Author's Notes:

Part 1/2 of the movie/Storm King

“Alright, listen up. We're heading to Canterlot to meet with a friend. I had him work on your armor and blades.”

Moments later, a carriage arrived and the seven climbed inside as they were taken to their destination. Instead of heading to the castle, Brian was leading them to the forest. He was wearing his sword as a new suit of armor would be waiting.

“Brian, come in,” Coal called

Once everyone entered the cave, Coal turned to greet them and wasn't surprised by the initial reaction to a dragon towering over them.

“Relax, this is Coal. He's the one who's been working on our armor and weapons.”

“It's nice to meet you all. Perhaps you could introduce yourselves,” Coal asked

“Cien Oros.”

“Francis ‘Hannibal’ Paine.”

“Lightning Flash.”

“Carmichael and my sister Selene Locke.”

“Harmony Dragnov.”

“Miss Dragnov. It's nice to see you again,” Coal replied

“Dad, what does he mean,” Harmony asked

“Because eighteen years ago, I brought you here. Take this,” Brian said handing her his sword

“What does this prove,” she asked curiously

“You wouldn't be able to wield it if you hadn't been part of the ritual,” Coal answered “That is why you are here. These are for you.”

Coal gestured to a series of suits of armor in the corner. The six went to the armor that fit their appearance along side a series of swords and noticed a lone pegasus armor away from the others.

“Why is this the only set of twin knives,” Cien asked

“The butterfly swords are yours. You've shown prowess in swordsmanship, that I thought you'd like them. Everyone else has a single blade as it's easier to wield.”

“Why don't we have a sword,” Lightning Flash asked

“Your armor is made with blades mounted in the wings. As a pegasus, you would be able to utilize high speed attacks to defeat your enemy,” Coal explained

“Who's the last armor for,” Hannibal asked

“Me. You'll notice one glaring difference with mine.”

“Pegasus armor,” Harmony said “But why dad? You're an alicorn.”

“I don’t need anyone knowing I'm royalty. Besides, my armor is enchanted to give me the appearance of a pegasus. It also allows me to continue to use my magic freely.”

“As for your swords, you have the option of having your blades bonded to you,” Coal said

“What's the bonding do,” Carmichael asked

“Allows you to be the only one to wield the sword.”

“We'll do it,” everyone said together

The six agreed to have each blade bonded to them. When Coal mentioned about having additional users, it was agreed to allow one another to wield them, if someone couldn't.

“Dad, are you sure about your sword,” Harmony asked

“Positive. You are bonded to it, but the demon blades are open to anyone.”

“Why's that,” Lightning Flash asked

“They aren't bonded to anyone. Simply put, everyone is balanced in good and evil. Unfortunately, Twilight and the others, along with myself are direct opposites. They can't wield my swords due to their demonic nature, while I can't touch the Elements of Harmony due to their angelic nature. Especially when I was marked by Lucifer. I'm not getting into details of that.”

“There is one more thing,” a voice said as the speaker popped into existence
“Greetings. I am your Friendly Neighborhood God of Chaos, Discord.”

“What else is there,” Selene asked

“Your armor is going to be camouflaged. By default, it will keep the standard black appearance, but it will alter due to your location,” Discord said enchanting the armor

“How does it do that,” Harmony asked

“I can't exactly tell you, but you dad knows about camo,” Discord replied

“We're going to train. Tonight, we spend the night at the castle as Celestia allowed us to borrow the airship. As to where, you'll find out when we get there.”

For everyone to get used to the feeling, they kept the armor on most of the day, while Brian slept in his gear. The swords were kept next to them for safety. In the morning after breakfast Celestia directed them to her private armored airship. Brian had the group first head to the desert in order to learn about using the environment to their advantage.

“Take these. It'll protect your eyes. We're going to be here for a while. Before we do anything else, you all are going to receive code names to use. Lightning Flash is just going to become ‘Flash’. Francis, you're already used to ‘Hannibal’, so that's yours. Cien, I'm sorry, but you're going to be ‘Pretty Boy’. Carmichael, Selene; with your cutie marks the two of you will be knows as ‘Sword’ and ‘Shield’, respectively. Harmony will be ‘Harm’; with the full name being ‘Constance Harm’.”

“Actually, Sergeant Ironside called me ‘Pretty Boy’ during training. I've heard it so often that I'm used to it,” Cien said

“What exactly are we doing in the desert,” Flash asked

“Both Sword and Shield were trained here to learn how to create walls. Now, everyone is going to work together to use the environment to your advantage.”

Once the seven departed the ship, their armor changed from black to a light tan-sand color. Brian removed seven wooden swords from his bag and passed them out.

“I'm going to stand in one place with a small shield around me. The six of you need to figure out how to attack me without being seen.”

Brian walked away leaving them to think. He was hopeful someone would understand what to do.

