A light flickered above the heads of the three ponies and a hedgehog that inhabited one of Canterlot Castle’s two interrogation rooms. The room was located deep beneath the castle itself, just off from where the dungeons were located, with Tempest in one of them. Three ponies in the room were Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and a very insistive Princess Twilight Sparkle, with Grubber sitting in a metal chair behind the only other furnishing in the room, a table with various items scattered about. To his right, there was a blacked out window where Princess Amore, Princess Cadance and a few guards stood on the other side just watching him.

The Princess of Friendship gave the hedgehog an extremely stern look. “You know why you are here.” She simply stated.

“Yes, I surrendered myself to you in hopes of fair judgement, and in the hopes of stopping my king before anyone else gets hurt." Grubber somberly said.

“Then...” The solar princess spoke. “Let us begin.”

Celestia leaned forward. "Luna told me that you told her you fell off the airship when it was attacked by the red crystal dragon and survived the fall by landing on the nearby bush. You had been hiding in the courtyard for a day before you showed yourself to my sister. Is that true?"

The hedgehog nodded his head. "Yes, it's true. I did fell off the airship when it was attacked by the red crystal dragon and survived the fall by landing on the nearby bush. I had been hiding in the courtyard since then before I decided to surrender myself."

The lunar princess narrowed her eyes at him. "And why should we believe you, Grubber? You've served the Storm King faithfully. What proof do we have that you're telling the truth now?"

Grubber swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the lunar princess's scrutiny.

"I understand your doubts." He began, his voice trembling slightly. "I did serve the Storm King, but I never agreed with his methods. When I saw how far he was willing to go, the destruction and the pain he caused, I realized I couldn't stand by him any longer. I knew that the only way to make amends was to help you stop him."

The solar princess exchanged a glance with her sister and Twilight before turning her attention back to Grubber. "And what information can you provide us about Storm King? And please tell us the truth, the whole truth. At this point lying will only make things worse for yourself as we have lie detector spells in place."

The hedgehog nodded his head again in agreement.

"Good. Now, could you please detail the events leading up to, during and after the Storm King's second invasion on Canterlot?" Celestia asked.

"Well..." Grubber began. "It started soon after we returned to the stronghold...”

The hedgehog described to the princesses how the Storm King had him gathered his three generals to discuss the next move, how he ordered the generals to send scouts to gather information about Equestria's defenses and expedite the process of rallying our troops, restocking our supplies and recruiting more troops for their next assault. He told them of the captives they captured during the conquest on the south side of Equestria, which the three princesses only grew angrier when he told them that Storm King and his army would often tortured them for fun or to be trained for fight. He also told them of their fortress located in the South Luna Ocean, off the coast of the Slug Troll Swamp and north of the Great Iceberg Barrier before ending with him falling off the airship and landing on nearby bush.

“-and I hid in the courtyard for a day. When I saw one of the alicorns, I used this opportunity to walk up to her and well... you know the rest.” Grubber finished.

Luna thought over what had just been said. "So that would explain why our first recon teams couldn't find the stronghold. It wasn't in Equestria, it was just outside our borders."

“There is one more thing.” The hedgehog interrupted. “He will likely have the remaining forces to prepare the defenses and on high alert as a precaution.”

"Thank you for that information, Grubber." The solar princess said. "You have been most helpful."

“There is one last thing I want to know..." The Princess of Friendship interrupted before leaning forward. "Why? Why did you decided to not to go back to the Storm King and his army? What changed your mind?”

Grubber sighed deeply. "It was a lot of things." He responded. "The way the Storm King treated his soldiers was appalling. He saw us as disposable tools rather than beings with our own thoughts and feelings. I followed him out of fear, but it became clear that he was willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to achieve his goals. I couldn't stand by that any longer."

“How about Tempest Shadow? What can you tell us about her?” Twilight asked with narrowed eyes.

The hedgehog sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. “Tempest... she’s been through a lot. She’s loyal to the Storm King because she believes he can fix her horn, but deep down, I think she wants something more like being accepted. She thinks that by serving the Storm King, she can prove her worth and regain what she lost.”

The Princess of Friendship continued to stare at him before relenting and pulled back.

“I see… is that all?” Celestia asked.

“Yes. That’s everything I have told you.” Grubber slumped in his seat.

“Very well...” The lunar princess nodded towards the blacked out window, and two guards walked in and stood either side of the hedgehog.

