The Corrupting Greed
As the prince approached the establishment, he started to feel like he was being watched, and began to see that all the ponies around the building were glaring at him in either curiosity or anger. Swallowing a lump on his throat, he shook his head and continued his march until he approached the front door. Taking a deep breath, he started to knock 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 then noticed who was knocking and smirked.
"Well, well, well, if isn't it the prince of Equestria, gracing us with his presence after having a change of heart, what an honor." She mentioned before crossing her hoofs. "What do you want? In case you didn't notice, we are closed."
The prince just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "In the middle of the day?"
"Yeah, you have a problem with that?" She asked defensively as he looked over her head, noticing the spilled coffee and a broken table until she blocked his view. "We are getting some things repaired. Now if you don't mind, aren't you late to kiss some babies in front of a camera or something?" She is about to close the door when the prince invited himself in. "I need to see Fort Knox."
That caught the barista off guard, and she looked at him suspiciously. "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?" He said, tapping her head twice and making the mare laugh.
"Ha! I knew you were still a scheming snake with a silver tongue, I just knew it! Knox owes me forty bits now." She mentioned as she pointed at him. "No way a couple of flames could take that away from you!"
I'm going to take one long, cold shower once this is over
The prince cringed at his attitude internally before addressing the barista again. "Ah…excuse me? Your boss? Chop-chop." He said, faking irritation.
"Ah? Oh yeah, he is in the basement, you know the way." She said, pointing to the back door. "Just knock beforehand, he is 'adjusting' some inventory." She remarked with a chuckle before returning to the back of the counter and resuming her reading of a magazine.
That is, until a spell was cast on her, and the mare hit the counter with her face and then fell onto the ground. AJ and Stellar quickly re-appeared next to the prince.
"Was that really necessary?" The prince asked his guard with a raised eyebrow.
"We couldn't risk her calling for reinforcements, right?" AJ said, tying the mare up with her lasso. "Gettin' repairs done my tail, I have been in enough apple cider bars with Big Mac and my cousin Braeburn to know what a brawl looks like. She knew what was going on." AJ said before smirking. "That right there has Rarity's name all over the place; the mare doesn't look like it but she can defend herself." Applejack commented before approaching the prince. "Nice acting, by the way, even I was almost fooled."
"Please don't remind me," The prince said, shivering at the thought until Stellar got their attention and pointed to the back door.
"Stellar is right, we are not done yet, we need to go find Rarity."
"Right!" They both got closer to Stellar, and she recast the invisibility spell once again, making it look like the prince was alone.
Well if it wasn't for the needing to pretend to be a jerk, this is kind of exciting. Almost like I'm a spy or a hero rescuing a hostage
The prince thought with a smile as he went to the back of the store, but before entering he looked at the barista for a moment in pity. Deciding to open the cash register, he tossed a bunch of bits in front of her before going into the hallway and toward the only door at the end of it. He was about to knock before realizing what is he supposed to be here for, and shook his head. He decided to slowly open the door, making as little noise as possible until he saw a set of metal stairs heading downwards.
Walking down slowly, he soon found himself in a incredibly big basement the size of a football field, with a lot of boxes spread around and two big garage door on the walls. Those no doubt lead 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 asked himself in confusion as he reached the base of the stairs, and with help of his friends made quick work of two stallions that were keeping guard. They then resumed their walk, looking around at the crates and small boxes, both wooden and metallic, piled into rows. All had different tags on them, ranging from potions to medicine, and all the way to weapons and jewelry.
Ok, so we are in an underground storage facility, hidden under a coffee shop. Either Fort Knox has deals in illegal goods transportation or he is the weirdest and richest hoarder I have ever seen The prince kept exploring until he heard a voice in the distance.
"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 how Rarity was tied to a chair while surrounded by unicorns, all pointing their horns at her while Fort poured some water in a hollow and transparent gemstone, taken from a box full of them. He then sealed it again and then exposed it to the ray of light created by the crystal in the roof. "Now now Ms. Rarity there is no need for violence here isn't there?"
