Gustopha would approach Celestia’s throne, smiling gently at her. “The procedure is finished,” She declared, “And it’s gone better than expected.”
Celestia simply nodded; this wasn’t something she wanted to discuss openly in her throne room, even if it was just Gustopha and the castle guards. “Good,” She replied softly.
“And, well… I’m an open book, now,” Gustopha hummed, “For once, I’m not planning something,” She added with a soft giggle.
Celestia smiled, “Well… There’s nothing that explicitly needs doing for the moment; day court is coming up in a couple days, if you would like to join me,” Celestia said.
Gustopha nodded, “That sounds agreeable,” She replied, “If you would like, I could watch the throne for a couple days; you could take some time to rest,” She offered.
Celestia pondered this for a long moment. How long had it been since she had a day to herself?
Celestia nodded in agreement, and stood up for her throne, “I accept,” She replied, hugging Gustopha firmly, “Thank you, sister… Please, don’t hesitate to call me if something comes up,” She expressed.
Gustopha nodded and hugged back, “Of course,” She replied, “Enjoy your break day, sister.”
Celestia smiled, carefully leaving the room.
Gustopha took a seat on the throne, having to fumble a bit to get comfortable. Her physique wasn’t as tall as Celestia’s, but she was also not-insignificantly bulkier. It was a bit unflattering, really, but she didn’t let it bother her too much.
She looked to one of the solar guards, “Please fetch the terran guard for me, less Stoneheart,” She requested.
The guard nodded and ran off to fetch the members of the terran guard; it had grown by a few more members over the past week or so, though it was still all fairly tight knit. Gustopha was starting to get the hang of managing her troop, even despite all the time she spent studying. She smiled at them as they lined up before her.
“So… How’d the surgery go, Princess?” Aerated Turf asked.
Gustopha smiled a bit wider, “It went wonderfully; Stoneheart is just resting now,” She explained.
April nodded, “So you really grafted part of the Blightsbane onto him?” She asked.
Gustopha nodded, “It took root quite well… It had already started bearing fruit before I left him to rest,” She explained, “I have a hunch he’ll be ready to see you all tomorrow morning,” She declared with a small smile.
“Now, for today, I’m the acting princess; I’d like you all to remain here, as my guard,” Gustopha explained gently.
The terran guard nodded, organizing themselves about the room, with April and May standing on either side of the princess. Gustopha smiled a bit; they did all look good in their matching bronze armor. It made the princess happy to see them all fulfilling their duties.
The day, thankfully, went quietly. Gustopha supposed it was best for a princess to be ready to address arrivals at any time, but she couldn’t help but wonder how Celestia occupied so much time. Sure, Gustopha had her guards to talk to, but she wasn’t particularly talkative herself. So she took careful glances around the throne room.
The day went fairly quietly. Gustopha had assumed there was a lot to being a ruler, but it seemed right this moment that looking the part was the most important thing. So, Gustopha did what she always did when given spare time: She thought. Her study was inaccessible to her at the moment, but her mind was not. She thought about how fast her life had moved in the past few months; it had barely been a season, and she had already done so much… Some doubt about her viability as a ruler still lingered in her mind, but the support of her adoptive sister and the slowly growing terran guard helped keep her steadfast in the role.
It was only late into the day that her focus was broken by the sudden arrival of some solar guards. They halted themselves as they saw the earth princess in the place of Celestia, but Gustopha simply looked at them. “What’s the matter?” She asked.
“The town of Manehattan has been reporting sightings of monsters coming out under the moonlight,” One of the stellar guards explained.
Precipice’s eyes widened. “Did they say what the monsters looked like?” She asked.
The guard turned to her. “The reports have been scattered, but most ponies seemed to agree they look muddy, with hollow eyes,” He explained.
Precipice hesitated. “That… Sounds like the blight beast we ran into on the farm,” She expressed.
Gustopha’s eyes widened slightly. “We’ll see to it,” She insisted, “Thank you for your report.”
The guards nodded and left the room.
“Precipice, come here, please,” Gustopha ordered, looking at the unicorn.
