//------------------------------// // After The Sandstorm Part 3 Of 3 (Edited By BS) // Story: The Humble Prince // by Lighting Ace //------------------------------// During the Events with Scarlet Lips At the Golden Mirage Making their way through the sea of feathers and sand, a squad of 5 ponies wearing containment suits made their way toward Tempo, who occasionally glanced at them before groaning in irritation. "Ms. Tempo." One stepped forward once the ponies reached her, making her groan again. "We came for the princess." She looked away and yawned as the ponies continued, "Where is she?" "Can we not do this?" Tempo whined, looking back at them and trying to look at the leader with heavy eyes. "Celestia and I just buried the hatchet, and we're just having a nice nap. Besides, isn't this place supposed to be the dumpster for ponies that annoys him? He won; Celestia won't bother him anymore now. Just let me..." Her voice was interrupted when she felt a shock from her necklace, which glowed with the same indigo magic as the horn of the leader pony. "I will not ask again, tumor, where is she?" Ending the exchange, Tempo glared at him but relented when she saw how the pony was charging his horn. With a defeated sigh, she moved a wing up, revealing the sleeping figure of Celestia. Immediately after, the ponies placed the alicorn on a stretcher and left with her. "You are making a mistake if you ask me. Things would be much simpler and better if you let her sleep." Tempo complained and, for her effort, received an even stronger shock that left her numb and twitching. "We didn't ask your opinion, blob. Just go back to sleep and do your job," The leader warned her with one last shock before leaving with the group and the princess. Back at the present Tempo finishes retelling the events with a mix of bile, rage, and shame: "I'm sorry, Blue. I have no idea where they took her after that. My mind was still so numb from the drugs that the bastard had me on. But I can tell you this: The plan of Desire involved giving Sharp Shooter part of his plan; that way, he could still desire something and empower her even more; that is how he and his goons were spared from the whole thing and why I was unable to...to..." Tempo was unable to finish her sentence as her eyes became damp, and she was on the verge of crying. Luna placed an empathetic wing on Tempo's back and offered a small smile. "Nobody is blaming you, miss Tempo. I, for one, understand well the feeling of being controlled by an evil entity." Tempo smiled and nodded at the princess' words, wiping away some tears while trying to get her emotions back in control before they all looked at the prince, who was gazed away with a thousand-yard stare. "Aunt Celly... is held hostage? By that MONSTER!?" The prince did everything he could to contain his rage; he wanted to form a fist, smash the floor, charge his magic, and do anything, everthing. Yet his body was too numb to comply and almost failed, nearly spilling him to the floor. "I'm afraid so, nephew," Luna confirmed his fears with a single nod, using her magic to prevent him from falling and taking a step closer with a stern look. "And I understand your rage, my pupil. By my stars, believe me when I say mine own fury burns with the heat of a thousand stars. But fear not. Know that I'm doing everything I can to correct such an outrage, and my best ponies are on the case, retracing all the steps Sharp Shooter and his minions have ever taken, as well as take into account the testimony of all the victims he took under the Golden Mirage. We will find and rescue Celestia; I swear on my moon." She promised with steel in her voice. "And you can count on my help, Auntie!" Blueblood nodded eagerly and took a step forward ." Whatever I can do to help rescue Aunt Celly, say the word, and I'll..." He almost tripped from exhaustion until he felt Princess Luna's neck underneath his own, helping him stand up again. "I understand, but you will do nothing other than rest and recover your strength, nephew, and that is final." She commanded with authority and finality, letting him go once he recovered his balance. Her gaze softened, and she slowly lifted his chin. "You have done more than enough, my star pupil. Equestria is grateful for your efforts, and I couldn't be more proud of being called your teacher and aunt." She smiled and brought him into a hug. "Now I need you to rest and let me take things from here." The prince was slightly startled by how emotional Princess Luna was and how relaxed she made him by displaying affection before his expression became more sorrowful. "But auntie, Aunt Celly is still out there...with that psychopath somewhere, alone, scared..." "But never helpless," Luna reminded him, breaking the hug. "I know my sister like I know the frog of