"You splash me with hot coffee, kidnap me, mess with my MANE and makeup, and now are treating me with magic!" She answered back. "I certainly have all the right to be violent and angry right now." She said, thrashing around the place. "And what kind of basement is this? All poorly lit, cold, with just giant boxes piled on top of each other everywhere and no place to sit. Is this unflattering chair, really 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 are nothing more than a well dressed, swine, you uncivilized brute, you…"
"Please just gag her again." He sighed, getting annoying and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Don't you dare!" Rarity glared daggers at the unicorn in front of her with a piece of cloth, before another one behind her forced a ball in her mouth to silence her.
"Thank you, her whining was really starting to get into my nerves." Fort said with another sigh of relief before approaching, Rarity glaring at him and continuing to try to talk and thrash. That is, until he was face to face with her. "Oh right, complaining not whining, right?"
She in turn rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless as the stallion moved away from her and showed her the gemstone. "Isn't it beautiful miss? Imported straight from the badlands dessert, pure clear alexandrite, although I prefer the name the locals gave it when I discovered it. 'The Oblivion Kiss.'"
He passes the alexandrite with water to one of his goons and picked another empty one. "A gemstone that in itself is harmless, but when exposed to any kind of light and pressed against any pony'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 his or her's immediate memory."
He removed the alexandrite, and Rarity was left dizzy from the experience before shaking her head. "Yeah, unfortunately, the side effects for using it include dizziness and delirium for a short period of time. That is probably why these gemstones are illegal on Equestria." He said as he tapped the box of the gemstones with a smirk. "Good thing that nopony knows that there is a box full of them in here, right guys?" He laughed with his goons as he took the alexandrite full with water.
"Aw, don't be mad at me, just like I promised, you will not feel a thing with this one." He shook the alexandrite with water a little, making it shine a bit brighter. "After some experimentation I found out that using water and some white light..." He pointed at gem on the rooftop, "I can command the memory I wish to find by speaking its detail and then pressing the crystal against the pony's head. Everything is shown and exposed like a river in front of me, as the water evaporates from the heat, with the reminder of it on the user's head..." He mentioned before whispering into the crystal "Blueblood's secret" and then approaching Rarity "So Ms. Rarity without any further delay…"
He was getting the alexandrite closer to her until a blast of magic hit it, making him drop the crystal. Immediately all the goons turned and saw Blueblood approaching the group.
"Geez Fort Knox, I know that no pony likes it, but I'm pretty sure that there are better ways to deal with rejection than this." He said with a smug smile. "By the way, she is right. This place is just gloomy, would it have to kill you to put some color here and there instead of going for the classic supervillain cliche cave?"
Rarity eyes widened when she saw him approach. He…came here? Did he come to rescue me?
She is genuinely touched.
All the unicorns aimed their horns at him but stopped when he showed them a recorder floating in his magic. "Ah ha, easy there fellows, none of you would want the copy of your boss's confession to end in my aunt's hooves, would you?"
That makes them stop and back away as he approached Fort Knox, now noticing the other pony was easily two heads taller than him.
Oh boy he is even bigger than Big Mac
He stops 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 stallion just laughed before approaching the prince, once he noticed that Blueblood is all alone. "Well, if it isn't the reformed and improved prince of Equestria. How nice of you to grace us with your presence." He mentions with a smug smile, showing his golden tooth. "This day really has been one strange occurrence after another." Fort Knox mentioned with a shake of his head. "Hearing that you apparently got amnesia, then that you almost died, and then a miracle of finding out that you actually have a heart. And now it turns out that you also had a brain all along? Just one surprise after another with you recently. Now tell me, how did you find this place?" He asked in irritation.
"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." He mentions with a smirk. "Now let's talk about business, I came to negotiate."
"Would you look at that? So much for your change of heart, how much did it last? An hour?"
"I'm still a changed stallion Fort." Blueblood said with a serious expression. "The fact that my view of the world changed, doesn't mean I have forgotten how the game works." He mentioned before pointing at Rarity. "Now before we begin, let her go, that is no way to treat a lady, and she has nothing to do with us."
Everyone laughed at the comment as Fort Knox looked at his goons. "Look out guys, we have a noble prince here."
Rarity's eyes started to dampen, never once blinking away from Blueblood.
He is so considerate
Her eyes widen before she shakes her head.
What in Equestria I'm 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…Ah! Control yourself!
She continues to shake her head.
