//------------------------------// // Chapter 62: Of Diamonds and Stars 7 // Story: Trash of the Royal Castle // by Netap //------------------------------// Boarding the Ship, Starlight apologized to Queen Jennino for how Blueblood was behaving. "No need to blame yourself," The Dog Queen told her, "It's probably just stress." Starlight sighed at that, "Yeah, You're probably right," She nodded her head "But again, thank you for your hospitality," Starlight gave the Queen a bow before she turned to board the ship. And stopped when a letter magically appeared in front of it. "What the-" She recognized the spell and quickly read the contents of the note. Her brow creased and her horn glowed with an Aquamarine light as the contents of the letter struck her. "Your Majesty, I apologize for this but I need rescue ships ready," Starlight said and turned back to the ship, her eyes widening to see that it was already leaving port. Without her. "HEY WAIT!" She yelled and in a show of fizzling magic, she disappeared. Leaving Queen Jennino Lanternlight to look with concern at the ship leaving the port before she scooped the letter Starlight dropped on the ground when she teleported. And when she read its contents, She started barking orders. Hughbert Jellius looked at Prince Blueblood, At his Queen's disguise, and quickly made himself scarce. He had a large supply of love he needed to consume before his Queen noticed something going on. Prince Blueblood smiled calmly as the waves of saltwater splashed against the bow of her ship, she was one step closer to defeating Celestia once and for all. "Hey! What are you doing?" The Prince frowned as the irritating voice of that bodyguard entered her ears. But she was no threat, The Real Prince was still in his pod on the other side of the nation, by the time anybug notices something wrong it'll be too late. She has won. Queen Proudpaws looked at the Pony royals sitting in front of her in the carriage under a veil of soundproofing magic. "Psst, what do you think they're talking about?" Her youngest sister whispered in her ear. "Likely security," Queen Katherina answered, "Our job is to make sure Jennino is alright and to provide a ride to Equestria should these Changelings get away," "Hey Kath, Do you think I could visit Equestria? As a tourist?" Fiona asked, her trademarked puppy-dog eyes widening at that question. "Do not try your tricks on me, Fiona, I am not Indiana, I will not simply submit to your requests," Katherina scowled at her sister, causing her to pout in defeat. Seeing her Sister was being her usual Immature self, Katherina turned back to look at the two Equestrians, before widening her eyes considerably and coughing loudly. "Woah! Kath, are you okay? Don't choke on me here!" Fiona yelled as she quickly hugged her older sister and tried to give her a Heimlich maneuver. "I'm not choking Fiona! Look at them!" Katherina yelled at her sister after she managed to escape the Golden Retriever's Hug and pointed at the Equestrians. "What are you- Woah! Is that a real knife?!" Fiona Floppyears yelled in excitement as she watched Prince Blueblood wrap belts around his legs and a rope around his torso, a pair of black sunglasses, and a new black suit appearing on his body. Finishing off with his horn glowing Blue, and his hair moving backward as if gelled, leaving his face clear of any strands. If Katherina was asked, at that time the prince looked like a Secret Agent from a Spy Thriller. "My Queen! We'll be reaching Quartz City Port in five minutes." The Driver of the carriage said from the window behind her head, and Queen Katherina Proudpaws could only nod silently as her eyes were glued to the Prince. And a devious plan hatched in her mind. In a closet on the Equestrian Ship, a certain Grey-furred Earth Pony opened a briefcase filled almost to the brim with jars upon jars of a glittering pink jam. And he started consuming. As soon as the Carriage stopped I was out of the door, Bag in Cadance's hooves as I got ready to catch up with the ship. With the speed the ship was sailing, I'll never be able to catch up to it in time. I'll need to have a very stern talking to with the Royal Shipworkers, but that's for later. "Jenn!" The Yellow Dog princess shouted as she jumped out of the carriage before running to hug Queen Jennino Lanternlight who was standing near the road. "Fiona," Jenn smiled at her younger sister, "I'm sorry I don't have time to catch up right now," She told her before she looked at me, "Your Highness," She greeted, I answered with a short bow, "I got your letter, Rescue boats are already prepared to depart, We'll be able to leave in ten minutes." She told me, her flirty attitude from our previous talks was replaced with the serious tone of a ruling monarch. I wasn't dealing with Jenn, the thirty-year-old virgin. I was dealing with Jennino Lanternlight, the Second Queen