The Corrupting Greed (Edited By RB And GT4)
As the prince approached the establishment, he started to feel like he was being watched, and saw that many of the ponies around the building were glaring at him in either curiosity or anger. Or both.
Swallowing a lump in his throat, he shook his head and continued his steady march until he reached the front door. Taking a deep breath, he began knocking until an irritated unicorn mare with brown fur, a white mane, and a tail in the shape of foam opened it. "The sign says…" she began, and then her voice trailed off when she noticed who was knocking.
She smirked. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the prince of Equestria, gracing us with his presence after having such a miraculous change of heart. What an honor." She rolled her eyes and crossed her forelegs. "What do you want? In case you didn't notice, we’re closed."
The prince glanced at the sign, then back at her with a raised eyebrow. "In the middle of the day?"
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" she asked defensively. Blueblood looked over her head, noticing the spilled coffee and broken table until she blocked his view. "We’re getting some things repaired. Now, if you don't mind, aren't you late to kissing some foals in front of a camera or something?"
She was about to close the door when the prince shoved a hoof in the door, stopping it. "I need to see Fort Knox," he said.
She glared at his hoof and then at his face. "Why?"
The prince smirked as he looked at her. "Come on, isn't it obvious? Changelings integrating into noble society? Do I need to spell out the possibilities on the info and money behind it? Hello, anypony in there?" he replied, tapping her head twice.
The mare laughed. "Ha! I knew you were still a scheming snake with a silver tongue, I just knew it! Knox owes me forty bits now,” she said, pointing at him. "No way a measly fire could take that away from you!"
God, I'm gonna need a long, ice-cold shower once this is over...
The prince mentally cringed at his attitude before addressing the barista again. "Excuse me? Your boss? Chop-chop," he said, faking irritation.
"Huh? Oh yeah, he is in the basement, you know the way," she answered, pointing to the back door. "Just knock before you enter, he’s...‘adjusting’ some inventory." She let out a chuckle before returning to the back of the counter and resuming her reading of a magazine.
That is, until a stun spell was cast on her, and the mare’s face smacked the countertop as she fell to the floor. The invisibility spell dropped and Applejack and Stellar quickly appeared next to the prince, the former opening the door briefly to signal Coco and the plain-clothes-disguised platoon waiting outside.
"Was that really necessary?" Blueblood asked his guard with a raised eyebrow while looking at the barista’s unconscious form.
"We couldn't risk her callin’ for reinforcements, right?" Applejack replied, tying the mare up with her lasso. "Gettin’ repairs done, my tail. Ah’ve been in enough cider bars with Big Mac and mah cousin Braeburn to know what a brawl looks like. She knew what was goin’ on." The farmer looked around the place and smirked. "This whole scene has Rarity’s name written all over it. That mare doesn't look like it, but she can put up a heck of a fight if’n she wanted to." She then turned to the prince and tipped her hat. "Not bad actin’, by the way."
"Please don't remind me," the prince muttered, shivering at the thought until Stellar got their attention and pointed to the back door. "Stellar’s right, we’re not done yet. We need to go find Rarity."
"Right!" They both got closer to Stellar, and she cast the invisibility spell once more, making it look like the prince was alone.
Well, even though I need to pretend I’m still a jerk, this is kinda exciting. Almost like I'm a spy or a hero rescuing a hostage.
The prince stepped towards the back of the shop, but before entering he looked at the barista for a moment in pity. He quickly grabbed a pillow from one of the chairs with his magic and put it underneath her head before going into the hallway and toward the only door at the end of it. He was about to knock and then remembered what he was supposed to be here for, and shook his head. He decided instead to slowly open the door, making as little noise as possible until he saw a set of metal stairs heading down.
Walking down slowly, he soon found himself in an incredibly massive basement the size of a football field, with a lot of boxes spread around and two huge sliding doors on the walls. The doors no doubt led to underground tunnels, as the only source of light came from a giant white crystal in the center of the rooftop, which had a stream of light in the base hitting the floor.
What the hell? Is this a basement or a warehouse?
The prince looked around in confusion as he reached the base of the stairs, and with help of his friends made quick work of two stallions that were guarding the entrance. They then resumed their walk, looking around at the crates and small boxes, both wooden and metallic, piled into neat, organized rows. All had different tags on them, ranging from potions to medicine, and all the way to weapons and jewelry.
Okay, so we are in an underground storage facility, hidden under a coffee shop. Either Fort Knox deals in illegal goods transportation, or he’s the weirdest and richest hoarder I have ever seen, the prince thought, and kept exploring until he was startled by a sudden voice.
"Keep your hooves away from me, you uncivilized brutes!" Rarity called in the distance, alerting the three as they rushed to the center of the room where the stream of light seemed to be gathering.
Once there, they saw that Rarity was tied to a chair while surrounded by unicorns, all pointing their horns at her while Fort Knox poured some water in a hollow and transparent gemstone, taken from a box full of them. He then sealed the gem again and exposed it to the ray of light created by the crystal in the roof. "Now, now Miss Rarity, dere ain’t no need for violence here, right?"
"You splash me with hot coffee, kidnap me, ruin my perfect mane and makeup, and now are mistreating me with magic! I certainly have all the right in the world to be violent and angry right now," she spat back, thrashing around. "And what kind of basement is this? All poorly lit, cold, with giant boxes piled on top of each other everywhere and no place to sit. Is this unflattering chair really the only thing you have for that? This place is just hideous! You could at least have painted the walls a bit, aren't you supposed to be rich? Are you so cheap that you refused to pay for even one simple color? I was so wrong about you, Fort Knox, I thought that with that elegant suit and those kind and polite words, you were better than this, but you’re nothing more than a well-dressed swine, you boorish snob, you--!"
"Will somepony please just gag her again," he sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Don't you dare!" Rarity glared daggers at the unicorn with a piece of cloth in front of her, before another one behind her forced a ball in her mouth to silence her.
