//------------------------------// // Part II Epilogue // Story: The New Boss // by Dash Attack //------------------------------// Monday May 11, 2020 10:25 PM I’m sitting on my fancy throne of black crystals that I crafted in my dad's old art gallery. It was a room that people rarely entered. Probably because dad’s decorating made the entire mansion look like a museum, even with all the redecorating I’ve done. His strange obsession with ancient Roman and Greek gods got old really quickly to anyone who visited regularly. To come here would be a sensory overload of my old man's fetish. To make the room more suitable to me I ordered some fan art from an active pony artist, and enhanced the pictures with magic to make the them look hand-painted.  Pictures that were once made with computer software now looked as if they had just been painted by an artist from the renaissance. Currently, I’m focusing on a picture of me standing atop a black pillar, as a purple dragon and the Crystal Heart fall towards me. After rewatching the episode so many times, I knew this to be the moment before my great defeat at the hooves of the princess whose name I couldn’t recall. From what little I knew of the past, I knew that this moment in my old life almost marked the end of me. I heard the door creak open and the sound of galloping hooves against the tile floor. “You’re late, Thunder,” I said as I turned my head to see that the pony was indeed who I was expecting. “I wanted that report hours ago.” “Some new ponies showed up about two hours ago,” he protested, his voice muffled by the clipboard. “I wanted to help them get settled in to the apartments so the data could be accurate.” I yawn and yanked the clipboard out of his mouth with my magic. I scanned the sheets to make sure everything is in order. “Hm...” I said as I skimmed it over, “248 new ponies came today, meaning we now have 2,345, one-third of which are immigrants. Still amazes me that we had that many ponies hiding here all this time, and at the rate they're coming in we’re going to need to set up new housing. Kicking a few humans out of their homes was a necessary evil, but one we cannot afford to repeat. New homes need to be built.” I then bring my attention to the very bottom, which kept track of the number of ponies that have joined my guard. “Oh wow! Over 700 ponies are now part of The Guard. Hopefully that will help keep the more violent resistance in line. Even with the press under my control, we can’t afford bloodshed on either side. If ponies or mafia die, it will rally the people against me. If protesters die, it will rally the people against me. I'm going to need a waiting list to teach the unicorns magic. I have too many applicants who want to learn.” “I’m still amazed you were able to organize them so quickly.” I shrug. “I figure it’s innate experience. The skills we acquired back home are buried in our minds, even if we don’t recognize them. Anyways, I have one more thing to check before I head off to bed.” I flip to the second page where the remaining data was. “Perfect!” I say, smiling. “The cargo train which we set up should arrive early tomorrow morning with the supplies we need, with the train we set up for ponies arriving back in two days. So long as we keep sending checks to the train station, traffic into the city should be controlled while the outside world remains oblivious for a little while longer. Plus, with that new spell I set up yesterday, I’ll be alerted whenever someone or somepony enters the city.” “You mean the one you set up around the Crystal Heart, that told you that Twilight Sparkle had found-” “Does it even matter?” I say. “Look, just because the show consumed my life, doesn’t mean I’m a raging fan, or even a minor one. I’m not trying to bring you down buddy, but geeze dude, it’s just a show.” He gives me a sarcastic look. “Sure,” he says, nodding his head  “That’s why you watched the Princess Twilight Sparkle movie last night.” “Only to see how powerful that Tirek guy was.” I say. “Shadow told me he was the most powerful villain on the show after Discord and myself, and ten times more aggressive. If he somehow made it into this world, no force on earth would be able to stop him. Not me, not the mane six, not even Discord if he ever shows his ugly face on this planet. I’m not even sure nuclear weapons can stop that monster at full power.” Thunderlane cringed a bit and looked up nervously at me. “The scary thing is for someone who isn’t a fan, you're absolutely right. Even with the power of four alicorns Twilight couldn’t stop him. Let’s hope that never happens.” --------- At long last, the Crystal Heart is mine. As the pillar of Crystal brings me closer to the Heart, I lick my lips so that I may savor my victory. Then out of nowhere it vanishes, along with the purple dragon. I turn, around and look desperately before it. Then I hear a commotion coming from the crowd. “Behold... the Crystal Princess!” Somepony shouts. I hear a loud thump which draws my attention. A pink alicorn is standing in the streets near