" "You aren't." Newton said. "You will tell me about this creature you met." "What creature?" "You know, not part of your crew, doesn't even look like a parrot, or has a grudge against the Storm King." "You mean Strife?" "Strife? Who's Strife?" Newton asked. "Who is Strife?" Neytiri asked Celano. Celano chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know." Everyone looked at each other. The group then wrapped a rag tightly around Celano's face, hold her down on the interrogation table, and poured water over her head. "Stop!" Newton shouted. Everyone let Celano a chance to breathe. "Who is Strife?" "All I know..." Celano coughed. "Is that he helped used loot the Storm King's ships." "This doesn't get us anywhere!" Angel said. "Maybe Leon knows." Kylan said. "Newton, go ask him." "Newton, what are you doing in my room?" Leon asked as Newton burst in. "Do you know anyone known as Strife?" "Strife? Oh no, Strife." "Huh? You know him?" "Strife used to serve as the Storm King's second in command. Before Grubber, Tempest, and now you." "What does he look like?" "He looks like a combination of a brain and a cloud." "Huh?" "The best I can describe Strife is that he looks like a black cloud who is shaped like a brain." Before Newton could say anything, the alarms blared on the castle. "We're under attack!" Leon shouted, "By who?" Newton said as he followed Leon. The Storm Soldiers ran outside as they set up their defenses. As Newton looked up, he noticed colorful flags hanging from ships. "The pirates! They're here!" One Storm Soldier said. "Get ready everyone!" Leon shouted. "Come on, let's do this!" "Let's give them what we've got!" The Soldiers repeated the same tactics they used during their time serving with Phoenix. They hid behind buildings as the pirates patrolled through the city. "What are they here for?" A soldier whispered. "Keep your head low." Another added. One of the soldiers crept up closer to the pirates. "Captain Celano has got to be here." One of the pirates said. "Head to the dungeons! That must be where they're keeping her." "Should we engage?" One soldier asked. "Wait for my signal." The pirates arrived at an open spot in town. No creatures, just them. "NOW!" From all sides, the pirates were ambushed by the Storm Soldiers. All of them dropped their weapons to the ground and surrendered. As the soldiers were sent to arrest them, Newton observed the attack. "It seemed too easy." Newton said. "Yeah, too easy." Leon said, noticing it. "I'm gonna go check on Celano." Newton saw bodies lying around the hallway as he walked to Celano's cell. Knowing something was wrong, he burst into the cell only to find it empty. Kylan, Angel, and Neytiri were unconscious on the ground. Newton quickly got them up. "We were... attacked." Kylan said. "Who attacked you?" "It was Celano and whatever thing that was with her." Angel said. "What do you mean?" "There was a creature who must've worked for Celano since he bursted into the room and freed Celano. Celano than knocked us all out." "What did he look like?" "He was black, shaped like a brain, and his body looked more like a cloud." "Strife." "Huh?" Everyone asked. "He used to work for the Storm King as his second in command." "Before Tempest?" Kylan said. "And Grubber." Newton said. "But where is Strife and Celano now?" Neytiri said. "They still have to rescue their crew. So I bet they're still here." The group arrived to find Celano preparing to ambush two Storm Soldiers interrogating her crew. "You know, I wonder how they found us." Neytiri asked. "They could've stalked us when we had Celano." Newton said. "But for now..." Newton let out a magic blast that knocked Celano out. "Wow, one of the best pirates in Equestria gets knocked out with a magic blast." Kylan said. "I've been training." Newton said. "But it's just Celano here." Angel said. "The creature who freed her must also be-" It hit Newton. "It was a trick." "What?" "Strife must've diverted us to here as a distraction!" "But where could he be now?" Newton ran off. As Newton ran to the Storm Castle, the bodies of the Storm Guards in charge of protecting Leon laid around the halls. He continued to the throne room. As he expected, the pirates were there along with a creature who did not resemble them. He was brain-shaped, looked like a cloud with eyes and small arms, and most of all he was black. "Strife? You're with them?" Leon said. "But your loyalty to the Storm King!" "I've been planning this the whole time." Strife said. "I was the one who sold the Storm King out to the pirates." Leon then put the pieces together. "It was you. You were the one behind the raid that killed the Storm Queen in the first place!" Strife laughed maniacally. "Correct." "But... why?" "Because of you. The Storm King's second in command was supposed to be king after he died if the Storm King had no son. I was going to be king, but you had to come along and ruin everything! So I planned for revenge. I paid the royal guards handsomely to attack the Storm Kingdom. I also made the princesses and the captain of the royal guard remain silent about it to their subjects. I made their subjects turn against their overlords." As Newton closely watched, he was grabbed from behind by Celano. "I knew it was you who attacked me." Celano said. "I only faked it." "Celano. You're here." Strife said. "And I've got a new friend." Celano said. "So it's the pony who turned against the princesses." Strife said, moving up to a captured Newton. "Kill him." "Stop! Don't hurt him!" Leon said. "Then surrender The Staff of Sacanas!" Leon surrendered as Strife collected the Staff. Celano let Newton go. "For good measure..." Strife used the magic on the staff to hit Newton and Leon. Both were knocked unconcious. "He's waking up!" Newton was awoken some time later. "Where am I?" Newton looked around. He was now in the recovery room in the Storm Kingdom. Leon was there, but he was in a worst state than Newton. "Is he?" Newton said. "No. He's going to live." Connor said "What about Strife and Celano? Where are they?" No one said a word. Newton got out of his bed and ran out of the recovery room. On the top of the Storm Castle, Strife and Celano forced the entire Storm Kingdom to kneel before them. The pirates were looting the vault located inside the castle. "Look at all this gold we are plundering!" Celano said. "Who knew the Storm King was so easy to take down!" "It is true that the Storm King is so incompetent at common sense." "I had my bargain. Now give me half of the loot." Celano said. "This is the largest loot we've ever plundered." "Sure." Celano left with her pirates. Without them noticing him, Newton snuck his way back into the castle. He was grabbed from behind again by Neytiri. "Why are you following me?" Newton whispered. "I'm not letting you do this alone." Neytiri said. "Let's take him down together." "Fine." Newton agreed. "But take this." Newton handed Neytiri a communication device. "Go scout ahead." "You got it." Neytiri said. Neytiri left as Newton continued on. As Newton expected, Strife was in the throne room now, and he now had the Staff of Sacanas. "You're here." Neytiri said. "Keep him distracted." Newton said. Neytiri let out a nod as Newton hid. "Why are doing this?" Neytiri shouted. "Because the Storm King was supposed to be my role! But Leon had to take it! I made every creature turn on each other so I can be king!" "All you just wanted was power!" "It was never about power! It was all about control!" Strife found Neytiri hiding behind a pillar. Raising his staff, he prepared to kill Neytiri, only to be met with an attack from above by Newton. "Ow! Darn you!" Newton threw down a smoke grenade that covered his and Neytiri's escape. Enraged, Strife used Sacana to break through the pillars providing the two cover. Newton surprised him again from an attack from behind. A bright flash of light knocked Newton into a pile of rubble. "Help!" Newton called out. Neytiri ran to help Newton out. Strife was getting away, wounded. "He's getting away!" Neytiri said. "Wait! I'm almost free!" Newton said. "No, I can take him!" "Not without me! Wait for me!" Neytiri looked at Strife, then at Newton. "I'm sorry..." "No, wait!" Neytiri charged for Strife. Strife tried to attack her with the staff, but Neytiri dodged Strife's attacks. Neytiri then let out a kick that Strife blocked with the staff. The impact of her punch left a small crack on the stem. Something grew out of the crack. As Newton got himself out of the rubble, he ran to help Neytiri. An explosion of light and smoke filled the area. "Neytiri! Neytiri!" Neytiri was on the ground, motionless. Her breath was no more, her body became cold as ice, she was gone. "No..." Newton whimpered. As Newton held onto her now pulse-less hoof, he heard raspy breathing. Strife was still alive, although barely clinging to life. He walked over to Strife and looked down as his helpless body. As Strife tried to back away in fear, but was met with a swift kick in the face by Newton. He then turned to Neytiri's body and carried her out of the throne room. THREE WEEKS LATER... "We're here." Newton said. Leon laid a veil of flowers on Neytiri's gravestone. As he and Newton let out a moment of silence, Connor approached them. "We caught her." The two returned to find Celano and her pirates recaptured by the Storm Realm. "I will not serve you! At all!" Celano stated as she wrestled for her freedom. "Then give us what you plundered back." Connor said. "Fine." Celano ordered her pirates to return what they've stolen. "At least Strife didn't do much damage to the staff." Leon said. "Yeah, if he would, then we have no chance to raise the sun and moon." Connor said. "Where's Newton?" Leon said. Connor and Leon found Newton, still at Neytiri's grave. "Should we give him time to grieve?" Leon asked. "Yeah." Connor said. The two left Newton alone. Years passed. Creatures came and went. Leon examined the now reformed Storm Kingdom. It not only had Storm Creatures, but ponies, dragons, hippogriffs, changelings, yaks, griffons, and many other creatures. The princesses former allies were sent to reform in other nations while a council of representatives took the princesses place. Storm King Leon had just arrived home after a meeting. His bodyguard, Newton let him off his carriage. "Sir, your wife and son is expecting you." Newton said. "Dad!" Leon's son said. Newton escorted both son and father inside. As he watched the three together, he imagined Neytiri along with them. "Dad! I found a new story for you to read!" Leon's son said. "Yeah! Read it!" Leon's wife added. Leon picked up the book as he cleared his throat. "Fear not reader, as this may seem like a scary story. But this is not a scary story, this is a story about hope. One day, a long time ago, the creatures didn't want to be friends with each other. They inflicted pain and suffering on this very place. Nobody knew why, nobody was prepared. They were scared, all scared. Life had changed. The shepard forgot who he was. He forgot what was good and what was bad. All that mattered to him was revenge. He did not follow the rules. He did not brush his teeth before bedtime or learned to share. As he fell through the dust, his sheep became sad. But one creature came along and didn't let the sheep become sad. Newton had an idea. He gathered all of the sheep together and led them to safety. As he led his sheep, he learned that everything was coordinated by a sinner. He fought the sinner and emerged victorious. And now, the suffering is over. No matter where you are, who you are, and what you are, you are there because of Newton." "Dad, you always tell me that Newton saved everyone when he really only played a role!" Leon's son said. "You know him and you like him." "I know dad." Leon's son said. "Read it again!" Leon chuckled at that response. Author's Note And that's it. It's over. I'm done. I wrote this chapter to tie up some loose ends. Before I give some backstory to why I wrote this, I am aware of the criticism I received when writing this. I'm sure that most of you are gonna leave some negative reviews saying its the worst thing ever and stuff like that, but I really just want to write this because I want to. If the story has more character into it, it would've been fine, but I guess I didn't put much into that. But I thank you for reading this and giving me a good start for what's to come up ahead. I may or may not write a sequel to this, but if I would, it would be more of a standalone sequel and not feature the same characters. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! (P.S. I'm not a brony by the way. Just letting you know.)