Precipice walked up the steps to the throne, standing before her dutifully. “Your highness?” She asked softly.
“Hold still,” Gustopha requested, leaning down.
The rest of the terran guard watched as Gustopha’s horn illuminated, touching to Precipice’s.
Precipice shifted uncomfortably as heat began to build in her horn. She could feel Gustopha’s magic seeping into her; power, yes, but also knowledge. Important knowledge.
Precipice’s horn illuminated brightly, erupting into a blinding white flash. The unicorn panted softly, looking up at Gustopha as she pulled away.
Gustopha smiled gently at her. “You know what that was, yes?” She asked.
“Blight purge, but… It didn’t look anything like yours,” Precipice expressed.
“It is the blight purge spell I used when I was being groomed and learning to heal the land. I have faith that you can take that knowledge and put it to good use,” Gustopha explained, “I will need all the help I can get in the coming months.”
Precipice nodded and bowed graciously. “Thank you, Princess. I will use this gift to the best of my ability,” She replied formally.
After that small encounter, the rest of the evening went quietly as the terran guard and their princess prepared for their excursion tomorrow. A sighting of blight beasts was not something they’d take lightly, as it likely meant the blight in the region was particularly strong. Most critical among the topics they discussed was travel. The town of Manehattan was out a long ways from the capital.
“I will fly ahead,” Gustopha stated, “I would like the pegasi among you to gear up for chariot-pulling duty. Above all others, Stoneheart must be roused and brought via chariot; this will be an important test to see if his magic has taken its new form properly,” She expressed.
“Princess, with all due respect,” Aerated Turf began, “Shouldn’t Stoneheart have more time to rest?” She asked.
Gustopha sighed. “He should,” She admitted, “However, opportunity does not wait for the ill. I will be there to aid him if something goes wrong.” She expressed.
The terran guards hesitantly agreed to the princess’ assurance. With some more forethought put into planning, the group eventually broke for the night to get some rest before tomorrow.
Plantation carefully set a small paper bowl of rice in front of Texas Toast as they watched the sunset. “We had a little extra dinner tonight; mom said I could bring you some,” She explained.
Texas stared at the small bowl of fluffed white grain with wide eyes. “I can have all of it?” He asked.
Plantation nodded a little. “You’re still a growing colt, you need your energy,” Plantation remarked, “At least, that’s what mom said.”
Texas picked up the bowl and began eating it without another word.
Plantation smiled a little and pressed up against Texas’ side. Texas grunted softly, but wrapped a fledgeling wing around his friend.
Texas sighed in satisfaction as he finished the bowl of rice, licking the residue from his lips. “Thanks, Plant,” He said softly, “That hit the spot.”
Plantation leaned her head against Texas’ and gave a small “Mhm” in reply.
Texas smiled and leaned back into her. “The sunset’s a lot prettier with a full belly,” He admitted softly.
Again, Plantation replied with a small hum: “Mhm.”
“Hey, don’t go quiet on me! We both know bad things happen when you spend all your energy on thinking and not talking,” Texas huffed.
Plantation smiled slyly. “You mean like this?” She remarked, leaning into him a bit more.
Texas blushed a bit as he realized how close she’d gotten. “H-Hey! That’s no fair, you’re warm and soft,” He whined.
Plantation giggled. So did Texas.
It was early in the morning when Gustopha woke up to head down to the infirmary; she wanted to check on Stoneheart before she left.
Surprisingly, the stallion was already up and mobile. Gustopha had imparted the slightest bit of extra magic into him to help him heal off the last of the procedure’s invasive damages, but not enough that he should be feeling so fine.
“Stoneheart?” She asked softly, “Goodness, you look excellent.”
Stoneheart looked up at her, giving a small smile. “You’re too kind, your highness,” He expressed. His tail swished softly at the sight of the alicorn, the supple wooden branches following the movement fairly well. Gustopha noted that the implanted strand didn’t seem as stiff as natural woods. Unfortunately, with a sample size of one, it was hard to say if anything had just being plain, dumb luck. If only she had more, Gustopha thought.
