//------------------------------// // Canary & Arrow Vol. 1: Battle Hardened: Issue #2: Assassination // Story: MLDC: The Justice League of Equestria - Omnibus 1 // by littleman001 //------------------------------// Rarity was not panicking. It was very unfitting for a lady to panic. But as her train rolled closer to Canterlot by the minute, she found herself growing more and more nervous. She checked the clock on the wall of her train cart to make sure she wasn't running too late. She was gonna be late anyway, but as long as it's within reason, she could call it being fashionably late. She used her magic to summon her trusty mirror for one last check up. She was happy to see that she looked just as perfect as ever. Her makeup and mascara was still spotless, her accessories decorated her as well as any noblemare of the Canterlot elite. She was wearing a dazzling golden tiara with a red ruby as a centrepiece, two emerald earrings and a navy blue dress with a white, gem shaped pattern on the bottom, similar to her cutie mark. Yes. She looked just as radiant as she should be for this date. A prince deserves nothing but the best. When she poofed her mirror away, she noticed the other ponies who were occupying the passenger cart giving her strange looks, much to her annoyance. "Haven't your parents taught any of you that it is impolite to stare?" She chastised them with as much class as she could muster. The ponies were instantly intimidated and turned away and Rarity smirked in satisfaction before turning back to the window. It won't be long before she arrives now. Sure enough, after a few more minutes, the engine came to a halt and the conductor announced that they have indeed arrived at Canterlot. Rarity let out an exasperated sigh. She knew it was very unladylike to be impatient but she couldn't help herself. She was just so eager to finally meet Prince Blueblood whom she already pictured as the perfect stallion for her. When she got off the train, she looked around, trying to find the hoofsome prince in the crowd. She had no doubt such a noble stallion would come to greet the lady he was taking out on a date personally. But no matter how much she looked, she couldn't find him. Instead, she saw a pegasus mare waving at her quite enthusiastically. "Miss Rarity! Over here!" She called out. Rarity raised an eyebrow. She never saw this mare before. The best guess she could come up with was that she was a fan of hers and she really didn't feel like dealing with that kind of attention tonight. She was going to try and let her off as gently as she could. "I'm terribly sorry, darling." Rarity said after she trotted over to her. "No autographs tonight. I'm meeting somepony." "No. You don't understand." The pegasus replied, shaking her head. "I've been sent here to escort you to your meeting with Prince Blueblood. I am Scarlet Feather, his personal maid." Rarity was greatly surprised by this. "You are ? My, that is rather..." She paused, looking for the right word. "...unusual." Scarlet rolled her eyes ever so slightly that Rarity didn't even notice. "Well, you will find that Prince Blueblood is a rather unusual stallion himself." She told her. "This way please." She motioned for the unicorn to follow her. Rarity was just about to do so, when she noticed Scarlet walking behind her and beginning to put all her luggage onto her back. "Oh, darling, that won't be necessary. I can carry my belongings myself." She said, igniting her horn. "I may not be the most skilled mage to ever live, but you won't survive in the fashion industry without that skill." She began to levitate her luggage off of her back, but she just smiled and waved her concern off. "It is quite alright. The one positive thing I can say about working for Blueblood is that it made me extremely fit." She announced proudly as she finished packing the bags and began walking ahead of the unicorn. Rarity began to follow her and gave her a rather odd look upon hearing what she said about her employer. "That hardly strikes me as an appropriate way of speaking about the pony who pays you, darling." She chastised on a disapproving tone. "Especially when they are of royalty." Scarlet just scoffed bitterly. "I suppose you only know the prince from hearsay." Rarity was taken aback by the reply but she actually felt intrigued. If this mare was actually Prince Blueblood's personal maid, then she probably knew him very well. Surely she would be able to tell her more about him and give her some advice for this date. "You could say that." Rarity replied after a brief pause. "But clearly you don't. So is there anything you could share with me about him?" She asked hopefully, batting her eyelashes at Scarlet kindly. The pegasus turned to her. "You want advice, Miss Rarity?" She asked sarcastically. "I'll give you the best possible