of Caninia. Good. "That is wonderful to hear Your Majesty," I told her as I walked toward the docks, "However I have no time to stay here and chat, I must catch up with my ship," I looked around for a small boat, something light to sail in. "And how will you do that?" Fiona Floppyears asked as she looked over her sister's shoulder. "Yes, Prince Platinum, How would you manage to reach your ship?" Queen Katherina asked as she walked to us, followed by Princess Cadance. "It's simple, really," I smiled at the group of royals before stepping onto a conveniently placed Sailboard, Grabbing the rope around my torso, and tying it onto my arm. "I have this rope," With a glow of magic in my horn, My bag on Cadance's back opened, and out flew a hook. I tied the other end of the rope around the hook and started levitating it in my magic. "A Grappling hook? That rope isn't long enough to reach the Ship," Queen Katherina pointed out as she looked at the small speck in the distance that was my ship. "Oh believe me," I told them, my eyes locking onto the speck of color above the cold ocean, "I'll reach it," My horn glowed brighter and brighter, the hook vibrating with magic as my eyes stayed focused on the ship. I felt a warmth emanate from my Cutie Mark, something that hadn't really happened since I dragged Starlight and myself through the Tundras of Yakyakistan, reaching the cave that led us to the City. With my Magic, My Cutie Mark, and this rope. I will reach the ship. And as the magic that I fed into the hook stopped and the warmth from my Cutie Mark disappeared, my smile widened considerably. "I Won't Miss" And with a sound akin to a howitzer, The hook flew into the distance, magically propelled toward the ship. "Blueblood! That rope isn't long enough!" Cadance yelled over the sound of magic wind propelling the hook farther and farther away. But then her eyes widened as she watched the rope elongate itself, longer and longer, never stopping the hook from continuing its flight. And then she understood. The Rope was magic. And after a minute of watching the hook fly through the air, I felt it. And with my blood pumping furiously and a smile that would make even devils scared, "Gotcha'" I pulled back at the rope. And I flew. "Trixie," Starlight called to the only other real Unicorn on board, "I want you to get the Lifeboats ready," she told her. "What, why?" Trixie asked back. "Orders from the prince, Just do it," Starlight told her simply before moving along. "Huh," Trixie said before moving to do her job. She was getting paid after all. With his face covered in pink glittering jam, Hughbert Jellius made his way to the engine room of the ship. "You!" He stopped and turned to see Starlight Glimmer pointing at him, "Back to your workplace, now!" She yelled at him. Blinking at her, The Earth Pony smiled widely before an explosion of green fire enveloped the corridor he was standing in. "Dammit! There's more!" He heard Starlight Glimmer shout behind him, but by the time she'll be able to catch up with him, He'll already be done. He dropped his disguise, now simply a greasy changeling, warts and pink pus covering portions of his body from the overindulgence on his Love Jelly. "What the hell was tha-" The Yellow Pegasus asked loudly as she opened the door to her room before letting out a scream as she saw him running down the corridor. "Never mind her," Hughbert thought to himself "I will be the victor of today," "Stop that monster!" A K Yearling yelled before she bolted out of her room, her coat, hat, and even glasses left behind as she gave chase after the black carapaced creature. "Wait up!" Gilda the Griffon yelled as she flew out after her, followed closely by Cozy Glow. "Did you hear something?" Time Turner asked Zephyr as the two were hanging in the engine room. "Nothing," Zephyr Breeze answered easily as he cleaned his hooves, "Anyways, you were talking about this Derpy chick, continue," "Oh well," Time Turner blushed at that, "Well you see, Derpy and I aren't really-" Whatever he was about to say was forgotten as the door to the engine room burst open, revealing an insectoid Pony, a disgusting oily carapace covering its body as marks of pink and green pus and warts covered its body, "-AHHH!!!!" Turner screamed. "Harmony shit!" Zephyr yelled at the sight of the Pony Bug before he grabbed the nearest throwable object without looking and threw it at the Creature. The object thrown, which just so happens to be a wrench, flew through the air and missed the creature. Instead landing on a big red "Shut Off" button. "Oh..." Zephyr said as the engine shut off and all the lights in the ship turned off. "Hahaha! HAHAHA!" The Creature laughed at the Pony that did its job for it. Prince Blueblood(?) smiled calmly as she watched the ocean in front of her, her plan was perfect, she had succeeded. "I'm running on a feeling, that I get when