The paramedics rushed through the doors of the stadium, running down and tending to injured ponies. The crowd had stopped cheering for Blueblood by this point, and the ponies were slowly filing out of the stadium in an orderly fashion, in contrast to the free-for-all stampede which had earlier ensued.
They found Twilight Sparkle outside of the stadium, passed out behind the entrance booth. She was very badly injured, but the paramedics checked her pulse and confirmed that she was still breathing and would live.
“Oh, thank Celestia!” Fluttershy cried out, hugging Twilight’s unconscious body.
Surprisingly, out of the crowd of three thousand ponies, only about fifty of them died from the gas poisoning. Another three were trampled to death in the chaos which ensued as the ponies had tried to escape. The number would likely have been a lot higher if it were not for the many unicorns in the crowd who knew how to teleport to safety, thereby reducing the congestion.
At eight o'clock, Blueblood exited the stadium. He arrived to the entrance in time to see Twilight being carted off on a stretcher. Her five friends were following her, and would keep her company in the hospital.
“Oh, Miss Sparkle! I almost forgot, I should give this back to you,” he said, levitating the element of magic tiara onto her head.
“You know she can’t hear you, right?” one of the pony paramedics said, “If you want to talk to her you can come to the hospital and see her when she wakes up.”
“Oh, that’s alright. I have to be going, anyway.” Prince Blueblood said, and started to walk away. The paramedics walked in the direction of the hospital, and Blueblood began to walk along his way.
“Wait! Before you go, thank you so much for your help, Prince Blueblood. We were lucky to have you around to wield the element of magic,” Rainbow Dash said.
Blueblood turned around and said, “Oh, well thank you, young mare.”
“Yeah. I never knew you were so good at magic! From what Rarity told us all about you, I’da thought you were nothin’ but a stuck-up jerk, but I reckon there’s more to you than meets the eye,” said Applejack.
“No. There’s less,” Rarity scoffed, furrowing her brow, resentful of Blueblood’s basking in the crowd’s adoration.
“Aw, come on, Rarity. You love attention, too. I’d bet money that if they’d been cheerin’ for you, you’da been up there soakin’ it in like a pig in mud!”
“Well, perhaps…” Rarity’s voice trailed off. She continued, “Oh, I suppose I would have. But, thank you, Prince Blueblood. You really did do a good job up there.”
“Yeah, you did a super terrific, changeling-bashing, Discord-dissolving bang up job!” Pinkie said as she hopped in the air.”
“But… did you really have to kill Discord and all of those changelings?” Fluttershy asked, “That seemed a little bit excessive,” Fluttershy hung her head low as she walked.
“Perhaps,” said Blueblood, “But I did not think so. I was simply making sure that Discord could not threaten Equestria again.”
“How DID you use that element, anyway?” asked Rainbow Dash, “I thought only the six of us could use it.”
“Anypony who has love and friendship in their hearts can use the elements,” said Blueblood, “Though I am not friends with you five, and in fact only know Rarity and Twilight, I did have a connection with the ponies whose lives I was saving: they were fans of my book and fellow unicorns.”
“Speaking OF unicorns,” said Rarity, “Why was this event unicorns-only? What was all that about Celestia saying ‘if the unicorns were gone?’ And why did the crowd try to hurt Twilight Sparkle?”
Blueblood answered, “Discord played a recording of Princess Celestia saying that she distrusted unicorns, and that this is why she prevented unicorns from having their own cities, or having large gatherings. This is also apparently the reason why she raises the sun; she took over the job from the unicorns of old because she doesn’t trust the unicorns with it like she trusts pegasi to manage the weather or earth ponies to grow food. And, she has hobbled magical education in the kingdom because she doesn’t trust unicorns to use magic properly.
“Discord also played an audio recording of Twilight saying that she could see Celestia’s point and agreeing that unicorns are dangerous. The recording that was playing over and over was of Celestia saying that her job would be easier if the unicorns were gone. Discord apparently took that literally, as a license from the princess herself to kill, and I guess he organized this event to try and kill as many unicorns as he could.”
