The Major Auditorium really was massive. Amethyst Star stood around front and center of it and when she craned her neck to look behind her all she could see was a sea of ponies that had filled it up. Thousands. All of the city must be here and that made it even more apparent to Amethyst Star that the Songstresses needed to be stopped right now. She would save Diminuendo. She would be a true hero for once on this journey and then nobody anywhere could look down on her again. She was already thinking about how awesome this story would be to tell to Berry Punch and her other friends back in Ponyville.
She looked up at the big stage in front of her too, raised off the ground to a level just slightly over her head with streamers and ribbons lining the entirety of it. It was huge. You could fit an entire assembled orchestra up there and still have room left over. Right now all she could see was that the back half of the stage, that was covered from above by the overhang, had a curtain drawn around it. The Songstresses must have been behind it right now, getting ready for their star performance. A number of guards also stood at the sides of the stage where stairs led up it with another squad standing like statues at the midpoint of the curtain. Periwinkle and the others were right about the Songstresses being careful with their security.
Amethyst Star looked to the horizon where the sun had halfway disappeared to leave the lands in the faint orange glow of twilight. It kept steadily dipping as well, the Songstresses likely waiting for true nightfall before they began their show. Lights up on the overhang would draw all attention to them when turned on, making them shine in the darkness while they sang and conquered the minds of every pony in Diminuendo.
“Except I’m here to stop them,” Amethyst Star proudly said in the crowd as she looked side to side at all the ponies around her. She didn’t recognize any, she didn’t know any, but they’d be cheering her name soon enough.
Periwinkle and the others had to already be dispersed into the crowd and Daylight Gleam was probably invisible and hiding somewhere, maybe even on the stage already, waiting for the perfect moment to strike even if she didn’t think she’d be able to break Amethyst’s crystal all on her own. Were there brainwashed guards in the crowd too that might see them? Tasky, Gilded Shield, and Brilliant Sky could probably all cause a fair amount of chaos to make things easier for Amethyst Star and Daylight Gleam.
None of the ponies in this crowd around her knew she was from out of town just like the Songstresses, maybe they’d all make a big statue of her in honor of her saving Diminuendo when this was over. She had seen the statue of Spike back in the Crystal Empire. Something like that would be awesome.
Amethyst Star nodded. “I would definitely deserve it too.”
Her ears twitched a bit though and she winced, tilting her head and bringing up a hoof to scratch her ears. “Ugh! They better start the concert soon, I want to take these dumb things out already.”
As more ponies piled into the grounds of the massive outdoor auditorium Amethyst Star found herself shuffled around in the crowd. She couldn’t really do anything about it and she was still close to the middle of the stage, just not at the very front anymore. Considering how excited all these ponies were for the Songstresses, things would probably get pretty crazy once they came out from behind that curtain. Although when the actual singing started all the ponies in the crowd would probably turn into blank-faced zombies like the ones at the dinner had.
It was a distressing thought. The Songstresses wouldn’t just have a kingdom they’d have an army. Even if they didn’t really plan to do anything with the citizens of Diminuendo now that Amethyst Star was here and supposedly gave them a ticket right to the top of Equestria it still meant they could cause a lot of damage out in the Undiscovered West if things weren’t taken care of immediately.
Periwinkle didn’t seem the type to let that happen to his people. That’s why they had been planning all this from the shadows and doing the best they could to stop the Songstresses. When she thought about it, he must take any danger to Diminuendo completely seriously if he believed Daylight Gleam so easily about the dangers the Songstresses posed. He and the others couldn’t have had much time to figure anything out or see for themselves the effects of the brainwashing. And now despite being impossibly disadvantaged they were giving it their all and maybe sacrificing everything for the sake of these ponies out here.
“And I’m gonna help them do it. Because I’m awesome. I’m important, I’m integral, I’m needed. And I’m capable,” Amethyst Star stiffly reassured herself. Telling her the same things she knew and had been telling herself from the very start of this journey.
The sun finally dipped completely below the horizon as the moon began to rise on the other side.
That was the signal.
The guards by the curtain all stepped to the side while the curtain split down the middle and the lights above turned on one by one. The crowd that was formerly loud with the conversations of thousands of ponies turned into hushed silence as they all waited to see their magnificent Royal Songstresses. Five figures slowly and seductively promenaded forward from the back of the concert hall, the small amount of light so far giving them a shadowed and mysterious appearance. But with each step another light went on and more ponies in the crowd began to cheer and call out for their Songstresses. Finally the figures came to a stop and two spotlights switched on, perfectly illuminating Opal and Topaz on the outside of the formation.
