The Prince Gets Heroic
The Smooze was free.
It began in the crystalline chambers beneath the palace. One, great, multifaceted jewel began to crack apart. Tendrils of purple ooze, steaming as it dissolved away that which it touched, seeped out it. It dripped to the floor, slowly at first, then more quickly, until the crystal was lost beneath the flood of slime it had contained.
An eyeball emerged. It regarded its surroundings curiously. And then it receded back into the ichorous mass as more and more of its form poured out into the cavern, filling it, filling the chambers beyond...
The first pony to see the Smooze since time forgotten was a young unicorn filly. She'd been having a sleepover at a friend's house, but an argument had broken out, hurtful things had been said, and she'd stepped outside for a bit of air--a tactic she'd learned from her mother. As she passed an alley, she happened to glance down it and, in the moonlight, noticed something strange bubbling up out of a sewer grate.
She was not an adventurous unicorn, nor an especially inquisitive one, but something about it... it seemed to be calling to her. Perhaps even singing. She moved forward until she could see it more clearly. Whatever it was, it seemed to be purple, and...
A tiny little creature formed. It was just a mound, really, with two bulbous eyes and a mouth that almost split it in two. It regarded the filly curiously.
"Um... hello?" she asked. "I'm Lullaby. W-were you singing? I like to sing, too."
The little creature tilted its head, or rather, its eyes and mouth shifted on its body. Lullaby giggled at the sight. Whatever this thing was, it was pretty cute. She reached a hoof towards it. "What's your name, little guy?"
She never saw the tendril of purple ichor slithering up behind her. She never had the chance to scream.
Alarm bells went up minutes later. Royal Guards poured into the streets, warning citizens to flee, that Princess Celestia herself had ordered them to evacuate the city immediately. But it would be too late. The Smooze emerged from every grate, every opening, every crack and crevice. And still he grew, bigger and bigger, until he was simply too huge to be contained within the mountain.
Stone splintered. Towers toppled. Canterlot Mountain began to crumble. The city began to break apart, the spells reinforcing it and holding it aloft failing when its ponies needed them most.
Slowly, inevitably, the mountain collapsed. Stone, mud and rock began to cascade down its steep slopes. It was followed by buildings and streets and screaming, doomed ponies. And after them, like a crashing tidal wave, came the Smooze.
Celestia watched as her great city, and all the thousands of ponies within, fell to the earth and were consumed. She looked to the chest she carried, the one she had delayed her warning to retrieve, and she hoped it would prove worth the cost.
Median Park was one of Manehattan's great landmarks. Located at almost the center of the city, it divided its upper-crust business district from a middle-class residential one. It was a beautiful, scenic place, an oasis of nature in the midst of the bustling metropolis, and it had seen several transformations over the years. Decades ago, it was simply a patch of forest that nopony wanted to cut down. Later, hoof-made lakes were dug, and paths and bridges began to wind through them. For an unfortunate while, Median Park became the place one went to be robbed by unkempt, unscrupulous criminals. In modern days, with improvements in security, it had become a popular destination for tourists and young lover.
It had changed a lot over the years. Though it had never, to Shining's knowledge, been used as a changeling prison and spawning ground.
He, Cadance, Zecora and Rainbow Dash crouched behind a large boulder near the lake at the center of the park. The small island and gazebo at its center, connected by a pair of delicate white bridges, had been completely overtaken by changeling pods. They covered the small structure, obscuring it almost completely, sprawled out in lumps and piles towards the shoreline, and now the greenish ooze covering them was forming a solid crust over the surface of the water itself. A few changeling drones buzzed here and there, tending to the translucent pods and their equine occupants, but the group's primary concern was the pair of camel soldiers, armed with muskets, who were standing guard at the nearer bridge.
Shining ducked back behind the boulder as one of the guards' heads swiveled idly towards him. He was chewing his cud with a bored expression while his partner stared out into the perfectly manicured woods.
"Do you ever wonder why we are here?" the cud-chewer asked, turning back to his comrade.
"It is one of life's great mysteries, is it not? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or are there really gods, watching everything, with a concrete plan for our lives?" He shrugged. "I do not know, my friend, but it sometimes makes it difficult to sleep."
His companion stared at him for a long moment. "... What? I meant, why are we here, guarding this bridge?"
"Oh... uh." The soldier coughed. "Hm."
"What was this about the gods?"
"Nothing."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Behind the boulder, Shining turned to his companions. "They're distracted. Dash, if you can get behind them and draw their attention, I can... "
Cadance raised a hoof to quiet him. "I can handle this."
She raised her head so that her eyes and horn were just peaking over its top, and focused. Shining recognized the dancing, illusive hearts of her signature spell, and arched a skeptical eyebrow. She caught his look, grinned, and winked.
The hearts danced through the air and struck the camels in the chest. They froze.
"I love you," the second soldier said suddenly, leaning towards his companion. "I know that there are regulations, that our people frown upon such things, but I cannot hide my feelings any longer. I love you. I have always loved you."
The first camel stared at the second for awhile, his expression stunned. "I... I love you, too. I never realized until... until you said those words."
"Our people, they will not understand," the second said sadly.
"Then we must away. We must find someplace that will accept us."
"But so suddenly? What of our careers? What of our duty?"
"Damn our duty!" the first cried dramatically. "Love is the only duty which truly matters!"
"Yes, yes, you speak truly! Come, let us throw down our weapons and escape into the night, together... 'til the end!"
They threw their muskets to the ground and embraced for an intense, heartfelt moment before turning and galloping off in their awkward gait towards the city. Shining watched them go, his expression bemused. Zecora was grinning ear to ear, and Rainbow Dash was trying desperately to hold in her giggles. Cadance was smiling serenely.
"Nicely done," Shining told her.
She shook her head lightly, breaking whatever trance she was in. "Yes... it's been far too long since I've used that spell."
"I didn't know you could make ponies fall in love."
"I can't," she said, her smile wistful.
