Fool Moon, Part 35 (From Dusk...)

>It was impossible.
>She was dead. She was supposed to be dead. The changeling had brought you the ha-
>The changeling. Bon-Bon.
>The realization crashes upon you in one cold, merciless wave, and you feel your heart stop.
>Your plans for the necklace, for the princesses, for Equestria...
>Ruined.
>Broken.
>You are King Blueblood of Equestria, and your world is coming apart.
>Anger doesn't cover what you're feeling right now.
>Nor does betrayal, or despair, or even mind numbing terror, although it is all of these things, and none.
>This was the feeling of complete and total destruction.
>Utter desolation of mind and soul.
>And in that mind numbing helplessness, that impotent rage, you feel something give a tiny...crack.
>You see Sparkler stiffen next to you, and you give a tiny nod, an order for her to restrain herself.
>For the last time, you toss on your practiced smile.
"Sweetie Belle? It's so good to see you safe! I'm afraid I don't...I don't really know where your sister is. That fiend, Anonymous, still has h-"
>"Can it, Blueblood."
>You suppress your annoyance with some difficulty, glancing at the mare who interrupted you.
>Miss Twilight Sparkle.
"That's King Blueblood, Miss Sp-"
>"She said can it, you lying jerk!"
>You snap your head around to the rainbow maned brute who interrupted you, your smile dropping slightly.
>There were too many of them. Too many to kill, too many to lie to.
>"We know what you did to the Princess. We know you tried to have Sweetie killed!"
>They begin to advance.
"Sparkler."
>At the mention of her name, the mare's eyes flare greenish-white, and a bubble of magic springs into place around you and her.
>Then you sink into the stone.



>Magic tunnels through the rock of the throne room floor, the burning green cocoon of energy dumping you and Sparkler into the caves beneath Canterlot.
>Your assistant stumbles and coughs from the sudden expenditure of magical energy, but you pay her no mind.
>Everything was coming apart.
>EVERYTHING.
>They wanted to take what you had built and ruin it!
>Cast Equestria back into the dark ages! Leave your kind as slaves and playthings to griffins and foreigners!
>All to feed the egos of those winged, horned freaks of nature.
>You wouldn't let it happen. You couldn't.
>You would resolve this. You would end the threat to your rule.
>By any means necessary.
>"Your Majesty...they...they kn-"
"I know, Sparkler."
>"But...if they follow us down...if they find Cele-"
"I know."
>She shuts her mouth at your tone as you race through the caves, ignoring the scrapes and cuts you incur as you slam against stone in the near darkness.
>Dirt covers your pristine white coat, and you hear your panting breath, but you continue to run.
>If they reached Celestia before you obtained your prize, it was over.
>Before long, you hear it.
>The endless crying, the wretched sobs that echoed in the deep.
>It stopped almost as soon as you heard it, replaced by sniffing and the jingling of chains.
>How pathetic your prisoner had become.
>You can barely see her in the shadows of her prison.
>Great, black pinions flex as she struggles to reach you.
>To devour you.
>You stop, just out of her reach, and turn to Sparkler, who runs up behind you, still panting.
"Amethyst Star?"
>"Y-Your Majesty?"
"I need you to do one last thing for me."
>One last sacrifice.


>You are Twilight Sparkle.
>And you wished you knew what was going on.
>This was supposed to be simple.
>You'd confront Blueblood with your friends and Sweet, convince him to step down from the throne.
>And then you'd find Rarity and rescue Anon.
>It had seemed like the perfect plan...until Blueblood's assistant had cast a familiar, eerie spell and sent them both beneath Canterlot.
>But you were Twilight Sparkle, and no changeling spell could beat you!
"Gather around me, girls! I can follow them!"
>Your friends gallop to your side, and in a flash of magical power, you are suddenly in the caves.
>Back in the gem-filled darkness you found yourself in at your brother's wedding.
>You shudder at the memories before shining your horn, tracking the magical residue of Blueblood's assistant.
>You run for what seems like ages, an unsettling feeling slowly rising in the pit of your stomach.
>The caves twist and turn under your horn's light, the reflective surfaces of the gems deceptively tricking you or altering your course.
>For a moment, you think you are lost once more, when you catch sight of a flash of white...
"BLUEBLOOD! STOP RIGHT TH-"
>"Twilight?"
>You skid to a stop, your jaw dropping as you behold...
"Princess Celestia?"
>Your mentor looks more tired, more ragged than you have ever seen her.
>Books and scrolls lay piled around her like an absurd nest.
>Her eyes appear tired, rather than serene, and her coat looks unwashed.
"Princess? What are you...doing?"
>She blinks once, her eyes suddenly growing nervous.
>"I was...studying...trying to find a cure for-"
>A scream, hoarse and agonized, rings out in the depths of the cavern.
>"Luna!?"

 Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyBOt9Dizpc


>Celestia seems to GLOW suddenly, and you feel a blaze of heat as she rushes past you, her wings spread in shock and anger.
>"LUNA! SISTER!"
>You and your friends cover your eyes against the sudden heat of Celestia's glow, wincing.
>You point a hoof at Celestia and starts shouting.
"Quick! After the Princess! Blueblood must be trying to hurt Princess Luna!"
>You gallop after your mentor, following her...
>And following the screams.
>Shrieks of pure agony ring out from the depths of the caves in a storm of pain and fear.
>A second voice has joined the Princesses, this one female as well.
>Even as you and your friends listen, it dies off into a gurgle.
>You hear a whimper behind you, and subconsciously fall back to comfort Fluttershy.
>You're all scared, but she has to-
>"SISTER!"
>Celestia's bellow of anger shakes the entire cavern, and you and your friends charge around the corner.
>Except Sweetie Belle. She knows. She knows all too well what you will find.
>Blood. It splatters the walls, the ceiling...gemstones soaked in red...
>Celestia lurks in the entrance hall, unwilling to go any closer.
>Luna lies sprawled on the stone floor, unmoving.
>Two deep wounds pierce her neck, rich, red blood flowing from them into the porous stone.
>Something is hunched in the dark corner, something vaguely pony shaped.
>You see a shuddering purple limb reach out from beyond it, and a dangling purple mane.
>Loud slurping sounds fill the cavern, and you shudder.
>The thing looks up, blood dripping from fanged teeth and spilling over a chiseled, white-coated jaw.
>"Ah. Celestia...I believe I've cured your sister."



>Blood and dust matted sections of his coat in clumps, and his eyes had a crazed, feral look to them...but it was him.
>It was Blueblood.
>The silver necklace, still soaked in red, was secured around his neck.
>Celestia takes a step closer, and Blueblood winces, crouching protectively over...
>Oh Sweet Celestia.
>His companion...she twitched on the ground behind him, blood pouring out from her ruined throat.
>Celestia glances over the scene of horror before her, a mixture of wrath, disgust, and terror written clearly on her face.
>"Blueblood, what is..."
>"KING."
>You recoil at his voice, an altered thing, all the cultured nobility he effected replaced with the hissing of an animal.
>"I AM KING. Blueblood. And you will address me as such, MUTANT."
>Celestia stiffens, and spreads her wings wide.
>Blueblood recoils, holding a hoof above his face. Steam curls away from the hoof in a strange gesture, as if he were...burning.
>"So brightly you shine, Celestia..."
>Her glare deepens as he moves over her sister, and she backs away. You address him instead.
>"What have you...why are you doing this, Blueblood?"
>He hisses furiously, still covering his face.
>"Securing my Equestria. Equestria shall have its King, Celestia. A king as eternal and unyielding as the night itself!"
"You're no King, Blueblood. You have no castle, no crown. You're a monster, a-"
>There is a shriek, so loud you feel the blood run from your ears as pain spikes your head.
>You hear an explosive sound, as if tons of earth was being moved at once, and you duck your head.
>Rock and grit flies into your face as the Canterlot Caves explode outward.

Rarity's perspective.

>You shuddered again.
>You couldn't help it.
>You didn't know Lyra that well.
>But nopony deserved what was happening to her right now.
>Chrysalis, the Changeling Queen, was wrapped around the mint green unicorn, her eyes glowing as she stared into Lyra's yellow orbs.
>Lyra had a lazy, lopsided smile on her face as she murmered the name, "Bonnie" over and over.
>Green mist flowed from her lips and her horn, curling up towards Chrysalis, who inhaled it as if it were the sweetest of delights.
>With every inhale, Lyra seemed to grow weaker, somehow. Bags were developing under her eyes, and her movements were growing slow and stilted.
>You couldn't save her. Every time you moved close the other changelings closed around their queen like a wall, hissing and snarling at you.
>You-
>Yelped as the wall shatters inwards, stone exploding into the room.
>Your yelp turns into a scream as a dusk-cloaked purple body tumbles into the room, leaving a smear of blood on the floor.
>The body stopped at your hooves, revealing the blank, dead eyes of Amethyst Star.
"OH SWEET CELE-"
>Before you can react, a hoof is pressed to your mouth. There is something warm and wet on that hoof.
>"Not that name, my love. Not here. Not right now."
>You look up.
>Up the bloodstained white chest.
>Up past the dripping, fanged teeth.
>Up into the frozen, mad eyes of Blueblood.
>"Don't worry about my best mare, dear. She'll be up soon. And she'll be thirsty."
>Speech leaves you as you stare up at him, at that mad smile.
>"So happy to see me, my future Queen? I'm elated to see you..."
>That fanged maw opens, and before darkness takes you, the last thing you see is a pair of fangs.