Both Luna and Twilight stood aside as the solar princess stood up, spreading her wings as she delivered her verdict. “Grubber the hedgehog, you shall be imprisoned within the dungeons with Tempest Shadow until both you and her court martial at a later date. We can’t ignore the crimes you two have committed against Equestria and the surrounding lands, but the assistance you have provided today will also be taken into account when judgement is rendered. Do you have anything else to say in your defence?”

Grubber hung his head dejectedly as he stood up. “No. I don’t.”

Celestia folded her wings. “Very well, take him away.”

The two guards led the hedgehog out of the interrogation room, leaving the three princesses alone before Amore and her daughter walked in.

"Celestia..."Amore addressed. "What do you and Luna intend to do now that we know where the Storm King's stronghold is?"

"We need to discuss our battle strategy, but this Storm King and his army must be wiped out soon to prevent another invasion. I do not intend to let him escape, and we must pray that the others surrender to us if they do not wish to share his inevitable fate. Luna and I will be there and I know you and the others will help us too. Though I imagine that Twilight will insist on coming." The solar princess stated.

The Princess of Friendship looked away as the Princess of Love and Amore looked at her in concern.

“Twilight, I know you have every right to harm the Storm King for what he did to Shining...” Cadance started. “But, please be careful not to let your personal feelings get in the way if there are to be battle. They are a very dangerous thing in the middle of battle.”

Twilight gave her sister-in-law a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Cadance, I promise I will be fine. The fate of the Storm King’s army is still up to them when the time comes, but the Storm King cannot be alive as he had tortured the captives for fun or tried to train them for combat."

"I can see a lot of your brother in you." Amore said.

"What?" The Princess of Friendship looked at Amore in confusion.

"You cannot fool me, I know you want him dead just as much as my daughter and I do for Shining Armor, just be careful. Such dark thoughts can lead to much more trouble in the future.” Amore stated in concern.

Twilight stared at Amore for a while before nodding. "I understand, but I still want to come."

Both the three alicorns and Amore glanced at each other before Celestia sighed. "Very well, Twilight. I will get the guards to bring you some armor and a weapon.

"I will go and bring the leaders up to date. I imagine they will volunteer readily to come with us." Amore said before walking off with her daughter.

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A peaceful scene painted the late afternoon countryside just outside Klugetown, Capper was walking with guilt of trying to sell the seven friends to his boss. He looked up and see that night was falling fast but there was still vestiges of sunlight remaining as his ears twitched while he observed its surroundings and took several breaths of air.

However, Capper's head darted up when the seven large shadows and multiple shadows were formed over him, seeing seven airships and several silhouettes of pegasi, dragons, griffons, changelings, and hippogriffs heading onwards extremely fast. His eyes widened when he saw the flags of Equestria.

"Equestrian airships? What are they doing here?" He muttered to himself, his heart pounding. The sight of the flags filled him with a mixture of hope and dread.

The airships continued their flight towards the horizon, their destination clear to those who knew the signs: the Storm King's stronghold. He immediately set off in the direction of the airships, making his way through the streets of Klugetown.

The seven airships, pegasi, dragons, griffons, changelings and hippogriffs flew through the air; while airships were mainly used to transport goods for trading, they were rarely used to transport huge amount of guards to the destination. The pilots piloting the airships were told to land near the coast so that they wouldn’t be fired upon and allowed the those deployed to quickly move form there. Each airships contained several guards, with the two containing several of the Royal Guards and the Elite Royal Guards while the four contained the majority of the Crystal Imperial guards along with yaks and kirins. The last one contained Clover the Clever, Commander Hurricane, Dew Nourish, Nimbus Dash, Grimhoof, Ironclaw, Furx, Mallow Sear, Midnight Blossom, Sunwing, Crimson Chaser, Flash Sentry, Night Shadow, and Pharynx. That particular airship also contain Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, Princess Amore, Dragon Lord Ember, King Crestwing, Queen Seraphine, Thunderhoof, Au Hasard, Stormfeather, and King Fire Blaze. All of them were wearing their own armors and carrying their weapons, with the Princess of Friendship wearing the Royal Guards armor and carrying a sword.

“Twilight.” The solar princess called out. “How’s the armor?”

The Princess of Friendship flexed her wings, adjusting the Royal Guard armor she now wore. "I don’t remember it being so tight." She said.

The lunar princess glanced at Twilight. “It’s designed for protection, not comfort. You’ll get used to it."

