//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Master Blackmailer // by keithsterling //------------------------------// Its 1700 hrs, early evening of that same day (present), Royal ward, City of Canterlot, Capital city of Equestria, the hallway outside the family living room, private living area, Canterlot Grand Royal palace, second floor of the palace. Standing outside the door press against the wall was breathtaking beautiful white-colored pure alicorn mare with a golden blond mane and tail. Her 6ft 5in perfect equine figure was attired in Vanilla ice colored slightly below the knee-length dress. Why her twelve-inch long white bare feet were encased in a coral-colored crew wedge sandals with a one-inch platform, a single thick ankle-strap band held the sandals to her foot. Her white-feathered bird wings were folded on her back. This pure white alicorn mare was Princess Celestia Silverlight, the mother of the royal foals and co-ruler of Equestria. Tears streak her cheeks as she listened to her own foal's conversation about their father and her beloved husband. Celestia never knew all the time she spent in the company of her dear Justice, how much he actually did for her. It was right of her husband not to tell her anything about how he completed the tasks she sent him on. Some of the ways that he completed the tasks would put him at odds with his own wife's beliefs. Quietly Celestia moved away from the door. Deciding it best leave all the paperwork for her son on tops his desk in his bedroom from his royal duty that she did for him. Walking down the opposite side of the hallway on her way to the family living room was heavenly looking dark blue pure Alicorn mare with midnight blue mane and tail. Her 6ft 3in elegant equine figure was attired in orange-red top of the knee-length dress. Her eleven and five-sixths inch long dark blue bare feet were encased in blackstrap sandals with one and one half inch heel. A single slender ankle-strap band held it on her foot. This dark blue pure Alicorn mare was Princess Luna Silverlight, the aunt to the royal foals and the co-ruler of Equestria. "Luna may I ask you something?" Celestia commented as Luna stop and stood in front of her sister. "Yes, sister," Luna replied as she notices all the documents under her sister's arm with her royal seal on them. "Did you use your ability to control the moon to help Justice on some of his tasks I gave him?" Celestia asked as Luna remain straight-faced, knowing she's trying to find out if she helped Justice Illegally by blocking out the moonlight. "Justice never came to me, so my answer is no. I never help him with any of his tasks." Luna answered as Celestia knew it impossible to detect went Luna is lying because she was so good at it. "Well thank you, sister. If you please would you lend your ability to my foals." Celestia said nonchalantly as she continued on her way to Somnus' bedroom to drop off the documents she was carrying. "Of course, sister." Luna comment pretending to be a bit confused as she continued on her way to the living room to meet up with the royal foals. ~A few moments later in the living room~ "I just had a strange encounter with your mother on the way to the living room." Luna comments as she sits down on the sofa next to her oldest niece Aurora. "How so, Auntie?" Blueberry inquiry as she crossing her leg one knee over the other as she taps her barefoot soundlessly in the air. "She was trying to find out if I help your father illegally." Luna comment as Aurora had a coy smile on her snout that was quickly noticed by her brother, Somnus. "Mother was listening to our conversation. Was she, not Aurora." Somnus comments, looking toward his sister, Aurora. Why Blueberry's eyes blink with the incredulity with what her brother said to her sister. "I pick up mother aura the moment she neared the living room. I'll bet she was masking her aura from you, Somnus." Aurora comments as she crossing her leg one knee over the other. "She was Aurora. She was suppressing her full aura from me." Somnus explains as Aurora chuckled. "Then, the question is, Auntie. Did you?" Blueberry inquiry looking toward her aunt Luna. Who then looked over to her nephew Somnus, who has a smile on his snout and nodded his head. "I'll be free later in the evening, my dear little Somnus. You may punish me then, I could use the stress relief. I have two very annoying meetings during the night watch today. You know who I am talking about, Somnus." Luna comment as Somnus chuckled and shook his head. "To answer your question, my dear niece. I did help your father using my ability to control the moon for several of his tasks. Before I agreed to help him, he told me his full plan. What he wanted to accomplish with this option. I had the right not to aid him. But the plan and what he wanted to accomplish was the only option for that task, and I aid him." Luna explains as Somnus reaches over to grab hold of his auntie's hand. "Your father and I made a deal between us. He would not use my help to hurt or kill any pony. Unless there was no other choice. In turn, I agreed to tell no one of my involvement with his illegal task. If I spoke of it, he had the right to punish me. As your father would never knowingly hurt an Alicorn mare, he has other ways to