Time Hooves let out a weary sigh as he leaned back in his office chair, stretching out his muscles a bit, before looking back at his work. On the desk in front of him was a fully repaired antique alarm clock, which had taken him four hours to fix. The earth pony got up and looked around his workshop, his eye lingering on the large array of watches he still had to fix. Tearing himself away from his work he glanced at the blueprints he'd designed for various projects, ones that he couldn't get off the ground due to a lack of funding. Time sighed once more, grabbing the newly fixed clock and placing it in its proper section before going to get another one.
"Honey you there?" said a familiar voice from outside his workshop.
"Yes, I'm in the workshop." He replied, sitting back down on his seat again and grabbing his tools.
The door behind him opened, he turned to look at the cross-eyed mare who had stolen his heart.
"You have a visitor" She said with that kind and innocent smile that Time loved so much.
"A visitor?" He asked as he swung the chair around "It's not those cutie mark crusaders again, right? Having them over as 'trainees' once, was more than enough, no thankk you." He finished with a roll of his eyes, remembering the most chaotic day he'd had up to that point.
Derpy snickered as she shook her head.
"Don't worry, it's not them. It's another pony, over here, please" she said looking at the mysterious guest.
Time curiously observed the unicorn that entered his workshop, because of his appearance and his clothing, he seemed to be a typical Canterlot noblepony, but his way of walking and his eyes said something different.
"Hello Mr. Hooves, nice to meet you."
"It's Dr. Hooves, please" Time said as he approached to shake the mysterious pony's hoof, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Derpy would roll her eyes, which other times would seem funny to him, but this time, he felt a little offended.
"Of course, Dr. Hooves" said the pony with a smile.
"And you...?" Time asked as he stepped back a bit.
"Right, where are my manners, I'm Blueblood, current president of Blood Enterprises, or at least I will be in two more days."
Both Time and Derpy changed their attitude completely, widening their eyes.
"Honey, you can leave us alone" Time asked nervously, receiving a brisk nod from the pegasus.
"Sure...er...Would you like a coffee or something, Mr. Blood?" Derpy asked with a nervous smile.
"No need, thank you very much" Blueblood said with a smile.
Derpy returned the smile nervously as she walked away and closed the door, taking one last look at Time. Once alone, the earth pony looked around, noticing that the couch he had was covered in blueprints.
"Sorry… let me just clear this and you can sit down and…"
"No need, this willll be quick." Blueblood said as he lit up his horn and pulled a file out of his saddlebag, flipping through it before opening the file on Time's profile. "If you don't mind, I'll get right to the point. I came here because I recently found out you worked at Blood Enterprises, correct?"
"Yeah... I was with them for a while" Time admitted with a nervous smile.
"According to this profile, you were fired for misconduct and defying your bosses?"
"Of course they would say that…" Time whispered with a slight growl, Blueblood quirked his brow and looked back at him.
"What does you mean?" Blueblood asked curiously.
Time's eyes widened, noticing his slip and nervously watching the unicorn.
"Well... I... I didn't mean..."
"Please Dr. Hooves, I'm not here to judge you or anything, just tell me the truth" Blueblood said, trying to sound friendly.
Time relaxed at that, just a bit, taking several deep breaths before answering.
"I... I disagreed with the decisions of the council, I didn't like that they strayed so far from the philosophy of your... your parents, I couldn't keep quiet. And as for them, they didn't like me very much, and when my father died and his position was replaced, I was fired."
Blueblood carefully observed Time, who was not looking directly at him now, turning the page and looking at the plans given by Service.
"It's a shame, you had some very interesting ideas, how come you didn't get any of these projects off the ground?"
"According to the council, it was a waste of time and money," Time said, rolling his eyes at him. "I wonder what they think now when they see what's going on in Manehattan."
"What's going on in Manhattan?" Blueblood asked with a raised eyebrow, receiving an odd look from Time.
"You mean you haven't heard? Really?"
"I've been away from Equestria for a long time, I'm still catching up on all the changes around Equestria."
Time looked Blueblood up and down before speaking.
"LexCorp is going to release a working model of a magical motor vehicle next year. At least putting that project in a magazine has gotten somepony else to build it...although I would have preferred to be the one to do it" he whispered with a disappointed tone.
"Mmm…" Blueblood watched Time carefully before focusing on the plane in front of him, thinking carefully before speaking. "How about working on one of these blueprints for a personal project I have?" Blueblood asked, pointing to the blueprints. "If you do well, then after I'm back in charge of Blood Enterprises you'll be appointed head of the Applied Sciences Department."
Time turned his full attention on Blueblood his eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you serious?" Time asked incredulously
"Absolutely, if you can create this I garuntee you'll be back at the company. And this time you'll get the credit you deserve."
Time walked over and looked at the blueprint he was showing him, frowning in confusion.
"Do you want me to make the 'combat suit'?"
"Yes... I'm going caving."
"Caving…" Time repeated with a raised eyebrow, receiving a nod from Blueblood.