Twilight nodded her head at Luna before glancing at Amore’s armor, to which the latter noticed.

“Curious about my armor, Twilight?” Amore asked.

“You could say that... the armor you’re wearing looks old, and I don’t think I have read the book about you wearing this armor.” The Princess of Friendship said.

“It is old, I last wore it during the war against King Sombra. The Crystal Imperial guards found my armor and my sword during their search for my missing pieces to rebuild my body.” Amore stated.

“Fire Blaze.” Seraphine called the king of the kirins. “Where’s your sister? I didn’t think she would want to leave you again.”

“At Canterlot with our subjects.” Fire Blaze responded. “Said that she and the others would make sure the others are alright.”

“As for Flash Magnus and Rockhoof...” Nimbus interjected. “They wanted to be here, but they decided to stay back to protect Canterlot. They trust we can handle this mission.”

After a short trip, the seven airships performed a rapid descent, landing on the beach of the coast a short distance away from the stronghold’s walls. The RGs, ERGs and the Crystal Imperial guards disembarked and quickly moved into formation. As Celestia and Luna touched down just behind the group, the solar princess lit her horn as the sunlight slipped beneath the horizon and the lunar princess lit hers to raise the moon high into the sky.

The seven airships took off again after their passengers were gone, the four hovering near the stronghold for air supports while the rest headed toward Klugetown to secure the town.

“All right!” Both Crimson and Night called out. “They will likely be ready to meet us so we want tight formations and for everyone to be on high alert! Now move out!”

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The Storm King looked out through the window in his throne room, contemplating a plan to get more troops and airships to launch another invasion on Canterlot. He believed he was making progress, until the doors of the throne room burst open and the general ran toward his king in panic. He turned to see his general in confusion.

“My King, seven Equestrian airships just touched down at the coast and those it deployed are heading straight for us! We have minutes at best!” The general panickingly reported.

Storm King gave a shout of frustration and anger. “Damn them all! What are we facing?”

“About ten dozens of guards, the leaders and even the princesses are among them!” The general answered his king’s question. “They outnumbered us! What do we do?”

The Storm King stayed silent as he looked down, his hand gripping the Staff of Sacanas tightly. “Have the soldiers and the airships converge at the entrance of our fortress! Get ready to fight!”

The general immediately saluted before running off to carry out his orders, a scramble of feet following as they all got ready for the coming fight.

Storm King growled to himself, bringing up his staff as it crackled with magic.

“If I’m going to be defeated by them, I’m taking one of the princesses with me!” Storm King angrily stated.

< < < < < < < < < 💙 > > > > > > > > >

Hurricane saw the entrance to the fortress ahead, and a flurry of movement was coming from within.

“Your highnesses! We have contacts! What are your orders?!" Hurricane asked Amore.

“Form up behind me, the princesses and the leaders, the Storm King’s fate is sealed but let us give his army a chance.” Amore replied.

They ran to the stronghold and formed up on the entrance. They were met with thirty fully armed soldiers forming up on the entrance of the fortress and six airships hovering in the air, waiting for them while the rest of the soldiers were either on the wall aiming with their bows or inside the fortress preparing more defenses.

At the head of the enemy group, a soldier stepped forward, his armour signifying him as the general.

“Hold there foes! You shall not pass!” The general called out.

Celestia stepped forwards from the group and walked beside Amore before addressing the army. “Hear me out, this does not have to end in bloodshed. The Storm King has led you astray, but it is not too late to turn back. Surrender now, and you will be shown mercy. Resist, and you will face the full might of Equestria.”

‘Never!” The general shouted. “You will not fool us! His power will grant us even more power!”

“Your loyalty to him has been misplaced,” Luna interrupted, her voice carrying an icy edge. “He cares not for your lives, only for his own power. He will sacrifice you all without a second thought to save himself.”

“Lies! Those are lies!” The general shouted and both the royal sisters and Amore sighed as they knew what was about to happen.. “Soldiers attack! We shall never bow to-”

He never finished his final order as a beam of light brilliant raspberry struck him, his head flew through the air before landing in front of his soldiers.

Both the royal sisters and Amore widened their eyes and turned to see Twilight’s horn smoking in shock and horror. Both sides just stood there in silence for a few minutes.

And then all hell broke loose.

