The Prince Gets Devoured
Shining.
He stirred, the jelly of the changeling pod shifting and pressing against his face as he did. I'm trying to sleep, he thought grouchily. Leamme alone.
Shining. Wake up!
Something about the voice sounded familiar, and its insistent tone suggested that it wouldn't be giving up and letting him be any time soon. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes. It was dark, nearly pitch black, though somehow the pod seemed to amplify what little light there was and make it easier to pick out the greenish outlines of the objects around him. He looked around, eyes straining to focus through the strange gel, searching the for the voice's source.
Shining, Cadance's voice called again, a hint of relief brushing its edges.
His eyes snapped up to the mod across from his, and he could just make out the silhouette of his wife inside. Somehow, though, he could see her eyes, wide and worried and staring into his. Cadance? How... ?
The pods don't block magic perfectly, she explained tersely. Shining, I need your help.
Anything.
Good. I need you to concentrate on me. Remember our wedding, when we defeated the old Chrysalis?
Actually, it's kind of a blur... but yeah, I remember. When we used our love to amplify my shielding spell.
He could almost hear the guilty shift in her posture. Right, well... we need to do that again. Only you need to amplify one of my spells.
Okay. I can do that. Hold on, Cade.
He tried to remember what had triggered the effect before. What had happened? He'd opened his eyes for what felt like the first time in weeks, finally stepping out of the cloud that had muddled his thoughts. The first thing he'd seen had been her eyes, her warm, beautiful, violet eyes. He'd been filled with such... happiness. Such peace. Just knowing that she was near, that she was with him...
Combining their magic had been as easy and natural as breathing then. But as he concentrated on the memory, focusing every ounce of will he had into it, something just refused to click into place. After few, futile minutes, he let out a muted sigh and opened his eyes. It's not working.
Try harder, Cadance urged him, her expression determined and grim.
Shining closed his eyes again and concentrated. He held on to that memory of awakening from Chrysalis' stupor and then put it to the side. He called up other memories, all the warm and cherished ones he could think of. There was the first time he'd seen Cadance; she'd come to foalsit Twiley, her mane tied up girlishly behind her, her voice still a bit squeaky as she grew into the mare she'd become. They'd only exchanged a greeting and a smile; Shining had been on his way out to hoofball practice. And then he'd been so distracted thinking about her that the coach had sent him to the showers early.
There was the first time he asked her out. He was on leave, after the disastrous mission into griffon lands. He'd been... numb. Empty. After the things he had seen, life had seemed so fragile, so... ultimately pointless. He'd planned to head to the nearest bar and drink himself into a blissful stupor, but a memory came to him of this girl, this beautiful alicorn girl who used to foalsit his sister. He knew she was royalty, that she lived at the castle with Princess Celestia, and that she was, undeniably, out of his league. At that point, what did he have to lose? So he changed his course and trotted off to the castle instead. She'd been right there, out in the gardens, sprawling on the grass over a copy of A Midwinter Night's Dream. He'd introduced himself, not as Lieutenant Shining Armor of the Stormguards, but just as Twiley's older brother. He'd asked her if she'd like to get some dinner. The surprise he'd felt at her accepting had been the first real emotion he'd experienced in weeks.
There was their first kiss, later that night. They'd stood at the crest of the white, marble bridge leading back to the castle, the small stream below cascading down the mountainside. The stars had been shining, the moon had been full... it had been like a fairy tale. Later, he'd suspected Princess Celestia had had a hoof in that. In the moment, all he saw was this incredible, beautiful, kind, gentle, funny, clumsy, amazing filly, gazing at him with those eyes like the first rays of a sunrise...
There was the time they went to Whinnypeg, to a little "lodge"--really, more of a small castle--nestled in the mountains. A blizzard had trapped them there for three days. Oh, sure, Cadance could have sent a message to the local weather team and gotten them out, but... the way her eyes had sparkled, the way she'd smiled so knowingly at him... He remembered the first time they made love, that first night, in front of a warm fire, cut off from the world, all alone but for each other.
And he remembered more. Their first argument. The time they convinced Princess Luna that she'd slept late and forgotten to raise the moon. Her declaration that "if Aunt Celestia cares so much about how this wedding should happen, she can plan it." The wedding, the real one, with Twiley beside him and Cadance walking down the aisle, the sense of deep, honest satisfaction that filled him. The reception, and her adorable, strange, dorky little dance with Pinkie Pie. The way her eyes had lit up with every bit of food she tasted. The way she'd looked at him when the guests had finally retired and they were alone.
And he remembered when she'd flown off after her adopted brother. She'd been so worried about him, so worried that he'd done something foalish and suicidal. He'd never liked Blueblood--abrasive personality aside, he'd caught the stallion more than once staring at his so-called "sister's" flank--but he admired her loyalty to him. And then she hadn't returned. And then... well, then there had been the whole thing with Blueblood and the draconequus and the undead army. And when he'd finally seen his wife again...
