• Published 24th Oct 2013
  • 1,639 Views, 375 Comments

Blueblood's Ascension Part III; or, Even Alicorns Have Dreams - MyHobby



Blueblood is sent to Tartarus. No, he's not a prisoner. Rather, he is to become the new warden of the magical prison for Nightmares. The key problem is that he just doesn't want to be the warden. Will he follow his duty, or his dreams?

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The Day the Nightmares Came to Visit

Spike burped up bad news. This by itself was not unusual, since most news that came from Celestia often required that he and Twilight move outside their comfort zone. What was unusual was that Twilight herself was the bad news.

Twilight Sparkle and Nightmares on their way. Defend the Prison.

Celestia

“Well, poop.” Spike rolled up the letter and handed it to Flash Sentry. “What are we gonna do?”

Flash read over the letter before handing it to Luna. “We’re gonna do what she says, Spike. We’re gonna defend the prison.”

“How bad is it?” Blueblood asked.

“The letter was written hastily,” Luna said. “The ink was blown by winds, as if she wrote it midflight. I believe she, herself, is on her way.”

“That’s pretty bad.” Pinkie Pie bounced up to read over Luna’s shoulder. “Do you think Braeburn will be with them?”

“If Celestia herself is coming here, I think they’re throwing everything they’ve got at us.” Flash Sentry paced around Tartarus’ central room. “We’re talking about all the Nightmares that’ve been turned, all the Nightmare Forces that Luna hasn’t tracked down, and whatever else they’ve scrounged up.”

Rarity frowned. “Tell me again why there isn’t a garrison of guards mounted around this prison?”

“Too many holes for Nightmares to escape through.” Luna tore the letter up and marched for the doorway. “Come on. We have to be ready for them.”

Mandible rubbed his hooves together, his eyes wide. “But we don’t have any weapons!”

“They’re our friends!” Vinyl said. She pulled her sunglasses down over her eyes. “I ain’t gonna use weapons against Lyra.”

“She is correct,” Luna said. Her horn glowed as she passed a few bags around. “We must use the Nightmare’s power against them. We must free our friends from the terrible dreams they have been trapped in.”

She handed the last bag to Blueblood, who eyed it from leg’s length. “We must bring the battle to them,” she said. “To their hearts.”

Redheart peeked inside her bag. “Sand?”

“The enchanted sand we used to rescue you from your Nightmare,” Flash said. “We’ve got to split into teams, with one unicorn or alicorn apiece. Then we’ll divide and conquer. Try to seek out the Nightmare who you’re closest to. We’ll fight to free our friends, and then they’ll be able to help us against the others.”

“Wait,” Mandible said. He clicked his fangs together. “What happens if we get attacked while we’re dreaming?”

“I will defend you,” Luna replied. She drew up alongside Flash. “Though I have the most experience with Dreamhopping, you all know your friends far better than I do. I am also the most powerful magic user present. It is a matter of calculated risks.”

Blueblood nodded. “And then Celestia can help you when she arrives.”

“Correct.” Luna pointed her horn at the diamond dog resting on a pillow a few meters away. “They’ll be attacking from the air.”

Captain Wishbone grumbled. “So you need the captain and ship? Been drafted once already.”

“He’s also been compensated,” Blueblood said.

“Heh.” Wishbone tipped his hat back. “We talk compensation later.”

They walked as one group to the entrance of Tartarus. Redheart paused and looked over her shoulder. Blueblood was still in the center of the room, examining his bag of sand. “You coming?”

Blueblood’s head jerked up. He gulped down a bit of nervousness before responding. “I’m the warden, Redheart. I have to stay here and make sure the prisoners don’t escape.”

She galloped up to him and put her hoof on his cheek. “You don’t have to be a martyr.”

“No, perhaps not.” He covered her hoof with his own. “But I have a responsibility. Stay safe, Redheart.”

Her jaw clenched. She blinked her eyes and turned away.

“I adore you, Redheart,” Blueblood said. “I look forward to learning how to love you.”

She paused halfway to the hall. She grinned at him. “See you when all this is over.”

Blueblood watched her until she disappeared into the darkness. Blueblood stood alone amongst the Nightmares. For a moment.

“You didn’t have to stay.” Bluebones clutched his cloak tight to his ribcage. “You could have gone out there and helped them. You would have been with your friends.”

“And it would have left you alone in here should a Nightmare get through.” Blueblood straightened his bowtie. “You of all ponies should know that’s a bad idea.”

Bluebones said nothing. Blueblood said nothing more. They sat in the silence of the prison and waited for fate to knock.