“Was the tape real? How do we know he didn’t fake it?” Applejack asked.
“That’s a possibility,” Prince Blueblood said, “Though from my interactions with the Princess over the years as dean of her school, I would say that even if this was not actually her voice, and even if she did not say these exact words, the message itself definitely matches her motivations. How else would anypony explain her clearly-different treatment of unicorns from all other pony races?”
The other five ponies were silent. They obviously did not have an answer for this question because it was one they had never thought to ask. Finally, Pinkie asked, “So why were the changelings here?”
Blueblood answered, “Discord needed to get as many unicorns in one place as possible to carry out his massacre. The best way he could do that was to throw a free concert with free food, famous musicians, and famous guest speakers such as myself. The food was synthetic, as the remaining food disappeared off of the tables as soon as Discord’s statue shattered. However, though he can make synthetic food, I don’t think even Discord is powerful enough to take on the form and voice of famous musicians, let alone an entire band of musicians and a security crew all at once.
“So, in exchange for taking the form of famous musicians to help with his fake concert, in exchange for providing security and bouncers to keep ponies from escaping, the changelings got to feed off of the love the crowd has for these performers. And then, whatever ponies the poison gas didn’t kill, the changelings would get to capture in their cocoons.
”I don’t think that Discord was counting on any of the actual musicians or guests actually showing up, because most of them don’t live anywhere near Canterlot. The event was only advertised for a single day, not enough time for word to reach them and for them to actually show up. Except for me, of course, and when I actually showed up, it kind of threw a wrench in his plans.”
“Well, thanks again, Prince Blueblood,” Applejack said, “We’re gonna go to the hospital to keep Twi company while she’s healin’.”
“Alright, wish her the best for me,” Blueblood replied. He and the ponies parted ways as he headed down the road towards his home.
Prince Blueblood walked up the long cobblestone street towards his house. The path was illuminated by the bluish glow of electric lamps. Blueblood would have utilized a teleport in his walk home, but he was far too distracted by the events which had earlier transpired. He preferred walking, as this helped him focus his thoughts.
So Celestia really didn’t trust the unicorns at all. Blueblood had been right all along. Not only that, but because of this, Discord had chosen to target the unicorns in particular.
What can be done to correct these injustices? He thought. He had already written a book to help educate unicorns. It didn’t do nearly enough to rectify the lack of formal training, but it was better than nothing. But it sounded to him from the recording he had heard that it went far beyond a simple lack of education. Celestia had refused unicorns their own cities, she had locked up magic spells, she had done everything that she could to stop unicorns from realizing their potential. For all he knew, she had other policies in place which he didn’t even know about.
Though, Celestia was not long for this world. He wondered, would Twilight Sparkle would continue these policies? Judging just from her recording, she would seem to at least be open to Celestia’s policies, if not continue them herself. Princess Luna was another factor which he was considering. How did she play into all of this?
Blueblood was about a quarter of a mile from his home when his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a crowd. He could not imagine what this sound could possibly be, as the Canterlot Events Center was in the opposite direction. He listened closely and determined that the noise was coming from the direction of the Royal Palace, another few miles up the hill.
He trotted briskly in that direction, his curiosity getting the better of him. As he approached the front gates of Celestia’s palace, he noticed that a large mob of unicorns wielding torches and pitchforks had gathered outside the gates. Angry shouts and chants rose from the mob.
“CELESTIA HAS GOT TO GO!”
“EXPLAIN YOURSELF!”
A group of royal guards stood in front of the gates, characteristically blank stares on their faces.
“You’re in on this, aren’t you, pegasus!” One of the unicorns shoved his hoof into the face of a white pegasus guard. The pony did not blink, instead standing firm against his accuser.
“CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT!” The crowd quieted as Princess Luna flew above the crowd, using the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“Princess Celestia is in bed sick at the moment. What is the meaning of this demonstration?” Luna bellowed.
“You hate unicorns, don’t you!”
“We heard the tape! Celestia hates the unicorns, and she sent Discord to gas us all to death!”