She was different. She'd grown into her full power. She wasn't a mortal anymore, wasn't just a normal filly who happened to have wings and a horn. She was important. She was powerful. And... as much as he hadn't wanted to admit it, as much as they both hadn't... she wasn't the same pony. Not anymore. How could she be? And he, like an idiot, like a coward, had tried to "give her space." A euphanism for burying himself in his work and trying to pretend the problem didn't exist.
Hay, if he was being honest, he'd changed, too. Even fighting griffons, even after seeing what they had done, he'd never felt hate. He'd killed, yes, but he'd done it quickly and efficiently. He was a soldier. But that day, as the sun sank over the horizon and Blueblood confessed that he had hurt Cadance... he had known hate. He had been prepared to beat the pathetic little noble to death with his bare hooves. Only the barest sliver of conscience held him back.
And he hadn't let go of that hate. He couldn't. He fostered it, let him grow inside of him every time he spared a thought for the fool. Celestia, an innocent filly had been attacked, and his concern wasn't for her, it was for the look he'd see on Blueblood's face when he shared the news. And then, to find his sister, his beautiful, strong, intelligent sister, lying there entwined with him...
He could blame the curse. He could say that it wasn't his fault, that he'd never have learned to hate somepony so badly had it not been for that. But he knew it wasn't true. He chose to hate Blueblood. He made that decision for himself. And that decision had made him unworthy of the mare Cadance once was, let alone the one she had become.
Or perhaps not. Perhaps she, too, had learned to hate. He had seen the cold, all-too-rational fury in her eyes when she'd told Blueblood she would have to destroy him. He'd seen the concerned looks Rainbow Dash gave her when she thought nopony was looking. He'd heard the dark certainty, the grim finality in her voice when she told the camel captain, Gilad, that she could simply obliterate his ship. He'd seen the change in her tone and posture when she addressed others: less like the girl he'd known, and more like the ruler she was destined to become.
They had both changed. And, quite frankly, he wasn't sure either could love the other anymore.
He opened his eyes again. He didn't meet Cadance's gaze. I can't do it. I'm sorry.
I understand, she told him softly.
Cadance, I...
They stopped at the muffled sound of hoofsteps coming down the stairs. Moments later, Zujada appeared, her gait slow and awkward with her missing foreleg. She made her way slowly towards them, pausing a few pods down to examine its occupant. She stared sadly at it for a few seconds, then sighed and moved to scrape some of the pod's membrane away. "Zecora, please change your mind. I do not wish to leave you behind."
Zecora spat a glob of green goo on the floor. "I told you, I will not abandon my friends. I don't know why you bothered asking again."
"But you can return home! You'd no longer be alone! Your mistakes are long since past, all would rejoice to have you back."
"I have made my place in Ponyville. And why would I believe you, servant of evil?"
Zujada recoiled. "The powers I serve may be dark, but not vile. Your words are misguided and full of bile."
"Ponies are little different than us. Your masters will harm them, yet they hold your trust?"
"You have been away too long. You have forgotten the ancient wrongs."
"Ancient is the proper phrase!" Zecora snapped. "These events occurred in forgotten days!"
"Dear child, we must remember the past, for one day we'll be gone but our stories shall last."
Zecora scowled at her grandmother in silence for a long moment. And then, her voice empty of its usual lyrical quality, she shook her head and spoke. "Old rhymes and games, empty of meaning. All of it. Your stories are just those, grandmother: stories. You make them rhyme, you make them dance, but they are only tales of days of glory long lost. Our people fell from grace long ago, grandmother, and I tell you truly that the ponies do not bear us ill will. They do not even remember the events of that ancient past. And you would inflict death and suffering upon them for a crime their ancestors' ancestors committed. A crime that they do not share the sole blame for."
Zujada blinked back tears and shook her head. "Zecora... why do you not address me as a shaman?"
"Because a shaman must look after and protect her tribe. You are a madmare, fallen in with evil, and you have abandoned your people to avenge their ghosts."
"No... "
"Yes," Zecora said firmly. "I will hear no more of this, grandmother. If you seek to punish the ponies for their good fortune and our ancestors' hubris, then you must count me among them. I will be proud to die for Equestria."
"Zecora, please... just listen to me... "
She remained silent, staring just past the elder zebra's head. Finally, with great reluctance, Zujada smeared the membrane back over Zecora's face, entombing her once more. She stared sadly at her granddaughter for another moment, her shoulders drooped and her eyes wet with tears.
"I must go, little one. There is a ritual to be done. When I return from Canterlot, we will speak again. Please, don't let this be your end."
She's going to Canterlot? Shining nearly jumped as Cadance's voice returned to him. They must have some sort of transportation, or perhaps one of those teleportation circles like Twilight used to take Blueblood!
Okay, that's good, but none of us know how to activate those circles.
I'm sure the new Chrysalis would cooperate if we asked her nicely.
Shining grinned inwardly. Okay, we've got the beginnings of a plan. But we still need to get out of here. Is there any way...
I'm trying to draw in more power, but it could take awhile.
You can do it, Cade. I know you can.
He felt her sigh. Thanks, Shining. But...
