“You’re glowering again,” Luna told Blueblood, looking up at him from over her book. Blueblood sighed, trying to ease up his face as he continued to study both the newspaper article, the city maps, and the neighborhood maps of the prison from where the criminals had escaped. It was one of those nights when Luna felt less stress to enter the Dream Realm, and instead caught up on the history she'd missed. It was an awkward process, as one couldn’t forget that she’d been on the moon only a few months prior, despite everypony trying to act casual about it.
“Sorry,” he finally apologized, still looking over the papers in front of him. “You’ve read the news?”
“No, but I know from one of the guards,” Luna replied. “The usual gossip material, the cousin of his brother-in-law’s friend. It’s nasty either way.”
“It’s concerning,” Blueblood corrected. “Perhaps even a threat to the city. Ponies without the mental block exist, as I know, and as Celestia has told me, but they’re mostly untraceable, and too rare a case to be concerning. Even if they united, there would be at most fifteen, and that’d be including me. The most ponies I’ve fought at once is four, but at the same time, those were petty crooks who clung to the block like a lifeline, barely swinging their hooves in retaliation.”
“And yet you still beat them as if they had nearly killed you,” Luna commented questionably. “Why?”
“Pain is the best teacher,” he answered stiffly. “A foal won’t learn how much the stove burns until they’ve touched it. Likewise, criminals don’t know the cost of their crime until I’ve dealt with them.”
“So these criminals must really be dangerous if they are willing to risk it again,” Luna realized, before humming softly. “I don’t think this is as big a danger as you believe, however. They are two brothers, obviously reckless in their actions, and not too smart, either, as they’ve proven with being caught so early in their career. Besides that, they’re destructive, as they've proven with their barbaric beating of that poor cop. Just follow the rubble to the rats.”
“Yes, that’s the plan,” he muttered, before finally finding what he was looking for. There was a sewage line that led from the center circle to the jail, a grate leading up to the surface right outside one of the cells. Though it wasn’t the cell the two criminals had been placed in, it was right across from it. Technically, a pony could sneak in through the grate, attempt to enter the cell from the outside using a teleportation spell. If that was the case, however, why not teleport them straight out of the building once they’d left the cell rooms. Most likely it was because the stallion who had broken them out wasn’t strong enough for multiple pony teleportations. Then again, that was assuming the break in had even been perpetuated by a unicorn, or any magical creature.
He tossed the map aside, growling in frustration. None of this made sense! How had a pony snuck in from the front entrance and freed them, without exiting with them? Even more confusing, why had they let the escapees exit through the front entrance, especially with how dangerous they were? Was this supposed to be some kind of message, that these blockless ponies weren’t hiding in the shadows anymore, freeing themselves into the world and letting loose a contained monster? Or maybe he was looking too deep into it.
Maybe the guards had accidentally left the lock halfway open, easy for a professional criminal to finish pening up. Perhaps there was no accomplice, merely the two brothers that had escaped custody, fleeing in a simpler manner. The mare who had been beaten certainly attributed her brutal attack to the fact that they provided none of the requested luxuries such as magazines and books. She also noted that they were rather frustrated with their predicament, heavily cursing the Blue Knight for catching them so quickly, and beating them so swiftly. Surely that was all, right? There was no further, heinous reason behind the terrible actions that had taken place in the late hours of the night.
Frustrated still, he stood and began to storm off, before Luna called behind him, “Don’t go out there and attempt to find them yet. You’ll just make the worms burrow deeper. You need a bit of water to draw them to the surface.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” Blueblood replied in exasperation. “But I’ve been at this for a good while now. I’ll take your advice, but I think the water they need to draw them out is me.”
Luna’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean to give yourself up to them?”
“Hardly,” he denied. “I intend to make it known that I live somewhere in upper Canterlot, one of the rich colts playing hero. The rougher class of Canterlot citizens, and Equestrian citizens in general, rightly believe that they are tougher than us spoiled upper crust. Unfortunately for these ruffians, that will be their undoing. Once I draw them in, I have reason to believe that they will fall back into the constables’ possession once again. They weren’t too smart, or too martially skilled. I downed the two of them in five seconds and three words. They only managed to beat the police force because they were fighting an unfair fight. Now the tides turn against them.”
“If you say so,” Luna agreed doubtfully. “I’m just… worried that one day, you won’t return the way you should. Whether that be because of harm that has come to you, or harm that you’ve caused, I don’t know. All I can say is that I’ve seen the devastating effects of both on a pony’s mind and morals. It isn’t a pretty thing, nor something I wish to see happening to you.”
Smiling softly, Blueblood leaned in and hugged his aunt, muttering, “Thank you for your care. It means more to me than I can say that somepony else here can understand my struggle perfectly.”
“Yes, and I’m glad that such a charming and noble stallion is caring over the ponies in a way I wish I could,” Luna returned, pushing her head into his mane before pulling back. “Now, off on your way. The hero of Canterlot has a long night before him if he wishes to bring justice to those criminals.”
With another tiresome sigh, he agreed. “Yes he does.”
Leaving his aunt’s balcony, he quickly made his way to his own room, passing through the bland area and straight to his clothing drawer, where he took out the suit. Putting it on hastily, he walked out to his own balcony, stretching out his legs before his night began. With a final stretch, he made his fake wings and hid his glowing horn in the fedora. With a cocky quirk of his lips from behind the mask, he flew onto the roof of the castle. With a glance at the moon, he dove off of his mighty home, keeping his eyes locked with the moon on the way down.