you and me dance" She suddenly frowned as the sound of somebug singing entered her ears. "Wait," She whispered as she looked around her, "Did the ship stop?" She scowled and turned around to see what those foolish ponies were doing. "And I want it, And I need it, So catch up if you can" The singing got closer and suddenly a shadow covered the spot she was standing on. She looked up to see what was blocking the sun, and her face crumbled "Oh bollocks," "If you can" And her face was hit by a flying Sailboard. In a burst of green flames Prince Blueblood was gone, replaced by a tall, dark blue-haired Creature, covered by black chitin, her legs pocked with holes and her wings see-through like a dragonfly, a crooked black horn extended from the top of her head, a green and blue carapace covered her back. "Who are you?!" She yelled in anger as her body was flown away the force of the Sailboard hitting her, "I am Queen Chrysalis! And you will die for your transgressions!" And as she looked at the White Unicorn who land on the deck of the ship in front of her, his horn glowing blue and his golden blonde mane flying in the wind, she recognized him instantly. And so Queen Chrysalis got ready to fight Prince Blueblood Platinum. "I've got a million things that I can say to you," The Singing reached the ears of the Changeling in the engine room, causing him to turn his head to look down the corridor behind him. And at the yellow Pegasus hoof that stuck him in the face. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to," "Wha-" The Changeling got out as A K Yearling kicked him into the engine of the ship, his body colliding with the large machine with a loud bang. "Because you give me something to feel, Like I'm real," Starlight ran out of the ship, her eyes widening and a smile growing on her face as she saw her boss standing in front of a tall black insect-looking pony. "Like my life's not some big joke" "Blueblood! I'm here!" Starlight cried and stood next to her boss, only to stop when he moved his leg to block her, "What are you- Oh..." Starlight nodded as her boss whispered something to her by creating an illusion of him speaking, "I understand," She nodded her head and ran to a different part of the ship. Chrysalis glared at the irritating Bodyguard who ran off before her eyes widened and she quickly took a step back as Prince Blueblood entered her personal space, a sharp knife held in his right hoof as he slashed up towards her face. "Something to deal, With the rage," He sang, a wide toothy smile on his face as he kept close to her, his legs never stopping. "I just thought I'd let you know" "That I'm running off the feeling, That I get when you and me dance" I smiled excitedly, my blood pumping and adrenaline flowing through my body. "And I want it, And I need it," My legs moved quickly and my horn glowed, Years of training in the navy kicking in I kept close to my opponent, never really letting her out of my range. "So catch up if you can," My smile could cut my face in half with how excited I am. And with a quick burst of magic, the knife strapped to my left leg flew out of the belt holding it and sliced a cut onto this so-called Queen Chrysalis's left front leg. "If you can" The Changeling that was Hughbert Jellius roared in anger as his horn glowed a bright green, an explosion of green flames knocking all the ponies around him away as he stood up from his spot lodged into the engine. "I knew you were evil!" He snarled in anger as the damned filly yelled from behind the wall of green fire he created. "I've got a million things I'd let you do to me" "Silence!" He screamed, his magic growing brighter as the pink pus on his body pulsated with his movements, "I will not be ridiculed by some Ponies!" "What about me?!" An abrasive voice called out and from the fire, a fist flew into his stomach as Gilda flew into the engine room, the wind from her wings dispersing the fire and allowing the rest of the crew to run away or join her. "And I'm not afraid if it hurts 'Cause you do it so beautifully" "Damn you!" The Changeling yelled as his body pulsated and warbled, a mixture of green and pink magic flowing out of his horn as he glared hatefully at the ponies in front of him, "Always snooping around!" "You give me something to feel" "I don't know who the heck you are!" Gilda yelled before she moved her head to the side, allowing A K Yearling to fly by her and let another kick into the Changeling. "Like I'm real" "AAARGH!" He screamed in anger, "DAMN YOU!!!" "Like I never was before" With Gilda punching him and Yearling Kicking him deeper into the engine, the machinery started sparking and his magic went haywire. "DAMN YOU!!!" "DAMN YOU!" Chrysalis screamed as another knife shot towards her, her legs covered with small cuts as her horn glowed green, shooting another beam of magic at the prince that he easily dodged out of