It would be a lot easier if your first idea had worked.
Yeah.
If he could have bowed his head, he would have. Cadance, I... I'm sorry. I know I said we'd talk as soon as we could...
It's okay. Things have been complicated. We can work things out.
Can we, though? I...
Shining...
Something heavy thudded open, and faint moonlight poured into the chamber. Their eyes went to the cellar doors, where a pegasus stood silhouetted against the night sky, her wings spread wide and her posture confident and cocky. She floated down the stairs a moment later, her rainbow-hued mane and mischievous grin making her instantly recognizable. Rainbow Dash! Shining nearly shouted in Cadance's mind. Make a connection with her! Tell her where we are!
A moment later, Dash's head perked up, her ears twitching and pivoting towards their pods. She approached cautiously, a skeptical look on her face, but that shifted to a broad smile as she got close enough to recognize the trapped princess. "One sec!" she whispered. She jammed a hoof into the membrane and began tearing it away haphazardly until Cadance, her legs weak and shaky, nearly collapsed on top of her.
"I gotcha!" Dash hissed, catching the princess and lowering her to the ground. Satisfied, she turned to Shining's pod and went to work.
"Rainbow Dash," Cadance asked softly, "what in Equestria are you doing here?"
"Well, it took me a little longer to get back to Canterlot than I thought, 'cause I hit another storm and figured I'd, y'know, not fly through it. Once I got there, though, I told the guards what happened and then... well, kinda passed out for awhile. Once I was up, though, I remembered that I promised you I'd meet you guys at Manehattan with your own personal train car, but since all the rail lines are cut, I figured showing up in person'd be cool enough."
"So Celestia knows?" Shining asked, falling free of his pod but managing to catch himself before he fell. He nodded towards Zecora's, and Dash trotted over to it.
"Well, yeah, but... things are pretty bad, guys. Like, there's griffons attacking from the northwest--that's where Princess Celestia is--and minotaurs attacking Ponyville--and, um, no offense, but I was gonna go there first until I heard Princess Luna was there, and I figured she can look after everypony almost as well I as I could--and now I get here and there's camels and changelings all over Manehattan."
"Ponyfeathers," Cadance spat.
"And the others, did you spy?" asked Zecora, giving Dash a quick, unsteady hug. "Applejack and Pinkie Pie?"
"I was kinda hoping they'd be here," the pegasus admitted. "Like, this is the biggest house I saw, and there's those weird changeling pods all over it. But there's another big cluster in the middle of Median Park. Maybe they're there?"
Cadance nodded firmly. "We have to check. We're not leaving without them."
"What about Blueblood?" Shining asked. "Has he shown up anywhere? What about Twiley?"
Dash shook her head. "No sign, but Princess Celestia knows something's up with them. I bet this whole 'massive invasion of Equestria' thing is just a distraction from whatever's really going on, though."
Shining raised an eyebrow. "You think there's something worse than three, huge armies invading Equestria at the same time?"
"Well, sure. I mean, we know Chrysalis was working for somepony else. She was even willing to die for them."
"We know things are run by a shady cabal," Zecora added. "That something else is ahoof isn't surprising at all."
"That's also where Zujada said she was going, isn't it? For some sort of ritual?" Shining asked. Zecora nodded.
Cadance nodded. "Okay. We have a goal, then. We need to find Applejack and Pinkie Pie and get back to Canterlot in time to stop whatever's about to happen."
"And all we have to do is get past an army of changelings and camel soldiers," Shining noted dryly.
"Cool," Rainbow Dash grinned. "No time to waste, then; let's kick some flank."
Celestia came back to consciousness gradually. The first sensation she felt was warmth, as if one of her servants had been kind enough to light a fire for her while she slept. The second, when she tried to shift into a more comfortable position, was restraint. Something was keeping her legs and neck from moving where she wanted them to. The third was a strange numbness, something she had never felt before in her centuries of life. It was as if something inside of him had been hidden and locked away, so expertly concealed that she wasn't even sure what was lost.
And then it hit her: her magic. Her magic was gone.
Her eyes flashed open. She was lying on her back in a large, open chamber. She tried to roll over, but the manacles around her legs were too short to allow any real movement. Arranged around her in a circle were five iron braziers of ancient design--far cruder and uglier than the magical lights and candles she used in modern times. They burned with sickly green flames, casting everything in a slightly unreal, alien light.
She turned her head as much as she could, ignoring the chafing at her throat, and immediately recognized her surroundings. She was in the great entrance hall to her castle. The rubble from the pillars destroyed by the sandshaper's dragon had been cleared away from the mural at the chamber's center, the one showing herself and Luna forever circling in harmony with the heavens. She realized that another circle had been drawn around the mural, this one marked by strange, spidery runes she immediately recognized as the blackest magic.
She knew what was going on. Oh, stars, she knew what was happening.
"Don't do this," she whispered aloud. "You don't know what you're doing. Don't do this."