“May I inspect you for a moment?” Gustopha requested.
Stoneheart nodded quietly, and Gustopha leaned down, beginning to gently check him over. “...Your muscle mass has definitely lightened a bit…” Gustopha murmured as she carefully ran a hoof along his legs, “That’s to be expected, given it’s not being magically enhanced.”
Stoneheart shivered slightly at the princess’ touch. It didn’t hurt; quite the opposite, really. She was almost being too gentle, as to the stallion it felt slightly sensual.
Gustopha carefully parted the wooden branches from the majority of Stoneheart’s tail. A few of the early seed pods already seemed fully grown. “Excellent. The plant is taking root wonderfully,” She expressed contently, “Do you feel anything uncomfortable? A draft, stress, any signs of atrophy…?”
Stoneheart thought for a long moment. “Well, the plant is definitely heavier than just a chunk of hair,” He supposed, “But it doesn’t hurt at all… Movement comes naturally enough, and I’ve figured out the most comfortable sleeping positions.”
Gustopha smiled gently at him. “Wonderful,” She replied softly, pulling him into a hug, “You are, hah… You are now living proof that all my study and preparation hasn’t been for naught,”
Stoneheart nodded slowly. “I would not have entrusted you with my body and magic had I not trusted your knowledge, Princess,” He expressed softly, leaning into the alicorn’s embrace.
Gustopha sighed a bit. “I suppose you’re right,” She replied softly, “However, I must now call upon you, as my champion… More blight beasts have been observed in the town of Manehattan,” She explained, holding him at legs’ length.
Stoneheart’s eyes widened slightly as he heard the news. “More of them?” He asked.
Gustopha nodded. “I received word yesterday… You will be leaving by chariot, later today,” She explained.
Stoneheart nodded slowly. “You truly think I am already prepared for action, your highness?” He asked.
“I don’t know,” Gustopha admitted, “I will be leaving ahead of you to ensure we’ve a safe place to stay.” Gustopha offered a small smile. “I will be by your side, in case anything goes wrong.”
Stoneheart seemed hesitant; for the first time, he questioned the princess’ orders. Was he not still weak from the drugs? What if he were to get sick? Finally, the questions reached a boiling point.
“I am not sure I’m ready, Princess,” He expressed, voice level as he looked at her with a stern, yet humble gaze, “I still have much recovery to do… The infirmary doctor suggests at least two more weeks on the immunosuppressants, and recovering my immunity after that will take further time.”
Gustopha froze. It wasn’t the first time that one of her guards had declined her, of course, but this was the first time it really mattered. Frustration briefly flickered in her eyes.
Stoneheart shivered at his highness’ gaze. “I would be horrified to, in undue haste, waste the time and effort you have spent on me. I believe I should stay behind for some time,” He expressed.
Gustopha bit her tongue. There was a voice that clawed at the back of her mind, demanding she take Stoneheart despite his protests. It reminded her of the doctor’s voice. A voice that she dared to defy.
“Then you will stay behind,” She finally expressed. Her chest heaved a bit, and her posture slumped slightly, as if air had been pushed out of it. “I won’t force you to come, Stoneheart. I let my desire to further my research occlude what mattered most: My subjects,” She expressed.
Stoneheart shook his head. “You corrected the decision before it was too late, Princess,” He replied softly, “That’s what’s important.”
Gustopha smiled a bit. “Thank you, Stoneheart,” She replied softly, “I can only hope to keep doing right by you.”
Stoneheart gave a small nod. “I’m sure you will, Princess,” He expressed.
Gustopha finally let the stallion go, sighing a bit. “Now, I must be off… Be strong, my champion,” She expressed softly.
Stoneheart nodded. “I will,” He promised.
Gustopha turned and left the infirmary, sighing softly. She’d inform her guard of the change of plans, before she prepared to leave.
Celestia looked at Gustopha, sharing a gaze with her over the castle town. “So you’re already off again, hm?” Celestia supposed softly.
“I won’t be gone long,” Gustopha insisted, “I have a task to complete; once it is finished, I will return,” She promised.
