//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Help Him // Story: The Blue Knight // by The_Darker_Fonts //------------------------------// The moment that Lily had arrived home, a loud explosion had sounded throughout the entire street.  Her base instinct was to run to the source of the sound, but she knew the trouble she would get into if once again disobeyed the Blue Knight’s orders.  So instead of going and attempting to see what the big deal was, she stayed put in her house, knowing that now there was nopony wanting to kill her across the street.  It was probably fifteen minutes later that, to her horrible surprise, two very familiar stallions had begun strolling down her block, the view from her table through the living room window letting her see all. She was prepared to run out to the alley behind her house, to escape to her sister’ for the rest of her life, but then something happened.  The Blue Knight reappeared, diving into them like a hawk onto its prey.  She watched in fascinated fear as a fight commenced, and for the briefest of moments, she  thought for sure that the Blue Knight was going to falter, and be defeated.  Instead, something even worse occurred.  As the hero was lit on fire, she watched him snap, bright light culminating around him and his head, an attack preparing magically. He gathered his strength and spread his wings, but instead of taking off to retreat, he launched a massive beam of searing light at his opponents.  He watched it envelope one of the stallions before eating away at the houses just across the street from hers, leaving half of them to go up in flames as it made its way slowly to the newest stallion, a unicorn.  The stallion seemed to barely last a second before being overwhelmed by the blinding, burning ray, vanishing for a second.  Impossibly, the stallion survived, having the audacity to simply stand and nod at him as if it was a respectful duel before turning and walking away.   At that point, both of them looked invincible, one having survived the most destructive display of magic and the other being completely on fire.  Then the Blue Knight let out a heart wrenching shout of pain and flew off, his back smoldering gruesomely.  The other unicorn didn’t look back, but after several steps he stumbled, and before anypony could confront him, he vanished, most likely teleporting to somewhere safe.  It was only after the two combatants had vanished before anypony on the street had moved, running to help the other two stallions.   It was at that point that Lily had run from her house to make sure nopony was in any of the burning houses.  The smell of it all was horrible, burnt flesh and whatever else was burning, blood somehow on the sidewalk.  Everypony who was there saw it though, the result of a stallion being completely unprotected when he was hit by the deadly arcanic beam.  The point of contact was so destroyed that there was nothing to burn, just charred ground and a strange, disgusting clump of black.  It didn’t need further inspection by anypony to know that it was the stallion, his body completely burned. It wasn’t until a few minutes after the confrontation that the police and fireponies arrived, quickly shooing everypony away from the scene and fire.  That night she had ended up going to her sister’s anyway, washing off the smell of smoke and burnt flesh for almost two hours in the shower.  Amber didn’t need to even ask why she had shown up so late, Lily’s disheveled state and haunted eyes said it all.   In the morning, Lily went to the flower shop in a daze while all around her ponies marveled at what had happened the night before.  All over the street and wherever there were seats ponies were holding newspapers, tabloids, and articles, all with headlines depicting an artistic interpretation of the police encounter with the mysterious white unicorn or the fatal duel between the unicorn and the Blue Knight.  There were no photos of the burnt body of the stallion who had died, and in fact, from the bit she read while opening the shop, the only mention of the two were as the original criminals the police were after. A telltale line of smoke rose from the six houses that had been burned down as part of the encounter.  Luckily there hadn’t been anypony inside, as much or the street she lived on was uninhabited in general, but the potential risk of civilians being hurt in an encounter between the Blue Knight and the unicorn was frightening.  It proved that there was still true danger in the city, but it also proved that the Blue Knight was capable of defending them from it.  And it proved without a doubt that he had been truthful to her, that he was facing a real threat and that it wasn’t the only dangerous thing she was dealing with. His words haunted her now as she thoughtlessly sold bundle after bundle of flowers for all sorts of reasons, none of which she tried to discuss like she usually would.  