The Strange Destiny of Prince Blueblood

by Kavonde

The Prince and the Dragon

Prince Blueblood was stirred from his stupor by a cry of alarm. "Sir, the shield is down!"

Shouts of panic and confusion went up through the camp. Blueblood pushed himself up, stretching his aching neck until it popped. The manacles around his forelegs were bolted to a chain only a few feet long, making it difficult to do anything about the pain in his shoulders and back. All in all, it wasn't much of a prison cell, but he supposed they hadn't really been expecting to take prisoners.

The magenta dome around Canterlot was crumbling away like shattered glass, dissipating as it went. In its place, smoke began to rise from the lower sections of the city, and he could hear the howls of the skeletal dead drifting down from the mountainside. A massive bellow of triumph shook the earth, and the skeletal silhouette of a dragon passed in front of the rising moon.

"That's... not good," he remarked.

"What have you done?!" demanded a familiar voice. Blueblood turned to find Shining Armor pressed against the palisade that surrounded the cell, his eyes wide with fury. "Answer me!"

Blueblood regarded him mildly. His jaw ached abominably, and one of his eyes was swollen shut; he didn't particularly feel like humoring the pony responsible. "Absolutely nothing. You, however, were more concerned with beating the hay out of me than with warning Auntie Celestia about the trains. Well done."

Armor's nostrils flared, and he turned away in frustration to bark orders at his soldiers.

Well, that was that. If Azure and his forces had arrived in Canterlot, then Celestia and Luna were likely the only ones who could hope to stop him. Perhaps that Twilight Sparkle filly and her friends might lend a hoof, assuming they had all escaped Ponyville, but if the Elements of Harmony hadn't been brought to combat the massive army of undead sitting on Canterlot's doorstep...

... Wait...

"Shining Armor!" he shouted, pounding the wooden pillars around him as hard as he could. "Shining Armor! Listen to me! I have to tell you something!"

If the knight heard him, he made no sign of it. Fear began to sink into Blueblood's belly. He slammed the posts as hard as he could and screamed at the top of his lungs. "The army, you idiot! If Azure's here, I might not be in control of... "

Right on cue, unearthly howls rose around them.

Shining Armor halted mid-sentence. He turned to Blueblood. Their eyes met.

"To arms!" the knight shouted. "We're under attack! Prepare the defenses! We have to hold them here!"

---

"Twilight, the girls aren't coming! We have to take shelter!"

"No!" the purple unicorn snapped. "They're out there, somewhere! We have to be ready for them! We need the Elements to-"

Rarity stepped directly in front of her friend's face and stared her in the eye. "I'm worried about Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, too, darling, but this place isn't safe. We have to go."

Twilight stared at her for a moment, and then looked to her other friends. Pinkie was nodding enthusiastically with a look of genuine worry on her face. Applejack hesitated, but nodded as well.

"We ain't sayin' we should give up on 'em," she added, "but we need to go somewhere else. If they're hurt, you don't want 'em flyin' into the middle of a fight, do ya?"

"Twilight, please," Rarity said, cupping her friend's face with a hoof.

"... Fine," she sighed. Rarity smiled sadly at her, and touched her forehead to her friend's. Together, the four of them retreated. The first line of Canterlot Castle's defenses left the field.

---

Skeletal soldiers poured over the encampment's makeshift walls. The living fought bravely, giving far worse than they got, but they were surrounded on three sides and had nowhere to retreat. It was a brave, heroic, and ultimately doomed effort.

Blueblood watched it all from his cell. He tried to shout orders, to make himself heard over the battle, but the undead either didn't hear him or didn't care. With little else to do, he'd taken to trying to pull his shackles out of the ground. When that hadn't worked, he'd tried digging instead, and was making slightly more progress.

A thunderous roar split the sky. Ponies cried out in panic as Azure's pet dragon dropped into the middle of the battle, sweeping aside a dozen ponies with a flick of its tail. It sucked in breath—a rather odd gesture, Blueblood thought—and unleashed a torrent of blue fire that threatened to engulf a dozen more before one of Shining Armor's domed shields appeared in its path. The flames licked harmlessly around it.

