"Look, I'm just saying, smashing all those pods was kinda messed up!"

"I did what I had to, Miss Dash, and I will not apologize for it! Perhaps if you had actually been helping me instead of cowering off to the side-"

"Cowering?! I was fighting, you stuck-up horse!"

"Oh, I saw you! You were flapping your wings so you wouldn't have to hurt the poor little monsters!"

"They were kids!"

"They were bugs! Mindless little drones! And they would have ripped you apart!"

"Why?! Why would they do that?! They eat love!"

"They have fangs and mandibles, you flying cow! Do you really think they only eat love?!"

"Excuse me?! I'm a cow?! You're the one who's too big to fly, even when you have both wings!"

They were at it again. Blueblood, sprawled on the ground with his neck resting against the base of a tree, watched them with lidded eyes. He'd have to stop them again before it escalated into violence, but... that could wait a bit longer. He could see the anger, the hatred and the hurt rising off of them like gray smoke, and he drank it in with deep satisfaction. Each moment they argued, he felt the power inside him growing. And he needed that power. He needed to be able to stop Nightmare Moon and her cultists, and to set right all the things in the world that had gone wrong.

Let them argue. Let them hate eachother. It would all work out in the end.

He sensed the tipping point approaching, however, and opened his eyes fully. Cadance was standing tall, her mane billowing about her head, her eyes and horn beginning to glow with terrifying blue energy. Rainbow Dash stood defiantly in front of her, crouched, wings spread, ready to charge.

Well, that's enough for now. "Ladies," he called. "Curse."

They narrowed their eyes at eachother. "We. Know." With obvious effort, they turned away and stood, silent and fuming.

"This is... getting to be too much," Cadance said after a long moment. "My spells aren't having any effect anymore. We're constantly at eachothers' throats, and it's getting harder and harder to... " She trailed off.

"Not strangle eachother?" Dash offered.

Cadance nodded. "If Shining doesn't find us by morning... I hate to say this, but we need to leave."

Blueblood grunted. She was right. They'd need to get back to civilization if he was going to really feed his power. Two mares bickering in the forest was a hearty feast, but he could hardly wait to see what a whole town could give him.

It had been a day since their battle with Chrysalis. In the aftermath, they'd retreated back across the swamp to the relative comfort of the old river banks overlooking it, and found themselves a relatively defensible rise that would also, hopefully, be visible to the rest of the group when and if they arrived. The night had passed uneventfully, aside from a brief sniping session that Cadance and Dash had blamed on their empty stomachs, but the morning after had resulted in an immediate explosion of raw nerves and hurt feelings. It had continued off-and-on since.

On the one hoof, Blueblood hated to see his sister and the likable pegasus fight. On the other hoof...

He needed that power. And it felt so damned good.

"You're right," Dash agreed. "Hay, maybe... maybe I should even fly on ahead, you know? Get back to Ponyville, see how things are going... "

Cadance raised an eyebrow. "... Avoid getting your flank kicked by an annoyed princess... "

"Hey, I think you'd be surprised at what I can do, Your Highness. I've fought dragons."

"What? Did you beat up Twilight's little assistant?"

"No! A real, giant, fire-breathing dragon! I kicked it right in the schnozz!"

"Ooh, really. And what happened then?"

"It... That's not important! What's important is, I got moves, and I'm not scared of some spoiled brat princess just 'cause her mane goes all wavy sometimes."

"Spoiled brat?! You don't have the foggiest idea what my life has-"

"Lady, you were raised in a castle, by the kind, loving ruler of ponykind. How is that not spoiled?"

"Listen here, you little peasant-"

"Oh, there you go, bringing class into it again!"

"Continue interrupting me, and I will-"

Blueblood sighed in contentedness. It's like kissing Twilight, eating a portabella steak, and soaking in a hot tub all at the same time.

"Cadance!"

His eyes snapped open. Cadance and Rainbow Dash cut off mid-tirade, their heads whipping to the south. The princess' mouth dropped open in shock. "Shining!"