Prologue: The EscapeAuthor's Note Sup everyone. As you may know, FIM has reached its end. But that doesn't mean I can write a direct sequel to the My Little Pony movie. Prologue: The Escape "And march!" Officer Willow led the royal guards on their daily routine. One year has passed since the Storm King and his army attacked Equestria. All soldiers were exiled into Tartarus while the Mane Six held onto the Storm King's staff, Sacana. Sacana revealed the location on where the Storm King came from. The Storm Kingdom. All of its residents were placed on lockdown following the fall of the Storm King and were treated under harsh rule. Many royal members were captured and brought to Equestria to face justice for their crimes. Royal Guard member Gusty Gallows witnessed the horrible treatment the royal Storm members. But he had a job to do and kept to himself as he watched the prisoners get tortured for their crimes. When no one was looking, Gusty went out of line to meet with the prisoners. They stuck their paws out like monkeys, begging for food and water. Gusty grabbed a loaf of bread sitting on the table and gave it to the prisoners. They chowed it down likes wolves. He then took out a canteen of water and poured it over the prisoner's mouths. They drank it down in one gulp. They begged for more. "Sorry, that's all I have." Gusty said. The guards returned to their positions as they patrolled the areas around Tartarus. Officer Willow walked up to Gusty. "Gusty!" "Yes, madam!" Gusty saluted. "You are no longer needed to keep an eye on the prisoners. We'll take it from here." Gusty couldn't argue with Willow. He allowed Willow and her allies take the prisoners away. Time passed. Standing in the hallway, Gusty glared at the guards laughing and bad mouthing the Storm King and his army behind their backs. "AAAHHHH!" "It came from over there!" Gusty said to himself. Gusty followed the noise. He noticed sounds coming from the area below the castle. As he crept closer, he saw the Storm Prisoners. "Have a little taste of death!" Willow said. The Storm Prisoner was blasted with a lethal magic shot. He collapsed onto the ground dead. As Gusty examined the dead bodies of the prisoners he once fed, he saw one remaining royal Storm prisoner. He was heavily scarred, he must've received the most torture out of all the prisoners. Gusty had to make a stand. Being a unicorn, he can fight back with magic. He charged through, blasting magic at the guards. "Gusty?" Willow asked. The last Storm Prisoner saw this as an opportunity and knocked her out. "Guards!" One guard yelled out before being subdued by the prisoner. The prisoner shouted at Gusty. "Over here!" Gusty ran after the prisoner. The guards were right behind them. The exit was also blocked by the guards. The prisoner saw an open window the two can jump out of. "Hope you're not afraid of heights." He said. "Wait, we're not..." Gusty said. "Jump!" The prisoner said. "I can't! I'll die!" Gusty protested. Without warning, the prisoner shoved Gusty out of the window. He followed soon after. "Shining Armor is not going to like this." One guard said.
Chapter 1: RogueAuthor's Note I quickly learned that you must have at least 1,000 words if you want your story to be actually submitted. Oh boy. Chapter 1: Rogue Gusty dried off his mane as he and the prisoner took shelter in the forest. "You didn't have to push me outside." Gusty said. "Desperate times calls for desperate measures." The prisoner said. "Come on, we can't stay here longer." "My hooves hurt." Gusty complained. "We got to keep moving." The prisoner stated. The two kept moving. "Hey! I didn't get your name!" Gusty said. "Leon." The prisoner said. "Your name is Leon?" "Yep." "That's a very odd name." "Not where I came from its odd." "But where are we heading?" Gusty said. "Kludgetown. Right now they should be transporting supplies to the troops blocking the Storm Kingdom." The guards regrouped back at Canterlot to inform Shining Armor. "He betrayed us?" Shining said. "We saw him fighting for one of the prisoner's freedom." A guard said. "He knocked all of us out and escaped with him." Another guard added. Shining paced back and forth. "I don't know what do now. He could come back with him but much stronger." A guard said. A voice came in. "I got an idea." Tempest Shadow, the pony who sacrificed her life to kill the Storm King but was revived thanks to Twilight walked in. "We place a bounty on Gusty's head. Creatures will kill each other with him alive or dead." "That sounds perfect." Shining added. Wanted posters were placed everywhere for Gusty and Leon. Many creatures seeking their hands on the 1,000 bits offered for their capture or conviction trained for the worst. The Mane Six even got in on the action. "This is gonna be a piece of cake!" Pinkie said. "It is, darling." Rarity added. "I'll fly around with my superspeed and I'll catch them!" Rainbow Dash added. The Young Six, Pillars of Old Equestria, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Wonderbolts, and more joined in. It didn't take long for Gusty and Leon to find out about their endeavors. Three royal guards blocked the two from passing. "Halt! We are looking for a rogue Storm Guard who matches your description." The lead said. "There must be some misunderstanding." Gusty said. "What kind of misunderstanding?" "The kind where you thought we would come quietly." Gusty said, charging his horn. Gusty blasted magic, knocking out the first guard. Leon pounced and knocked out the second guard. He then dodged the third guard's magic attack and subdued him. "New plan." Leon said, getting up. "We avoid the roads. "There it is. Kludgetown." Gusty said. The two were at the edge of town. They snuck their way to the docks. Leon lowered a rope from a nearby ship so that Gusty can climb up. The two then hid behind some boxes. "Okay, we should be safe here." Leon said. "Everything is accounted for, captain!" "Set sail! Next course, the Storm Kingdom!" The cargo slipped gently back and forth as the waves crashed onto the ship. "So tell me all about yourself." Gusty asked to Leon. "You first." Leon said. "You'll pretty much know me when we get to the Storm Kingdom." "Okay, you already know me as member of the royal guard. Or used to be." Gusty said. "I'm now a traitor." "You sure are." Leon said. Gusty and Leon hid in one of the crates as the ship slowly stopped. They were placed onto a wagon. "You know where to go right?" One guard asked. "Yep, to the Captain." Another guard added. The guards pulled the wagon as they headed towards their destination. Something then hit Gusty. "Wait, what if we get caught while we're in here?" Gusty said. "Uh...." "You didn't think this through, didn't you? Now we're dead!" "Don't blame me! It was foolproof! They're just gonna leave this crate alone, and then we'll escape from there." "Okay. I trust you for this one." The two waited. And waited. And waited. "Now!" cried a voice. "It's an ambush!" A guard shouted. The guards around were captured by mysterious figures. The others were killed or have escaped. "Loot the supplies!" The crates were looted off of the wagon. As they opened the crates, they found a Storm Creature and a unicorn cowering in fear. They aimed their weapons at the creatures. "Wait, I know him!" One Storm Creature said. "That's prince Leon!" "You're a prince?" Gusty asked. "Now you know." Leon sarcastically remarked. Another Storm Creature got a call from his superior. "More are coming on the way?" He asked. "Then we gotta get out of here!" Left with no other choice, Gusty followed Leon and the Storm Creatures.