"Thank ya, her whinin’ was really startin’ to get on my nerves," Fort Knox said with another sigh of relief before approaching her. Rarity glared at him and continued to try to yell and thrash, until he was face to face with her. "Oh right, complainin’, not whinin’, huh?"
She rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless as the stallion moved away from her and showed her the gemstone. "Ain't it beautiful, miss? Imported straight from the Badlands desert, pure alexandrite. Although, I prefer the name the locals gave it when I discovered it --- 'The Oblivion Kiss’."
He passed the alexandrite with water to one of his goons and picked up another empty one. "A gemstone dat in itself is harmless, but when exposed to any kind of light and pressed against anypony’s head…" He motioned as he talked, pressing it against Rarity. Immediately the image of Rarity outside the city hall appeared in the air for all to see, showing her being approached by Fort Knox and how he kissed her hoof, then calming her down before guiding her to the cafe.
"…It shows their immediate memory."
He removed the alexandrite, and Rarity’s head rolled forward as she felt dizzy. "Yeah, I know. The side effects for usin’ it include dizziness and delirium for a short period of time. Dat’s probably why dese gemstones are illegal in Equestria," he said, tapping the box of the gemstones with a smirk. "Good thing dat nopony knows dat dere’s a box full of ‘em in here, right boys?" He laughed with his goons as he took the alexandrite full with water.
Rarity’s glare intensified, and so did her headache.
"Aw, don't be mad at me. I’m a stallion of my word, ya ain’t gonna feel a thing with dis one." He shook the alexandrite with water a little, making it shine a bit brighter. "After some experimentation I found out dat usin’ water and some white light..." He pointed at the crystal on the rooftop. "I can command the memory I wanna find by speakin’ its details and den pressin’ the crystal against the pony’s head. Everythin’s shown and exposed in front of me, and as the water evaporates from the heat, so does the memory in the user's head..." He smirked at Rarity and approached her, holding the gemstone up. "So Miss Rarity, without any further delay, Blueblood’s secret, if ya please." He held out the gemstone towards her head...
A bolt of magic struck the gemstone, blasting it out of his hoof. Immediately all the goons turned and saw Blueblood approaching the group.
"Geez, Fort Knox, I know nopony likes it, but I'm pretty sure that there are better ways to deal with rejection than this," Blueblood snarked. "By the way, she’s right, this place is just dismal. Would it kill you to put some color here and there instead of going for the cliched supervillain cave?"
Rarity’s eyes widened when she saw him approach, genuinely touched. He…came here? To rescue me?
All the unicorns aimed their horns at him but stopped when he showed them a recorder floating in his magic. "Ah ah, easy there fellas, none of you would want the copy of your boss’s confession to end in my aunt's hooves, would you?"
That made them stop and back away as he approached Fort Knox. He stopped and looked up...and up, finally noticing that the pony was easily two heads taller than him.
Oh Lordy, he’s bigger than Big Mac...
He cleared his throat and looked at Fort Knox with a neutral expression before glancing at Rarity and then looking back at him. "Well Fort Knox, care to explain yourself?"
After recovering from the surprise, the larger stallion laughed and looked down at the prince, noticing that he was all alone. "Well, if it ain’t the new and improved prince of Equestria. How nice of ya to grace us with your presence." He gave a smug smile, revealing his golden tooth. "Dis day really has been one strange occurrence after another. Hearin’ dat ya apparently got amnesia, den dat ya almost died, and den a miracle of findin’ out dat ya actually have a heart. And now it turns out dat ya also had a brain all along? You’re full of surprises lately. Now tell me, how did ya find dis place?"
"Please Fort, don't insult me, did you really think that I couldn't just double the price you offered to your guards? The moment I showed them the second bag of bits, they were drooling like a starving dog,” Blueblood remarked. "Now, let's talk business. Fort Knox, I’ve come to bargain."
"Would ya look at dat? So much for your change of heart. How long did it last, an hour?"
"I'm still a changed stallion," Blueblood said with a serious expression. "The fact that my view of the world changed doesn't mean I’ve forgotten how this game is played." He pointed at Rarity. "Now, before we begin, let her go. That’s no way to treat a lady, and she has nothing to do with us."
Everypony laughed at the comment as Fort Knox looked at his goons. "Whoa-ho, look out boys, we’ve got a noble prince here."
Rarity’s eyes started to dampen, never once looking away from Blueblood. He really did come back for me… Her eyes then widened and she shook her head. What in Equestria am I thinking?! That gemstone! It’s making me delusional, but I still need to apologize to him for my behavior, and he just marched here gallantly and…Gah! Rarity, control yourself!
Once the gang’s laughter died down, Fort Knox looked back at the prince. "I was wonderin’ what all dis was, about ya bein’ a changed pony, but now dis? Dis is just pathetic. It’s too late for ya to start playin’ hero, Blueblood," he said as his goons began to circle around the prince. Fort Knox picked the water-filled alexandrite off the ground and started towards Rarity. "One accident and some extreme tannin’ ain’t gonna change what ya are, boy. Now, I’m gettin’ tired of seein’ ya pull surprises outta your butt, so if ya will excuse me, I’ll go see your big secret now."
"I'm warning you, Fort Knox, let her go,” Blueblood growled. “I still have your confession."
"And I have the means to avoid bein’ exposed, 'Your Highness'," Fort Knox retorted with a smug smile. "Dis place has a magic jammer on it, nothin’ and nopony can be teleported in or out, so the moment ya try, your device will simply hit an invisible wall." He waved a hoof and the unicorns readied their spells. "But hey, don't let me try to stop ya. By all means, give it a go; make my day."
