A Queen's Redemption

by IronStories

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 6, My Little Pony: The Movie, Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Drama, Queen Novo, Princess Skystar, Princess Celestia
Length: 7544

A year has passed since the hippogriffs have returned to Mount Aris, and Queen Novo tries to get ready for Mount Aris' own Friendship Festival. But her past might put a halt to that.

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

Published 2021-10-07 19:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2021-10-07 19:40:01 UTC

Chapter 1: The Festival

Deep within the depths of Seaquestria, Princess Skystar is out looking for shells. The young SeaPony was hoping to make a new necklace and wanted to find only the most beautiful shells for it. After sifting through the sand, she stumbled across a unique, brightly colored red shell with white patterns on its side. She began to swim closer towards it, wanting to add it to her collection. That is, until...

"PRINCESS SKYSTAR!!!"

The call echoed through the deep blue. There was no mistaking that sharp tone. It was her mother, Queen Novo. And she was not happy with what her daughter is doing.

"Oh! Uh, hi, Mom!" Skystar chirped, trying to get the shell.

"What in the Seven Seas do you think you are doing out here?" The Queen sternly asked.

"Well, I was gathering shells for my new necklace, and I saw this really pretty one and I wanted to use that for-"

"You know better than to swim outside the kingdom boarders!" Novo interrupted. "Are you not aware of the dangers that lurk outside? And I don't mean sharks or sea serpents!"

"But Mom, I-"

"No buts!" Novo interrupted again. "I don't want you going anywhere you're not suppose to! Especially towards our old home. That monster may still be out there, watching, waiting. I already lost your father on that tragic day, and I do not want the same thing to happen to you!"

"Can't I at least get more shells?" Skystar pleaded.

"You already have enough shells, honey. Come on now."

"But haven't you ever thought about going back home?" The young SeaPony asked.

"This is our home now." Novo stated. "I miss Mount Aris every day, but right now, we can't go back. Maybe someday we will, but for now, we must remain here where its safe. Now come along. Your cousin Silverstream is visiting ,and I know you she's been wanting to see you."

"Oh, fine..." Skystar said in utter defeat. While her mother was not looking, she managed to snag that shell, and she swam to her mother, looking rather confident "Do you think anything exciting will happen today, Mom?" She asked. "Mom? Mom?"

"Mom? Hey, Mom? Are you there?"

Novo woke up from her nap. She hadn't gotten much sleep from the prior night, and she was a bit drowsy. "Wh-what's going on, Skystar?" She yawned.

"Remember that the festival is today? The one where you invited Princess Celestia and the ponies of Equestria as the guests of honor?"

"It's today?!" Novo was in shock. "Why didn't you tell me that sooner?! Make haste, dear, we gotta make sure that everything is in order!"

The two hippogriff royals flew from their palace to check up on setup for the Mount Aris Friendship Festival. A year has passed since the hippogriffs reclaimed Mount Aris following the defeat of the dreaded Storm King. The hippogriffs have been hard at work restoring their old home to its former glory, making sure things are as they once were. It was tireless, but they managed to accomplish so much. They even restored their railway system to better travel to the other kingdoms. For Novo, it has been a long and arduous journey to bring Mount Aris back on the map, and while she had her daughter Skystar at her side, it was harder still without her dear husband, King Waverider. He died during the invasion of Mount Aris at the hands of the Storm King, and the Queen has not been the same since.

At last, they arrived at the bottom of the mountain, close to the beach where the festival would be held. It was similar to Equestria's own Friendship Festival, and Novo decided to hold one at the suggestion of Equestria's ruler and her closest friend, Princess Celestia. There was food, games, a concert stage, souvenir stands, and more. Everything seemed in order, but Novo was still on edge.

"You okay, Mom?" Skystar asked in concern. "The festival look amazing!"

"I'm fine dear," Novo said, sounding a little uneasy, "and I do agree that the festival is looking nice. It's just, you remember that Celestia said that Equestria's Friendship Festival was attacked by the Storm King. I don't want that to happen to us. I can't have a repeat of that day ever again..."

"Don't worry, Mom, the Storm King in in hundreds of tiny pieces!" Skystar was trying to reassure her mother. "I don't think he'll be bothering us anytime soon!"

"Yes, that may be so," the Queen added, "but you never know. Someone out there is going to try and keep his legacy."

Novo then looked at the position of the Sun. "Oh, how could I have forgotten! We have that statue unveiling to attend. The festival isn't until later on in the day, and everything seems fine. Come now, Skystar, we can't miss this."