Luna patted Cerberus on his side as the giant dog sniffed the air. His beady eyes scanned the shadows that surrounded Tartarus. The moon was not yet high, leaving the entire mountain range in foggy blackness. The hum of an engine started up as Wishbone’s new airship rose from the ground.

“We ready when Nightmares ready,” he said. “Can I sniff his butt, now?”

“No.” Luna shook her head. “He doesn’t like it.”

Cerberus growled.

“D-do you think they’ll just fly in,” Mandible said. “Like changelings?”

“Possibly.” Rarity rubbed Spike’s back as they both sat on a rock. “Though if Twilight’s with them, they’d need some way to carry her, wouldn’t they?”

“Unless she’s one of them,” Rainbow Dash mumbled.

“That’s an awful thing to say!” Rarity shot Dash a glare. “She’ll be perfectly alright.”

“Braeburn got taken.” Pinkie rubbed her face with both hooves. “I think just about anypony could.”

“Well,” Rarity said, “we’re here to make sure that there will be no more.

“I hear that,” Vinyl said. Her ears twitched. “And… something else.”

Luna looked up at the foggy sky. She squinted as she caught a glimpse of movement. “There’s something out there.”

“What is it?” Rainbow Dash spread her wings. “Should I go see?”

“No, stick with the group for now.” Flash Sentry ran up to the airship. “Get ready to take us on board.”

“You get on now, we be ready.” Wishbone peered through a spyglass. “Too dark to make anything out.”

“You sure about that?” Rainbow Dash pointed up, her mouth pulled back in a tight grimace. “Yeah, I think I can see it.”

All collected ponies and otherwise followed her hoof. There was an almost audible moan from each of them as a large shape rolled through the fog like a ship across the ocean. A giant envelope carried the Celestial Flagship aloft, and large propellers pushed it along. Along the sides, large flags bearing the Celestial Emblem and the Lunar Emblem hung. The flagship turned, revealing its broadside to Tartarus. The flags were rolled away, and several portions of the hull opened up.

Nozzles poked through the holes.

“Take cover!” Luna shouted.

Fire, lightning, ice, pure sunlight, and a dozen other forms of magic and radiation shot forth from the flagship’s cannons. Rock burned, shattered, and disintegrated as the blasts impacted the mountain. A boulder next to Luna disintegrated into a fine powder.

“On second thought, get to the airship!”

They piled on as quick as their legs and wings could carry them. Luna brought up the rear and shoved Spike on board with a flash of her horn. She pushed against the airship with her hooves and flapped her wings. “Get under the flagship! Get under it!”

Wishbone nodded and turned the yoke. His other paw gripped a lever and eased it forward, getting his propeller up to speed. They rocketed forward, and the ponies inside tumbled head over tail. Pinkie Pie righted herself first. She stared up at the flagship as it poured its firepower into Tartarus.

“Move it to the far side!” Luna said. “We can approach from port!”

The wind kicked up as Wishbone struggled against his steering yoke. He clutched his hat to his head as he looked around. “Too many mountains for wind! What’s wrong?”

Flash Sentry poked his head above the side of the airship. “There’s magic in the air. It’s not natural!”

Lightning blasted out of the fog and struck the airship. Spike nearly tumbled out, but was caught by the timely glow of Rarity’s horn. Mandible’s multifaceted eyes gazed into the gloom.

“Aw, crud,” he said. “I see an alicorn in there.”

A bluish streak flashed by the ship. Lightning followed in its wake, careening dangerously close to the airship’s envelope. Rainbow Dash caught it in one hoof, held it close to her chest, and then let it zing towards the ground.

Redheart gaped at her. “How did you do that!?”

“Alicorn envy!” Rainbow Dash gripped the rope that secured the balloon to the hull. “I’ve been training!”

Lightning flashed again, though this time it missed them completely. Rainbow Dash glared at the source. “It’s Lightning Dust! She’s mine!”

Rainbow Dash dove into the wind and was soon swallowed up by the churning fog. She swerved to avoid rocky outcroppings that popped up out of nowhere. She scanned the ground and air, looking for more flashes. A sudden weight on her back sent her into a spin, which she corrected almost immediately.

“You’re getting better at that,” Lightning Dust said.

Rainbow Dash flared her wings out to the side, cutting her speed. She sent all four hooves into Lightning Dust’s chest. Lightning gasped for breath. Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around the alicorn in a tight hold.