advice. Run! Run as fast as you can and don't even look back!" Rarity frowned in confusion. What on Equus did she mean by that? "What are you implying?" "I'm trying to save you!" Scarlet told her, lowering her voice when she noticed a few other ponies passing by. "Blueblood is as far from your typical Prince Charming as it gets! In fact, the only thing royal about him is that he's a royal pain!" Rarity's jaw fell upon hearing such accusations. Surely a pony of noble blood could not be like that. "That's propestorous! I have seen public appearances of him and he was nothing but the prefect example of manners and sophistication!" "Oh, yeah! That's the face he always shows in public!" Scarlet retorted. "But when he's in private with those he considers to be lesser than him, then he shows his true colors! You should hear all the things he tells the servants! Tells me! And even if you don't care about that, you would be sorely mistaken to believe he treats his dates any better! Being as well informed in celebrity gossip as you seem to be, I'm sure you heard of the chocolate fountain incident." Rarity shrunk back as that topic was brought up. She had indeed heard about that. Truth be told, she had a hard time justifying such an outrageous and immature behaviour from a royal. The only thing that seemed to make sense to her was that it was an accident and Blueblood's date had provoked him into doing it. She had heard how insufferable mares from the Canterlot elite could be. But in the end, she decided to give the prince a chance. For two main reasons. First of all, she didn't want to judge anypony before actually meeting and getting to know them. And second, she had a very tough week, attending several fashion shows in a very short amount of time and she needed a nice, relaxing weekend. One that she would no doubt get from him. She steeled her expression and turned back to Scarlet. "Your concern is much appreciated, darling. But I would like to form my own opinion on the prince myself." Scarlet shrugged. "Have it your way. But don't say I didn't warn you." The maid replied and no more words were exchanged between the two as they made their way to the castle. If Prince Blueblood didn't know any better, he would have thought that tonight would be a completely uneventful night. As he stood at the entrance of Canterlot Castle, there was almost nopony else in sight with the exception of a few guards posted at the gates and his good friend, Golden Platter. After fixing Blueblood up after their archery practice, the earth pony accompanied the prince to see him off at the start of his date and wish him luck. However, it was already dark and the questionably lucky mare her was taking out was nowhere to be seen. Blueblood was becoming more impatient with each passing minute. "She should be here already!" He grumbled to himself quietly, but Golden Platter still managed hear him. "Well she is a fashion designer from what I've heard." He chuckled. "I guess it's part of her nature to be..." Before he could finish, Blueblood held up a hoof to stop him. "Please don't finish that joke. You're better than that." He kept looking at the distance and in a few seconds, he actually spotted the mare he was expecting alongside his maid, Scarlet Feather carrying her luggage. He let out a sigh. "Finally! You know, I had half a mind to cancel the whole thing and just retire for the night!" Golden chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you do put far more effort into this date than expected for just one pleasurable night." Blueblood gave his friend a dirty look which quickly silenced him. "Alright, time to put on our best appearance and behavior, Golden." The prince said, swiping his mane down and adjusting his navy blue suit with his magic. "At least for the time being." "Indeed." Golden replied as he tightened his black bowtie around his neck. "Until her heart is in one piece. That said, you to tend to lose your temper rather easily. Perhaps I should accompany you on this fine evening. On a double date maybe. At least until the deed is done." Blueblood raised an eyebrow. "Double date? Wouldn't we need a second mare for that?" "Well, I do believe your maid is a rather lovely mare who could use some tender caring after the torture you regularly put her through. If you know what I mean." He smiled slyly, poking Blueblood's side with his elbow. Blueblood winced in disgust. "Golden, for Celestia's sake! You're of a noble family just as I am! Why would you lower your standards to a commoner like her?" Golden shrugged. "Commoner or not, you have to admit she's rather easy on the eyes. And you probably shouldn't say that when she's standing right in front of you." Blueblood's eyes widened as he turned to see the two mares standing there, giving him questioning looks. Scarlet's expression