Despite what it might appear from a distance, Canterlot was not exclusively situated on the gigantic platforms built to support the city. Much of this had its foundations on the Canterhorn Mountain itself, close to an immense forest on one of its slopes, a forest that was crossed by the Platinum River, and that also crossed the city before cascading down and following its course until the foot of the mountain and beyond.
On a large hill, secluded from the city and in the middle of a large clearing within the forest, was located Blood Manor, home to one of the many noble families of various pony races who helped found the capital of Equestria. This family consisted of the young heir, Blueblood, and his parents. His father was Health Blood, one of the best doctors in city, even though he technically owned Blood Enterprises, the largest tech company in all of Equestria, but the unicorn preferred to leave the enterprise to much more capable hooves than his own, like Clock Hooves, a good friend of him.
His wife, and mother of the young colt, was Loving Blood, a charity mare, responsible for countless charity parties and a believer that the nobles and the richest ponies should use their money to help the more poor. It was her kindness and compassionate demeanor, coupled with her contrast with the smug nobles, that earned her the greatest honor a pony could earn, being considered a close friend of Princess Celestia, further strengthening the bond the princess had with the Blood family for generations.
The Blood family was preparing to go to the cinema, where little Blueblood's favorite movie, "The Mask of the Zorro", would be screened again. Leaving the mansion, they met Service Pennywork by a carriage, drawn by two earth pony stallions. He was a unicorn with gray fur and a slicked-back black mane, and had served the Blood family for nearly 12 years now, having retired from the royal guard and returned to his family's traditional work.
"Good morning, Service" Health said with a smile, walking down the stairs with his wife and son.
"Likewise, Mr. Blood" answered Service with a small smile and a respectful bow.
"Hello Service!" Blueblood yelled as he approached with energy, extending his hoof towards the butler, who with a small laugh, smashed his own hoof against the little colt's.
"Good morning to you too, Mr. Blood, how are you?"
"Fantastic! Let's go see the zorro!"
"For the sixth time this week" Health whispered as he rolled his eyes, receiving an elbow bump from his wife.
"Do I remind you who it is that promised to take him to the cinema until they stop showing the film?" Loving asked with a mischievous smile, receiving another from her husband.
"How was I supposed to know he wanted to go each and every day?"
"Mom, dad, let's go now or we'll be late!" Blueblood yelled, already on the carriage and watching his parents from inside.
Amused by the energetic attitude of the little colt, both parents got into the carriage with their son, preparing for the trip. Service, after making sure they were settled, climbed into the driver's seat and nodded to the stallions pulling the cart, who began to move toward the dirt road that would lead into town, deeper into the forest trees. A few minutes later, the tall spiers of the buildings of majestic Canterlot could be seen. Even though its streets weren't as crowded or its buildings as tall as other cities, like Manehattan, it was still beautiful.
The medieval-style buildings gave it that style of elegance and high nobility that characterized the city so much. Although not all buildings had this aesthetic, a good number were in the Gothic style, a remnant of the Gothic architecture that dominated Equestria for several centuries, creating a curious and beautiful contrast in their own way. And crowning it all was Princess Celestia's immense castle, visible from almost anywhere in the city, towering over all buildings. The needles of its towers tore through the sky, and its architecture was a perfect blend of the two predominant styles in the city, the result of the work of the greatest architects in the country.
The cinema was located in one of the affluent neighborhoods of the city, with a predominantly medieval style, and was one of the most famous. That day, however, few ponies showed up, and it was not surprising, the Zorro movie had been in theaters for a few weeks now, and that night would be the last time it would be shown in the cinema. The carriage pulled up to the front of the building and parked in one of the private spaces meant for the richest, and as soon as the carriage came to a complete stop, Blueblood got out of the carriage and ran quickly towards the entrance, excited.
"Blueblood, stay right there!" his mother's voice yelled, causing the colt to stop dead and look at his mother with a nervous smile.
"I'm sorry, Mom!"
Loving, who was at the door, rolled her eyes as she went downstairs, helped by Service, though she couldn't keep a smile from creeping across her face.
"He's just like you" she said as she looked over her shoulder at her husband, who gave a laugh.
"Obviously" he said as he climbed down, and once on the ground, he turned to his butler and the two stallions. "Well, you know how it goes, you can come back in two hours, go eat something or whatever you want, and you know you can charge it to my account."
"You don't have to do that, sir, you know that."
"Service, and you know you won't change my mind, old friend" Health said with a smile, earning another from his butler.
"Dad, come on!" Blueblood yelled into the distance, eliciting a small chuckle from Health.
"I'm coming, Blue! I better get going before he explode with excitement."
"Have a good night, sir" Service said as he bowed respectfully.
With one last smile, Health approached his wife and son and they entered the theater, indulging the energetic colt. After buying tickets and a bowl of popcorn, they entered the room and began to watch the adventures of the masked hero. After almost two hours, the movie ended and the three of them left the room, and as usual, Blueblood was playing with a brochure that he had taken from the reception, using it as a sword.