punish me." Luna explains as she got down to business with the royal foals. Its 1700 hrs that same day, the brightly stable, northwest noble ward, City of Canterlot, Capital City of Equestria, front driveway. Slowly a Canterlot city cab pulls up to the staircase leading up to the main mansion home of the brightly stable from the rear passenger side of the cab exits refined-looking young light blue unicorn mare with a light pink mane and tail her hand was wrapped around a single suitcase. Her toned 5ft 11in equine figure was attired in tangerine-colored slightly below the knee-length dress. On her, ten-inch long light blue bare feet were a pair of green open toe wedge heel pumps with two one half inch heel. This young unicorn mare was Lady Fiona Halcyon. After an accident that took the life of Clarice's youngest sister and her husband, Clarice adopted Lady Fiona Halcyon. She raised her niece as her own foal. After paying the driver, Fiona climbs up the staircase to the main door of the mansion home. Upon entering the main mansion home, she is greeted by her aunt's loyal Chief Maid. "Welcome home Lady Fiona, may I take your suitcase for you?" The Chief Maid inquiry as she hands the suitcase to her. "Yes, Glory. Where is her ladyship at?" Fiona inquired "Last time I saw her ladyship. She was up in the study, reading over the requests from the ponies living in her Lustrous ward and doing her paperwork to send to the Princess for approval." Chief Maid Glory explains as she takes her suitcase to her old room in the main mansion for her. As Fiona climb up the staircase to the second floor of the estate were, her aunt's study is located. ~ A Few moments later~ Walking down the hallway heading toward the kitchen was a beautiful white colored unicorn mare with purple mane and tail after dropping off Lady Fiona's suitcase in her room. Her 5ft 9in fit equine figure was attired in black mid-knee length dress. Why her ten inch long white bare feet were encased in black pumps. This unicorn mare was Chief maid Glory neatly the Chief maid of the brightly stable. Sitting in the kitchen of the mansion home was nice looking white unicorn mare with green mane and tail resting her feet on the table. Her 5ft 9in good equine figure was attired in black mid-knee length dress. Why her ten inch long white bare feet were encased in black pumps. This second unicorn mare was Maid Gusty Shady, one of ten maids working for the brightly stable and the most troublesome of all the maids. "Gusty! I thought her ladyship told you to clean that room on the first floor! Before the end of the day!" Glory said sharply, stomping her foot on the ground. "I'll get to it went I am good and ready, Glory! It not like her ladyship uses that room for any thing." Gusty said sarcastically as Glory snorted angrily at her. "If we didn't need another maid here at the Stable. You wouldn't have this job at all, Gusty." Glory said hotly as she left the kitchen to find another maid to clean the room. Since being hired at the stable, Gusty has shown the household staff that she has little regard for a noble mare that what to help her by giving her this job. All she looking at is the bits she can get out of Countess with little work as possible. Meanwhile, sitting behind her desk in her study on the second floor of the mansion wearing magenta-colored mid-knee length dress was Countess Clarice Brightly; she was going through the pile of request form from the lustrous ward, the ward her family administrates in Canterlot. Their knock on her study door. "Come in!" Clarice called as the door is open by Fiona. The moment she saw the young unicorn mare walking into the study, she leaps to her feet walks toward her. "Welcome home, Fiona! How long are you here for?" Clarice inquiry as Fiona chuckled, noticing that her aunt Clarice was barefooted. "I finished my nursing studies abroad and was offered a job here in Canterlot by the Director of Royal Canterlot Hospital Blueberry Swirl Silverlight. As a chief nurse at the hospital. I jump at the offer." Fiona explains as Clarice smiled. "You must have impressed Director Blueberry with your nursing skills to be offered a position like that at the Royal Canterlot Hospital. Fiona, do you know who Director Blueberry is?" Clarice inquiry with a smile on her snout as Fiona shook her head no. "Director Blueberry is actually Princess Blueberry Swirl Silverlight. The youngest daughter of Princess Celestia Silverlight and the granddaughter of my friend Duchess Ophelia Silverlight the boss mare of the Silverlight unicorn family." Clarice explains as Fiona gawk in disbelief. "The Princess offers me a job," Fiona said shocked as Clarice had to catch her went she fainted from the news. ~later that night~ In Lady Fiona Halcyon's bedroom at the mansion, Fiona rolls out of her bed, wearing an elm green colored nightgown in her bare feet. She walked over to her suitcase and placed it on top of her desk. She opens the suitcase and begins rifling through the bag, looking for something. A few moments later, she brings out a small bundle of letters tied with a red ribbon from inside the suitcase. During the time she was studying abroad, she got involved with a disloyal royal army Sergeant Armand Aegis. He would steal medical supplies from the hospital she was working at and sell them on the black market. Till his greed got the better of him, he took a critical vaccine shipment from the hospital, heading to pony land to stem any outbreak in the area. It was not till a not so bright seller sold one of the stolen vaccines to an undercover Solar Guard agent that the stolen shipment was recovered and sent to pony land. During the investigation, the seller gave up the name of the Sergeant who stole the medical supplies and the hospital he was getting them from. The Sergeant was arrested and sent to prison. Two years into his sentence, he was killed in a prison fight. One thing that Solar Guard couldn't figure out was who the inside pony was to get the medical supplies for the Sergeant. 