Chapter 3: The SparkPhoenix returned to their base. "Good job, everyone." Connor said. "We're one step closer in freeing our city." "It's been a long day. We should get some rest." Leon said. "Wait, what about Princess Luna? She can track us in our sleep." "This is why we use this." Connor said. A headband was placed on Newton's head. "A dream blocker. It'll prevent you from dreaming, but it also prevents Luna from entering our dreams." A Storm Soldier replied. "I thought Luna's only goal is to prevent nightmares and raise the moon." Newton said. "She cannot create nightmares, but she can use the other ponies to make things harder for us. We need to be extra careful." "Ok, but where's my room?" Since there weren't many rooms. Newton slept with two female Storm Creatures. One of them had a larger body type, while the other resembled Connor but a female. "You'll sleep here tonight." Connor said. "It's much better than sleeping on the street." "We're sleeping with a boy? Awesome!" The larger body-type Storm Creature cheered. "We're sisters by the way." The other Storm Creature said. "Meet Newton." Connor said. "Hi, I'm Angel." The Connor look-alike said. "And I'm Hannah." The larger Storm Creature said. "You should get some rest." Connor said. "We have a big day ahead of us." Newton went to lie down on his bed. Of course he made sure to use his headband. The sounds of people cheering awoke Newton. Getting up, he noticed Storm Creatures cheering for a younger, smiling Storm King and his wife, the Storm Queen. The Storm Queen held an infant, in her arms. "Newton... hear me." Newton turned to find an older, mostly scarred Storm King standing next to him. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" "I am dead. But after my death, I can enter anyone's dream regardless if they have a dream blocker or not. When I turned into obsidian and shattered, I was cursed to haunt any creature's dream." "But, you aren't haunting me. Maybe it's just me, but you're just standing there, doing nothing." "Because I am not as evil as the creatures say." "Wait... WHAT?!" "This was the reason behind my reign of terror." The world around Newton changed. The cheering crowd was changed into a burning city. Storm Creatures were running as far away from the city as they could. Ponies and other creatures were pillaging, raiding, and burning houses to the ground. Newton ran up to stop them, but his body went through one of the creatures. "You can't fight back here." The Storm King said. "You can only just watch." Newton noticed a familiar female mint-green pegasus with brown eyes. It was Willow, assisting with the raids. "Who's leading the attack?" Newton asked. "I never knew. Because of this." "Mom!" Newton recognized that voice. It was Leon. Newton ran to the direction of the voice. Leon was lifting a plank of wood trapping the Storm Queen. Newton ran to help, but his hooves passed through the wood plank. "You cannot do anything here, remember?" "But Leon needs-" Newton realized that the Storm King was right. "Leon... listen to me." The Storm Queen said. "You have to stay strong... I believe in you." "Mom, I can still help you!" Two more Storm Soldiers arrive to carry Leon away and out of the house. "No! I can still help her!" As the house the Storm Queen was in crumbled to the ground. "I love you, Leon..." "MOM!" "Oh no..." Newton gasped. "This was just the beginning." The world around Newton changed again. This time two Storm Creatures have captured one of the raiders and sent him for interrogation. "Now, you will tell me who sent those creatures." One Storm Creature stated. The raider acted all smooth and spoke in a chill tone. "I think you should answer that question yourself." "We interrogated him." The Storm King said. "We never got anything, we came to the conclusion that all creatures except the Storm Creatures are to blame." "But that's not-" "The answer? I learned that after my death." The vision changed. Two creatures, both cats, one male and one female were captured by the Storm King himself for interrogation. "Let us go!" The male cat said. "You have joined in my wife's death. You will tell me why you joined in on my wife's death." "We were paid to kill her!" The female cat said. "Tell me why!" "Never! If I tell who is behind the attack, my superiors will kill me!" "You are already dead to me!" Both cats were dragged away to the prison in front of the Storm King. The vision then changed again. This time, reluctant Storm Soldiers were training for a massive war for the creatures. "Father, what are you doing?" It was Leon. He was watching the whole scene and was horrified to see the innocent Storm Soldiers fighting a war they will not win. "What do you mean to ask? My wife was my life. I must avenge her death!" "Then find the one who murdered her." Leon said. "Find the one who sent the raiders. There are innocent creatures who did not attack the Storm Kingdom." "THERE ARE NO INNOCENTS!" The Storm King yelled. "Anyone of them could be my wife's killer." "I will not let you do this!" Leon said. "You cannot stand up to me! I am your father!" With a blast of magic, Leon was knocked down. "Behold, the Staff of Sacanas! With this power, I can drain the magic off of any creature. Set forth, soldiers! I shall avenge my wife!" The Storm King stated. As Connor arrived to help Leon up, the latter could only watch as his father was blinded by vengeance. "It was suicide. We pillaged and burned, we only gave them strength." The vision changed once more to Tempest joining the Storm King. Then to the Storm King's invasion of Equestria. Then to his untimely death. "My rage ultimately got the best of me." "NOOOOOOOO!" Tempest yelled as she blocked the obsidian ball thrown by the Storm King. Both were hit. "As I fell, I realized how blind in rage I was." The Storm King said solemnly. SMASH! The Storm King broke into pieces. "I am so sorry, Leon. I am so sorry...." The Storm King said. Newton spoke up. "It's not your fault. It was theirs. You may not be able to see it, but we will liberate your kingdom." "I give you my strength and my will." The Storm King said before disappearing. Newton awoke to find himself back where he was. Many Storm Soldiers were doing things as the ponies would. Brushing their teeth, eating breakfast, and taking showers. The unicorn borrowed a toothbrush and some toothpaste. As he brushed his teeth, he thought about the Storm King's words. He was now the enemy, and he must carry the spark of the resistance. He went up to Leon to talk about his dream, but decided against it. "Welcome Newton, here's your next assignment." Connor stated. Author's Note Okay, this is where the MLP movie fans come in and complain that everyone's out of character and that the Storm King is a relatable antagonist. Before you call the police, let me explain. The Storm King's motive was only addressed as "evil because he's evil" and "lust for power". There's got to be some more motivation behind that. As a viewer of the movie, I couldn't help but root for the Storm King despite him betraying Tempest and enslaving all of the ponies. Also, I find it funny that the entire Storm Army was easily forgiven since they were partying with the ponies in the credits. I want to humanize the Storm Creatures by making them not as evil as the creatures say they are. I get that the Mane Six and their allies are evil, but I want to write them as evil so that the Storm Creatures can have an antagonistic faction to face. Plus, what other stories have them as evil and not just corrupted?
