"Augh." Twilight was groaning as she refused to remove her face from the pillow. "You knew this would happen, didn't you." She said with slight contempt.

"Don't fucking talk to me until I've had my tea." Moon grumbled back as she was massaging the top of her head. "And it's not like I forced you to drink three cups. That's pretty much twelve shots."

"Twelve!?"

"Stop screaming." Moon groaned again. "Probably higher, since everything after your third cup is a bit blurry."

"Good morning, you two." Floral greeted calmly as he climbed up onto the treehouse.

"Floral?" Moon asked with a dry voice. "I want some tea."

"Ugh, why is my everything sore?" Twilight couldn't even move a muscle.

"I had to chase after you through the woods for about three hours. You were surprisingly nimble after that fifth cup, don't know how you managed to even pull off that many spells." He calmly explained as he put a pot of water over the fire. "Oh and, the guards that came with you had to be taken to the hospital after most of them got shot."

"Huh?" Twilight had to take a moment to process it.

"Pffthahaha-ugh, ow." Moon regretted laughing.

"Zecora dragged Gilda with her to buy some bagels. Harkon went out to get himself some breakfast. Shining Armor is outside, trying to start a fire. Blueblood and Light decided to check out Ponyville, and haven't come back since last night." He informed them.

"There's the Golden Horseshoe hotel in Ponyville. Considering Blueblood, he probably brought a bag of bits with him." Twilight mumbled as her thoughts slowly started to come in order. "OH NO!" She suddenly yelled and tried to get up. "Gah! My eyes!" She shouted and covered her eyes whilst laying down again.

"Fucking hell, I told you to stop screaming, Purple." Moon cussed with an annoyed grimace. "Seriously, how the hell can you even think of yelling with a hangover."

"In a small town like Ponyville, I'm sure you don't have to worry. The worst thing that could happen would be for Blueblood to get a bit of dirt on him." Floral assured her calmly. "Besides, Gilda and Zecora went there also. I'm sure they'll be just fine."

"I, I guess?" Twilight barely accepted as she buried her head deeper into the pillow.

"Where the fuck is my morning tea, Floral?" Moon asked with a grimace.

Floral chuckled in response. "Come outside. Stop sleeping in every single day." He said with a smile as he placed Moon on his back.

"Ugh, fine. I need lemon tea." Moon grumbled in response.

"You should come outside too. Fresh air should help with the headache." Floral suggested before grabbing the groggy Twilight as well.

"Um, I'm still worried about Blueblood being in Ponyville. Did I ever tell you guys about the Gala?" Twilight asked tiredly as she allowed herself to be carried.

"Hmm. I should have been able to guess this would happen. It's my fault." Blueblood was wearing a tired and sinful expression as he was sulking on a bed.

"Come on, it's not your fault. It's not like it was really a secret." Light tried to cheer him up with a nervous smile.

"Still, I'm sorry. I thought my spell could last long enough."

"Eh, I've seen your daily work. It's mostly talks with other nobles and stuff. It's impressive enough that your spell can last that long without time to practice."

*Thud, Thud*

"Open the damn window!" A muffled yell came from outside.

"Huh?" Light was a bit confused, but unlocked it.

*Bam*

The windows flew open from the middle as three pegasi and one griffin crashed in.

"Gah!" Gilda shouted as she crashed into the floor. "Fuck!"

"It's him!"

"We're in!"

"It really is him!"

The three pegasi, all revealed to be mares jumped up in excitement.

"Wha!?" Light exclaimed in shock.

"Get behind me." Blueblood stood in front of Light in a protective manner.

"OI!" Gilda yelled in anger as she stood up whilst heavily grimacing, a slight, yet dangerous feeling exuding off of her. "What the fuck was that about!?" She shouted the question at the mares.

"Gilda!?" Light piped up from behind Blueblood. "Help!"

Without waiting, Gilda took a small flight and positioned herself in front of Blueblood and Light.

"Buzz off!" One of the mares shouted.

"Move out of the way griffin! He's mine!"

With every word, Gilda seemed to become more pissed as veins started to become visible at the top of her head.

