Chapter 8
Rarity walked down the halls of Canterlot Hospital, feeling more apprehensive than she had since the attack on Canterlot Castle nearly a week ago. The foe she now faced was much less dangerous than gods, mad magicians, or enormous dragons, but made her nearly as nervous. Once again, she glanced down at the letter she carried with her magic, still not able to fully believe it. Even if what the letter said was true... why would he want her to come visit him? What plan could he possibly have for her?
In all honesty, Rarity hadn’t wanted to come. She had just returned to her boutique in Ponyville a scant few days ago, and she wished to relax. To go back to Canterlot so quickly seemed mad, especially at the behest of the one of the few ponies in all Equestria she felt little goodwill towards. Twilight had had to convince her to go, if only to bring herself some closure.
Rarity finally reached the room the receptionist had directed her to. She stood outside for several minutes, trying to work up the nerve to enter. Eventually, she took a long, deep breath, and knocked.
“Come in, please.” Came a smooth, cultured voice. Even though she knew the true nature of the voice’s owner, it sent a shiver down her spine.
It took Rarity a moment to steel herself before brushing into the room, her face a mask of haughty indifference. Her icy mask melted quickly, however, as she took in the scene before her.
“Lady Rarity!” said the figure on the bed, weak but excited. “I did not think you would come.” The pure white unicorn laid on a hospital bed, looked much weaker and more frail than when Rarity had seen him last. A number of machines were connected to him in a variety of ways, most notably a large machine covering his chest and bathing it in magic strong enough to make Rarity’s horn tingle, even from across the room.
“I... did not think I would, either.” Rarity confessed. “But my dear friend Twilight Sparkle convinced me I should, if only to... receive an apology.” she nearly said “tell you off” but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. “How are you, Prince Blueblood?”
The Royal Prince of Equestria gave Rarity a sad, pained smile. “Not well, I am afraid. I am glad you came, Lady Rarity.”
“So it’s true then.” Rarity said, seating herself on the cushion provided from guests. “What you said in the letter. That you’re... you’re...”
“Dying.” Blueblood finished for her. His voice was heavy. “Yes, I am afraid so. Were it not for this contraption on my chest, I’d be dead within the hour; even so, I have only a scarce few weeks to live at best.”
Rarity felt a lump form in her throat. As much as she hated the stallion, she would not wish a slow death in a hospital bed upon anyone. She found it significantly harder to harbor a grudge towards a dying pony. “What... what happened? Was it... at the party?”
“Ah, yes, the party. I hadn’t thought it possible for any celebration to have a worse conclusion than the disaster at the Gala.” Blueblood chuckled dryly. “Yes, it was the party that spelled my doom. During the dragon’s attack, a chunk of masonry from the castle walls came loose and was shattered by a blow. Whether it was from the dragon or Thor I know not, and I care not. What is important is what happened to the shrapnel.”
Rarity predicted where this conversation was going, and raised a hoof to her mouth in horror. “Oh no... you were hit?”
“In the chest, yes.” Blueblood tapped the device that was strapped to him. “The stone did not penetrate far, but the walls of Canterlot are reinforced with iron. A sliver of the metal has lodged itself in my chest, far too close to my heart to be extracted. Without this device keeping the metal still, healing my constantly bleeding heart, and performing half-a-dozen other medical spells, the iron would tear my heart apart in less than an hour.” Rarity was shocked at how easily the Prince, formally so disgusted at the thought of a dirty coat, could be so blasé when discussing his own death. “As it is, my heart cannot withstand the strain for long. The doctors theorize if the metal sliver could be immobilized more thoroughly, I might live, though I’d be stuck on life support indefinitely.” He sighed deeply. “And there you have it, Lady Rarity. Your revenge, at last.”
“R-revenge?” Rarity squeaked. “But I didn’t... I never...”
Blueblood raised a hoof weakly. “I was speaking rhetorically. I deserved no less than this after the way I treated not only you, but ever other pony I have encountered throughout my life. Mares, particularly. I have, perhaps, not led the most admirable life.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I believe that is something of an understatement.”