Chapter 4: Turning the TidesAuthor's Note For this chapter, I'm going to be adding a soundtrack from a movie. I recommend you to play them while reading this just to get the full immersion. Chapter 4: Turning the Tides "And they did what to you?" "The resistance robbed us of our goods!" A royal guard said. "They must be led by that backstabbing traitor Gusty." The officer said. Shining Armor walked in. "Listen up, everypony! We're sending a bounty hunter after Gusty. He will quake in fear when she captures him!" "Who's the bounty hunter?" The officer asked. Tempest Shadow walked into the scene. "Time for a little storm-hunting." She stated. Newton vandalized propaganda of Celestia and replaced with a sign of Phoenix telling the creatures to not surrender. "Another one off the list." Newton said. "Statue of the two Sisters destroyed." A Storm Soldier said. Even Storm Creatures who weren't part of Phoenix joined in. A group of royal guard soldiers in charge of patrolling the Storm Kingdom walked into a small part of town. "Hey, creatures! We are hungry and thirsty!" One guard asked. "Bring us water! And food!" Another guard added. No one came. "Bring us water! And food!" The guard said louder. "Ow!" A guard said. "What happened?" "I was hit by a rock or something." "Who threw that!" One of the guards stated. "Ow!" Another guard said. "Ow!" "Ouch!" "Ow!" "Ow!" "Ouch!" "Ah!" "Who keeps throwing rocks at us!" The leader of the group of guards stated. "We are your masters! Do as told! You owe us!" One Storm Creature popped up. "We owe you nothing!" Another Storm Creature emerged from cover. "We know what you did!" All of the Storm Creatures threw rocks while shouting. "Liar!" "Murderer!" "Fraud!" "Thief!" "We got to retreat!" One guard said. The guards were forced to back away. "Unhand me!" The unicorn leader in charge of occupying the Storm Kingdom, Mossy Rock, had Fernand in his grasp. "You are a member of Phoenix yes?" "Yes. Now do what you will. Kill me and be done with it." "No. But tell me, why did you leave Phoenix?" "Connor has allowed a scum in our lines. Your traitor, Gusty." "And you left your master. Well, come with me. I will introduce you to your new master." "What are you talking about?" Another group of prisoners were freed by Phoenix. "Light it up!" Leon shouted. Posters promoting Celestia and Mossy Rock were burned to the ground. Protestors took notice and launched a riot in the city. They were swiftly captured and taken away. "We did well, didn't we?" Connor said through Leon's communication device. Leon and Newton walked throughout the city noticing the Storm Creatures rioting in the streets. "We should head back to HQ." Leon said. "Yes." Leon noticed Connor working with a Storm Creature inventor named Kylan. "There we go, it's done!" Kylan stated. "Leon, you're just in time. We need someone to showcase our newest weapon." What looked like to be a shortened version of a blunderbuss was now in Leon's hands. "What is this?" "I call it The Dragon." Kylan said. Leon pointed it around. "Careful, it's extremely lethal." "What should I use it for." "In combat. It would go great with your sword." Leon held his sword on his right hand and his Dragon on the left. "Now, let's practice your aiming." Kylan said. The same targets used for archery was now used for shooting practices. After firing one target, Leon noticed a clicking sound on his Dragon. "It's out. I'll give you some ammunition and teach you how to reload." Newton practiced his magic on a different set of targets. He learned how to fight with stealth and fight with his hooves. "What you got there?" Newton asked. "It's called Dragon. And not the creature kind of Dragon. Whatever this is, it shouldn't be messed around with." "Newton, we have a mission for you." Connor said. "I'm all ears." "Another group of Phoenix members left the resistance due to the Speaker's propaganda. Her speeches are killing us. I want you to go over there and silence her." "You got it." Newton got the coordinates on a map Connor left for him. It was telling him to head towards the radio station. As Newton walked into the radio station, he was met with magic blasts from unicorns guarding the Speaker. "Keep him pinned!" Newton opened his pack and tossed out a small, round, black ball at the unicorns. "Ha! You missed!" A unicorn shouted. POOF! A cloud of smoke erupted from the ball. Newton ran in and blasted magic at all of the ponies. A male dark red pegasus attacked him from behind, but Newton tossed him to a wall and subdued him. Another female brown earth earth pony attacked with a broomstick, but Newton disarmed her and knocked her on the head on the end. He kicked the door open just as the Speaker was giving out a message. "What are you doing here?" She said. Newton took out a piece of paper written by Leon. "Read it." He threatened. "But they'll-" "Read it, you weasel!" Newton stated louder. "Creatures of the Storm Kingdom, your faithful Royal Guard watching over you has lied to us... I can't read this! They'll kill all of you!" "Yeah, right! You expect me to believe some creature who is making the resistance fall down?" The Speaker tried to make a run for it, but Newton tackled her down, tied her up and held the paper in front of her face. "Creatures of the Storm Kingdom, your faithful Royal Guard watching over you has lied to us. They may be strong, but they are not stronger than all of us combined. I ask you to stand up, grit your teeth, and fight your way out! You want your home? Get it now! You want freedom? Get it now! I ask you brothers and sisters to stand up now and take back what's ours! Because they're not going to let us do this the easy way." Newton untied her. "You can go now." The Speaker ran off. "Newton, that was awesome!" Connor said. "The entire Storm Kingdom saw Leon's message." "Although it would be better if I say it." Newton said. "Yeah, it would be. But anyway, head back to HQ. We're taking back our kingdom today." "On it." Newton arrived back at the Phoenix base. "We did it, Newton! We caused enough civil unrest in the Storm Kingdom!" Connor stated. "Payback time." Leon stated. "But I can never go back home again. I am forever labeled as a traitor." Newton said. "You can live with me." Leon said. "I am the Storm King's successor after all." "Phoenix, let's move out!" Connor stated. Led by Connor, Phoenix soldiers lined up and prepared for battle. They gathered rioting Storm Creatures around for one last showdown. Mossy Rock witnessed this and gathered the royal guards. The guards pulled a wagon full of bits taken from the Storm Creatures. "They're transporting another convoy." Newton said, scouting the area. "A money one too. Let's do this." Leon added. Teaming with Hannah and Angel, the four knocked down a large statue praising Celestia. As it crumbled to the ground crushing two royal guard members, Connor and the other rioters were enough to distract the guards. The guards approached the rioters, not noticing Kylan behind the guards setting up a trap. He poured a line of oil behind the column of guards and in front of the Storm Castle ahead of the rioters. "Throw it, Connor!" A rioter said. "Throw it!" Connor tossed a ball of fire that confused the guards. It landed onto the oil trail, causing a huge wall of fire. "Charge!" Connor shouted. The rioters brandished clubs, shields, spears, swords, and whatever weapon they could find. They attacked the royal guard. "They're distracted!" Newton said. "And the convoy's unguarded." Leon said. The four made it to the convoy. More Storm Creatures arrive to carry it away. "What do we do now?" Angel said. "We go for the castle." Newton said. The four then turned to the Storm Castle. The four burst into the Storm Castle, taking out guards patrolling the area. Newton threw a smoke bomb, blinding the creatures once more. He and his group knocked out the remaining royal guard members. "To the throne!" Angel said. The group made their way to the throne room. Hannah went in first, but was shot down by an electric blast. "You have arrived." "Tempest!" Newton said, noticing the voice. Tempest walked into the room. Her companion, a small warthog named Grubber was also there. "Gusty Gallows." Tempest said, noticing the unicorn. Leon and Angel charged for Tempest and Grubber, but were knocked out by the unicorn's swift kicks. "You're in a lot of trouble, now!" Grubber said. "I'll give you one more chance. Kill these creatures before you, or die." "I'll never join you! You ponies became corrupted in your own power!" "We were trying to keep things orderly! But you had to mess that up!" Grubber added. "You know what? Why are we wasting time talking to him?" Tempest said. "That bounty on his head will be ours!" A blast of magic knocked Newton down. Grubber hit the unicorn with the club. "You have turned against us! Time to understand the true meaning of friendship!" Newton was continuously hit with a beam of magic from Tempest. Grubber occasionally got to hit him with his club. The two did not notice a hand grasping for the Dragon. BLAM! Tempest collapsed onto the ground. The unicorn who murdered the Storm King was now dead. Grubber was now quaking in fear. Noticing Leon rising up, he dropped his club and surrendered. He was immediately subdued by the former. "You okay?" Leon said, helping Newton up. "I don't think so..." Newton gasped. Angel got up as well. She went to check on Hannah. "She's gone..." She sadly said. "We need to get Newton to safety." Leon said. As the three made their way out of the castle, they saw the rioters turning the tides of the battle." "Guys, I need... to... lay down..." "You aren't dying on me!" Leon stated. "I see him! The bounty's ours!" A group of royal guard members lined up to execute Newton, Leon, and Angel. Newton braced for impact. "Get them!" "Protect Newton!" Connor led a small group of soldiers in defending the three creatures. "Retreat! Retreat!" The royal guard said. But they had nowhere to run. The entire land of the Storm Kingdom was finally liberated. Everyone cheered in victory. The world sounded muffled to Newton. He fell unconcious. "Newton! Newton!" Newton awoke to find himself with the Storm King again. "You're back." Newton noticed. "And you liberated the Storm Kingdom." The Storm King replied. Newton looked around the world around him. It looked like an orphanage. It hit him. "This is the place where I grew up." "So you were an orphan." The Storm King guessed. "Of course. I only had a sister." An old earth pony walked in. She treated the children horribly. "Grassy. I knew her." Newton said. "Those who shirk their duties will get an extra beating. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes, Grassy." The children said enthusiastically. "One more thing! You can forget adoption, no one will adopt you. You will always be here, until you get thrown out into that horrible world. Now, what do you say?" "We love you Grassy, thank you for your kindness." "Where is that little Gusty? He isn't here." Grassy said. "That was where I escaped." Newton said. "I couldn't take it anymore." "He escaped! Bring his sister in!" A female earth pony with a blue coat and red mane was brought in by Grassy's assistant, Shade. Like Grassy, Shade didn't treat the orphans kindly. "Your sister is quite attractive." The Storm King said. "You're in love with my sister?" "You're Neytiri, right? What a bad name, what kind of ill-mannered parents would give a normal name to their son but a terrible name to their daughter?" "It's not a bad name! My brother did the right thing!" "By leaving his sister behind? Beat her!" "Does this haunt you?" The Storm King asked. "Years later, I met her again. She's now a gardener for a flower shop. And she seemed to have forgotten the past." Newton said. "Sounds like you two made up to each other." "Yeah." The door to the orphanage opened, revealing a bright light. Newton was being sucked towards it. "You're waking up." The Storm King said. "I'll see you soon." Newton added. Newton awoke to find himself in the hospital wing of the Storm Kingdom. He noticed his bandaged body after his fight with Tempest. "You're awake." Leon was there. Newton quickly embraced him. "I guess this is what they mean by bromance." Leon said. "Did we win?" "Of course we won." Newton slowly made his way outside as the remaining royal guard soldiers were evacuating the Storm Kingdom. The Storm Creatures raised their flag for the first time in a year. "Fellow Storm Creatures, today independence has been reborn. We have won it for the time being. But the fight to keep freedom starts now." "Connor, look!" One Storm Soldier said. "Along with Storm Creatures being held prisoners, ponies, changelings, griffons, dragons, yaks, and hippogriffs alike were being held prisoner." "Is that?" "Gusty!" Neytiri was among those who were captured. As she embraced Newton, she told him of the royal guard's misdeeds. "They're doing what?" Newton gasped. "The leaders of each of the creatures are capturing and murdering their own kind without their followers noticing. Princess Celestia and Luna and their subjects are aware of this and are accepting it." "Those fiends!" Leon stated. "Well, I guess we have a new land to save." Connor said. "Phoenix!" Newton cheered. "Rise from ashes!" shouted the creatures. "Phoenix!" Leon added. "Helps the weak!" "Phoenix!" "Fights for freedom!" "We may have won the battle, but the war still continues..." Newton said.