Her sister picked up on it almost immediately, but said nothing until their lunch break, where she firmly instructed her to leave the shop in her care and take the rest of the day off for her sake.   “I swear, if you don’t leave in the next three minutes, I’m gonna close the shop for the day,” Amber threatened firmly, not a hint of teasing in her voice.  “I know you were caught up in all of the craziness of last night, and obviously you didn’t sleep a wink last night.  Your eyes are so baggy I could put flowers in them and call it a bouquet!  I know that the news was really upsetting and the sight was moreso.  You don’t have to be ashamed to take a quick mental break.” “Okay,” Lily agreed, feeling hollow as she remembered for the hundredth time what the articles had said about the Blue Knight.  They had named all sorts of causes for the tragedy that occurred last night, but almost every paper, including the major ones, had come to the conclusion on three things.  One, that the Blue Knight was, without a doubt, a fourth alicorn, the only explanation for how he had managed to both use magic and fly away.  Two, they had firmly come to the conclusion that he was also the reason that both a stallion had died and a fire had broken out, dubbing him a murderer and arsonist in spite of evidence otherwise.  Third of all, they had concluded he was dead. Nopony, they claimed, magical or not, could have survived the burns that he had sustained from the fire lit on him.  The burns were both too severe and too widespread that if he had survived the flight away, he would have died suffering from continual damages done by the burns.  Some speculated that perhaps he had entered shock while in flight, one of the most deadly situations for a winged animal to suffer because their wings could lock up too much or relax and lose their speed too quickly.  Already searches by the police were being conducted, for the first time by any officials, for both the strange stallion’s body and identity.  Above all else though, everyone was preparing for Celestia to address the topic in a press conference in front of the palace, where the media and city would be listening. Considering the time of day, Lily decided she would go catch the speech and whatever else involving the Blue Knight, hoping beyond hopes that she would hear something that proved she hadn’t been bamboozled like everypony else by a wisecracking stallion with evil intentions.  There had to be some relief from the shock and betrayal she was feeling, that everything was just a misunderstanding.  Whenever she tried to defend the Blue Knight however, the image of the wrinkled black clump of what used to be a living, breathing stallion flashed across her eyes.  She wished that she could simply go back in time and never walk down that alley, never risk her life, and never meet the confusing stallion that was the Blue Knight. She ended up making the conference just in time to take a seat in one of the front civilian rows.  After about half an hour of just sitting and waiting, the seats provided were completely crowded, as was most of the street and rooftops around the plaza.  Lily could barely see past the crowd of journalists, reporters, and photographers that were waiting to catch the Princess’ words on the suspicious matter.  Shortly after the crowd began to restlessly move around, Celestia herself appeared in the doorway of her castle, deliberately taking her time walking down to the podium at the front of her gates.  The Princess knew how to control the crowd, and the crowd knew it too, because as soon as she had begun descending to the gate, they were all silenced.  Once she arrived at the podium, the remaining standing reporters sat, allowing for Lily to see the Princess directly.  Her eyes were tired, but also sorry, the news she was bringing them obviously not the best concerning the night’s events.   With a deep breath, she spoke into the microphone.  “At approximately eleven twelve last night, a loud explosion could be heard from almost seven miles away, and a bright light could be seen from almost twenty miles away in Ponyville.  The occurrence was a magical outburst by an unnamed white unicorn stallion who is now wanted for various crimes we will further discuss, including disruption, illegal arcanic uses, and public dueling.”  There was murmuring in the crowd after the last incarceration was named as many ponies had never even heard of the legal violation before, including Lily.  Raising her hoof to face level, the Princess reestablished order, continuing unfazed as she emotionlessly stated, “the Blue Knight it also wanted for these charges, and more.  