Blueblood laughed weakly. “Perhaps. But... being here... dying... it’s changed my perspective on a lot of things. Before, my image was all that mattered. I needed to be the Royal Prince, the most eligible and handsome stallion in all Equestria. Looking good was all I cared about.” He rested his head against his pillow. “And now I lay here and look back on my life, and I realize how pointless it was.” Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t think of anything to say. Blueblood continued uninterrupted. “I never accomplished anything, in all my years as Prince. I never contributed anything to ponykind. Ten years from now, the name ‘Blueblood’ will elicit only blank stares.”
Rarity was profoundly uncomfortable. The Prince’s monologue was deeply personal, something you told to family or close friends, not a mare you hardly knew and who had a very good reason to hate you. “I’m so sorry to interrupt...” Rarity said finally, cutting off the Prince’s speech. “But why did you call me here? Was it to apologize? To elicit pity from me? I am deeply sorry for your condition, your highness, but I frankly don’t see what it has to do with me.”
Blueblood blinked at her, his mind shifting gears. “Ah, yes. I apologize... I got lost in my thoughts. I did, in fact, call you here for a reason. Look on the nightstand there.” He gestured to a small bedside table with one hoof.
Hesitantly, Rarity approached the nightstand, using her magic to levitate the manilla folder that rested there. She began flipping through the papers contained within, her brow furrowing in confusion. “These are... schematics of some kind.” She said finally. “I don’t understand what this has to do with me. Did you design these? I didn’t think you were an engineer.”
“I did design those, and I am not an engineer - or at least, I didn’t used to be.” Blueblood responded. “This splinter of metal in my heart is not my only souvenir of that fateful night. Cruel lady fate saw fit to bestow upon me a mutation of my own - while my body is stricken, my mind is clearer than it has ever been.” He tapped his forehead with a hoof. “I’m not entirely certain how, but my Aunt’s magical explosion has gifted me with a radically enhanced intelligence and clarity of thought. Concepts which were so much gibberish to me before are now little more than a foal’s playthings to my mind. Theories, equations, inventions dance behind my eyes, begging to be used. I do not think I would be bragging to say I am now possibly one of the most brilliant minds in Equestria. I also believe it is my new clarity of thought that has opened my eyes to my less admirable qualities.” He chuckled dryly. “Ironic, isn’t it, that is only as my body is dying that my mind feels truly alive?”
The prince gestured to the files Rarity still held as she stared at him, not fully comprehending. “What you hold there is my master plan. A suit of armor combining methods of both magic and science designed not only to prolong my life, but to allow me to begin making amends for a life full of waste and reprehensible behavior. My dear aunt, Princess Luna, is constructing a team of extraordinary ponies to defend Equestria from Loki and others like him, and with this suit of armor I intend to join that team.”
Rarity shook her head. “This is so much to take in. And I still don’t see what you want with me!” Her patience was growing short. Even as repentant as Blueblood now claimed to be, he seemed to have difficulty moving the conversation away from himself. “I design dresses, not armor. I suppose I could assemble it for you, but surely there are ponies more qualified. I am only average in magical ability, and I know little of science.”
“I apologize, Lady Rarity.” Blueblood said humbly, which in itself was yet another shock to Rarity. She wasn’t sure how many more shocks she could take. “I arrived at my decision after nearly a week of deliberation and thought. There is quite a bit you needed to know before I could explain why I called you here, but now, I think we can get to the heart of the matter.” He nodded at the files. “Turn to page twenty-six, and you will understand, I think.”
Curious, Rarity flipped to the page he’d designated, and studied the paper. It took her a few moments before she understood. “Gemstones.” She said, her eyes widening. “The armor... it uses gemstones! That’s the only way you could store enough magical energy to power it, and you could preprogram spells into them to act as tools, weapons...”
“And life support, yes.” Blueblood nodded, smiling. “If you look, you’ll see the cornerstone of the armor is a diamond, which I have dubbed the ‘Core Diamond’, which will be enchanted by you to act as life support and then implanted directly into my chest by the best surgeons money can buy.” Blueblood turned onto his side the best he could with the enormous life-support vest weighing him down. “Now do you see? All the electronic components are built, all the magical formula written. Your skill in blending fashion and function are second to none, and it is that skill I need to assemble the armor. You are a talented enchanter, and your special talent with gemstones makes you uniquely suited to prepare the Core Diamond and the various other gems contained in the suit.”