Once their laughter died down, Fort went back to look at him. "I was wondering what all this was, about you been a changed pony, but now this? This is just pathetic. It's too late for you to start playing hero Blueblood." He said as his goons start to circle around him. Fort picked the alexandrite with water off the ground and started towards Rarity. "One accident and some extreme tanning will not change what you are. Now I have grown tired of just seeing you pull surprises, so if you'll excuse me, I'll go see your big secret."
"I'm warning you, Fort Knox, let her go. I still have your confession."
"And I have the means to avoid being exposed, 'your highness'" He said him with a smug smile, practically spitting out Blueblood's title in a mocking matter. "This place has a magic jammer on it, nothing can be teleported in or out, so the moment you try, your device will simply hit an invisible wall." He mocked as the unicorns readied their spells. "But don't let that stop you, by all means, give it a try."
"Please Fort, stop this." The prince begged him, trying to appeal to 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 yet. Just call off your guards, apologize to Ms. Rarity and get rid of all this illegal stuff. I can even help you with the last part, the apology thing on the other hoof, you are on your own. You DID kind of 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." The prince mentioned, confusing everyone in the process.
"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 asks, offering his hoof to him.
Fort turned his head to look Blueblood in the eyes with a raised eyebrow before bursting into laughter, so much so that he almost fell and needed to hold onto the chair while his goons did the same, some even clearing their eyes from the tears. The prince just watched them with an annoying expression as he let them have their laugh.
"Oh my Celestia, that was…that was…!" He had another fit of laughter before addressing the prince again. "Do you even…believe all that nonsense yourself?"
The prince just sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "To be perfectly 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."
Immediately all their eyes widened in surprise. "What?" Fort asked, but before anyone could react, dozens of clones of Amber burst out through the boxes, jumping toward them or running, appearing everywhere until they surrounded the group. The goons tried to retaliate, but Stellar appeared and charging her horn, send a wave of blue magic that blinded them and forced the afflicted to stare at the vacuum of space. In a similar surprise motion, AJ made a quick job in lassoing the rest of the goons and knocking them down with a good placed buck to the face.
Fort was left speechless as the prince approached him with a literal army of guards, all of which were smirking at him as they kept their horns at the ready. Others were putting the rest of his stallions in the ground, half burned, unconscious, and tied up with melted iron on their bodies. "Ok now, as I was saying, I came here to negotiate, so here are my options Fort Knox, release our friend this instant and surrender peacefully and I give you my word that my aunt will not hear a thing of this. Instead, I will 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 is going to eat you alive and spit you before the trial even begins." He warned Fort. "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. "Ok Blueblood, you win." He said, as he started to untie Rarity out of the chair.
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." He mentions with a smile. "I will take your offer..." His smile morphed into a smirk, alerting the guards. "After I find out your secret!" He yelled, breaking the chair as Amber tried to fire, but Fort used Rarity as a shield which made her stop as he fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the confusion, he kicked the box of gemstones toward the light. Moments later, due to the overexposure, the gems started to violently shake before rupturing behind Fort. The resulting explosion releasing a blinding wave of white light.
Stellar created a shield for her friends and used her body to cover the prince, but it was too late as everyone in the room minus Fort 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 made a run for it holding Rarity and the gemstone with the water. "You are coming with me!" He said as he approached one of the doors in the room.
"Oh no, you don't!" Blueblood glared and gave chase after him.
Fort noticed, and hit a nearby pile of crates, making them lose balance and fall toward the prince. Reacting fast enough, the prince slid and managed to avoid them, yet the domino affect made more and more things to fall over, making destructive chaos spread everywhere like wildfire. The prince managed to catch up with Fort as they entered another room, and picking two swords from the debris with his magic, he managed to throw them at two pulleys.
Hitting his mark, the weapons cut the ropes, and made two large suspended crates fall and block the only other door out of the room, and also destroying the stairs, effectively cutting Fort off from his only escapes 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 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 are the owner of the entire block!" The voice of Fort called before appearing from his left to tackle Blueblood into the ground before disappearing among the crates once more.
Blueblood needed a moment to recover and breath before standing up again.
Freaking, train! What the hell is that guy made off? Stone?!
