When Celestia said that Blueblood had the last Emerald, she expected everyone to be shocked, but when there was no shock from them, she showed shock, albeit briefly.

“What’s with the face, Sister?” Luna said, a straight yet smug look on her face that was directed at Celestia.

“Why are you all so nonchalant about my nephew possessing a dangerous artifact and causing havoc with it?” She asked, more shock showing on her face.

“You don’t truly know your nephew, Sister,” Luna responded. “Need I remind you that there are dreams that show a person’s innermost desires and ambitions.”

“What does that have to do with him?” Celestia snapped.

“The fact that his most recent dream involved overthrowing us both and using us as personal relief and entertainment...that should say something about his character,” Luna calmly responded. “And that’s just what his mind is thinking. He’s done more than just imagine overthrowing us.”

“The incident at the Gala, though overall isn’t to be overly concerned about, is a good example,” Rarity shared.

“Let’s not forget the number of times he’s hit on me or even attempted to use me,” Twilight spoke.

“Attempting to fire maids and guards for no reason other than that he didn’t like their faces,” Shining provided.

“Siphoning funds from random locations, as if we’re dumb enough to not notice it,” Applejack shared.

“Prioritizing national funds for things around Canterlot, and not providing what is needed for other towns and cities,” Rainbow grumbled.

“Almost closing down a small-town bakery for looking ‘too sweet’,” Pinkie provided.

“He also wiped an entire forest off the map for lumber and land to build a private resort for himself,” Fluttershy whispered.

“And Blueblood is in a position of power and abusing it,” Tom pointed out, stepping to the front of the group. “A true test of one’s character is to give them power and see what they do with it. This Blueblood has had a lot of political and economic power and blew it. What is he doing with the Chaos Emerald?”

Celestia hesitated before drooping in defeat and sorrow. “He’s attacking and demolishing the poorer and non-unicorn districts of the city,” she said quietly.

“Then we know where to go,” Tom said, turning toward the throne room doors. “Let’s get going.”

“Before you go,” Celestia spoke up. “Don’t hurt him too much. Especially don’t kill him.”

Without turning, Tom asked, “How many chances have you given him?”

“Over a dozen chances,” she answered.

“Then no promises,” Tom firmly said. “You gave him that many chances, and he blew all of them. I won’t hesitate to kill if the need arises.”

Celestia opened her mouth to object, but she paused, closed her mouth, and nodded in sorrow. “Then, I will accept your judgment,” she said. “It is clear that I only enabled him. Having only worked to repair the damage he made, my actions must have given him the thought that I approved of his actions. So if I must permanently lose a family member as punishment for this mistake, do what you must.”

Tom turned to look at her with a slightly sympathetic look. “You aren’t the one that made the mistakes, he did,” he told her. “The only mistake you made was not taking proper action when it mattered. Everything past that is his fault. Take your time to grieve now. Blueblood will pay for his mistakes, dead or alive.” Tom then turned and left, the Element Bearers following behind.

After they left, Celestia turned to her sister. “Luna, will you and the guards leave me for a short while?” She asked. Luna nodded, snapped her fingers, and gestured for the guards to leave and she followed. As soon as the door closed, Celestia closed her eyes and wept.

After exiting the castle, finding Blueblood was easy since screams and explosions were heard. They followed the screams and explosions into the lower parts of the city until they found several city blocks that looked like artillery and bombs leveled them.

With no words needed, everyone sprung into action. Rainbow began gathering rainclouds to extinguish any fires, while Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy began digging through the rubble to see if they could find any survivors. Twilight and Tom kept a general lookout, just in case Blueblood showed up.

After a few minutes of no sign of Blueblood, other than the general screams and explosions, the two relaxed somewhat and watched the rest of the group do their tasks. “Goodness, to think that my life changed from grunt work to saving my world to now helping save another one,” Tom said, before jumping a bit at the brief influx of memories.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, turning to me with curiosity.

“More memories came back,” Tom answered, lifting his robotic hands and flexing them. “Some harrowing, some pleasant. Used to live in a Mobian Village, until Infinite came.”

“Infinite?”

“A jackal that was using the Phantom Ruby I mentioned back inside the castle,” Tom provided. “He attacked my village and decimated the local militia...I was the only survivor.”

“What?” Twilight quietly shouted, her eyes widening with shock.

“Yeah,” Tom said. “When the rest of the militia was killed, and I was pointing a gun at him, he pinpointed my fear and said he’d spare my life if I gave into said fear. In defiance, I shot at him, and in retaliation, he took my arms, feet, and slit my throat. The last one luckily didn’t hit any vital blood vessels, but it did destroy my vocal cords.”

“If he destroyed your limbs and vocal cords then-” Twilight began, but was interrupted by Tom flipping a panel on the back of his left hand, revealing the servos and circuits inside.

“Cybernetics,” he answered, closing the panel on his hand while giving Twilight a small glare.

“Oh, sorry,” she said.

“You wouldn’t have known,” Tom said. “Anyway, after that, I had my limbs replaced and some cybernetics installed before I was recruited into the Head Squad, all of the commanders grouped into a ‘squad’ for organizational purposes.”

“And that’s where you started your ‘grunt work’ as you put it?” Twilight asked, to which Tom nodded. “What about saving your world?”

“That…” Tom began to say but stopped, his eyes suddenly narrowing. “Is to be a story for another time. You go help your friends in their search and evacuation, Twilight. Something's coming and I don't want you in the crossfire.” Twilight looked like she was about to protest, only to scream in fear when a nearby wall was blown to bits.

After the dust settled, a large group of armored unicorns stepped up and arrayed themselves around us. One of them stepped forward and removed his helmet. A look of recognition crossed Twilight's face as she glared at the unicorn in question.

"Blueblood."

Author's Note

Took forever for me to figure this out. Doesn't help that I have personal issues that cause me to be easily distracted.

11/3/2020: kinda had to edit things because of a lack of a crossover partner after going silent after confirming...or the partner is busy with other projects and it's best I try to continue what I have and not base my story progression on other's stuff.