"Please Fort, stop this," the prince pleaded, trying to appeal to whatever remained of the stallion’s heart. "Just look at yourself! Is this how you want to live? In the dark like a rat, hurting innocents? Life is more than just bits and luxuries, I know that now. If I can change, so can you; it’s not too late. Just call off your guards, apologize to Miss Rarity, and get rid of all this illegal junk. I can even help you with the last part. With the apology, on the other hoof, you are on your own. You did kinda kidnap her and threaten to manipulate her mind, so you two will have to work a deal. Maybe offer her to slap you in the face or kick you in the groin. I would advise the slap but the mare has one killer left hoof so it could be worse."
Everypony stared at him unblinkingly, and Blueblood cleared his throat before continuing, "What do you say, Fort Knox? If I could change for the better, you can do the same. So why not change together and work hard for a better Equestria?" He offered a hoof to the larger stallion.
Fort Knox stared at Blueblood in the eyes with a raised eyebrow before bursting into laughter, so much so that he almost fell to the floor and needed to hold onto the chair while his goons did the same, some even clearing their eyes from the tears. The prince watched them all with an annoyed expression, rolling his eyes skyward.
"Oh my Celestia, dat was…dat was…!" Fort Knox had another fit of laughter before addressing the prince again. "Do...do ya even hear yourself, boy? Do ya really believe all that nonsense?"
The prince sighed. "To be...brutally honest, no, I didn't. But the polite thing to do was to give you the chance, and Amber needed time to charge her spell anyway, soooo yay me."
Immediately all their eyes widened in horror. "What?" Fort Knox gasped, but before anypony could react, dozens of clones of Amber burst out through the crates, jumping toward them or running, appearing everywhere until they surrounded the group. The goons tried to retaliate, but Stellar appeared and charged her horn, sending a wave of blue magic that blinded them and forced the afflicted to stare into space. In a similar surprise motion, Applejack made a quick job in lassoing the rest of the goons and knocking them down with a good placed buck to the face.
Fort Knox was left speechless as the prince approached him with a literal army of guards at his back, all of whom were smirking at him as they kept their horns at the ready. Others were putting the rest of the thugs in the ground, half burned, unconscious, and tied up.
"Ahem, let’s try this again. Fort Knox, I’ve come to bargain,” Blueblood said again, chuckling at his little in-joke. “So here are my demands: release our friend this instant and surrender peacefully, and I’ll give you my word that my aunt won’t hear a thing about this. Instead, I’ll choose somepony else for your trial. Resist arrest and…well, let's face it --- treason, illegal possession, illegal transportation, blackmailing, bribery of a guard, and not to mention you hurt and kidnapped a friend of the crown and a national hero. So yeah, she’s gonna eat you alive and spit you out before the trial even begins," he warned him. "So I suggest you choose the less painful option while you still have the chance."
Fort Knox looked everywhere for a way out, even taking a glance at Rarity who was now looking at him with a smug smile before sighing in defeat. "Okay Blueblood, ya win," he relented, turning to Rarity to untie her.
The prince let go of a breath he was holding in satisfaction. "Glad to hear you came to your senses."
"I'm not beyond reason," Fort Knox replied with a smile. "I’ll take your offer..." His smile morphed into a smirk, alerting the guards. "After I find out your secret!" he added with a yell, breaking the chair. Amber tried to fire, but Fort Knox used Rarity as a living shield which made Amber stop as he fell to the ground.. Taking advantage of the confusion, Fort Knox kicked the box of gemstones toward the light. Moments later, due to the overexposure, the gems started to violently shake before rupturing behind him. The resulting explosion released a blinding wave of white light.
Stellar conjured a shield for her friends and used her body to cover the prince, but it was too late as everypony in the room minus Fort Knox and Blueblood got blinded. Once the light faded, the prince saw how Amber was forced to end her spell, leaving her dizzy in the middle of the room as Fort Knox made a run for it holding Rarity and the gemstone with water. "You’re comin’ with me!" he growled as he approached one of the doors in the room.
"Oh, no you don't!" Blueblood glared and gave chase.
Fort Knox noticed him following, and kicked a nearby pile of crates, making them tumble towards the prince. His reflexes kicking in, the prince slid and managed to avoid them, yet the domino effect caused even more crates to fall over, making destructive chaos spread everywhere like wildfire. The prince managed to catch up with the larger stallion as they entered another room, and picking up two fallen swords from the debris with his magic, he managed to throw them at two pulleys.
Hitting his marks, the weapons cut the ropes, and made two large suspended crates fall and block the only other door out of the room, and also destroy the stairs, effectively cutting off Fort Knox from his only escape routes. Unfortunately, with the destruction behind them, it also trapped the three inside with almost no light.
"Seriously, Fort? Another warehouse connected to the first one? How can you even afford all this?" Blueblood yelled in irritation as he tried to find him in the darkness, using his horn to give him some light.
"It helps when you’re the owner of the entire block!" Fort Knox retorted, appearing on Blueblood’s left to tackle himinto the ground before disappearing among the crates once more.
Blueblood needed a moment to recover and breathe before standing up again.
Freaking...train! What the hell is this guy made of, stone?!
Once he recovered, the prince took a few slow steps, careful of his movements. "It's over Fort. You’ve got no escape, your goons are all captured, and we have enough evidence to lock you up for a long time. Even if you manage to leave this place, a friend of ours must’ve already informed the princesses where we are. She will be here any minute now..." Managing to spot some small wooden boxes next to a large crate, the prince jumped on top of them before Fort Knox appeared and tried to hit him, only managing to destroy the smaller boxes.
The light from his gemstones shone a bit brighter for a moment. Shaking off the dizziness, the stallion looked around in anger before smiling. "Ya think ya can scare me? I’ve got contingency plans for everythin’. After beatin’ ya and findin’ out your secret, I’ll escape and lay low under a new identity for a while. Then I’ll come back stronger dan ever!" He looked at Rarity with a smirk. "And when dat happens, I’ll make sure to pay ya both a friendly little visit…”
She glared at him and started to thrash around until he choked her with his hoof. "Shut up..." he hissed.