As expected, the crowd went wild.
Two more spotlights switched on, this time shining down on Diamond and Emerald. And again the crowd’s cries reached an even greater pitch.
The last spotlight came on for Amethyst. The unicorn standing perfectly tall and empowered. As if she was at the center of the world itself. All the eyes, cheers, and love of the crowd was drawn to her and she basked in that glory. Amethyst Star was too far to really see the expression on her face but it couldn’t have been anything but a smug smile.
Amethyst raised a single hoof to call for silence from the audience. It had nothing to do with her magic but the crowd acquiesced, already seemingly enraptured by the lead Songstress.
“Hello my beloved ponies of Diminuendo,” Amethyst crooned to the crowd. Maybe she was partially using her magic because somehow her voice effortlessly carried across the sea of ponies.
Instantly the crowd went back to cheering before Amethyst had to make another motion for silence.
“Yes, yes, thank you for your love and admiration. It truly warms all of our hearts,” the unicorn leader said with a tone that suggested she was holding back laughter. “As you know, we all love you and Diminuendo as well. Your kingdom has been absolutely wonderful to the five of us and we simply have to pay you back with this performance. So enjoy. Relax, open your ears, close your eyes, whatever you need to do to fully take in and enjoy our magical and heavenly singing. It is all for your benefit and pleasure.”
Now there’s a lie. Amethyst Star thought with an internal snort. And I know a lot about lying.
“We will now begin our melody.”
With those last words from Amethyst the five Songstresses all closed their eyes and took a deep breath, the crowd deathly silent as they waited for the wondrous song to begin. It was just like when Amethyst Star first witnessed their singing, there was something otherworldly about it. Something unnaturally beautiful that drew your eyes, ears, and soul in. Thankfully her earplugs still protected her or she never would’ve even known when she was conquered. Her mind would’ve been merely replaced with a sublime haze and she’d be none the wiser.
Which is what was happening to the other ponies out here thanks to the powerful magic of the Siren crystals that the Songstresses wore. The soundwaves of their song rippling across the ocean of the Major Auditorium and into the ears of every single soul here. Louder and louder they sang, higher and higher, a wordless movement. It was all on one impossibly long breath too and the longer the buzzing stayed in the ears of the ponies in attendance the further their minds slipped away. It seemed that even with there being thousands of ponies out here at once the musical magic was more than enough to enslave all of them.
Amethyst Star looked at all the glassy, doll-eyed ponies around her while the Songstresses overture reached a crescendo. Would Daylight and the others act soon or would they let the Songstresses think they had already won? There was surely much more singing to come.
She’d have no problem listening as long as she needed to. Thanks to the earplugs all she heard was good singing and a pleasant melody in her ears.
“These dumb things are still way too uncomfortable though...” Amethyst Star frowned as she brought up her hoof again and rubbed her ears while shaking her head back and forth a few times.
An action that then knocked the earplugs loose and caused them to bounce across the ground and get lost in the sea of ponies around her.
“Oops,” Amethyst Star said as she watched them roll away.
Oh crud.
Oh crud, oh crud, oh crud!
The pink and purple unicorn hunkered low to the ground with sweat pouring down her brow and a frenzied look on her face as she tried to spy where the little green earplugs had gotten off to, crawling on her belly in-between the legs of the other ponies while the singing… continued… to reach her ears. She paused. That music was so… so… everything.
Amethyst Star blinked. Amethyst Star blinked again.
Amethyst Star stood up and stopped looking for the earplugs.
To Periwinkle’s dismay the Songstresses had actually done the smart thing and seeded the crowd with a number of already brainwashed guards that were most definitely on the lookout for him and the others. He had done his best to avoid and hide from them but aside from Daylight he was worried about the others. Gilded Shield, Tasky, and Brilliant Sky weren’t exactly made for this kind of thing… well, neither was he, but all the times he had snuck out of or around the castle as a colt were really coming in handy right now.
The Prince put aside any doubts and worries for now and tried to push his way through the zombified crowd towards the stage. With everyone else standing still it would make him easily noticeable but that wasn’t a huge problem, he wanted to be seen soon, just not before he could get the attention of the Songstresses and maybe make things easier for both Amethyst Star and Daylight Gleam.
That unicorn… Periwinkle frowned when he thought of Amethyst Star. I hope she knows what she’s doing.