"We know quite well what we're doing, Your Highness," a dull, monotone voice informed her. Bank Ledger, her traitorous Bureau of Infrastructure secretary, stepped up to the edge of the circle and regarded her placidly. "We are removing your power and granting it to our mistress, that she might more effectively lead this new, glorious Equestria."
"No, you're not," Celestia told him earnestly. "Don't you understand? Don't you... "
No. Of course they didn't. There were so many things that she and Luna had kept secret to protect their ponies. So many monsters whose names, whose stories had been lost to history by their decision to erase them. Of course Ledger wouldn't realize what it meant that the ritual was here, that the most dangerous secret the sisters had kept lay buried beneath his hooves. Nopony could know... except, perhaps, for the spirit that had shared Luna's mind.
"Ledger. Bank. Please. I remember you when you were a colt. You attended my school for gifted unicorns. You were always an exceptional student, perhaps one of the most gifted arcane theorists I've ever seen. Think. Why would your mistress want this ritual performed here, of all places? Why not somewhere secret, less likely to be discovered and interrupted?"
"It is not for me to question my mistress," Ledger told her calmly. "She wished to hold the ritual here, and so here it shall be held. I do admit I have some concerns about security, but... "
"Bank. Please. I don't know why you hate me, I don't know what I could have possibly done to you, but it doesn't matter. For the sake of everypony, for the entire world, please. Don't do this. She's not going to take my power for herself. She's... "
"Ah, Celestia," a familiar voice called. "Trying to sow dissent among my followers, are we?"
"Nightmare Moon." Celestia craned her neck to see the purple unicorn, once her beloved student, now merely the host for this... thing. "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Because it is my purpose," she answered simply. "It is what I was created to do. Your sister struck this bargain in her most desperate hour, and the bill has been three thousand years in paying. You knew it would have to come due some day."
More cloaked figures appeared behind her. There was the lemur, Tiktakthanga, leaning heavily on a tiny cane and glaring at her with intense hate. The griffon, Bloodwing, stood behind him. The camel sandshaper, Addawser, and the unreadable, silent minotaur, Xorat. They were joined by a new figure. She did not look at the chained princess, her head bowed beneath the hood of her cloak, but the stripes on her one intact foreleg marked her as a zebra.
Finally, his scars hidden beneath a black robe and iron mask, came Blueblood.
"It is time to end this," Nightmare Moon said quietly. The others went to their places, spreading out equally along the perimeter of the great circle. Blueblood took his place directly behind Celestia, opposite the possessed Twilight Sparkle. A low chant began with the minotaur, his voice low enough to rattle Celestia's bones. The camel joined in, then the griffon, and gradually the others. Even Blueblood murmured along, his voice indistinct and slurred.
"Blue... please," Celestia said softly, craning her neck as far as she could to look her adopted son in the eyes. "Please. I know you're in there. I know you haven't given in fully."
She closed her eyes and sighed. "I know I've made mistakes. Stars, I have. I should have told you about the curse. I should have trusted you would be strong enough. I should have trusted that I could be a mother to you. I am so, so sorry.
"But I know you're not doing this out of hate. This isn't your choice. She's manipulated you, brainwashed you. I understand. All I can do is... is hope that you can hear me. That you can understand my words."
She felt hot tears welling at the corners of her eyes, and did not try to stop them. "You need to understand, because you need to know what is happening here. That thing inside of Twilight Sparkle... it isn't her. It isn't Luna. It's... something else. Something created when Luna called upon the only power that could save her... that could save me. It's part of its master. And this ritual... it intends to free its master, to break the bonds Luna and I placed upon it. And if that happens... "
"Yes, waste your last breaths," Nightmare hissed, her voice quiet yet distinct over the low chanting around them. "He can't hear you, Celestia. His mind is broken. He is little more than a puppet now, a font of power that I can direct as I wish. Perhaps if he'd cooperated earlier, there would still be somepony left in there to save... but his own courage destroyed him."
"Blueblood, please," Celestia urged, ignoring the spirit's taunts. "I told you of her master once. Even now, thousands of years after we sealed it away, I hesitate to speak its name. We called it the Devourer. And if it is released, it will consume everything: every pony, every griffon, every minotaur, everything. And when no life remains in this world, it will consume the world itself, until not even the smallest speck of rock remains. It is not mindless, but it is consumed by its unending hunger. It will destroy everything if it isn't stopped."
Blueblood never so much as blinked. Nightmare Moon laughed, slowly and malevolently. "You see? A waste of breath. Prepare yourself for oblivion, Celestia."
Blueblood didn't move. But the zebra beside him did.
"You lied to us!" she called, throwing back her hood and pointing an accusing hoof at the possessed unicorn. "What she says has no hint of of a falsehood! You intend to betray us!"
Nightmare raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. The others stopped their chanting and looked tensely between the two.
"My dear Zujada, I assure you... "
"No," the zebra said firmly, shaking her head. "No more lies. My granddaughter was right. You are evil, and I am blind to have not seen it until now. Look what you have done to this innocent stallion!" She tore away the robes from Blueblood's back, revealing his countless scars. He remained motionless. "You are a kishi. How can any look upon what was done to this boy and not see evil's work?"