Gustopha and Celestia shared a hug for a few moments, before stepping away from one another.
“Please keep safe, sister… You still don’t know any combat magic, do you?” Celestia asked, her mind racing with potential complications.
“Against the blight, I have all the protection I will need. Plus, my guard will be joining me later into the day,” Gustopha explained.
Celestia smiled a bit at her adopted sister’s attempts to reassure her. “Very well, I won’t keep you any longer. Safe travels, Gustopha,” Celestia bade.
Gustopha nodded, taking a brief run-up and leaping from the balcony, soaring over the castle town on her way towards the town of Manehattan.
To occupy her mind during the flight over, Gustopha thought to herself about how uncomfortable Stoneheart had seemed when she asked him to come with her. Perhaps she had pushed him too early, given it had only been a day and a half since the surgery. It made Gustopha ponder, though… She would need a larger sample for any sort of viable study. She started racking her brain for other potential candidates. They had to be earth ponies, of course; Gustopha was not ready to do any kind of mixed-magic management. That much, she knew was beyond her ability. At least for right now.
“Earth pony magic…” She thought to herself as she flew, “Why is it so malleable? Why does it just seem to appear when a unicorn gets their wings, or vice versa?” She now asked aloud, as if there were someone capable of answering those questions. A strong, defined thought shoved itself to the front of the alicorn’s mind.
Needs more data.
Of course. That was all she ever needed. The world was an ocean. She was an empty cask. Research would be the ladle that permitted her fullness.
The princess managed to touch down in an almost-correct way. She readied herself for meeting the ground, carrying her momentum on her hooves rather than her wings. It was a cumbersome way to fly; one only practiced by foals, like earth ponies using paired hooves to hold a writing implement before learning to use their mouths to hold things instead. But, it didn’t result in Gustopha rolling flank-over-teakettle down the main road of the small town of Manehattan, so it was adequate for now.
Gustopha grimaced as she came to a trotting pace. She could feel the blight here. It felt as though it were trying to creep into her of its own volition. It wanted to hurt her, and make her flesh and magic its own.
Her horn ignited in a powerful flash, clearing a sphere of influence some dozens of feet around her. Even a simple, low-intensity spell was now augmented with her magic.
A few townsponies slowly moved to greet her on the edge of town. They looked scared, and more importantly, starved.
“How long has it been since you first saw the monsters?” Gustopha asked softly.
“A couple weeks,” A stallion admitted, “We’ve made do beating them with our supply of farming tools, but they’ve started trying to hunt us as early as sunset. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they were being controlled.”
Gustopha nodded a bit. “I’ll be clearing the land around your town in the coming few days,” She informed, “Once my guard gets here, I’ll ask them to start surveying the area for any sign of foul play. I fear there’s more to the blight than we know about,” She admitted.
The princess then excused herself, setting herself down in a field on the outskirts of town to begin healing the soil proper. The blight here was some of the strongest she’d ever encountered; concentrated death and ill that fought the spread of her life giving influence hard. It required a slower, more methodical approach. Gustopha grunted. This would be a test of her magical strength.
As her area of influence widened, Gustopha thought she could feel the blight attempting to force its way into the areas she’d cleaned. Her powerful magic wouldn’t allow that, of course, but it was still a concerning feeling. If the blight could spread back into areas she’d already cleaned, that made the development of more “permanent” solutions a necessity. She couldn’t maintain all of Equestria forever. Thankfully, she was already in the possession of notes detailing multiple ways to make things better. She just needed time and volunteers.
Some time later, the first batch of the terran guard would arrive: Precipice and May Showers, pulled by chariot by Aerated Turf and another pegasus.
May ran to the princess’ side. Gustopha looked exhausted, and the radius of the town was only mostly clean.
“Princess?” May asked.
Gustopha heaved. “The blight is strong here,” She expressed, “It has been fighting me the entire time.”
Precipice looked around. The town of Manehattan wasn’t particularly large; it had stood for only about a decade at this point. Yet, it seemed to be one of the hardest-hit towns. What strategic value did this place hold, Precipice wondered. Was it just an attempt to snuff out life before it could begin?