The two hippogriffs took off and flew to the middle of the mountain, where many of the hippogriffs reside, as well as the location of the caverns that lead to Seaquestria. Upon restoring Mount Aris to its former glory, the hippogriffs wanted to construct a statue of their fallen king for the sacrifice that he made. Novo felt it was the only proper way to honor his memory, but she felt it would open up old wounds for her. They arrived at just in time for the ceremony to begin, where Novo gave a speech to the whole kingdom.

"My dear hippogriffs and SeaPonies, it has officially been a year since we reclaimed our home with the help of the little ponies of Equestria. I have known Princess Celestia for many years, and while she won't arrive until later on today, I give her my full blessing, as well as to her devoted subjects. While we got off to a rough start, I do commend Twilight Sparkle and her friends in helping us return home, as well as our dear Princess Skystar, who aided them in bringing down the very monster who tormented us and sent us into exile all those years ago. And, it is with great honor, that we unveil this statue to our late king, my dear husband, the one who gave us all a chance at a future..."

The cloth was taken off to reveal a large, prominent statue of King Waverider, holding a trident regally in one talon. Engraved in the statue read "Dedicated to our beloved King, who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we would have a future. We will always remember you." The hippogriffs were in awe at the statue, some even got emotional. Novo was one of them. Seeing her late husband engrained in stone was bringing back memories, both good and bad. But the bad ones were starting to seep in, as it reminded her of how he died in the first place; being turned to stone by an Obsidian Orb, then shattered to pieces by the Storm King. And Novo saw it all.

She tried to hide her emotional pain, but Skystar took notice. "Mom? Is everything okay?"

"I-I-I'm... fine." Novo tried to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry. Seeing your father's likeness after all these years... I wish he was here to celebrate with us..."

The hippogriffs were also quick to notice Novo's change in emotion. They've never seen her this upset in years. The began to worry. "Do not worry, my subjects," the Queen proclaimed, "I am fine. Just... a little overcome with emotion is all." She tried to maintain her composure. "Anyway, we have a busy evening planned. Thank you all for attending this unveiling. I know our dear King would be proud of what we managed to accomplish. Now then, on with the festival!"

The hippogriffs all headed back to where the festival would be. Novo and Skystar stuck around the statue a little more, but they had to leave, as it was too much for poor Novo to handle at the moment, and she didn't want to look like an emotional wreck in front of Celestia or her subjects. They headed for the festival as it would soon begin. Novo saw a train in the distance and noticed its distinct look. This was the train from Equestria. Celestia would soon be here.

"Alright, everygriff, our visitors are going to be here at any moment. Be ready to give them a good ol' fashioned Mount Aris welcome!" Novo said.

Novo and Skystar headed for the station. They were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, along with her friends. While they did not meet each other on the best terms, Novo wanted to at least make proper amends with Twilight, who was kind enough to allow Novo's niece Silverstream attend the Friendship School as a student, and help further strengthen the bond between the ponies and hippogriffs after they had been apart for many years following the hippogriffs' exile.

The train pulled into the station and the cab door opened, with Celestia and the Mane 6 walking out. It was time for the Mount Aris Friendship Festival to begin.

Chapter 2: First Impressions are Everything

"Queen Novo!" Princess Celestia exclaimed. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Celie!" Novo replied back. "I've missed you so much! Welcome back to Mount Aris!"

The two royals gave each other a big hug. Celestia and Novo have known each other ever since they were fillies, and their bond grew stronger witch every time they met. It wasn't until Mount Aris fell that they abruptly broke contact. Now that the Storm King is out of the picture, they wanted to properly catch up prior to their reunion at Equestria's Friendship Festival. The Mane 6 stepped out of the cab as well, and Skystar was particularly happy to see Pinkie Pie.

"PINKIE PIE!!!" The yellow hippogriff Princess squeaked as she gave the pink pony a big hug. "I'm so glad you made it!"

"Hahahahaha! Not to tight, Skystar!" Pinkie laughed. "I might just pop!"

"I haven't seen you in so long! I can't wait to show you my original home!"

"It is so nice to have us be the guests of honor at your Friendship Festival, Queen Novo." Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah, even if we didn't meet each other on the best terms last time." Spike added.

"You both are very welcome." Novo replied. "I wanted to do something special for your all's help in allowing us to reclaim our old home, and for your generosity in strengthening the bond between the ponies and the hippogriffs."

"Come on, you all will love the festival!" Skystar chirped. Soon everyone was heading to the festival, but Novo couldn't help but hear some small talk between Twilight's friends.

"You think we can still trust her?" Rainbow Dash asked. "After all, she almost tried to drown us."

"I think what Queen Novo is doing is simply genrous." Rarity replied. "She only wants to make it up to us. Plus she is one of Princess Celestia's closest friends."