His parents, on the other hand, were amused by their son, although Mr. Blood was thankful that film was never shown again. On the way out, the colt ran quickly to Service, who was waiting by the carriage and talking to the two stallions.
"Surrender, villain, I've come to stop you!"
Service looked at the little colt and, with a small laugh, got into a fighting stance.
"You will never defeat me, Zorro, I am much stronger than you!"
"We'll see about that!" Blueblood yelled as he advanced with his pamphlet in front of him.
After dodging a few blows, Service was hit by the little colt's 'weapon', falling to the ground in the most theatrical way possible.
"Nooo, you have defeated me! Please have mercy!"
Blueblood watched the unicorn for a second before standing as straight as possible and holding his 'sword' in front of him.
"I'm going to spare your life, but only because I feel sorry for you."
"That, and that's how a true hero acts" said his father as he approached, smiling when he saw that his son was watching him. "A true hero spares the lives of his enemies."
"That too" Blueblood said with a smile, turning away from his father and continuing with his games.
Health gave a small laugh, watching his son play quietly, and turned to Service, who had already gotten up and dusted hisself off.
"I hope he didn't bother you that much."
"Not at all, Mr. Blood, it's my job" said Service with a smile.
"Work or not, something tells me I'd be more comfortable if you didn't have to throw yourself on the ground in the middle of the street" Health said with a smile.
"Believe me, Mr. Blood, I've done worse things than play with a foal" Service said with a small laugh.
"Dear" Loving said as she approached, "are we going to go home or not? It's not for nothing, but Blueblood is past his bedtime."
Health looked at his son, who was still playing, although he had not strayed far from his parents.
"How about we go have some hay burgers first?"
"Really?" Loving said with a raised eyebrow. "That way you only spoil him."
"Well, tonight is the last night the Zorro will be shown, I think he deserves it, right?"
Loving watched her husband with a frown for a few moments before rolling her eyes.
"Okay, but you take care of putting him to bed later."
"Deal done" Health said with a smile, looking from his son to the alley next to the cinema, if memory served, on the street directly behind the cinema there was a restaurant they had been to several times before, but given the time, he didn't want to go by carriage and lose more time than necessary, so he turned to his butler. "Service, can you take the carriage to the usual restaurant? We'll cut through the alley."
"Are you sure sir?" Service said as he looked down the alley, not sure what Health was up to.
"Service, nothing will happen" said Health with a smile, but looking at his wife, he saw that she did not seem very happy with the plan.
"Dear, don't you think it's safer to go by carriage?"
"You yourself said that Blue is past his bedtime, besides, it will be quick" Health said as he kissed his wife on the cheek, who smiled and nodded, then looking at their son. "Come on champ, I'm in the mood for a hay burger, how about you?"
Blueblood stopped his game and turned to his father, smiling as he nodded. The colt waited for his parents and, together, they began to walk towards the alley.
"Goodbye Service!" Blueblood yelled, waving goodbye to the unicorn as he walked past his parents.
Soon the family was out on the dark street, dimly lit by a single streetlamp. The alley opened not only on the street from which they came and to which they were going, but it opened on a different alley, an alley from which a unicorn staggered. He was muttering to himself, he looked disheveled and his jacket was no better. Almost instinctively, the family drew closer together, with the little colt between his parents and watching the strange stallion approach.
The pony finished turning the corner and started toward them, still staring at the ground, but he stopped, ears pricked, when he heard the footsteps of the Blood family. He raised his head and stared at them, revealing puffy, bloodshot eyes. The stallion watched them for a few seconds and, after muttering a few words, shaking his head several times to himself, he looked up and, with his magic, grabbed the lapel of his jacket and pulled out something very rare to see in Equestria, a gun brought from the Griffin Empire.
"Money and jewelry, quickly" he said, nervousness and desperation in his voice.
"Calm down" Health answered, instinctively putting himself in front of his family.
The unicorn eyed the pony in front of him carefully, and his years as head doctor at Canterlot General Hospital told him that the pony was going through an extreme case of withdrawal. He could practically see his desperation to take some more of whatever drug he was hooked on, and he knew very well what could happen if he didn't obey him, especially if he had a gun. Using his magic, he pulled the wallet out of his jacket and held it out to the unicorn, who quickly snatched it up in his own magic and stowed it in his own jacket, though he kept pointing at the unicorn. family with his gun.
"Okay, that's it, calm down. You can go" Health said calmly.
The unicorn began to back away slowly, looking at the family without blinking. Blueblood watched from his place between his parents, nervous. Just when he was about to turn around, the pony looked at Loving's neck, and with a nervous gesture, he approached her while activating his magic and grabbing the pearl necklace that the mare had.
"I said give me the jewels too!"
Loving screamed and tried to move away as Health tried to push the unicorn away. In a state of panic, the pony fired, at the same time that his magic broke the pearl necklace. The mare was thrown backwards by the force of the shot to her chest, which was already bleeding.
"LOVING!" Health yelled as he glared at his wife, before turning angrily on the assailant.