Once he recovered, the prince took slow steps, careful of his movements. "It's over Fort, you have 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 have 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 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. "You think you can scare me? I have contingency plans for everything. After beating you and finding out your secret, I'll escape and lay low under a new identity for a while. Then I will come back stronger than ever!" He looked at Rarity with a smirk. "And when that happens, I will make sure to pay you both a visit…"
She glared at him and started to thrash around until he choked her with his hoof. "Shut up..."
Fort then start to look around the place like a snake in a box. "So, you better come out now Blueblood. Or do you not care for the safety of your precious loose end?" He threatened and increased the hold on Rarity. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..."
Ok, it's official, he is now a super villain Blueblood thought in anger before holding his head with his 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
Before the light disappeared, the prince noticed that the crate Fort 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 as dim as possible, he levitated the objects and moved behind Fort.
"Fort, that is just low. You are so afraid of me that you hide behind a mare? Talk about spineless." The prince mocked. Turning around, Fort saw Blueblood walking behind him looking for the two 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..." He muttered before running toward Blueblood at full speed. Rarity screaming 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 yelped, startled as he tried to locate the prince until beginning to sneeze uncontrollably.
"Surprise!" The prince appeared from the right and smashed Fort in the face with a metal shield as hard as he could. Forcing Fort to let go of the gemstone and Rarity, Blueblood doesn't waste time and picked her up before rushing away while Fort still tried 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 ok?"
"Y-yeah I'm fine." She mentioned, coughing and holding her throat as she stood up, looking at him guiltily. "But I don't get it Blueblood, after I treated you so badly, why did you risk your life for me?"
The prince just sighed and shook his head. "Rarity, look, I know you don't like me, and perhaps you will never will. And while that hurts me, it doesn't mean I won't stand to the side while you suffer." He told her with a serious expression. "Whether you like me or not, you are 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 will do."
Taken aback by his words, Rarity can only tear up and hug him. "Blueblood! I…I'm so sorry!" She told him, letting her emotions flow. "I thought he was going to kill you, 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 ok Rarity, it's ok." The prince said, trying to console her.
"Blueblood, I…I'm so sorry, for the slap and for everything, I have 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!
"There will be time for that later, but for now, we need to deal with him." He told her and prepared to leave, but Rarity stopped him by holding his hoof.
"You are not actually considering fighting him alone are you? He is double your size!" She said fearfully.
"Of course not, only an idiot or someone with a death wish would face that giant head on, we both are going to restrain him." He said confidently.
Rarity can only blink in confusion. "Say what now?"
"Look, the first thing we need to do is- LOOK OUT!" Blueblood tackled them both away before a flying crate smashed into where they had just been, the pair hiding behind another one. "Ok, I know it will be bad to confront him, but he is on a rampage. The more we wait for my guards to come here, the more likely he will find us. Plus we don't know 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."
He explained, forgetting that he was now on top of Rarity, which was causing her to blush furiously. Thanks to the effects on the crystal, it made her look at him with an open shirt and his mane moving in the simulated wind.
"Rarity?" Blueblood looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What? I-I mean!" She shakes her head and comes back to reality. "Yeah, you are right, we can't just wait and hope something here wouldn't turn this place on a death trap. Plus I still owe him for messing with my poor mare 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 smile, and 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."
"Ah, also Blueblood, could you take care of this?" She mentioned, 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 is much better, 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, which caused her to 'awww' and hold her hoofs together near her heart.
He is so brave
She realized what is happening and shook her head.
For pony's sake, for how much longer will that infernal gemstone affect me?!
She thought before dashing in the opposite direction, avoiding Fort's destructive path.
"Just you wait until I get my hooves on you Blueblood!" Fort continue to rant as he started to look everywhere for a sign of the prince.
"Batter up!" Blueblood called, before smacking the stallion in the face with a baseball, making him growl in anger. When he turned, Fort saw Blueblood with a baseball hat and bat, levitating 3 more balls with his magic. "Who's up for a game?" He called before hitting the balls at him, one of which ended in Fort's mouth.
"Yeah, three points!" Fort glared at him and bit off the ball 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 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 Fork 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 threw the crate in front of him, blocking his escape as he slowly approached him.
"Now I got you!"