A warrant for his immediate arrest has been commissioned by myself and Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard, for charges of arson and suspected predetermined homicide.”  At the announcement, the entire crowd roared as civilians either yelled in agreement or discontent at the proposition of the Hero of Canterlot’s arrest.  Reporters stood abruptly in front of her, cameras flashing as questions were called out from every other pony who wasn’t shouting about the injustice or justice of the judge. All among them, Lily sat stunned, the final confirmation that the stallion she had so quickly been hypnotized by was truly guilty of the things she’d seen.  She let out a slow breath as order was being reestablished by both the attending officers and the Princess herself, slumping down in her seat as she attempted to let acceptance settle in.  It just all felt so wrong to her, like something was out of place about the whole situation that she couldn’t name accurately.  The way he talked, remembering it all… there wasn’t a hint of evil in it, there couldn’t have been any.  He was only ever firm with her, and never because he was  outright disdainful of her.   Right? “Please, everypony, I know the news is shocking,” Celestia suddenly called out to the crowd and media.  “Nopony is found guilty of any of these charges yet, and as far as we know, the real Blue Knight has not come forward.  Nopony has been checked into any hospitals for burns, and the Blue Knight has not been spotted since last night.  It is suspected that he will no longer appear so publicly, or at all now that he is wanted by the law.  However, in further detail, the three stallions were all criminals of some sort, a gang, we suspect.  The two stallions the constables were originally sent to arrest had broken out of their cells two days prior and had severely injured two of our brave police officers.  Furthermore,  thirteen officers were injured last night, with three needing hospitalization for their wounds.  None died in either confrontation.  The stallion who was killed by the Blue Knight was one of the wanted criminals and had only an hour earlier assaulted an anonymous individual that the Blue Knight would not name.  However, we had solid evidence of the attack thanks to their injuries from their previous confrontation with the Blue Knight.” “What do you think of him, your Highness,” a reporter suddenly asked, expertly realizing that the statement had been made open for questioning.   “What I know of this stallion as an individual is very little, other than that, prior to last night, he only ever harmed outlaws in self-defense or defense of others,”  the Princess levelly stated.  “I suspect that he had not measured the power of his own arcanic attack, resulting in the death of the wanted stallion and destruction of several homes.  Personally, I believe that we must pursue him with the law, but let us not forget the endless good he gave the city prior to last night and the safety and security he brought.  I know I won’t, especially if the case comes forward with new evidence of the mysterious white stallion.” “Are you saying that the Blue Knight won’t be incarcerated for his crimes,” a mare suddenly asked from the other side of the seats. “Not at all,” Celestia replied firmly.  “I don’t take the death of any of my subjects lightly, whether criminal or not.  The Blue Knight killed a stallion last knight and destroyed several ponies’ homes, and he must pay for the crimes justly.” “How do you suppose you’ll sentence him,” another reporter questioned. “We don’t have any solid agreements yet in the law, but I assure you that punishment will be received,” Celestia claimed.  “In my many years as your Princess, I have never dealt with a case like this, so it will be a great responsibility to deal with, but even heroes must obey the laws of our nation.” “When was the last time somepony was killed by another pony,” a pegasus stallion inquired.  “There have only been very rare cases of pony-on-pony violence, and even rarer are the lethal results from such incidents.  How do you plan to proceed from here?” “The last time that a pony was killed by another pony, to our knowledge, was two hundred and thirty seven years ago, when a madpony escaped his asylum,” the Princess informed the crowd.  “Since then, there have only been twenty seven incidents of pony-on-pony violence of notable damage, though almost all of them are incidents from the Hooffields and McColts.  Otherwise, there had been virtual peace among the pony interactions with each other.” Lily swallowed hard at the news.  It had been so long ago since a pony had been killed by another.  Why was that what the Blue Knight had gone for, then, almost immediately?  