“No!” Lightning’s horn flared, drawing static from the surrounding fogbank. Thunder pierced their eardrums as pure energy struck. The two of them were blasted apart, and they tumbled onto a rocky ledge below. Lightning Dust picked herself up and chuckled. “I’d like to see anypony but an alicorn survive that.”

Rainbow Dash stood up, her eyes burning and her wings smoldering. She smirked. “Like what you see?”

Lightning froze. Her mouth opened wide in a roar as she charged across the mountain towards Dash.

Luna flew beside the airship as they rose through the sky. Their deck came level with the flagship’s. Flash Sentry jumped overboard, spreading his wings and catching one of the more controlled updrafts. He looked down on the flagship, made a few notes, then spiraled down to the others. “It’s Blueblood and Twilight’s robots! They’re staffing the ship. I think I saw Lyra and Braeburn on deck!”

“Then you got to get us closer, darn it!” Vinyl shouted. “I can’t fly in these conditions!”

“I can’t fly at all!” Pinkie said.

“What you suggest?” Wishbone’s hat was torn away by a particularly strong gust. “Too much wind! We get close to big ship, little ship crash! Then there be no more little ship!”

Flash Sentry ran his hooves along the deck. “Maybe a rope bridge? Could we cross like that?”

“Too stupid!” Wishbone shook his head. “Still too close!”

“Hang on!” Luna said. “I’ll keep you from crashing.”

She wrapped the airship in a tight bubble of magic. She dragged it along, fighting against the air that swirled around them.

Lyra was the first to see them approach. “Hay, Nightmare Apple. Check it out.”

He came up alongside her. She pointed over the deck railing. “See that airship? Looks like our buddies have come to rescue us.”

Her horn glowed with golden light. She felt along the sides of the smaller airship, up the rigging, around the envelope. She grinned wide. “Details, my friend. The devil is in the details.”

Her horn sparked and went out. “In this case, the devil is me!”

A screw came loose. A single screw, but an important screw. It was a screw that held together a joint that had already been damaged by lightning a few moments prior. The screw spun and popped out of its hole. The airship shuddered.

Wishbone looked up with dismay as his rigging started to completely disassemble. “Woof.”

He pulled a lever, revealing the wings built into the sides of his airship hull. The wind caught them immediately and sent him twisting towards the flagship. The last of the rigging collapsed and tumbled away. The envelope was free.

Spike felt a tug at his foot. He looked down and found himself caught in a loop of rope. That rope was attached to the balloon that was floating away on the wind.

He sighed.

The airship went one way, and Spike went the other.

“Spiky-Wikey!” Rarity screamed. She tried to get a hold on him, but he was moving too fast for a spell.

Flash Sentry dove out of the airship and flapped his wings as hard as he could. His chest burned as he neared the adrift dragon. He bit down on the rope and chewed.

“Hay! Hay, you’re gonna make me fall!” Spike stared at the ground below. “It’s a long way down!”

Flash gripped onto the rope with his hind legs. “I’m getting you free!”

Wishbone howled as he attempted to regain control of his airship-turned-glider. Landing wasn’t really an option anymore. There was only crashing. Crashing against a mountain was a bad idea.

Crashing into an airship was a bad idea, too, but so what? He angled the glider towards the deck of the flagship.

“We can’t leave them behind!” Redheart shouted.

“We not!” Wishbone pushed the yoke down. “They just fall behind a little!”

Another screw glowed amber and came loose. The entire glider jolted.

Redheart opened her wings in surprise. The wind caught them and dragged her right out of the ship. Vinyl linked hooves with her, but couldn’t hold on. Redheart spun through the air, her eyes shut tight. Hooves wrapped around her middle. She opened her eyes and saw Luna setting her on course.

“It looks like Flash and Spike need a little help!” the princess said. “Think you could help them out?”

“Yeah!” Redheart flapped her wings. “I’ll try!”

“Don’t fight the wind! Ride it!” Luna waited to let go until Redheart’s wings slowed. “Find the current that will carry you where you want to go!”

“Yes, princess!” Redheart gasped as she was released. She fought against the buffeting winds for a moment before she allowed herself to calm down. She neared the detached envelope, chewing her lip all the while.

Wishbone looked back at his passengers. Pinkie, Rarity, Vinyl, and Mandible stared back with wide eyes and gaping mouths. “We gonna crash now, okay?”

“No!” came the unanimous response.

Wishbone turned back to the front and smiled. He pulled back in the yoke, letting the bottom of his hull face the deck of the flagship. There was the sound of splintering wood and cracking beams as they came to a jolting stop. The small airship tumbled onto its side as one of the wings collapsed. They leaped overboard before the ship could capsize on top of them. Mandible took one look at the Automated Servants on deck and rushed underneath the relative safety of the crash.