"Oh." Shining turned to look after the two departing camels, thought about it for a moment, and grinned. "Good for them."
Rainbow Dash snickered. "Okay, if we're done playing matchmaker, how about we rescue Pinkie and AJ?"
Together, they trotted across the bridge as quietly as they could manage--hooves on wood did not make for stealth--and towards the mound of pods. The few changeling attendants were on the other side of the mound, buzzing and clicking amongst themselves. The ponies took shelter behind a large mound of pods, doing their best not to disturb the occupants, and turned to eachother again.
"Okay, suggestions on finding them?" Shining asked.
Zecora nodded at Cadance. "You are familiar with their minds; if you could contact them, it would save much time."
"I'll try," she agreed.
She closed her eyes and concentrated, her horn glowing with just the faintest pink light. "Celestia," she gasped a moment later. "There are so many... hundreds. And they're so scared... "
Shining put a hoof on her shoulder. "We'll help them as soon as we can, but we have to get our friends and get to Canterlot."
"I know." She sighed and lapsed into silence again. Several seconds passed before she opened her eyes again and nodded towards the gazebo. "I found Pinkie. She's there, and Applejack is nearby."
"Great work. Let's go."
A quick dash of a few dozen yards brought them to the once-scenic structure. Cadance looked around, her ears twitching as if listening to instructions, until she finally settled on a particular pod and motioned towards it. Rainbow Dash was there in an instance, tearing it open until a bright pink pony tumbled into her arms.
"Dashie!" Pinkie pulled her friend into as tight a hug as she could manage, given her weakness and dizziness. "You're okay!"
"Yeah, c'mon, of course I am," the pegasus blustered. "Hush up, though, there are guards. Where's AJ?"
Pinkie pointed towards another pod further down the subsumed gazebo, and Zecora tore it open to reveal Applejack, slime-drenched hat in tow. She staggered out and managed to keep her hooves as she offered the group a grateful smile. "I ain't never been so glad to see anypony as I am to see y'all."
"We're glad you're okay," Cadance said, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
Shining nodded. "We need to get going, though. Chrysalis has some way to get back to Canterlot, and we need to get there before-"
"Whoah, whoah, hold yer horses," Applejack told him, raising a hoof. "First off, Chrysalis? Thought she was dead."
"Well, I guess she got better," Rainbow Dash said crossly.
Shining waved vaguely towards the mansion they'd escaped. "It's... some sort of genetic racial memory thing. It's not really her, but it's her personality and memories... look, never mind. She's back, and something bad's gonna happen if we don't get back to Canterlot and stop it. So as soon as you're ready... "
Applejack stomped a hoof. "Well, I ain't ready. We ain't leavin' all these ponies trapped to be turned inta bug food or whatever."
"I understand you wishing them to save them all," Zecora said coolly, "but if we do not hurry, Equestria may fall!"
"Seriously, AJ," Dash added. "You don't know what's going on. There are, like, three huge armies invading at once, and we still don't know what's up with Twilight and Blueblood. I don't like leavin' ponies behind, either, but we need to go."
Applejack let out an aggravated breath. "So yer plan is to, what? Go sneak through the biggest city in Equestria, knockin' on everypony's door, askin' 'em if they know where Chrysalis is or how she gets ta Canterlot?"
Shining frowned. "No. We figure she's back at the big mansion we escaped from."
"Ya think? Or ya know?"
He growled in annoyance. "Okay, fine. So what's your plan?"
She grinned. "We free all the prisoners an' cause a big ruckus. When Chrysalis shows up, Princess Cadance here stomps another mudhole in her 'til she tells us how ta get to Canterlot, an' then we skedaddle."
"I kinda like her plan," Rainbow Dash said, moving to hover behind the farmer.
Zecora nodded. "Though it may lack a certain subtlety, it would also give these ponies a chance to get free."
"It'll be like the ending of a big story!" Pinkie cheered. She quieted when the others shot her a distressed look. "Um, you know; set all the prisoners free, foil the bad guys' plans, trot off into the sunset. Like that one cowpony movie?"
Already sensing defeat, Shining gave Cadance one, last, pleading look. She shook her head. "We don't know how long it would take to find Chrysalis, and fighting her might bring a lot of attention. Freeing the prisoners will create a distraction for all the soldiers, and maybe even lure her out. It's the best plan."
"Fine," he conceded. "It's a good plan. It's just riskier than I'd like."
Applejack nodded and grinned triumphantly. "Then let's get started, everypony. Time's a-wastin'."
"WE WILL HOLD THE LINE! WE WILL NOT BE DRIVEN FROM THE FIELD BY THESE SAVAGES!"
Cheerilee winced and cringed away from the Princess of the Night's thunderous voice. The movement brought her face to face with another minotaur, his axe raised over his head as he closed in for the kill. Cheerilee raised her hammer defensively, but was spared the need to parry as a hoof-sized stone came spinning through the air and struck the beast above the eye, knocking it senseless and sending it head-over-hooves as its momentum carried it forward.
She offered a quick, appreciative grin to Rarity, then turned back to the princess. "Your Highness, with all due respect, we can handle a wave or two on our own. Please, get some rest. It's been almost two days!"
"I will not abandon mine subjects when they've need of me," Luna said hotly, her armor shimmering in the moonlight as she deflected a sword blow with her foreleg.
"You'll be abandoning us if you die!" Cheerilee retorted, swinging her hammer at the princess' opponent and laying him flat.
"I will not die from a little sleep deprivation. I am the Princess of the Night, and my physical limitations lie far beyond the limits of mortal ponies. Well struck, by the by."
"Thanks." The teacher swung the hammer around again, intercepting a hurled spear that was bearing down on her and flipping it harmlessly behind her. The unicorns could make good use of it. "But you're getting tired, Your Highness. I can see that. You don't need to throw yourself into every fight just to prove you care about us. Nopony thinks... "
"Thinks what?" Luna demanded, ignoring another spear as it bounced harmlessly off her chestplate. "That I do not love my subjects? That I am not as willing as my sister to protect them?"