Up the little hill came four familiar figures. Shining Armor led the way; his quilt-and-chain tunic had been discarded at some point, and blood soaked the brown cloak he wore. He walked with a pronounced limp, obviously favoring his left foreleg, and looked tired, care-worn, and unbelievably relieved. Cadance met him halfway, throwing her hooves around him and pulling him close; he returned the embrace, eyes shut, murmuring soft nothings to his wife as the world stopped around them.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie came next, and the pink pony nearly went into orbit as she saw her friend. "DASHIE!" she shouted, and a heartbeat later, she had hoisted the pegasus into the air and wrapped her in a crushing bear hug. Applejack stepped up beside them, offering a nod of the head and a dry grin. "Rainbow."

"Hey, AJ," Dash squeaked.

"Ohmigoshohmigosh Dashie I'm so happy you're okay I have so much to tell you we were waiting for you guys to cross the river because we thought you'd wait but then when the rain stopped you still didn't cross and then these diamond dogs showed up, and they had these timber wolves with them, but the timber wolves were HUGE, like the size of Sugar Cube Corner huge, and they had these big wooden fangs, and then Shining Armor made this big bubble and then it EXPLODED and I got thrown onto the other side of the river but you guys weren't there and then I swam back and... "

Blueblood watched them with amusement, never moving from his spot under the tree. Poor Rainbow Dash was starting to have trouble breathing, and the mild pain from her friend's hug gave off a wonderful, relaxing aroma, like incense.

"And how are you, Prince Blue?"

He looked up to find Zecora standing beside him, watching the other reunions with a small smile. He grinned at her. "Honestly, I've never felt better."

She glanced down at him, quirking an eyebrow. "I'd imagined this journey would leave you scarred. Yet, instead, your mood is unmarred?"

"It's been an interesting few days," he said with a shrug. "And I've come to terms with some things. I'm glad you finally got here; I'm eager to head back home."

"I, too, am glad we arrived. Looking back, frankly, I'm amazed we survived."

"What happened? We thought you'd get here first, after we lost a day trying to find eachother."

"We were waylaid by creatures and briefly jailed. Our friends saved us, but Shining lost the trail. When we finally found the place we'd left off, more than two days had been entirely lost." She sighed and looked back up at the happy ponies. "So... did Shining guess correct? Has the face of Chrysalis already been wrecked?"

Blueblood blinked up at her. "Really?"

She grinned. "I am trying to incorporate new terms in my speech. Apple Bloom came up with some phrases to teach."

"Cutie Mark Crusader Slang Term Educators. Wonderful." He chuckled and turned away, looking down into the swamp below. "Yes, we found her. Cadance beat her rather soundly; she was... already dying. Whatever she and Shining did to her at the royal wedding, it had been killing her slowly. And she'd used almost all of her remaining strength confronting Auntie Celestia outside your home. So... we beat her. Cadance spared her, but... she died shortly after nonetheless."

Zecora nodded. "And unless she is hidden to my sight, it would seem that Chrysalis did not have Twilight."

"Nope," Blueblood sighed.

"Then what was the purpose of this long chase? What in Equestria did she hope to gain?"

"I don't know," he lied. "She was speaking to somepony before we confronted her. They spoke of some sort of arrangement. Perhaps she was just hoping to weaken Equestria by pulling Cadance, Shining, and the Bearers away on a pointless quest, while her allies went to work back home."

Zecora made a thoughtful sound. "Logical enough, I suppose. I hope your princesses don't underestimate these foes."

"It won't matter once we get back. I've a feeling our foes underestimated me."

The zebra's eyebrows went up. "What do you-"

"Attention, everypony!" Armor's voice cut through the ongoing conversations, and all eyes turned to him. "Cadance told me what happened. We'll make camp here for the night, and start the journey back to Equestria at dawn."

"Thank you for the brilliant tactical leadership," Blueblood said dryly.

He snorted in annoyance. "You could start walking back now, if you'd like."

"Nah." He yawned. "I just meant that we had already planned to do that come morning, whether you showed up or not."