“Twilight Sparkle is in on it; she was on the tape, and I saw her wearing a gas mask!”
Princess Luna yelled back, “Yes, we have heard of the recent terrorist incident in Canterlot perpetrated by Discord. Rest assured that all guilty parties will be brought to justice--”
“The fox is guarding the henhouse!” one of the stallions yelled.
“Bring justice to yourself!” a mare yelled, “We heard the tape!”
“CITIZENS,” Luna bellowed, “Bear in mind that Discord possesses powerful magic. Anything you heard could have been faked by him in order to cause discord.”
“Yeah, then how do you explain Celestia’s treatment of unicorns? The magic laws, raising the sun, not allowing unicorn cities, hobbling education... Discord may have faked the tape, but he didn’t fake that!” another yelled.
“Don’t forget the ivory tower tax that only affects Canterlot!” a mare screamed.
Luna responded, “Princess Celestia is not here right now, or else I would have her answer these questions. She is involved in making those decisions, not I. Unfortunately, she is in bed sick at the moment--”
“A likely story!” one pony yelled, “She just doesn’t want to face us! She’s racist against unicorns!”
“LUNA’S A LIAR!” screamed another.
“LIAR! LIAR! LIAR!” the crowd chanted.
“I AM NOT A LIAR!” she yelled out in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “CELESTIA DOESN’T HATE UNICORNS! SHE MERELY MISTRUSTS THEM BECAUSE OF THEIR POWERFUL MAGIC--”
The crowd booed at her statement.
“Mistrust this!” a cream-colored mare yelled, and let loose a magical beam of energy from her horn. The Princess flew to the side and dodged it, but soon dozens of other beams flew towards the Princess before she could react, one of which hit her. She fell to the ground.
Blueblood couldn’t get a good look, but he could hear incredibly loud screaming from what he presumed was the Princess.
“Off with her head!”
“Let this serve as a warning to you, Celestia!”
Soon, dozens and dozens of pegasi guards swarmed the crowd to attempt to save the Princess. Shots rang out as they fired rifles into the crowd in an attempt to disperse them.
Okay, time to leave. I’m not getting caught up in a riot, Blueblood thought.
Blueblood heard more screaming as he charged up his horn to teleport away. Just as he disappeared in a flash of light, he caught a glimpse of a green unicorn stallion stumbling away, clutching his bleeding chest and yelling in pain.
*****
His teleport carried him all the way to his house, which was only about a quarter-mile away. Blueblood quickly ascended the stairway, grabbed his key, undid the lock and deadbolt, ran inside, and re-locked the door. He wished that he had some spare planks lying around so that he could board up his windows. His home was nice, and contained quite a few priceless vases and paintings. He feared that if the situation deteriorated any further, mobs of looters would likely have no problem taking advantage of the chaos and stealing his possessions.
Blueblood did not have a firearm to protect his belongings, though he was skilled enough in magic to at least put up a fight against any potential burglars and thieves. He sat down on his leather couch which faced his doorway. He found he could not sit and instead stood up, pacing around the room in nervous anticipation.
He looked out his window towards the Palace. He could see flames rising up in the distance, though he could not tell if this was from the royal palace or from some other building. He could hear shouting, glass-breaking, and occasional gunfire as the hours progressed. From his window he could see downtown Canterlot, and from what he could tell, the riot had spread to that area as well.
Thankfully, his house survived the night. The riot lasted into the early hours of the morning, by which time the Equestrian National Guard had shown up and restored order for the most part. The last sound of glass-breaking he heard was at four A.M., though he waited for about thirty minutes after that. Confident that house was safe, he went off to bed.
*****
Blueblood cautiously ventured outside the next day, waiting until it was light out. He walked down the street in nervous anticipation, ready to flee if any potential looters assaulted him. The road was eerily abandoned, save for a few ponies sweeping up broken glass and beer bottles. Many unicorn and earth pony royal guards patrolled the street, carrying or levitating rifles in front of them. Pegasi royal guards hovered in the air, wielding sniper rifles.
Celestia certainly means business, Blueblood thought.