my hoof nephew; Sharp Shooter is free to try whatever trick he can think of; nothing will work to intimidate her. Celestia will never break, and if he has a brain, Sharp Shooter would know to fear me, both in the waking and dream realm." She promised, trying but failing to contain the anger in her voice; her eyes glowed white as she voiced her declaration, startling and scaring everyone present as a strong gust of wind swirled up, moving everything in the room for a moment before she returned to normal and relaxed to address Blueblood again with a more serene smile on her face. "I know it's hard, but I need you to promise me you will stay put right here, my dear pupil." She asked with pleading eyes. "I can't focus on saving my sister if I also have to worry about protecting my beloved nephew from rushing blindly into danger." Blueblood stared directly into her eyes, wanting to protest, but his heart broke under her gaze, not out of fear but concern and empathy towards her. As much as it hurt him to admit it, Luna was right, and as much as he would love to help and do something, he could barely stand up; with his magic, he could only produce sparks at best, and he did not even have a complete weapon now. The prince was deadweight at the moment. With a defeated sigh, he lowered his head and nodded once. "Okay, Aunty, as much as I hate to admit it, you are right. I would only get in the way." He raised his head with determination. "Just promise me to be careful, and the second I'm cleared with a clean bill of health, I will be jumping right into action." Pinkie giggled at the comment and rolled her eyes before turning to Dash. "Remind you of some pony, Dashy?" "Oh hardy har har, Pinkie. I wasn't that stubborn." Rainbow Dash defended herself as Pinkie laughed. "You are right, Dashy; Bluey would probably listen to his doctors and stay still until he got better." Pinkie fired back. "Exactly." Dash nodded confidently, earning a confused glance from everyone as she grinned until she realized what had happened and what she had said. "Hey!" Dash exclaimed and looked at Pinkie with anger and a slight blush while everyone chuckled at the display, improving the mood. "Wait, what about the elements? I still need to give them back to you." Blueblood remembered, looking at Pinkie and Dash, who looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Ah, dude, the elements are not horseshoes; it is a huge awesome rainbow beam that comes from a tree." Dash explained. "Yeah, silly, we can't just give it away, or rather, you can't just take ALL of that away; that is not how things work." Pinkie giggled as she bopped his nose with her hoof. "What Twilight did was more like saying, 'Hey, can he use some of your super duper magic, please?' There was never anything you needed to return; we all still have the elements, no problem." "And suddenly, I feel a bit of a fool." The prince confessed with a slight chuckle and some heat in his cheeks. "Nah, don't feel bad, Bluey; none of us knew how the elements worked either. And hey, the fact that they stayed with you for so long means that they consider you worthy, so no biggy." Nefy consoled him with a chuckle. "So, no worries on that front. We have everything covered." "And we are not abandoning you either, Blueblood," Sonata chipped in. "Everyone else is gearing up to leave and help out, but I have no issue staying behind and keeping you company." She then looked down and touched her fingers together with some embarrassment. "I may be better if I lay low for some time anyway; even if I'm reformed, I'm still kind of sort... an ex-bad girl that tormented ponies for a loooong time in the past." She ended with a nervous chuckle. "You're crazy for thinking that, and we are all ready to accept you, Sonata." Dash disagreed. "But... the same thing happened to Discord, and even I needed some time before I forgave him, so yeah. Maybe until everyone calms down a bit, and it's better to stay on the safe side." She nodded before flying to hover by Blueblood. "By the way, we haven't told Twilight the whole story about Sonata Blue, and it's best to keep it that way for now. I don't want her to get all worried and start hyperventilating either." "But I already told her about the plan back in the human world," Blueblood reminded her, blinking a couple of times and getting afraid as he recalled how Twilight was beginning to panic when they spoke on the phone. "Yeah, but she doesn't know that Sonata is here; she is now more human-like and has new, stronger powers; you need to ease her into these things, like putting a goldfish on a tank," Pinkie chips in. "So, no telling at the moment, okay?" Understanding, Blueblood nods. "Okay then, thanks, Sonata; I appreciate having a friend here." "Don't mention it; I could use one too. I spent