turned into one of mild annoyance. She was used to comments like that from the pompous jerk she was cursed to call her boss. Rarity on the other hoof looked absolutely dumbstruck and unsure what to say to the outburst she just heard. She remembered Scarlet's warning and for the briefest of moments, she actually thought about giving it credence before remembering her promise that she would give the stallion a fair chance. She cleared her throat and stepped forward and extended her hoof towards him. "From my experience, Miss Scarlet is a rather charming company whom anypony of any social circle would be delighted to spend time with." Once Blueblood managed to get over his embarrassment, he cleared his throat and put on his best smolder face. "Come now, Lady Rarity! There is no need for that!" He said gallantly as he used his magic to levitate a bouquet of flowers in front of her. "This is not a business meeting after all but a night of leisurely fun and dating. Let's not get too formal." It took Rarity all of her mental strength not to squeal with delight. No stallion had ever greeted her with such charm and manners. But she remembered herself in time and accepted the bouquet. "My sincerest gratitude, Prince Blueblood. They are beautiful." She said before taking a sniff of the flowers. To her surprise, she found that they were artificial flowers. She backed away in surprise, shocked that a prince wouldn't bother with real flowers for an actual date, but she thought it would be impolite to point that out, so she put on a smile. "And they smell divine as well." Blueblood smiled back but his expression hid a scowl. 'Wonderful. Another faker trying to flatter me for every single thing I do. Well, at least she won't be hard to convince on out first date.' He thought. He quickly changed the subject before his irritation could break his facade. "Oh, where are my manners? This is my close friend and a longtime friend of my entire family, Golden Platter." Blueblood said as he motioned to the stallion next to him. "Actually, that would be Count Pure Golden Full Platter IV." Golden corrected before shrugging. "Eh, but who's counting?" He chuckled. "A pleasure, Miss Rarity. I'm a longtime admirer of your work. Especially your latest fashion line. With quality craftsmareship like that, anypony can feel like a superhero, isn't that right?" "That is precisely the idea, darling!" Rarity replied, enthusiastic that she found a supporter of such high standing. "Equestria's greatest defenders fascinate us all and I wished to allow ponies to feel a little closer to them this way." "Well, maybe not all of us." Golden said sheepishly as he wrapped one of his hooves around Blueblood's neck. "You won't see our hoofsome prince cosplaying as them anytime soon, isn't that right, friend?" Blueblood only gave his friend a subtle glare in response and Golden immediately got the clue, removing his hoof from him. The prince adjusted his wrinkled suit before clearing his throat. "You know where I stand on this issue, Golden. The only ponies who wear masks are the ones who have something to hide." "You would know, wouldn't you?" Golden joked. It was true. Blueblood himself constantly wore his mask of royal pompousness around everypony. And this made him feel like all these super ponies flying around Equestria in colorful costumes were the same. Masquerading as selfless saviors while their masks covered their true nature and intentions. Who knew what laid beneath? If they decided, they could burn all of Equestria down and there wouldn't be a damn thing they could do to stop them. "I beg to differ, my friend." Golden objected. "I recall an old expression that says if you give somepony a mask, they will show you their true face." Blueblood raised an eyebrow. There was something really ominous about the way his friend said that. But before he could ask him about it, Rarity interrupted him. "I must say, I agree with Count Golden here, darling." She told them and for the first time that night, Blueblood allowed a scoff to cross his face. "Well, everypony is entitled to their opinions. I can see how the small ponies would be enamoured by such primitive heroics." He said very condescendingly. Rarity's eyes widened. 