Oh great, my first fight against a supervillain and it turns out to be freaking Juggernaut? That is just not fair
He made a run for it, but Fort just lifted him effortlessly and rammed Blueblood against the crate before holding his neck against the container, starting to choke him. "Any last words?"
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 was now shining. This made the prince smile and look at Fort.
"You…should have taken the slap."
"What?" Fort looked at him confused, but before he could answer, 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 so, 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 told the prince with a smile before turning around and delivering a powerful kick to the groin of Fort, making him scream in a really high pitch. "And he is right, you should have taken the deal."
"Ouch!" The prince flinched before approaching her and giving Rarity a hoof bump. "And wow Rarity, the way you managed all the fabrics was incredible!"
"When it comes to dresses I never do anything mediocre, darling." She said with pride.
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 used…." 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 are 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 heard something metallic moving not too far from them, followed by AJ's voice.
"Hey! Rarity, Blueblood are you two there?" She asked in worry from the other side.
"We are here darling." Rarity called out, "And we are ok, Blueblood and I took care of that brute Fort Knox."
"Thank Celestia; 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 more flashes, and we couldn't do anything until we fixed that chaos. Please say something!"
"Amber, please, breath, it's ok, and I understand. In fact I'm happy you took care of the other ponies. I'm ok, Fort tried to get me but, like Rarity said, we took care of him."
"Oh thank the stars you are 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 will make it up to you later."
"You'd better." They soon heard a horn lighting up.
"Stand back you two, Stellar is going to blow the crates." Amber warned him. the prince and Rarity moving out of the way before the crates were destroyed, finally letting the lights come through once morem as well as the mares. The guards didn't waste time and went to the prince to inspect his body, searching for any injury.
"Girls I'm telling you, I'm ok," Blueblood remarked to them with some irritation.
"We will be the judge of that." Amber mentioned as Applejack chuckled and approached Rarity.
"It's nice to see you alright Rarity." She said, bringing her for a hug small hug which Rarity gladly reciprocated. "How are you feeling?"
"A bit shaken from the ordeal but I will be fine, thanks." She told her friend with a smile. "Although I assure you, this is one experience that will take a while before I forget." She added somewhat grimly.
"Ah say you should take this as a lesson." AJ said before looking back at Blueblood. "Even when you slapped him the prince was still very concerned for you Rarity. If I was you, I would be apologizing to him now."
"I couldn't agree more Applejack." Rarity said with a nod.
That surprised AJ. "So that means you are finally going to stop with the cold shoulder treatment and actually give the poor stallion a chance?" She asked hopefully.
"Oh, I don't need to give him a chance darling." Rarity said, turning to her friend. "I say he more than proved himself. He has certainly earned my unquestionable friendship. I no longer have any doubt that this prince Blueblood is in no longer the brute I once met."
AJ sighed in relief once she heard that. "Finally! I was getting worried you were just gonna be a stubborn mule forever!"
"Hey!" Rarity looked back at AJ in anger.
"Tell me I'm wrong…."
She sighed in defeat and looked down. "Fine you were right. I was being inconsiderate and mean." She looks at AJ. "But don't worry, I will make it up to him as soon as I can."
"Don't tell me, tell him." She said, pointing to the prince. "After risking his neck for you, you'd better show him that you really are sorry".
"Don't worry AJ, I will. For now, what do you say if we leave this dreadful…" Before she can say anything else, the entire ground started to shake violently, forcing everyone to kneel from the force. "What is happening?" Blueblood asked in worry. "An earthquake?"
"Worse." Amber said as her eyes widened in fear, looking at Fort Knox. The massive stallion was currently ripping the straitjacket as his eyes shone red. "A rage burst!" She yelled before she and Stellar lifted a shield, just in time for Fort 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. It's often related to our type of cutie mark, his most likely being of the geology type." AJ explained.
"This place just became unstable, we need to…" 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!" AJ called, warning him in time just before Fort stomped him. He dodged out of the way and tried to parkour his path away from the beast, the massive stallion attacking him relentlessly until Blueblood managed to get some distance between the two.
The elements tried to help, but the ground split open and they were both swallowed in a hole.
"No!" The prince can only look on in terror as they were swallowed by the earth, 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 was making.
"Now it's your turn!" Fort 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. "Ok, 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 just glared at him before spitting out his golden tooth, removing both his suit and fedora as more gemstones appeared and surrounding the two.