"Yes, exactly. Nopony thinks that at all." She kicked the spear behind her, just as the first one launched forward and struck an advancing minotaur in the chest. "You don't have anything to prove, Your Highness."
"Perhaps not to you," she agreed, stopping a charging warrior in his tracks with a pair of blows to his sternum. "But I have much to prove to myself."
They passed the rest of the fight in silence. Several minutes and dozens of slain or wounded minotaurs later, the assault finally let up and the creatures retreated to their torch lit entrenchments along the Everfree's edge. The moment the last one left the town, the team of craftsponies, functional wounded, and volunteer fillies that made up the newly-minted Engineering Corps. scrambled out to the palisade walls, relighting torches and patching holes and replacing fallen posts with practiced efficiency. Cheerilee watched them idly, rolling her neck and shoulders so they wouldn't stiffen before the next attack, and considered Luna's words as the princess retreated to her grand tent.
"Hey, Cheeri," Ditzy called as she floated down beside her and pulled her friend into a one-hoofed hug. "Everything okay here?"
"Mostly," she answered with a sigh. "A couple managed to get past us, and Pokey took a bad hit. Broken leg, we think. You?"
"No casualties, but it was close. Thunderlane got grabbed by the mane during a strafing run. He got most of it ripped out. Now Cloud Kicker's complaining that everypony's copying her style, and pretty soon every pegasus in Ponyville's gonna be bald." She touched her mane and frowned. "I hope not."
"I think Rarity might have a conniption if they did," Cheerilee laughed.
Ditzy put a hoof to her chest and adopted a regal accent. "Darling, really, there are so many things one can do with a mane, it is simply a crime against fashion to do without!"
Cheerilee nodded and tried her own imitation. "There is only one solution to this epidemic of manelessness!" She took in a deep breath and widened her eyes. "Giant! Hats!"
Ditzy snorted and fell on her back, giggling. Cheerilee snickered and covered her mouth, fighting back her own laughter.
"Well, you have to admit, giant hats would be the only way to properly address the issue."
They froze and looked up to find Rarity staring at them with an amused grin. "Er, sorry," Cheerilee offered.
She waved it away. "No offense taken at all, though I would like to note that my accent isn't quite so Canterlotian. I'm just happy to see laughter, even at my expense, after all these days of fighting."
"It's been pretty bad," Cheerilee agreed.
Rarity nodded and sighed. "Dear, I never did apologize for what happened to Big Macintosh."
"Huh?"
"His uniform. It was an early design. My later ones, like yours, have additional layers of padding over vital areas. I had intended to make Macintosh a new one as soon as I could, but... "
Cheerilee nodded and put a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. Hay, Hacksaw did have one of your improved designs, and Torrax still cut right through it. I'm just glad that Macintosh survived."
"Thank you." Rarity told her with a grateful smile. "It's just... been troubling me. If something happened... well, I didn't want that to go unsaid."
Cheerilee nodded. Rarity flashed her and Ditzy another tired smile before turning and trotting away.
"She's worried about her friends," Ditzy observed as she walked away. Cheerilee looked questioningly at her, and she shrugged. "They had her early armor designs, too, remember? She's worried that they weren't good enough. That that's why they're not back yet."
The teacher sighed. "I'm sure they're fine. They're the Elements of Harmony. Well, half of them. They're the greatest heroes in Equestria. What's out there that could possibly stop them?"
"An army of minotaurs, griffons, and camels?"
"Okay, granted, I don't think Applejack could take out a whole army by herself, but... "
"Miss Cheerilee!"
She and Ditzy looked down to find the Cutie Mark Crusaders, orange hard hats on their heads, staring at them with urgency. "What is it, girls?" she asked.
Applebloom sucked in a deep breath. "Miss Mjolna said we needed more wood for the palisade an' said they should tear down yer classroom but it's yer classroom an' we thought you should have the final say-so but she wouldn't listen and went off and ya gotta stop her, Miss Cheerilee!"
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded emphatically.
"Girls... " Cheerilee began.
"Yer gonna let 'er?!"
"You can't!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
Scootaloo stomped a hoof. "It's our classroom, too!"
Cheerilee shook her head and sighed. "Girls, if the wall falls, we won't need a classroom anymore. It's... "
Ditzy put a hoof on her shoulder. "Cheeri, there's a lot of... empty houses now. Couldn't they tear down one of them instead?"
"Ditzy, really, it's okay... "
"But Miss Cheerilee!" Sweetie protested. "You've still got all your teaching stuff in there!"
"And what about our science projects?!" Scootaloo demanded. "Those petri dishes are gonna look awesome!"
"An' what about all our water color paintin's?" Apple Bloom added. "She ain't gonna know to save 'em!"
"Girls, it doesn't matter!"
They recoiled from their teacher's sudden outburst. Even Ditzy leaned away in surprise. Cheerilee stared at them all for a few seconds, then sighed. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that we hold out as long as we can, okay? There will be time for petri dishes and watercoloring and fancy borders and glossy posters and everything else later. What's important right now is making sure we live long enough for that day to come."
The girls stared at her in shock. Sweetie Belle finally broke the silence, her voice trembling. "But... I thought school was important."
"It is," Cheerilee said seriously, bending down to look her students in the eye. "And one day soon, I promise you, it will be the most important thing in the world again. But right now... "
"Hey, Cheerilee!" She looked up to find Cloud Kicker, her head shaved clean of the burnt remains of her once-golden mane, grinning down at her. "Some busybody engineer was eyeballing your school for spare parts. I told her to buzz off."
She covered her eyes with her hoof and let out something halfway between a sigh and a laugh. "Thanks, Cloud Kicker."
"No problem! You and Mac can pay me back some day." She winked. "Better get some rest while ya can, though. Looks like they're massing for another attack from the north. I give it an hour, tops."