It was so strange, yet gratifying to see that there was no silhouetted figure of the Mare on the Moon, only the pale, slightly dented surface. It was like staring at an old, round piece of marble, shiny, but old, missing chunks of it, yet still holding its position with incredible strength. With yet another smile, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sound of the wind rushing past him. Loudly whooping into the night sky, he suddenly turned his body, spreading his false wings.
Move more naturally, he instructed himself, allowing the air to catch in the fabric, causing drag, and making him glide slightly in the air. He felt his surroundings with the wind passing through his magic, following the little pathways of essence that fled from his horn, encircling little wind trails and leading to the ground to close below. With a final great flap of his false wings, he landed, eyes still closed as he reveled in the adrenaline rush that followed the exhilarating experience. It was magical, the exact reason that he was so strong and perky when he fought in the dead of night.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, and was surprised to find that while he was indeed looking at the coast of the river, there was a second river blocking his view of it. Lily River was standing merely a few paces away, staring wide eyed and jaws agape at him. While he knew this was probably because of the near impossible, death defying stunt he’d just pulled for the fun of it, she was dumbfounded, simple staring.
With a friendly smile, he said, “Ah, Ms. River! I didn’t expect you to come viewing my stung again! Any suggestions to help me be a better pegasus. Or perhaps that was too natural, and I need to be a bit more jerky to replicate magical movement?”
“Uh, I… um….” the mare trailed off helplessly. “Yes?”
Blueblood laughed heartily. “Well, thank you for your input! After running into you so many times already, I’m wondering if either you’re following me, or I’m accidentally tracing you! If the latter is true, please give me a good slap. It’s considered ungentlecoltly for a stallion who has rescued a damsel to proceed to haunt her!”
“No no no, I came here for you,” Lily exclaimed suddenly.
“Well, unfortunately, I don’t provide autographs,” he brushed off lightly. “I have great business to deal with, and don’t want to waste too much time with-”
“You read the news right, about the cops and the criminals that escaped,” she suddenly asked sharply.
This took Blueblood aback slightly, the quick cut off and sharp attitude. Considering the last two times they’d met, she was a rather timid, almost girlish mare around him. Now she was dead set on her question, shock and awe at his spectacle vanished from her completely. There was something almost haunting about it as he answered, more sincerely, “Yes, I am. The beating and violence caused by these criminals can’t go unpunished.”
“Perfect,” she said, suddenly bending down to the side satchel she had on. Pulling out a piece of paper, she planted it on the grassy with a firm hoof. “I’m not the best artist, but this is a drawing of the street I saw the three crooks in. This third house down the lane from this circle center is where they were hiding out in. I watched the three of them enter, and definitely saw the two criminals from before. There was also a pure white stallion unicorn with them. I think Prince Blueblood was the stallion, though I’m not completely sure, seeing as he looked a bit… older.”
It was Blueblood’s turn to be dumbfounded as he stared at the piece of paper under Lily’s hoof. He saw that, while the drawing was indeed rough, he recognized the avenue name as well as the general diagonal shape of the neighborhood. It was lower class, but not in the poorest section of Canterlot. Alongside this, it was merely two blocks from the jail cell. Close enough to be unnoticed, but far enough away that walking past the windows of nearby houses weren’t a danger. Well, that is until the wanted posters were put out.
In any matter, it was impressive what this singular mare had collected in only the night since their escape, but it brought up several questions. There was a white stallion in the trio, and it was indeed a trio, that Lily was halfway convinced was Prince Blueblood. However, this wasn’t a possibility, seeing as he wasn’t there that night. Instead, it was indeed some third party intervening. Or maybe just an accomplice that had been both unseen and unnoticed before. In that case, Blueblood still had to worry about finding out how the three had managed the breakout.
“So,” Lily questioned. “What are we gonna do?”
“We,” Blueblood stated firmly, “are going to escort you home, in case any of those stallions saw you, and ensure your safety. Then, I will deal with them and bring them to custody by the end of the night.”
“But I found out where they were and how many there were,” Lily opposed. “Besides, I can-”
“You can what,” Blueblood asked, dropping the novelty and becoming harsh. “You can get yourself hurt, even foalnapped, trying to prove that you are not some other victim that can’t defend yourself? You are some other victim, unfortunately, that is exactly what you are, ma’am, and there isn’t much you can do. These stallions are more dangerous than you know, or think you know. Rape is petty to them, I’m afraid. If they even saw you, they’d be sure that you would have a very painful, bloody death.”
Lily’s pupils shrunk as she slowly backed away with tearful eyes, the intensity of his voice beating against her poor innocent head. “B-b-b-but ponies a-aren’t able t-t-to do that. Nopony has killed anypony else ever,” she protested weakly, in complete disbelief of Blueblood’s words.
“Unfortunately, young one, there are those that are worse than the Timberwolves of the Everfree, physically lusting for blood,” he broke to her. He hated revealing so much, but she was not the type to gossip the horrid words told to her by the Blue Knight.
Slowly, she stumbled to the ground, looking dazed by the news. Moving quickly, he brought her in for a hug, much like the one Luna had given him minutes before. She made a surprised and confused noise, but Blueblood shushed her calmly.
“These are things you needn’t worry about though,” he encouraged. “That’s why ponies like me exist. To stop those who would harm others with or without reason. You can go home safely.”
“No,” she moaned, to his surprise. “No I can’t. That neighborhood in the drawing is mine. I live across the street from the very stallions that tried to defile me.”