"Maybe so," Applejack added, "but you do have to admit, she did act a little rude and hostile towards us when we met. And she did kick us out."

"Well, Twilight did try to take her Pearl." Fluttershy said. "So she did have some justification, and she almost did help us."

"Queen Novo is clearly doing this out of the kindness of her heart!" Spike chipped in. "Though I don't get why I was turned into a puffer when we first went to Seaquestria..."

While Novo knew they did have a right to be weary, she can't help but feel some guilt over the whole thing. She wanted to do everything to leave a good impression, but she knew it would take time. After all, they were right. They did not meet on the best terms originally.

Queen Novo was not happy to see outsiders in Seaquestria. Despite her warnings to Skystar, her daughter managed to bring 6 ponies and a dragon to the kingdom without her knowledge. Mount Aris was destroyed by outsiders, and she had a right to be weary of these visitors. Novo didn't want to risk the safety of her subjects in case the Storm King was watching, and his forces were in hot pursuit of these individuals. She wanted them out, but decided to at least give them a little hospitality, provided that they leave the Pearl alone. Novo used the Pearl to turn the visitors into SeaPonies, but before she could get properly acquainted with these strangers, her seaweed wrap session was about to begin, and she quickly swam off to attend it.

"Ah, your majesty!" Novo's personal beauty specialist said. "Will it be the usual this time?

Better make it a double dose, honey." Novo replied. "Seaweed wrap and massage. Momma needs to decompress."

"As you wish." The specialist said. Novo laid down and had seaweed placed onto her face, and was given a nice massage. "Is everything okay, your majesty?" the specialist asked. "You sound a little on edge."

"Well, you saw those surface-dwellers come uninvited... oooooh, yeah, that's the spot." The Queen answered, while getting her massage. "I'm sure they mean well, but you never know. They could be spies for the Storm King or something. That purple one looks very suspicious..."

"The puffy one?" The specialist laughed. "Hah, he looks adorable in that form! I mean, you've heard about dragons, haven't you?"

"No, not that one." Novo said. "The alicorn. She may look like Celestia, but she's no Celestia. She's eyeing the Pearl as of it's some sort of world-saving relic. All it does is allow one to become a SeaPony, or a puffer fish in the case of that dragon. If the Storm King got ahold of it, let alone destroys it..."

"She did look a little desperate. Maybe you should have a talk with her a bit. The Princess seems to trust them. Didn't they mention they were from Equestria?"

"Equestria..." Novo lamented. "I haven't heard that name in a long time. But I still have my suspicions. Skystar is still young, and a little naïve. I want her to make friends, dear Neptune knows she needs some real ones, but I don't want her to fall in with a bad crowd. I was always there for her, especially after Waverider died."

"My Queen, you need to let her out of the nest a little." The specialist said. "You can't keep holding on to her forever. Someday, she'll be Queen. I think you should let her choose her own path."

Novo felt a little uncomfortable with that, but at the same time she knew she couldn't shelter Skystar for very long. She worried about her all the time. She had to raise her pretty much by herself following Waverider's death, but there was only so much she could do. Finally, the seaweed wrap session was over.

"How do you feel now, your majesty?" The specialist asked.

"Much, much better." Novo said, twirling about. "Lovely what a nice seaweed wrap will do for your complexion, and your mental heath. You are a master of your craft."

The specialist blushed. Suddenly, Jamaal, Novo's octopus servant, came in to let Novo know something.

"What is it?" She asked. Jamaal took Novo outside, and she saw that Skystar and the ponies singing and having fun. The other SeaPonies joined in too. Novo was weary, but saw how happy her daughter was. Not only that, but her subjects were happy as well, the happiest they have ever been. Perhaps Novo was wrong about these outsiders. Perhaps they wanted to be friends after all. Novo soon joined them, her suspicions were completely moot. She was having a good time. There is but a bright spark of hope that these ponies could help them take back Mount Aris, and in turn Novo would help them out on their plight.

At last they arrived at the festival. The ponies were in awe at the whole setup. Novo gave them a tour of the festival, and the Mane 6 went to explore all of what they had. Applejack went to the concession stands and kiosks to see what kind of food they had, Rarity looked at all the booths with flashy trinkets, Fluttershy went to look at the tropical birds and various critters on the beach, Rainbow Dash looked at the thrill rides, Pinkie was being shown all the fun areas by Skystar, and Twilight and Spike were looking at any historical landmarks and booths that had books. Spike was also hoping that there would be some unique bismuth gems that are local to Mount Aris.

"I must say, I am very impressed with how your hippogriffs pulled off the festival." Celestia said.