"Thanks." She turned to the girls and managed a rueful grin. "Okay, girls. Go find Mjolna and help her find a new building, all right?"
"Okay," Apple Bloom said with an awkward little salute. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle did the same, and then the three were off to lend their services as Cutie Mark Crusader Abandoned Home Demolishers.
Ditzy gave Cheerilee another hug and lifted off to join Cloud Kicker; the two exchanged a few quiet words and flew off to the north. She watched all of them go, and as she did, she felt an odd little sensation shimmering in her heart. She'd been ready to give up. She'd been ready to abandon her school, once her source of pride and joy and warmth and confidence, the place she belonged in and did important work in, just to delay death a little longer. Maybe it wouldn't stand forever; maybe they'd eventually have to tear it down. But somehow, knowing that it was still there, that some day she might be able to return to it...
She hadn't realized how close she had come to giving up. Everything that happened, ever since the night Mac was injured, the night the siege began... In less than a week, she'd forgotten what hope was.
But her coltfriend was still alive. Princess Luna was still fighting at her side. And her classroom was still standing. Some day, all of this fighting would be over. Her life would go back to normal. She'd put her hammer back on a shelf. She'd spend her evenings grading papers and writing lesson plans. She'd be a teacher again.
She glanced towards her little schoolhouse, its cozy little silhouette standing out against the night sky, and she smiled. She'd have her life back some day. And nothing this world could throw at her would stand in her way.
That was when she felt the earth shake beneath her hooves.
Blueblood stood in the castle's grand foyer, looking down at the death of Canterlot.
The Smooze's escape had shattered the mountain. The southern facing had been sheared away cleanly as the creature burst from its prison, sending it and the city and all its occupants plummeting to the earth so far below. The stone floor had crumbled away beneath Blueblood's hooves, ending somehow exactly halfway across the mural at the chamber's center. Half of Celestia and half of Luna, half the sun and half the moon, remained.
He'd watched the city fall. He'd watched as the Smooze had erupted from every opening, even as thousands of screaming innocents fell to their deaths, snatching them mid-fall in one of a hundred mouths and consuming them whole. It had taken, perhaps, thirty seconds for the city to plummet from the peak to the earth, and in that time he could not count how many terrified ponies he'd seen snatched up and devoured.
He was glad for the cloud of dust that rose from the site of impact. It kept him from having to see any more.
Beside him lay Twilight Sparkle, or at least her body. She was breathing, of course, but her eyes were closed and she'd never so much as budged through his attempts to wake her. After a brief and fruitless search to find some way down, Blueblood had given up and simply taken a seat beside the comatose unicorn and stared down at the ruined city he had failed to save.
Several minutes passed before Twilight finally stirred. He stood immediately, pressing a hoof to her shoulder and shaking her gently. She groaned in protest and tried to roll away, but at his urging finally opened her eyes... and immediately screamed and recoiled.
"Wait, wait, it's me!" he protested as Twilight staggered to her hooves, her eyes narrowed as she tried to focus magic into her horn. The effort was beyond her, though, and she swooned and started to fall. He rushed to her and caught her, letting her slide gently to the floor.
"Who... ?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Blueblood," he answered. When her confused expression didn't change, he raised a hoof to his face and pushed the iron mask away, letting it drop with a clatter to the ground.
Her eyes went wide. "Blueblood? Your face... "
He ignored that. "Are you okay? Do you... remember?"
She blinked and shook her head. "It's... it's fuzzy. I remember... the changelings. I fought them. Something hit me. And then... there was this... place. Underground, I think. Green fire everywhere. And something pressing against my mind, trying to hold me down... " She paled. "The Nightmare?"
"She's gone," he said with a heavy sigh, sitting down beside her. "Her little fan club turned you into her new host body. We tried to stop her, but... she won."
She looked at him in concern, her eyes wide. "What happened? What did she do?"
"She released some ancient monster. Celestia called it 'the Devourer.' I guess its real name is 'the Smooze.'" He grunted a humorless laugh. "I'd have stuck with the first one, personally."
Twilight got to her hooves unsteadily, her expression determined. "Then we have to stop it."
He laughed again. " 'Nothing can stop the Smooze.' "
She frowned at him and walked over to the edge of the broken floor, looking down at the thick cloud of dust below. "Where are we?"
"Canterlot Castle."
Her eyes went wide. "Then that's... "
"Canterlot, yes."
"Oh, Celestia, my parents... "
Blueblood winced and bowed his head. "Yeah."
Twilight was breathing hard and much too quickly. She started to teeter again. Blueblood went to her quickly and pulled her back from the edge, and she crumpled to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. "Oh, Celestia... no, no... "
He ran a hoof tentatively over her mane. He tried to say something comforting, however meaningless it may be, but the words stuck in his throat. Tears burned at his eyes. "I'm so sorry," he finally choked.
They sat there for awhile, crying in silence, all alone but for each other. An hour passed. The first rays of sunlight began to brighten the eastern sky. He saw Twilight staring at it as it rose, as if somehow drawing strength from it, until finally she pushed herself away and stood up. "We have to go. Do you know where Princess Celestia is?"
"No, just that she escaped. And if she's raising the sun, she must have gotten those damned magic-nullifying manacles off."
She nodded. "Then we go to Ponyville. Let me just... " She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn began to glow again, much brighter this time, but once again she swooned and almost fell. Blueblood moved to help her, but she found her hooves again without his help. "My magic... it's not all there," she explained, her voice more curious than alarmed. "I'm going to need a minute to charge up a teleportation spell."
Blueblood nodded and walked away. He picked his way around the room, moving around the piles of rubble left by Celestia's brawl with the conspirators and his own, shorter one. As he neared the northward wall, he heard a faint, soft groan. Surprised, he moved towards its source: a zebra, mostly concealed beneath black robes, resting at an unnatural angle against the wall. He went to her and knelt down, gently moving back her hood.
The zebra stared at him through a single, dull eye, her expression one of dim recognition. "The prince," she murmured.
