True to his word, Blueblood waited until evening to head back to Manedackery. The pub was just as he’d left it that afternoon, and looking through the window, the drink-buying minotaur was apparently still there.
He continued past the pub and ducked down a side street towards a set of industrial loading docks that were closed for the evening. “All right, Trudy. Let’s get a disguise going so nopony recognizes me in there.”
Sure. What were you thinking?
“I guess I’m not picky. It doesn’t really matter since it’s only for tonight.”
Well then, I don’t think you’ll mind if I… Her voice trailed off as Blueblood felt his body began to shift and change into a new shape. He felt his legs changing length and his face reshaping. About halfway through, he glanced across his back and observed with concern his posterior becoming much more svelte and aesthetic.
“Did you just—” Blueblood started to say, but stopped suddenly, the unexpectedly high voice giving pause.
Trudy chuckled. You said you wouldn’t mind.
“This is not what I meant! This is completely undignified!”
Got something against mares?
“I just don’t want to be a mare!” he, or rather, she yelled, glancing down at her new form. Lighter, less muscle, and overall what he had to admit was a pretty hot body was his new disguise.
“Hey, pipe down,” called a voice from behind a nearby dumpster. “I don’t know what you’re on about lady, but some of us are trying to sleep off a hangover.”
Oops. I can’t change you back with somepony around. You’ll either have to find another dark alley or just have to go to the pub this way.
Blueblood grumbled, but decided that it wasn’t worth the time. Exiting the side street, the lights of the pub beckoned him.
So, should I refer to you with female pronouns now? We’ll both probably slip up, but if you end up talking to somepony the practice could be important.
“Fine,” Blueblood muttered, continuing to walk as the lights of the pub beckoned her.
The inside of the place was as warm and cheery as before, perhaps more so with the evening crowd. Though the evening crowd definitely had a worse turn out than the morning in terms of appeal. Grimy ponies back from hard labor, along with a few mooks and thugs were enjoying hearty mugs of ale and other alcoholic content. Most were dirty, others stenched of sweat, and the overall majority looked like the type of company no normal pony would associate themselves with.
The minute Blueblood stepped into the bar, every stallion in the place give her a wide eyed look. Followed by whistling and cheers, along with perverted compliments on her looks and offers of free drinks.
Smiling awkwardly and giving a little wave at the large amount of approval at her entrance, Blueblood whispered, “Sheesh, so this is what it feels to be mare.”
Good, you’re learning now.
“Wait… did you just do this to teach me a lesson about respect for females?”
Pipe down or you’re going be caught, you dolt!
Blueblood shut her mouth and went over to the bar. “Give me something hard, O’Buck.”
The bartender arched an eyebrow at Blueblood, evidently trying to figure out who she reminded him of. He served her a drink without comment.
As Blueblood took the first sip, a nearby stallion leaned closer with a wolfish smile. “I’ve got something hard for you.”
Repeat after me, Trudy quickly ordered. ‘If it’s not diamonds, I’m not interested.’
“If it’s not diamonds, I’m not interested,” Blueblood said, almost without thinking about it. Blueblood realized the line had been used in the past to turn down her - or rather at the time, his - advances. Trudy must have pulled it from his memory. To be fair, it was a good line.
“Are you saying that if I was a crystal pony, that would be good enough for you?” the stallion persisted.
“I’m saying that even if you were a manticore, it wouldn’t be good enough for me,” Blueblood said.
The stallion frowned. “Wait, don’t manicores have spikes on their…”
He abruptly turned around and left Blueblood alone.
Blueblood returned to stare at her drink and mull over her thoughts. “Okay… what do I do now?”
You didn’t plan this through, did you?
“... Kind of,” Blueblood admitted.
You remember what happened the last time that happened, right?
Blueblood sighed, rubbing the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof. “Yes, yes, I know.”
Okay, just making sure you can see your own stupidity clearly. Carry on.
“Snarky bitch,” Blueblood muttered.
“Who?” a voice asked behind her.
Turning around, Blueblood gulped when she stared at the muscular chest of the minotaur from before. Looking upward until her neck was fully extended backwards, she stared at the face of said minotaur.
He gave her a wink. “Hi there. Iron Will’s my name, and helping ponies is my game. What’s up?”
Iron Will seemed genuinely friendly and Blueblood remembered how he had bought a round for the pub earlier. On top of that, he was looking her directly in the eyes. Not her flank. Now that was rare.
“Well, you know… idiots,” Blueblood replied.
Iron Will nodded. “Well, don’t let them get you down.”
He had a seat next to Blueblood and grabbed a drink. They sat there for a moment, quietly bonding. Blueblood almost forgot that Iron Will was potentially a robber. Probably some low, petty theft of some sort, but still a criminal nonetheless.
Then another stallion wandered up, intent on Blueblood. “Hey baby, are you looking for something with no strings attached? I’ve got a secret identity so nopony has to know.”
Blueblood’s eyebrows pinched. “Seriously? You’re trying to use that as a pickup line?”
Looking hurt, the stallion defended himself. “I’m just saying that you might be interested in giving back to one of this city’s valiant protectors.”
“I’m not interested in cops,” Blueblood told him.
The stallion looked around and leaned closer. “Actually, have you heard about all these superheroes going around right now? I’m one of them.”
That certainly got Blueblood’s attention. “Oh really?”
Scoot closer and widen your eyes a little. It’ll make him think you’re more interested.
Blueblood was rather reluctant to do so, but followed Trudy’s advice. Sure enough, the boastful stallion took this as his cue to continue. “In fact, I was the one who stopped that bank robbery a few days ago.”
That little…!
“Oh really?” Blueblood asked with a raised brow, more calmly than she felt. “Do tell how one of your abilities managed to pull such a thing off.”
