To an outside observer, the scene taking place inside the wreckage of the Crown's Royal Locomotive would have looked like a scene taking out of an Action Movie.
Pillars of solid magic clashed against each other like swords swung by giants, the force of each strike echoing with an explosion of raw magical power, sending more and more scrap flying to the side while the two combatants stood in place, moving nothing but their horns.
"You have the power, I can give you that," Prince Blueblood called as the giant pillar he created exploded with blue energy, Splitting into hundreds of minuscule missiles of energy, each the size of a small bird, all flying towards the Green Assassin, "But your method of execution could use some work!"
The Assassin kept silent, their Emerald green Glare briefly leaving the prince as they looked at the swarm of magical missiles flying in their direction.
With barely any movement, the Bright Green cloak on their body shifted as a Tendril of green gel flew out into the air, widening into a large green screen, and like a cube of Gelatin, the missiles flew into the magical screen and got stuck, dissipating inside the screen as if melted by Acid.
More and more Gelatin was added to the green shield, as each missile that was absorbed painted the shield a darker shade of green.
And once all the missiles were swallowed, the shield collapsed. The Bright green gelatin now resembling a dark green crystal,
Solid and sharp.
"So that's how it works..." The Assassin's eyes widened as they twirled around to see the Prince mere meters away from them, "Your Cloak absorbs the magic, but once it does the slime gets hard, and you can't control that, Can you?"
The Assassin glared at the prince, A Beam of green energy firing from their horn and slamming into him, exploding into a pillar of flames and smoke.
"Cute..." The Assassin felt their eyes bulge out as the prince stood there unharmed before a realization hit them.
An Illusion.
With an explosion of magic from their horn, The Assassin wiped away the Illusion that surrounded her, only to shrink back at the sight that she found.
Hundreds of blue orbs littered the sky above her, twinkling like Stars as their shadow darkened the land.
The cloak moved again, Several Tentacles of green slime elongating and growing, wrapping into a dome around the assassin as the Orbs in the sky started shooting down to the ground, like a rain of bombs, Slamming into the newly constructed Green Dome and detonating into a powerful explosion.
The Assassin grit their teeth as more and more slime moved to replace the now Solid Crystal of the dome, their cloak growing shorter and shorter as the supply of Tentacles slowly started to dwindle.
Their back legs were now showing, Long and smooth, almost reflective in their shine, as if covered in armor rather than fur.
Seeing that their dome wouldn't hold long, The Assassin's horn burst into green fire, A Beam of energy shattering the dome as it pierced into the sky, detonating the rest of the Bombs as they fell.
The Explosion that followed shook the surrounding trees and sent more of the scrapped train flying into the surrounding forest.
If this fight had taken place in a population center, rather than in the middle of the wilderness, Many would have likely lost their hearing.
But with the bombs no longer dropping, the Assassin straightened their back and took a long look at the carnage the quick bout between the Prince and them took on the surrounding.
Fire licked at the wooden planks of the train track, The vibrant green trees of the forest lay strewn on the ground, uprooted by the many explosions. If it was not for its placement next to the tracks, the ruined train would have looked like a pile of garbage at a scrapyard.
But the Assassin didn't relax, there was no sign of the Prince.
So with yet another explosion of green magic, They once again cleared the area of any Illusions.
Only to be met face to hoof with a smiling Unicorn.
A small explosion of Blue Magic followed the punch, throwing the Assassin away, and forcing them to extend more green tentacles from their cloak to catch the ground and control their trajectory.
"It seems the first hit goes to me," The Prince said smugly as he looked at his hoof, blowing air on it to clear it of dust.
If looks could kill, The Assassin would have won this fight ten times over, A Wide tendril of green slime moved in from the side in an attempt to sweep at the Prince.
The Prince jumped over the tentacle as if it were a rope, Only for his eyes to widen as several sharp spikes shot out of the tentacle, intent on skewering him.
With a blue glow, The Prince used his own Telekinesis on himself, throwing his body out of the way of the piercing spikes.
"Your control over that cloak of yours is getting better," The Prince pointed out, watching the smooth green tentacle retract back into the cloak that resembled a Jellyfish.
"..." The Assassin didn't respond, But they noticed that the Prince was once again far outside his preferred Range. As long as they kept the prince out of melee range, the fight should be in their favor.
With an explosion of Magic, Green flames raced across the ground like snakes, intent on trapping the Prince in a circle of fire.
A bright glow of Blue magic solved the issue as the ground exploded upwards in a shower of dust and debris, putting out the fire and hiding the Prince underneath a smokescreen of dirt.
The Assassin prepared for whatever Spell the prince would throw out of the screen, already casting another Illusion-cleansing spell just for the sake of it.
But what came out of the screen of dust wasn't another simple Missile or Beam.