"Yes," he said. "You are the zebra who helped Auntie Celestia."
"Zujada," she told him. "Forgive me... I mean no disrespect... "
"Disrespect?"
"I am not rhyming. I am... too busy dying." She managed a weak little laugh.
"That was terrible."
"Yes," she agreed. "Prince... you must stop her. Stop the Nightmare. Stop her plans."
He shook his head. "It's too late. She's won. She's rejoined her master and broken him free."
"Not too late," she said urgently. Her voice seemed to be gaining strength now with every word. "Never too late. If he was sealed away once, he was beaten. He can be beaten again. Ponies always find a way."
"Well, Princess Celestia and Luna are free. Perhaps they can, but... "
She shook her head. "Do not trust all to your princesses, prince. Powerful as they are, it is you, the ponies, who always prevail in the end."
He glanced up at the sound of Twilight approaching, her horn glowing brightly. She nodded at him, then looked at the broken zebra and frowned sympathetically.
"Do you know of the great war between our kinds?" Zujada asked, drawing his attention again. "Ours was a great empire. We, too, were ruled by a mighty creature. He was cruel, at times, but under his rule we were safe and prosperous and powerful. And then we came into conflict with the ponies. We wished for their lands, and we wished for them to serve us. This was before Equestria," she added.
"The ponies resisted, and what's more, they insulted our great leader. And so we made war on them. There were many great battles. And all those who were slain, our master raised as the most loyal and untiring soldiers imaginable. We were winning, until one day your princesses, known then as Celestial Light and Lunar Sky, drew him out and engaged him in battle. He was more powerful, but he underestimated them, and they held him at bay while a small group of ponies, led by one known as Star Swirl the Bearded... "
"Used a specially-enchanted crystal to disrupt the spells animating his undead army," Twilight finished. Zujada nodded, and the unicorn continued. "With the bulk of his forces suddenly gone, the ponies counterattacked. Not only that, but rebels within the Zebran Empire rose up and started a civil war. The emperor, meanwhile, was hit by a magical backlash from the disruption of his spell that stunned him long enough for the Sisters to capture him and lock him in Tartarus."
"Just so," Zujada agreed.
Blueblood grunted. "So we just have to find some way to set the Smooze up so Celestia and Luna can take him down. Sure, that sounds simple enough."
The zebra shook her head. "You miss one point, prince. The Zebran emperor. Who do you think it was?"
He shrugged. "It sounds an awful lot like Tyranny."
"Indeed. And tell me, prince. The last time he broke free, how was he beaten?"
"Cadance came into her full power and defeated him."
"No," said Twilight, putting a hoof on his shoulder. "Well, not quite. You distracted him. You outsmarted him. If you hadn't... "
Zujada smiled. "I heard the story, prince. We all did. Why else were we so eager to bring you willingly into the fold? Not just for the power of your curse. For your mind."
Blueblood snorted. "Ladies, I'm a reasonably intelligent stallion, but I'm not some sort of genius tactician. I have no idea how to defeat a giant, planet-eating purple blob of death."
"We'll find a way," Twilight urged him. "Together, I know we can."
He shook his head. "Okay, here's one idea. How about, rather than placing all our hopes on the two of us coming up with some brilliant idea out of nowhere, we go find Celestia and Luna, maybe even find the rest of the Elements of Harmony, and blast that thing off the face of the earth?"
Twilight grinned. "See? That's a good start."
Zujada chuckled, but it turned into a cry of pain as it caused her spine to shift. The unicorns looked at her in concern and knelt beside her, but she brushed them away. "Do not worry for me. I am still dying, I think. My spine is shattered. There is little to be done."
Blueblood shook his head. "Pony medical technology is a bit more advanced than your peoples', I'd imagine. We can take you with to the hospital in Ponyville."
She laughed darkly. "Can you not take a hint? I am trying to repent. I did not realize the evil I served until it was too late. Let me die and meet my deserved fate."
"Yeah, no," Blueblood said, gently lifting her onto his shoulders. "You saved Aunt Celestia. You saved me. Maybe we can't stop the Smooze, and maybe we're all going to die, but you're not going to do it alone in the ruins of this castle. You've earned better than that."
"Foolish colt," Zujada muttered quietly, though she didn't try to resist. "Idealistic dolt."
"Yeah, yeah." He turned to Twilight and grinned. "Ready?"
She grinned back at him, though there was just a hint of a wince in it as she looked at his face. He frowned and raised a hoof to it, running it over the scabs and scars left from Tiktak's work. Celestia, he hadn't realized there were so many of them. So much for Nightmare's orders to keep his face intact.
"Sorry," he said quietly. "Let me find that mask... "
She placed a hoof against his jaw, forcing him to meet her gaze, and smiled. He smiled back tentatively. Then, she closed her eyes and touched her horn to his, and then they were gone.
The Smooze fed.
He took its time doing so; there was no need to rush anymore. Ideally, he took his victims alive, the better to feel them writhing and screaming as the acids churning within him dissolved their flesh and melted their bones into warm, filling nutrients. It had been so long since he fed. For awhile, he lost himself to the sensation, the satisfaction of finally filling the aching pit inside him that had gone untended for so long.
Now, though, that primal thrill had faded. Though he still hungered, he was in control of himself again. He could think. He could consider his next course of action. And he could remember.
The seed. His little Nightmare. She had learned so much while she was apart from him. All of that knowledge was his, now, and he ruminated on it even as his tendrils snaked their way through the ruins, seeking any still alive.
And then, suddenly, I hit a wall.
Yeah. It's been six months since I started writing this final chapter, and I've made zero progress on it. There are plenty of excuses to be made, but the long and short of it is this: I lost the magic. And so I set myself a deadline; if I couldn't finish the story by April 19th, 2013, I'd just post what I had and a synopsis of what was supposed to happen. That way, the folks who wanted a conclusion could have one, however much of a letdown its presentation might be, and maybe I could get out from under the boulder of "I really should be writing Prince" and work on something else.