Chapter 5: What Lies AheadSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 6: One Step at a Time"Yeah, it's me." Willow said. "Why are you here? Didn't you want me dead?" Newton asked. "Not really. It wasn't until I was dismissed from the royal guard." "That doesn't answer my question and furthermore, how did you get here? This place is technically an island!" "Like you and Leon, I traveled by boat. Took a lot of rowing." "And with no navigation tool. Except for a map but even then you still don't know where the Storm Kingdom is." "Maybe she could help." Connor said. "Why trust her?" Newton asked. "Because it was just like what Neytiri is saying. Creatures are being horribly treated by their superiors." "I still don't trust you." "And you seem to believe your sister?" "I still don't believe it either." Leon said. "If what you're saying is true, then we have a bigger war to fight." "Besides, who imprisoned Neytiri and the other creatures?" Connor said. Willow returned to Canterlot. She was tasked by Leon into gathering evidence of princesses' crimes. "Hey, what is that camera for?" An earth pony said. "Oh, we're reporters." Willow said. "Can you take a picture of me?" "No." Willow then arrived at the dungeons. She photographed various creatures being tortured by the royal guard. "That should be enough information." Willow said. "That's all the information you're getting for us? Creatures being imprisoned?" "It's enough, Newton." Willow said. "You know, you need more evidence of the princesses' crimes before we actually." "That's enough. Ponies will believe anything." "Really?" "Think about it. They are so gullible, the Flim Flam brothers were able to scam their money many times." "But we're fighting for our freedom." "And you just did." "Now we're fighting against an empire." "And you'll need the creatures' help." Twilight gathered all of her allies and took them to Canterlot Castle. "We have gathered here today to stand up to a foe that is claimed to be invincible." She stated. "The Storm Kingdom!" Every creature looked at each other. "A few days ago, the Storm Kingdom has taken back their land from us. It wouldn't be long until they arrive here and take over Equestria once more." "We need to do something!" Applejack said. "Exactly, which is why I gathered you all here. You will stand your ground and promise me you will protect Equestria for as long as possible!" "Yeah!" Every creature said. "We'll fight until the last of us falls!" Pinkie added. "Wherever you go, I will follow!" Rainbow Dash stated. "That's right, with all of us together, no pony can take on us!" Twilight stated. The doors to the castle burst open. The Young Six had just arrived. "The creatures are rebelling against us!" Sandbar said. "I tried to calm them down, but they threw me out!" Smolder said. "Yona tried to talk to them, but Yona was attacked!" Yona added. "The Storm Kingdom, they've returned!" Silverstream panicked. "They're gonna kill us all!" Ocellus added. "We need to flee!" Gallus said. "Calm down!" Twilight said. Everyone went silent. "Bar the doors and arm up! We need to be ready for them." "So that's what you did?" Newton said. "You should've seen the faces of each of the creatures' leaders." Willow said. "Since they're taking down Thorax, Rutherford, Novo, and Ember, we can have these creatures on our side!" "But they need a rallying cry." Leon said. "Neytiri, gather your friends and tell every creature to meet at the Storm Kingdom." Connor instructed. "You got it!" Neytiri left with her friends. "What are we going to do?" Newton asked. "Us? We're gonna train harder." Connor said. "I've asked Kylan to invent new weapons for us to use against the creatures." "You've already got swords, spears, shields, and these things called guns." Newton summarized. "What else do you need?" "Magic." "There could be some magic barrier preventing us from attacking Canterlot." Leon added. "But with all the creatures combined, it wouldn't be a problem." Newton said. "We have to try." Connor said. "Get him! Get him!" Thorax, the leader of the changelings, was captured along with his followers and his brother Pharynx. "Thorax, you have murdered your own kind, tortured and destroyed the changelings, and lied to us." A changeling said. "How do you plead?" "Not guilty! I don't know what you're talking about!" "Burn him!" Before they could light a fire, Neytiri arrived by sounding off a horn. "All changelings head to the Storm Kingdom!" She stated. "The Storm... Kingdom?" One changeling asked. "I heard that place looked like Tartarus!" "It isn't." Neytiri said. "If you want to stand up against Celestia and Luna, come with me!" The changelings reluctantly followed Neytiri. Using a scuba mask to see clearly underwater and a rebreather that converts water into oxygen Neytiri arrived at Mount Hippogriff. A majority of the hippogriffs were underwater. They were taking on Queen Novo. "Guys!" Neytiri spoke through the communicator on the rebreather. Everyone turned to find a scuba diving pony behind them. "The Storm Realm..." Neytiri took a breath from the regulator. "...is the place where you want to go!" "But they tried to steal our pearl!" One hippogriff asked. "They can help you!" The hippogriffs agreed and took Neytiri back to the surface. Neytiri's friends gathered yaks, other ponies, dragons, and griffons to come to the Storm Kingdom. The creatures were stunned to see that the Storm Kingdom wasn't like what Celestia said it was. "It actually looks futuristic." A dragon said. "I'm so flustered with their technology!" A griffon added. Newton went out to meet with Neytiri. "That's him! That's the one!" One unicorn said. "I thought he was a myth..." A hippogriff said. Newton cleared his throat as he stood on a high spot for every creature to see. "Creatures... The princesses.... deceived us." Everyone gasped. "Turned creature against creature..." Every creature looked at each other. "Murdered our love ones..." Some creatures embraced each other when they heard that. "And now everyone and everything is at risk..." "We once trusted them..." Leon added. "And now, they've turned on us..." "This weapon..." Connor added. "The Staff of Sacanas, was once wielded by a good creature...." "The Storm King was good the whole time?" A creature said in the audience. "And it has been proven to weaken alicorns..." "It is now in our hands..." Newton said. "Your leaders have feared you and you know why? Because they fear what would happen if we come back from the brink!" "They were right to be afraid!" Leon said. "Join us.... right now. Here we will make our stand, not as many... but as one!!!" Everyone embraced Newton as their orator. They went off to train with the Storm Soldiers. All that was left was Newton, Connor, Leon, and their allies. "We're dealing with not only the princesses, but their allies and followers as well." Willow reminded. "We may have Sacana, but Neytiri didn't bring many creatures." "And there are so few of us..." Neytiri added. "I'm not afraid." Newton stated. "I have run many times before, but I am done running. Tonight, we take back our freedom." "And we will stand with you." Leon stated as well. "Alright, let's get to work." Connor said. Everyone was split up into several groups. Former captains serving the Storm King's army trained the creatures with keeping up the pace with running, Leon trained the dragons in using swords and shields since they were the only creatures who stood on two legs, Kylan taught the ponies to make explosives they can use against the princesses' followers, Willow trained the yaks into breaking down barricades, and Neytiri trained the hippogriffs, changelings, and griffons on using their flying capabilities for combat although she couldn't fly. Newton was left training alone with Connor. "I think we're ready." Connor said. "Ready? We still need-" "Not them. You and me." "Huh?" "Although it's the job of the Storm Prince to name his lieutenant, which is me by the way, he gave me the choice to choose a second in command." It hit Newton. "You're not saying..." "I'm choosing you as my second in command." Newton was given Tempest's old battle suit. It fit him perfectly. "Do we still have the obsidian balls?" Newton asked. "No." Connor said. "Well, that's pretty much what I'd expected." "It's payback time."