A Snake Skull with two backward curving horns leaped out of the dust, burning with blue fire, connected to a torso and arms made of scrap iron and burnt wood held together with burning blue veins.
"Pluto!" A Shout echoed out as the Flaming Golem slithered on a serpentine tail towards the Assassin, a flaming blue stinger at the tip of its tail seeming ready to stab at anything that came close to it.
"What?!" And for the first time in that fight, The Assassin spoke. An exclamation more than anything, but it was another small victory for the Prince.
Before they could react, A burning metal fist slammed into their face, once again throwing them back. It took just a moment for the Assassin to reorient themselves mid-air, but that was still a moment too late, as another fist landed on their body, throwing them back even further.
"Damnit!!!" The Assassin screamed, The Gelatin of their tentacle cloak morphing into many clawed limbs as they too struck back at the Statue of Scrap.
It was a battle of Quantity vs Quality, Each gelatinous claw that struck the Statue exploded under the barrage of punches that it returned, but for every tentacle the Statue destroyed, two more took its place.
But it wasn't a stalemate, not at all.
The Assassin took that opportunity to once again ready a spell, intent on getting rid of the snake-headed statue.
And the moment their Cloak was drained enough for the bottom of their torso to start being visible, they fired.
A Spiraling Beam of Green Fire and Raw Magic, like a drill of Energy, pierced through the Statue, rending it into nothing more than dust as the beam kept going, piercing the Trees behind the statue and gouging a burning hole through the treeline before flying into the sky, where it fell out of range and dissipated.
The Assassin breathed heavily, feeling several cracks on their smooth shiny armor from where the Statue managed to land its blows.
They raised their head, looking at the almost perfect circular tunnel they created in the forest as the trees collapsed and burnt.
"I can recognize you now," The Assassin froze as the Prince's voice echoed around her, "You smoothed out your legs, got some plastic surgery for your horn, and bought a fancy new wig, but it's still you, isn't it?"
"...Oh? Then who am I?" The Assassin asked with a smirk as the Gelatinous cloak of Tentacles moved to repair itself.
"I was trying to figure this out, you know?" Blueblood kept talking, his body hidden as his voice echoed around the assassin, "But I think I managed to put two and two together," He took a deep breath, "It was how your little pals looked that threw it away, you know. Unicorns, Pegasus, and Earth Ponies, all sharing the same eyes, coat, and Mane, It's almost as if they were wearing an Illusion."
"But I'm a sort of... Master of Illusions, you see, At least somewhat, And I can recognize an Illusion when I see one," The Prince explained, "And those ponies weren't illusions, especially after they remained looking like that once they died,"
"Oh? So what's your answer?" The Assassin took the opportunity of the two talking to stretch their body, readying for round 2.
"Those ponies weren't wearing Illusions," The prince paused for a moment, "They were shapeshifters, That's why the disguise remained after their death, At least however briefly, But really, It was as I was choosing the material to create Pluto that I saw it,"
The Assassin watched as a small black object threw itself into the air before landing at their feet, A head covered in cracked and burnt Chitin, blank eyes now empty of life, the small green fin on their head tore apart like a soft fabric, their sharp fangs and horn were cracked and broken.
It looked hideous. Just as the Assassin remembered her disgusting soldiers.
Of course, they were disgusting, She herself knew it better than any other creature on this earth.
They were nothing more than a dead worm living inside a rotten fruit. As disgusting an existence that could be imagined.
"You are Changelings!" The Assassin smirked as the Prince declared
"And you are supposed to be Dead, Chrysalis!"
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"Heh"
It was a small thing, a sound barely audible over the crackling of the fire and the snapping of the branches.
"Hehehe"
But for the two people who stood on top of the broken train tracks, that sound could have been louder than a volcanic eruption.
"Hehe, Hehehe, Hehaha, Hahahaha, Hahahahahahaha!"
They laughed, loudly and boisterously, the green cloak that hid their form started to rise above them, like a cape of Tentacles, squirming and moving. Revealing itself not to be a cloak, but her own hair, both mane and tail, moving under her command like another set of limbs.
Legs that were once spotted with holes stood long and smooth, A Torso that was once thin and weak now stood healthy and shining, and The weak green Elytra that hung over fragile wings now shined with a reflective Jade, protecting beautiful insect wings.
Her horn, once jagged and twisted, was now as smooth as a knife, and likely as sharp as one also. The Bright Green tentacles that made up her new hair darkened as they returned to their original color.
The only thing that remained on this new body, was the two dark grey circles on the back of her neck, a birthmark she could never remove.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"
Chrysalis laughed, her eyes glaring at the only source of emotion nearby, the Prince invisible under another Illusion.