Fort Knox then began to eye the stacks of crates around him in suspicion. "So, ya better come out now, Blueblood. Or do ya not care about the safety of your precious little marefriend here?" he threatened, increasing his hold on Rarity. "Come out, come out, wherever ya are...."
Okay, it’s official, he’s a wannabe supervillain, Blueblood thought in anger, holding his head with a hoof. I can't fight him while he has Rarity hostage. First I need to force him to let her go, but how? I can't just fight him head on!
Just before the light disappeared, the prince looked down and saw that the crate Fort Knox had broken contained a set of armor, and looking underneath his own, he discovered it full of bags of flour, which gave him an idea.
Or can I?
Keeping his magic aura as dim as possible, he levitated the objects and moved behind Fort.
"Fort, that’s just low. You’re so afraid of me that you hide behind a defenseless mare? Talk about spineless," the prince mocked. Turning around, Fort Knox saw Blueblood walking behind him looking for them using his horn again. He smirked and picked a dagger up from the ground as Rarity trashed and tried to warn the prince.
"Think of it as insurance..." Fort Knox muttered before running toward Blueblood at full speed. Rarity screamed in terror for the prince until they made contact with the dummy armor, which exploded from the impact, covering them both in flour.
"What the…" Fort Knox let out a startled yelp as he looked around the cloud of flour for the prince, sneezing uncontrollably.
"Surprise!" The prince appeared from the right and smashed Fort Knox in the face with a metal shield as hard as he could, forcing the larger stallion to let go of the gemstone and Rarity. Blueblood didn't waste time and picked her up before rushing away while Fort Knox attempted to recover.
Once he thought they were far enough from the stallion, the prince untied Rarity and looked her in the eyes. "Rarity, are you okay?"
“Y-yes, I’m fine,” she replied, coughing and holding her throat as she stood up, looking at him guiltily. “But...I don’t understand, Blueblood. After I treated you so badly, why did you risk your life for me?”
The prince sighed and shook his head. “Rarity, look, I know you don’t like me, and perhaps you never will. And while that hurts me, it doesn’t mean I won’t stand to the side while you suffer,” he said to her with a serious expression. “Whether you like me or not, you’re still an Equestrian citizen, and as such, just like my aunt’s, it’s my sworn duty to protect you. So that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Taken aback by his words, Rarity can only tear up and hug him. "Blueblood! I…I’m so sorry!" She exclaimed, letting her emotions flow. "I thought he was going to kill you, a-a-and it was all my fault! Because of me, we ended up here in the first place."
After recovering from the surprise, he returned the hug with a smile. "It’s okay, Rarity, it’s okay." the prince said, trying to console her.
"Blueblood, I'm so sorry for the slap and for everything! I’ve been nothing but mean to you all this time and yet you came back to save me and…"
"BLUEBLOOD!" They both heard Fort Knox scream in complete rage before hearing crates and objects being destroyed and tossed around like rag dolls. "Show yourself! I'm gonna break every single bone in your body!”
Blueblood turned to Rarity. "Look, there’ll be a time for this later, but for now, we need to deal with him," he said to her and prepared to leave, but Rarity stopped him by holding his hoof.
"You’re not actually considering fighting him alone, are you? He’s double your size!" she said fearfully.
"Of course not, only an idiot or somepony with a death wish would face that giant head on,” Blueblood replied. “So, we’re both going to restrain him."
Rarity blinked in confusion. "Say what now?"
"Look, the first thing we need to do is--LOOK OUT!" Blueblood tackled her away before a flying crate smashed into where they had just been, the pair hiding behind another one. "Okay, I know it’ll be bad to confront him, but he’s on a rampage. The more we wait for my guards to come here, the more likely he’ll find us. Plus we don't know exactly what he keeps in this warehouse. If he breaks something toxic or something that can catch itself on fire, we will be inside a death trap. So, that is why we need to restrain him as soon as possible."
“Um, Blueblood?”
Blueblood blinked, then realized his position on top of Rarity, which was causing her to blush furiously. Thanks to the delirium effects on the crystal, in her eyes she saw him looking down at her with his mane blowing in a simulated breeze.
"Rarity?" Blueblood looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What? I-I mean--!" She shakes her head and comes back to reality. "Yes, you’re right, we can't just wait and hope something here won't turn this place into a death trap. Plus I still owe him for messing with my poor mane and makeup..." she said with a growl of anger before clearing her throat as they both stood up. "Do you have any ideas?"
"The classic hit-and-run tactics come to mind, but I'm open to suggestions," he said with a grin.
Rarity put her hoof on her chin to think, until she came up with something. "Keep him distracted, while I go search around. I think I know what we can do."
"Got it."
"Also Blueblood, could you take care of this?" she added, pointing at the ring still on her horn.
"Oh right, sorry." He used his magic to remove the ring, making the mare shiver and shake her head.
"Ah, that’s much better,” she sighed. “Now, don't do anything stupid, and keep your distance from that brute!"
"On it!" He saluted before dashing away and disappearing into the shadows.
Rarity couldn’t help herself. She held a hoof to her chest and “aww’d”. He’s so brave... she thought, and then realized what was happening and shook her head, dropping her hoof to the ground. Oh, for pony’s sake, how much longer will that infernal gemstone affect my mind?! She dashed away in the opposite direction, avoiding Fort Knox’s destructive path.
"Just ya wait until I get my hooves on ya, Blueblood!" Fort Knox continued to rant as he started to look everywhere for a sign of the prince.
"Batter up!" Blueblood bellowed, before smacking the stallion in the face with a baseball, making him growl in anger. When he turned, Fort Knox saw Blueblood wearing a baseball hat swinging a bat around in his magic, levitating 3 more balls with his magic. "Who’s up for a game?" he added before hitting the balls at him, one of which ended in Fort Knox's mouth.
"Yeah, three points!" Blueblood cheered. Fort Knox glared at him and bit down the ball, breaking it into pieces before charging at him, only to smash into a mirror.