Chapter 7: OriginsAuthor's Note I can see the dislikes here but I wouldn't mind if you dislike it because I am aware of what is wrong with this either. If I say anything about it more, it would be counted as lashing out at negative criticism and no one likes that. Nothing much more to say. Chapter 7: Origins One day has passed since the Festival of Friendship. Ponies lined up for therapy to deal with anger, fear, and sadness from the Storm King. As the Mane Six observed the aftermath of the Storm King's reign, they had their own events. One was the opening of the School of Friendship, dozens of creatures from all over Equestria came to escape their problems with the Storm King. The other was the formation of the Young Six. These six; a male earth pony named Sandbar, a female dragon named Smolder, a female changeling named Ocellus, a male griffon named Gallus, a female yak named Yona, and a female hippogriff named Silverstream, were the school's best students. But fears of the Storm King still overshadowed them. "Take deep breaths." Applejack said. "But the Storm King-" Twilight panicked. "He's dead. He won't hurt you anymore." It wasn't just the Mane Six that was haunted. "Mmmmm..." Celestia groaned. "Oh my..." Luna said. "You didn't sleep well? I was certain I helped you with your nightmare." "It came back... The Storm King..." Celestia collapsed onto the ground. Luna had to take over for her place. "Man, this just blows." One royal guard member said, watching all of this. "She's still haunted from the Storm King." "I didn't think he was that threatening." Gusty said. "Gusty, he turned the princesses into obsidian! You're only saying that because you got the best treatment out of Storm Guards!" "Hey! Being fed adequate food and not being caged or shackled like the rest of you does not mean I received the best treatment! I was still told on what to do!" Sometime Ago... Back when the Storm King invaded the Festival of Friendship in Canterlot, they imprisoned all the ponies and turned some of them into slaves. Gusty was among those caged, but he had a plan to escape. Noticing the Storm Guards' advanced weaponry, and how some of them were easily gullible, Newton got the attention of one guard. "Hey! That's a cool..." "Sword?" said the Storm Guard. "I was going to say thing. But if it's called a sword... Where'd you get it anyway?" "Yeah, we built it back at the Storm Kingdom." "There's a kingdom called the Storm Kingdom? I've never heard of it." "That's because we remain unknown to the creatures." "Oh really?" "Yeah, want me to show you our armory?" "Of course." Gusty was let out of his cage. The surrounding ponies witnessed this. "May almighty Celestia have mercy on his soul." One unicorn said with fear. Gusty followed the Storm Soldier to the armory. It used to be the royal library, but now it was the Storm armory. "Careful with these, you don't want to shoot your eye out." The Storm Guard said. As the two browsed the weapons, both of them worked up an appetite. "Hey, you hungry?" The Storm Guard asked. "Sure am... Uh, what's your name?" "Daryl." The Storm Guard said. "Huh." Newton said. "What's yours?" Daryl asked. "Gusty Gallows." "Well Gusty, want to eat?" "Sure!" The two then arrived at for lunch. "Uh Daryl, what is he doing here?" Daryl's superior said. "He wants to join us for lunch." "But we can't have these things eat with Storm Creatures." "Come on captain, he's different." "Yeah, I don't mind." Gusty said. "Fine. But he doesn't eat with us. He gets to have our food, but he doesn't sit with us." A small piece of food with a bone sticking out was then placed on Gusty's plate. Daryl and Gusty went back to Gusty's cage. "What is this, anyway?" "It's chicken. Eat some." Gusty took a bite. "It's delicious!" The other ponies who were witnessing this gagged. One of them fainted. "You know, you guys aren't so bad after all." Gusty said. "We aren't bad creatures. We're just trying to live just like you." Daryl said. "Besides, the real reason why we're here is that-" "AMBUSH!" The two then turned to find Twilight's friends along with the allies they made along their way to the hippogriffs fighting the Storm Creatures. Daryl drew out his sword and joined the fight. He wasn't seen again. Present Day... "How could think of the Storm King at a time like this?" "Daryl was a nice Storm Creature!" Gusty said. "Well, seeing you commiting stuff like animal slaughter, treason, and whatever else you did with the Storm Creatures, I could just report to Shining Armor and have you dismissed. But I decided to be a good pony and overlook it. Do I make myself clear?" "Yes..." Gusty grunted. "I wonder what this is all about." One guard said. The entire royal guard was gathered by Shining Armor. "Attention everypony!" He stated. "I am proud to have served as your captain for many years." "Yeah, I don't know how long you served." Gusty muttered. "A few days ago, we were all traumatized of the acts of the Storm King. His invasion on Equestria has left a scar among us. While our princesses were unharmed, other neighboring kingdoms have suffered far more. Lives were lost, villages were raided, and homes were destroyed. But we have found the source of the Storm King's invasions. It is an island known as the Storm Kingdom." "The Storm Kingdom?" someone asked. "It's their homeland." another creature added. "Princess Celestia has given us full opportunity in crippling their forces." "You're not saying..." Gusty began. "We have occupied the Storm Kingdom and will seek to keep them under lockdown and supervision." "That's punishing them!" Gusty shouted. "We're doing what the Storm Kingdom did! Just occupying them just like what they did to us!" "We're keeping them weakened." Shining Armor corrected. Gusty wanted to speak up, but remembering what he heard earlier, he kept his mouth shut this time. Six months have passed since the Storm Kingdom was occupied. Some of the Storm civilians were evacuated shortly before the ponies arrived, but many of them were tried and found guilty. They were sent to prison camps. "Let me go! Let me go!" The prisoners looked up. The Storm King's son, Leon, was being dragged onto a ship along with other high ranking members of the Storm King. "Leon!" A prisoner yelled. Leon was boarded onto the ship along with the other prisoners. The royal guards arrived to keep the prisoners under control. One prisoner had enough. Connor, who was a captain of a Storm Soldier unit, kept his identity a secret. Until now. "Enough is enough! I have had it with these total garbage creatures on this total garbage place! Everyone rise up with me!" "Yeah!" "We want freedom!" The prisoners charged for the royal guards. The latter was overwhelmed with this giant pool of Storm Creatures rebelling. They were forced into retreat. The prisoners all cheered at their newfound freedom. Connor helped the prisoners escape as two Storm Creatures approached him. "You did well out there." One of them said. "Yeah." Connor said. "We need to fight back." "So we're forming our own resistance?" "Of course." Connor said. "We shall stand our ground!" Three months have passed since Connor formed the resistance. "Okay, is the message ready?" Connor said. "Ready!" A Storm Soldier said. "Let's do it!" Attaching the message to carrier bird, the resistance sent it off to search for Leon. "Do you think he'll get it?" A Storm Soldier asked. "He'll get it. It has to be." Two days passed. The same messenger bird arrived to the resistance. "It's from Leon! He got our message!" The resistance cheered at this newfound success. "But wait, Leon is still imprisoned." A Storm Creature pointed out. "I'm not giving up." Connor said, walking into the scene. "Leon is tough. He can handle just about anything. No matter where he is or how much damage he is suffering, he will still fight to live."