"IT TOOK YOU SO LONG TO FIGURE IT OUT! HAHAHAHAHA!!!" The Changeling Queen kept laughing, her eyes bloodshot as a range of emotions passed through her in a matter of seconds.
"So listen here, IDIOT! This is how this is going to go! You're going to kindly snap your own neck so I can wear your body as a Disguise," Chrysalis said with a wide smile on her face, clearly something was wrong with her.
"Then, We'll go together to a lovely date in Canterlot where we'll murder Celestia, and wear her skin like a fucking flesh puppet! With me now on the throne, we'll take our lovely time together TORTURING ANYONE WHO EVER OPPOSED ME!!!" Her head swung to the side, A Beam of green magic disintegrating several trees as she laughed to herself, "Then, Hehe, Then I'll spend our wonderful honeymoon taking down Equestria until it is nothing but your PATHETIC TRIBES FIGHTING EACH OTHER! And then, once you're all weak like the pathetic little mongrels you are, My Changelings will swarm in, and DEVOUR YOUR LOVE LIKE AN ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET!!!"
"...You know," Prince Blueblood slowly said, "Clover the Clever wrote that one of the best ways to improve the potency of a Unicorn's magic, is to remove outside influences, such as sight, or speech,"
"...Are you getting somewhere? Do you want to join me? I'll gladly let you become my little slave if you promise to serve me for all eternity!" Chrysalis called out to the Prince, her manic smile still stretched on her face as she glared at the spot where she could feel his emotions.
"When I was much weaker than I am right now, I managed to use a simple Telekenisis spell in order to break out of a prison cell, all sitting in place, not moving a muscle." Blueblood Continued.
"Do you want me to throw the first punch? I'll gladly turn you into my cute little slave if you ask nicely!"
"Allow me to showcase to you a little Spell my girlfriend and I created together, A Spell that would seal my own senses, massively boosting my magical power at a cost," As the Prince Spoke, a beam of Blue magic burst into the air from where he stood, revealing Prince Blueblood Platinum standing there, A Mask of solid gold hanging over his face, Chains of gold wrapped around his legs as if he was a Gladiator Slave in an ancient Colosseum, a pair of Devil-like horns twisted backward from the top of the golden mask.
"With this mask, I cannot See, I cannot smell, I cannot taste, I cannot even feel my body. Should I be injured wearing this mask, I wouldn't even notice it until I took it off," His voice echoed around him, as if speaking out of a speaker or a radio.
"I can't even speak with this on, All I can feel is my sense of hearing, and my Magic," The Prince lowered his head to the ground, his legs spreading apart as he entered a stance.
"So you blinded yourself, How's that going to help you?" Chrysalis scoffed as her wings started buzzing erratically, ready to shoot her at her target like a living missile.
"I see... Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings," The Prince's Horns started growing blue, his Unicorn Horn with Magic and the two curving golden horns with blue fire.
"I, Blueblood Platinum, Prince of Equestria and Last of his Name, Hereby grant you a great Honor!" His voice echoed around the wreckage of their fight.
"Rejoice! Oh, ruinous Queen! For you are worthy!" His voice grew louder as his horn started shining brighter and brighter.
"Rejoice! Oh, Detestable Wretch, For you are the first to receive such a blessing!" Chrysalis readied her body as the world around her seemed to tremble from the overwhelming power that the Prince was emanating.
How powerful could he be if he also lost his sense of Hearing? She wondered for but a microsecond, before her mind erased that thought as she focused intently on the prince, Ignoring the Darkness that surrounded her from every direction.
She would take whatever he threw at her head on, and she would push through it, and drive her leg through his torso! CRUSH HIM LIKE A BUG!!!
"REJOICE! CHRYSALIS!! FOR YOU HAVE FORCED ME TO GO ALL OUT!!!"
The sky above him shone with Golden light, as hundreds, no- Thousands of Golden Orbs appeared in thin air, shining like stars in the sky. Several Silver Orbs appeared beside them, quickly flying to take different corners, like cameras watching a play.
"REJOICE!!!"
And the sky was swallowed by shooting stars.
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Chrysalis kicked off the ground, her wings buzzing loudly as she flew at the prince, Ignoring the beams of golden magic that fell behind her like a shower of light.
Her target was in her sight, and she was going to make him scream.
Her hair moved around her, shaping itself into sharp crystalized armor over her legs as she readied to punch a hole through the Unicorn Prince.
And as her fist entered the Prince's chest, he exploded in a ball of Golden Flames.
"WHAT?!" Chrysalis screamed, the armor on her limbs burning off, her hair growing shorter as turned mid-air to land facing the direction she came from, seeing the body of the prince stand there, half his form gone before it crumbled into golden dust.