Armor's eyes widened, and he looked at Cadance. She looked away. "We... Blueblood's curse has gotten stronger. We needed to get back to Equestria as soon as we could."

"You were going to abandon us to help him?"

"No," she snapped, "we were going to abandon you so Rainbow Dash and I didn't end up killing eachother or falling off a cliff or something."

"Not that falling off a cliff would've been a big deal for me," added Dash. "Y'know, since I can fly."

"Yes, Rainbow," Cadance growled. "We know."

"Just saying. Unlike someponies."

"Dashie!" Pinkie scolded, appearing in front of the pegasus' face with a cross expression. "Stop that!"

"What?"

"You were provoking her!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

Applejack ran a hoof across her face and pushed herself between the two friends, holding them apart at hoof's length. "Now y'all are bickerin'! Stop actin' like a coupla bratty foals!"

"I was't bickering!" Pinkie said, aghast at the suggestion. "Dashie was bickering!"

Dash huffed. "I was not! I was just pointing out to dear, sweet Princess Mi Amore Cadenza over there that I can still fly!"

"That's mean!" Pinkie countered. "Her wing's hurt!"

"Yeah, 'cause even when she could fly-"

"Oh, I have had enough of this!" Cadance roared, wheeling on the blue pegasus with fury in her eyes. "Is flying the only thing you are capable of talking about?! Do you know why I never became a better flyer?! Because I didn't care! Flying is a means of transportation from one location to another! It is marginally more convenient than walking! I spent my time worrying about important things, like-"

"Like abandoning your husband for your worthless... not even a brother?!"

She turned to find Shining Armor advancing on the group, his own expression livid. "I told you, you stubborn, thick-headed-"

"Oh, I'm the bad guy, here?! At least I'm not secretly pining away for the stallion who almost killed me!"

"What?! I'm not-"

"Then why did you choose him over me?!"

"Because she's worried I'll kick her butt!" Dash shouted. She rocked back in surprise as a pink hoof slapped her across the face.

"Stop being a jerk, Dashie!" Pinkie screeched. Rainbow glared daggers at her and raised her own hoof in return, only for it to be caught by Applejack's.

"Hey!" she scolded. "Don't go hittin' ponies now, ya idjit! That ain't gonna do nothin' but-"

"Shut up, Applejack!" Dash snarled. "You're always siding against me! You've always hated me, since I beat you in the Iron Pony Competition!"

"Hon, you didn't beat nopony in that! You cheated, an' you durned well know it!"

"You're jealous of me!"

"Yer fulla yerself!"

"Now you're provoking her!" Pinkie snapped, pushing herself back into Dash's face.

Cadance's laugh had a wild edge to it. "That's all she's can do! Talk about flying and piss ponies off!"

"Cadance, stop wasting your time on those idiots!" Shining snarled. "Your husband is trying to have a conversation with you, unless now I'm less important than them, too-"

"STOP THIS!"

Everypony halted and went still. Zecora walked towards them, eyeing them all in turn. "There is a curse in effect, in case you forget. So get ahold of yourselves and stop acting like twits."

Shining's eyes widened and moved past the zebra. There, still propped against his tree, his eyes closed in relaxed bliss, lay Blueblood. "You."

One of the prince's eyes opened. "Yes?"

"This is your fault. You're making this happen. And you're not doing anything to stop it!"

Blueblood considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "Nope."

Glowering, Armor took a menacing step forward. "I ought to kick your miserable, worthless flank."

"You're welcome to try."

He paused at that. "What?"

"You're welcome to try," Blueblood said again. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, Armoire. And you have no idea what I'm capable of. So, by all means, you ignorant, violent, bullying, ladder-climbing, status-chasing thug, come at me."

"Shining... " Cadance said, putting a hoof on his shoulder.

He shrugged it away. "Big talk, for a whimpering little foal. Did you already forget the last beating I gave you?"

"You mean when you wasted time punishing me for saving your wife while Canterlot burned?"