"I'm exploring some caves."
"Let's see if I understand, you want me to design you a fireproof suit, resistant against falls and blunt blows, armored in the chest and side areas against arrows, crossbow bolts and firearms, to do... caving?"
"Yeah, I know it's a bit weird, but it's the truth."
Time watched Blueblood for a while, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Mr. Blood, I may be somewhat passionate about science, but I'm not stupid, that was one of the reasons I didn't like the council… please don't make the same mistake."
"I'm not calling you stupid, Dr. Hooves."
"Look, if you expect me to believe this about caving, then you think I'm stupid. I'll be honest, Mr. Blood, as long as you not planning to commit crimes or attempt on somepony's life, I'll be happy to work on what you're planning, so I can run this brain on more than just old clocks." Time said as he looked around his workshop, before focusing back on Blueblood. "But if you want me to put all my passion into that suit and help you with things you couldn't even have thought of, then I need to know what I'm getting myself into."
"I don't think that's necessary" Blueblood replied, leaving his friendly tone behind, to which Time raised an eyebrow.
"Look, I can understand, you don't want to involve the wrong person in whatever it is you're planning. But you can trust me, and if you want to keep quiet, I can give you a pinkie promise that I won't say anything we do."
Blueblood raised an eyebrow at that.
"Pinkie Promise?" he ask doubtfully, to which Time nodded.
"It's something we have around here in Ponyville, more specifically, because of Pinkie Pie, do you know her?"
"The element of laughter? Yes, I know it."
"Well, when we make that promise, she always knows, she doesn't know what we promise, but we did make a promise, and she knows if we break it, ALWAYS."
Blueblood was curious about that, Time seemed much more serious than he was before when telling him about that pinkie promise.
"What happens if you break one?"
"Nopony knows, nopony has dared to break it. You can ask anypony if you don't trust my word."
Blueblood studied Time up and down, in his eyes, it seemed that he was telling the truth, and he had heard enough about Pinkie Pie from his Aunt Celestia to suspect that he was telling the truth. Sighing, Blueblood nodded.
"Okay, come to my mansion tomorrow, I'll send somepony to escort you."
"You won't regret it, I won't say anything at all to anypony who works with you, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye" he said as he made the gestures, causing Blueblood to give him a strange look, pulling out a laugh to Time. "Yeah, I know, it's a bit ridiculous when you do it, but it works."
Blueblood nodded, clasping Time's hoof, sealing the deal, and preparing to leave, he had a few things to do.
Blueblood was walking through the streets of Canterlot, shortly after sunset, so there were few ponies on the street, and those who had looked at him strangely. This was because he was wearing pants and a black hooded jacket, hiding his face. He was in one of the rich neighborhoods of the city, specifically, on the street that had the headquarters of the courts and the prosecutor's office, he had somepony to see.
He reached his destination in a short time, and after looking around, he went into one of the alleys, approaching the fire escape, and after making sure that no one was watching him, he put on a balaclava before starting to climb.
Fancy Pants, for his part, walked into his small office with a frustrated sigh, having been given a longer shift than he should have been, again. A few years ago, he was one of the most influential nobles in Canterlot, but his continued efforts to remain faithful to the two supreme princesses of Equestria and continue to refuse to accept bribes again and again had cost him dearly.
His public reputation might have been intact, but privately, things were different. He was demoted to a lower position and banished to a small, poorly lit office, the light barely covering the entire room. Also, they forced him to stay many nights, which left his wife Fleur alone, but thanks to Celestia, she knew it wasn't his fault and didn't hold it against him, sometimes the stud didn't know what he would do without her.
His head began to throb with pain, so with a groan, he sat down at his desk, took a small pill from his pocket, and swallowed it. Fancy waited silently with his eyes closed for the annoyance in his head to fade before he focused on his work. He grabbed several files and opened them, ready to start, but when he felt something sharp press against the back of his neck, he froze.
"Don't move" said a deep and sinister voice, which sent a shiver down his spine. "You are a good prosecutor, one of the few that remain."
"What do you want?" Fancy asked with a slight tremor in his voice.
"Falcone brings drug shipments every week, why doesn't anypony stop him?"
"Because...because bribing the right ponies..."
"What would it take to stop him?"
"Evidence against Judge Law, against corrupt police officers and prosecutors... and a prosecutor with the guts to prosecute him..."
"You" said the voice, and it wasn't a question.
"Who are you?" Fancy asked nervously and a little scared.
"Soon you will know... you... and the whole city..."
Fancy was silent, a little confused, at least until he felt whatever was on his neck disappear and a small thud sounded behind him. With some fear, he turned around, afraid of whoever it was that he had been there, but there was nopony. The window was open, and on the floor, there was a sharp pencil, the thing that had been used on him. Other than that, there was nothing else…almost as if that pony had been a ghost. The unicorn took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down, and when his headache started to return, he popped another pill into his mouth. He doubted that he would ever be calm in that office again.