Chrysalis didn't have time to think of it, as more beams of golden light pierced the place she stood at moments prior, forcing the Changeling Queen to fly away, her body nothing more than a blur of movement as she dodged the falling beams.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!?!" She screeched as her horn glowed with green energy, Blasting a green wave into the sky that detonated many of the golden orbs.
"IS IT ANOTHER ILLUSION!?!?!" She yelled as she instantly fired off another spell, but no illusion was broken, The Prince was nowhere to be found.
Just how powerful was he with that mask?!
"Forcing the Alignment~" Chrysalis suddenly felt her body freeze as darkness took over her vision.
"What is this?!" Chrysalis screamed as she tried to move her legs, but they wouldn't budge. She turned to look at her back and the sight that greeted her both burned her skin and froze her blood.
"Sol~ Mercury~ Venus~"
"Stop this!" She screeched, "Let go of me so I can kill you! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Terra~ Mars~ Asteroid~"
"SHOW YOURSELF!!!"
"Jupiter~ Saturn~ Uranus~"
Chrysalis struggled to move her legs, her hair vibrating and bubbling as the gelatinous form that it currently held burst under the intense heat she was subjected to, causing her to scream as the green slime burned her body.
"Neptune~ Pluto~ Kuiper~" The incantation stopped, and the mass of celestial bodies that levitated above her stood like a menacing beacon, highlighting the insignificance of everything in her life.
"LET ME GO! NOW!!!" Chrysalis screamed as the suns rays burned her back, her hair steaming and bubbling as it burnt her smooth black chitin.
The ground in front of her shook as a leg burst out of the floor, slowly revealing where the Prince hid himself all along.
"UNDERGROUND?!?! COME HERE ALREADY!!! LET ME KILL YO-" Chrysalis paused as she felt the volatile cocktail of emotion wafting off of the Prince.
"Is this... Love?"
"This is a Spell born of a broken Star~" The Prince said, as far beyond the edge of the solar system, perfectly aligned with his three horns, a bright golden glow shone brighter than anything in existence. Like a secondary sun that fell closer and closer to where Chrysalis stood stuck.
The Golden mask covering the Prince's face cracked, allowing Chrysalis a look into a singular Ice-Blue eye.
"He's overflowing with love..."
"PALE BLUE DOT"
And the world was engulfed in burning gold.
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Prince Blueblood took deep breaths as he felt the self-sealing mask he created shatter and break, the chains on his legs turning to dust as the spell ended.
He looked to the side, watching the Queen of the Changelings, her black chitin covered in pale spots where her gelatinous hair popped and burnt her. Her previously long hair was now a short bob, frayed ending and sticking to her sweating skin.
And then he looked at how she managed to survive his ultimate attack.
"You amputated your own legs in order to escape..." It was an observation more than anything.
Chrysalis looked at the Prince with a mix of many differing and conflicting emotions, her legs ending on black stumps, a green liquid flowing out of her legs and onto the ground.
"Heh, Hahahaha! This was fun!" The Prince smiled widely as he started walking closer to the downed Changeling.
"We Should do this again sometime! But... We cannot," he sighed sadly once he stood over Chrysalis, watching as she struggled to push herself away from him.
"You know... I like this new look of yours, The short hair really complements your bitch of a personality," He said simply as more blue magic started collecting in his horn, "But, the fun is over, It's once again my win,"
Chrysalis simply closed her eyes and laid on the ground, as if accepting her fate.
And once the beam of Blue magic fell upon her, ready to turn her into dust, a flash of green magic engulfed her as she disappeared.
"...Turning off your sight and relaxing your muscles in order to get your Teleport ready..." he said calmly as he looked at where the Changeling queen lay previously.
"Clever girl..."
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"Starlight! Ready another Teleport, We're going straight to Canterlot!"
Starlight Glimmer felt her body buckle as Prince Blueblood walked up the tracks, the wreckage of the train lying a few kilometers down the track from where she and the others waited.
"Another Teleport and I'll be out of magic for another week!" Starlight coughed as she raised her voice at her boss.
"And I'll make sure you get the best treatment once we're back in the castle, but this is an emergency," Blueblood told her, and Starlight could only sigh as she prepared herself for a week of bed rest.
"Fine, But you better not get into another crazy adventure like this while I'm out!" She snapped at him, a smirk on her face as she took the Sunglasses off her eyes and placed them in her black suit.
"I can't do that, However, I'll bring you a little gift from wherever I might end up, A key-chain or something," Blueblood joked at her, and Starlight tiredly rolled her eyes.
"You must tell me of the fight Friend Blueblood!" Prince Rutherford exclaimed as he walked up to the two Unicorns.
"I'll tell you once we're all settled in the castle," Blueblood told him as Starlight's Aquamarine magic engulfed all the Ponies and Yaks of the group.
And with one final flash of light, They were gone.