Back at the harbor of the Pearl Kingdom, everypony anxiously watches as the ship that is carrying Dorch and Seirbigh approaches them. Ceann, Crystal’s parents, Seirbigh’s parents, and Dorch’s parents stand side by side at the boardwalk’s edge, all the most concerned for their loved ones. After what seemed to be hours of anticipation, the lone ship finally reaches the port and slowly stops at an appropriate location. The two guards and several sailors that are on the ship promptly jump out and tie the ship to the moors on the dock. The ponies spectating grow more and more intense as this silent procedure continues. The guards then levitate the boarding plank from over the boat’s railing and straddle it between the edge of the vessel and the dock before the seven royals. A dark blue unicorn appears from over the edge of the ship and makes his way down the plank.

“Dorch!” Empress Dia calls out. A glowing smile emits from her, Tiotán, and Ceann as their kin walks towards them.

“Hello mother, father, sister,” Dorch solemnly replies, “I have something to speak with you about.”

“What ‘tis it? Was it the storm? We all saw it from afar. Are you hurt?”

“Mother, I didn’t hear a thing that you have just said, nor will I ever be able to hear you. I have become deaf. The reason why, I know not,”

Tears begin to swell in his mother’s eyes as she quickly rushes to his and embraces her son in her hooves. “My poor baby! What a travesty this is! I will never be able to tell you how much I love you,  you’ll never be able to play with your friends  the same way as before, nor will you be able to run your kingdom with as much ease as you have prepared yourself for these many years! I’m so sorry!”

“Dorch, you’ve become deaf in thy ear?” Seirbigh responds from behind. The ponies look up to see the prince hovering from above Dorch and Dia.

“Seirbigh!” The lord of the Metal Kingdom shouts, “Are you quite alright?”

“I’m fine father, although I’m not entirely sure. I seem to be suffering from some sort of amnesia, I can’t remember anything after the festival yesterday it seems.”

“That blasted storm,” Seirbigh’s mother groans, “it must have performed a number upon your crown.”

“It must’ve.”

“Where’s Crystal?” Ceann asks as she lifts herself to her friend’s level.

“I haven’t the slighted clue. I searched our galleon high and low for her. It was if she had never boarded. Yet from what I’ve heard, she had joined me and Dorch on a voyage.”

“Wait, look below, one of the guards is approaching the king and queen of the Forest Kingdom. Maybe he knows the whereabouts of Crystal.” As Ceann stated, the white unicorn guard slowly walks towards Crystal’s parents, still concerned about her absent presents. The stallion motions his hoof and the two rulers lend their ears towards him. The guard then whispers into their ears, telling them about their daughter’s grim fate. The lady and prince watch in horror as Adamán and Ceria’s faces turn from an anxious look, to a shocked expression, to a saddened frown. Tears begin to rain down their cheeks, as well as the guard’s, as he finishes his story. Thousands of possible fates race through the two onlooker’s heads. The two float down as the crying stallion turns back towards his partner and Dorch with his mother still attached to him.

“What did he say your majesty?” King Adamán slowly turns his head towards the green pegasus, allowing his watery browns to be meet with Seirbigh’s ocean blues.

Sniveling back tears, Crystal’s father cries, “My daughter, she-she fell from the boat during the storm. The guards couldn’t find her in time… And she- And she-e- And she… …drowned…”

“What? It can’t be!”

“I wish that as well, b-but, it just is.”

“Crystal, is dead?” Ceann whimpers, forcing back the tears building up in her eyes. “But-but, why? She didn’t deserve to die! Why?!” Queen Ceria’s head perks up upon hearing Ceann’s questioning and slowly turns her head towards Lord Seirbigh and Madam Petti, walking towards their son.

Ceria calls out, “Petti…”

“What?” The madam replies in concern, “Do you need me? I’m so sorry for your daughter.”

“You miss are certainly not!” Immediately, everypony whips their heads towards the two mares, catching the queen’s violent remark. The red unicorn begins to tower herself above her white Earth Pony nemesis as Ceria yells at her. “So this is your response to the activists attacking your family, by killing one of ours? A pegasus like Seirbigh would have no trouble creating such a storm to kill Crystal and create a thunderclap powerful enough to turn Dorch deaf. How dare you!”

“How dare I?” The madam swiftly shouts back, “Are you mad? My boy would never harm or even lay a foul hoof upon her or anypony that didn’t rightfully deserve it. What if it was your daughter that planned this all? What if she poisoned Seirbigh’s mind, poised Dorch to become deaf, to forget and not know of her plotting and executing her death in order for us to appear as the villains?”

“My daughter would never stoop to such lows as of killing herself in such a barbaric scheme.”