Gustopha looked at Precipice intently. “Be judicious with your use of blight purge, but do not tire yourself; the blight here seeks weakness,” She instructed.
Precipice shivered at the exhaustion in Gustopha’s gaze. This was the first time she had seen Gustopha in such an overworked state. “Yes, Princess,” Precipice replied softly.
The group would spend some more time waiting for the rest of their ranks to arrive; the day grew long, and was eventually supplanted by the night.
Gustopha had been exhausting her magic as it came; an alicorn’s ability to regenerate magic was naturally far higher than any unicorn’s, so she did not fear the blight taking an opportunity against her. It just wore her thin.
Precipice, with some accompaniment by some of her fellow guards, would attempt to clear some areas herself. The blight purge spell was tricky for a unicorn to cast: Extremely high throughput over a fraction of a second. Unicorn horns were generally designed for repeated pulses or steady flows of magic, not extremely high, irregular surges. But, seeing her princess work so hard made Precipice determined. Each time she casted the spell, it got a bit easier, even as fatigue began to play on the back of her mind.
As the sun set, the first blight beasts began to draw up from the soil. Muddy equid forms with sparkling hollows for eyes.
Gustopha had sent a few of the guards into a nearby warehouse to rest for a spell. They could not afford to leave the town completely unguarded. However, one by one, the terran guard succumbed to their need for sleep. Eventually, Gustopha was the only one left awake, her magic supplementing the need for rest - at least for now. Gustopha focused on keeping a steady sphere of influence, purifying monsters as they attempted to enter the town. Her shining horn was like a beacon of hope for the townies of Manehattan; one that refused to go dark, even as the melted ex-bodies of the blight beasts piled up around the edges of the princess’ ring of radiant magic.
Gustopha felt exhaustion seep into her. Keeping her ring steady was much easier than trying to constantly expand it, but each blight beast felled represented a significant, concentrated quantity of blight that had to be perforated by her magic’s glow. The alicorn’s greater magic reserve still had a long way to go before it was depleted. Where the flesh weakened, the soul remained strong.
Then, daybreak. The blight beasts’ arrivals slowed to a halt with the arrival of the daybreak. From one direction, however, they came forth for some time after the sun rose. Gustopha took note of that. It was a promising lead, at least in the absence of any other solution. She waited for her guard to awaken from their slumber.
“I’d like to investigate the south of town before we leave,” Gustopha explained, “Aerated, April, and May will be coming with me. The rest of you will stay behind in case the blight beasts come up in our absence,” She instructed.
Precipice looked at her. “What about me, Princess?” She asked.
Gustopha gently smiled at her. “You did admirably yesterday; that’s why you need to stay behind. You’re the only one, other than myself, who can purge the blight directly," She explained.
Precipice nodded a bit. “Very well, Princess,” She replied softly.
With that, Gustopha would take her three guards and head out into the fields south of town. A somewhat large mountain stood not too far away. Gustopha allowed herself to clear some of the blight as she walked; cutting a small channel through the sickened landscape.
April and May looked around as Aerated scouted ahead from the sky. As they neared the cave, April, May, and Gustopha began to tremble. The miasmic aura that the blight radiated was becoming stronger; enough to affect the earth ponies in addition to the princess of the land.
“Phew…” April murmured, “Something’s making me feel off.”
“It’s the blight. We’re nearing some kind of source; or at least a large reservoir,” Gustopha explained, “It’s likely reacting with your magic, given your magic’s connection to the earth. Stay vigilant.”
April and May nodded, sticking close to the princess.
Aerated, being a pegasus (and having been vaccinated by eating some of the Blightsbane fruit), felt no such ill effects from the presence of the blight in the landscape. She could see it, though; mottled green, gray, and black painted the landscape, and the plants almost seemed fleshy. Leaves and wood melted together under a thick layer of mold. Then, Aerated saw a nook in the rocks; a cave, overgrown with the blight’s strange mass.