A growl rose up in Shining's throat. With a roar of primal anger, he threw himself at the supine prince. His hooves struck once, twice across Blueblood's face, rocking the prince's head back, and when that didn't seem enough, he hit him again, and again, and again. He felt ponies trying to grab him, to pull him away, but he fought them off and just kept swinging away, blind to all the world but the smug visage of this damnable, hated stallion.

Finally, his forelegs as heavy as stone, he stepped back. Blueblood lifted his head and smiled at him. The only mark of the beating was a small cut on his lip.

"My turn," he said.

Shining had never been hit like this before. He'd taken wounds in battle before, including the very recent one inflicted by the diamond dog Dane, but those had been sharp, sudden things. A spear or a claw tore into you. They didn't rattle every bone in your body, or make the sky and the earth swirl around you, deafen you to anything but a loud, constant ringing.

He wasn't sure how long it took for his head to clear, but he found himself lying on the ground a good twenty feet from where he'd been. Blueblood was advancing on him slowly, his cocky grin shining in the dying sunlight. The other ponies watched with mouths agape, making no move to help or hinder, not even Cadance. Groaning, Shining rolled over and forced himself back to his hooves.

"Okay," he mumbled, as the earth spun violently beneath him. "Where'd you learn how to punch?"

"Watching you, mostly," Blueblood replied mildly, his pace still relaxed and unhurried. "I had an excellent opportunity to study your technique while you beat me senseless."

"Well, I hope you're paying attention to this."

Focusing every ounce of energy he could into his horn, Shining unleashed a pillar of solid, magenta force. The beam struck Blueblood with the force of a cannonball. He staggered back a few steps, looked down to examine the damage, and grinned. "How about I learn a more effective version of that one?"

Shining shook his head. This couldn't be happening. He'd leveled griffons with blasts like that. How could Blueblood stand up to it? And... and just shrug it off?

"What happened to you?"

The prince ignored him. "You know, I've been working on my combat telekinesis, too. I suspect my lifting strength has improved quite a bit."

A turquoise glow surrounded Shining's body. His mouth opened in protest, but before he could speak, he felt himself rocketing into the air, like a stone launched from a trebuchet. The world shrank below him as he arced upwards, and for a brief moment, he thought he could even see the tiny spires of Canterlot on a mountain at the edge of the horizon. And then, with heart-stopping suddenness, his rise ended and his fall began.

This... this is really, REALLY not the way I expected to die. What the hay, universe?

The forest below quickly came back into focus, growing larger and larger as he descended. The wind whipped at his face, pulling back the corners of his mouth and eyes and drawing tears from the sharp chill of the air. He tried to cover his eyes; he didn't particularly want to see the impact.

Suddenly, a pair of hooves were wrapped around his forelegs. He opened his eyes and found himself skimming horizontally across the tree line, and looked up to find Rainbow Dash, her teeth gritted in determined concentration. She banked slightly, and the sudden shift in velocity nearly pulled him out of her grip, but suddenly they were zipping back towards the others at speeds he hadn't really believed possible.

Dash deposited shining at the top of the small hill where the others were gathered, and landed in a fighting crouch between him and Blueblood. The prince regarded them both placidly. "Yes, definitely an improvement," he remarked.

"Blue, what in Celestia's name is going on?!" Cadance demanded. At some point during Shining's flight, she'd stepped forward, her mane billowing and horn glowing. "How did you do that to Shining?!"

"I knew that I could lift him and throw him into low orbit, Cadance. And then I did it."

"What are you... "

He frowned. "Never mind. Suffice it to say, some things are going to change around here. I've unlocked the power that Auntie Celestia tried to hide from me, Cadance. And now I can change the world. I can fix all of the things that Celestia and Luna and even you never had the strength, the conviction to. And the first thing on my list was putting your idiot husband in his place."

"You could have killed him!"

He shrugged.

"Blueblood... " As she stared at him, her expression began to shift from shock to a dark, furious anger. "What happened after we left Chrysalis' cave?"

"She died."

Cadance slammed a hoof down. "What happened?!"

