“I’m so glad we’re finally having a date,” Blueblood said, smiling contentedly at his companion on the warm grass.
“Indeed, Blueblood, darling,” Rarity agreed, sipping lemonade while relaxing beside the prince. Further away, a small group of foals pranced and nickered, playing their little games as they were wont to do.
“So, you’re still not too mad about me leaving, right?” Blueblood asked nervously. Rarity simply chuckled, the mirthfulness hiding an undertone of disappointment.
“Oh my dear, a lady doesn’t get mad, she gets even,” she tittered, her off-hoof comment giving Blueblood an involuntary shiver. One of the foals gave a cry as a ball suddenly started to bounce away from them.
“I got it!” a filly exclaimed, rushing after it as it came to a stop near the picnicking Unicorns.
“Excuse me, mister, but can I have the ball?” the filly asked Blueblood, and he smiled back at her.
“Of course. Here.” He turned his head to look at the green ball and levitated it over to the filly.
“Thank you! But, just one more question…”
“What is it, sweetie?”
“Why did you let me die?”
The voice did not come from the filly, but instead, the ball in his grasp. With a start, Blueblood turned to it, to see he was now holding the severed head of a filly in his magic.
“Why did you let me die?” Bouncing Ball demanded, as the grass withered away beneath his hooves, and the warm sunlight turned cold and grey. With a scream, he tried to drop it, but it remained floating in the air, staring at him with a hurt expression.
“Yes, why did you, Blueblood?” the prince spun around to see Rarity, glaring at him from across a ballroom floor, her scorn and betrayal clear on her face. Black spots began to appear on the otherwise pristine tiles, and scorched bodies began to rise from the ground, like reverse quick-sand.
“You failed. A pathetic excuse for a prince. You’re no son of mine,” one of the bodies on the floor hissed, it’s ruined frame twisting to reveal a Unicorn mare with a white coat and blonde mane, both covered in burns and blood.
“No,” he whimpered. Everything was bigger now, his body that of a colt, and Rarity was soon joined by Twilight Sparkle, Cadence, and Fleur all looking down on him with a look of distain.
“You really are a worthless Prince. You couldn’t save a single filly, what makes you think you can save an entire country?” Twilight sneered, Cadence, Fleur, and Rarity letting out mocking laughs. Below his tiny foalish hooves, the white marble distorted, a leering draconic face peering up at him.
“Darkness rises, Tyranny falls. You, dear princeling, have only just reached the edge of the Abyss.” His fanged mouth opened wide, and Blueblood found the floor slipping away beneath him.
He cried out in fear as he slid into the gaping maw of evil, Bouncing Ball, Fleur, Rarity, Twilight and Cadence simply watching him.
With a final scream of terror, the colt that was Blueblood fell backwards and plunged into the darkness…
“…ake up! Damn it, Azzy, wake up!” Azure Flame jolted up, feeling something on his withered. Panting heavily, he looked around, realizing he was in a dark bedroom, lit by a single small lamp. A bleary eyed Minotaur was shaking him while a concerned Donkey looked on from a fold-out couch.
“I’m fine! I’m fine!” Azure gasped, Slim releasing him from his grasp.
“Another nightmare?” Creepy inquired, though it was fairly obvious; he was just being polite.
“Yes. Just a nightmare,” Azure muttered with a sense of relief. Ever since he’d arrived in Germaneigh, he’d experience horrible nightmares, and was unable to escape them. More than once he found himself thankful for Slim, the Minotaur waking him up before they got worse. And they always did.
“I thought you’d gotten over those,” Slim said worriedly, while the Unicorn shook his head to clear it.
“Seems like I didn’t,” Azure grumbled. “I’m sorry for waking you.”
“In that case, you’re paying for breakfast,” Creepy said, causing the Minotaur to glare at him. Still, the small bit of levity was needed, and Azure gave a half-hearted chuckle.
“So, just like every other day?” He quipped, and the Donkey smirked.
“Yup! Now, see if you can get back to sleep. It’s barely morning.” That said, the ex-hitdonkey closed his eyes and rolled over.
“Here, your sleeping aid,” Slim murmured, passing the Unicorn a small white and blue pill. Azure took it thankfully and gulped it down. He’d acquired some Zebrican sleeping pills in Bitaly, and they’d been more than helpful.
Satisfied, Azure Flame curled back into his bed, the drug overtaking him, while Slim plodded over to his own mattress and fell onto it.
“Hmm, that little Prince has acquired something annoying,” Bane whispered to himself as he tried to claw his way back into his target’s mind. While he couldn’t spontaneously cause nightmares in others, he could at least twist existing dreams into a terrible experience. After failing to find the Unicorn’s dreams, the Grudge hissed in disappointment. His prey’s mind was clouded by potent medicine and magic, and powerful as he was, the mind was a difficult nut to crack. At least he was outside of Equestria. Princess Luna’s domain only extended so far, and she could not be in every dream at once, but the Goddess of the Moon would be more than capable of tearing him apart in the Dreamscape if she caught him, potentially hurting him even in the waking world if she tried.
“Cursed Zebras and their alchemy! I can only hope he runs out soon.” The deformed pony settled into the garbage and filth of the alleyway to rest, making plans for the morning.
“He’ll try to scout out the underworld of Prance, no doubt. Though he’ll find more than just revolutionaries in this tainted little city.” Bane worried for a moment that he’d run into some Dark Phoenix members who’d recognize him, but shrugged it off. Prance had a strong presence of the Anti-Royalty faction, but he had the authority of Vandal behind him. They could take their complaints up with the Dragon if they were concerned.
“Heh, I can’t wait to see his face when he sees just how corrupt his lovely monarchy is. I should get a camera, just for that.” Idly, the monster shaped like a Pony reached out and grabbed a severed limb, bringing it over for a midnight snack.
“At least I won’t be going hungry,” Bane chuckled, his words soon lost in grisly chewing.