the center of the city... The missing dragon on her back, while the heart floats above her head. Meanwhile, my slaves stare at her in awe like she was some divine savior. “The Crystal Heart is returned.” she proclaims to the crowd. “Use the light and love within you to ensure King Sombra does not!” I watch helplessly as she tosses the heart into the center of the city. Two small spikes form above and below the heart, as it begins to float in place. The next thing I know, the crystal ponies begin to glow, and every street in the city lights up until it all forms an image of a snowflake. When the light fades, the heart begins to spin violently as a giant wave of magic emerges from it and cleanses the city of my influence. I cry out for them to stop. No! I beg them to stop! But it was useless! The next thing I knew, all the positive energy from the heart watched over me, as it tore me apart from the inside. The light eating away at my evil like a swarm of piranhas, ripping their teeth not only through my body, but from my very soul. All I see is the image of my old mentor. She stares at me, with an expressionless gaze, as if knowing her presence would be enough to mock my defeat. I feel myself get angry, but this only causes the light to course through my body faster. I feel my mind start to fade, and I know death is finally upon me. I think of my mentor, my former Queen, and how I murdered her so that I could make the Empire strong. Up until now, I never felt any regrets for my betrayal. Only now at the moment of my demise, do I feel that I may have been wrong. My eyes open wide as my body begins to tremble. From afar, I feel a presence entering the city, its power far succeeding anypony I have thus encountered, causing my body to spasm. I start to roll my body, only to fall off my bed and land on the floor. Platinum Lance barges in, the sounds of his newly forged armor announcing his entrance. “Your majesty!” he shouts gallops towards me and helps me back onto my hooves. He gives me a moment to catch my breath. “Are you alright?” he asks anxiously. “What happened to you?” I continue to tremble as I try to tell him what was happening. “The… new spell I cast,” I mutter. “It alerts me when... new souls enter the city, as well as their magical potency. Right now somepony… has just passed through the barrier. Somepony from my past. An alicorn!” “You mean like one of those pony princesses Shadows rambles about from the show?” I nod back at him just as the convulsions stop. With those gone, I sluggishly pick myself up off the ground and turn my head to Platinum. “You need to intercept this pony. She came damn near close to killing me before, so we need to get the edge on her while we have the chance.” I turn my head to my alarm clock and see that it’s seven-thirty in the morning. Seven-thirty? My mind goes back to Thunderlane’s report. I turn my head back to Shadow. “She’s on the cargo train that just arrived in the city!” I yell frantically. “Assemble a team and bring her to the estate. Use force if necessary, but do so only if provoked. If she’s not here on a mission against me, I might be able coax her to join us. Until her motives are clear, you are all to treat the princess with respect, but make sure you let her know who is in charge.” The crystal pegasus lifted his hoof and saluted. “It shall be done your grace. Just tell me more about her powers so I may pick the right men and stallions for the job.” I take a deep breath, trying calm my anxiety. “First off, don’t bring Shadow. I can tell he still doesn’t trust me, so I don’t want the sight of this princess to give him any funny ideas.” “He’ll turn around.” Platinum insured me. “He just needs to get to know the current you. Deep down, I know he agrees with what you're doing. He just not sure how evil you still are, even if you have changed a little.” I smile at him for reassurance, but quickly bring myself back to the moment at hand. “Right now I sense she is malnourished, but her body is still a fountain of divine power. Bring plenty of gunmen and unicorns, and increase pegasi activity in that area. I doubt she can fly in her state, but we can’t afford her to escape.” Knowing that we both had sacrificed precious seconds in planning, Platinum bolts out the door without making a formal goodbye. I admire his loyalty, and for not being a complete suck up. That made him all the more trustworthy in my eyes. With a flicker of my horn, I suit up into my classic royal attire and place my crown on my head. It will be a while before the Princess is escorted here, and I might as well get myself ready. A part of me feels angry, and anxious to get revenge. However, thanks to Discord’s memory wipe, the bitterness I felt was somewhat tame when compared to my excitement. Despite our ugly history, the opportunity of bringing an alicorn to my cause filled my mind with thoughts of grandeur. Yet all this depended one simple question, that I repeated to myself out loud while I trotted down the halls. “Will Princess Cadance be my friend, or will she be my foe?”