"Thanks, Celie." Novo replied. "We hippogriffs know how to put on a show."

"That you do." Celestia chuckled. "You were always one to try and outdo yourself."

"Yeah, just wait till next year." Novo said, with a bit of sass. "I plan to go even bigger and better than what I have-"

"RAAAAWR! I'm the Storm King! Fear me!"

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash interrupted the conversation wearing a makeshift Storm King mask to prank Novo. Novo didn't realize this and she started to panic. Bad memories and trauma were starting to flow in.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHGH!!!" She screamed. "GET AWAY FROM ME!!!"

"RAAAWR! I'm the Storm King! I came back to take Mount Aris again!" Rainbow Dash continued. She was circling around Novo, trying to scare her.

The commotion must've been pretty loud, as many of the hippogriffs began to take notice. Twilight and her friends soon saw what Dash was doing, and they noticed Novo in distress.

"Stop! Stay away from me, you monster!" Novo shouted. "Please! Leave me alone!"

"Rainbow Dash, stop this now!" Celestia commanded. "You have no idea what you're doing."

Rainbow Dash didn't listen. She was having too much fun. "RAAAAWR! I am the Storm King! I've come to steal your Pearl!"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm just having a little fun! It's not like I'm the actual Storm King!" Dash continued to scare Novo. "RAAAAAWR!"

"Go away! Stay away from me! STAY AWAY!!!"

Without warning, Novo reared up and slashed at Rainbow with her talons, knocking her off her feet. She wasn't severely hurt, but the mask was completely destroyed. Everypony and everygriff was looking directly at Novo, in complete shock at what they witnessed.

"Oh, don't worry Queen Novo," Pinkie Pie said with her cheery confidence, "it was just Rainbow Dash this whole time! No Storm King is going to crash this party."

"Novo?" Celestia asked. "Novo, are you okay?"

"Mom?" Skystar worryingly said. They could tell Novo was really upset.

Novo looked at everyone and saw how shocked they were. She too was overtaken by the ordeal. "I-I'm sorry..." she softly said, as she took off and headed towards the center of the mountain, where Waverider's statue was. She was extremely upset. Everything was going well until her emotions got the better of her. As Novo left, the ponies and hippogriffs angerly glared at Rainbow Dash.

"What?" She asked.

Chapter 3: Past Scars

"RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight angerly shouted.

"What?!" Dash said in confusion. "What did I do?! It's not my fault the Queen has a berserk button."

"My mom has severe trauma from the Storm King." Skystar explained. "I thought you would know better than to do something like that!"

"How was I suppose to know? I mean, she did throw us out when we tried to get along with you all."

"That's besides the point!" Celestia said. "You shouldn't have done that. Novo has been through a lot, and pranking her like that was not a way to earn her trust."

"I learned that the hard way." Twilight added. "You need to apologize to her. There's no telling what she might do now. She could cancel the festival!"

Meanwhile, the Queen, stricken with grief and regret, was crying at the Waverider statue. In the past, when she was upset, she and Waverider would usually have a heartfelt conversation, and he would help her get through an issue. But ever since his death, she never found a proper way to vent or grief her issues, often bottling up her feelings until it was too late. This wasn't the first time her emotions overcame her decisions.

The alarm in the throne was blaring as loud as ever. It could only mean one thing; someone was trying to steal the Pearl. Novo and the others swam to the throne, and there they saw Twilight trying to take the Pearl, only for her to be caught by the anemone tentacles. Everypony was shocked, but none more so than Novo. That shock would later turn into pure, unbridled anger. She was starting to warm up to these outsiders, but they broker her trust. They betrayed that. And she was not happy about it. In fact, she was extremely furious.

"All this so you could sneak in and take the Pearl?!" She snapped, taking the Pearl, then grabbing Skystar. "This is why we don't bring strangers into our home!" She told her daughter. Her attention then turned towards the Mane 6. Her mind has been made up.

"You don't deserve to be one of us..." And with that, using the magic of the Pearl, the outsiders were reverted back to their original pony forms, and expelled from Seaquestria.

"Wait, NOOOOOOO!" Skystar cried. The only friends she had made in all her life had been banished.

"Maybe now you will know not to put your trust in outsiders." Novo remarked.

"How could you do such a thing, Mom?!" Skystar shouted. "Those were my friends you banished!"

"Your 'friends' were planning to take our Pearl! I have no doubts that they were working for the Storm King..."

"But they showed me friendship! They showed all of us friendship!" Skystar cried. "It's not fair! They could have helped us reclaim our home!"

"THIS is our home now!" Novo barked. "You do not go into someone else's kingdom just to steal what doesn't belong to you."

