-EQUUS, THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, THE CRYSTAL STADIUM-

The morning rays of the sun shines down upon The Empire, and the day many have been waiting for has finally arrived. All species of The Coalition were flooding The Crystal Stadium, of which The Equestria Games were once held, along with other events and celebrations. However, it now hosted the most historical event of all: Blueblood’s execution.

The structure itself is circular and composed entirely of crystals with an open roof overhead. Various VIP booths are mounted onto the walls of the circular inner sanctum. Beneath those were the appropriate seating arrangements for anyone and everyone else. However, the area in which the main events would occur was a green hexagon-shaped field that possessed a particular gadget for today’s event: A guillotine. This device is also positioned on a riser or a makeshift stage.

The stadium was incredibly lively as various exclamations and voices roar out. Some among the crowd even begin to chant: “We want, Blueblood!” “We want, Blueblood!”

For obvious reasons and by the Princesses’ warning, not to mention the other Coalition leaders, many parents and caretakers had ensured that no children would be present for the gruesome event. However, this didn’t stop a trio of young individuals, particularly as Smolder, Gallus, and Cozy Glow remained hidden on the top portion of the stadium.

“Oh golly, are you two sure that we should be doing this?” Cozy Glow questions.

“Don’t be such a baby! We’re all going to become adults one day and see this kind of stuff, right?” Smolder inquires confidentially.

“Well… I suppose…” Cozy Glow responds with a pondering expression.

“It’s not too late for you to turn back, you know. Smolder and I can tell you and the others all about it later on.” Gallus said with a dismissive claw.

“I-i’ll be ok,” Cozy Glow comments. She then shakes her head and raises a forehoof confidently, “You know what? I’m game!”

Gallus raises a brow, “That was a fast transition.”

Cozy Glow shrugs, “Eh, what can I say? You two convinced me.”

“Now that sounds a lot better!” Smolder says but shoots her gaze down towards the stadium’s field with the guillotine as something catches her attention, “Ooh, I think it’s starting!”

“Yeah, it looks like Princess Luna just showed up on the platform,” Gallus says with his left claw held over his eyes in a binocular fashion.

……….

After appearing in a pillar of dark blue light, Princess Luna positioned herself on the raised platform and just before the guillotine. Various guards of multiple species were now entering the field via the hallway entrances and stationed themselves all around the field’s perimeter.

As this went on and positioned within the various VIP booths were some of the other leaders of The Coalition. All of whom observed the event with anticipation. Thorax and Pharynx occupied a VIP booth while Princess Cadence and Shining Armor took another. Gilda and Grandpa Gruff also occupied a booth with the old griffon commenting:

“Hurry it up already! I want to get this over with and return to my beauty sleep!”

Gilda faceclaws, “Why are you even here at this point? It seems more like I’m the representative for us griffons.”

Gruff coughs, “Wha?! I thought you were?!”

“Ugh…”

……….

King Domihaus, Prince Rutherford, Prince Zaku, and General Seaspray occupied their booths with a single member of their species accompanying them.

“General Seaspray,” The accompanying hippogriff said with a saluting gesture, “I’ve just received word that Princess Skystar has successfully returned to Seaquestria.”

“Most excellent. I am pleased that Queen Novo accepted my request to remove The Princess from The Empire.” General Seaspray responds.

……….

Prince Zaku was currently conversing with his finest zebra warrior, Zalan, as he says:

“I trust that our fellow zebras are ready for battle? Thanks to Shining Armor’s warning, I fear that The Corruption is sending forth their might. They will no doubt call for a fight.” The zebra Prince said.

“We are prepared for battle, my Prince. Now let us watch the rolling of that traitor’s head.” Zalan responds as the zebra mare then slams her spear into the floor.

……….

King Domihaus observes the preparations taking place on the field as his accompanying minotaur ally stood stoically beside him.

“Domihaus will ask the other leaders if he can mount that traitor’s head on Domihaus’s wall.”

……….

“Yak Prince wish that yaks could do honor and deal with traitor. But blue pony Princess win strawpull.” Prince Rutherford comments with a small hint of envy.

“Yak wonder if pony Princess cheat strawpull?” Rutherford's yak companion inquires.

“Yak Prince don’t doubt Princess pony’s luck,” Rutherford then momentarily ponders on it, “But maybe yak have point.”

……….

“Is Flurry Heart safe, Shiny?” Princess Cadence inquires.

“She’s already reached Ponyville as we speak,” Shining Armor responds, “Sunburst is personally overseeing the transport, and I’ve sent some of my best soldiers with him, not to mention the other leaders lent me a few extra guards.”

“Was this wise, Shiny? To have Blueblood’s execution even though we know The Corruption’s forces will soon be upon us?”

“I understand your concern which is precisely why The Coalition’s forces are stationed at the borders of The Empire. When that army arrives, we’ll be ready,” The unicorn Prince lowers his gaze towards the platform, “And Blueblood will be dead long before they arrive.”