She flew down to the princess’ side. “Think I found something, Princess,” Aerated remarked, “There’s a cave just ahead in the mountains… It looks like it’s got a lot of blight gunk in it.”
Gustopha nodded. “Thank you, Aerated. We will go there, then,” She expressed, the small troop pressing onward.
The cave was nearly sealed shut by the blight’s unsightly, mottled influence. Gustopha’s horn ignited, blasting the blight back as she and her three guards made their way inside.
May stumbled on her hooves, heaving. “Definitely feeling it now…” She whispered.
Aerated flew in front of them, spear at the ready. The air was thick with blight, but the princess’ aura of influence cleared it by the time anypony was in danger of breathing it in.
The cave opened up into a large chamber, where the blight had festered in a subterranean lake.
Gustopha watched in horror as a large lump of blight mass twisted and contorted into an equid form; not a simple pony, however. A tall, mock-alicorn, with a gnarled tree limb for a horn and wings made of half-decomposed leaves. Then, even worse: It began to speak.
“My, my… Do my eyes deceive me, or is there a princess amongst us?” It asked. Its mouth moved irregularly, the mass undulating to form the required sounds, “Oh, please bow, everyone. We must honor the princess’ visit.”
Dozens of blight creatures drew up from the mass on the cave floor and the lake, bowing mechanically.
Gustopha glared at the mock-alicorn on the opposing side of the lake. “You,” She grunted, “What do you want?”
The mock alicorn’s face twisted into a smile; a smile wide enough to nearly sever its head in two. “Me? Oh, I’m not just a me, sweetheart,” It chuckled, its body deforming, a replica now reforming directly before the princess, “I am so much more than just me, haha…”
Aerated backed a bit closer to the princess as the mock alicorn appeared in front of her. “Hey, hooves off the princess, lady!” She sneered.
Despite the sickening feeling of so much blight being presented before them, April and May stood protectively on either side of the princess’ front.
“Ahh… Do not worry, child. I could not lay a hoof on her even if I very, very dearly wished to. Not while she’s exuding that poisonous aura…” The mock-alicorn replied, outstretching a hoof to demonstrate it. As it neared Gustopha, it visibly dried and cracked, breaking off into dry dirt.
“What do you want?” Gustopha asked, voice a harsh snarl.
“What a simple question,” The mock-alicorn teased, “I do not want anything. But I know why I am, and what I must do to be. Nature demands I grow, and thus, I search for places to grow into. The land, the plants, the bodies of ponies and princesses like you; I feed to appease nature’s will,” It laughed.
Gustopha’s horn ignited brighter, razing some of the mock-alicorn’s outer layers. “You do not scare me, blight. I will purge you to the last,” She snarled.
The mock-alicorn once again smiled a sickeningly wide smile. “Oh, I know you will, Princess. You have a strong will, unlike me. But,” The mock-alicorn and their dozens of ‘subjects’ began to laugh, “For every one of us you purge, thousands of us grow in secret, awaiting out in Equestria’s depths. You and your followers are finite. We are a force; the force. So long as there is evil in a pony’s mind and darkness in Equestria’s depths, we will continue to fester,” It explained.
“Your mindless hunger will not conquer Equestria,” Gustopha bellowed, “I am living proof of the dedication ponies make to their survival!”
The mock-alicorn smiled condescendingly. “You and I are the same, Princess,” It cooed.
“I am nothing like you!” Gustopha shouted.
The mock-alicorn ignored Gustopha’s display of defiance. “Use your strong pony mind and think about it, Princess,” It hummed, “We were both made at the behest of a Princess to shape the land as they see fit.”
Gustopha visibly flinched at how accurate the diagnosis was.
“We also both seek to further our own legacy… Tell me, was grafting a tree into a pony truly necessary? Or did you do it simply because your will and ability permitted it?” The mock-alicorn asked thoughtfully.
“Don’t listen to her!” Aerated sneered, “Our Princess is making the best of a bad situation; she wouldn’tve done it if she didn’t believe it was safe!”
April and May echoed a small, “Yeah!”
The mock-alicorn’s smile only widened. “You truly do not believe that she could have just made the spell last longer when uprooted?” It asked.