A shot rang out as a would-be looter fell in his tracks in front of a jewelry store. He yelped as a brick fell out of his hooves and he fell to the ground.
“Trying to steal in front of a Royal Guard? You just might be too dumb to live,” said a buff earth pony stallion who trained his rifle on the thief’s head, “The next one’s going through your skull.”
The pony whimpered as he got up and scurried away, dripping blood from his side.
Hmm. Well, I suppose I needn’t worry too much about my safety, Blueblood thought. He continued his stroll down the street to the Capitol. A few buildings had been completely burned, mostly in this area of town. Light smoke rose from these burned remains, though there were no flames that he could see.
The princess’ castle itself was almost entirely destroyed. The once-grand spires and towers had crumpled from what Blueblood could discern was magical energy, as he could pick up traces of it in the air. It seemed that several unicorns had fired hundreds of powerful magical beams at the castle and demolished its grand façade. Broken glass surrounded the grounds; reds and greens and blues from once-intricate stained glass designs were littered all over the pavement.
Prince Blueblood wondered where Princess Celestia was. Was she still in her bedchambers, or had they been destroyed? What about Princess Luna? Was she even still alive? He seemed to recall her screaming, but maybe the pegasi guards arrived in time to save her.
He walked towards downtown Canterlot. Hopefully his publisher’s office hadn’t been destroyed. However, to his relief it appeared that the downtown area was mostly still intact, save for a few broken shop windows. His publisher’s office also appeared to be completely intact.
“Prince Blueblood!” He turned around and saw a young mare approaching him.
“What is it?” he asked. He glanced at the mare. She was a saffron-coated unicorn who had a fire-engine-red mane with a yellow streak through it. She had bright, cyan eyes.
“You kicked some serious flank at that party last night. Good job saving everypony from Discord,” she complimented, “You’re probably the only rich socialite who could walk around town today without being mugged; you’re a hero for what you did. Thanks again.”
“You’re quite welcome. And who might you be?”
“Name’s Sunset Shimmer, duh!”
“Ah. Um, do I know you, or are you a fan of my books, or...”
“Oh, where are my manners? Yes, you know me. I actually used to attend Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns back in the day. But I transferred to Hollow Shades University. It was several years ago, so I don’t blame you for not remembering me. Can you believe that they made us take three friendship courses at Celestia’s school? Thankfully, Hollow Shades didn’t make me do that for a magic degree there. ‘Friendship courses.’ What a load of manure. Um, no offense, I know you were the dean there and all.”
“No, it’s quite alright. One of the many reasons that I quit as dean was because Princess Celestia wouldn’t let me take those requirements out. I didn’t care for the idea of friendship courses, either. So, I hope that you were safe during the riots last night.”
“Yeah, I was safe,” she said, and then glanced around furtively, and added with a grin, “I even participated in the riots, myself.”
“You did?” Blueblood asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah. I got myself this nice set of gold earrings, and a new wireless radio from some shop. Also, when the riot broke out, I got a couple of shots off at those horseflies who zoomed in to protect Luna,” she said, using a derogatory remark for pegasi.
“Whatever happened to Princess Luna, anyway?”
“I don't know. I couldn't see what ultimately happened to her. There's been rumors floating around that she's dead, that the crowd killed her. Others said that she fled to Ponyville with Celestia. If she were dead, though, it would serve her right. I can’t believe that Celestia and her hate unicorns. No, wait, actually I can, given the horrible education that they were trying to give me before I ditched Celestia’s lame school. And this ridiculous tax on Canterlot, a majority-unicorn city. A forty percent tax on my earnings as a waitress? Give me a break!” She made sure to raise her voice again so that a passing earth pony guard on the sidewalk could hear her gripe about the tax.
When he didn’t react, Sunset Shimmer turned to him and said, “Hope you’re enjoying your new house and free food. You’re welcome, dirt pony.”
The earth pony guard simply continued on his way, not bothering to acknowledge Sunset Shimmer’s presence.
“Hey! When someone provides you a service, you say THANK YOU, dirt pony! Learn some manners, and go back to Dodge Junction or whatever hellhole they called you in from!”