Immediately the clash of steel and the whooshing of arrows and magic could be heard as blades clanged off one another while magical explosions sent sand and dirt flying. Flash Sentry and a ERG guard flanked one of the soldiers and dug the blades into his chest. Once they retracted their spears from the dead soldier, the ERG guard turned around only to be stabbed in the head by another soldiers with a spear and Flash went to engage with it. As Clover blasted a soldier with her magic, Hurricane tackled another soldier behind the unicorn and knocked the soldier unconscious by hitting the head multiple times with his crystal gauntlets. Simultaneously, Celestia, Luna, and the Princess of Friendship took to the air and fired devastating beams through the battle field, causing the Storm King’s soldiers to run for cover. Several unfortunate soldiers were caught in the blast, and they were reduced to ash. The Crystal Imperial guards let loose bolts of magic from their spears, some of the bolts hitting directly at the soldiers before the guards charged toward the battle.

Meanwhile, Nimbus and Grimhoof were busy taking care of the archers posted on the wall by either beheading them or knocking them unconscious. Hasard, Midnight, and the Equestrian airships attacked the Storm King’s airships, with the two bat ponies attacking the crews on one of the airships, either by killing them with their weapons while the Equestrian airships engaged the enemy’s airships by firing its cannons, turning the airships into twisted metal. As Crimson and Night Shadow fought one of the soldiers, Ironclaw and Stormfeather fired their muskets at the archers and were rewarded with the archers falling off the wall and hitting the ground with holes in their heads. Thunderhoof and his yaks were prowling the soldiers over their heads while Ember and her dragons were unleashing torrents of flames on the soldiers.

Crestwing, Sunwing and the hippogriffs were taking the soldiers down by either stabbing them with spears or swords or slammed them into the floor and knocked them out cold. Queen Seraphine used her changeling magic to incinerate three soldiers into ashes before firing a beam of magic at one of the soldiers who tried to sneak attack her from behind.

Several soldiers moved to surround Amore and strike at her, only for her to release a pulse of magic that sent them all flying backwards to the wall or onto the ground. Another two soldiers jumped out at her from behind with spears in his hands to make lunging stabs for Amore’s back, only for one of them to be tackled by Pharynx and restrained by the dark cyan changeling’s changeling resins while the other was burned alive by Mallow Sear in her nirik form. Scanning the battlefield, she realised the Storm King himself wasn’t in attendance. Realising that he must still be inside the stronghold, she quickly built up her magic to breach into the fortress just as the others had just finished off the last soldiers they were fighting.

A massive explosion sent two unfortunate soldiers flying across the courtyard and the army charged into the fortress. Soon, the courtyard became a battlefield, with the guards fighting against the Storm King's soldiers. In amidst of the battle, the Princess of Friendship created an opening directly into the castle by firing a beam of her magic into a group of enemy soldiers to knock them out of her way and quickly ran for it.

As Twilight entered the fort, Amore noticed what she was doing and moved to follow her in, not wanting the Princess of Friendship to face what lay within alone.

Twilight didn’t see Amore also break away from the fight and move to follow her inside. If she did, she might have waited for her, but with her adrenalin pumping through her veins, she continued onwards by herself.

As the Princess of Friendship continued her way further into the fort while dispatching the soldiers with her magic, the sound of the fighting outside became more muffled before she reached the throne room's doors.

Twilight built up her magic before letting loose a powerful bolt of magic and the throne room's doors was burst open off the hinges and shattered into million pieces.

The shattered remains of the throne room doors flew across the vast chamber, echoing off the walls as they clattered to the ground. As the Princess of Friendship stepped inside, she saw tall pillars lining the sides and banners of the Storm King hanging down.

At the far end of the room, the Storm King sat upon his throne chair, glaring down at her with a twisted smile.

"So, the Princess of Friendship finally decides to grace me with her presence." Storm King sneered, rising from his throne while gripping his staff tightly that crackled with chaotic energy.

Twilight held her ground while growling at him. "Your reign of terror have gone unpunished long enough, Storm King! It ends here."

The Storm King’s grin only widened as he descended from his throne. "You think you can stop me? You and your little army are nothing compared to the power I wield now. I am unstoppable!"

The Princess of Friendship’s horn flared with magic as she held her sword. "I've faced worse than you, Storm King. Your threats mean nothing to me."

Without warning, the Storm King raised his staff and unleashed a bolt of raw energy directly at Twilight, forcing her to dive away and dropped her sword. She retaliated by letting loose a powerful bolt of magic at him, only for him to sidestep and let the beam strike one of the pillars behind him which crumbled into rubble.