Wishbone frowned at the wreckage. “You owe me new airship. Again.”

Lightning Dust fired lightning bolt after lightning bolt at Rainbow Dash, who batted them aside like they hardly existed. Sweat beaded on the alicorn’s brow. “Y-you’re going down, you hear? You’re not gonna humiliate me again!”

“I’m not here to humiliate you!” Rainbow Dash said. She caught a blast of lightning on the tip of her wing. The electricity zinged across her feathers. “I’m here to stop you from doing something stupid. Again!”

Lightning snarled. She looked at the ground, then at her hooves. A wicked grin overtook her face. “Hay. Alicorns have magic from all three tribes, right?”

Rainbow halted, her wings still glowing with lightning. “Yeah?”

“Eat it!” Lightning’s hooves glowed red as she stomped on the ledge with all her might. Fire crackled out of the ground as the rock split. The ground tilted beneath Rainbow Dash, and she slid backward.

There was a mighty sound of rock snapping. Rainbow Dash tumbled towards the valley, a giant boulder following her down.

Flash Sentry had almost chewed through the rope. Spike had almost passed out with terror.

“Please don’t let me drop!”

“I’m not gonna let you drop!”

“You’re not holding on to the rope very tight!”

“You try to hold on to a rope with hooves!”

“Gee, I’d try if I had them!”

“Pipe down, I’m almost through!”

“Then I’ll be through!”

Flash let go of the rope and glared. “Would you just gimme a second!?”

What was left of the heavily frayed rope snapped.

Flash dove after the falling dragon. He reached out with his hooves to grasp the end of the rope still tied around Spike’s leg. He squinted his eyes against the onrush of wind.

Redheart slipped under Spike and caught him on her back. Flash Sentry threw her a salute as he soared past. She looked back at the dragon and ran her eyes along his body. “You’re not hurt, are you? Can you move your foot?”

“I’m fine,” Spike said. He gripped onto her coat and bit down to keep from screaming. The wind whipped at his eyes as Redheart took a tumbling spiral path to the ground. He looked around, hoping to take his mind off of the rapidly-approaching earth. His eyes caught a glimpse of something through the swirling fog. Eyes.

Glowing eyes. Glowing lavender eyes that were so familiar to him.

“It’s Twilight,” he said, pointing a claw. When Redheart turned to look, the apparition had vanished.

“I don’t see anything.”

“She was there, I know it!”

Spike looked back at the flagship, which was now so far above the ground. “We have to head back to Tartarus.”

Redheart shook her head. “They’re still bombarding the entrance! We’ll be killed!”

“They aren’t going to bombard if Twilight’s there, will they?” Spike blinked away tears from both the stinging typhoon and the very thought. “Not if she’s with them!”

Flash Sentry drew alongside Redheart. He touched a wingtip to Spike’s shoulder. “Are you sure it was her?”

Spike nodded repeatedly.

“Redheart, I’m going to need your help to cast the Dreamhopping spell.” He grinned. “You remember how to do it, right?”

“This is crazy!” she said.

“I never said it wasn’t!” Flash looked back at the flagship. The rate of fire had died down slightly. “But it might be our best chance to stop this!”

“Fine!” Redheart angled towards the Sleeping Mountain. “But I’m blaming you if things go south!”

The boulder crashed in the valley, splintering lesser rocks and bones of all shapes, sizes, and creatures. Lightning Dust descended, laughing maniacally. “Snooze you lose, Rainbow Crash! More like Rainbow Splat, now! Lost between a rock and a hard place, huh? You know how it feels to have everything you care about crushed, don’t you!?”

“Yeah, I do.” Rainbow Dash walked over the boulder, her wings glowing with electric fire. “And I’m sorry it had to happen to you.”

Rainbow Dash launched herself at Lightning. She crashed into the alicorn’s torso and carried her up into the storm. They left a trail of flashing electricity as they soared together, trading blows with their hooves. Rainbow Dash took a particularly hefty blow to the side of the head, and was forced to let go. Lightning roared and dove after her, beginning a chase through the mountain peaks.

Vinyl Scratch hobbled to her hooves. She looked around the deck, and found herself and the others surrounded by robotic ponies. “Aw, come on. Did we really need mooks?”

“Always, Vinyl.” Lyra stepped forward. “It’s cute you think you need to save me.”