“I... I don’t know.” Rarity said slowly. “I’ve never studied medicine... and I am not so confident in my skills at enchantment to let my work be... implanted into somepony.” She placed the files back on the nightstand. “I am sorry, Your Highness. I really am. I think you really are trying to reform, and if I could help you, I would. But I can’t.” She turned to go.
“Wait!” Blueblood nearly shouted, sitting upright as best he could. Rarity paused, but did not turn back. “Please. It has to be you.” He begged. “It’s not just your talents, I can hire anypony for that. I chose you. I don’t just need a pony to help me build the suit. I need a pony that will help me be the stallion I want to be. You are a kind mare, with a generous heart. You are gentle, friendly, refined, elegant - all the qualities I lack, all the qualities I want - need - to learn, you can teach me! You’ve seen me at my worst, and you know better than to coddle me or be intimidated by my status, as another pony might. You’ll keep me from going back to the way I was! Please.” He took a deep breath. “In all my life, I’ve never asked another pony for help with anything. I’ve never admitted I was wrong or apologized for anything I’ve ever done. That changes now. I was wrong to treat you the way I did. I’m sorry, from the bottom of my heart. And I now need your help. Please.”
Rarity’s heart nearly broke at the speech. She didn’t need Applejack around to tell her that Blueblood was being honest - possibly for the first time in his life. She could hear it in his voice.
The silence stretched on for several long minutes. Then Rarity spoke. “You’ll provide the materials?”
“Of course.” There was a hint of relief in the prince’s voice.
“And the equipment?”
“The best money can buy.”
“And the gemstones?”
“I already have a stockpile of the most flawless gems I could find, waiting for you.”
“And you can have them all delivered to Ponyville? I can’t stay away from home very long, I have to look after my younger sister.”
“They’ll be there by this time tomorrow.”
Rarity was silent for a few minutes. Than she sighed, and turned to look at Prince Blueblood with a small smile on her face. “I am at your service, Your Highness.”
Blueblood’s smile was full of gratitude. “Please. My friends just call me Blue.”
-----------------
Blueblood knocked on the door of Carousel Boutique and waited patiently. It was a fairly nice place, actually. It had a very ornate and intricate design. A sharp contrast to the simplicity of the rest of the village.
The door opened slightly, but instead of Rarity, the door was answered by a small filly with a pure white coat and a mane of purple and pink. “Who are you?” She asked, looking up at him.
Blueblood gave her his best photo-shoot smile. “I’m Prince Blueblood. You must be Rarity’s sister, Sweetie Belle. She’s told me a lot about you. Is she home?”
Sweetie opened the door a bit more, narrowing her eyes at the Prince. “Yeah, she’s here. She said you used to be mean but you’re really nice now.” She gave Prince Blueblood the closest she could approximate to a glare, which Blueblood found frankly adorable. “You’re not gonna make her cry again like you did at the Gala, are you?”
Blueblood felt a small shock at the filly’s words. Had Rarity really cried after that disaster of a party? He had much to make up for. “I will try my very best to ensure that never happens again. I promise.”
Sweetie Belle continued to regard him suspiciously. “Pinkie Pie Promise?”
Thankfully, Rarity had informed him of this quaint little ritual they had in Ponyville. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” He chanted the rhyme, feeling vaguely ridiculous as he performed the accompanying hoof motions, but the filly seemed satisfied. She turned and galloped into the house, hollering for her sister.
Rarity appeared mere moment later, looking as though she had just applied some makeup. “Blue!” She exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. “The operation was a success, then? I expected you to be in bed recovering for some time yet.”
“I was too restless to stay there, and I feel better than I did even before the party.” His horn glowed, and his fancy vest opened. “As for the operation, see for yourself.” Embedded in his chest was a large diamond, nearly the size of Blue’s own hoof. “You did an amazing job with the enchanting. The doctors said it works perfectly. Not only will it protect my heart, the added magical energy being pumped into my body actually means I’m in better shape than ever before. And I owe it all to you.” He than did something totally unexpected: he bent one of his forelegs to stand on his knee, and bowed his head deeply to Rarity. “Thank you, Lady Rarity. You saved my life.”