"Why don't you trust others? What has anyone ever done to you? You trusted Miss Celestia all those years ago, and you trusted Dad too! How would he feel about this?!"

"YOUR FATHER IS DEAD!!!" Novo shouted. "He was murdered in cold blood by outsiders! You think I can't let that go?! For once, Skystar, stop living in a fantasy! Stop being so naïve! We can never go back to our old way of life, no matter how much help we have!!!"

Skystar was hurt. Extremely hurt. Even if she and her mother got into arguments, they were never this heated. Novo realized too late to use her husband's name in vain like that.

"When we did this, you said we were doing it for Dad..." Skystar said, trying not to cry. "You think this is what he would have wanted?!" And as quickly as she said it, she swam off as fast as she can.

"Skystar! Come back here!" Novo shouted. Novo too was hurt. Her trust may have been broken with the outsiders, but now her own daughter seems to no longer trust her. She look a look at the Pearl before putting it back in the anemone. Already, she felt extreme regret. She looked around the palace, the biolights seeming to dim. Too late she realized she may have jumped to conclusions. Too late she may have realized she possibly made the wrong decision.

"Maybe she needs time to vent." Novo sighed. She swam to her daughter's room to check up on her, wanting to apologize for everything. She took a peek only to find out that Skystar was nowhere to be found.

"Skystar? Skystar?! Where are you?!" Novo was in full panic mode. She issued a kingdom-wide emergency. The Princess was missing, and they needed to find her as soon as possible. Little did she know that Skystar was following the path to her friends, and helping them not only on their quest, but to possibly get her old home back.

"I'm so sorry." the Queen lamented. "I wish I could let go, but I can't. Any memory of that day, to be reminded of that monster, it's too much to handle. I'm not strong enough. I wish you were here..."

Back at the festival, the ponies were extremely concerned about the well being of Novo, as well as the fate of the festival itself. Rainbow Dash's little prank really affected the Queen big time, and everypony was still mad at her for pulling off such a thing without realizing Novo's past trauma.

"I said I was sorry, jeez!" The blue Pegasus sneered. "How was I suppose to know that the Queen doesn't have a sense of humor?"

"Actually, my mom has a great sense of humor." Skystar said. "She's just not very open about it."

"You don't need to apologize to us, Rainbow Dash." Twilight told Dash. "Queen Novo is the one you really need to apologize to."

"Honestly, I don't see the big deal with her being afraid of the Storm King. I mean, he's in a bunch of itty bitty pieces now."

"Well given her reaction towards him, I bet she had a very nasty encounter with that brute before." Rarity added.

"She did." Celestia gathered the ponies together. "I wasn't there that day, but Novo told me all about it. She saw the invasion take place, and the Storm King killed her husband right in front of her, and was about to do the same to her, had she not managed to escape him. The whole experience was traumatizing for Novo. It was both mentally and emotionally damaging to her. That was why she was a little hostile when you first met her. It wasn't out of malice, just extreme concern for herself and her subjects."

"Wait, you were there too, right Skystar?" Spike asked the young hippogriff Princess.

"Well, not really." Skystar replied. "I was still a really young filly when the whole thing happened. It wasn't until my mom told me what happened to my dad that I knew something was wrong. But my dad always told me that even in the darkest of times, you should always shine your brightest. I just wish he told that to my mom."

"Don't worry, dear." Celestia comforted Skystar. "We'll make things right with your mother. Won't we, my little ponies?"

"Yeah, we will!" Twilight said with confidence. "Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, you all stay here and make sure the festival continues as planned. Rainbow Dash, you're coming with me and the Princesses."

"What for?" Rainbow Dash wondered.

"You're going to give the Queen a proper apology."

"Ugggghh! Fine! As long as you all will stop making me feel guilty!"

And so it was settled. While the remaining ponies try to get the festival back up and running, Celestia, Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash tagged along with Skystar to find Novo and make her feel better.

"You know Rainbow Dash, my mom's not so bad once you get to know her" Skystar tried to lighten the mood. "in fact, she could probably teach you some really cool hippogriff flying tricks!"

"Yeah, sure..." Dash was clearly not amused. She still thinks the Queen overreacted to her prank, but at the same time, she didn't want everypony to be mad at her. Either way, she wanted to get the whole ordeal over with so that way she can get back to the festival. But it would take a lot of passion to apologize to a regal Queen, especially one who had to go through so much in the past.

Chapter 4: An Apology Fit For a Queen

The Mont Aris Friendship Festival hit a major snag. What was suppose to be a harmless prank went south when Rainbow Dash wore a Storm King Mask to scare Queen Novo, but the Queen ended up freaking out and letting her emotions get the better of her. She ended up leaving the festival in a hurry. Now everygriff was worried that the festival might be canceled, but the ponies were determined to keep it going. While the remaining Mane 6 were making sure that the festival continues as intended, Princess Celestia, Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash accompanied Skystar to find Novo.