'Surely he didn't mean me, did he?' Golden Platter sensed the awkward atmosphere that was already beginning to rise and he decided it would be best to make his exit. "Well then, I won't be disturbing you any longer." He said, walking towards the exit. "I wonder if Miss Scarlet might grace me with her company for the rest of the night?" He asked the pegasus maid kindly. But Scarlet wasn't amused by the stallion's advances. She knew that Golden was Blueblood's close friend and her boss' attitude left such a negative impact on her that she thought that nopony from his circle of friends could be any different. Her only reply was a bemused look. "Thank you, but I think the only company I will grace tonight will be my bed's. After I load Miss Rarity's luggage onto the yacht. Now if you'll excuse me..." The mare then walked away with the bags on her back and didn't even look back. Golden Platter just smiled after her before turning back to Blueblood. "She's playing hard to get. You know how I love that." Blueblood couldn't prevent himself from rolling his eyes. "Weren't you about to leave?" He asked, subtly asking his friend to beat it. Golden got the message and bid the couple farewell before leaving. "Please, excuse his behaviour." Blueblood said, turning back to Rarity. "He's a bit of a twit." He groaned as he glared after his friend. Rarity chuckled. "It is quite alright, darling. I know all about dealing with troublesome friends." Rarity replied, remembering her conversation with Pristine Parfait earlier that day. She then remembered something else. "Pardon me, but did I hear correctly when Scarlet Feather said that she will be loading my luggage onto a yacht?" Blueblood nodded. "Indeed. You will find that Prince Blueblood does not settle for anything on a royal date. You will be spending the night on a luxury cruise, having nothing but the best. Including me." He finished with a smirk. Rarity felt the excitement rising in her chest. She never had a stallion take her out on such a luxurious affair before. She might have just found the perfect pony for herself that she always dreamed of. Even his recent outburst had been completely forgotten. And to think that Scarlet Feather had tried to discourage her from him! Of course, she still had the rest of the night to go through with him, but this was a pretty good start. "Well then..." Blueblood began, extending his foreleg. "...will you honor me with your presence on a luxury cruise tonight?" Rarity giggled with a blush before reaching out and putting her hoof into his. "I will." As the two ponies made their way towards Golden Platter's luxury yacht, Blueblood's spirits began to rise. He knew that this was the part where he was going to start having fun with his date. Not the kind of fun he was looking forward to the most, but he would enjoy it nonetheless. It started when they reached the royal harbors. Blueblood noticed a large puddle right in their path and a half smirk grew onto the side of his face that was away from Rarity. This was one of his favorite little tricks. "Miss Rarity!" He exclaimed, holding out a front leg in front of her to stop her. "Look out! A puddle like that might cause somepony to slip." Rarity was awestruck by the gallantry of her date. She wouldn't have even noticed that puddle. "Have no fear. A piece of clothing from a generous soul will no doubt rectify the problem." Rarity stepped aside to give room to the prince so he could take off his coat and lay it on the puddle for her to walk across. But what happened next instead was nothing less of a complete shock to her. The stallion peeled a piece of clothing off of her back, unceremoniously threw it onto the puddle and walked over it. He didn't even bother to wait for Rarity, leaving her completely stunned. "Well, I never..." Rarity mumbled to herself before finally snapping out of her stupor enough to walk over the puddle herself. She did it with a heavy heart as stomping on a fine piece of clothing was a cardinal sin in her eyes and even after she crossed, she had no heart to leave it lying there. She used her magic to lift it up and dry it as best as she could before placing it back onto her back. That behaviour was most unfitting for a prince. And as a fashion designer, Rarity should be doubly offended about his shameful treatment of her dress, especially since it was of her own design. But in the end, she realised that it wouldn't be fair to pass judgement on him so early. Plus, that coat he was wearing also looked quite fabulous. Rarity should know, it wouldn't have looked out of place in one of her fashion lines. It would have been a waste to use that. And it wasn't like he ruined her entire dress, just a piece of it. Finally, Rarity decided to let it go. It was probably just a one time thing. With her mind calmed, Rarity followed the prince onto the yacht. Blueblood looked delighted to see her. He was slightly worried that she might have left already. He had dates who have walked out on him for less. But now that she had boarded and they were about to leave the harbour, she wouldn't have that opportunity. Unless she was very skilled in teleportation spells, which he doubted. "Come, Miss Rarity! I shall give you a tour!" He offered sweetly. Rarity smirked. That was more like it. The yacht was rather large. It featured a swimming pool at the back, plenty of room for the long dinner table that was currently being set by the