So, without further ado: here's how it would have gone.
Back in Manehattan, Shining, Cadance, Pinkie, AJ, and Dashie free the ponies being held prisoner in Median Park. This doesn't go without notice; changelings and camel soldiers start sounding the alarm, and Shining, Cadance, and Applejack (along with some of the civilians) hold them off while Pinkie and Dash finish breaking people out. The melee keeps getting wilder, as more and more Manehattan ponies come out of hiding to fight back against the occupying forces. Chrysalis herself finally shows up, accompanied by a hooffull of giant, tank-like insectoids. (Cadance and Dash recognize them as grown-up versions of the weird bugs they saw back in the Everfree lair.) Boss battle ensues.
Meanwhile, in Ponyville, battle has un-ensued. Everyone's attention is focused on distant Canterlot, or rather, the huge cloud of smoke and dust rising from where it should be. Luna seems to know what's going on, and tries to contact her sister. The minotaurs, after a bit, decide that the mountain's fall is a sign of their impending victory, and launch an all-out attack. Cheerilee, Derpy, Rarity, Cloud Kicker, and even Blossomforth all get chances to show their mettle. Even Fluttershy finally get some screen time. But for all their heroism, Ponyville looks like it's going to fall; Luna's on her last legs, the minotaurs are pouring over the pallisade... but, just in time to save her sister's life, a battered and power-drained Celestia (along with the ornate chest she's carrying) arrive and helps hold the line.
Back at Manehattan, the Boss Battle is underway. Shining, AJ, Dash, and Pinkie handle the big tank-bugs, while Cadance goes hoof-to-hoof with Chrysalis. The battle goes back and forth for awhile, neither demigodess able to land a knockout blow on the other, until their battle is interrupted by a sudden and powerful earthquake. Their attention is drawn to the distant horizon, where Canterlot should be just barely visible. Instead, there's only a column of smoke. Chrysalis immediately puts things together; she, alone among the conspirators, knew about the Smooze, and knew where he was being kept. She realizes that the Nightmare must have betrayed them; unleashing the Smooze means she wants to destroy Equestria, not conquer it, and destroying Equestria means destroying the changelings as well. She tells Cadance all of this, but Cade isn't calming down; her blood's up, and her violent tendencies are out to play. Shining manages to trap himself in a bubble with her, infuriating her, but manages to calm her down before she fries him. Together, the heroes and the anti-villain head towards Chrysalis' teleportation station, headed for Ponyville.
Back at Ponyville, the battle's still raging as Twilight, Blueblood, and Zujada appear in front of the Golden Oaks Library. They find Luna and Celestia (and Rarity and 'Shy and Cheeri, of course) and have an all-too-brief reunion. A moment later, Chrysalis and Team Shining arrive as well. Chrysalis sends her tank-like minions out to drive off the minotaurs while she explains to the understandably distrustful Sisters that they have a common enemy. Meanwhile, Twilight, retaining a bit of memory from her time as the Nightmare's host, is able to remove Celestia's power-nullifying manacles. With four super-powered pony royals, the strongest mage in Equestria, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and a guy who can set sticks on fire and wave them around in a vaguely threatening manner, the good guys turn the tide of the battle and start driving the minotaurs back...
... Until the Smooze arrives, naturally. Flooding across the plains like a purple, ichorous ocean, the Smooze's approach is marked my a thousand terrified, gibbering voices: his victims, now joined into his gooey essence. The minotaurs, seeing his arrival as yet another sign of impending victory, rally to him. The Smooze starts eating them. They finally realize they're just disposable mooks in this story and start running for their lives.
Celestia explains to everypony (albeit briefly) what this thing is, what it wants, and what it can do. (Dissolve and consume anything it touches.) Fortunately, she managed to smuggle out the Elements of Harmony as she fled Canterlot. Between the Princesses, Chrysalis, and the Elements, she thinks they can beat it. Blueblood asks how in Equestria she and Luna beat it before; she replies, "With great sacrifice."
Our powerful heroines take the field against the oncoming flood. In a show of magical force never before seen in Equestria's history, they hit the Smooze with everything they've got. They utterly obliterate huge swaths of the creature, burning it to ash and dust as they sweep their power over the landscape. Finally, exhausted, their power spent, they release the spell and sink back to the ground.
And the Smooze begins to bubble up out of cracks in the earth and reform.
They try again, but it's less effective a second time. Everypony is getting concerned and desperate now. Cheerilee, Mac, Blueblood, and the Crusaders watch in helpless frustration as the Smooze keeps coming back, stronger each time. And finally, Blue has an idea.
He runs out to the field and grabs Twilight. He tells her to cast the Ancestral Memory spell. She asks why, but then pauses; she understands. Together, they draw a magic circle around them as the Smooze comes rushing in. The others try to stop them, asking them what they're doing; they insist there isn't time to explain. Twi asks Shining to cast a shielding spell around them once they're done, leaving only a small opening for the Smooze to pour through.
Preparations complete, they stand shoulder-to-shoulder and wait.
The Smooze rushes over their shield. Twilight begins to cast the spell. A small tendril of acidic gunk drips through the hole in the barrier, and, wincing, Blueblood touches his hoof to it.
They're in Blueblood's dreamscape again. Images of his life rush by around him, but there's a more pressing concern: the Smooze is there with them, and it does not want to be. The unicorns struggle to pin him down, pulling him through various memories and emotions, trying to keep him from breaking free of the spell. The Smooze's perceived form constantly shifts and changes, going from equine to humanoid to multi-tentacled eldritch horror and everything in between. It seems like a hopeless, desperate struggle; they just need to hold him down long enough for the Princesses to destroy every trace of his physical essence, but they don't know how much time is passing outside the spell, and they don't know how much longer they can last.