"Buck off birdbrain! I need to talk with the Prince!"

"Fucking hell." Gilda cussed once and threw the first punch.

"Woah!" Light was shocked as the mare was lifted off he ground.

"What are you doing?!" Blueblood also didn't expect such a move.

"Dealing with the problem." Gilda said lowly.

With the knocked out pegasi flying out the window, the two others looked at each other before running headfirst at Gilda.

*Bam*

The door was suddenly kicked open as a lasso flew in, capturing the two mares in an instant.

"Gotcha!" Applejack appeared with a grin.

"Hey!" One of the two mares shouted.

"Clear Skies?" Applejack said with a questioning tone.

"Well, that's one less charge for me." Gilda quickly processed the situation before throwing the two girls out of the room.

"Now, what in the hay’s goin’ on here?!" Applejack asked as she looked around. "Hmm, you're one of them fancy ones, ain'tcha?" She asked as she looked at Blueblood.

"Uh, thank you." Blueblood replied as he observed for a moment. "Around twenty five, you must be Applejack, yes?" He asked and suppressed his small annoyance.

"You know her?" Light popped out behind him.

"Well howdy, and you'd be right as rain mister. I am Applejack, but how do you know who I am?"

"Hate to interrupt this nice meeting, but I'm pretty sure I saw about fifty carts pulling into Ponyville. Pretty damn sure carriages were flying in too." Gilda interrupted as she finally placed a wardrobe in front of the door. "You seen Zecora anywhere, Apple?"

"Right, right. Uhh, no, what the hay is this all about anyway?" Applejack asked out loud.

"Last night, Bluey glanced through the window without his disguise magic. Apparently somepony saw him, and the rumor made its rounds through the town, and outside of the town by the morning." Light calmly explained. "I'm Light by the way. I don't think we've met."

"Hmm, I see. Wait, 'Bluey'?" Applejack suddenly realized.

"Really not the fucking time for this!" Gilda shouted to get their attention as she was seen throwing another pony out of the window. "YOU'RE AN EARTH PONY, HOW THE FUCK DID YOU CLIMB TO THE THIRD FLOOR?!" She shouted angrily before shutting the window again. "We need a plan, fast. Or else we're gonna get stuck here, and Princey over might lose his V-card in ten minutes."

*Bam, Thud*

The door was almost pushed open, but was closed back as Gilda shoved it back.

"Oh! I have never!" A feminine voice complained from outside.

"Doesn't sound too obsessed." Gilda muttered before opening the door slightly. "Yeah, it's you, marshmallow. Get in, quick." She commanded before pulling her in through the door.

"Woah! Hey! I just got my hooves done, I only wanted to know what was going on here. Not to be treated so brutishly." She complained before taking a look around. "You." Her voice lowered to a dangerous tone.

"Me." Blueblood replied as he glanced at Light questioningly. "What about me?"

"Rare, why don’t ya take a breath ‘fore ya go doin’ somethin’ you’ll be sorry for later." Applejack tried to intervene with a nervous smile.

"Wait, Twilight's friend?" Light muttered.

"Who?" Blueblood whispered the question as he kept an eye on Rarity.

"Bluey, seriously." Light was slightly exasperated as she weakly punched him in the shoulder.

"Concentrate. Stop thinking about food." Floral said calmly as he sat in a lotus position in the river.

The water crashed against him as he stayed unmoving, his chest fluctuating ever so slightly being the only indication of life. His eyes closed in pure focus.

"I'm not." Moon grumbled back, half dozing off in the same position.

"I never mentioned you." He replied back.

"Fuck." She cussed.

"U-um. Wh-hy do I-I ha-ve t-to do thi-s?" Twilight asked as she shivered from the cold whilst trying to replicate the position.

"To calm your mind, and free it from the fear of pain. You must first know it, and learn to control it." Floral spoke strictly, yet softly.

"Doesn't a-answer my ques-tion." Twilight stated.

"You asked to come."

"R-right."

"What does meditating have to do with anything?" Shining finally spoke up as he focused on his breathing.

"To practice your focus, and train your mind. Without a clear head, you'll waver." Floral told them with a blank face.