“I think I know I do.” Vinyl glared over her glasses. “You’re scared, aren’t you? Redheart was scared. That’s how they attacked her. How’d they attack you?”

“They didn’t attack me!” Lyra stomped a hoof. “They freed me! Made me strong!” She grinned, her draconic eyes glinting in the light of a lightning flash. “They’ll make you strong, too. You just gotta embrace it.”

Rarity held out a hoof. “You can’t turn to the Nightmares to make you strong, Lyra. You need help to stand against the storm of life. Help from your friends!”

“You guys never helped me when I needed it!” Lyra paced around the outside of the automated ponies, her eyes trained on the ground. “I practically begged for help, and all you did was tell me it’d be alright!”

Vinyl Scratch rubbed her eyes. “Sometimes all we have is words.”

“Words are cheap.” Lyra looked at the drones. “Tie them up and take them below.”

The mechanical golems failed to respond, as they were too busy being blown up by Luna’s spells. One by one, they fell to ice, fire, and telekinetic force.

Lyra leapt back, her wings outstretched. “Nightmare Apple! Attack!”

Braeburn rumbled up to the group. His horn was lowered in preparation to shock the invaders into obedience. Pinkie Pie saw him, gasped aloud, and met his charge.

She tackled him with the force of a freight train.

Lyra lowered an eyebrow as her partner was assailed by a tiny pink blur. He attempted to throw it off, toss it away, roll over it, and squirm away from it, but it was unstoppable. It wrapped its hooves around his neck, held him down, and pressed its lips against his.

Lyra looked up at Vinyl. They shrugged, then continued to watch.

Pinkie finally let her husband up for air. “You’ve been away too long this time, Braeburn Apple!”

Braeburn’s eyes were wide. “Who are you? How do yah know me?”

“Duh! Look at the hat! You think anypony but your wife would look this good in your hat?” She took the cowpony hat off of her head and placed it on his. “So you can stop being a Nightmare now, okay?”

Braeburn squirmed underneath her. She clutched him tight and called out to Rarity. “Bring the bag! This guy needs some serious loving!”

“So many ways that would be wrong out of context,” Rarity mumbled. She hefted the bag of enchanted sand and held it over Braeburn and Pinkie.

“You put that down!” Lyra shouted. “Or the diamond dog gets it!”

Wishbone found himself pressed against the railing that surrounded the upper deck. He groaned as he looked down. “Plus three thousand for hazard pay.”

An explosion rocked the ship as more robots were disintegrated by Luna’s rampage. Lyra shut her eyes and intensified the glow around her horn. “I’m gonna drop him if you don’t let Nightmare Apple go!”

Vinyl walked closer to her friend. “Lyra, this isn’t you. Don’t do this. Come back to us, come on!”

“You stay away from me!” Lyra lowered her head and glared at everyone present. “I’m strong now! See? I’m stronger than any alicorn! I’m stronger than this stupid diamond dog! I’m stronger than those darned changelings!”

Mandible poked his head out from under the wreckage. “Somepony call me?”

Lyra’s mouth dropped open as she let go of Wishbone. She took a hesitant step forward. “Is that—are you—?”

She surged forward, her face twisted in rage. “Changeling!

Vinyl tackled her midflight. The momentum carried them most of the way to the glider. Lyra ignored Vinyl and attempted to crawl the rest of the way towards Mandible. “I’ll rip your wings off!”

“I’ll grow them back!” Mandible yelped. He tried to back into the wreckage, but felt his progress halted by a wood beam. “You really shouldn’t try!”

“I’ll break your horn in half!” Lyra bellowed. “I’ll use your hooves to grate cheese for my salads!”

“Dude,” Vinyl Scratch said, “you need to work on your threats. These stink.”

“I’ll turn you into goop!” Lyra stood, with Vinyl hanging from her neck. “You and every changeling ever are going to die!”

Vinyl pulled her bag of enchanted sand out. She held it in front of Lyra’s face. “Not happening, sister!”

She pulled the bag opened and dumped in all over Lyra Heartstrings. Lyra tried to buck her off, but only succeeded in spreading the sand to both Vinyl and Mandible. Before long, all three of them were slumped together in a pile, fast asleep.

Pinkie looked up at Rarity and nodded. Rarity took a deep breath, positioned herself over the spouses, and dumped the sandbag on top of them. They were out like a light.

Wishbone looked at the two piles of sleeping ponies. He brushed his vest off and ran towards the cabins, where hopefully there weren’t any crazy alicorns or robots or monsters that wanted to eat him.

Author's Note:

Fat chance of that, Wishbone. Sorry, buddy.