“Alright let's try this. Shield and I will use our magic to create a sandstorm. Flash and Pretty Boy will use the cover to attack from the air while the two of you attack from the ground,” Sword directed

Brian sat down and created a small shield close to him for protection. Tuning his hearing, the sound of a sudden sandstorm arose, which also covered the sound of a two-pronged land and air attack. This was exact tactic he was hoping the group would come up with.

“Congrats everyone. You all flawlessly worked together on that plan. Who directed it?”

“I did. I thought it would be easiest to split our forces while my sister and I created the division,” Sword replied

“Good job. You created the exact plan I hoped you would. Each of you are going to take a turn. Instead of using magic, you will have to defend against a single opponent. Use just your staff to protect you and leave the goggles on. You don't need sand blocking your vision.”

To demonstrate what he meant, his daughter volunteered to be first as Brian attempted to attack her. Instead of creeping across the sand, he used his wings to float just above the ground and moved slowly to not draw attention. Once in range, he rested the staff against the back of her neck.

“You're dead.”

“How,” Harm asked

“Simple, if this was a sword, you would've been decapitated from behind.”

After the initial demonstration, everyone took a turn at attacking. Two did manage to defend themselves, but the majority were ‘dead’ before they could react. Once they were finished, everyone headed back to the ship for dinner and bed. They repeated this training two more times with the results getting better. By the third day, four managed to defeat their attacker, one died instantly and the final died but managed to score a counterattack.

“Alright, that's enough. We're leaving the desert, but not done with training. Next stop is the forest.”

“We're going to the Everfree Forest,” Flash asked

“No. There's another forest well outside we're going to. It's mostly unexplored, so we don't know if any inhabitants are there.”

Brian directed the ship to a clearing before he departed alone. He wanted to make sure any inhabitants understood they meant no harm. As he carefully passed through the forest, the breaking of a twig stopped him. Looking towards the source, a six foot bipedal cat emerged from the bush.

“Follow me. You are not welcome here,” the cat ordered

Brian was led to an area of the jungle with huts made into the trees with many other cats eyeing him with suspicion.

“King Leo, I found this one in the forest,” the cat said

“That will be all Tigra,” the king said dismissing Brian's guide

“I'm sorry to trespass your highness. Allow me to remove my armor and explain.”

“Very well. I am curious to know how a pony wondered out here, let alone a pegasus,” King Leo mused

Brian began removing the armor and the king seemed to be surprised about the change when Brian morphed back into his alicorn form.

“My apologies King Leo. My name is Prince Brian Dragnov of Equestria. I brought my guard out to the forest to train. Each of them wears similar armor to my own and carry swords. Our sole purpose was to train to get better.”

“How is that possible to change your form? You were clearly a pegasus when your armor was on,” Leo asked

“Due to my status as Equestrian royalty, this armor is enchanted to disguise my appearance as a pegasus. If an enemy were to notice an alicorn, I become their prime target.”

“That is understandable. I myself have done that in battle. You and your guard are given permission to train here in the village as well as staying here as my guest,” King Leo said

“Thank you very much. I will inform them and return shortly.”

Tigra was tasked with escorting Brian back to his ship and returning to the village with the group.

“I'm sorry for my actions earlier. I am Tigra, warrior and son to King Leo,” Tigra said

“I apologize for my rudeness by entering. I'm Prince Brian Dragnov from Equestria. These six here are my Midnight Guard. Hannibal, Pretty Boy, Harm, Flash, Sword and Shield.”

“Interesting names you have,” Tigra said

“They're code names. It's used so no one knows their real names for safety.”

“Welcome back Prince Dragnov,” King Leo said

“Thank you very much for your hospitality. Allow me to introduce Cien Oros, Harmony Dragnov, Lightning Flash, Francis Paine, Selena and Carmichael Locke,” Brian said motioning to each in turn

“It is nice to meet you. When you get adjusted, you may train when ready,” Leo said before departing

“Alright, this is exactly the same as the desert. This time you attack one at a time against me. I'll be sitting in the center when you are ready. Only use the staffs for safety.”

Brian walked to the center and knelt down with his staff positioned right in front of him and listened. Harmony was first to try and attack. As she was within reach, he quickly held his staff and parried the unseen strike behind his head without flinching.

The others received the same reaction as they were stopped before a blow could be struck. After they were finished, each of them took a turn at being attacked.

Brian decided to change tactics here in the forest. As they had no idea when he would strike, he crawled through the forest before reaching the target. The closer he was, the harder the secrecy was as tiptoeing was the only way to reach. Instead of attacking from behind, the staff was stuck under Harmony’s chin.

“You're dead.”

“Drat,” she muttered

The same tactics were repeated, except the final participant, Cien. Once he was near, Brian picked up a small pebble and chucked it at a tree do divert Cien’s attention. With that done, Brian grabbed his guard from behind before letting go.

“Sorry about that.”

“That was something different. Where did you learn such a tactic,” King Leo asked

“That's hard to answer. Originally, I was human with a similar appearance to your species, only without the fur and tail. My father was in that world's military and he taught me some things. That tactic would be used to silence an enemy, but I simply chose to use a different version.”