Daylight Gleam meanwhile was already on the stage. And completely invisible to boot. Silently she moved ever closer to the Songstresses, past the guards and trying to get as close as possible so maybe she wouldn’t have to rely on the others to distract the Songstresses. It probably wouldn’t work since they’d all see her well before she had the chance to actually destroy Amethyst’s crystal but she was going to give it a shot anyways. It was something of a problem though that she didn’t know how proficient at normal magic Amethyst was. That unicorn could be more powerful and dangerous than she thought even without the Siren magic. But Daylight Gleam was willing to put herself at risk to stop her. She just hoped Amethyst Star caused the necessary distraction to make this all go smoothly.
Tasky, Gilded Shield, and Brilliant Sky were all unfortunately being hounded by guards and having far less success escaping from them than Periwinkle. The crowd now being totally stupefied by the Songstresses magic was both a blessing and a curse, they didn’t move out of the way for anyone but they didn’t fight back or react if you pushed them either. Brilliant Sky was the first brought down, his age combined with his reluctance to use his magic to harm his brainwashed fellows leading to his capture. Tasky was next, just being a maid who wasn’t the most physically fit pony either, with Gilded Shield eventually being cornered as well. None of them had their earplugs removed, the guards having no idea that that was how they were protecting themselves from the magic and not having the capacity to “think” that hard about anything with the Songstresses orders filling up their mind and making them nothing more than slaves.
And of course the Songstresses saw a number of their foes being captured, which brought a smile to their faces.
A low malevolent chuckle came up from Amethyst again as she stopped the quintet’s singing. “Hahaha, well girls, looks like everything has gone just perfectly!”
The five mares could look out across the sea of ponies that were already charmed and helplessly under their control. The spell of Siren magic had worked on the thousands of them by the end of just the overture. Diminuendo was theirs, utterly.
“This—this is power,” Amethyst clenched her hooves in front of her face and grinned. She looked side to side at the others. “Shall we continue the concert? I think we do owe our newfound slaves that at least, it would be rude to not give them the full show.” She mockingly laughed.
The other Songstresses snickered along with her, Topaz nodding at her leader.
“Sure, sure,” the pegasus said to Amethyst. “I never cared about singing before we got these crystals but I actually kind of like it.”
“Yeah, it’s fun. I couldn’t carry a tune at all either, I like being able to sing like this so let’s go all the way. It’s a total waste otherwise,” Diamond agreed with a smile.
“We need to celebrate capturing some silly insurrectionists that thought they could do anything to stop us too,” Opal stared out at the crowd where she could see the few struggling spots of Brilliant Sky and the others trying to break free from their captors.
Emerald even pointed a hoof out at Brilliant Sky in ridicule and bit her lip to avoid laughing.
“I suppose you’re right. Well then, shall we begin the second movement?” Amethyst asked, even though she wasn’t going to wait for anybody else’s input. “Maybe during the next song that pesky Prince will be captured by our guards too.”
The quintet stared together at the line Periwinkle was making among the static brainwashed ponies while a number of guards closed in on him.
“Look at the poor Prince, being chased by his own subjects like a common criminal,” Topaz didn’t bother trying to hold back her laughter like Emerald.
“It is quite funny isn’t it?” Amethyst smirked. A light-bulb then lit up right above her head and she got a great idea. “Well now, I just thought of something wonderful. How about with our melody we test out how much control we have over our new slaves? Wouldn’t it be the perfect irony to have the Prince taken down by the precious citizens that love him? And we’ll see if we truly can get thousands of ponies to listen to us at once.”
“Yes, definitely!” Diamond nodded. “And there’s no way he can escape from them all closing in on him!”
“Very true,” Amethyst strutted closer to the edge of the stage. Looking down at all the ponies in the auditorium, her eyes in particular following Periwinkle. “I suppose it’s time for the coda.”
“Amethyst, look out!” Opal screamed.
Amethyst turned around in confusion to see Daylight Gleam coming from nowhere right behind her with a strong powder blue aura around her horn. The unicorn Songstresses eyes widened in shock as Daylight attempted to tackle her. But Amethyst was able to move out of the way and then Diamond and Emerald were there to grab Daylight, trying to wrestle her to the ground while the guards up on stage now came running over.
“Get off!” Daylight yelled and shot a pulse of magic to knock away the two earth pony Songstresses. She then aimed her horn and fired a beam of magic right at Amethyst, intending to knock her out so she couldn’t run or protect her crystal anymore.