The prince shouted an encouraging cheer, but as the flames faded, he caught a glimpse of his old rival. Armor was clearly exhausted. His shoulders were slumped, his head dipped, and his eyes seemed slightly unfocused and glassy. Of course; he'd been fighting and marching all day. He simply couldn't have much left.

"Damn it!" Blueblood snarled, kicking at his chains. "Damn you, you stupid, arrogant, pigheaded, self-righteous idiot! I'm not going to stand here and watch you die!"

"Um, hello?"

The prince looked up in surprise. Perched atop of one of the palisade posts was a vaguely familiar pegasus mare, with a yellow coat, pink mane, and wide, blue eyes.

"Uh... hi?"

The pegasus offered him a weak smile, and then looked around at the battle. "Um, this is probably a really silly question, but do you know any good ways to get into Canterlot? It's just that my friend is sort of hurt, so we don't really want to fly in, but we sort of need to get there so we can use the Elements of Harmony and save the kingdom. Um, if we can."

Blueblood blinked at her. "Wait, you're... Bumblefly?"

"Fluttershy."

"Right. One of the Bearers. Well, as it happens, I do know a few ways into the city. There's just one little problem... " He shook the manacles.

"Oh, right," she nodded. "Um, just give me a second, we'll get you right out."

The meek little pegasus flapped away into the night. Blueblood watched her go, then shrugged and turned back to the battle. "Right. She's going to get me out."

He sat there in helpless silence for awhile, watching as Shining Armor and his soldiers somehow dug into the very depths of their souls to keep fighting. He had to admit, as much as he resented the knight and his delusions of self-worth, he was an extremely impressive warrior. He had martial skill, certainly, but also an unshakable determination. No matter how many times he was knocked down, he stood up again. No matter how exhausted he was, he found it in himself to summon another shield to divert the dragon's flame. Grudgingly, Blueblood began to understand what Cadance might see in him.

And then someone shouted, "Look out below!" This was followed by a bear.

"AGGHYEEAHHH!" Blueblood shrieked, recoiling from the thing as it picked itself up from its fall. The beast just looked at him mildly, wrapped a massive paw around the manacles' chain, and snapped it cleanly in half. The now-loose bindings fell to the ground. The bear stared at the prince expectantly.

"Erm... thank you?"

It huffed a breath and nodded.

"Um, I'm sorry if that scared you," Fluttershy offered apologetically, landing beside the prince.

"I'm not," another pegasus filly, this one purple with a yellow mane, giggled. Blueblood glared at her.

"Yes, well. Thank you for the rescue, ladies. Now, if we could just be on our way before the undead notice us... "

Blueblood didn't even have to look over his shoulder to realize that the dragon was staring at them. Fluttershy's panicked expression told him well enough.

"D-d-d-" she stammered.

The purple pegasus zipped down and scooped up both her companion and the prince. She smiled apologetically at the bear. "We'll be right back, buddy. Go wreck some zombies if ya want."

The bear grunted and pounded a fist into his paw.

Moments later, the prince and the two pegasi were in the air. Behind them, the skeletal dragon bellowed again and launched itself into the sky in pursuit. Blueblood glanced behind him with concern, then at his would-be rescuer, currently frozen in fear, and then at the pony who was carrying them both with an expression of strained determination.

This was going to be a rather short-lived rescue.

"There's an entrance along the eastern edge of the mountain!" he shouted, drawing the flyer's attention. "It's hidden in a small cave! Walk in about thirty feet, then place a hoof on the right wall and say 'mellon.' I don't know what it means, don't bother asking."

The pegasus looked down at him in surprise. "Wait, you're going to do something stupid and heroic, aren't you?"

"More the former than the latter, but, yeah."

She grinned. "You survive this, I'm putting you on my list."

"What li-"

The pegasus released her grip, sending Blueblood hurtling through the sky. He barely had time to scream before he hit a tree, fell through it, hit a dense shrub, rolled through that, and finally came to rest in hoof-deep water at the edge of a small stream. Above, his rescuers' speed doubled, beginning to outpace the undead dragon. Realizing this, it started to suck a torrent of air into its nonexistent lungs.