Storm King brought up his staff and struck up his staff by shooting another bolt of raw energy at the Princess of Friendship who dodged with a flap of her wings before she let loose another bolt of magic at her. He blocked the bolt with a swing of his staff before using it to unleash a beam of energy at her.

Twilight’s eyes widened in pure shock before she too unleashed her beam of magic, hitting the Storm King’s beam. The throne room was engulfed in the intense light as the beams of magic collided in midair, creating a shockwave that sent cracks spider-webbing across the marble floor. The air hummed with the raw power of the two forces clashing, and for a moment, it seemed as though neither would yield.

The Princess of Friendship gritted her teeth, pouring every ounce of her strength into her magic. She could feel the strain in her horn as sweats streamed down from her forehead, but she refused to back down.

Storm King, however, remained confident, his sneer unwavering. He leaned into his staff, feeding more energy into the beam, causing it to swell and push back against Twilight’s magic. “You’re a fool, Princess.” He growled, his voice booming over the roaring energy. “This is the end for you and your precious Equestria!”

A beam of cyan magic struck at the back of the Storm King, causing him to lose concentration of his beam and got hit by Twilight’s beam. He flew across the room before impacting the wall and fell down onto the floor.

Storm King weakly got up, looking up before snarling at Amore and the Princess of Friendship as they ran up to each other. Staggering to his feet as rage burnt in his eyes, he glared at both of them.

"You... insolent fools!" He roared, his voice reverberating through the throne room. "You think this changes anything? I am the Storm King! I will not be defeated by the likes of you!"

He charged toward Amore, his staff raised up to stab her. Amore raised her crystal sword and blocked the Storm King’s attack before pushing him off with a swing and delivered a powerful kick with her hind legs to his face, causing him to stagger back while he held his face in one hand.

The Princess of Friendship flew up in the sky with a flap of her wings before she charged toward him, Amore following close behind with her sword raised.

Storm King shocked his head to compose himself and looked up, his eyes widened in shock as the two ponies charged toward him.

Immediately, the Storm King unleashed another powerful beam from his staff. Amore reacted quickly, summoning a shimmering shield of magic that intercepted the deadly energy. The force of the impact caused her hooves to slide backward on the marble floor a few meters, her face tense with concentration as she held the shield steady.

Twilight, seeing an opening, charged forward, her horn glowing with magic. But before she could strike, Storm King’s eyes flashed with cunning. In a swift motion, he reached out and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. She gasped, her magic flickering out as she struggled to breathe.

With a triumphant sneer, the Storm King slammed the Princess of Friendship down onto the cold stone floor, the impact knocking the wind out of her. He kept his foot firmly planted on her head, pressing down as he continued to channel energy into his beam. Amore’s shield began to crack under the relentless assault, spiderwebbing from the center outward with the strain taking its toll as Amore's sweats streamed down her forehead.

“You see?!” Storm King roared, his voice echoing through the throne room. “I am the most powerful king in the world! Equestria will bow to me, and there is nothing you can do to stop it!”

The cracks in Amore’s shield widened, and Amore's hooves slide backward even more. He smiled even more sinisterly. But then, a sound of glass shattering filled the air. The Storm King barely had time to register the noise before a piercing scream of agony and pain echoed through the chamber.

He felt a sudden, searing pain in his back as the tip of a spear embedded itself deep into his body, emerging from his chest. His eyes widened in shock as he looked down at the weapon protruding from him, held in the determined hooves of Flash Sentry, who had appeared from a broken window high above.

Storm King staggered, his grip on Twilight loosening as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Twilight, seizing the moment, grabbed hold of his staff with her magic, wresting it from his grasp. With a swift motion, she drove the sharp end of the staff into his heart, piercing through his armor and striking deep.

The Storm King let out a choked gasp, his eyes filled with disbelief as the power he had once wielded with such confidence now drained from him. He stumbled back, the staff and the spear still embedded in his chest, before collapsing to the floor in a lifeless heap.

The lieutenant panted as he looked down at the fallen tyrant before widening his eyes. He immediately ran for the Princess of Friendship just as Amore rushed to her side.

"Twilight! Are you alright?" Flash worriedly asked his girlfriend as he helped her up.

"I'm alright, Flash." Twilight reassured her boyfriend. "Just a bit battered, but nothing I can't handle." She replied, leaning onto him slightly as she regained her footing.