Did he know something they all didn’t, some darker secret about the stallion that made the trio infinitely more dangerous than anything out of Tartarus.   “Anywhere I or they go is dangerous,” the Knight’s voice said in her head.  She shuddered.  Had that merely been a warning for her safety, or was there a darker connotation, one that implied that he knew his own dangers and didn’t want some mare hindering his progress.  But what goal did he have that he couldn’t do now.  He obviously was powerful enough to steal whatever he wanted, living or not, and having the ability to fly meant that he could be anywhere he wanted.  There was no real challenge to him either, and with his public image so good, the stallion behind the mask could have easily come out and ran for whatever office he desired and win any election.  Except there was one office he could never have…  No matter what, he never could be a monarch over Equestria.  Not unless he was Celestia or Luna’s secret son, and even then it would require them to die in order for…  Lily froze completely, chills running up and down her at the stunning, chilling, haunting speculation.  Nopony in Equestria that actually wanted the Princesses dead, and there hadn’t been a notable attempt to electively seize the throne for decades.  The very thought that their beloved rulers might be killed felt completely foreign and absolutely terrifying, making her want to squirm.  How such a horrifying thought could come to her about somepony that the whole city had loved just the day before, she didn’t know.  If only she hadn’t ever gone down that stupid alley and met the scariest pony in the world. “Is the Blue Knight an alicorn,” a voice, not a reporter’s, suddenly shouted from the crowd, and surprisingly, Celestia turned her attention to the singular civilian who had called out and not the reporters clamoring for more answers. There was, for once, a flash of uncertainty on Celestia’s face, and after a moment of consideration, she admitted, “I have no idea.  Previously, we thought that Luna, Cadence, and I were the only alicorns, but we may be proven wrong by the Blue Knight once again.  All I can confirm is that he is a stallion that will have his crimes justified in accordance with the law.” “Is the Blue Knight dead,” another voice from the crowd asked, several voices joining in and demanding for an answer. Once again, Celestia seemed to hesitate uncertainly as she came up with an answer.  The Princess visibly took a deep breath before stepping back up to the microphone and stating simply, “Presumably.  That is all.”  As the Princess turned away from the podium, the crowd jumped to their feet, reporters and civilians alike calling out for more answers, but Celestia kept heedlessly walking.  The chills running up and down Lily were overwhelming, and in a slight panic she too jumped to her hooves, though instead of shouting for the Princess, she simply pushed through the crowd until she broke through.  When she emerged from the mass of equine bodies, she found herself facing the remains of something she’d begun to find familiar.   The archway that hung over the Stairwell was destroyed, the arch and top part of the pillars were destroyed completely, the rest of it cracked and crumbled slightly.  The sight was unnaturally depressing, that something else that represented her undefined relationship with the Blue Knight was damaged as well.  She looked away from the sight, intending completely to leave and go back to her sister’s house, but something stopped her.   Police tape blocked off the first step, meaning that the site was closed off, and nearing ever so slightly to the barrier, she saw some of the steps themselves were cracked as well.  Her brows furrowing, she looked around, realizing that both the police and Palace Guard were now attempting to calm and dissolve the unruly crowd of ponies demanding answers.  Their attention completely to the larger mass of ponies, they had left the area unguarded, and, taking the opportunity, she ducked under the tape and swiftly descended the stairs.  She felt for the briefest moment a sense of danger, but it was whisked away as she continued her descent out of sight and down the mountain. In the short moment she had put her full weight on one of the cracked stones, she felt it crack ever so slightly beneath her, but the rest of the descent was almost normal.  The sun was barely beginning its own descent as noontime came and passed, meaning that, for what felt like the first time in her life, she was walking down in warmth.  The roaring of the waterfall soon filled her ears, and quite quickly she noticed that everything was normal.  She didn’t know what she had been expecting, or why she’d even expected anything out of the ordinary at all, but nothing strange was going on.  