“Well, it was really no trouble,” the stallion boasted, wiping off his hoof in a nonchalant manner. “Just knocked a couple of mook heads together. Saved the day without a scratch. Just the usual for us masked avengers.”
... I really want you to punch him. Just do it. Right in the face.
Blueblood repressed her urges, even without Trudy egging her on. Coughing into her hoof, Blueblood asked, “Well, that must’ve been dashingly heroic of you. What did you do afterward?”
“I have to admit, I can’t exactly stand around for the police to show up.” He sighed dramatically. “It’s a shame. I have to spend so much time all alone.”
Blueblood knew it was clearly bait. He was somewhat reluctant to take it, but with Trudy’s urging said, “Well… maybe you’d like some company?”
The stallion grinned in what he probably thought was a ravishing way. “Let’s go.”
Blueblood got up and followed him towards the door. While it seemed a shame to let Iron Will go, he probably wasn’t going anywhere for a while and Blueblood could return after beating the ugly out of this creep. Hopefully he didn’t get too much blood on his hooves if the guy was a bleeder once Blueblood punched the stuffings out of his face.
Leaving the pub, the stallion was quick to direct Blueblood into the alley next to the building. She asked, “Are you taking me back to your super secret lair?”
“Well, I can’t really do that. It’s secret, after all,” he chuckled.
“But you’re not seriously thinking of doing this in an alley, right?” Blueblood had standards, dammit.
…Oh, and he was totally not going to hook up with a stallion regardless.
The supposed superhero faltered a bit before stepping closer and puckering up in an attempt to distract the mare that he thought would be easy score. Blueblood finally got the opportunity she had been waiting for and drove a hoof squarely into his muzzle.
The stallion was knocked head over heels and landed in a pile of garbage on the other side of the alley. Blueblood felt his body shifting as Trudy brought out his crime fighting garb, complete with gaping, toothy mouth. He stalked over to the vile mook and raised his leg to kick a bag of trash off his face. Thinking better of it, Blueblood instead moved the garbage with magic.
The stallion’s eyes rolled around comically for a moment before focusing on Blueblood. The costumed vigilante grinned. “Next time, try lying to someone who isn’t a real superhero.”
“You’re… a dude,” the stallion said dumbly.
Blueblood wasn’t really sure he had a comeback to that, but just then a huge lumbering, costumed figure appeared in the other end of the alley. It looked like a minotaur wearing a leotard.
It doesn’t just look like it; I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what it is.
The hulking minotaur looked from the stunned stallion in the pile of trash to Blueblood. “Wasn’t there a mare out here a second ago?”
“That’s what I thought,” muttered the stallion from the garbage.
The minotaur stalked over to him, picked him up, and nonchalantly threw him upward. A few seconds passed. Blueblood didn’t hear him come down.
It didn’t take a genius to guess the costumed minotaur’s true identity. Blueblood decided to press his advantage while he had it. He faced off with the other disguised costumed super. “Were you the one who did the robbery near here last night?”
“So what if I was?” the hulking minotaur asked, crossing his arms. Which only made him look all the more huge and ready to crack Blueblood’s neck in half.
“Then I’m going to take you in for your crimes against this fair city!” Blueblood spoke, though with much less enthusiasm than he had before.
The minotaur chuckled. “Fair city? Canterlot is a shithole, if you didn’t notice. The rich nobles live in luxury while the rest of us peck at the scraps. Well, that ain’t gonna happen for much longer.” Cracking each knuckle on his massive hands slowly, the minotaur twisted his neck left and right, eliciting loud snaps and cracks from that. His muscles bulged and veins popped. “But what is gonna happen, little pony, is your face being curbstomped to the ground!”
“No, you!” was all that Blueblood managed to come up with before the brawl started.
The minotaur lowered his head and charged, his massive body moving like a freight train. Blueblood hastily retreated before the sharp horns. He knew the alley wall was somewhere behind him and he couldn’t keep backing up forever.
Use your wings, idiot!
Trudy’s attitude aside, that was a good idea. Blueblood leaped into the air, propelling himself over his hulking opponent’s head. He tried a somersault midair, lining up his horn with the minotaur’s broad, sculpted back.
Without much time to gather magic the spell wasn’t a knockout, but powerful enough. It barely slowed the minotaur once it impacted with his back, while he just wheeled around and made a grab for Blueblood’s neck. It was almost fortunate that he was upside down in the air and falling rapidly, although the sudden landing at the end of his plunge was an unfortunate side effect.
The aerial maneuver had bought Blueblood only seconds and he used all of that up as he tried to shake himself out of being stunned by impact with the hard ground. Large hands closed around his neck and the minotaur easily lifted him off the ground as if he was a ragdoll.
Body dangling, Blueblood gasped as vice-like fingers started to choke him. He kicked with his back legs, trying to connect with something.
Higher! Kick higher!
Comparisons to can-can dancers aside, Blueblood kicked as high as he could. One of his hooves knocked squarely into the underside of the minotaur’s chin.
Blueblood was unceremoniously dropped as the blow staggered the costumed villain. The two of them tried to recover, lying on opposite sides of the alley from each other. The minotaur was the first to roll over. He pushed himself up just as Blueblood was staggering to his hooves.
A pair of the biggest wings Blueblood had ever seen unfolded from the minotaur’s back. He pointed at Blueblood. “You haven’t seen the last of Steel Blast!”
With a tremendous gust of air, he shot upward into the sky. Blueblood gaped, never believing he would ever see anything so bulky take to the air. He was too astonished and too weary to give chase. “Wow… a frickin’ flying minotaur… thingy…”
Uh, Blueblood?
“Yeah, Trudy?”
I hope there’s room in your schedule to work out. You’re going to need more muscle.