Rarity felt herself blush slightly, but she gained control of herself before the Prince looked up. “You’re quite welcome, dear. And your timing is quite fortuitous; I just finished your armor last night! Come in!” She led Blueblood into the building.
Sweetie had already vanished into some unknown corner somewhere, as fillies were known to do. Blueblood payed it little mind, as all his attention was focused on the armor in the center of the room. A glorious set of orange and gold plates, designed to cover the entire body and tailored to his exact measurements courtesy of Rarity’s careful eye for detail. The front breastplate had a hole to fit the crystal in his chest, where it would connect to the suit and provide power. There was a sheath of crystal in the helmet for his horn, so he could feed his own magic into the suit should he need an extra boost. A pair of emitter crystals were embedded in the shoulders, designed to release blasts of magical energy for combat. Similar crystals were placed on the hooves to allow for magic-assisted jumps and even hovering for short periods of time. Rarity regretted not being able to make them efficient enough for true flight, but Blueblood had assured her they would be fine. There were a multitude of other features, both magical and technological, from both Rarity and Blueblood; the armor was a testament to teamwork and an icon of versatility.
“It’s beautiful.” The Prince breathed, touching it gently with a hoof, as if afraid it would evaporate.
“I’m glad you liked it.” Rarity said with a bright smile. “It wasn’t easy to make; I’m not used to working with metal. It should be linked with the Core Diamond, so you should be able to control it the same way you control your magic. Suiting up should be a simple matter of giving the mental command.” She gave him an encouraging prod with her hoof, something she’d have never dared before. “Go on, try it!”
Blueblood took a deep breath and concentrated. He could feel the gentle throbbing of the diamond in his chest, and through it he could feel the connection to the armor. He gave it a slight mental nudge, but nothing happened. He nudged harder, but it took three attempts before the armor suddenly came apart and flew from the mannequin it had been resting on. It shot towards him, surrounding him and assembling itself directly onto his body. He stiffened in surprise, and managed to hold himself still as the armor finished its’ assembly.
“You look positively dashing, Blue!” Rarity said, looking extremely pleased. She led him to a mirror. “What do you think?”
Blueblood admired himself in the mirror. He certainly looked impressive. “It’s excellent, Rarity. It fits perfectly, and it’s a lot lighter than I had thought. Truly, you have a rare gift.” He tested the joints, stretching each joint. “The shoulders are a bit stiff, but they’ll probably loosen over time.”
“Excellent! I was so worried I’d have to resize it; that would’ve been a travesty. Metal isn’t quite as flexible as fabric, you know.” Rarity was beside herself at her success. It was her first time creating something quite so intricate. “Do try the emitter crystals. I have some targets set up in the back room. I’ll go make us some tea to celebrate while you test them.” She scurried off to the kitchen.
Blueblood was just about to go see about those targets and test his suit’s primary weapons when a shrill scream - Rarity’s scream - came from the kitchen. “Blueblood, HELP!”
Without thinking, Blueblood charged for the kitchen, bursting in to find the room a shambles. Furniture and kitchen appliances were cut to pieces, the cut edges glowing red-hot. The reason was immediately apparent, as in the center of the room was a unicorn with a gunmetal-gray coat, wearing a peculiar steel breastplate. More armor covered his cutie mark, and a helmet obscured his face. A pair of long, glowing whips were attached to both his front hooves, and he was threatening Rarity with them. The magic in those whips was so intense, Blueblood’s horn itched event through his helmet’s shielding.
The intruding pony looked up at Blueblood as he burst onto the scene. “Prince Blueblood.” The intruder monotoned, his voice sounding vaguely robotic. “I am Whiplash. I am here to make you pay for your crimes.” His horn glowed, and his whips snaked out towards the armored Prince.