"Sorry, wrong prince!" Blueblood called, hitting him again on the flank with another ball. He yelped and jumped around just to see the prince waving at him. "Over here!" Fort Knox tried to hit him, but the same mirror trick occurred.
"No, over here! Or perhaps here! Or here. I'm everywhere!" The prince laughed as Fort Knox ended up confused, looking at the prince appearing on mirrors floating around by his magic, making him unable to find the real one until he was surrounded.
"Confused yet, Fort?" The stallion just screamed and rushed to a metal crate before lifting it with his mouth, then spinning it around repeatedly as he smashed all the mirrors and revealed the prince’s hiding spot. He tried to run but Fort Knox threw the crate in front of him, blocking his escape as he slowly approached him.
"Now I got ya!"
Oh great, my first fight against a supervillain and it turns out to be freaking Juggernaut? This is just not fair.
He made a run for it, but Fort Knox lifted him effortlessly and rammed Blueblood against the crate before holding his neck against the container, choking him. "Any last words, pretty boy?"
Blueblood felt the pressure building before seeing Rarity appear out of the corner of his eye, levitating dresses and a full set of scissors, needles, metal, and some gemstones, all of which were now shining. This made the prince smile and look at the stallion.
"You…really should’ve taken the slap."
"...What?" Fort Knox looked at him, confused, but before he could say anything else, all the dresses fell on top of him, catching the giant off guard. He thrashed around, but Rarity was better with her skill, and managed to tangle him in all the fabric. As she did, she sewed and cut on the spot until he fell to the ground wearing what appeared to be a giant straitjacket made of at least fifty layers of cloth.
"Oh! Thanks for reminding me," Rarity remarked with a smile before turning around and delivering a powerful buck to Fort Knox’s groin, making him scream in a really high pitch. "And he’s right, you should’ve taken the deal."
"Oooooh, I felt that..." The prince flinched before approaching her and giving her a hoof bump. "And wow, Rarity, the way you managed all the fabrics was incredible!"
"When it comes to dresses, I never do anything halfway, darling," she declared.
The prince then noticed the gemstones floating around her. "And why do you need the gems?"
"Oh, these? I have a spell that can make them shine, so I used them as a flashlight," she explained before levitating two toward Fort Knox. "Plus I was still unsure on what combination to use…." she said in wonder as she compared the rocks against the straitjacket "What do you think? Obsidian or Onyx?"
The prince chuckled and shook his head. "Honestly I'm not sure. It's too dark for me to see any color."
"Oh, you’re right, that can wait for later. For now, there are more pressing matters." She said, bringing the gems together and creating a ball of energy that provided a stronger light. "Ah, much better!" she said in satisfaction.
Soon both of them heard something metallic moving not too far from them, followed by Applejack’s voice. "Hey! Rarity, Blueblood, are ya there?" She asked in worry from the other side.
"We’re here, darling!" Rarity called out, "And we’re okay. Blueblood and I took care of that brute, Fort Knox."
"Thank Celestia!” Applejack replied. “Glad that no-good, double-faced, snake didn't run away."
"Your Highness!" Amber’s voice is soon heard, sounding very agitated. "Are you there? Please don't be mad at us, everything was pandemonium once Fort hit the crates, and there were injuries everywhere. More gemstones hit the light, so there were more flashes, and we couldn't do anything until we fixed that chaos. Please say something!"
"Amber, please, breathe!” Blueblood laughed. “It’s okay, and I understand. In fact, I'm happy you took care of the other ponies. I'm alright; Fort tried to get me but, like Rarity said, we took care of him."
"Oh, thank the stars you’re safe," she said before sounding angry. "Don't you ever run away from us again, you hear?" she scolded him over the wall, sounding like a worried older sister.
"Loud and clear, and sorry for making you all worry, I promise I’ll make it up to you later."
"You better." They soon heard a horn lighting up.
"Stand back, you two. Stellar’s gonna blow the crates," Amber warned him. The prince and Rarity moved out of the way before the crates were destroyed, finally letting the lights come through once more, as well as the mares. The guards didn't waste time and went to the prince to inspect his body, searching for any injury.
"Ladies, I'm telling you, I'm fine," Blueblood murmured at them with some irritation.
"We’ll be the judge of that," Amber argued as Applejack chuckled and approached Rarity.
"It's nice to see ya alright, Rares," she said, bringing her in for a hug which Rarity gladly reciprocated. "How are ya feelin’?"
"A bit shaken from the ordeal, but I’ll be fine, thank you." She told her friend with a smile. "Although I can assure you, this is one experience that will take a while for me to forget.”
"Ah say ya should take this as a lesson." Applejack said before looking back at Blueblood. "Even when ya slapped him the prince was still very concerned for ya, Rarity. If Ah were ya, Ah’d be apologizin’ to him now."
"I couldn't agree more, Applejack," Rarity nodded.
That surprised the farmer. "So...that means you’re finally gonna stop with the cold shoulder treatment and actually give the guy a chance?"
"Oh, I don't even need to give him a chance, darling," Rarity said, turning to her friend. "I say he more than proved himself. He’s certainly earned my unquestionable friendship. I no longer have any doubt that this prince Blueblood isn't the same brute I once met."
Applejack sighed in relief once she heard that. "Finally! Ah was gettin’ worried ya were just gonna be a stubborn mule forever!"
"Hey!"
"Well, go on, tell me Ah'm wrong," the apple farmer smirked.
Rarity lifted a hoof and was about to reply, but then sighed in defeat and looked down. "Fine, you were right. I was being inconsiderate and mean." She looked up again. "But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to him as soon as I can."
"Don't tell me, tell him," Applejack said, pointing to the prince. "After riskin’ his neck for ya, ya’d better show him that ya really are sorry".