Amethyst was not the most powerful of unicorns when it came to raw magical ability. But then neither was Daylight. Amethyst charged as much magic as she could into her horn, visualizing a defense, and tried to avoid Daylight’s blast altogether at the same time.
The powder blue beam was off-center of Amethyst’s head and it glanced off the small shield of violet magic that the Songstress had conjured in desperation.
Sweating, Amethyst fell back on her haunches while Opal and Topaz flew over to Daylight and slammed into her, holding the white unicorn on the ground while the brainwashed guards finally arrived and also tried to restrain her.
“T-That was a bit close...” Amethyst gulped before getting back up and glaring at Daylight Gleam. “You were trying to destroy my crystal weren’t you? Well you’re never getting that chance again, you little worm.”
Two unicorn guards worked together to lock Daylight Gleam in their magical aura and levitate her in front of Amethyst.
The unicorn Songstress smirked in victory at her would be assailant. “Well, the silly pony that’s been trying to stop us for a while is now caught and helpless. I know you’ve been tailing us ever since we started causing those problems back in Equestria, how does it feel to completely fail at your mission? Hm?”
“Hey, Amethyst? How’d she not get brainwashed by our magic? Or any of them out there for that matter?” Topaz asked.
Amethyst paused as she tilted her head at Daylight, her lips pursed in thought. “You know what, Topaz? That’s a very good question.” She glanced at the guards holding her. “Check her for any oddities.”
Back in the crowd, Periwinkle saw all of this occur. He was worried that Daylight might be in too much trouble and unable to escape from the guards to destroy the crystal, but he still had faith that their plan would work. Amethyst Star needed to move soon though. Periwinkle knew she needed to see that Daylight was ready and in position too before she acted but she really had to make her distraction soon or the Songstresses might figure out the secret of the earplugs. And if they did that then Daylight would be unable to do anything.
Where is she? Periwinkle looked through the crowd for the pink and purple unicorn while he continued to run from the guards chasing him. He was being corralled to the stage and soon enough wouldn’t have anywhere to run. Periwinkle felt bad about shoving through all the other ponies here but he couldn’t really help it.
He was doing this for them. He was the Prince of Diminuendo and he would do anything for his ponies. Even if it meant he had to be a little rough with them as he swam through the crowd. That was just part of his duties now. Something he wished he could avoid but was necessary thanks to the present situation. In the near future he’d throw some sort of parade or festival for Diminuendo as a way to pay them all back, they’d deserve it after being brainwashed like this too. The entire kingdom would need a good vacation once the Songstresses were dealt with. His father and mother were also on the line here, just one more thing weighing on Periwinkle, as if the Prince didn’t have enough on his plate. That was the responsibility of a true ruler and leader though, something that had been drilled into him since he was a young colt.
“But I can’t do anything myself… where’s Amethyst Star?” Periwinkle looked around for any sign of her.
And then he saw her.
Close to front and center of the stage, the unicorn from Equestria was staring up at the Songstresses in open-mouthed awe. Her eyes and appearance the same as all the ponies from Diminuendo around her. It was clear she wasn’t acting and instantly Periwinkle had realized what had happened.
That idiot!
“What am I supposed to do now?!” Periwinkle cursed under his breath as he ran more frantically through the crowd. Looking up at the stage he already knew what the answer was.
Get up there and fight the Songstresses personally. It was the only way to give Daylight Gleam a chance.
“Father? Why do we have to do this?” A young Periwinkle whispered to his father the King as the two of them along with the Queen sat at a table set up in the middle of the castle grounds. All around them were other tables set up with all kinds of ponies sitting at them. Some were nobles and other elites while the rest were simple commoners that worked all over the city.
It was a garden party for any and all ponies of Diminuendo that felt like coming, hosted by the royal family.
“Because, Periwinkle, it’s important to show your subjects that you care and how much they mean to you. You have to treat your ponies nicely,” the King responded with a smile down at Periwinkle.
“Aren’t we their rulers though? Don’t they work and do everything for us in the first place?” Periwinkle quizzically asked.
The King sighed. “I can see you haven’t been paying enough attention to Brilliant Sky’s lessons.”
He put his hoof on Periwinkle’s head and turned the young colt to make him look out at all the other ponies mingling around. At the table directly to their left sat a group of young nobles, fanning themselves and talking about the latest bit of juicy gossip in the kingdom. Beyond them he saw a group of much rougher ponies standing in the grass, they looked like construction workers or some other type that worked with their hooves. There were caterers going from table to table and a large amount of other ponies dancing on the grass in an area cleared of tables. Periwinkle couldn’t tell what their specific careers or lifestyles might have been but they clearly came from all walks.