Time slowly passed as the four stayed in the same position, sitting against the crashing waves. Fish swam by as wild animals dared not to approach.

Slowly, yet surely, a change was to come.

"Ugh, I t-think, I ne-eed t-to lea-ve." Twilight was stuttering as she teleported out of the water.

"Come on pretty boy, you're gonna freeze to death." Moon said sarcastically as she dragged Shining out, who was delirious.

"I can still hold on, for a bit longer." He protested whilst shivering.

Moon lightly smacked his leg. "You feel that?"

"No?"

"Exactly."

Twilight sat on a patch of sunlight before lighting a fire off the ground right in front of her. "Wait, what's happening with Floral?" She asked curiously.

"What?" Shining asked back and looked at him.

"Fuck are you-oh. Wow." Moon was flabbergasted.

Floral was, glowing. A certain light radiated off of him, lighting up the surrounding areas. The flora seemed greener, livelier as the water felt clearer. The air was fresher as a fragrant nature scent could be smelled.

"Doesn't that look a bit like, he's sleeping?" Twilight asked with a tilt of her head.

"Now that you mention it, yeah." Moon murmured back.

"Definitely feels like he's sleeping." Shining commented.

"Hmm, I don't feel too good about this." Moon mumbled as she stared around, checking the vicinity.

"What are you looking for?" Shining asked as he stood on guard, horn lit as a thick bubble surrounded the three.

"I can cast anything you need me to." Twilight informed the two with a tense expression.

"Something's about to happen, be ready to move." Moon took command as she kept looking around.

"Just what are you looked around for?" Shining ended up asking.

"It's a feeling, like an instinct. I know something is about to happen." Moon replied.

Suddenly, her ears shot up as her body moved before her mind. A tendril made of shadow pushed Shining away as Moon jumped backwards whilst pulling Twilight with her.

*Crash*

"Gakh!" Shining grunted in pain as the pink barrier was completely destroyed.

"Holy shit!" Moon cussed out loud. "You alive, Twinkle Shield!?" She yelled the question.

"Ugh, yeah! I'm alive!" Shining didn't feel like arguing. "What happened?!" He asked and looked up. "A vine? Or is that a tree?"

*Slash*

The vine was cut away as Moon appeared with Twilight on her back. She gave him a hoof and pulled him up before turning to Floral.

"Well, ain't this a new level of bullshittery." Moon commented with annoyance. "Don't even have my knife with me."

Floral was still seated in a lotus position. Only problem is, he's currently floating. Rampant magic flared out of him in an electric manner, making sizzling sounds as the surroundings started to become distorted. His eyes were closed as the surrounding plants became overgrown.

"Is this a normal occurrence?" Twilight asked and got off of Moon.

"I don't think ascending to a higher dimension is a normal occurrence for anypony." Shining retorted as he debated which spells to use.

"Don't hold back. If you think you can fight him half heartedly, then you're really out of your mind." Moon told them sternly as her hooves extended to blades. "Should be fine long as he's not dead."

In one chaotic day, a swarm of ponies. Reaching a number that was thrice the amount of residents in Ponyville. They were all chasing what they thought was one handsome Prince.

On the other hoof. Gilda, Applejack, Blueblood, Light and Rarity. These five were staying as still as possible as the swarm ran by, getting covered in plenty of dust. Rarity flinched, as one single pony stopped by.

"Hmm, are these supposed to be statues of the first Hearth's Warming?" She muttered with a confused face as she looked closer. "Even if they are, why's it not closer to the center of town? Where are the pegasi? And why is there a griffin? Is this supposed to be something else?" She kept asking questions.

She stepped closer as she inspected Gilda, who was wearing the brightest smile she could whilst wearing a jester costume.

"Weirdly realistic though." The mare mumbled and turned towards the others. "This one." Just as she started to suspect Blueblood of being real, a shadow covered her from behind her.

Swiftly turning around, she spotted Gilda, holding a large bat. She couldn't let out a scream before the bat came right for her head. She shut her eyes and prepared for pain.

*Pop*

The bat popped into rubber pieces, slowly falling to the ground.

The mare opened her eyes and stared at Gilda.