Gustopha’s eyes slammed shut. Her horn remained ignited, at least, keeping the aura present.
Aerated took on the mantle of being her princess’ defense, chest swelling. “Everything the princess has said and done have been for our benefit. She made the Blightsbane for the express purpose of giving everypony a way to protect their land. When complications with that arose, she devised a way to solve those complications. Even if there was a better way, she still chose a right path,” Aerated bellowed.
This defense actually seemed to make the mock-alicorn ponder for a moment, as if something finally made sense. However, this time, May spoke up.
“Would you exist if Nightmare Moon had thought of a ‘better way’ during the war?” May asked in a snarl, “Are you the product of a perfect set of choices?”
The mock-alicorn stumbled back a bit. “You know nothing of the circumstances I was made under,” It hissed.
“I think we do!” May bellowed, “And I have a feeling you and Stoneheart’s new tail have a lot in common!”
The mock-alicorn now snarled. “You… You are insolent. You do not show nature’s will the respect it deserves,” It sneered, “Your ‘verdants’ are the product of an alicorn’s hubris, and-”
The mock-alicorn was cut off as Aerated’s spear was whipped through its snout, sending blighted dirt and muck splashing across the cavern floor. “You have no right to speak to our princess that way, beast!” Aerated sneered.
The mock-alicorn laughed as its snout slowly reformed. “Tssk tssk, loyal to the very last. I have feasted on some royal guards, you know. They were strong, but not strong enough to resist nature’s urges…” It chortled mockingly.
May’s eyes squeezed shut, and she lunged at the mock-alicorn. “I’ll kill you!” She screamed, “I’ll kill you for what you did to March!”
The mock-alicorn and all of its “subjects” began to laugh again as May splashed through its body, tumbling forward. “Ah, yes, March Showers… How she fought so hard not to starve. Yet, consumption still did her in. Nature’s will is eternal,” The mock-alicorn sneered.
“May!” April cried, rushing to go help her sister up.
April and May both yelped as large, tentacular masses of blight shoved them deeper into the cave.
Aerated darted after them to help, forgetting the enemy she was fighting. It wasn’t long before the blight seized her.
With all three royal guards bound, the mock-alicorn laughed. “Oh, how all minds can be played for fools,” It bellowed joyously, “Fear not. You will be much, much stronger under my will… You will even get to see March again. Won’t that be nice?” It snickered.
The three guards were dragged towards the large lake in the center of the cavern.
Gustopha’s eyes watered. What had she done? Why had she done it? Surely, there were better ways, weren’t there? Her horn’s aura weakened.
The mock-alicorn snickered and drew closer. “You see it now, don’t you? You and I aren’t so different. At least my consumption only takes the bodies… Yours takes the mind and magic, and twists them how you see fit,” It sneered.
Gustopha trembled. “N-No,” She stammered, “I’m nothing like you. I care for all my subjects.”
The mock-alicorn’s smile widened. “How much do you really care for them?” It snickered, “After all, you put your research before their livelihood… Just think of Stoneheart, stumbling ineffectually around on his poor, sapped legs. You robbed him of that strength, you know… You should never have played around with forces you couldn’t control,” The mock-alicorn scolded.
“No, Stoneheart’s okay… He’s strong,” Gustopha tried to reason, her horn’s aura only becoming less pronounced, “He just needs to rest.”
“He would have never needed to recover, had you not mangled his magic,” The mock-alicorn sneered, drawing ever closer.
“Don’t listen to it, Princess!” April cried, “You’re doing what you have to!”
The mock-alicorn snorted. “Oh, please. You could easily have extended the spell’s lingering time, you know that,” It remarked.
Gustopha trembled, tears leaking down her cheeks. “I-I tried my best,” She reasoned, “It’s not a stable spell.”
“And your best got a poor old stallion mangled beyond recognition,” The mock-alicorn reminded, sneering, “Face it, Gustopha: You and I pose the same threat to ponykind. Our ambition, our hunger will destroy Equestria,” It crooned.
