//------------------------------//
// Bridging Unity 2: Clever 
// Story: Keeping Unity 
// by Chemtest 
//------------------------------//

Clear walks up to the palace, and right up to a large group of ponies. A few Inamortans also stand among their ranks, idly chatting with one another.

One of them, a Swordwrath, looks over at Clear, “Hey, you’re also an Initiate right?”

Clear nods, “Initiate Sky, yeah.”

The Swordwrath looks up at the Palace, “What do you make of this? We’ve been waiting here for four hours, at least, without a single hint of what to do.”

Clear tilts his head, “You came here at eight? I thought noon would be a more appropriate time.”

The man nods, “Exactly. They only said Sunday, not what time, or who to look out for. I don’t know if it’s something with Equestria or something, but Unity would always tell us the specific time. My recruiter was Unity. Maybe our trainer forgot about us?”

Clear nods, “He very well might have.”

The man shakes his head, “Well, screw this, I’m leaving. If our trainer can’t have the kindness to show up, than I don’t want to train under him.”

Clear holds up a hoof, “Wait, have you even tried asking one of the servants to wake him up or remind him?”

The man growls, “They just ignore us.”

Clear smiles, “Well, don’t leave just yet. I can go get him myself.”

The Swordwrath’s eyes widen, “Are you mad? You could get arrested! Why even bother if that trainer isn’t going to?”

Clear shrugs, “I’m sure they would understand my motivations. Besides, I don’t think they’d catch me in the first place. I can just slip in and out.”

The man looks down at Clear, and laughs, “You are truly a fool if you think you could sneak past them.”

Clear looks forward, “Hey, if something’s supposed to happen, you gotta take initiative.”

Another one of the waiting bunch walks over, and places a hoof on Clear’s shoulder, “And that is the point!”

Clear freezes up, his body trying to Will the hoof off him.

The stallion who did it leans off, and looks at the twenty others, “You are a determined bunch, having waited two times longer than any before, but you are still a dumb lot. I’m sure that the Sergeant will like that determination.” He stomps down, “All of you, disappointing. The test is so, so simple, and only one pony in two years has figured it out. Privates, you are Initiates no longer, for you all seem to lack the inner initiative to do anything. However, I ask you to give some hearty applause for the first ever Initiate, Clear Sky!”

The twenty mix of ponies and Inamortans look at him, eyes filled with nothing but anger and envy. Not a single one of them try to applaud, nor do they even smile at him.

The one stallion leans back, and begins applauding, “Good work, absolutely magnificent!” He notices the lack of applause, and looks at the twenty others, “What, you are so sore losers that you aren’t even going to applaud the only winner ever? I don’t believe you would even fit into my branch anyway, especially with that attitude.”

Clear looks at the stallion, “Wait, you’re Lord Blueblood?”

He nods, “Just Blueblood, please, you are my new apprentice. Or, protege, as Aunt Celestia would say.” He looks to the others, “Well, get to the drill field, your Sergeant is waiting!”

The group slowly clears, jogging the five minute walk to the drill field. Clear looks at Blueblood, “Thank you for accepting me.”

Blueblood smiles, “Ah, don’t worry about it, you seem to be the only pony worthy of it. Come, follow me.”

Blueblood turns, and walks into the Palace. Clear trots after, his wings twitching slightly as he takes notice of the bright marble. Marble that his grey coat is not able to blend into. He takes stock of his daggers once more, and rushes after Blueblood.

Blueblood smiles, “It’s a beautiful place, isn’t it? The center of Equestria. Treaties, Galas, everything of every type happens here. Tell me, Clear, how well do you know me?”

Clear looks down, “Oh, well, I haven’t heard much ever since I was a foal. I mean, I know magazines used to call you the stallion to be. Though those articles turned negative after the Gala.”

Blueblood nods, “Oh yes, the Gala. When my true nature was revealed to the world through a mare of culture and grace. The backlash was massive, destroying my reputation, yet I cannot say I did not deserve it. Those actions I took that night were rather... roguish. I’m sure you know about the Canterlot Disaster?”

Clear nods, “Yeah. Canterlot disappears in a single day, at the same time as a changeling invasion, I don’t think anypony could ever forget.”

Blueblood stops, and looks upon a stained glass window. The window shows Atreyos stopping a stylized bomb with his shield, as Harry and Robin fight the rotten alicorn below. Blueblood shakes his head, “It May surprise you, but that alicorn there... was me. Some odd, alternate reality type of me but still... me. Lived the same childhood, made the same mistakes. That day, I left Canterlot because of the Gala scandal. I ended up accidentally surviving because of it, and I realized just how much of a villain I had become.”

Clear smiles slightly, “Well, uh, you realized it, so you aren’t a villain in the end.”

Blueblood chuckles slightly, “Yes, I do believe that was the difference between me and that rotten alicorn. He had become King, he had gained great power, but at what cost? His equinity, his decency, his nobility. If I were to have continued, I would’ve been no different than him. That is why I am no longer Prince, that is why I’ve been quiet these years.”

Clear looks over at him, “You have changed heavily, from what I can tell.”

Blueblood looks over to him as well, and nods, “That’s enough of the past, for now. Come along, you are to be trained in the ways of a Blueblood.”