Gilda was staring back as buckets of sweat started to pour down her face. Seconds passed by, just like this until the mare suddenly dropped to the ground.

"I, what?" Gilda muttered.

"I think you made her pass out from adrenaline shock." Light suggested calmly.

"What? I'm not that scary, right?" Gilda asked.

The others couldn't respond.

"You ain't too bad, but you don't look so friendly either." Applejack said with a hopeful smile. "Besides, I'm sure the surprise attack had some kind of effect." She assured Gilda.

"It's the scar." Blueblood stated as a matter of fact.

"Bluey!" Light admonished him with another smack.

"Right, I forgot about this thing." Gilda muttered and rubber her beak.

"Erm, now that things have calmed down, could anypony please tell me just what is going on?" Rarity finally asked the big question. "And just why is this undeserving of the title Prince, is in a ,quote unquote, shabby town like Ponyville?"

"Dude, what's your problem?! We're being chased by half the country and you're worried about a personal grudge!" Gilda cut in forcefully.

"Well, Gilda, I'm not your dude. And it's none of your business." Rarity replied rather harshly.

"Fine then! Keep it! I don't give a shit anyway! I only care that we need to somehow get out of town and stay quiet until things die down!" Gilda still held herself back.

"Okay, okay. Let's calm down y'all. We should get someplace safe before doing all the talking." Applejack interrupted the two.

"Yes, right. Why the hell am I arguing with you." Gilda muttered as she looked around. "And can't you disguise yourself?" She suddenly asked Blueblood.

"No, I used up my magic last night. I'll need more time to recharge to use another disguise spell." Blueblood.

"Fucking hell, you had a whole night to recharge. You use it all playing in bed last night?" She said sarcastically before dismissing it with a wave.

"Gilda!" Light bashfully yelled out.

"Ehh." Applejack wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear that.

"Alright, which one of you knows your way around this place?" Gilda asked as she shed her costume whilst looking for anything she could use. "I could try." She mumbled and pulled out a long stick from the cart they pulled out the costumes from.

"Hmm, I say we go through the market. Ain't many folks ‘round this time o' day, and we can mosey on over to Sugarcube Corner and see if Pinkie’s got a hoof to lend. We'll still be makin' our way toward the Everfree goin' this route." Applejack made the plan as the others listened in.

Except for Rarity, who just couldn't figure out exactly what was happening.

"It's, probably similar to the real thing." Gilda mumbled as she took out a bow from the cart and turned to the others. "Aight, you guys ready?" She asked before freezing for a moment. "What the fuck? Get weapons! Or anything that we could use! I get Apples and Marshmallow not having experience, but you two assholes have already been in at least two real fights!"

"Alright, alright. Jeez, sorry. I never really imagined something like this happening." Blueblood was the first to respond with a nervous smile.

"Dang, you're kinda like a drill instructor." Light commented as she followed Blueblood to look through the cart.

"I am an instructor, now get your asses moving!" Gilda yelled annoyedly as she took out arrows from the cart. "One of you can use the stick, I'll stick with the bow."

"Ya sure you ain't fixin' to hurt nopony with that thing?" Applejack asked as she refrained. "And I don’t need no weapons; I got my trusty rope right here." She said as she proudly presented an old rope.

"Uh, yeah, whatever, and these aren't pointy. What about you Marshmallow?"

"Huh, what?" Rarity was suddenly woken from her distracted mind.

"Okay, like, actually what is wrong with you. If you don't want to help, why are you sticking with us?" Gilda was having a rough time holding her annoyance in.

"PRINCE BLUEBLOOD!"

One sharp, excited yell cut through everything.

"Shit. RUN!" Gilda gave the command.

The others ran at full sprint, leaving behind Gilda who shot an arrow before flying off.

"Ugh." Shining groaned as a tree crashed against his barrier. "Not sure I can last much longer!" He informed the other two as he felt a deep headache forming.

"I thought you two were pretty close in strength!" Twilight complained to Moon and teleported away as a vine passed right by her, creating a shockwave.