so much time with Adagio and Aria I'm still rusty about making new friends. Having you around would make things easier." She replied, putting a hand on his back in a sort of hug while Blueblood placed a hoof on one of her fingers. "Plus, I contacted all the available forces and passed along an order to allow the two guards you hoof-picked to return and resume their duties as your official bodyguard's nephew. They should be arriving by tomorrow." Breaking the hug, the prince nods before looking at Tempo. "And what about you, Auntie? Do you also need to go?" "Unfortunately, yes, but just for a very short time. Princess Luna needs my testimony and a list of everything Sharp Shooter did to me to build a case and make clear my involvement in his crimes so I can testify and, in exchange, reduce my sentence." "Sentence?" The prince repeats in alarm "Just a formality, nephew; we both now know that Crossfire Tempo was yet another victim of the real mastermind; her testimony and cooperation are mostly so she can get justice for what happened and that nobody brands her a criminal or traitor. Just following the Equestrian laws, once everything is resolved, she can come back and help in your recovery as long as she is needed." Luna promised. "Well, I can't argue with that; we still need to follow protocol." Blueblood replied, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice as he sighed before smiling again and looking at his aunts. "We will wait right here then, and who knows? I still have means to communicate with you guys; I could search for clues, maybe I could be like mission control and research intel as you have your missions, or look into the crater for clues and see if I can find something that tells us where Sharp Shooter took..." A glare from Luna was enough to stop him, and he made himself smaller. "I will focus on healing only." "Thank you for understanding, nephew." Luna replied with a slight nod and smile before her expression faded, and she looked out the window. "I promise you this: I will be as swift as I can be to reunite our family once more; I know my sister, and if there is something I know well of Celestia, it is that she can endure. So for now, I only ask, wherever she may be, to be patient until my return." Everyone nodded and looked at the window, sharing similar thoughts and praying for the well-being of the princess of the sun. At that moment, in an unknown location The sound of dripping water slowly stirred Princess Celestia to consciousness as she raised her head and realized that she was currently lying in a very comfortable bed that seemed to be made out of a cloud, with sheets that felt to be made of the most expensive and softest silk imaginable. The same could be said for the long and puffy pillows, almost inviting her to go back to sleep. The princess considered an idea for a second before noticing the rest of her surroundings, gradually replacing her grogginess with confusion and unease. The room was a decent cave, judging by the stone walls, with a pony made of stone in front of her and a single green door. A chandelier served as the source of light for the entire room, and there were no windows to be seen anywhere; there was a luxurious carpet and furniture not too far from her, and there was even a small coffee table with a glass and jug of water with some ice on it, giving her a welcoming air to the room. Sitting on her bed, the princess was startled when she noticed how her wings were wrapped in bandages with rune patterns woven into them, and when she tried to use her magic to remove it, she felt her magic constrained and sealed; she confirmed this fact when she extended her hoof and felt a suppressing ring shackled onto her horn. Despite that, she remained calm and collected, momentarily closing her eyes to process her situation and figure out how to approach it. Her line of thought was interrupted when she heard the door open, and two ponies in a complete set of black and purple armor that obscured their faces walked inside. The pair were startled when they saw the princess awake, and one held a couple of towels and a bucket. "Your Highness!" The pegasus soldier, a mare judging by the tone of her voice, spoke first in surprise before looking at the other soldier holding the items. "Inform the boss." The soldier nodded and promptly dropped the items, bolting out of the room as the pegasus approached Celestia. "It's alright, Your Highness; you are okay now," she tried to reason, pointing at the bed behind Celestia. "Let's just go back to bed and..." "...where am I?" Celestia interrupts the soldier with a stern and authoritative tone. "Safe and sound, that I can guarantee. I know you may be startled, but I promise everything will be explained in just..." "I wake up with my wings and magic suppressed; this