"Don't worry, AJ, I will. For now, what do you say if we leave this dreadful…" Before she could say anything else, the entire ground started to shake violently, forcing everyone to kneel from the force.
"What’s happening?" Blueblood asked in worry. "An earthquake?"
Amber’s eyes widened in realization and fear. "Worse..." she said, looking at Fort Knox. The massive stallion was currently ripping the straitjacket as his eyes shone red. "A rage burst!" She screamed before she and Stellar conjured a shield, just in time for Fort Knox to scream in rage. Giant gems and diamond columns started to emerge from the ground everywhere, the ground starting to crack around him. The destruction almost impaled the group.
"What type of rage burst is that?!" Blueblood asked in fear.
"We earth ponies have more than one type of rage, partner!” Applejack shouted. “It’s often related to our type of cutie mark. His is most likely a geology type."
"This place just became unstable, we need to…" Blueblood started, just as a diamond column emerged from under the group, breaking the shield and spreading them around. The guards tried to retaliate, but a crate hit both of them leaving the two unconscious on the ground. "Stellar! Amber!" The prince tried to rush to their side but a wall of crystals blocked his way.
"Blueblood, look out!" Applejack called, warning him in time just before Fort Knox stomped at him. He dodged out of the way and tried to get away from the beast, the massive stallion attacking him relentlessly until Blueblood managed to get some distance between the two.
The two Element Bearers tried to help, but the ground split open and they were both swallowed in a hole.
"No!" The prince could only look on in terror as they fell, ignoring the deranged stallion behind him. Instead, he noticed the screams of the other ponies as they tried to crawl and move away from the destruction Fort Knox was making.
"Now it’s your turn!" Fort Knox growled, lifting a metal crate and tossing it at Blueblood. The prince’s eyes shone white for a second and his horn flared out, creating a giant blue astral hand, the apparition catching the crate and crushing it effortlessly before vanishing like it was a mirage.
"What?" Fort Knox muttered, startled by this before being hit in the face by another hand appearing in the shape of a fist that sent him flying backwards.
The prince walked toward him angrily. "Okay, that is it!" Using his magic he levitated various crates and made an octagonal ring around the two. "No more running, no deals, no hostages, no traps. Just you and me, Fort. Let’s settle this once and for all!"
Fort Knox glared back at him before spitting out his golden tooth, removing both his suit and fedora as more gemstones appeared and surrounded the two.
Screaming again, the massive stallion stomped on the ground and made it shake, forcing the prince to kneel before he charged. Thinking fast, the prince charged up his horn and discharged a flash of light that blinded Fort Knox, forcing him to stop and give the prince some time to recover. Blueblood tried to counter with his astral hands, but his punches didn't do anything other than hurt his own hooves. Jumping backwards, the prince dodged one of Fort Knox’s attacks, leaving a hole in the ground.
If I hadn't dodged, I’d be a pancake now! the prince thought in shock at the sheer power the stallion had as he continued to dodge his charges.
Okay, think. He’s big, strong, and his body is like a rock. Can't attack directly, but he’s also not thinking clearly, which means…
Hugging one of the edges of the makeshift ring, the prince got ready for the next attack. Once Fort Knox was close enough, he discharged another flash and then dodged, making the stallion hit the crate and leaving him disoriented in the process. Wasting no time, the prince manifested his astral hands and grabbed one of Fort’s back hooves, yanking it with all of his might as he spun him around, hitting all of the crystals in the ring and finishing by ramming him against the crates.
Fort Knox growled, shook his head, and glared at the prince as soon as he recovered. He then looked at his hoofs, which were being surrounded by gems. The stones moved, creating shining claws held in his magic, making Fort smirk.
Blueblood’s eyes widened. Okay, that is new!
Fort Knox looked backwards and broke the crate behind him, pulling out gold bars which he then threw at the prince with enough force that they embedded themselves into several metal crates. The prince almost ended the same way if it wasn't for the crate he ripped off the floor and used for cover.
Now that’s just not fair, Blueblood thought. He’s clearly stronger and bigger. Cheerilee, if I survive this, I'm going back to Ponyville and demanding some answers!
Once he ran out of ammo, Fort Knox tried to barrel towards him again, but the prince managed to blind and dodge him once more, now not needing him to hit the edge of the ring and repeat the process. Fort used the advantage of the terrain to make columns of diamonds that he grabbed, launching them at the prince as they destroyed the rest of the ring. He then jumped on the columns on the ground and tried to pound Blueblood into the ground, cracking the floor even more. Blueblood kept dodging and tried to counter as much as he could, using any opening he could find. Unfortunately, the entire ordeal was draining him, and soon he found himself with almost no energy left, while Fort Knox showed almost no signs of fatigue.
How much more energy does this guy have?! Blueblood’s roared in his mind.
Feeling his body starting to give out, the prince knelt down holding his hoof in pain, the stress of the spells showing more and more. Fort Knox watched this and laughed in victory before stomping his hooves on the ground, creating two stone walls around the prince and trapping him in a straight line with no possibility to escape.
Blueblood just glared at him for a bit before looking down in defeat. Fort chuckled and then charged as fast as he could towards Blueblood, not noticing the smirk on the prince's face as he began gathering all of his energy on his hoof.
Alright, it’s all or nothing. No more regrets, time to make a wish come true!
The prince closed his eyes and measured the closing distance between the two, waiting for the opportunity.
This is for all points!
Dashing forward the prince placed himself underneath the stomach of his opponent and--
“Shoryuken!” Blueblood yelled, still smirking.
In one move, the prince executed a jumping uppercut with his charged hoof, which had enough force to take all the air out of Fort Knox's lungs and propel the two into the air as the prince’s body started to spin upwards. The astral hand appeared and traveled to Fort’s body until it hit the stallion on the chin, providing a second hit that sent the giant flying even further until Fort hit the white crystal. Blueblood’s opponent then fell into one of his metal crates full of bits, which promptly exploded and released all the money everywhere, leaving him on the ground unconscious and wounded with his new claws now shattered.