Many conversations continued to echo across the stadium. Suddenly, a loud exclamation from Princess Luna garners everyone’s attention as she declares in her Canterlot Voice:

“Citizens of The Empire! Dear allies of The Coalition! We art proud to say that Blueblood’s schemes shall come to an end!”

The crowd shouts various cheers in response before it slowly dies down with Luna's raised forehoof.

“Thy traitorous fiend hath taken many of our friends, loved ones, and destroyed our homes by aiding that foul infection!”

Many roars are let loose by the angered audience as those who were impatient were already begging for Blueblood’s execution to take place right now.

“However, thanks to the combined efforts of The Coalition, we hath cut off Blueblood’s aid to the monster that governs over The Corruption: Ocram!”

The impatience from the audience continued to grow as various members shout:

“Bring him out and kill him already!”

“That bucker took away my family!”

“I want to see his head rolling!”

……….

As if heeding their request, Luna turns towards a pair of guards who remained stationed before a very particular hallway and nodded towards them. She then looks out towards the crowd.

“Then let us be done with it, bring thy traitor out and face our judgment!”

……….

“Judgement?! Kill the fucker already!” A voice shouts out from nearby.

……….

Then, the entire stadium was momentarily stunned as they finally saw the source of the main event being dragged out towards the field, bound in chains: Blueblood. He was being pulled by a yak and a minotaur, with a dragon positioned behind him. A momentary silence overtook the audience before many began to grit their teeth and shout:

“You bucking traitor!”

“Good riddance to ya!”

“I hope they toss your body into The Everfree Forest!”

“Screw that! Throw it into the desert!”

As the guards continued to drag Blueblood towards the platform with both Luna and the guillotine waiting for him, the traitor roars out:

“By the end of this day, you will all squeal and beg me for mercy! I’ll kill each and every one of you!”

“Defiant even to the end, ‘nephew.’” Luna comments as she could now look down upon Blueblood’s form from the platform, “We already know thy final words, but pray tell, is there anything ye wish to say?”

“Go buck yourself, moonslut!”

Luna stares at him with a neutral expression before waving a forehoof and responding:

“So be it. Commence the execution!”

The crowd roars out gleefully as the guards now drag the white unicorn onto the platform and strap him into the guillotine. The dragon forces him down while both the yak and minotaur secures his bindings. During this time, Luna conjures forth her scythe and looks it over before raising it high above her head.

Seeing the dark alicorn’s action, the entire crowd goes silent as even the other leaders of The Coalition rise from their seats and attentively observes Blueblood’s beheading.

Luna aims at the single piece of rope that held the guillotine’s blade in place as it was the only thing 'standing' between the blade and Blueblood’s neck.

“Before we do this, we’d like to tell you something, fiend.”

“Go ahead and say it, slut!” Blueblood roars out defiantly.

“Thou art nothing to us. Not royalty, not a pony, nothing!” Luna acts with those words and cuts the rope with incredible precision. The world seemed to slow down for everyone present as the guillotine’s blade crashed down. Blueblood lets loose all forms of profanity before a loud ‘Shlink’ echoes outward and silences his words. His dismembered head is sent aloft before landing nearby and rolling a short distance. The unicorn’s body goes limp and falls to the platform.

Silence remained for a few more moments before a slow build-up of cheers emanated from the audience. The other leaders of The Coalition also began to cheer and look on with prideful satisfaction.

Luna was now approaching the dismembered head and fired up her horn to pick it up via a levitation spell. However, a cold chill travels down her spine as she hears the words from the dismembered head:

“Did you enjoy your false sense of victory, ‘aunty’?”

In absolute shock and horror, Luna tosses the head away and floats her scythe before her while saying:

“Impossible! How art thou still alive?!”

“I’ve ascended beyond your mortal comprehension, moonslut! Cutting off my head isn’t enough to kill me! The God-King!”

As this goes on, panic and shock overcome the crowd as some of The Coalition's leaders hurriedly make their way to the field.

Suddenly, a lavender aura akin to The Corruption’s surrounds Blueblood’s head as tentacle-like appendages start to emerge from the dismembered neck region. The abomination, as if a mockery of an octopus, floats itself into the air moments after.

Blueblood extends his tendrils towards his body and drags it over to him before lifting it and turning it in place. Then, the body starts to shift and mutate chaotically as tendrils erupt from the corpse. Luna instantly recognizes the newly formed abomination as one of The Corruption’s monsters: The Eater of Souls.

-???-

A shadowy figure sits next to a chessboard, as if observing something. On the board stood several pieces resembling various individuals, some seeming very familiar. A piece resembling Luna slides next to one resembling Blueblood before a sharp-clawed hand removes that piece from the board, replacing it with a horrific mockery of what the unicorn once was.

“The Nightcrawler line… They always were overly sure of themselves… Let’s put that to the test, shall we?” says a mechanical voice, a strangely-shaped purple eye glowing near where the entity’s head would be, as a figure similar to an Eater of Souls slides in next to the figure of Luna.

“Don’t disappoint me, now.”

Forgive me for not only today's delayed chapter but yesterday's canceled one as well. Had issues with my internet provider and my head wasn't cooperating today either. Thankfully, my co-author helped me greatly.