is not a hospital, and you are not a nurse. It was a nice effort, but I'm not stupid, and this isn't my first kidnapping. I'm in no mood to play your little games. So let's skip the pretext and tell me what is happening." Celestia interrupted again, rising from the bed and casually stomping on the floor once with enough force that it cracked, which cowed the soldier. The masked soldier tried to back away, but Celestia advanced, using the point of her horn to intimidate her and place her against the wall. "Where am I, and what do you want?" "In a secure bunker and the well-being of Equestria, your Highness," Sharp Shooter responded from the door with two more soldiers. Celestia glanced at him with surprise and anger as he wore a purple cape and pauldrons emblazoned with the symbol of the moon and the sun, looking at her with a calm smile. "That is all we have wanted from the very start." "Sharp Shooter," Celestia addressed him with a deceptively pleasant tone, releasing the mare when she noticed the other guards pointing a portable, crew-served ballista at her. "I should have known you would be behind all of this." "Please, your Highness, there is no need for any hostility; as you can see, I'm still very much an ally of the crown." Sharp Shooter tried to get into her good side, showing the shoulder pad with the sun on it. "Forgive me for finding that hard to believe coming from a murderer and a psychopath." Celestia remarked, still pleasantly, with only a hint of anger shadowing her tone. Sharp, in kind, maintains a stoic expression. "I still believe in you as our great ruler, Your Highness; now, please, Your Highness, we are both civilized ponies of high society and regal bearing." The guards finished preparing their weapons and stood ready to fire. "Let's not reduce ourselves to petty, unnecessary squabbles." He ended his sentence with a hint of reverence and a smile. Celestia eyed the weapons arrayed against her before dismissing them and moving to the sitting area. Taking a seat, Celestia returned her gaze to Sharp Shooter, copying his stoic expression. "What do you want from me, Sharp Shooter?" "Just a talk, I promise; it's clear your sister, bless her brilliant mind, stumbled into a little project of mine that was and still is intended to improve our lives and make Equestria one of if not the greatest nation imaginable." "At the cost of my nephew's life and one of the elements?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. The silence that followed her words was deafening. Sharp schooled his surprised face to his stoic expression once more. "I would ask one more time, Your Highness; let's please keep things civilized and just chat; it's up to you to make this easy or hard." He offered before inclining his head to one of the soldiers who quickly summoned and levitated a set of chains and enchanted manacles ready to use on her. Remaining quiet, Celestia stood up and walked toward him. "Let's talk then." "Excellent! This way, please." Sharp Shooter's mood immediately improved, and he guided her out of the room, signaling his soldier to put the chains away as Celestia followed. "We have plenty to discuss, and even though this is no longer how I envisioned things going, perhaps there is still time to make things right." "In that, we can both agree, Sharp Shooter. I'm thinking... fifty years to life once this little bubble of yours pops, but don't worry, I will see if you can have my current bed after the trial," Celestia politely replied in a more cheerful tune as she took the lead when Sharp Shooter froze in place. "Mr. Shooter? Weren't you about to show me your lair?" She asked as if they were age-old friends, egging the psychopath a bit more before he recovered his composure and retook the lead. Meanwhile In another place and another time, a peculiar purple gem fell through a slight crack in reality, landing on a hard stone floor with a clatter. It illuminated a darkened room, glowing brightly as if screaming for help. That was until someone entered the room to see what the noise was and took notice of the stone. The individual approached, looking down curiously at it. Bending down, the individual wrapped her hand around the gem and stared at the demon Twilight inside it. "Well, what do we have here?" the individual asked, standing up and examining it more closely. When she felt the darkness and power within, she grinned. "Oh, this is too perfect. Too perfect!" The hooded creature threw back her head, flinging off the hood to reveal her dark purple horn and snow-white hair. Dark feminine laughter echoed through the walls of a dark castle as she walked towards the door. "My time has come at last!" And with that, she slammed the door shut, its echoes reverberating throughout the ancient castle. "Blood Brothers" is Coming soon.