"You think she'll like banish me or something?" Dash asked, feeling a little concerned. "Because I don't think I could handle that..."

"Oh don't worry," Skystar chirped, "you would have had to do something really bad to get my mom to banish you! Like stealing the Pearl, messing up her palace, interrupting her during her beauty sleep..."

"Uh, not helping." Spike lamented. Dash was already starting to get nervous. All she did was pull a little prank. She wasn't aware that Novo had traumatic memories towards the Storm King. At first she brushed the whole thing off, but now she was worried that she really upset the Queen to the point that the alliance between Equestria and Mount Aris was truly in jeopardy.

"Any idea on where she might be?" Celestia asked.

"Wait, I think I know where she is!" Skystar soared over to the statue of her father. Celestia, Twilight, and Rainbow quickly followed.

The fog was extremely thick and the atmosphere was cold and dreary. Out from the depths sprang Queen Novo, leaping with such grace and landing perfectly on her feet, having reverted to her hippogriff form. She shook the seawater off her feathery coat and surveyed the ruins of her old home. She was taking a calculated risk being up here. After banishing the Mane 6 for trying to steal the Pearl, Skystar became extremely upset and disappeared, possibly to look for her new friends. Novo, feeling immediate regret and guilt, went on a desperate search for her daughter. She looked at a puddle of water and saw her reflection. This was a form she hadn't seen herself as in years. Accompanying her was General Seaspray and members of the Royal Hippogriff Navy. The search was getting desperate.

"This is not how I wanted my first trip back home to be like..." The Queen lamented, observing the natural decay and ruins of the once bustling mountain. "Any sign of Skystar, General?"

"Not yet." Seaspray said. "We've looked everywhere for her. Do you think she's even here, my Queen?"

"I'm not even sure anymore." Novo sighed. "But if she did run off, this would have been the place she'd go." She began to feel uncomfortable and extremely weary. The Storm King or one of his many airships could be patrolling the area. They continued their search across the ruins for any hint of Skystar. They first checked the palace, which was overtaken by rubble from the invasion. The Princess wasn't there, so they searched the beach. They found nothing. Every other place Novo remembered taking Skystar when she was younger, there was no sigh of her at all.

The hippogriffs were about ready to call it quits when an uneasy tension was felt in the air. Novo saw a large shadow approaching in the sky. The shape was hard to make out, and she was expecting the worst. "Defensive positions, everygriff!" she ordered. "Make haste!" Seaspray directed the guards to get their weapons at the ready. As the figure moved closer, it was revealed to be none other than Captain Skybeak. The guards lowered the weapons and the hippogriff captain tried to catch his breath.

"Captain Skybeak!" The general said. "What have you to report?"

"I was scouting around the surrounding land near Mount Aris, General." The captain said, still trying to catch this breath. He then turned to Novo. "Your majesty, I believe we may have found the Princess's whereabouts."

"You know where my baby is?!" Novo exclaimed. "Show me! She has some serious explaining to do!"

Skybeak lead the Queen and the guards to the area where he was talking about, a short distance from Mount Aris. They landed at the spot, where Novo was desperately looking for her daughter."

"Look over here." Seaspray said. There was a trackway of hoofprints made by ponies, as well as a few other creatures. But then they noticed distinct hippogriff prints as well. "The Princess was definitely here."

"So, she did run off with those outsiders..." Novo lamented. "Where is their heading?"

"Judging by the direction they took," Skybeak added, "it appears they are headed due northwest."

"Equestria..." Novo wasn't sure what was going on, but if the story that the ponies told was true, they were heading back to Equestria to stop the invasion of the Storm King there. "What did you get yourself into, Sky?"

The Queen was still near the statue, feeling helpless over her actions. She meant no harm, but actions to speak louder than words. She didn't want to be seen, let alone like this. She worried that she still left a bad impression on the Mane 6, and that this could mean the end of Mont Aris' relation with Equestria. In times where she was stressed or felt helpless, Waverider was always by her side. Maybe this is why she stayed near the statue.

"Mom! There you are!" Skystar and the others landed. They were grateful to have found Novo.

"Novo, you left in quite a hurry." Celestia said, trying to comfort her friend. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't mean to freak out like that.." Novo told them softly. "I'm sorry about what happened. Ever since that day, I've had a hard time moving on from those awful memories. As much as I want to forget them, I can't. Any reminder of that day just sends me into a panic. I hope you all understand that I did not mean any ill-will. And if it's alright with you, I would like to get the festival back up as intended."