"Zujada," Nightmare continued calmly, as if she hadn't been interrupted, "Celestia is desperate. She is simply trying to turn somepony, anypony, against me to save her own skin. Think of all I have done for you, Zujada. Think of all I have promised your people."
"Then deny her claims. Tell us what she says is untrue."
Bank Ledger moved to Zujada's side and put a restraining hoof on her shoulder. "My dear, we can perform the ritual without you. Perhaps you could use some rest."
"Do not touch me," the zebra spat. She turned her gaze back to Nightmare Moon. "Speak, kishi."
Nightmare smiled. "Zujada, we all know that your particular powers grant you the ability to sense truth... but that has never precluded you from lying. Why, I could observe that the sky is blue, and you could announce it to be a lie--and some would believe you."
"Say it," she said again.
The unicorn mare just smiled.
"Then so be it," Zujada said softly.
With unexpected speed, she reached her mouth into her robes and produced a small, black ball. She slammed it against the ground, and suddenly black smoke began to fill the room. Nightmare screamed an indistinct command, and suddenly her followers leapt into action, trying to pin down the zebra shaman. But she was already gone, appearing next to Celestia and pouring liquid from some unmarked vial onto her chains. The metal began to sizzle and melt away, and a healthy tug tore her forehoof free.
"Thank you," she whispered quietly.
"Do not waste time thanking me," Zujada answered. "Just grab your boy and get yourselves free. I will hold them as long as I may. Please... forgive my part in this wretched play."
And then, the smoke was gone. Xorrat stood before them, his expression agitated, stone armor again encasing his chest and legs and a miniature tornado dancing in his open palm.
"Run," Zujada said, pouring acid on the last chain.
Celestia ripped herself free and leapt to her feet. She still couldn't reach her magic--the manacles themselves must have been enchanted--but she still had her wings and a great deal more strength than the average pony. She hefted the still-motionless Blueblood onto her shoulders and charged towards the great double doors, claws and hooves clattering against the stone in pursuit.
And then Nightmare appeared in front of her, and walls of magic encased her on all sides. "I think not."
Something heavy slammed into flesh behind her, and Celestia turned in time to see Zujada smash into a pillar and crumple to the ground.
"You are doomed, Celestia," Nightmare told her, her grin tight and wicked. "There is no escape. Not for you, not for Prince Blueblood, not for poor, little Twilight Sparkle. Everypony you know, everypony you love will die. Equestria will fall."
Blueblood's eyes opened.
"No," he said.
The shield around Celestia shattered as raw power smashed into it and broke it apart. Beams of teal energy lashed out, striking the conspirators in the chest and launching them away. Nightmare herself raised a shield before her and grunted in effort as blasts of power slammed into it, hammering away like a flurry of blows from a giant boxer. Finally, her shield cracked apart and splintered, and she herself was hurled through the doors at the far end and into Celestia's great throne room.
He turned to the princess, his eyes burning with power beneath the iron mask. "Celestia. Mother. Run."
The reached a hoof towards his face. "Blueblood... "
"Please," he said. "Go."
She stared at him for a moment longer, biting her lip in hesitance.
"I don't... I don't know how long this will last," he explained. "I've never... just go. Find help. I'll try to stop her."
"I love you," she told him softly. "I'm so sorry... "
"It's okay. I love you, too."
Celestia ran. Blueblood turned to face the others, finally staggering back to their hooves and claws after his barrage. Xorrat was the first one up, his stone armor cracked and crumbling around him. He hefted his greataxe and charged. Blueblood concentrated for a moment and then added his power to the minotaur's momentum, hurling him into the air and across the room. Ledger came in next, and he could feel the unicorn's mind trying to worm his way past his defenses to cripple him with his precision nerve holds; Blueblood simply clamped down on that mental tendril, holding it in place, and then poured his own will, enhanced by the pain and helplessness and ecstasy he had experienced, back into him. Ledger shrieked and fell to the floor, clutching his temples.
He wasted no time with the others. He smashed Bloodwing into the floor as she tried to take flight. He ripped Addawser's bag of sand right out of his fetlock, then threw him across the room. And then there was only Tiktak left, staring at him with an expression he had never hoped to see on the lemur's face: terror.
"Pony... how?" the little monkey managed, cringing back, leaning on his cane for support.
"Equestria is my home. I may be a worthless, abrasive, hate-inspiring buckup, but I will protect Equestria."
"O-okay... um... Tiktak surrender. No hard feelings, right, pony? Just doing job."
Blueblood advanced a step. The lemur backed up further and found himself pinned against a pillar.
"You surrender?" he asked. "You tortured me. Disfigured me. And you'd do the same to anyone, any time, and you'd enjoy it. Surrender, little monkey?" He laughed. "You said we'd be good friends, Tiktak. Let me show you the magic of friendship."
Tiktak screamed and vanished in a puff of smoke, Blueblood blinked in surprise and whipped around. Another puff of smoke appeared near the doors, and he saw the lemur sprint out of it as fast as he could hobble. Blueblood smirked and slammed the doors as he reached them; he hit with a satisfying crunch and fell on his back, twitching.