"Fuck off!" Moon yelled back as she was giving her full focus on the oncoming attacks. "Aren't you the magic genius?! Can't you come up with a good theory?!"

Several dozens of dark blades were lashing out, cutting through every vine that came over. Still, it wasn't enough as no progress was being made.

"I don't know what that is! It's why we brought a whole bucking thaumatic reader!" Twilight replied stressfully as she teleported next to Moon. "Don't you have more experience with this?" She stumbled as she stood behind Moon.

"Fuck no! Floral's the one who has it, not me!" Moon responded.

"GAH!" Shining grunted as he went through the barrage of vines to get to the two of them. "Seriously, why am I being ignored?"

"Say something useful then." Moon said back with a tense expression. "Think you can block those?"

"I can try, but I'm pretty low on magic right now." Shining replied.

"I'm more than half, I can add mine in." Twilight told the two.

"Alright, I just need twenty, no, fifteen steps forward. Then I can get to him." Moon spoke as calmly as she could. "On three, I'll drop my magic."

"Wait! What're you gonna do when you get to him?" Twilight asked.

"I'm gonna fucking punch him." Moon fully focused forward as she ignored everything else. "One!"

Shining and Twilight shared a look as their magic gathered.

"Two!"

A barrier was constructed. Dimensions upon dimensions were added, until it became as thick as an entire hoof.

"Three!" Moon yelled and pulled her magic back as the barrier enveloped her.

*Bang, Bang*

Several hits came in an instant, shaking the area. Still, the bubble stood strong as the three decided to make their way forward.

With Moon watching pensively, Shining and Twilight pushed forward. The ground was breaking as their ears rang from the impacts. Cracks formed as the outermost layer shattered, leading to groans of pain from the two.

*Boom*

*Crash*

Another was broken, making Twilight stumble down. The barrier lost it's purple glow and Moon caught Twilight, but she wasn't able to function further. Moon carried her as she stepped forward.

*Bang*

The third layer broke. Shining Armor took a moment for himself as he took deep breaths, a small trail of blood fell from his nose. His eyes were bloodshot as he was pushing past his boundaries. His horn was electrified as sparks of magic fizzled out.

Whilst they pushed on, Moon was gathering and condensing her magic. A dark and thick liquid poured out from her eyes and flowed down to her chest, only to be absorbed back in as it became more refined.

"That close enough?" Shining asked under strain and wiped away his nosebleed that was replaced not a second later.

"I'll make it work. Good job." Moon said minimally as she prepared to go in.

With one deep breath, she shot him a glance. In that moment, the barrier dropped as Moon shot forward. Like a cannon ball, she was a blur.

*Bang*

She was stopped instantly as she smashed against a green barrier.

The thought of missing went away instantly as Moon stared straight at Floral, whose eyes were shut forcefully by tough vines stitching through the eyelids. Hundreds of different plants and flora grew wildly, aiming to remove Moon somehow.

She responded by releasing her magic. The area became sticky as movements were restricted. The pure darkness the magic brought dissolved the plants. Life withered away as death replaced it.

Floral's body twitched as he went from the lotus position to standing straight. The light green barrier around him slowly started to dissolve as he became completely visible. His mouth was sewed shut as his body moved like a puppet.

"Sorry." Moon uttered an unapologetic apology as she pulled a hoof back.

A pure and dark energy oozed off of her hoof. Rising to the air as the surroundings became thick.

Floral responded by a faster punch. Moon leaned slightly to dodge it before punching forward.

"You ain't shit compared to the real him." Moon said with a cold voice.

As the punch connected, a shockwave spread out. The liquified shadows seemed to disappear entirely as the plants were pushed away. In a perfect circle, shadows shot out from underneath them. The excess from the amount used.

Moon exhaled slowly as she stared down at Floral. Despite their disastrous surroundings, the two remained standing. Locked in that exchange, Moon's brain went into overdrive as she tried to figure something out.

But Floral didn't give her that chance. With both hooves, Floral grabbed Moon from the neck.

"Agh." She was caught by surprise.

"Moon!" Shining was heard shouting from behind her.

