Queen Novo was glad to finally be back on the surface again. For too long she and her kind had to exile themselves from their home following Mount Aris' fall at the hands of the Storm King. But now it's all in the past, and the time had come to start anew. She was wanting to rebuild the hippogriff's relation with Equestria and amend some strained relationships. She was glad to finally see her best friend Princess Celestia after so many years. The two of them were chatting and catching up from where they left off, with Novo telling Celestia about Seaquestria and having to rule without her husband by her side.

"So how is Seaquestria?" Celestia asked.

"Well, it's not so bad once you get use to it." Novo replied. "It does get lonely without Waverider, but we've managed to stay hearty for as long as we could. Well, until…"

She didn't want to be reminded of the attempted theft of the magic Pearl. While she and Twilight Sparkle did make amends, the experience was not a good first impression.

"I'm sure you and your kind will get back to normal soon." Celestia tried to give words of encouragement. "I don't know how you will juggle both Mount Aris and Seaquestria together, but if you need my help, all you have to do is ask."

"Thank you. I wish I could return the favor somehow" Novo said. "I'm just glad that things are going back to normal, and we don't have to worry about…"

Suddenly, the two rulers saw what remained of the Storm King, having fallen victim to one of his Obsidian Orbs. It was the first time Novo saw him since the day Mount Aris was attacked. It was him. The monster who took away the life she had, who decimated the home she ruled over, who forced her and her kind into hiding, the one who murdered her husband in a helpless state. The emotions were starting to flood in. Novo walked closer and picked up the Storm King's shattered head.

"Novo, are you okay?" Celestia asked.

Novo didn't respond. While there was some poetic irony to the Storm King's demise, it couldn't repair what was already done. Novo began to get emotional, tears were flowing in her eyes. She tried to turn away. She didn't want to cry in front of her best friend. The pain and fear she felt from that day were starting to show.

"Novo, please. Are you alright?"

"I'm- I'm sorry, Celie…" Novo replied, trying to hold back her sadness. "I wish I would have come sooner. If I knew that this monster would target you and your ponies, I would have fought by your side. I wish I could have been the one to stop him…"

"There's nothing to feel sorry about, Novo. You had a duty to your kind and your home."

"But for how long?" Novo retorted. "For almost 20 years of my life, I was trapped. I couldn't just go after him, not after what he did. Not after seeing Waverider die before my eyes! I was scared. Scared that he would find us again and finish what he started! Because of him, my trust in others was broken! I became paranoid! I wanted to fight back, but I couldn't! If it wasn't for me, this whole thing may not have happened. Maybe Waverider would still be here…"

Novo was now in full tears. Celestia tried her best to comfort her. "None of this was your fault. You did what you had to, and you are still here. As are all your subjects. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It's all in the past now. Embrace what you have now."

Suddenly, Princess Skystar, Novo's daughter flew in. She was actually concerned that she was grounded and wanted to know is she was truly punished, but then she saw her mother in an emotional state. She had never seen Novo so upset and sad before. She grew very concerned.

"Mom?" The young hippogriff chirped. "Is everything okay?"

Novo again didn't respond. She didn't want Skystar to see her in this state. She was only a filly when the invasion of Mount Aris happened, and Novo remembers that day in painful, traumatic detail. Novo tried to keep her composure, and she turned to Skystar.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this, honey." She said, wiping away her tears. "What you did, while reckless, was the most important thing in all hippogriff kind. Your father would be so proud of you."

Skystar gave a reassuring smile. "And I know Dad would be very proud of you too." She said, as she gave her mother a hug. Celestia also joined in, letting Novo know that she was not alone. The external wounds heal the quickest, and it would be a long road to fully recover from all the pain suffered in the past. But Novo wouldn't be going at it alone.

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Thought I would take a break from the G5 art to make this. I was thinking about doing this for the anniversary of the 2017 MLP movie, but I thought about doing something else entirely. I've also been thinking about doing a FIMFiction story about Novo trying to settle after the events of the movie, but right now its only on the drawing table. I think we could use more emotional Novo art pieces, especially considering all she's gone through. Poor girl could really use a hug.