The prince collapsed on the ground breathing heavily as he chuckled, then smiling while looking at the rooftop. "I…I did it! My hoof is killing me, and I don't think I have any energy left, but holy crap I actually did it! I made a Shoryuken!" He yelled, pumping his hooves upwards and laughing in triumph, not caring how sore he was feeling now.
Once he caught his breath and recovered some energy, Blueblood moved to his left and with shaky legs slowly stood up. Trying to put as little weight as possible on his right hoofs, he slowly walked out of the ring.
"Blueblood!" The concerned voices of Rarity and Applejack caught his attention, and when looking up, he saw them both galloping toward him. Applejack let him rest against her side once they arrived. "Easy there, partner, Ah gotcha."
"Oh, you poor thing..." Rarity ripped a nearby dress (thankfully already filthy so it didn’t bother her) and improvised a sling for him to use and rest his hoof. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine girls; physically spent and really needing a vacation…and perhaps an ice pack for my hooves, but other than that, fine. It’s a miracle, but I don't think anything’s broken." He then looked to the side in some worry. "What about Amber and Stellar? Are they okay? How did you escape the hole?"
"Relax, partner,” Applejack chuckled. “To answer all that, a lot of stuff fell with us in that hole, so makin’ a pile for us to climb out wasn't hard. We then found those two guards and checked ‘em. They’re okay, still unconscious but neither of them seems to be badly hurt."
"Oh, thank Celestia," Blueblood sighed in relief.
"Which is more than Ah can say about him..." Applejack finished, looking behind them at Fort Knox, rather impressed. "That is one biiiig stallion. How exactly did ya manage to knock him into next week like that?"
The prince chuckled and shook his head. "I’ll tell you once I figure out how I pulled off half of the things I did during the fight," he replied as they walked toward the two guards.
Suddenly, a distorted voice that sounded like two mares speaking at once stopped them.
"Greed, the corruption whose existence will always be present in life..."
The three of them froze, and when they turned back, a pure white alicorn whose hooves ended in fog hovered behind them. Her flowing mane looked like mist, and her body was covered in worn out bandages which were starting to lose their holds on her body. She walked from the stream of light and approached the group. A bandage on her face was covering her left eye, and her right didn't show anything but pure light.
"What in the...?" the prince let out as Rarity held a hoof to her mouth in shock.
Applejack took a step forward and placed herself in front of them. "Who, or what, in tarnation are ya?"
The alicorn in question seemed to ignore the farmer and instead stared at the prince before extending one of her hooves.
"Hear my words, Your Highness. You have just taken the first step on your rightful path to ascension. Succeed, and a seat at your family table will be granted. But beware, the road ahead will be fraught with strife, so step lightly and do not stray from your path. Ecnirp eht, liah lla!" the alicorn mare exclaimed before shining even brighter to the point she blinded the three. When the light died down, she was gone.
"...Oooookay, what was--" the prince began, only to stop when he noticed that he was no longer tired, and his hoof wasn’t hurting anymore. "Did…did she just heal me?"
"Ah think she healed all of us, sugarcube," Applejack gasped, looking at her body with equal surprise. Even Rarity had recovered her make up as if nothing ever happened in the first place. They then heard groans coming from Blueblood’s guards as they started to wake up and hold their heads, shaking them occasionally.
"Seriously, what the hell just happened?" the prince asked in confusion.
"I ain’t no expert like Twilight, but if’n Ah were to guess, Ah’d say ya just took and passed some sorta mystical test," Applejack responded.
"Mystical test?" he asked, bewildered.
Both mares nodded. "Trust me darling, we’re very familiar with those," Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. "Although, I think this is the first one that isn't directed at us, being the Elements of Harmony and all," she pondered. “And that alicorn...I’ve never seen the likes of her!”
"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"
"Ah'm afraid ya’ll have to ask your aunts, Twilight, or Starlight for more on that, sugarcube. They’d probably know more about that strange ghost alicorn and that test she was talking about. For now, Ah think we should be taking care of our current situation." Applejack replied, pointing at Fort Knox, who remained passed out on the ground.
"Right..." The prince nodded before sighing and folding his ears. “Aw man...how am I gonna explain this to Celestia?"
Applejack and Rarity chuckled at his expression. "Don't worry darling, we’ll help you with the explanation," Rarity said, placing her hoof on his shoulder.
That helped him calm down, and he looked at both with a smile. "Thank you, girls.”
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Damn. Nice chapter. James Bond indeed.
...
No Duel Of Fates?
9125830
Jaja that is not a bad choose, maybe I will used it for another opponent
Interesting Alicorn..
Another excellent chapter, glad to see Rarity stopped being an obstinate mule about the new Blueblood. I'd hate to have to be annoyed with her for continuing to be despite him saving her.
Bloop
Interesting, the fact that this mystery alicorn addressed Fort as an apostle or avatar of greed, and this battle was but one of a series of trials for Blue. Meant that this Blueblood may in fact had been destined for greatness but was corrupted way before he could ever perceive his destiny.
If so, his "friends" are more than we realized
Man, I really enjoyed this chapter; plus he Shoruken was epic and unexpected but fun to read.
Nice one with the greed thing. I bet other a-holes after Bluey might be some sins too... Guess we will see that at later date...
9125887
i'm pretty partial to Hellwars
This is why you have snipers. A head shot solves most problems.
I... what just happened?
All hail the prince? Sure, why not.
That fight was something else. So, is Blueblood going to have to face ponies that represent the worst attributes of Ponykind?
9126554
Glad you like it, As for the other thing, lets just say that Twilight and her friends are not the only ones with missions. But I would call them 'friendship mission' in his case
9126474
Some good old fashion foreshadowing my friend
9126540
I knew someone would get the code! Just a small thing for something I have prepare for later
Said it before and saying it again... Blueblood with a herd. his 2 guards and Pinkie just for fun.