Head pounding as the vision became darker, Moon grimaced heavily as she grit her teeth. A few small spikes and tentacles tried to ram into Floral's hooves, yet it didn't work. A few blasts of magic hit Floral straight on the head, but he didn't even flinch. Staring through the smoke it produced, Floral's eyes slowly opened up through the vines.

"If you, are gone, then he, will do, what is right." The voice that came out was distorted, like two different voices were layered together.

As Moon stared at his, its eyes, she could only come to a single conclusion.

She seemed to suddenly give up. Her hooves fell down as her body stopped struggling. Dozens of seconds passed by as Shining was staring with a bit of despair. That is, until a single orb floated out of her chest.

Floral's eyes darted to it, panic clearly visible. Unlike his normal self, he was scared. Surprised, shocked. It didn't know what that orb could do.

And it was right to fear that orb.

Without a single warning, the orb cracked. Hundreds of thousands of tiny cracks ran through it. Pure black liquids poured out, yet never fell to the ground.

Floral's eyes darted between Moon and the orb. Eventually, Moon stayed in the air as the orb was left untouched. It was a mistake.

The orb fell apart, having turned into millions of little tiny pieces, it expanded out as fragments were still connected to each other through the black substance. Like a spider web, it created a cage of sorts.

Trapped in the cage, Floral's body looked everywhere it could. Wanting to know what it was, and hot it could escape. Yet, it was all interrupted as Moon raised a hoof. It was haphazardly thrown on the hooves that held her up.

"My gambit, asshole." Moon gave a grin that permeated bloodlust.

Having still managed to curse in that situation, Moon had a wide grin as the cage closed, letting nothing else enter.

Blueblood kicked a door open as he was heavily panting. There was a grimace on his face as he made sure that there wasn't anypony else in his surroundings. After letting Rarity in, he shut the door and slid against it as he listened to the sounds of hundreds of hooves running by.

Ten seconds pass by.

Blueblood sighs in relief as his body tension releases. Holding his head lightly on his hooves, he takes deep breaths to calm himself down as he leans against the wall, facing away from Rarity. Rarity is also relaxed as she decides to sit down on the floor, though she does feel a slight disgust at the dust on her flank.

"Damn it." Blueblood muttered as he looked upwards.

"What?" Rarity was confused at a word she didn't know of.

"Forget it, it's a cuss." He answered dismissively as he closed his eyes, dark circles under them being proof of tiredness.

Rarity stared in a small shock for a moment at his confession of cussing, but decided not to put it past him. "Wow, you actually get dark circles under your eyes?" She asked in a mocking, yet lighthearted tone.

Rather than annoyed or an indifferent response Rarity was expecting, Blueblood's eyes became wide as his breathing stopped. Before Rarity could understand what that was, the dark circles disappeared as the perfect stallion sat there again. Seeing this, Rarity was pretty mad.

"You've been using magic, this whole time!?" She ended up asking.

"Don't shout." Blueblood tried to change the topic.

"No, no, no mister. I've only been helping because my dear friend Applejack asked me to, but you've been wasting all our efforts! You could've just endured not being flawless for a bit, then you could've used a real disguise, but you've been doing, this. This, useless, tactic of using magic to cover yourself up. This flimsy disguise of perfecting yourself to the world, and hiding your true ugliness!!" Her shout echoed through the house they had hid themselves in.

Blueblood was glaring back without a word. His face cold as his eyes held a certain anger in them. In truth, she had hit the nail on the head. Blueblood himself knew that.

His ugly side, his imperfections. He feared the consequences of revealing them, so he hid them behind a perfect face. The beautiful and downright gorgeous Prince was simply a mask. His true self, he knew that he was flawed in many different ways. But, his mask was his best weapon, so he lived behind his mask.

"Well?! Aren't you gonna say something?! I thought you were hanging out with that poor little girl, Light! Just so you can hurt her like you hurt me! I'm right! Aren't I?! Answer me!!"

Blueblood had the smallest of realizations as he kept glaring at Rarity, though his stare slowly became indifferent as he had a question.

Why was he trying so hard to have a good relationship with this pony?