"Inspiring fear... pain... terror... " Nightmare called from the darkness of the throne room. "Perhaps you would make a fine consort after all, my love."
"Nightmare," he said, turning towards her. "You're finished. With all the power you fed me, I can beat you. Even if I can't, Celestia's escaped. Your plan's ruined. Give up now, get out of Twilight's body, and maybe I won't find a way to destroy you."
"Yes, well done. You saved Celestia. Well, my traitorous zebra saved her, but you can take credit if you wish. Fortunately, my love, we can still both have what we want."
"What do you mean?"
Nightmare emerged from the shadows of the throne room. She was limping slightly, her left foreleg apparently injured, but her confident smirk never changed. "Did you really think I wouldn't have a contingency plan? Sacrificing Celestia would have been convenient; her death would have weakened the seals chaining my master and provided him with a hearty meal after his millenia of imprisonment. But without her, I can still make do. He will simply have to devour Equestria instead."
"And then the world."
"Of course," she agreed. "The master is a primal entity. He exists to consume. Once this world is gone, he will drift on to the next one, devouring the entire universe one planet at a time."
"Then you'll die along with everpony else."
She shrugged. "I told you, my love. I was never really alive. My purpose has always been this day, this moment, when I would free my master from his imprisonment. Whatever... entertainments this world may provide me, I've never forgotten my master."
Blueblood shook his head. "Come on, that's insane. Surely the world means more to you than a simple snack for some monster."
"Perhaps it does, but that hardly matters. I am part of him. This is my destiny."
"Then I'll stop you."
Blueblood's eyes flared again. His horn began to glow with the same, burning aura of teal energy as before. The hair on his coat, where it was still intact, rose to stand on end. He faced Nightmare fully, hooves set apart in an aggressive stance.
She winked at him.
And suddenly, all the power was gone. He swooned and almost fell over with its sudden absence. He could still feel it, but it was locked away inside him, and he strongly suspected only she had the key.
"My love, really now," she said mockingly. "If Ledger could disable you with ease, why in Equestria wouldn't I be able to do the same? My followers created you to serve me. All the power in the world won't let you harm me.
"Now then," she said, turning to cast an appraising look around the room. "Ah, excellent. You're all still alive. That will make this easier."
"W-we live to serve, mistress," Bank Ledger mumbled quietly from where he lay.
"Yes, well." She walked over to him, placed a hoof against his neck, and snapped it. "You'll die to serve, as well."
Bloodwing gave a strangled cry of surprise and tried to get up, but Nightmare's magic ensnared her and pulled her into the air before her. She managed to spit one, final curse at the unicorn mare before she, too, was dead. The others followed suit, one at a time, struggling to escape but helpless to do so. Tiktak was last, his orange eyes wide and terrified. He stared at Blueblood, silently begging him for help. For one, brief moment, the prince pitied him. And then he was dead, too.
Nightmare's horn was still glowing, and strange, reddish shapes drifted around it. Blueblood looked closely, then recoiled in surprise as he recognized the slain conspirators, their faces twisted in shrieks of agony and fear. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.
"I need power to break the Sisters' seals," Nightmare explained calmly as she stopped before the ritual circle and the great mural it surrounded. "Theirs... and yours."
Blueblood let out a small, panicked scream as he felt himself pulled into the air. His hooves scrabbled uselessly at the stone floor for a hold. Helpless, he could only stare at the swirling souls around Nightmare's horn as he neared, knowing he'd soon be joining them.
"Celestia will stop you," he told her, hating the whimper in his own voice. "She will. She has to."
"She won't."
Agony wracked Blueblood's body as he felt something being torn out of him. The pain was unimaginable; it made the worst excesses of Tiktak and Ledger's ministrations seem mild in comparison. Every nerve in his body, and something beyond his body, shrieked as his power was ripped away from him, from his very soul. He didn't know how long it went on. Hours, perhaps. Or only seconds. But then he was lying on the ground, gasping, trying hard to see through the tears filling his eyes.
"W-why... ?" he managed.
"Why did I let you live?" she asked mildly. "Because, my love, without the power I gave you, you are weak. Helpless. Useless. I want you to suffer, my love. I want you to see what my master does to your beloved Equestria. And I want you to know you are powerless to stop it."
"No... "
"Yes." She turned back to the circle. The runes were glowing now, the same sickening green as the flames in the braziers. She reared, raising her forehooves to the sky as she focused on the final stage of her spell. "Don't worry, my love. You won't suffer alone."
Her eyes flashed. Not the cool purple of Twilight's magic, not this time, but a deeper, darker violet, almost pure black. Her body went rigid. She rose into the air.
"I go now to join you, my master. You will be free. You will devour Equestria, you will strip it of all life. You will feast, and the screams of the dying shall be like the finest wine. None will be able to stand before you."
She turned her head, meeting Blueblood's helpless gaze, and smiled. "Nothing can stop the Smooze."