LOL But for the ghost alicorn I am saying Tia and Luna's mother. 
a totally awesome chapter
the beat down was grate and the little or big hint at the end is rather interesting.
Wonder what the other nobles will do now that one of their number is going to be in position to try to plea bargain.
9126554
That is a great idea, and if it ends up not being the case here, I totally might steal that idea.
This was an amazing chapter! The build up for that fight was handled so well, and your music choice was great and made the payoff all the more satisfying. Not to mention foreshadowing on possibly even more exciting things to come. I'm not bothered in the slightest that you want to slow down. By all means, work at your own pace.
9126344
You hit the nail in the head, that is exactly why he is acting like he does. One he just keep himself humble and low profile to discover his surroundings without raising suspicious, and two milk the story of amnesia so he can get answers like, how he can pick stuff when he doesn't have fingers?
9129000
Yep, that one and 9 more chapters still need some work but don't worry, they are being edited in do time
9130771
Rad Bunny, my head editor. I add his name as a way to thank him for all the help he has given me
It was a little difficult to get through the unedited chapters, but I have to say it was worth it. I like where this story is going, even if I thought it would be too cliché at first. I look forward to the next bit.
9132812
Glad you like it, and yeah instead of going to the obvious route I decided, to just do whatever the hell I want and just let the story, develop on itself
9133164
Yeah but from THIS Death, in pony form jejeje
i.pinimg.com/originals/d1/0a/5d/d10a5d2a10c5d3d31db15e8a593750eb.jpg
9135277
I used it for all my chapter, believe me. The original draft is even worse
So, is this the part where he realizes how dangerous the new world he's living in can possibly be, begins relearning how to fight, Luna also volunteers to teach him in his dreams, he practices his Parkour in the morning, Stellar and Amber become interested and try to learn from him, opening themselves up a little in the process, and Shining Armor talks to him a little too during his martial arts training, so they end up both bonding to each other a little, while Albert teaches Shining his martial arts as well, and asks him if he plans to ascend too and join his wife and daughter....
Also, I really hope that Albert and Rarity don't end up in a relationship, that just sounds really, tacky, predictable and cliche', especially considering that Blueblood is getting to be friends with Spike, who was feelings for Rarity, and Albert should probably be joining him on his next Ogres and Oubliettes campaign, along with Discord, where he mentions the favor....
9136088
That sounds like a good idea, and a good bonding moment, and don't worry I rather see how to work a friendship between the two instead of a relationship, what you saw was just the side effect of the 'Oblivion Kiss'
9136442
Cool, just checking....
9130806
Ok, but you should say Edited by Rad Bunny instead, that way was confusing....
9136802
What can I say? I like to make clues and see if people pay attention to the small details
9137310
If it is any consolation, the idea was only for him to remain there for a small among of time while the princess settle things and think of a way for him to be re introduce into noble society without being expose to corrupt nobles that can re-influence him into what happen to the original Blueblood.
Not bubble him inside the castle either so he doesn't know what the outside world is, and he can be in an surrounded by ponies they can trust enough.
You are right its a cliche, the biggest there is, but its a justify cliche and its mostly out of fear off what happen when he remain in Canterlot the first time.
9137757
No worries there. He's got a few editors lined out for the story, so you should have better luck reading later chapters.
Now that it's edited, it's a really good story that I hope to see more of.
9138904
True, he just couldn't let himself enjoy them and learn from them because it was force into him rather than by choose, and he try to reject him thinking it was a subtle way to make him forget super heroes. But yeah good point
Every good boss fight needs a good loot-splosion. 10/10
Celestia? Is that you? Wow, those acting lessons, huh? Do you have enough bandages to cover that trollface?
Nope. Crotch shots are never funny.
Anyway besides that stupid crotch shot, I think I'm going to stop here. I loved the fic, it's just going in a direction I won't like. Especially with the whole Magic Rage Burst thing you got going on. So I'd rather end this on a high note while I can still leave a like for this fic.
It was a fun read. Thanks for sharing.
Did you really had to add some mystical messenger to impersonate Captain Obvious? I like local lady Death, but this bs were absolutely uncalled for. Well, unless that were Celly risking life of her nephew and Rares for a small performance... Ugh, that's actually even worse.
Interesting, the Sins count previous Blueblood's attributes? Or perhaps marked him for redemption? Curious indeed...
Was it absolutely necessary to pull this deus ex machina garbage? Twilight and Cadence were not visited by some "mysterious higher being", and there was no need for it to happen to Blueblood.
Not giving up on this story yet, but I strongly urge you to reconsider including this edgy new alicorn spirit thing. To be frank, it's poor writing.
9302617
For all you know it's what's supposed to happen in that universe different universe different rules
9125908
Whaaat? That Scarlet Lips mare is the embodiment of Lust? That's just crazy! Next you'll be trying to say Jet Set is Envy or something. I'm sure Sharp Shot's interest in gaining control of the Wonderbolts, Equestria's premier aerial combat team, in no way indicates he is related to Wrath in anyway.
Eh, I'm going to chalk the shenangans up to this story's lore
Main issue I had is that Fort Knox was a noble AND an earth pony. Nobles are only unicorns from what we know
Everything was going... well good, until you violently hinted us that you are making him an alicorn by defeating the “sinful Seven nobles” or something hehe. The story I understand is on the regular paced kind so its good as long as u dont go fast paced. Again I apreciate your story and the time and effort you put into it, now that stated, remember that it is important to keep your main character Human minded: Taking in account that his wit is almost unmatchable hence his human past job he must retain some foresight and be a few steps ahead of the readers even without making him a “Gary stue”
I personaly recommend reading “the diaries of a madman”, observe his writing style regarding a human in equestria stitch. Cheers and keep up the good work
Triumph of Die!
GO FOR BROKE!
I have a different suggestion for the song.
https://m.KO!
Here let me help you with that