By now, he had realized that she was most likely one of her partners in one of the previous Galas. He can't remember which, all the Galas always mix in and jumble together, always ending up as the exact same routing and ending. To Blueblood, the Gala was no different than his yearly lottery at seeing if he would get a win, and find somepony that he truly desired. So, now that he had Light, he didn't know why he was even trying to keep up this facade.

"Huh." He let out that small sound as Rarity stared at him in confusion.

"Have you finally lost your mind?" She asked as she took a step back.

"No, well, it's really none of your business." He spoke calmly, not a hint of nervousness or anxiety in his voice as he stood up. After dusting himself off, somewhat fixing his ruffled suit, he turned to Rarity. "I'll say, thanks for that. I need to be going now, I'm still on a date after all." He muttered as he walked out the front door, the swarm of ponies long gone.

Rarity was stunned as she stood there. A horrified expression on her face as several thoughts went through her mind. But those thoughts couldn't find an end as she shook her head to wake up from her stupor. The arrogant and haughty Prince, she already knew he had flaws. But one more shocking detail had been added in.

"Wait, no, no, what?" Rarity muttered in full on confusion. "The Prince is scarred?" She mumbled softly.

Without anything else she could do, she ran out of the door as she went to find Blueblood.

Now that she was in a thinking mood, she looked around for any signs. The cheerful town of Ponyville felt, lonely. Almost every single pony had gathered to chase after Blueblood. Walking through the streets, Rarity was having an internal struggle about the Prince.

It was no help. She couldn't chase down an entire horde, and if she did, all she would end up doing is missing where the others had hidden. A long enough time having already been spent, she became slightly dispirited as she came to a decision.

"Mister Remedy, or, did she call her Floral Green?" She mumbled to herself as she took a shaky sigh.

She had heard from her friends, he can be a great help if you're ever stuck in a moral dilemma.

*Bam*

"RAAHHH!" Shining Armor yelled loudly.

Shining Armor, he was the captain of the Royal Guards. The absolute highest honor a pony could receive in the empire, and he held it righteously. To get to this position, he had fought bias against his roots. Endured what is called the harshest five years in Equestria. All the whilst never forgetting to be good.

"COME ON!" He shouted as he used only a part of his barrier.

Graduating his knighting school with the highest scores, he was a rookie in the Guards. Yet, his soul never wavered and his resolution shined as he was one of the very few ponies outside of nobility that joined the Royal Guards. Of course, his sister being the personal disciple of Princess Celestia may have helped out a bit, but he still had his on fair share of troubles from the higher class.

"YOU CALL THIS A FIGHT!?" He taunted loudly as his barrier failed to form, his horn letting out only a few sparks in response.

Having earned the envy of his peers, he just could not help but earn more. A personal friendship with the Prince of Equestria. His already elevated position gained another support as his easy and outgoing nature happily attracted Blueblood, who was in dire need of a friend before he collapsed down.

"THIS ISN'T EVEN A WORKOUT!!" He kept screaming his heart out as blood poured down from his body.

Even after achieving this much in just his twenties, he had already shown promise of another surprise. Princess Cadenza Mi Amore, his marefriend. Many thought, or hoped even, that Cadenza only took a small liking to Shining Armor. Hoping that she thought of him as just a slightly more interesting stallion. Oh how wrong they were. Rumors of their marriage had already spread, and with the sources coming straight from the Royal Castle, none could deny it any more. He had done something incredible once again. He may look and feel incompetent compared to his younger sister, but there is no denying it. He was a monster of his own, one that flipped the whole social structure of Equestria on its head.

"COME ON THEN! HUNDREDS OF YOU, AND ONLY ONE OF ME! LET'S SEE WHO WINS!!" He was fighting.

Stamina and energy had ran out, so he fought using his will as fuel. His magic had dried up, but it was of no issue. He was the captain of the entire Royal Guards. He did not need to use his magic to solve this issue. Blood poured down his body as pain enveloped every last corner of his body, but it was alright. The pain meant that he was still alive, and he could fight just fine as long as he was breathing.

"HAHAHAHHA!!" He let out a manic laughter as he tossed away something that was four times his size.