“If you were human, how did you get here,” Tigra asked

“The being known as Discord sent me here. My life wasn't the best after I saw both my parents die. This was a second chance I'm thankful for.”

“Tomorrow, would you like a challenge? The seven of you against me,” Tigra asked

“I would. Do any of you wish to participate?”

“Of course. We wouldn't miss it,” Harmony replied, speaking for the group

“It's settled. You will have group combat tomorrow,” Leo decided

That night everyone enjoyed themselves and slept on the ground. Brian was used to it, while the others were slightly uncomfortable. In the morning after they ate, Brian led everyone out while Tigra took his position.

“The six of you are going to flank him from the left and right. I'll take my position behind him. When you're in position, use your horn to send a small red orb. Only attack when you see my green orb.”

With their instructions, the group split and took their positions. Brian looked and saw the two red orbs and crept forward before sending his signal. As they approached the target, Brian held up a hoof to stop them. They mirrored his actions as he dropped to a crawl. All at once, they attacked and Tigra was defeated.

“I challenge you to single combat, Prince Dragnov,” Tigra said

“I accept. We’ll use the staffs for our battle.”

The rest of the tribe and Brian's own guard cleared the area as both took their positions. Out of habit, Brian bowed to Tigra and was surprised when the action was mirrored. Tigra made the first move and charged as Brian countered. Once Brian stood on his rear legs, the fight was even as he had the advantage in sword fighting while Tigra was barely able to defend. Brian used one end to sweep his opponent's legs out from under him and held the staff to Tigra’s throat.

“Surrender.”

“I give up,” Tigra said holding out a hand
Brian used a hoof to help his opponent up as everyone applauded the show they watched.

“Congratulations Prince Dragnov. That was a hard fight,” Tigra said

“You fought well. Your movements did seem awkward at times, almost as if you were unable to think.”

“That was first actual sparring match. You weren't going easy on me, and I didn't expect when you would actually fight on two legs,” Tigra replied

“Sorry. I wanted to test your ability. As long as you train, you can get better. Trust me, I've trained for quite a while as both a human and pony. In fact, it's been over two decades since I started.”

“Thank you for training with me. Perhaps you can help me out someday in the future,” Tigra asked

“I cannot make any guarantees for the future, but maybe someday I will return and help.”

After spending the week training in the forest, Brian decided to send everyone back home. Instead of completely returning, they would spend some time training in the water.

“So, what's going to happen next,” Cien asked

“You remember how you were taught about water combat? That's what we're going to do now. Discord?”

Discord showed up with seven wetsuits and SCUBA tanks for them to use. Brian removed the armor and immediately slipped into the wetsuit and strapped the tank on with ease.

“How do we use these, dad,” Harmony asked

“Remove your armor and get into the wetsuits first. That will allow you move easier through the water. The tank and mask will help you breathe underwater.”

Once everyone was ready, he helped them getting the tank on and explained what they were doing.

“We're going to practice with water entry. I'm going to lower the rope ladder into the water. Next, is swimming to the ship to get on.”

Brian climbed down the ladder and waited for the others. He motioned for everyone to dive as he swam down and away from the ship. With a simple motion, he led the group around the ship before climbing back up.

“That wasn't so hard,” Flash said

“That's because it wasn't supposed to be. Next time, I'm dropping you in the water as we're landing for a challenge.”

True to his word, Brian instructed the captain to start landing and he threw everyone overboard before jumping out last. He was surprised to see Celestia watching before she teleported on the ship after he was gone.

Once in the water, Brian gathered everyone up and they swam down the harbor to the ship. They were shocked when Celestia was standing before them.

“Good afternoon everyone. Brian, what is that you all are wearing? And why did you need to throw them overboard,” Celestia said

“These are wetsuits and SCUBA tanks. Basically, they allow the user to breathe underwater. As for throwing everyone overboard, I wanted them to experience what the SEALs go through at home. The past week was spent in the desert and the forest with King Leo to use the environment to one's advantage.”

“I haven't seen that village is quite some time. Please don't push everyone too hard,” Celestia said

After repeating the process a few more times, the group removed their wetsuits and reattached the armor before heading inside the castle.

“Brian, welcome back. I wanted to throw a Friendship Festival for everyone,” Twilight said “Nice armor, by the way.”

“Cool. How's about we keep my arrival a secret for now? Many know that I've been gone for a couple weeks, but the reason is need-to-know.”

“Alright. I'll get the Festival set up tomorrow,” Twilight said

● PARTS UNKNOWN ●
“Sir, I have an idea for our next place to conquer,” a feminine voice said to her companion

“Where is it Commander Tempest,” her companion asked

“A place across the sea; Equestria. My former home, Storm King, sir,” Tempest said

“Are you sure about this,” the Storm King asked curiously

“If it helps you to keep your promise of restoring my horn, I'll gladly attack them,” she replied

“Very well. Gather the troops and set a course for Equestria,” the Storm King ordered

“Yes sir,” Tempest said with a salute