He looked at her for a long, silent moment. And then he laughed. "I was prepared to do what you couldn't. I was prepared to kill her, to protect you, to protect Equestria. But before I could, she... she did something. With the last of her power, she broke Auntie Celestia's spells. I suppose she thought it would be a final gift, some way to convince me that her little cult was really on my side. I'm not an idiot, though. I'm going to take this power, the power those mad fools hoped to harness by controlling me like a puppet, and I'm going to use it against them. I'm going to save Equestria, Cadance. And I'm not going to stop there. I'm going to make sure that nothing is ever able to threaten our home again."

"Blueblood... you can't do that. You can't just... "

"But I can!" He laughed again. "Don't you see? I can do anything. I have more power than I ever knew existed, and I grow stronger every second. I can make Equestria safe. I can save Twilight Sparkle. I can make Equestria truly a paradise."

"Um, question!" All eyes turned to Pinkie Pie, who was holding up a hoof tentatively. "If you make ponies angry just by being around them, isn't that gonna be kind of an un-paradisey paradise?"

Blueblood grimaced and nodded. "Yes. And that's why I won't be a part of it." He turned back to Cadance, meeting her eyes again. "I don't want to rule Equestria, Cadance. I'm not Tyranny. I'm not Nightmare Moon. But if I can use this power, this curse, and use it to protect it, even from afar... "

She swallowed. "So... you want to protect Equestria? You want to protect our ponies?"

"Yes."

"Then give up your power."

He took a step back. "What?"

"Give it up. I don't know how, but we can find a way. If you have so much power, if you can 'do anything' now, then we can figure out some way to remove the curse permanently. You can go back to living in Ponyville, or even Canterlot if you like. You can be a normal pony. No curse. No suffering inflicted on the ponies you care about. You can live your life. You can be happy."

"I... "

She stared at him. They all did.

He thought about it. He could... he could be free. Permanently. Just another pony, falling in love, settling down, raising a family. A simple life. A good life. And he could still help others. He could learn combat magic, could learn to protect those around him as any other unicorn would. He could be part of a community, helping others, building something greater than himself. He could still make Equestria a better place, even if only in a small way.

But... with this power... he could make Equestria a better place in a big way. Yes, he'd be alone for eternity. He'd be miserable. He'd forever live on the edges of the kingdom he loved, always apart, even more than Princess Luna was now. Nopony would likely even remember his name. It would be a bleak, terrible existence... but Equestria would be safe. And he would keep it that way.

No. Giving up his curse would be the selfish choice. And he was not that pony anymore.

"I can't do it," he told them.

"Then I need to stop you, before you become a threat to us all."

He looked up in surprise. "What? Wai-"

A blast of solid blue flame caught him in the chest and hurled him back into his tree with enough force to crack the old oak and bend it almost sideways. An explosion of light followed it, blinding the prince and smashing him through the rest of the tree and out into the swampland beyond. He landed heavily in a shallow pool and rolled onto his back with a groan.

Cadance appeared on the rise above him, her horn brighter than the setting sun. "Blueblood, you have to give it up!"

"You don't understand!" he shouted back, scrambling to his hooves and towards dry land. "I have to keep the curse! The power! To protect Equestria!"

"Don't be an idiot! Think what will happen! That power is evil, Blue, and sooner or later, it will corrupt you!"

"I can control it! At least long enough to defeat Nightmare Moon!"

Cadance blinked. "What? Nightmare Moo-"

Purple light flared around Blueblood.

He looked down. The small hill he'd clambered onto was surrounded by an etched circle he hadn't seen. Strange runes lined its inner wall. They were glowing, brighter and brighter, and a misty wall of energy had risen from the circle's edges.

"Blueblood!" Cadance cried. "Blue, what's happening?!"

A familiar, sultry voice giggled next to his ear. "You really shouldn't have tattled, my love."

He turned. What he saw...

It wasn't the vague, smoky shape he had met in the dreamscape.

She was a unicorn mare. Her coat was a deep shade of purple. Her mane was an even darker shade, though striped with pink and a lighter violet, and her bangs were cut at a precise, sharp angle. Her eyes glowed with the same purple light as the runes around them.

"Twilight?"

The runes flashed.