the way with a simple lean to the side, that infuriating smile on his face and those sunglasses covering his eyes only making this moment feel much more humiliating. "Now I'm running off the feeling, That I get when you and me dance" And why wouldn't he stop singing?! "Shut up! SHUT UP!" She yelled as another beam of green magic shot out of her horn. "And I want it, And I need it, So catch up if you can, If you can" The Engine took too much damage. Hughbert Jellius screamed in rage as his magic transformed him, "YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT SOME STUPID SEA-BADGER! RAGHHH!!!!" And with green and pink magic shooting out of his horn, combined with blue arcane electricity coming from the engine, an explosion rocked the ship. Knocking all the ponies away and punching a hole in the back of the ship. Water started flowing in. "We need to get out of here!" Time Turner yelled as he watched the water enter through the hole in the wall, The Changeling nowhere to be seen. As the explosion went off, shaking the entire ship, Prince Blueblood was thrown onto the ground and Queen Chrysalis took this to her advantage, her hoof shooting forward and impacting the prince in the front leg he used to block the punch. "Hahaha! Yes!" Chrysalis took a step back as the prince cheered as the pain ran up his leg, "Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this, Unless you got a little taste of just how high I get, Oh, oh!" "What is wrong with you?!" Chrysalis screamed at the prince as he rolled back onto his legs and dashed towards her, his hoof raised for a punch as his magic picked the knives from the ground and shot them towards her. "Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this, Unless you got a little taste of just how high I get, Oh, oh!" Seeing the hoof enter her vision and the sharp knives fly at her, She yelled and let off an explosion of green fire, throwing Blueblood Away. "Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this like this (Like this, like this, like this, like this)" She held her scream in as the four knives flew through the fire and impacted her body, stabbing into her, green blood already marring her chitin, but she smiled as she saw Prince Blueblood stand up from where she threw him, a line of red blood covering the side of his body. "This was good," He yelled at her, His smile relaxing as he started walking slowly back to her, "But it's time to finish this," "You look so different under all these lights, You look so different right now," Chrysalis glared at him, noticing the ponies running out of the door behind him as the ship started to tilt. "Please give me something to feel" He continued to sing as he slowly walked closer to her, his hair a mess and his suit cut up, "Like I'm real" His steps started getting quicker. "Like my life's not some big joke" He sprinted towards her, his horn glowing blue as a beam of magic shot out of his horn and hit the ground in front of her. "Ha, You missed! Wha-?!" Chrysalis exclaimed as the deck of the ship opened up quickly like a trap door, throwing her into the air before turning into a launch pad, throwing the prince after her. "Something to deal with the rage" Prince Blueblood caught her midair and his smile returned full force, "I just thought I'd let you know" "Oh no..." Chrysalis whispered before the first hoof hit her. "That I'm running! Off the feeling! That I get when you and me dance!" Prince Blueblood sang louder than before, each syllable followed by a punch hitting the Changeling Queen. "And I want it!" More punches rained onto her body as gravity dragged the two of them down, into the ocean. "And I need it!" But Blueblood ignored the incoming water as he continued punching Chrysalis in the face, no longer dodging whenever she started frantically hitting him back. Simply taking those punches to the face. "So Catch up if you can! If you can!" Chrysalis screamed as the two of them fell into the water, only to instead of starting to drown, a platform of Aquamarine Magic caught them, stopping them from drowning. And so, Chrysalis punched Blueblood in the chest and threw him off of her, Before standing up just as he was and rushing in to continue punching and kicking him, all semblance of magic gone. Just pure pugilism. "Over here!" Trixie yelled to the crew as she saw them running in her direction, The large orange lifeboat was ready to drop with the press of a switch. The crew quickly entered the Lifeboat and pressed the button, dropping into the open waters and watching the ship they spent a few days on slowly sinking. As Chrysalis and Blueblood continued punching each other in the face without blocking like Neanderthals, A shadow grew beneath the magic platform. Seeing that, Starlight began the final part of the plan. And with a burst of magic from her horn, the Aquamarine Platform that both the changeling and