'How naïve could you be Fiona, being taken in by that unicorn stallion charms and help him steal medical supplies from the very hospital you worked at. I broke it off with him went he took the critical vaccines shipment heading to pony land.' Fiona thought to hide the bundle of the letter under her mattress in her room before going back to bed. ~The following morning~ A vengeful Maid Gusty Shady finishes her cleaning chores for the day, so she gets her last paycheck from her ladyship as Chief Maid Glory Neatly reports to her Ladyship that Gusty is not fulfilling her contract with the brightly stable. Countess Clarice Brightly has already warned Maid Gusty Shady that if Chief Maid Neatly reports her again that she not fulfilling her contract with her stable, she will be let go. As she was changing the bedding in Lady Fiona Halcyon's room, the small bundle of letters falls from under the mattress onto the floor. Gusty unties the bundle and reads one of the letters. Not knowing about the stolen vaccine shipment from the hospital, Gusty quickly stuff the letters into her dress and leave the Brightly Stable with the letters that Fiona hid. Sometime later, Gusty waits on the back streets of Canterlot with the letters a moment later a sedan drives up to her. The driver side window is rolled down by a red unicorn stallion with a blond mane. She hands him the letters, and he looks through them before giving her back the second bundle of letters. Many years ago, Gusty Shady was a high-society mare in Manehattan (Simply called Majesty) till her husband died under mysterious circumstances. All suspicion fell on Majesty as she was known as a gold digger in high-society circles. She quickly went into hiding using her real name Gusty Shady to stay one step ahead of Manehattan Police Department looking for her. Two years later, she got involved with dishonest unicorn stallion that discovered her high-society persona of Majesty and her letters. He sold her high-society persona of Majesty and her letters to the Master Blackmailer for quite a bit of money. Seeing potential in this mare, he offers her a deal. If she works for him, her high-society persona of Majesty, along with her letters, will not be given to the Manhattan PD for the huge reward. The Master Blackmailer sweet the deal by telling her if she finds equal devastating information about a target, he will trade her letters for that. So she can disappear forever. Gusty Shady quickly takes hold of the bundle of letters and runs into the alley right into the waiting arms of two Solar Guard officers. Who was tipped off to her real identity by anonymous source? It's 1000 hrs, the following morning, Canterlot Grand Royal Palace, Royal Ward, City of Canterlot, Capital City of Equestria, Public Business Area of the Palace, Private office of Princess Aurora Silverlight. The private office of Princess Aurora Silverlight is medium size room in the public business area of the Grand Royal Palace she uses this office to conduct face to face negotiation with various ambassadors that need not be heard in open royal court. Joining her in her office was Prince Somnus Silverlight, her brother, and Princess Blueberry Swirl Silverlight, her younger sister. Upon discovering that her letters were stolen from her room, Lady Fiona Halcyon went to her Aunt Countess Clarice Brightly. She told her everything that happens why she was studying abroad. Countess Clarice Brightly was none too happy about what her niece did. She called Duchess Ophelia Silverlight, the Grandmother of the Royal foals, asking her if she can set up a meeting with the Royal Foals for Lady Fiona Halcyon. "Lady Halcyon, do you know how bad it could have gone if the vaccine shipment was not recovered," Aurora said hotly as she slams her fist down on top of her desk. "I know your highness, I am not asking for forgiveness. What I did goes against everything I stand for as a nurse. I put the lives of many ponies in danger because of my naiveté. (look toward Princess Blueberry) I will understand your highness if you don't want me working at your hospital." Fiona said, her voice a lifeless monotone as she lowers her head. "No Lady Halcyon. I didn't hire you for your past. I hired you because you are a wonderful nurse. Because of this incident, you will be under my supervision for entire career. Plus, I have been looking for a student to teach. Just like my teacher Princess Cadence Sparkle did for me." Blueberry explains as Fiona's face flushed with happiness that she's going to be taught by Princess Blueberry.