Screaming again, Fort stomped on the ground making it shake, and forced the prince to kneel before charging. Thinking fast, the prince charged his horn and discharged a flash of light that blinded Fort, forcing him to stop and giving 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 attacks which left 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 Fort had, before he continued to dodge the other stallion's charges.
Ok think, he is big, strong and his body is like a rock. Can't attack directly, but he is 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 was close enough, he discharged another flash and then dodged, making Fort 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 Fort around, hitting all of the crystals in the ring and finished by ramming him against the crates.
Fort simply shook his head and glared at the prince as soon as he recovered, then looking at his hoofs which were being surrounded by gems. The stones moved, creating shining claws held in his magic, making Fort smirk.
Ok that is new!
The prince thought in terror as Fort 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 cast off metal and gems into them. The prince almost ended the same way if it wasn't for the door he ripped off and used for cover.
Ok now he is clearly stronger and bigger. Cheerilee, if I survive I'm going back to ponyville and demand some answers!
Once he ran out of ammo, Fort tried to charge 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 destroying the rest of the ring. He then jumped on the columns on the ground and tried to ground pound Blueblood, 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 didn't show any sign of fatigue.
How much more energy does this guy have?!
Feeling his body starting to give out, the prince kneeled down holding his hoof in pain, the stress of the spells showing more and more. Fort watched this and laughed in victory before stomping his hoofs, 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.
Ok 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!
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'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 crate 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 by Celestia I actually did it! I made a Shoryuken!" He yelled, 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 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. AJ let him rest against her side once they arrived. "Easy their partner, I got you."
"Oh, you poor thing." Rarity ripped a nearby dress and improvised a sling for him to use and rest his hoof. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine girls, physically spent and really needing a rest…and perhaps an ice pack for my hooves, but other than that, fine. It's a miracle, but I don't think I have anything broken." He then looked to the side in some worry. "What about Amber and Stellar? Are they ok? How did you escape the hole?"
"Relax partner. To answer that, a lot of stuff fell with us in that hole, so making a pile for us to climb out wasn't hard. We soon found those two guards and checked them. They are ok, still unconscious but neither of them seems to be badly hurt."
"Oh thank the stars." Blueblood sighed in relief.
"Which is more than I can say about him..." AJ mentions, looking behind them at Fort Knox, rather impressed. "That is one big stallion. How exactly did you manage to beat him up?"
The prince chuckled and shook his head. "I'll tell you once I figure out how I pulled half of the things I did during the fight." The prince said honestly as they walked toward the two guards. A distorted voice that sounded like two mares talking at the same time stopped them.
"Greed, the corruption whose existence will always be present in life"
They heard someone talk behind them, and when they turned, a pure white alicorn who's hooves ended in fog hovered. Her floating 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.
"Oh for pity's-now what?" The prince sighed in exhaustion and rolling his eyes as Applejack took a step forward. "What in tarnation are you?" The alicorn in question seemed to ignore AJ 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 filled with dangers, so step lightly and do not stray from your path. Ecnirp eht, liah lla!" The mare exclaimed before shining even brighter to the point she blinded the three, and then disappeared seconds later.
"Ok what was…" The prince asked, then stopping once the stallion noticed that he was no longer tired, and his hoof wasn't hurting anymore "Did…did she just heal me?"
"I think she healed all of us sugar cube." AJ mentioned, looking at her body equally surprised, the same with Rarity who even 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.
"Ok seriously, what just happened?" The prince asked the two in confusion.
"If I were to guess, I'd say you just took and passed some sort of mystical test." AJ responded.
"Mystical test?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as both mares nodded.
"Trust me darling, we are 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.
"Well, what I'm supposed to do now?"
"I'm afraid you will have to ask your aunts, Twilight, or Starlight for more on that sugar cube. They probably would know more about that strange ghost alicorn and that test she was talking about. For now I think we should be taking care of our current situation though." AJ mentioned, pointing at Fort who was still injured and passed out on the ground.
"Right..." The prince nodded before sighing and folding his ears. "Oh boy...how am I going to explain this to aunty Celestia?"
AJ and Rarity chuckled at his expression. "Don't worry darling, we will 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."