Blueblood returned to his mansion after a visit to his Aunt Celestia. It had been a day since he'd visited Fancy Pants, and almost two weeks since he'd contacted Time Hooves. During those days, the earth pony had shown a great passion when it came to doing his work, and although at first it seemed strange to him what the unicorn planned to do, it didn't take him long to show his support. He worked on the suit tirelessly, with Service and his new boss providing him with the materials, he even offered to assemble the computer screens, which were placed together on one of the walls as a giant screen.
He entered the mansion and headed straight for the secret entrance to the cave he used as his base of operations. After exiting the elevator, he saw that Service and Time Hooves sat at the center table, and nearby, a ponnequin dressed in the suit the earth pony had been working on. As Blueblood approached, both ponies greeted him.
"Ah, Mr. Blood, you's back at last" Time said with a smile, walking over to shake the unicorn's hoof.
"That's right, although I must admit I didn't expect to see you here yet, it's already six o'clock. Isn't your wife waiting for you?"
"She's actually not my wife yet, and she already knows I'd be here. Besides, she's gone with Dinky to see her sister, so they'll be late too."
"Okay, so how's it going with the suit?"
"Completely finished" Time said proudly, approaching the suit.
Blueblood looked at his suit, impressed that Time had been able to adapt the poor drawing he had provided into something more understandable. It was dark gray, with the boots of its black hooves, the front ones also had three blades on the sides. He had a dark cape and helmet of the same color, with pointed ears that almost looked like horns, and pure white eyes. On the chest, the stylized symbol of a black bat was enlarged, standing out above everything else, being the most protected area of the armor.
“I added protective plates made of graphene on the chest, back and sides, although I recommend avoiding hits on the legs, especially the rear ones. Resistant and flexible at the same time. The helmet has a voice modulator that will make it more serious and unrecognizable. The cape is made with an intelligent fabric capable of memorizing patterns and acquiring them with a light touch of magic, I took the liberty of presenting the pattern myself, I already had an idea of what you would want" he said with a small laugh.
"Impressive, Dr. Hooves, you have met my expectations."
"Believe me, Mr. Blood, you have only seen the surface. I have added a few additions that will make your... missions a little easier" Time replied with a sly smile, then looking at the helmet. "By the way, haven't you noticed anything unusual about the helmet?"
Blueblood looked at the earth pony curiously before focusing on the helmet, trying to find the oddity. At first, he didn't see anything remarkable, until he looked at the forehead, where the hole for the horn should be, there was none to the naked eye. Curious, he removed the helmet from the ponnequin, and as he did so, the fake horn came out, causing the unicorn to look at Time for answers, who seemed quite excited.
"Your project was the perfect excuse to make something I've been wanting to make for a while, and with a little help from Service, I was able to find the materials."
"It was a pleasure to help you, doctor Hooves" the old unicorn intervened with a smile, one that Time returned before returning to focus on Blueblood.
"It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. You see, invisibility spells are very complicated and cost a lot of magic, and illusory spells with similar purposes only work if you don't move. So, with the help of Service, I managed to find a cloth capable of storing magic, to which the good Service applied an invisibility spell that can be recharged every 12 hours with a small touch of magic. Put that cloth in the hole intended for the horn and for its tail, so you will not have to worry about being associated with your mane"
Blueblood blinked a little in surprise and looked at Service, who was smiling slightly.
"Do you know how to cast invisibility spells?"
"As long as it's about small items, sir, it helped me a lot to keep you from eating more sweets than necessary."
Blueblood rolled his eyes at the butler's little teasing of him, laying the helmet in his place.
"That's impressive, Dr. Hooves, really. It was a good idea to include you in this project. Whenever you want, you can start working at Blood Enterprises."
"The pleasure is mine, I should be the one to thank" Time said with a huge smile. "It has given me the opportunity to do what I like best."
Blueblood moved away a little and watches at Time for a few seconds.
"Since we're done with the suit, what about the motor vehicle?"
Time blinked slightly confused before raising an eyebrow.
"Are you serious?"
"From the way you talked about the model that LexCorp is going to put out, something tells me you would have loved to do it yourself, right?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"Doctor Hooves, I need it. It would be something that would help me move around the city quickly when I need it."
Time thought about it for a few moments, before a smile appeared on his face and he nodded energetically.
"You counts on me."
"Great, how long do you think it will take?"
"If you bring me an engine from those magic-powered trains that are becoming so popular, and the necessary materials, a month or two."
The three of them stayed a while longer talking about what was needed to build the motor vehicle before Time had to leave, at which point Blueblood got to work on his own gadgets. He had already created a large number of smoke bombs and designed a retractable grappling hook that would be useful for quickly climbing buildings. But what he was making now was another batch of his own shuriken, which he called batarangs. Service came over, carrying a tray with his dinner on it, watching the unicorn carefully at work.
"Why a bat, sir? I thought you was afraid of them."
"That's why, because they scare me" Blueblood said as he looked at the newly created batarang. "And criminals will share my fear."