Finally, Blueblood has another idea, though he doesn't share it with Twi. Instead, he figures out how to control the spell to some degree, and forces her out of it. As he does, he charges directly at the Smooze, allowing himself to be enveloped and consumed even as he pushes the creature back towards a specific, strong memory: the night of his parents' death, where he and Twi had almost been permanently trapped before. The Smooze may destroy him, but it will be contained in the half-formed memories of an infant, unable to escape for years of real-time.
Back in the real world, Twi comes to. Beside her, Blueblood is unresponsive and glassy-eyed. The Smooze, as well, seems to have come to a complete stop. The Princesses have already cleared away some of it, enough to let Shining drop his shield spell. Celestia asks what happened, but... she already knows.
A year or so later, Twilight--now alicorned--is writing a letter to her mentor, and conveniently recapping the events of the time skip for the audience. The Smooze, its consciousness sealed away in Blueblood's head, has been utterly destroyed. Every last molecule of it has been found and eliminated. Canterlot is being rebuilt, but... well. It obviously won't be the same as it was before. Peace has returned to Equestria; once word got out of what the conspirators actually intended (or, at least, what their leader did), their followers were shunned, ostracized, and some even imprisoned. The griffons made a show of brutally decimating (literally) Bloodwing's tribe and issued a formal apology. The camels quietly tried to pretend the whole thing never happened.
Zujada is well, her damaged spine having been mostly repaired by magic, and living with Zecora. Cheerilee and Big Mac are married. (So are Cloud Kicker and Blossom.) Shining and Cadance are still a little rocky, but they're receiving the pony equivalent of couples' counselling. And Blueblood has been lying in the hospital, comatose, since the battle. Twi's been visiting him whenever she can.
A statue's been built in Blueblood's honor, on the site of his sacrifice. He's widely regarded as a hero, now, the pony who gave his life to protect Equestria. But... he's not actually dead. And Twi believes, some day, he's going to wake up.
Well. Him... or the Smooze.
And, that's it. I told you it would be a (sort of) happy-ish ending, didn't I? I mean, aside from the widespread death and destruction. And Shining and Cadance not really resolving their issues. And Blueblood's body possibly becoming a host for the Smooze.
Anyway, Seriously: thank you, all of you, for reading this. I can't thank you enough for the kind words and support you've given me since I started writing these stories about poor ol' Blueblood, and I can't express how disappointed I am with myself that after all this time, I couldn't deliver the ending you deserved. Maybe, some day in the future, I'll come back and give this the proper ending I had wanted it to have. I hope this poor, Cliff's Notes version of it will suffice until then.
Thank you for reading.
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An update!? Impossible!
Le minding my own business *update email*denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1461_131907955975.png
It lives!
Edit: Its the ending we wanted, but not the one we deserved, so he will redo because he can take it.
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You said before the 19th and by jingo, you delivered!
Time to read!
EDIT: Well, don't blame yourself for that wall; it still worked out ok and we got a proper ending. After so long, you sometimes just need to say "No, enough. I'm done" and end it. And you know what? That was great and I can say that I'm satisfied with it (apart from Blueblood being in a coma, I sorta wanted him to at least have a slightly happy ending). Well done, you've made a brilliant trilogy and I can't wait to see more from you! *cough*Flutterspy*cough*
I smell a sequel (Blueblood awakening and fighting the demon inside, with the help of his love Twilight he fights it in his mind)
Well some bit of closure is better then none at my good friend, and i must say that i'm going to miss this series very much. Whatever your next project may be, I wish you luck and good fortune upon it.
First time looking at this story, and what do I see?
"The Prince of Ponyville"
"... life has been flipped and turned upside down..."
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2446822 I don't know. He seems burned out if he hit that wall. Maybe he should just focus on new things.
Know how you feel man. Walls are hard.
Man prince blue-BALLS.
Ah well. Still tracking so if you ever do finish be sure to post as a new chapter.
And better than nothing.
Youch, so in the end all of Canterlot – including Twilight's parents – consumed alive by the Smooze with their minds absorbed into his somehow. That may be a tad darker than I can take.
... Kavonde, I'm sad to say that if you ever DO pick this up again... I'm not looking forward to it, and two descriptions in scenes in this chapter are why...
... Along with a hatred of dark pony fics that has sprouted and grown over these six months. The description of that innocent filly being taken by the smooze, followed by a later scene of it describing its victims being digested alive. ... It sickened me. And... it's not even your fault for that. It's just... I've changed my tastes a bit. I don't like ponies suffering. I don't like like knowing that innocent children are devoured alive in the literal, primal sense of being digested.
It honestly made me cry, and not in a good, hope-spot way. Even with the planned 'heroic sacrifice', all those ponies are permanently DEAD, and they died suffering.
2446822 I had the same thought.
Not as detailed or fleshed out as I wanted but it's good none-the-less. So, yay.
Honestly I did not really like this story. It was well written but the plot was too over the top for my liking.
That wouldn't have been a very satisfying ending for me personally to be honest. Way to much tragedy at the end there. I rather prefer to read it like this I think, in stead of going through that in detail.
to much darkness left you no place to go.
After all this time?! I had forgotten this was still in my favorites. Could have sworn I had given up on you ever finishing this story...
SORRY!!
Sweet Heavens above!
IT LIVES AT LONG LAST! 
I can't read it yet, but I shall, and soon!
2447196
Ditto
2447148 2447052 2447083
Honestly, I agree. I think that's part of why I couldn't properly finish it. The world I created just got way too dark, and I kind of lost interest in inflicting pain and suffering on these characters.
Sadly, by the time I realized that, I'd passed the point of no return. But the lesson is learned.
2447333
Well, at least you have future projects to look forward to.
I understand fully, and accept your reasoning.
As for the ending......
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I am looking forward to the possibility of you coming back and giving it the proper ending, but for now........
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images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080902204344/aceattorney/images/3/3b/Holdit.gif
There's a big plot hole here! If Blueblood's technically-not-dead, how did he write that letter to Celestia in "Strange Destiny"? And why does it say he's dating someone, when he's, you know... yeah.