Shields! The prince thought in a panic, and hidden within the armor’s circuitry, a small array of crystals lit up with magical power. A shield of sparkling white force appeared before the prince, the whips bouncing off them. Blueblood could still feel them impact against his magic, though the pain was significantly lessened. He wouldn’t be able to protect himself for long; he needed to go on the offensive.
Time to test the emitters, then, he thought to himself, focusing on the emission crystals. First, he ignited the ones in his hooves, launching him out of the way of Whiplash’s second assault. Landing on the mysterious attacker’s other side, Blueblood activated the suit’s targeting program with a thought (his own design), and fired the shoulder emitters. The blasters had near-pinpoint accuracy, blasting Whiplash square in the back and causing him to stumble. His armor protected him, however, and he spun about.
“Your newest toy is impressive, Prince.” Whiplash intoned. “But it cannot save you from the weight of your past sins.” The whips launched again, but this time Blueblood was prepared. His emitters fired again, knocked the whips off course as Blueblood himself charged his foe. The armor enhanced his strength as he collided with Whiplash, knocking him to the floor. Whiplash righted himself quickly, and glared at the Prince. “You will not defeat me.” The strange pony ground out. The whips lashed out again, but not towards Blueblood this time.
Whiplash sent his whips after Rarity.
Rarity was too shocked by events to react, but Blueblood was not. Blueblood again acted without thinking, leaping into the path of the glowing whips and protecting the mare with his body. He managed to get his shields up in time to deflect some of the hit, but he could feel pain through the armor’s feedback, and he smelled burning metal. He was hit.
“I am impressed.” Spoke Whiplash. “Never did I expect the selfish prince to protect the life of another.” Whiplash raised a hoof, preparing to strike. “Unfortunately, one good deed cannot defuse a lifetime of sin. Die, Prince Blueblood.”
“You first.” Blueblood ground out as he righted himself and turned towards Whiplash. The Core Diamond was glowing brightly as it charged, a focusing ring deploying from the Diamond’s mount as it gathered energy. “I may be a worthless excuse for a pony, but Rarity saved my life. And Prince Blueblood pays his debts.”
The armor’s ultimate weapon, the Uni-Beam, fired at Whiplash, discharging an enormous beam of energy at him. It was so bright, even Blueblood’s helmet (with state-of-the-art filtering software he’d devised) couldn’t block out the light.
Several moments later the light faded, and Whiplash was gone.
In his place, sprawled on the floor and seeming relatively unharmed, were Sweetie Bell and...
“Auntie Celestia?” Blueblood gasped in shock. The pink-maned Alicorn filly leapt to her hooves at the sound of her name. “What in Equestria are you doing here?”
“Tryouts!” Celestia chirped cheerfully, as Sweetie Bell got to her hooves. “I wanted to help! I figured the best way to test your new suit and get into Lulu’s team was to beat a super-villain, like Thor did with the Wrecker or Firebird with the Hulk! Only there wasn’t any super-villains around, so Sweetie and I decided to fake one. We weren’t actually gonna hurt anypony.”
Looking around, Blueblood realized the ruined kitchen had been an illusion; other than some burn marks on the floor from their fight, the kitchen seemed perfectly fine. He also noticed a wide grin on Rarity’s face. Blueblood frowned, though his helmet hid it. “You knew?”
“I’m terribly sorry, Blue.” Rarity said, clearly trying not to laugh. “But it was a great way to test the suit, and Celestia promised her shields could handle anything you did.”
“I was right!” The miniature goddess piped up. “But that last shot overloaded me a bit and made me drop my illusions.” She sounded disappointed.
“There was another reason!” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “We had to be sure that you were really nice now like Rarity said, so we attacked her instead of you. And you saved her!” The filly’s smile lit up the room. “That’s so romantic...”
Blueblood just smiled at the filly’s simplistic views, not noticing Rarity’s mild blush. “I’m so glad you approve, but don’t ever do anything like this again, okay? You both scared me witless!” He shot a look at Rarity, clearly intending the message for her as well. She just stared back innocently.
“Sure thing!” Celestia chirped. “A prank’s no fun if you pull it twice anyway.” She shrugged. “I gotta go back to the castle before Lulu misses me. I’ll tell her to put you on the team. We can call you Iron Pony!” Before Blueblood could respond, Celestia had teleported away in a bright flash.