“My son would never attempt such an evil as to murder a pony.” King Adamán and Lord Seirbigh jump in between the two bickering mares in an attempt to calm them down.

“Ceria, dear,” Adamán states, “what if wasn’t the Metal Kingdom’s fault? What if it was just a normal typhoon?”

“Petti, darling,” Lord Seirbigh proclaims, “The Forest Kingdom wouldn’t do that. You said so yourself, it might have been the storm that tempered our son’s mind.”

“No, it was them!” The two female rulers scream. They walk around their husbands and return to their stances, ready to fight.

However, just as they were about to raise their hooves, a random voice in the crowd of peasants speaks up, “What if Sir Dorch did it?” The two rulers’ hear the random shout and immediately turned their attention towards Dorch, Tiotán, and Dia, with the three looking back at them.

“Emperor Tiotán,” the king barks, “I’ve known you as a sly, villainous, scheming dog for all of my life. This would be something you’d pull.”

The lord continues, “You’ve boasted about your son’s incredible abilities in magic. Creating a storm and giving my son amnesia would not be out of his range if I assume correct. And faking being deaf ‘tis a very simple feat.”

“And given our trust issues two days ago, killing my daughter would ultimately give you overall power to all of Trihearth. What say you now, you tyrant?!”

“You plotted this attack upon both of our families. I’m usually a peaceful, diplomatic ruler, but when somepony does something so underhanded to my son and his love, then my restraints are released.” As the two male leaders stalk towards Tiotán, Dia, and Dorch, the surrounding citizens begin to form a wall between the mainland and the boardwalk their rulers stand upon, both fearing and anticipating what will happen next. Cheers and boos erupt amongst the spectators for and against each of the three kingdoms.

The emperor raises a hoof towards the approaching stallions and shouts, “You dare think I would do this? You don’t deserve your crowns, and neither do your wives or your children if they are anything like you! If this must result in bloodshed, I will be more than willing to defend my kingdom, Trihearth’s future, and my family! Dia, move Dorch away from us and prepare to fight.” Dia looks at her husband preparing to fight the two stallions before him, knowing that she must protect Dorch even at the cost of her life. The empress shoos her son towards the wall of ponies and slowly reaches the emperor’s side, ready to fight as well. Madam Petti faces against Queen Ceria, King Adamán faces against Emperor Tiotán, Empress Dia faces against Lord Seirbigh, all ready to brawl to the death. They each look into each other’s eyes, seeing the sadness, the anger, the animosity, and their sheer will flowing throughout their pupils.

However, just as their lift their hooves to deliver the first punches, a pair of ponies on the boardwalk scream, “STOP!” The six rulers, followed by Sir Dorch, look over to where the screams originated from and see Prince Seirbigh and Lady Ceann, standing side by side at the edge of the port, wings barely touching each other.

“This has to stop,” Ceann proclaims. Determination bursts from her and her stiff body as the rulers become powerless to shut her up nor continue fighting. “This fighting will solve nothing. My friend will never come back, my brother will never be able to hear again, and I may never get over the heartache that has fallen upon me, not to mention Seirbigh. There is no reason to fight, other than destroy your own ponies and the centuries of greatness our ancestors trusted us with. I will not stand for this violence, and neither will Seirbigh, my friend.”

“What is this dear daughter,” Tiotán rumbles, “Why do you stand near the very pony that could’ve very well killed your friend? For all we know, he could be lying about the whole amnesia thing. Why do you trust him?”

“Because he’s my friend, my best friend, and I know as a friend that he would never in a million centuries lie to me nor intentionally harm Crystal.”

“Whatever you believe, fine, you shall continue to believe. But that does not excuse for the break in the deal. Crystal is dead, therefore Seirbigh will not be able to marry her, therefore, the Forest Kingdom and the Metal Kingdom must have their political powers stripped from them and handed towards us.” Immediately, the leaders return their glares back to their rivals and snap back into combat stances. Growls rumble from behind their grinding teeth as the fight is once again set to begin. Ceann looks to Seirbigh, staring what seemed to be nothing. Small pools of tears begin to build under his eyes, as the full of weight of Crystal’s death falls upon him. Lady Ceann watches as the once stoic stallion beside her degrades into a weeping wreck. The gears in the little filly’s head rotate rapidly as she contemplates what to do.