So he threw a rock at it.

The stone, glowing with turquoise energy, struck the dragon just under the eye and disrupted its concentration. It looked around for the source of the attack and found Blueblood, waving at it with a manic grin on his face. "Down here, you overgrown calcium deposit! Your mother had scoliosis! Your father suffered from brittle bone syndrome!"

It regarded him blankly. It was difficult to read the expression on a fleshless dragon skull, but Blueblood detected a hint of bemusement. "Come on! I've a bone to pick with you! I'll keep ribbing you if I have to! I've got a pretty shinny sense of humer, but I think I've got a good ankle on how to rile you!"

The dragon growled, sucked in another breath, and unleashed a massive torrent of flame towards the prince. As he watched it approach, he felt an odd, detached calmness. He smiled. Reuniting the Elements of Harmony while making skeleton puns at an undead dragon. What a strange destiny.

---

Celestia, Princess of the Sun and immortal ruler of Equestria, sat in calmly in her throne. Her castle was empty. Her guards were gone. At her orders, they'd accompanied Twilight Sparkle and her friends to one of the hidden shelters she'd secreted about the city. She didn't know where. She wanted to be sure that, if the worst happened, she wouldn't be able to find them.

The front doors of the castle exploded. Unearthly howls echoed through the corridors. Celestia took a breath to steady herself, never blinking, never looking away from the entrance to her chamber.

Long minutes passed before, finally, she heard the clacking of hooves on the floor outside. There was a pause, and then, with a flash of blue light and the stench of brimstone, the doors burst inward. Celestia didn't move. Neither did her adversary.

The smoke finally cleared, revealing a cloaked pony in a burgundy robe, a silver pendant around his neck.

"I should have known it was you."

The intruder lifted his head, revealing a skeletal grin that matched the dancing lights in his eyes. "Ah, Celestia. Always so very grim."

"Where is Luna?"

"Oh, she's safe enough for now. I didn't have time to steal her powers yet, but I doubt I'll need them for just you."

Celestia's eyes narrowed. "You think rather highly of yourself."

"I've bested you before, Celestia. Need I remind you? It was a rather similar situation. Except, of course, I defeated you first that time."

"That was more than three thousand years ago. I've grown since then."

"Oh, of course," the skeleton said mockingly. "Grown complacent. I heard what you did to my brother. Or rather, what you left to your disciples, while you cowered on the sun."

"I'd think you'd be worried that a group of mortal ponies can defeat one of your kind."

He laughed. "Discord was always a fool. So... distractable. All his power, and he only ever wanted to play silly children's games with it. I lack his shortcomings."

"Oh, you share at least one of them," Celestia retorted. "You're both far too arrogant."

The skeleton shrugged. "Perhaps. But there is a fine line between arrogance and confidence."

Celestia scowled. "How did you do it? How did you turn Blueblood against me?"

"Oh, I didn't. Not really. I just convinced him that I was a poor, old ghost in need of his help. Do you remember Azure Throne? The mad little dictator who wouldn't let his wife and daughter flee my wendigos? Apparently, your prince hadn't studied him. All I had to do was convince him that I was Azure and that he was my descendant, and he was willing to do anything I asked of him. Such a lonely boy, that one. So desperate for a little love and recognition."

"How did you get free?"

"Why, I tricked him into sacrificing his beloved Cadance, of course. 'Here thou shalt be bound until evil overcomes love.' Your sister always such had a way with words. Oh, and you should have seen the look on your 'nephew's' face when he realized what I'd done! And yet he still didn't leave me. He still cooperated, still helped me plan this moment. I simply cannot fathom what damage you must have done to the poor boy."

"You're a monster."

"And you're a terrible parent. Now then, Celestia, I believe this is the point at which we engage in an epic duel of godlike powers. Would you like to begin, or shall I?"

"Let's begin by casting aside your little illusion."

"What?" The skeleton glanced down at himself. "Oh, yes. Silly me."