“Iron Pony, huh?” Blueblood said slowly. “I am... Iron Pony.” He smiled. He liked the way that sounded.
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Huh, I was skeptical at first, but after I thought about it, it makes sense. Iron Man was a stuck up millionaire who was in an attack that almost killed him and made him reform, and that's what just happened to Blueblood. And good job doing what almost no one else has done, making Blueblood a non-asshole.
OhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohsOhmygohs
It's IRON PONY so awesome! so whats next? Captain Equestria?! Cuz that would make ur story like 20% cooler u know 
Wow. I can actually buy this character development.
Iron Pony, the most redemption filled man in the big 3 avengers, and perhaps also the second most likely one to be most helpful outside of regular avengers duties. A man hit with a traumatic real world experience, and thus seeking to redeem himself through the war on criminals.
Blueblood, a man who became infamous in fandom, but still managed every odd redemption story, because such stories make for great tales.
And here, not only was he almost killed, but hit with a brain jump mutation. It seems that besides making him smarter, it also made him wiser as well, and with the anchoring of a core diamond, he rebuilt both body and soul, gathering plates of red, with the power of gems to push for victory. 
(Yes rarity, I'm surprised too)
Yet what was more surprising was how Whiplash ended up being Celestia.
Super special awesome plot twist. Who knew tryouts could be so exciting. 
Love this story. Really do.
Well, that came out of the left field. I mean Price Blueblood as the douche tony stark was spot on but the inventor tony stark? Well I guess that Rarity acted as his :Yinsen" albeit one who was a lot better to look at.
I was reminded of this song when I read this
So that makes Rarity the new Pepper Pots.
I bet Twilight is Black widow but I wonder who Hawkeye is?
Yes, Trollestia FTW.
Very nice job with this chapter. I'm excited to see more. :)
So... the team so far is:
Thor - Big Mac
Firebird (probably a Nova expy) - Spitfire
Iron Pony - Blueblood
I wonder if Rarity is going to be the Pepper in Blueblood's life?
BRILLIANT, making Blueblood Tony Stark. It's an aspect of Tony's character we keep forgetting: that he'd been a total utter jerk. And who better to fulfill that role than MLP's resident unsympathetic jerk? They also got that whole royalty/multimillionaire thing going on too.
That's surprisingly fitting, in a way. Very well done this chapter!
It's interesting: You've got an odd combination of Marvel Cinematic Universe Tony Stark here, with the mutated hyper-intelligence of Ultimate Universe Stark. Not too shabby.
I love the way that the team members have been introduced and built up, albeit its formulaic (Name, power, villian, sign up) I don't really mind it in this case. It allows to get fully introduced to each superhero and their abilities in turn. Spitfire being firebird was a surprise, because as I said, noone knows who Firebird is and most people would be looking her up on the wiki by now. I also liked how oit was some tragedy that help to motivate her decision, to use those talents to make sure it never happens again. Don't know if it was a good thing to let Soren be ok just yet.
As for Blueblood being Iron Man?> Oh dear Celestia yes! (unny note, Blue blood is voiced by Vincent Tong, who played the Mandarin in Iron Man Armored adventures) I love Iron Man because he is a redeemer trying his best to fix the mistakes he caused. He goes through hell and bounces back. I love the man for it. Adding Rarity to the mix was a nice touch an allowed for our seamstress to do what she does best. I also liked how the suit was made and crafted while Celestia and Sweetie providing the villian was spectacular.
2270377
Actually, Firebird is her own Character: http://marvel.com/universe/Firebird
I was reminded of this song when I read this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNo3zmhXE9Y
Was a little skeptic when it wasn't Twilight as Iron Mare. But after about 15-20 seconds of contemplation, it did make more sense, and I like that it also involved a redemption arc. Well played good sir, and I cannot wait to read who is next to become heroicly supercharged.
*MEGALOVANIA INTENSIFIES*
Oh... I can imagine the final scene of endgame with Blueblood look at ponified version of Thanos with an infinity gauntlet saying, "And I am ... Iron Pony."