"You did nothing wrong, Queen Novo." Twilight said.

"Well, except that you knocked Rainbow Dash out of the air." Spike added. "Actually, that was pretty funny!"

"Spike!" Twilight told the young dragon. She then turned to Novo "Speaking of Rainbow Dash, I believe she has something important to say to you."

Twilight then pushed Dash near Novo. The blue Pegasus was extremely nervous, probably more than ever. She was sweating and struggling to say anything. The Queen was looking particularly perplexed.

"Well?" Novo asked? "What did you want to say? I'm all ears, honey."

Dash continued to sweat. All eyes were on her. Finally, she caved in.

"Ooooh, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you like that! If you would have told me such a thing in the first place, I wouldn't have done it! Please forgive me! I don't want the relationship between Equestria and Mount Aris to be ruined all because of me! Can you please find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Novo finally stepped forward to Rainbow Dash. Everypony was completely silent. They were hoping Novo would accept Dash's apology, but they were fearing the absolute worst.

"Rainbow Dash," The Queen spoke sternly," what you did today really affected me. My emotional state hasn't been the same since Mount Aris was invaded all those years ago. I do not like being reminded of my past." She raised her talon, pointing it at Dash. "I hope you learn your lesson today. Your actions will not go unnoticed by me. All I have to say is..."

The ponies and Skystar were growing extremely anxious. Rainbow closed her eyes, not being able to bear the wrath of an angry Queen.

"Gotcha!" Novo booped Rainbow on her nose. Everypony was confused.

"Wait, what?!" Rainbow was a bit flustered. "Did you accept my apology?"

"Of course, honey!" Novo chuckled. "I am glad you finally told me you were sorry. "But I'll have you know I have a sense of humor myself. I use to pull some classic pranks with Celie during my youth."

Dash was still confused, but she was grateful that the Queen at least accepted her apology. She began to laugh at Novo's prank. Soon everypony was laughing along too.

"Glad to have you back, Novo!" Celestia cheered.

"I'm so happy that you're feeling better, Mom!" Skystar added, giving her mother a big hug. "I was worried about you."

"Thank you all." Novo said. "Sorry for the commotion earlier. I guess Mount Aris wasn't the only thing that needed fixing. So what are we waiting for? We got a festival to attend!"

Everypony was glad that Novo was feeling better. They all took off and headed back to the festival. Novo in particular was determined to not let anything ruin her time there, and that the festival gets back on track.

Chapter 5: Let the Fesival Begin!

"Do you think she is okay?"

"I don't know. She seemed pretty upset."

"I hope this doesn't mean the festival is canceled. I spent hours preparing these smoothies!"

The hippogriffs were making small talk to each other following Queen Novo's abrupt leave. They all were worried that the Mount Aris Friendship Festival might be canceled all because of a prank Rainbow Dash pulled. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie stayed at the festival, trying to get everything back to normal, while Twilight, Spike, Celestia, and Skystar all took Rainbow Dash to find Novo so Dash could apologize to her. Despite their efforts, the hippogriffs were having their doubts that the festival would continue, and the ponies were doing their best to give reassurance.

"Now now, everypony, er, I mean hippogriff," Applejack tried to inspire confidence in the hippogriffs, "I know things aren't lookin' good right now, but rest assured, I know Twilight and the others are going to make sure Queen Novo is okay. She's the Princess of Friendship, after all."

"Didn't she try to steal the Pearl?" One hippogriff chimed in.

"Well, that's in the past now. I'm sure the Queen will be feelin' mighty better soon. I, uh, I hope..."

The hippogriffs were still not convinced "Hey gals, give me a helping hoof here!" Applejack whispered. But it was all a fruitless endeavor, as the other ponies were doing their best to get the festival back up. "Oh Queen Novo, where are you? We could really use you and the others right now..."

"Right here!" A familiar voice rang. It was Novo! It appears she made amends with Rainbow Dash, and she was feeling as bright as ever. "I appreciate the boast of confidence. Now then, how about we get this Friendship Festival properly started?"

The hippogriffs cheered that their ruler was back, and feeling better than ever. Finally, the festival can go as planned.

The hippogriffs arrived at Equestria later than usual. They were on a desperate search for Princess Skystar, who disappeared following a dispute with her mother. Queen Novo was expecting to arrive at a war-torn Equestria, but upon their arrival to Canterlot, it seemed quite lively. There was no doubt that the Storm King was here, given that there was some structural damage, but his reign of terror was short-lived it seems. The ponies were in awe at the majestic creatures landing, and Skystar, having felt a little better, was glad to see her mom. She ran up to her and they exchanged a hug.