Amore stood there, looking at the the couple with a smile. Moments later, Celestia, Luna, Crestwing, Seraphine and a small group of the Crystal Imperial guards stormed the throne room with another small group of RGs and ERGs following close. Some of guards were worse for wear including Crestwing and Seraphine, but the royal sisters were as pristine as always.

"Amore!" Both the solar princess and the lunar princess called as they rushed to Amore's side, spotting the deceased Storm King, the Princess of Friendship and the lieutenant.

"Storm King?" Luna asked.

Amore looked at the lunar princess. "Dead. Twilight and Flash delivered the final blow."

Celestia sighed in relief as the RGs, ERGs and the Crystal Imperial guards spread through the throne room to look for any sign of Storm King's soldiers.

"Any casualties? And what about his army?" Amore asked just as the hippogriff king and the changeling queen walked toward her.

"There are no casualties among us, we made sure of it, though some of them did take some nasty injuries. Aside from a few scars, I believe they will make a full recovery." Crestwing answered.

"As for the Storm King's army..." Seraphine sighed. "Almost all of the army had fought to their last before the rest surrendered. The airships were also destroyed, no survivors from the wreckages."

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As the four airships descended on Klugetown, they were met with a flurry of activity. Several medics were ready to receive the wounded while guards moved to keep back the civilians of the town.

As the airships landed, medics rushed forwards to see to the less seriously wounded, while stretchers were brought out to receive those with more serious injuries and needed immediate medical attention.

As Twilight stared at the activities, one of the ERG guard walked up to her from amidst the crowd and saluted before relaxing. "Your highness, there's a citizen who insisted that he wants to talk to you. Please follow me" He reported.

The Princess of Friendship arched an eyebrow at him but decided to follow him, with Flash following close behind.

After moments of walking through the crowd, they reached the destination. Twilight's eyes widened in shock and anger as she saw the familiar cat waiting.

"YOU!!!" The Princess of Friendship yelled as she pointed a hoof at Capper, which he flinched back.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, I..." The cat began.

“What are you doing here, Capper?” Twilight demanded, her voice cold and sharp. The lieutenant stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he watched the cat closely, ready to intervene if necessary.

Capper held up his paws, showing he meant no harm. “Whoa, easy there, Princess,” he said, his voice smooth but with an edge of anxiety. “I know I’m probably the last person you want to see right now, but I’m not here to cause trouble. In fact, I’m here to tell you something."

"And what's that?!" The Princess of Friendship angrily asked.

The cat stayed silent for a few moments before he replied. "I'm sorry."

Twilight blinked in surprise, her anger momentarily giving way to confusion. "What?"

Capper sighed as he rubbed the back of his head with his paw. "I messed up, okay? I was in a tight spot, trying to look out for myself."

The Princess of Friendship stared at the cat, her mind racing as she tried to process his sudden apology. The raw anger she felt toward him was still fresh, but now it was mingled with a flicker of uncertainty. He had been nothing but trouble the last time they crossed paths, and his sudden appearance now, in the midst of a crisis, was more than suspicious.

"Why should I believe you?" Twilight asked, her voice firm but less biting. "Last time, you sold us out for your own gain. What's different now?"

Capper’s ears flattened against his head, and his tail flicked nervously behind him. “I know I don’t deserve your trust.” He admitted. “But things have changed. Klugetown is a mess—more so than usual. Tempest Shadow isn’t here to enforce the Storm King’s rule anymore after she was imprisoned, but that’s left a power vacuum, and the town’s more dangerous than ever. I came here to... ask you for help.”

Flash stepped closer, his expression skeptical. “And we’re supposed to believe you? What’s your angle, Capper?”

The cat looked between the two ponies, a pained expression on his face. “Look, I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, but I’m not looking for an angle this time. I’ve seen what the Storm King did to places like this, to people like me. With him gone, Klugetown needs someone to step up, to help rebuild, not tear it down further. I thought... maybe you could help."

The Princess of Friendship kept glaring at Capper for a couple of minutes before softening. "Alright, I will discuss this with the princesses and see if they agree in getting Klugetown's stability back up. But, don't think I will forgive you just yet. It will take some time for you to earn me and my friends' trust after what you did back then."

The cat quickly nodded his head.

"For now..." Twilight said as she turned her attention back to the chaos unfolding around them. "We got wounded that need to be taken back to Canterlot for medical attention."

Author's Note

This took way longer to write than I thought.