His struggle was desperate, no. It was nothing of trouble to the captain. He was the captain, the shoulders that the safety of Equestria fell on. Or, well, it should be like that anyway. Lately, he had felt like he hadn't been able to do his job in maintaining security. But now, fighting to protect, his soul was on fire as his heart refused to let the body die down. Pure determination. The will of a true warrior who knew no fears. It was something that could be burned for eternity, and still shine brighter than any star.

"Ugh, what?" Twilight slowly woke up with a headache.

She entertained the thought of having drank alcohol again, but she also she knew she never wanted to experience the hangover ever again. There was constant ringing in her ears as the surrounding sound was muffled. Staying awake for a few more seconds, things started to clear up as she heard desperate yells. No, taunting yells as she heard things being thrown to the ground, slammed away or simply being torn open. Her foggy memories all rushed back as her body refused to cooperate. She slowly and carefully got up and looked around.

It didn't take her long to notice Shining Armor. He was standing in front of her, barely a hint of sentience in his eyes as his battered and broken body remained unmoving. There was a constant stream of sparks of magic coming from his horn, evidence of his desperate attempt to use one more spell.

Determination and desperation. Two opposites, yet both had similar signs. The will to do something, anything one could to continue. Mixing them, along with a desire to protect, brought out a twisted, yet righteous version of heroism.

"Shining?" Twilight was almost silent as she called out for him.

The hundreds of different creatures attacking the camp was reminiscent of the attacks Twilight had endured whenever she visited Floral. But, those had good outcomes. Sure, there were injuries, but nothing had been major. So, she had been tricked. She thought that, despite this one being even more challenging than before, she would come out just fine. That her friends and family, would come out just fine. A few small injuries that they could joke over, that was the furthest she had thought. But seeing the bloody appearance of Shining Armor, she was having a hard time breathing as her brain tried to comprehend the situation.

She was lucky, so she had severely underestimated the aftereffects of the battles that take place. And she was just realizing, exactly how dangerous this all was. So, her mind froze. Questions arose, but the answers never came.

Would one of us just die like that?

What do we after?

Can't something help us?

How does Moon stay so energetic after these things?

Do I somehow get used to these as well?

The possibilities of dying, or just death in general. Do I just get used to that?

Twilight slowly turned to a black orb. Rather big and revolting as it acted like it was alive. She was desperate, so she hoped for a saving grace. And she was right.

*Boom*

The sphere was cracked open as Moon and Floral were strongly separated. Both rolled to the ground, visibly in pain.

Even the strong willed Floral Green, who barely even winced under the worst of pains. His face had a horrible frown as tear stains were visible. He had a shaky breath as he forced himself up and looked around with a murderous gaze. His kind and patient self felt like it was completely gone.

Moon coughed painfully as she twitched on the ground. A sticky and dark substance had drenched her as she looked up with unparalleled anger.

Silence enveloped the area for a few seconds as Floral came to a decision. Walking over to Shining, he tapped on the back of his neck as Shining Armor collapsed to the ground. With his glare taking in everything, he uttered a single word as his presence grew increasingly hostile.

"Duck." As soon as he said that word, Twilight ducked down as she felt something go over her.

Fearing that she may see something she didn't want to, she shut her eyes as she waited. And wait she did as she heard countless trees falling down. The hundreds of beasts, they all died down as their howls and growls disappeared. Twilight felt the sun shining down on her, something that shouldn't be happening as she was under the shade of a tree.

"Gah! Fuck!!" Moon's yell was filled with frustration.

Anger, just full on anger as her voice echoed through the world.

Author's Note

Hello!

So, sorry for the late upload. I, don't really have an excuse. It might've been something like burnout, since I kinda had a whole week to just, sit there. I couldn't focus on anything as my time just passed on without purpose.

I mean, I did do one thing. I finally checked out character ai. Fun thing. Also, really horny for some reason. Especially the Celestia ai's. After checking out a few characters, I tried out a few Celestia's, and oh boy, am I now scarred for life. They were, either really submissive and slutty, or have extreme dominitrix tendencies and often leaved my character in positions and apparently a completely broken state of mind. Being called a toy was a common occurrence.

Anyways, see you next time!