Chapter 8: Friendship FallsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Epilogue: From the ShadowsFour months have passed since the battle of Equestria. The princesses have fallen, all of its allies were imprisoned, and peace prospered. Although crimes continued, crops continued to grow, Storm Creatures were forgiven for their past actions, and the Storm King and Queen was given a proper burial. "What's wrong?" Leon asked to Newton who was not eating his dinner one night. Newton ate his mash potatoes slowly. "We never found out who sent the attacks on us in the first place." "What do you mean by that?" Connor said, wiping his chin. "Those creatures that burned and pillage the Storm Kingdom? Causing the Storm King to go blind with revenge?" "We decided not to go after who was responsible. Considering what Dad did in his quest for revenge, I'm not going to repeat his mistakes." Leon said. "But wouldn't you want to find out who did this?" "I mean, yes... but how is finding out who killed the Storm Queen going to help us?" After dinner, Newton went up to Willow, who was patrolling with the Storm Guards. Willow was among those who attacked the Storm Kingdom a year ago. She was serving a reduced sentence by working as a Storm Guard. "Willow." Newton said. "Oh, hello... Newton." Willow stammered. "You have trouble with my name?" "It's just that your new name is... awkward. Every Storm Creature's name is... odd. Like what creature would name their kids like Ralph and Sam?" Newton crossed his hooves. "Oh, okay. So what brings you here?" "You know the attack on the Storm Kingdom that claimed hundreds of lives including the Storm Queen?" "Yeah." "You were there. Who sent you?" Willow opened her mouth to speak, but not a sound came out. "I don't know actually." "What do you mean you don't know? Clearly someone sent you!" "All I know about my master is that my master paid every creature a large amount of bits for us to attack the Storm Kingdom." "You don't even know your master's gender?" "No!" "But I do know is that you can ask princesses about it. Because they advocated it." "They're dead." "You could ask Twilight's friends." "But how am I going to get to Tartarus?" Newton went back to Leon. He was in learning how to control the magic from the staff of Sacanas. "Hey, Leon?" "Yeah Newton?" Leon said, noticing the unicorn. "I need a way into Tartarus." Leon was surprised. "What? Why would you want to go there?" "I need to talk with the princesses' allies. They may have a lead on who killed the Storm Queen." "Newton... why are you doing this? You're going down the path that is the Storm King." "I know what I'm doing, Leon." "Fine, but I'm going with you." Leon used Sacana to open a portal to Tartarus. "Sacana can actually do that?" Newton said. "Of course." Leon said. "Come on." "Oh, it's you." Pinkie grunted, noticing the newly crowned Storm King and Newton. "We're here to ask some questions." Newton said. "And what will come out of us?" Applejack said. "You'll get a reduced sentence. We'll let you go after that." Leon said. "Really now?" Rarity said. "Of course." Newton said. "Fine, ask away." Rainbow Dash said. "Who sent the creatures that attacked the Storm Kingdom? One of raiders who was there said that the princesses agreed to the attack." All of the prisoners laughed. "You really think the princesses are okay with the attacks?" Sandbar said. Leon held Sacana out to threaten the prisoners. "Fine. I'll tell you. The pirates." Rainbow Dash said. "The pirates?" "The pirates have boasted about meeting a creature who is not like them." "Where are they now? "At their home, Parrot Peaks." "Parrot Peaks?" "I've heard rumors that the pirates, not the princesses, advocated in the attacks." "That kind of makes sense actually." Leon thought. "Pirates are known to pillage." "Alright, I hope Parrot Peaks doesn't mind the unicorn who took down the princesses in their country." Kylan said. "Just steer the ship, Kylan." Newton said. Newton, Kylan, and Angel were on an airship heading to Parrot Peaks. As home of Captain Celano, Newton arrives seeking for answers. "I wonder if Parrot Peaks will attack us. We're using a Storm Ship after all." "Is this Storm Ship armed?" "Why yes, it is." "Ready whatever weapons are on it." "You got it. Load the launchers!" The ship continued to sail in the sky. A large tall mountain similar to Mount Aris appeared in their sights. "Look at that." Newton awed. "Strange, no one's attacking us." Angel said. "Let's just play it safe. They could be luring us into a trap." Kylan said. "Oh yeah, hide the Storm Sails." Angel lowered the sails with the Storm King's insignia and replaced them with generic white sails with no insignia. The two then hid as the dock inspector came to check on them. "Hello there." The inspector said. "Why hello to you too." Newton said. "Is it just you with this ship?" "Of course." "Okay, I'm going to be checking your cargo." Newton held his breath as the inspector checked his cargo. "It's just nothing but cargo." The inspector said. "Huh?" "You're free to park here as much as you like." The inspector went off to check on other ships. "Kylan? Angel? Where are you?" Newton called. Kylan and Angel pulled themselves onboard. "Had to go overboard for a bit." Kylan said. "Inspector ain't too good with checking everything." Parrot Peaks looked like it barely changed before and after the Storm King took over. It was just like how Newton imagined it. A quiet little mountain village. As Newton kept away from the creatures walking around, a hoof clasped over his mouth. "Shh!" Newton wrestled the hoof off, but he stopped when some guards walked pass. The hoof let go. Newton turned to see who grabbed him. "What in the world are you doing here?" Neytiri was catching her breath from catching up to Newton. "You think I won't let you do this on your own?" "Neytiri? How'd you get here?" "I snuck aboard your ship. I want to solve this mystery on who killed the Storm Queen as much as you do." Newton groaned. "Consider this as a mild punishment for leaving me behind at the orphanage." "Fine! Let's go!" Newton grunted. The two avoided the parrot guards and villagers as they made their way to the center. "Why are we here?" Neytiri said. "I'm looking for the pirates that the Storm King used to haul his cargo." "You mean Captain Celano?" "That's right." "Don't pirates hang out in bars or taverns?" It hit Newton. "Oh." The Tavern, called The Glugging Beak was very popular among pirates and non-pirates alike. Newton and Neytiri entered while keeping their heads low. "You gonna buy a drink?" The bartender asked. Newton placed a small sack of bits. "Give me something to eat for me and my friend." The bartender left. He returned later with birdseed. "Of course." Newton said. Neytiri took a seed and placed it in her mouth. "It's terrible! Who eats stuff like this?" "The birds." Newton corrected. The two saw several pirates competing against each other in an arm wrestling match. "Look!" Neytiri said. Captain Celano was pirate dominating the other pirates. "I win!" Celano stated. "You owe me a drink!" The pirate that lost to Celano drew out his sword. "I don't think so, lad." "Oh feathers, here we go again." The bartender groaned. The two got under the tables as a fight broke out. Celano grabbed a dog pirate and threw him over a table. She then grabbed a cat pirate and smashed her head against a table. "This is not what I was expecting at a bar!" Neytiri shouted over the chaos. "Everybody!" The bartender said, finally standing up. The fighting died down. As everyone stopped and looked at the bartender. "If you want to fight, take it outside." The pirates teamed up and tossed out the bartender. "That's not what I meant!" He shouted as he was tossed outside. The pirates continued to fight each other inside the bar. Captain Celano drew out her sword and fought off pirates that tried to attack her. "How are we going to get her?" Neytiri asked. The two noticed a large, stocky parrot twice the size of Celano. He didn't seemed to be faze by the fight going on behind him. He just stood there, casually eating a loaf of bread. Newton picked up a bottle and threw it at the back of his head. The parrot turned around, wondering who hit him. Newton pointed to Celano. The parrot stomped over to Celano. As he glared at him, Celano backed away nervously. "Uh...." Celano was lifted up into the air and was thrown into a wall. Newton and Neytiri winced at that injury. "Is she..." Neytiri said, walking up to her body. "She's unconscious. Help me pick her up." Newton said. "Neytiri, I thought you were supposed to stay behind with Leon." Kylan asked. "I couldn't let Newton do this on his own." She replied. Angel noticed an unconscious parrot in Newton's clutches. "Is this Captain Celano? She looks a lot different than what I expected her to be." "Yes, this is Captain Celano." Newton said. "She's going to regain consciousness soon, so tie her up." The cold, stinging feel of ice water woke Celano up. Newton, Neytiri, Kylan, and Angel placed her in an interrogation room. "Where am I?" Celano said. "You're in the Storm Kingdom now." Horrible memories of worker as the Storm King's crew members flashed back into Celano's mind. "No! I don't want to go back as a stocker!" "You aren't." Newton said. "You will tell me about this creature you met." "What creature?" "You know, not part of your crew, doesn't even look like a parrot, or has a grudge against the Storm King." "You mean Strife?" "Strife? Who's Strife?" Newton asked. "Who is Strife?" Neytiri asked Celano. Celano chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know." Everyone looked at each other. The group then wrapped a rag tightly around Celano's face, hold her down on the interrogation table, and poured water over her head. "Stop!" Newton shouted. Everyone let Celano a chance to breathe. "Who is Strife?" "All I know..." Celano coughed. "Is that he helped used loot the Storm King's ships." "This doesn't get us anywhere!" Angel said. "Maybe Leon knows." Kylan said. "Newton, go ask him." "Newton, what are you doing in my room?" Leon asked as Newton burst in. "Do you know anyone known as Strife?" "Strife? Oh no, Strife." "Huh? You know him?" "Strife used to serve as the Storm King's second in command. Before Grubber, Tempest, and now you." "What does he look like?" "He looks like a combination of a brain and a cloud." "Huh?" "The best I can describe Strife is that he looks like a black cloud who is shaped like a brain." Before Newton could say anything, the alarms blared on the castle. "We're under attack!" Leon shouted, "By who?" Newton said as he followed Leon. The Storm Soldiers ran outside as they set up their defenses. As Newton looked up, he noticed colorful flags hanging from ships. "The pirates! They're here!" One Storm Soldier said. "Get ready everyone!" Leon shouted. "Come on, let's do this!" "Let's give them what we've got!" The Soldiers repeated the same tactics