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Yep. That's right.
i112.photobucket.com/albums/n197/TheNovak/THESMOOZE_zps1557826f.png
Gotta run, didn't get much chance to proofread, but I was on a roll and had to post this as soon as I finished. Let me know if anything's glaringly typo-y.
Also: hehehehehehehehehehe
............................ I was not Expecting that. Not at all. Interesting way to incorporated the MLP mythos into your story.
woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwww
not gunna lie... for a second i expected her to say flood instead of smooze
... Wow... Well, doesn't feel like a cop-out, and at least Zecora's grandmother decided to HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE.
So, I await the next chapter... Granted, with how big this has gotten, it feels like an epilogue will be needed...
I love it!!
Did anyone else imagine that it was galactus?
1) Buck yeah Zecora's granny!
2) BUCK YEAH BLUEBLOOD!
3) Wow Nightmare, some...thing needs to read the Evil Overlord List. No matter how powerless they may seem, never leave your enemies alive, "Because they can't win!" That's Tempting Fate (More like Tempting the Writer), and just plain dumb.
Dat ending. So much respect right now.
Hahaha! This is an incredible idea.
Have you heard the news?
Nothing can stop the SMOOZE!
Well. I. Uh. Okay. Smooze it is, I guess.
Now that was unexpected. There were a few grammar mistakes, but meh, they were hardly noticeable. Well done.
gifsoup.com/view5/3356544/mind-blown-o.gif
The funny thing is that the Smooze being the Devourer didn't actually surprise me nearly as much as it might have. It's probably because that discussion of its absorption of pretty much everything was already making me think of Timelords and Terror, where the S’Müz does something very similar.
1452358 Well, she may not have read that section of the list, but she at least knew enough to avoid a Faustian Rebellion.
well since nobody did it until now here it is:
really unexpected but awesome
. i need MOAR!!!
So... the Smooze. I don't know a lot about it, and the Wikipedia article wasn't terribly helpful. It seems like it could be a credible 'Devourer', though. It's basically a bigger, badder version of the Blob, and that thing was plenty intimidating. Anyway, I'm glad you decided to make the main villain an established MLP character. OCs tend to be harder to take seriously.
And Blueblood's lost his power. That's bad for him, but probably good for the story. Having him just turn the curse around and pulverize the Smooze with uber-magic would've been boring. And now I legitimately have no idea how he'll get the world out of this one...
So how long do you expect the final chapter to be? There's... kind of a lot that needs to be wrapped up.
Eh - I - Wh - H - Dy -
Well played you magnificent bastard.
Geez talk about tight love with Nightmare, can't say say yes to a simple life with her "love" huh? Anyhow it shall be interesting that the infamous Devourer turns out be Smooze. Great chapter, for now the End Game comes and soon all shall be see their darkest hour! Keep up the good work man, Best regards!
Well that was terribly predictable, using Smooze is interesting though.
Well the Smooze adds a comedy factor to the ending so it's no longer "grim darky darkness of gloomy shadowy uber-dark".
I kind of have an idea what will you do next but still looking forward to it because most likely I'm wrong.
P.S.: So we have now 2 chapters left to the end of the story or 1? I've lost count.
Honestly though, Blueblood suddenly waking up and rescuing Celestia seems awfully contrived.
WHAT.
The, Smooze?
I don't
how
you
Dammit, somebody get the boats ready. We're gonna need a whole shitload of flutter ponies.
Oh right, the Smooze is a thing. You think I should have seen that coming.
Well, so much for my lovecraftian monster theory...
When I first her mention of the great devoured in early chapters the smooze was the first thing that came to mind heck if I remember right that thing even ate the rainbow of light. That thing was a very big bad. I can see pinkie in a trance singing the song as all the memories from past pinkies flow into her giving her the answers they seek lol.
Oh and I almost forgot All hail lord Smooze
At first I was like "devorer of words?"cdn.derpiboo.ru/thumbs/1200/700/2012/06/28/17_21_08_64_24023__crossover_coloured_snips but then I was kind of disapoint at the end...
fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/315/5/e/5eb49051c732868e25dea5d48f6e09ae-d4f6kxo.png
Ugh, that's not Smooze. He's bigger.
*facepalms and groans* You complete, utter, bastard.
Bit of a problem with Smooze's plan: Once he has consumed the entire planet to the point of nothingness, how will he gain the momentum to go to the next planet?
-First half of the first story
-This story
iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/131337219810.gif?1313398417
I salute your brilliance, you magnificent bastard.
Well I sort of figured it would be either smooze or Tirac. Blueblood gets to use his new powers on...well nothing really before it is violently ripped out.
So now he goes back to sucking, only now he is also horribly disfigured.
This fiction is just depressing at this point. Just really, really depressing. I would say that I am hopeful that it will work out, but at this point that is not even remotely possible.
1452240
Epilogue actually might happen, though I'd planned on including it as part of the final chapter. We'll see how things break down.
1452358
Well, they came up with that list while she was imprisoned on the moon, y'see. Also, come on, it's Blueblood; he's kinda useless! Not like he helped beat a draconequus by trolling it or anything.