“And?” Periwinkle asked.
“Of all the ponies out here enjoying this party, who do you think the most important ones are?” The King asked his son.
Periwinkle’s nose curled up and his brow furrowed. The answer seemed so obvious that it made him confused. But still, he couldn’t help but state the obvious. “It’s us, right?”
The King snorted. “I knew you would say that. No. We could be considered a linchpin in a lot of ways but so could many others. The kingdom does not exist for our own glory or pleasure, it and the ponies inside of it do not exist for our amusement or to do what we please with. You must remember this, Periwinkle, you will be leading them all one day in the future.”
“I get it. I guess,” Periwinkle hesitantly nodded. He looked back up at his father. “But then who are the most important ponies in Diminuendo?”
“Heh,” the King held back a laugh as he mussed up his son’s mane. “It’s a bit of a trick question. All of the ponies in Diminuendo are the most important ones. Every last one is a treasure. A treasure you as their Prince and eventually their King must cherish more than anything. A king, any ruler, is nothing without the love and happiness of those he rules over.”
Even though the Prince was too young to fully grasp or appreciate this lesson, he did understand the importance of it and how it was clearly something his father was very passionate about. “I’ll remember, father.”
As the years went by, Periwinkle threw himself more and more into working around Diminuendo and directly helping with any problems or projects he could find. He wanted to experience everything, walk a mile in the shoes of every pony he came across. The Prince became well known amongst nobles and commoners alike for his helpful way and sincere attitude and the kingdom enjoyed a love for their royal family that was uncommon even for the peaceful and happy Diminuendo. Because the Prince became a direct line to the rulers anything he got attached to was sure to be finished and finished in an exemplary way as well, all the ponies of the kingdom vied for his attention and help.
And Periwinkle was happy to give it. That lesson he learned ages ago really took root in his mind.
“I think you’re perhaps taking on a bit too much work,” Brilliant Sky said to the adult Periwinkle as he shoved his way into the Prince’s chambers. Scrolls and books were strewn all over the floor while the unicorn Prince sat behind a desk pouring over a set of blueprints for a new bridge to be built out in the wilds of Diminuendo.
“A King’s life should be a sacrifice for his subjects,” Periwinkle automatically responded without looking up.
Brilliant Sky looked over at the corner, where Tasky stood like a statue. The maid met his eyes and minutely shook her head.
The wizened unicorn sighed and walked to the desk. “True to a degree but you shouldn’t be sacrificing your own health and happiness. You know eventually you’ll need to find a wife and you’ll be stuck in the castle doing your father’s work. You won’t have the opportunity to go out and personally attach yourself to so many things anymore, you should get used to it.”
“Hn,” Periwinkle grumbled, not bothering to address what Brilliant Sky was saying.
“Very mature for a future king,” Brilliant Sky sarcastically rolled his eyes. “You’ll simply have to accept the fact that you’ll need to delegate in the future, understand?”
This time Periwinkle didn’t respond at all, his eyes still glued to and roaming over the blueprints.
“When was the last time you slept?”
“I can’t remember.”
“Of course not,” Brilliant Sky sighed again and used his magic to roll up the blueprints and take them away from the Prince. “Tasky? Would you please put the Prince to bed?”
“Yes,” the maid nodded.
Periwinkle scowled at the two other ponies. “Perhaps the two of you have forgotten that I’m an adult? And your Prince after all.”
"And perhaps you’ve forgotten that ponies need to sleep, don’t cause any more problems for Tasky,” Brilliant Sky said as he helped to lift the Prince off his chair.
When he was finally placed in his bed the Prince fell to sleep almost immediately. Leaving the task of cleaning things up to Tasky and Brilliant Sky. It was a real job too considering how much of a mess everything was in, and how the Prince was running himself ragged on a million different jobs and activities at once. It wasn’t enough that he was working, he had to go to every party he was invited to or appear at every opening of a new store. He never left any time for himself anymore. You couldn’t blame the citizens for enjoying his presence or feeling special when he was around either, of course they wanted to see their Prince more. As Brilliant Sky looked at the napping face of Periwinkle he thought about how much the stallion had grown over the years compared to his apathetic and carefree days as a colt.
“You’ll be a good King one day,” Brilliant Sky whispered. “Just have to stop going from one extreme to the other.”