And thus it is time to close this book and let it rests...
Let us be honest with ourselves: your story has always been quite dark, knowing this fact, such an ending had to be expected, and it happened, true to the story, not sad, but bittersweet.
Now that this issue has been addressed, let us talk about the second one... The writing ("or lack thereof" if I was more cynical) of said ending.
Well, we cannot hold a grudge against you for being honest with us, a simplified ending will always be better than no ending at all, besides, I understand this form of writers'block and will say "You can be proud of your work" but I'll add that I won't forget this and will keep hoping that maybe one day we'll see this chapter re-worked.
On this note: Good job, now take the time to rest, I'll probably keep an eye on your future fic and I wish you an excellent day.
2446762
Isn't it rather the opposite? This ending is the one this story deserved (the story is dark so the ending is dark too) but it isn't the story we wanted because... Destruction, suffering, death etc...
But if we talk about how the ending was delivered then the quote does fit doesn't it?
...well that's terrifying.
No! Blueblood can go down like this, he has to survive he has to live on, he has to have the twins Twila and Sparkling Blue!
but seriously I love this story, I don't mind the ending, because I have to rich story to support it. Thank you for writing
So, exactly what anime did you tear that ending out of anyway?
2448138
To the best of my knowledge, none of them. I don't really watch anime.
2447584 Honestly I like the summed up ending better than him having to go into uberdetail of how bad life was, and I just did the Batman line to be funny, I love this fic and I love happy ending as well. When he killed all of Canterlot....well death, that shit's permanent, but death is a fact of life, is a dark fic what we "signed up for" when we all started reading this? Probably not, but how can you have an ending where everything bad that happened just "un-happen" it kind of ruins the lessons learned, even though I don't think there was anything to be learned from the Gak attack. Well this reply has gone on long enough
:bluebloodsheepish:
Is that a reference to Red Vs Blue i See?
2448632
Wow...just...damn. I have never stopped loving this fic, from the very beginning, all the way to the end. I'm happy to say even with a cliff notes ending, this still feels incredible. I won't deny even this short version made me shed a few tears for poor Blue. Thanks to you and others, I've really developed a soft spot for the poor creature.
My heart goes out to you at the feeling of having lost the magic but I can honestly say I don't hold any anger towards you. If we could control inspiration life would be simpler but until that day comes, I can accept sometimes you only get the short ending. Thankfully the short ending was everything I ever could've hoped for.
I am gonna apparently go a bit out on the limb here and say I actually liked the way the world was going.
I mean sure it was dark evil and scary but that was the kind of stuff that made it interesting, it was not some sugar coated unicorn fart of a happy world but one that is both different and unfortunately kind of relatable.
I could go on for a page about how everything that happened is in line with what came before but I will spare you all my ramblings. In short It was a great story and I hope you one day get the itch to come back and straighten out these last couple of chapters worth of material.
I liked it! Bittersweet endings are my favorites, and I love that Cadance and Shining Armor aren't completely okay. Also gay camels.
Good luck on any future projects.
I would prefer you start penning the sequel than going backwards to finish this chapter.
2449813
Truely, I don't think this needs a sequel, or really should have one. The ending would stand well enough on its own, and I honestly have no wish for Kavonde to suffer from even more Darkness-Induced Author Apathy.
2450188
True. Maybe I just suggested one because I want a proper ending to the saga.
2450188 2450328 2446822
If I do make a sequel, it's going to involve Blueblood donning his iron mask, a green, hooded cloak, and calling himself "Dr. Blooze." He'll battle with his arch nemesis, the accursed Sparkle, and try to take over the world through a combination of magic, super-science, and sheer, unadulterated testicular fortitude.
Fortunately, Twi will be helped by her friends. AJ will become mishappen and rock-like, but gain immense strength and invulnerability. Rainbow Dash will gain the ability to burst into and project flame. Fluttershy will be able to turn herself invisible and create force fields. Twilight will get the ability to stretch her limbs out, but seeing as she's already a nigh-omnipotent demigoddess who wields immense arcane power, she won't really use it.
They'll be occasionally joined by Rarity, who can now shrink herself to tiny size, fly, and shoot pinpoint energy blasts, and the mysterious Spider-Pony, a wise-cracking heroine who occasionally reveals her secret identity, then makes everyone pretend that she didn't.
I think it could work, don't you?
Arr, as happens sometimes: bloody good idea for a story and its events, but somehow you just can't make it work. Been there myself, so I know how frustrating it feels. Still, as you say this does give us some closure, so that's something, and if you do manage to come back and finish it off properly, if you get the magic back, then I shall be no less enthusiastic about reading how it should have gone.
2450488
...
Marry me?
Huh, I thought this was gonna end with a "return to the past, now!" kinda spell that made everything better. Guess not.
And now the story's ended. The battle has been won.
Blueblood's song has ended. Another has begun.
There is no shame in admiting you cannot continue. However if I might have a suggestion be observed. Let those who whish for now to continue where you left off and you choose the best placeholder until you can finish. That said I have followed blueblood's tale from the beggining to here. I am glad he has grown and become the stallion we hoped he would be. With all sincerity, very good job and a story well told
2448550
True true.
Well, over all I think this was pretty good. Little disappointing that there wasn't a real ending like you wanted, but then again that may be for the best considering two things:
1. The fic was too long as it was, and flushing out that summary of what should have happened would have made it even longer.
2. I would have had some nerd rage, because there wasn't even a reference to the Flutter Ponies in that summary. As someone who has seen the 80's movie, I know that the only thing that can stop the smooze are the Flutter Ponies.
Though I suppose that would have made it hard for Blueblood to be the hero, which I did like.
Thanks for a great fic, and I'm glad I read it.
Oh Celestia, please come back and finish this at some point. It would be EPIC!
it's...alive!!!
...and..it's over...
2447333
you could go back and edit some chapters, change things up on the way to the end.