Alarmed, and wanting to avoid a direct confrontation, the pony fired again, hitting him in the chest and also knocking him to the ground. Blueblood stepped back, his eyes filling with tears as he looked at the bodies of his parents, but unable to say anything due to fear. His eyes lifted. And they met those of the unicorn that had killed his parents, who watched him for a few moments, apparently trying to think what to do.
After a few minutes, the pony turned and ran as far as he could, but seeing the street the family had headed for first, he stopped. The figure of a few ponies could be seen in the distance, contrasting with the light of the street lamps that illuminated the street, so the thief, wanting to escape, returned through the same place from which he had come.
Blueblood stood still, crying quietly as he focused on his parents. He saw his mother's pearls scattered on the ground, several of them stained by her own blood, blood that mixed with Health's and created a puddle that reached the colt's hooves. With trembling paws, he dropped to a sitting position on the floor, unable to look away.
"He has escaped that way!" shouted a voice that was fast approaching, but Blueblood hardly paid it any attention. "You two go check on that colt, we'll go after that son of a bitch!"
The sound of hooves hitting the ground filled the alley, and soon, Blueblood felt somepony approaching.
"Are you okay, little colt?"
Blueblood barely paid attention to him, not even when somepony put a hoof on his shoulder. His gaze was still fixed on his parents, and in his mind, the image of the pearl necklace shattering in the air as the gun fired repeated itself over and over again.
Blueblood walked slowly next to Princess Celestia, who considered the little colt her nephew, and next to her, was Cadence, who not only saw him as his cousin, but had taken care of him as his nanny many times. Nearby was Service, attentive to anything the little colt might need. They were in his family's huge garden, walking slowly toward an area the colt had never been to, the small Blood family mausoleum. Joining them were several more ponies, belonging to his parents' closest friends and many of the nobles of the highest order who had come to pay their respects. Ahead of them, four royal guard unicorns carried their parents' coffins in their magic.
Blueblood stared at the coffins, still unable to believe that his parents had died. He had tried to get used to the idea that he would never see them again, that his mother would not tuck him in at bedtime, his father would no longer take him to the hospital with him, and he would never play with them in his garden again.
His eyes began to roam the ponies with his Aunt Celestia and his cousin, feeling the rage swirling inside him. Why were they there? He was not stupid, he could know that those nobles were only there because of their social status, they had not brought their own children for nothing. He had heard many times his parents criticize them and show their dislike for them when they believed that he was not listening.
Now, there they were, like vultures, waiting to get close to him without Princess Celestia being around so they could 'comfort' him and hopefully get his children to befriend the Blood heir. With her face full of tears, Blueblood, in an impulsive act, ran away from his aunt, in the direction of the forest that surrounded his family's mansion.
"Blueblood!" yelled his aunt, but the colt didn't want to listen.
Blueblood ran as fast as his little legs would allow him, wanting to run away from his Aunt Celestia, from his cousin Cadence, from Service, from those nobles with selfish intentions, but above all, he wanted to run away from the coffins of his parents, the proof that now he was an orphan. With great speed, he dove into the trees, dodging the trunks as best he could as he propelled himself forward, ignoring the fading screams of his aunt. As he moved forward, tears filled his eyes, and he didn't want to stop to wipe them away with his hoof, so he blinked them away furiously. That was enough for him to trip over some branches on the ground, and as he rolled, he fell into a narrow hole, falling into the void with a loud cry.
As the right side of him crashed to the hard stone floor, Blueblood cried out in pain, going still and crying silently. After a few moments, he tried to get up, but he collapsed when he tried to support himself on his right arm, discovering that he had dislocated it.
Taking a deep breath, he rolled onto his back to the left side of his body, being able to stand up and sit in a better position. With groans of pain, the colt tried to move his damaged arm, only to be stopped by the overwhelming pain he felt. He raised his head and looked at the hole he had fallen through, a faint ray of light was coming through it, and he could barely see the branches of the trees above.
"Au-aunt Celestia!" he yelled, in a vain attempt to get the princess's attention, but when there was no response, he yelled again, this time louder and more desperately. "AUNT CELESTIA!"
Blueblood was silent, trying to detect the voice of his aunt, his cousin or Service, at this point even any noble would do. Just as he was about to scream again, a screech to the left of him alerted him, sending a shiver down his young body. Swallowing hard, he turned his head to the source of the sound, seeing a hole he hadn't seen before, big enough for a full-grown pony to squeeze through, if he ducked first. He could only make out darkness, but the screeching was very present.
"H-hello?" Blueblood asked fearfully.
His voice seemed to increase the screeching, and soon, Blueblood saw something that terrified him even more...a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Terrified, the colt backed away as fast as possible, crashing into the wall, generating another whiplash of pain from his dislocated shoulder.
Several more pairs of eyes appeared out of the darkness, and in a few seconds, what seemed like a thousand bats swooped down on the colt, who screamed in terror as he tried to push the animals away, who tore at his skin with their claws as they clawed and engulfed him, blocking out what little light came in and leaving him in the deepest darkness.