“And just what are these things you’re wearing?” Amethyst asked Daylight with a smirk as she looked into the white unicorn’s ears. “Earplugs? Hah! I suppose it should’ve been obvious. Well sorry you little troublemaker, but those aren’t going to help you now.” The Songstress reached up to pluck the earplugs from Daylight Gleam.
“Stop! Get your hooves off of me!” Daylight tried fighting back as best she could but her body and magic weren’t strong enough to get her out of this situation.
“Oh calm down already. You won’t even care anymore once we start singing again,” Amethyst rolled her eyes and pulled out the earplugs.
“No!” Daylight yelled
Amethyst and the other Songstresses merely laughed at her, the five taking up their normal singing positions again while the guards held Daylight. The concert would be a little shorter than they intended thanks to this interruption so it was just about time for the grand finale. At least now they had nothing to worry about, with just the faintest of humming Daylight Gleam would fall under their control and Periwinkle wouldn’t be able to do anything about all the ponies trying to mob him. The five Songstresses knew: they had won.
“Sorry for the brief pause in our performance,” Amethyst called out to the crowd even though they couldn’t really register her words. “We will now give you everything you deserve. Please enjoy this final segment of our wondrous song and melody!”
Periwinkle was far too late. He watched their singing begin anew as he ran through the crowd, Daylight Gleam struggled her hardest but the magical music quickly wormed its way into her mind through her ears, beating down her defenses like a wave continuously crashing against a dam until it finally broke. The white unicorn’s struggles ceased, her eyes glazed over, and she started staring at the Songstresses like a puppet, the same as all the ponies of Diminuendo. The guards let her go and she stood there, no longer attempting to do anything.
No, no, no, no! Periwinkle screamed internally. He had no idea how the others were faring but he was almost certain that he was the only one left that could do anything.
The only problem was that now as the singing from the Songstresses grew and grew the rest of the audience began to act differently. Periwinkle watched in horror as his beloved ponies turned to him, staring at him with empty zombie eyes, crowding around and encircling him, giving the Prince nowhere to run to. No longer were just the guards what he had to worry about. A horde of other ponies threatened to swallow him up.
The ponies he had worked so hard to help. The ponies he treasured more than anything. His family.
He couldn’t hurt them. Even to save them he couldn’t do that.
So then what could he do?
The nearest pony reached out to grab him and Periwinkle ducked out of the way, rolling to the ground and scrambling between the hooves of the ponies to try and make them lose sight of him. They weren’t fast and until they actually saw him they didn’t do anything. The music controlling their minds must not have been very fine tuned since the Songstresses didn’t have time to personally instruct any of them or give them more detailed orders. A small blessing but a welcome one.
It may still have been ultimately useless though since there were so many ponies and nowhere to turn to anymore. More and more attempted to grab or stop him whenever he slowed down and it was getting more difficult to break free and push his way through them. And even as he did that he still needed to get to the stage and do… what? What could he do now? Daylight Gleam was the one who was supposed to destroy Amethyst’s crystal so what could Periwinkle do now?
I’ll destroy it. Even if I have to grab it off her neck and smash it on the ground, I’m not letting them get their way! Periwinkle charged towards the stage. Forget being outnumbered, forget the crystals being magical and possibly unbreakable through normal means, forget the fact that thousands of ponies were crowding around him, he needed to do this.
Not for himself but for his family and all the ponies in Diminuendo.
Sacrifice.
He was close to the stage, dead ahead of him a particularly large pony stood. Wishing for forgiveness he jumped atop the pony’s back and used it as a springboard to launch himself at the stage. Periwinkle was aiming right for Amethyst. The Prince would tackle the leader of the Songstresses and wrestle her to the ground, taking that crystal and destroying it!
Amethyst smugly smirked at him as he jumped and in a moment he felt why.
A sharp tug on his tail threw him to the ground and the Prince groaned in pain with the stage only a few feet in front of his face. Instantly he felt ponies jumping and piling on top of him, holding him down and restraining him so he could no longer attack the Songstresses. They were enslaved to do what the Songstresses desired, even if that meant harming their beloved Prince. They weren’t important anymore. They weren’t anything anymore. The ponies under the magical spell of Amethyst and the others only lived to serve their masters and act on their whims now.
Periwinkle tried getting out from under the pile but there were too many of them, the singing from the Songstresses briefly stopped again and the Prince looked up at the stage with tears in his eyes, just barely able to see past the throng of ponies where Amethyst looked down at him, laughing and laughing in joyous victory.