Blueblood's Perspective
>You have sacrificed so much for your people.
>You idly lift your hoof and stare at, staring at the warm blood dripping from the flat appendage.
>It takes all of your willpower not to lick it off your hoof and go hunting for more.
>But you are in control, not the whispers.
>Not the necklace.
>You lower your hoof as you make your way towards the top of your mansion, your body flowing in a mistlike cloud to the very top before re-solidifying on your mansion's highest spire.
>You had...so much power now. So much weakness to go with it.
>You could have killed them, there in the caves. Celestia would have burned you, you would have been hurt, badly, but you would have killed them all.
>That's not your purpose, though. That's not why you did this. You did this to protect them.
>To keep all of ponykind, safe. You would be there to protect them now.
>And with this necklace...with this wondrous gift...all of ponykind could...Equestria could rule the world.
>An army of Equestrians, eternal, unyielding, unstoppable...loyal...
>The thought makes you smile.
>You turn your eyes upon Canterlot, stretching your mouth open past blood drenched fangs.
>You can smell them.
>Hiding in their homes.
>Cowering, confused, afraid.
>You can hear their heart beats, thumping away in furred chests, spreading warm, hot blood through their bodies.
>It made you thirsty. So unbearably thirsty.
>You shake your head, struggling to focus. You have a message to deliver.
>Your voice projects out into the city, the necklace giving it body, force, and verve.
>Every household hears your most sibilant whisper, every mansion trembles with your roared words.
"CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT! OF EQUESTRIA! YOUR KING SPEAKS!"

Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWk-aaH8mPk

>Terrified ponies come out of their homes, the babble of their chatter reaching you even where you stand.
>The smell of them...
"BE CALM, MY SUBJECTS! TONIGHT, A DREADFUL, TREASONOUS ATTEMPT WAS MADE ON MY LIFE! I AM RETREATING FROM THE CAPITOL TO MY ESTATE, FOR SAFETY. REST ASSURED THE PERPETRATORS OF THIS CRIME WILL BE FOUND AND PUNISHED! RETURN TO YOUR HOMES, CITIZENS!"
>The next is for Celestia and her servants.
"I AM HOLDING MY SAVIOR, THE LADY RARITY, AND HER COMPANION, THE LADY LYRA, IN MY HOME. THEY SHALL ATTEND ME AS I PREPARE THE CITY'S DEFENSES!"
>You lower your voice, but they still hear you.
"Lock your doors. MARTIAL LAW IS IN EFFECT!"
>WIth those words, changelings boil out of every nook and cranny of the castle, diving into the populace below.
>The scent of their fear, of their racing blood, is...intoxicating.
>You shudder as you step away from the Mansion's spire.
>From the fear screams and the smell.
>You have to remind yourself you're doing this for them.
>For the ponies of Equestria.
>Those accursed, meddling mares had interfered. It was them who brought you to this.
>They had turned you into this...thing.
>The thirst in your throat has turned into a raw, red pain, throbbing and rasping in your neck.
>You needed to feed, and soon.
>You close your eyes and enter your mansion, phasing through the walls.
>The staff was still employed. A scullery maid would be enough to serve your needs.
>You had to remind yourself.
>You were doing this to protect them. To serve them.
>The sacrifices you made for your people.
>You hear a heartbeat, and you smile.