they used during their time serving with Phoenix. They hid behind buildings as the pirates patrolled through the city. "What are they here for?" A soldier whispered. "Keep your head low." Another added. One of the soldiers crept up closer to the pirates. "Captain Celano has got to be here." One of the pirates said. "Head to the dungeons! That must be where they're keeping her." "Should we engage?" One soldier asked. "Wait for my signal." The pirates arrived at an open spot in town. No creatures, just them. "NOW!" From all sides, the pirates were ambushed by the Storm Soldiers. All of them dropped their weapons to the ground and surrendered. As the soldiers were sent to arrest them, Newton observed the attack. "It seemed too easy." Newton said. "Yeah, too easy." Leon said, noticing it. "I'm gonna go check on Celano." Newton saw bodies lying around the hallway as he walked to Celano's cell. Knowing something was wrong, he burst into the cell only to find it empty. Kylan, Angel, and Neytiri were unconscious on the ground. Newton quickly got them up. "We were... attacked." Kylan said. "Who attacked you?" "It was Celano and whatever thing that was with her." Angel said. "What do you mean?" "There was a creature who must've worked for Celano since he bursted into the room and freed Celano. Celano than knocked us all out." "What did he look like?" "He was black, shaped like a brain, and his body looked more like a cloud." "Strife." "Huh?" Everyone asked. "He used to work for the Storm King as his second in command." "Before Tempest?" Kylan said. "And Grubber." Newton said. "But where is Strife and Celano now?" Neytiri said. "They still have to rescue their crew. So I bet they're still here." The group arrived to find Celano preparing to ambush two Storm Soldiers interrogating her crew. "You know, I wonder how they found us." Neytiri asked. "They could've stalked us when we had Celano." Newton said. "But for now..." Newton let out a magic blast that knocked Celano out. "Wow, one of the best pirates in Equestria gets knocked out with a magic blast." Kylan said. "I've been training." Newton said. "But it's just Celano here." Angel said. "The creature who freed her must also be-" It hit Newton. "It was a trick." "What?" "Strife must've diverted us to here as a distraction!" "But where could he be now?" Newton ran off. As Newton ran to the Storm Castle, the bodies of the Storm Guards in charge of protecting Leon laid around the halls. He continued to the throne room. As he expected, the pirates were there along with a creature who did not resemble them. He was brain-shaped, looked like a cloud with eyes and small arms, and most of all he was black. "Strife? You're with them?" Leon said. "But your loyalty to the Storm King!" "I've been planning this the whole time." Strife said. "I was the one who sold the Storm King out to the pirates." Leon then put the pieces together. "It was you. You were the one behind the raid that killed the Storm Queen in the first place!" Strife laughed maniacally. "Correct." "But... why?" "Because of you. The Storm King's second in command was supposed to be king after he died if the Storm King had no son. I was going to be king, but you had to come along and ruin everything! So I planned for revenge. I paid the royal guards handsomely to attack the Storm Kingdom. I also made the princesses and the captain of the royal guard remain silent about it to their subjects. I made their subjects turn against their overlords." As Newton closely watched, he was grabbed from behind by Celano. "I knew it was you who attacked me." Celano said. "I only faked it." "Celano. You're here." Strife said. "And I've got a new friend." Celano said. "So it's the pony who turned against the princesses." Strife said, moving up to a captured Newton. "Kill him." "Stop! Don't hurt him!" Leon said. "Then surrender The Staff of Sacanas!" Leon surrendered as Strife collected the Staff. Celano let Newton go. "For good measure..." Strife used the magic on the staff to hit Newton and Leon. Both were knocked unconcious. "He's waking up!" Newton was awoken some time later. "Where am I?" Newton looked around. He was now in the recovery room in the Storm Kingdom. Leon was there, but he was in a worst state than Newton. "Is he?" Newton said. "No. He's going to live." Connor said "What about Strife and Celano? Where are they?" No one said a word. Newton got out of his bed and ran out of the recovery room. On the top of the Storm Castle, Strife and Celano forced the entire Storm Kingdom to kneel before them. The pirates were looting the vault located inside the castle. "Look at all this gold we are plundering!" Celano said. "Who knew the Storm King was so easy to take down!" "It is true that the Storm King is so incompetent at common sense." "I had my bargain. Now give me half of the loot." Celano said. "This is the largest loot we've ever plundered." "Sure." Celano left with her pirates. Without them noticing him, Newton snuck his way back into the castle. He was grabbed from behind again by Neytiri. "Why are you following me?" Newton whispered. "I'm not letting you do this alone." Neytiri said. "Let's take him down together." "Fine." Newton agreed. "But take this." Newton handed Neytiri a communication device. "Go scout ahead." "You got it." Neytiri said. Neytiri left as Newton continued on. As Newton expected, Strife was in the throne room now, and he now had the Staff of Sacanas. "You're here." Neytiri said. "Keep him distracted." Newton said. Neytiri let out a nod as Newton hid. "Why are doing this?" Neytiri shouted. "Because the Storm King was supposed to be my role! But Leon had to take it! I made every creature turn on each other so I can be king!" "All you just wanted was power!" "It was never about power! It was all about control!" Strife found Neytiri hiding behind a pillar. Raising his staff, he prepared to kill Neytiri, only to be met with an attack from above by Newton. "Ow! Darn you!" Newton threw down a smoke grenade that covered his and Neytiri's escape. Enraged, Strife used Sacana to break through the pillars providing the two cover. Newton surprised him again from an attack from behind. A bright flash of light knocked Newton into a pile of rubble. "Help!" Newton called out. Neytiri ran to help Newton out. Strife was getting away, wounded. "He's getting away!" Neytiri said. "Wait! I'm almost free!" Newton said. "No, I can take him!" "Not without me! Wait for me!" Neytiri looked at Strife, then at Newton. "I'm sorry..." "No, wait!" Neytiri charged for Strife. Strife tried to attack her with the staff, but Neytiri dodged Strife's attacks. Neytiri then let out a kick that Strife blocked with the staff. The impact of her punch left a small crack on the stem. Something grew out of the crack. As Newton got himself out of the rubble, he ran to help Neytiri. An explosion of light and smoke filled the area. "Neytiri! Neytiri!" Neytiri was on the ground, motionless. Her breath was no more, her body became cold as ice, she was gone. "No..." Newton whimpered. As Newton held onto her now pulse-less hoof, he heard raspy breathing. Strife was still alive, although barely clinging to life. He walked over to Strife and looked down as his helpless body. As Strife tried to back away in fear, but was met with a swift kick in the face by Newton. He then turned to Neytiri's body and carried her out of the throne room. THREE WEEKS LATER... "We're here." Newton said. Leon laid a veil of flowers on Neytiri's gravestone. As he and Newton let out a moment of silence, Connor approached them. "We caught her." The two returned to find Celano and her pirates recaptured by the Storm Realm. "I will not serve you! At all!" Celano stated as she wrestled for her freedom. "Then give us what you plundered back." Connor said. "Fine." Celano ordered her pirates to return what they've stolen. "At least Strife didn't do much damage to the staff." Leon said. "Yeah, if he would, then we have no chance to raise the sun and moon." Connor said. "Where's Newton?" Leon said. Connor and Leon found Newton, still at Neytiri's grave. "Should we give him time to grieve?" Leon asked. "Yeah." Connor said. The two left Newton alone. Years passed. Creatures came and went. Leon examined the now reformed Storm Kingdom. It not only had Storm Creatures, but ponies, dragons, hippogriffs, changelings, yaks, griffons, and many other creatures. The princesses former allies were sent to reform in other nations while a council of representatives took the princesses place. Storm King Leon had just arrived home after a meeting. His bodyguard, Newton let him off his carriage. "Sir, your wife and son is expecting you." Newton said. "Dad!" Leon's son said. Newton escorted both son and father inside. As he watched the three together, he imagined Neytiri along with them. "Dad! I found a new story for you to read!" Leon's son said. "Yeah! Read it!" Leon's wife added. Leon picked up the book as he cleared his throat. "Fear not reader, as this may seem like a scary story. But this is not a scary story, this is a story about hope. One day, a long time ago, the creatures didn't want to be friends with each other. They inflicted pain and suffering on this very place. Nobody knew why, nobody was prepared. They were scared, all scared. Life had changed. The shepard forgot who he was. He forgot what was good and what was bad. All that mattered to him was revenge. He did not follow the rules. He did not brush his teeth before bedtime or learned to share. As he fell through the dust, his sheep became sad. But one creature came along and didn't let the sheep become sad. Newton had an idea. He gathered all of the sheep together and led them to safety. As he led his sheep, he learned that everything was coordinated by a sinner. He fought the sinner and emerged victorious. And now, the suffering is over. No matter where you are, who you are, and what you are, you are there because of Newton." "Dad, you always tell me that Newton saved everyone when he really only played a role!" Leon's son said. "You know him and you like him." "I know dad." Leon's son said. "Read it again!" Leon chuckled at that response. Author's Note And that's it. It's over. I'm done. I wrote this chapter to tie up some loose ends. Before I give some backstory to why I wrote this, I am aware of the criticism I received when writing this. I'm sure that most of you are gonna leave some negative reviews saying its the worst thing ever and stuff like that, but I really just want to write this because I want to. If the story has more character into it, it would've been fine, but I guess I didn't put much into that. But I thank you for reading this and giving me a good start for what's to come up ahead. I may or may not write a sequel to this, but if I would, it would be more of a standalone sequel and not feature the same characters. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! (P.S. I'm not a brony by the way. Just letting you know.)