"You are so grounded..." Novo chuckled. Skystar was quite shocked.

"Wait, what? But I helped saved your old ally! And we can finally go back home now!"

"I'm teasing, honey!" Novo chuckled again. "What you did may have been reckless, but I am proud of you for standing up for what you believed in. And I know your father would be too. I should take a cue." They hugged again. "But you are not allowed to leave the kingdom for a month." Novo added. Skystar looked down. "Okay, a week."

Novo was looking around the Friendship Festival. Canterlot changed a lot since the last time she was here. Then, she saw a white alicorn talking to some ponies. There was no mistaking who that was. It was Celestia. She hadn't seen her in so long. Celestia took notice of her, too. The two started running to each other, tears in their eyes, and they gave each other a big hug.

"Celie, I missed you so much..." Novo said, tears running down her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

"I'm just glad you are here today..." Celestia replied. "It's been far too long."

Novo and Celestia spent the evening catching up with each other. Novo told her about what happened to Mount Aris and King Waverider, as well as the life she and her subjects spent in Seaquestria. Celestia sympathized with Novo, and the two of them wanted to rebuild the relationship that Equestia and Mount Aris use to have.

"Oh, Novo, I'm terribly sorry about all that..." Celestia lamented. "If I had known sooner, I would have come to help!"

"There really wasn't much you could have done." Novo added. "If the Storm King found me, let alone found you at that time, we probably wouldn't be here today. Besides, what's past is past..."

"I entrust that my faithful student was able to help you out on your plight." Celestia said, not knowing of the incident that transpired previously.

"Well..." Novo whispered to Celestia all that happened. And Celestia was not happy.

Meanwhile, Twilight is having a fun time with her friends, both old and new, and was grateful that her long quest was over, until...

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!"

Celestia shouted in her Royal Canterlot Voice, something she rarely does. But when she does, you know it can't be good.

"Welp, it was nice knowing you, Twi..." Spike said.

Twilight gulped. She walked to where Celestia was, and she saw both her with Novo. And Celestia was not happy. At all.

"Q-Queen Novo!" Twilight was surprised and extremely nervous. "I wasn't expecting you to be here!"

"I believe you have something to say to Queen Novo, don't you?" Celestia said sternly.

"I-I-I..." Twilight began to grow even more nervous. "Oh, alright. I'm sorry I tried to take your Pearl. I shouldn't have done that. I realized too late how big of a mistake that was."

"And I'm sorry too, dear Twilight." Novo replied, much to the surprise of both Twilight and Celestia. "I should have listened to you. I let my emotions cloud my judgement. I admit I wasn't the same after my kingdom was first destroyed, but that was no excuse for the way I treated you and your friends. As the Queen, I should have known better. Let this be a learning experience for the both of us. All is forgiven."

"Thank you, Queen Novo." Twilight said softly, as Novo gave her a big hug. All was truly forgiven.

After the festival, the hippogriffs thanked the ponies for helping them get rid of the Storm King, and promised to visit Equestria again soon. Their next priority was the restoration of Mount Aris. While they would still be spending time in their home away from home of Seaquestria, Novo made it her goal of bringing Mount Aris back to it's former glory. When they arrived back home, they realized this was a task easier said than done.

"I guess this is what Dad would call an easy 'fixer-upper'?" Skystar said, looking over the ruins.

"Yup." The Queen replied. "We got a lot of work ahead of us, everygriff, so let's make the best of it."

The festival went by without any incident. Novo and all who were attending were having the time of their lives. All the food, fun, games, and music one would expect was there. Novo partook in many of the activities, and she loved that the ponies and Skystar were having so much fun. She wasn't expecting to fell this good, especially given all that happened earlier, but she was glad the festival was going as intended.

As the evening rolled in, some of Mont Aris' best musicians played some songs at the concert stage. Then fireworks were set off in celebration. Despite all the odds, Mount Aris and the hippogriffs were back. Novo watched the fireworks with Celestia, Skystar, and the Mane 6, looking at all the beautiful colors and sparkles in the sky.

Twilight turned to Novo. "Do you think your husband would be proud of all that you accomplished?" She asked.

"I think he would be more than proud, sweetie," Novo replied, "he would have loved it. I wish he could see this."

Skystar gave her mother a hug, happy to have her mother back. It will take some time, but Novo hoped to one day move away from the events of the past to ensure a brighter future for both her kingdom and her subjects. It would take a lot of time, but she knew deep down to be the leader she knows she could be, and with the aided support of her friends and daughter. She wanted to do this for them. And to honor the legacy and memory of Waverider.