“What should I do?” She silently whispers to herself, “I can take Crystal’s place and marry the prince, restoring Trihearth to harmony. But what would my family think of me? They would disown me and treat me as one of that of the Forest Kingdom, an enemy. And what happens when the time comes? I won’t be at my brother’s side to aid him with hearing. But I just can’t leave my friends’ and their futures be crushed, I must take the risk if I’m going to save them. But what about Crystal? What would she think of me if she saw me taking away her love that has been loyal to her for years? What would she want me to do? Yet, there’s something, something that’s telling me to forget my friend, that she is dead and no longer matters. Is it my desire to be with Seirbigh, the fantasies that have plagued me for the last hours, the urge to be with a stallion that has displayed his dedication towards a partner? My body says yes, my mind says yes, my soul says yes, but I am still finding myself saying no. Am I aware that these are dark temptations that must be cleansed from me, or am I oblivious to what is truly at risk and what is not of risk? I can easily tempt Seirbigh with my beauty and trick him into replacing his once love with me. The emptiness in him is at its ripe and he’d most likely do anything to fill it back up, replacing his dedications to Crystal in a heartbeat if needed. If I wasn’t so conflicted with these feelings, I would have called it pure evil. But the young, innocent me has left with Crystal, and now, the adult, mature me has made her decision. I will restore harmony to Trihearth and have Seirbigh, no matter the costs as I have been told…”

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” The crowds of onlookers chant as the six large monarchs edge closer and closer to starting the first swing.

“Wait! I shall take Princess Crystal Charm’s place as the kin of the Forest Kingdom!”

“What?!”

“In order to restore equality and peace to our three houses, I will change my position as a daughter of the Pearl Kingdom to that of a daughter of the Forest Kingdom. Then, I shall marry Seirbigh and restore the treaties to when they were full and unscaved.”

“What?” Crystal’s mother reasonably asks, “Why? Why would you do that for us?”

“Because you are also my friends.” Queen Ceria becomes shocked at the young mare’s response. Ever since Ceann’s birth, Ceria always looked down upon the filly, seeing her as one of the enemy. She had always thought the blue pegasus would never like her due to the rivalry between the kingdoms. Seeing such undeserved loyalty given to her shatters her cold heart as the queen slowly walks to the small mare with a small smile appearing on Ceria’s face.

“I, I am your friend?”

“Why not? You had no fault over the death of your daughter, and seeing you lose the control of your loyal ponies, it would kill me if I wasn’t loyal to those who are to be my allies.” Adamán’s angry glaring at the emperor comes to a screeching halt when he catches his wife at the corner of her eyes with the small pony. Tiotán soon follows, followed by the lord and madam of the Metal Kingdom and the empress of the Pearl Kingdom. “King Adamán Charm, Queen Ceria Charm, will you accept me into your family and allow me to marry Prince Seirbigh? I shall rule your kingdom as your daughter would have if she was still alive.”

The rulers of the Forest Kingdom give each other a quick look before the king responds, “If you are willing to do so, then I see no reason why not.”

“What say you Seirbigh?” Ceann looks back over to see Seirbigh, now shivering on the floor. It has seemed that he kept his sadness so silent and to himself, that no pony noticed. “Seirbigh?”

“What?” A sniffling moan exits the green ball of fur, “You aren’t Crystal. She’s gone now.”

“Seirbigh, I know how it feels. It feels as if you have an aching void in thy chest, seemingly never to be able to be filled. I was always there for you, and I always will be there for you, to fill that void.”

“It’s not the same without her. Like an idiot, I let her slip from me and let her die, what makes you not think that I might do the same to you?”

“I can assure you, I will never leave your side.” The prince winces as the soft light blue nose of Ceann brushes against his wing. “Please, don’t let your parents down, don’t let Trihearth down, don’t let me down.”

“…” Ceann looks back at the spectating ponies. They soon realize the invasive atmosphere they’re creating and promptly back away. The six rulers exit the boardwalk as well and watch from a distance. Dorch however, leaves without anypony noticing to find the witch and find a way to restore his hearing.

On the edge of the boardwalk, Ceann edges her mouth close to Seirbigh’s exposed ear and softly speaks, “Seirbigh, I’ve never had the courage to say this before. But, now… Seirbigh, I love you.” The stallion exits from his ball shape to look up at Ceann’s face. Her eyes began to glow in the shade of her shadow, her baby blue mane droops down like the vines of a willow tree, and her mouth opens into a small smile that begins to mesmerize the prince with its charm. Desperate to fill the black void in his hole, Seirbigh’s mind begins to forget his loyalties to Crystal as the beautiful young mare hovers above.

“I-I-I, shall. I shall marry you. If you are able to fill this agony, then yes, make my suffering end.”

“As you wish.” Seirbigh leaps up onto his hooves as he and Ceann begin their way off of the harbor and onto the mainland where everypony else it. However, as the two walk, a subtle guilt begins to enter each of their minds, guilt of how wrong or foalish they made their choices, but the temptations for each other manage to keep the guilt at bay from manifesting into anything notable.