The air around the dead king began to ripple. His bones began to stretch and pop as they elongated and twisted into a new shape. Flesh, fur, and scales began to appear in patches around his body, spreading to cover him entirely. He rose to nearly quadruple his previous height, standing on two legs instead of four. His robe grew along with him, covering most of his freakish form. A pair of curled ram's horns pierced through his hood. Yellow eyes, their irises an intense, electric blue, stared out from beneath them. Clawed hands, like the talons of a bird, jutted from his sleeves, and a pair of hooves like those of a pony or goat struck the floor.

"Ah," he sighed, "that is much more comfortable. Ready, Celestia?"

"Ready, Tyranny."

Comments

[Tay the Chemist]

That... sounds like a very fun destiny. 'I am destined to fight a horde of reanimated dead, helping to bring together those who can defeat them, while making puns.'

[Themaskedferret]

795608 Short but fun.

[Tay the Chemist]

822551 Exactly.

[Dragon Turtle]

Fluttershy... Is a freaking idiot. Her friends, when assembled, become Equestria's WMD, and she decides to split them up so she can save her ANIMAL FRIENDS. How many people DIED because of that decision!?! If they had been at Canterlot at the outset of the invasion, they could have blasted this "Tyranny" guy the moment he stepped off the train. It would have made more sense had Tyranny devised a way to seperate the Mane 6. Possibly put some in the place of Zecora, Cherilee, Mac and the CMC. Since we see that he knows about the Elemental Bearers, wouldn't it make sense for him to have made plans for them? Right now it seems like the guy just lucked out that they weren't there.

I'm not a fan of the reveal of the Big Bad (TM) and his Final Form (TM). Am I the only reader who finds a line like "I'm so glad to be back in this form" a cliche? If you like it so much, why didn't you change into it earlier? Because doing it now is dramatic, that's why. I also don't get why you decided to give him a look like Dischord's. Dischord is a weird conglomerate because it suits his nature. He's like shapeshifter that couldn't make a decision (seriously, this isn't the first fanfic that's suggested the dude has ADD). I'm not even sure how him being the embodiment of tyranny works thematically with his other actions. How does tyranny connect to shapeshifting and lies, which seem like Dischord's MO? Or with raising the dead? Or elemental creatures like the Windigos? Are you saying the Windigos are actually spirits of the dead? (Actually, that would make sense given that they're equine-shaped). Why aren't there any Windigos marching with his undead army? I was more interested in the concept of an old mad king and necromancer whose greed transcends death. I was getting an awesome Lich King/Kel'thuzad vibe from him!

Your humor still shines through though. I love the deadpan and the snappy barbed comebacks. I laughed out loud (no, literally) when I read the rapidfire puns. "You're a terrible parent" is a fantastic comeback from the villain in light of what's happened. But this far in, I can see why this story has a mediocre rating compared to most extended, dramatic stories.

[Dragon Turtle]

Something else that occurred to me: what kind of imprisonment did Luna put Tyranny? I would have imagined it would have been like Dischord's. How was this guy able/allowed to walk around and speak? That seems like just asking for trouble.

[Yoktes]

Speak, friend, and enter
also, Tirek FTW, why did g1 have such epic villains?

[Blue Print]

I think everyone is missing the whole point and moral of this chapter, to wit:

"And then someone shouted, "Look out below!" This was followed by a bear."

Oh. My. Celestia.

[Magical Trevor]

She grinned. "You survive this, I'm putting you on my list."

List of ponies to bang, I'm guessing?

[ThePinkiePieEffect]

837861

How many people DIED because of that decision!?!

None. There are no people in Equestria. Only ponies. The only people that died were ones reading the story and had a massive attack of diabetes because of how much kindness Fluttershy was showing to her Animal Friends. Heck, she even saved a BEAR. That's more badass than Super Rainbow Dash.

[mrjerrio]

Something about elderberries.

[Twilight's double]

I'm confused. Who is the pony who has the list, and who is tyranny?

[kork]

2904958
the pony with the list is cloud kicker (if i remember) in short it's a list of who she want to buck
seem like Tyranny is a draconequus to me

[Frankie2]

Wait, this guy is a draconequus?