Gustopha’s aura dimmed to nothing, and she began to sob. The mock-alicorn had made good points; at least, points good enough to sink in. Gustopha felt as though a creature had sank its teeth into her.
The mock-alicorn laughed and walked to Gustopha, pressing her down into the blight muck with a misshapen hoof. “You understand,” It chuckled, “Nothing you do matters. You can either stagnate and allow me to flourish, or become the monster you believe me to be to finish me off.”
Gustopha went slack under the pressure of the mock-alicorn’s hoof. She covered her eyes, and sobbed. “I’m sorry…” She whispered under her breath, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Her ears twitched, however, as she heard a cry. May wailed as loud as she could as she and her fellow guards were dragged down towards the lake: “Please, Princess! Don’t listen to it! You’ve given us hope!”
The three guards held their breath as they were dragged beneath the surface of the murky water.
Gustopha’s eyes shot open. Those were her guards. Her subjects. Her horn reignited in a powerful blast of white flame. “NO!” She bellowed, “I won’t let you hurt them!” She screamed. The white light of her horn began to spread across the rest of her body, blinding light filling the room.
The mock-alicorn screeched as it was blasted away by the sudden arcane force.
White-hot light erupted through the cavern, blasting away the blight and melting the rock it once clung to.
Even the water that the guards were now sinking in was purged by the violent light, licks of arcane flame splashing beneath the water’s surface to cleanse the blight from the pool. It heated significantly; not enough to scald them, but enough that it was pleasantly warm, rather than frigid.
As the blight tentacles dusted away from the divine force, the guards reoriented themselves. When the light cleared, they surfaced. The three ponies gasped for air.
Gustopha heaved and wheezed hard, a distinct burning sensation engulfing her body. Her body was now badly charred from the arcane flames that had once engulfed her. She wheezed as she collapsed to the now warm stone floor.
The guards swam to the edge and staggered their way up to the princess.
“Princess!” Aerated yelped as she darted to Gustopha’s side.
Gustopha shivered, eyes wearily opening. “Are you three alright?” She asked, her voice a hard rasp, as if the flames had leapt down her throat.
“Yes, yes, we’re okay, but what about you?” Aerated hastily replied.
Trembling on two legs, Gustopha pushed herself up to a sitting posture. “I’ll live,” She wheezed.
April and May managed to catch up with the other two. All three guards yipped as they were pulled into a hug.
“I’m so, so glad you’re alright,” Gustopha expressed exasperatedly. Her eyes closed, and she smiled, shedding a single tear.
“Princess…” April began softly.
“Don’t believe a lick of what that creature tried saying to you,” May snarled, “It’s taken too many lives for anything it says to matter.”
Gustopha hugged her three guards tighter. “It was right,” She admitted with a small sniffle.
“Right about what? The fact it’s a monster?” May huffed.
April blinked. “Princess, if this is about Stoneheart… We know that it’s not true. He told us about your conversation this morning,” She explained, “He told us how, even though you wanted him to come to test out his magic, you let him stay back and rest because he wanted to listen to the doctors.”
Gustopha heaved. “It was right about growth. I wanted to make more verdants, after seeing what a success Stoneheart was,” She expressed, voice filled with remorse.
It took the three guards a few moments to figure out a reaction to that, but Aerated spoke up.
“Well, if you give all of them the same time and love you’re giving Stoneheart, who cares?” Aerated asked, “Ambition alone isn’t a bad thing, Princess. It’s what you do to achieve that ambition.”
April and May nodded in agreement.
Gustopha hesitated. “You… You think so?” She asked softly.
“Celestia entrusted you with going through it,” April offered softly, “She believes in you. Why can’t we?”
Gustopha smiled. It was a faint smile, but a smile nonetheless. “Thank you,” She sniffled, “Thank you all, so much…” Gustopha’s grip went slack, and she slumped against her guards. Her body now cooled off, and her mind at some semblance of peace, the alicorn no longer had a reason to stay awake.
“Princess?” Aerated asked softly.
“Princess!” April cried.
“Let’s get her back to town,” May instructed. The other two guards nodded.