 Rarity's perspective


>"...arity....aaaarity...Rarity..."
>Your eyes jolt awake with a gasp, and you groan in pain as you come to.
>You see...white linen sheets.
>Stone walls, an ornate metal bed.
>You struggle to sit up, holding a hoof to your head as a wave of dizziness overtakes you.
>"Wakey wakey, sleepyhead."
>You let out a shrill scream at that horrid rasp, so close from your ear.
>You dart your eyes, panicked, until they fall on a purple pony, standing next to you on your...
>You're on a bed now...and next to you...
>Her eyes are dead and glassy, burning from within with hellish light.
>A thick scar covers up her throat, and two massive fangs protrude from her lips.
>You scramble back in the bed, tangling up the sheets, and Amethyst Star starts laughing.
>"Welcome back to the world of the living..."
>Horror tightens your chest as you gaze at that purple ghoul, and your eyes dart around once more.
>You see Chrysalis in the corner, curled around Lyra once more like some parasitic leech.
>Then you see the body.
>A maid, brown furred, leaning against the wall, two puncture marks near her neck.
>She is still as a stone.
>Absentmindedly, you bring a hoof to your neck, terror shooting through you.
>You can see the blood leaking from her neck in thin rivulets, and you feel revulsion well up in you.
>That horrid rasp comes near your ear again.
>"Looks delicious, doesn't it?"
>You bring up your hoof without thinking, smashing into that purple muzzle and sprinting away.
>You hear only the sound of laughter follow you as you break the door open, screaming.
>You start to run, terrified and so...weak.
>Unbidden, your mind returns to that dead maid.
>You feel so..thirsty.

Twilight's Perspective.

>Celestia paced back and forth in front of you, worry and fury etched across her face.
>"That treacherous little worm! That spineless, gutless little-"
>You'd never heard of the Princess speak with such fury towards a pony before.
"Princess?"
>She closes her eyes, as if pained.
>"I apologize for my language, Twilight. But this...Blueblood has gone mad. He still believes himself King, still screams to his 'subjects' even as he unleashes changelings upon them. He became that...that thing..."
>Sweetie Belle shivers and speaks up from next to you.
>"He put on the necklace. It's...it's old and cruel, and it whispers things..."
>She shivers again, and Fluttershy draws her close, comforting her with a supporting hoof.
"I think we can all agree that he's gone completely insane! Who would willingly...turn themselves into something like that?"
>You all shudder as you remember the sight of him in the caves.
>A twisted, bloody, mad thing, made of blood and nightmare.
>Celestia closes her eyes, pained and furious.
>"He has...hurt my sister...left her unconscious...unleashed havoc on my ponies...and he holds two innocent ponies as captives. As hostages."
"What can we do?"
>Celestia shakes her head after a moment's deliberation.
>"The moment he or his changelings sees me coming, he'll...dispose of his hostages. We can't risk that."
>She lowers her gaze.
>"We'll need a distraction....the guard will have to rise against the changelings...and somep0ny must sneak in and..."
>She can't bring herself to say it. She doesn't have t-
>"End him."
>You, Celestia, and your friends turn around.
>Something is in the window.
>Two pairs of eyes. One pair yellow, one pair blue.


>Before you can react, you see the glass of the castle window shatter.
>A massive, clawed foot slams into the stone floor.
>There is a flash of green, and whatever it is pulls itself into the hall.
>You recognize the creature.
>You remember it.
>Those teeth...those claws...
>Celestia's horn glows, and her wings flare in warning.
>Applejack snorts, and Rainbow flutters into the air in a threatening manner.
>Fluttershy and Sweetie Belle, to your surprise, do not cower as the massive beast towers above them.
>In fact, they look elated...
>Almost beneath your notice, a cream colored pony tumbles into the room after the creature, coughing and shaking itself.
>Sweetie Belle squeals in surprise and joy, trotting over to the pony as fast as her legs can carry her.
>"Miss Bon Bon!"
>The pony smiles at the oncoming filly, and holds her legs out to give her a hug.
>"Sweetie! You made it! You told them!"
>Wait...then this was...Sweetie's savior...
>Bon-Bon. So that must mean that the beast...
>You look up at it as it glares down at you, ignoring the threat of Celestia and your friends.
>It seems to shrink before your eyes, growing smaller, leaner, but no less furious.
>Yellow eyes change, becoming more ponylike...becoming human.
>Claws retract, and fur falls away, until...
>Anonymous stands before you, haggard, beaten, tired...but here.
>"Where is she?"
>Celestia responds to him, still wary.
>"A-Anon? You're alive? What do you mean where is-"
>"Where is Blueblood holding her, Celestia?"
>Celestia closes her eyes and points with her wing.
>Towards the mansion, where changelings shriek and wheel around it like overgrown bats.
>A low growl rolls out of Anon's throat, and the glass shards shake.