Four 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.)