her boss were fighting on top, disappeared. "Dammit! Argh!!!" Chrysalis yelled as she fell into the water, her body transforming into a Dark Green Siren in a burst of green fire, Her back-flipper kicking forward and hitting Prince Blueblood in the face. And then she noticed the Large shadow beneath her. "FU-!" She screamed but was cut off, as a giant maw filled with sharp teeth exited the water, a body covered with Green fur and blue scales emerging from the water and taking both Chrysalis and Blueblood into its mouth. The eyes of the creature were pink and almost lifeless, like those of a fish, Four large scale-covered legs extended from the body of the creature, allowing it to swim in the wavy ocean. Trixie quickly opened her satchel and took out a camera. "Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this" Prince Blueblood continued singing as he punched the Mermaid-looking Chrysalis deeper into the large mouth of the giant Sea-Monster. "Unless you got a little taste of just how I high get" "No! No no no!" Chrysalis yelled as her grip on the tongue of the creature weakened as Blueblood continued kicking her. "Oh Oh, Now you couldn't catch a vibe like this, Unless you got a little taste of just how I high get" Prince Blueblood sang and kicked Chrysalis one final time, her grip on the tongue of the monster going loose and throwing her into its stomach. As she fell into the warm and sticky darkness inside, She saw that irritating bodyguard appearing in a burst of magic, grabbing onto the prince before teleporting away. "Oh No." "There they are!" Princess Fiona yelled as she pointed at the orange lifeboat in front of the ship. "Yes Fiona, We see it," Queen Katherina told her sister as she looked at the Equestrian Prince and his Bodyguard, who appeared on her ship not too long ago in a burst of magic. "Once again, Your Majesty, I must thank you from the bottom of my heart," Prince Blueblood calmly told her, his regal voice not matching the almost primitive way he was looking, his hair was sticking onto his forehead and his suit was cut into ribbons, a large gash on the side of his torso already closed, indicating that it wasn't as deep as it looked, but he was still caked in blood. Both green and red. "I am in your debt," He told her, "If Caninia or yourself are ever in need of support, I will come to you, That I can promise," Katherina nodded her head at that, her lips curling into a smile as her mind searched for ways she could utilize this promise in the future. A one-time ticket of support from the Prince himself, how wonderful. "We're saved!" Zephyr Breeze yelled as he flew out of the Lifeboat, followed by the rest of the crew. "We're alive! How incredible!" Time Turner yelled with a smile as he stretched his legs. "I won..." Trixie whispered as she looked at the small camera in her hand. All the crew stopped and turned to look at the Blue Unicorn. "What?" Gilda asked as she let go of the hug she was giving Cozy Glow and A K Yearling. "I Got it! I won! The Great and Powerful Trixie has managed to capture the elusive Sea-Badger on camera!" She cheered and held her camera up in the air, "Look!" She opened the camera to show them the picture. "Hey, Trix," Zephyr said as he looked over her shoulder at the photo she was trying to show everyone, "That's just a huge splash of water, You can't see anything," "WHAT?!" Trixie yelled and looked down at the photo she took, seeing that the Pegasus was correct. Instead of a photo of the Sea-Badger, it was simply a blurry photo of water and waves, an eruption of water from when the Sea-Badger surfaced, and even the corner of her hoof on the lens from how she was holding the camera "I... I didn't get it..." Trixie Lulamoon slumped onto the floor, her camera rolling away from her. "Starlight, I need to apologize to-" Starlight didn't let him speak. She quickly wrapped her legs around him and pulled him into a hug. "Don't say anything, I forgive you," She smiled with her eyes closed as she rested her chin on his shoulder, "Also, you smell like shit," "I feel like shit," Blueblood laughed and pat her on the back, "I can't wait to get back to Equestria." "Bluey," The happy reunion was cut short as Cadance called out to her cousin, "We need to talk," The pink princess looked around her for a moment, "In Private." Nodding his head, Prince Blueblood let go of Starlight and walked after Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Stopping when the two of them reached a quiet part of the ship. "So, What's this about?" Blueblood asked her, his body leaning on the rail of the ship as his magic created a soundproofing illusion over the two. "It's about your Marefriend," Cadance told him. "Oh." Blueblood straightened his back, "What is it that you wish to know?" He gulped. "Everything," She told him, Light-Purple Eyes staring into Ice-Blue. "I want you to tell me everything."