1452764
And now that song will be stuck in everyone's head.
1452791
Honestly, it's probably going to clock in at at least 10k words, probably closer to 12. And maybe even more, depending on how much cool stuff I come up with on the spur of the moment.
1452968
Oh, it still kinda is uber darky darkness and whatnot. I know there's a lot of humor inherent in adapting a silly G1 villain, but this Smooze is a pretty serious threat, as will be demonstrated.
Also, one more.
1453171
It kinda was, I admit. Sadly, the choice boiled down to "he wakes up because of Celestia's heartfelt speech" or "he wakes up because he really wants to be Batman." I figured the former would be a lot cheesier than the latter, so here we are.
1453297
I'm kind of picturing this Smooze as a cross between his G1 self, a gibbering mouther, and C'thulhu. So... still kinda right.
1453432
That picture is pure win. Just wanted to say that.
1453442
He better not be, or he'll break the comments formatting!
1454000
His ten million mouths will open at once, and he will belch the belch that ends the universe.
1454168
Hey, remember. Back before all this curse stuff, all this powering up and tossing around laser beams, Blueblood outsmarted a draconequus while chained to a wall. Don't count him out just yet
1452218>>1452295>>1452370>>1452454>>1452795>>1452680>>1452725>>1453230>>1453473>>1454152
To you all, I say merely: thank you! I didn't know how well the whole Smooze thing would go over, but I've got a feeling most of you are still with me. It's a huge relief to see, and I thank you for taking the time to comment. One more chapter to go; now that the big reveal's finally here, the only question is how the hell Blueblood and Co. are gonna pull this one out of the fire. I know how, and I think you're gonna like it. (It definitely does not involve flutter ponies. Fluttershy, in some capacity, but no flutter ponies.)
Until next time, everyone. Hope you're as excited for the finale as I am
1454289 I still can't decide whether to laugh to slug you so if we ever meet don't be surprised if that's my first reaction before i try not to be to much of a fanfirl.
Thank god for no flutterponies. stuck up bitches *grumbles*
Oh my goodness of COURSE it's the Smooze. Just...wow. You're amazing Kavonde.
Bwahahahhahahahahaha
Oh Cult Leader Fluttershy? Nightmare Moon's taking your jooob!
Seriously though, still enjoying the series. Keep up the good work!
1454289 Wait a pony-picking minute here! You're going to wrap this all up in ONE SINGLE CHAPTER?! How? Is cult-leader Fluttershy going to call off the Smoozenami? Ooooh, oooh, I know! Pinkie will portal things away with gypsy magic!
1454788
It's... gonna be a really big chapter, but yeah.
And nope, nothing silly or blatantly FiW-ish. Just... well. Don't wanna spoil anything. But the resolution's been set up in advance, even if it's not obvious. (Which is good; if it were obvious, I'd be doing something wrong
)
Does it involve slendermane?
1454289 Hours later and I'm still grinning, so you definitely did something right in my book. That ending reveal was just beautiful.
Definitely curious to see how the hell this is gonna get wrapped up in one chapter.
Smooze. MLP most silly and terrifying monster. The force of nature that inspired grey goo nano plague end of the world horror has enter play in this story.
... damn ...
Smooze. That ruined it for me, seriously. I was thinking "damn, this is grimdark" and then the Big Bad turns out to be Smooze.
I don't even.
1459453
Do you really think I'd spend so much time writing a big, dramatic story just to suddenly change the tone at the last minute for the sake of a joke?
1460441
Yes.
Escalating quickly seems to be a reoccurring theme to this over-arching tale anyways so I'm sure the next chapter will give us sixteen ways to nightmare fuel regardless of the fact that it's Smooze. You could probably give me reason to fear MineCraft chickens with enough time and paper.
1460775
Ah, I misinterpreted ya. I thought your concern was that I was going to suddenly make things silly by introducing a G1 villain. Never mind
Well, uh... you're right. My intention is to make ol' Smoozy legitimately scary. I won't be going into excruciating detail or anything, but that's never really been my style anyway. Still, I really hope he does come across as a source of nightmare fuel; the idea of a giant, ever-expanding, all-consuming amorphous mass of mismatched eyes and mouths creeps me out, and I want to share that with you
1452300 honestly, I was expecting something like Lord English
Well played, well played( didn't think that it was actually PC talking to SA, didn't think BB would survive, did Not count on the eldritch abomination being called "The Smooze," I suck at this game...)
So the Smooze eats cloud kicker and cant handle the awesome, The End!
Also, I know everyone else is going on about the vilian being great writing but really what deserves the commendation is your ability to serve a never ending and ever increasing buffet of pain to poor Blueblood. I have said it before and I will say it again, this is the only series of stories to make me give half a damn about the jerk.
Also, I am looking forward to seeing who gets to fulfill Zecora's little prediction form chapter twelve. If it's literal my money is on Shining and Cadence. Romances always have such tragic endings....
1461470
No prob. I try to only do it when there's a minimal number of things to correct, which is why I hadn't started doing this earlier