He stopped in his tracks, but did not turn around.
“Yeah, that’s right. You get called into Canterlot after one night of looting? How about they send you to the rest of Equestria, who’s been looting Canterlot for months now with this ivory tower tax! Go stand guard in Ponyville!” Sunset Shimmer practically screamed.
He simply turned around, looked at Sunset Shimmer, and slid the bolt on his bolt-action rifle, chambering a round. Sunset Shimmer got the message and quieted down. The guard turned back around and continued along his patrol route.
Though Blueblood could not condone theft or violence, he certainly understood why this mare was upset enough to have resorted to such things.
“Well, that was...”
“Sorry,” said Sunset Shimmer, “I have a bit of a temper problem. I apologize.”
Blueblood chuckled internally. Maybe she did need to take a friendship class or two. Or at least an anger management class.
“So, Miss Shimmer. I hope that you will stay safe and won’t take the chance to resort to more violence or looting--”
“No, I won’t. At least, not yet. Last night was just a precursor for what’s to come.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have a little group that I founded back in college, called Unistorm, that’s still active.”
“Unistorm?” Blueblood asked, chuckling.
“Yeah, a terrible pun, I know. But anyway, I founded this group at Hollow Shades University after I found out that I couldn’t legally learn any of the restricted spells: dark magic, invisibility, what have you, unless I transferred back to Celestia’s School. I was furious, because I hated her school! Um, no offense...”
“None taken,” said Blueblood.
Sunset Shimmer continued, “So about three years ago, I founded this group with some like-minded unicorn students. We did some research into these spells, and taught ourselves several of them illegally, without the use of those scrolls that Celestia says we have to learn them from. There’s a few spells that we’ve yet to master, but I’d like to think that we could go up against any graduate of her school in a magic duel and probably win, or at least tie.”
“That’s interesting,” Blueblood said, “How many of you are there?”
“About thirty right now, but we’re hoping to expand our membership considerably by launching a political party. And that’s where you come in. Our political wing, the Unicorn Freedom Movement, has about eighty members, but we need somepony to represent us. We need someone to speak to the masses. Since you are a prince, a successful magical author, and a hero to the unicorn race, I can think of nopony better than you.”
“What are the goals of the Unicorn Freedom Movement?” Prince Blueblood asked.
“We demand independence for Canterlot from Equestria, and we demand that Canterlot become a unicorn-only city. We aim to elect sympathetic unicorns to city positions, and they will petition Celestia for our peaceful secession from Equestria.”
“Hmm, well being independent would stop the ivory tower tax,” said Blueblood, “And it would also mean that we could loosen magic restrictions and improve magical education. So independence, I support.”
“That’s good,” said Sunset Shimmer.
“But kicking out the non-unicorns? I’m not entirely opposed to the idea, but I would have to ask what purpose it serves, and how we would win elections when nearly a third of the city population is non-unicorns. I doubt they’d vote to be kicked out.”
“If we let them stay in our city, how do we know that they won’t outnumber us one day and then vote to tax us or restrict magic again? Non-unicorns breed like rabbits, after all. Think about it. Equestria is only 27% unicorn. If all else was equal, there would be a 33% unicorns. But there isn’t.”
“Well, non-unicorns do tend to live longer and have fewer miscarriages, so I can see them outnumbering us in the distant future, even in Canterlot. But still, how do we prevent them from voting against us?” asked Blueblood.
“That’s where Unistorm comes in,” said Sunset Shimmer, “It’s quite easy to intimidate ponies to stay home from voting. It’s also easy to destroy voting booths in earth pony neighborhoods. So, what do you say? Will you do it? With how angry Celestia has made the unicorns, we’re sure to win!”
“Hmm. Well... it does sound like a party I can get behind, for the most part. Hmm...”
“Yes?” Sunset Shimmer asked, standing on the tips of her hooves and grinning from ear to ear.
“I’ll do it. I will be the spokestallion for your group,” Blueblood answered.
“Excellent!” said Sunset Shimmer.