The water still flowed beautifully, the grass was luscious green, and flowers glowed brightly in the warm sunlight.  It looked like the one place in all of Canterlot that hadn’t been disturbed by the previous night’s events. She finished her journey down the stairs, looking up at the impressive waterfall that fell from the clouds above.  Sometimes it felt unbelievable how quickly somepony could travel so quickly down the expansive staircase, but she knew that it was primarily because the steps themselves were mostly a straight climb up and down with only two landings that changed the direction the stairs climbed the mountain.  The stone face of the mountain was dotted with random patches of dirt and moss, even little shrubs where the nutrition could be found, all of it lightly sprinkled with stray droplets of the falling waters.  There were two other waterfalls besides this one, a bigger and smaller stream that didn’t fall all of the way before being caught in little outgrowths of the mountain, making them less impressive.  This waterfall came on the face of the mountain that some claimed to have been sheared off during Celestia and Nightmare Moon’s epic battle.  It was strange to think that nopony cared for it now. Suddenly, a brief, almost completely silent noise pierced through the various sounds of the beautiful scenery.  It was a short, almost refrained gasp of air that she recognized instantly as not only equine, but feminine.  Furrowing her brow curiously, she finally took a look around her, and found, to her greatest surprise, herself catching a glimpse of a purple tail whisking out of sight.  It was unmistakable now that she wasn’t alone, and allowing herself to trust in fate once to not put her in danger, she decided to investigate her fellow pony. “Hey, I saw you,” she called out, attempting to sound friendly.  “There’s no need to be shy about it!  Come out please!” “You aren’t a constable, are you,” a timid, but clearly adult, feminine voice questioned.   “Far from it.  I’m a florist,” Lily attempted to joke disarmingly, flashing her cutie mark in the direction of the hidden figure.  “My name’s River Lily, but you can just call me Lily.  What’s yours?” The hidden figure slowly stepped out from the shadow of one of the stair steps, looking almost shy about appearing.  “My name’s Lavender,” she told Lily demurely, her sharp golden eyes scanning the area for anypony else.  Lily was slightly taken aback by the unicorn’s beauty, a strange yet soothing calming collection of her soft bodice and coat coloring giving her a youthful, stunning appearance.  “Is there anypony else around?” “No, it’s only me,” she assured the obviously younger mare, gesturing back to the stairs.  “I snuck away, down here.  I needed a place to think, and not very many ponies take the time to come down here, so I thought I’d be alone.  What brings you here?” “Uh, I just… needed time to think as well,” the mare stammered nervously, glancing behind her before clamping up and looking back at Lily.  “Just a little thinking.” Lily raised an eyebrow and asked knowingly, “What’re you thinking about?” “Stallions…” the mare tried, obviously lying now.  “You?” “Well, personally, I was thinking about last night,” Lily answered, probing the mare for some of the wilder possibilities first.  As soon as she had said those magic words, the mare’s pupils had shrunk.  “Particularly the Blue Knight.” If there had been any words to set the mare off, it was those, because the moment Lily mentioned the Blue Knight, Lavender paled.   “Okay, what’s going on,” Lily demanded, stepping up to the young unicorn.   “Nothing,” she cried in vain, trying to block Lily’s advance.  Giving the mare a sideways glance, she pushed her aside, turning to look in the shaded area Lavender had glanced at.  What she saw instantly shattered her firm resolve to discover what was going on, even though she had begun to suspect it.   The Blue Knight was slumped in the shade, his back to her, leaving her to behold the gruesome display of the injuries he’d sustained from last night.  His back was burned badly, the skin either an angry red or deep, dried black, not quite charred, but very close.  Most of the costume had been burned away, and his entire back looked like it was burned, but surprisingly, he was breathing deeply.  His face was completely covered still, the mask looking hauntingly like it had every other time she’d seen it, the soft blue eyes now eerily emotionless.  She had to take several steps back as she stared at the stallion that had taken over the entire city’s focus. “Please,” Lavender suddenly spoke, stepping between her and the perceived enemy.  Their eyes met, her golden pupils shining with tears, a pleading quiver to her lip.  “Help him.”