servants they brought along with them. There was also a small stage set for a four-pony musician band. Rarity was about to squeal. Dinner and music? That sounded almost too good to be true. And when she saw the servants setting the table looking as glum as if they have been dragged away to dig trenches on a battlefield, the alarm bells in her head began to ring. She was about to go up to them and ask them if something was wrong, but Blueblood quickly called her over to join him on the lower levels of the yacht. The prince showed her the bathroom, complete with a shower, a basin and a mirror. Rarity also saw shampoos and various beauty products of all kinds and she thought she have reached the promised land. The toilet was right next to it but Blueblood obviously wasn't willing to go into details about that. He then took her to her to their cabins. Rarity's luggage already laid in front of her luxurious bed that even gave the one she had in Carousel Boutique a run for it's money. She felt a strong desire to just drop down on it and feel how comfortable it felt, but that wouldn't have felt very proper in the presence of a prince Plus, she would get the opportunity for that later. Right now, she still had a tour to finish and a dinner to have. Upon finishing the tour, the two ponies headed back up to the deck. When they reached the door, Rarity expected Blueblood to open it for her as a gentlecolt was supposed to do, but of course, the prince had other ideas. When he saw Rarity stopping at the door and nodding towards it with her head, he immediately knew what she wanted. But instead of actually doing it, he was going to have some more fun with her. He mirrored her head movements, giving her the signal that he wanted her to open the door for him. Rarity was completely aghast. She never would have imagined that any stallion would have the audacity to ask that of her. She repeated the motion herself, more firmly this time, only for Blueblood to turn his head away in an offended manner. The message was clear: 'Do you honestly expect me, a prince to open the door for you, peasant?' Rarity glared up at the stallion. She was very close to snapping but managed to restrain herself and gave in. 'What a nerve!' Rarity fumed in her head. 'Who taught him royal manners? A diamond dog?' She walked out and Blueblood followed her and was barely able to contain his laughter. 'She looked ready to burst an artery!' The prince chuckled to himself. 'And they call me entitled? If she reacts like that to me not opening the door for her, no wonder she couldn't find a rich husband yet.' The two then made their way to the dinner table which fully set by now. The musicians were already on the small, makeshift stage with their instruments in their hooves and the other servants stood around the table in case their services were needed. At this point, Rarity didn't even expect the prince to pull her chair out for her so she did that herself and waited for Blueblood to do the same. But he just stood next to his seat without pulling it out with a vain scowl on his face. He looked towards his servants with a questioning look and when he cleared his throat, they finally got the hint. A unicorn mare stepped forward and used her magic to pull out the chair for him. The prince then smiled in satisfaction before sitting down and Rarity couldn't help but share the other mare's annoyed expression. 'Was he actually too lazy to pull out his own chair?' Rarity wondered. 'Sweet Celestia, what on Equus did I get myself into?' The smell of the food in front of her quickly brightened her mood and drew her attention away from the prince's awful behaviour. True to the royal court's reputation, even on a personal cruise like this, they served only the finest delicacies in all of Equestria. The divine tastes, accompanied by the fine music their entertainers played put her entirely at ease and she was soon enjoying herself like she was completely alone. So obviously, this was the time Blueblood chose to remind her of his presence. "Say, Miss Rarity, since a pleasant conversation is the perfect way to sweeten a good dinner, wouldn't you agree that this is the perfect time you told me a little about yourself?" The prince's request shocked the mare. From what she's seen so far, he didn't exactly look like the type who would bother getting to know a mare better before doing the deed. And her assumption was right. Blueblood wasn't interested in her life in the slightest, but everything was preferable to the awkward silence that fell between them in the past few minutes. And it was fine, since after the way she had been treated so far, she wasn't too interested in engaging in idle conversation with him either. No. Rarity had a different idea. "Well, Prince Blueblood, I must say, I am not a very interesting pony. Merely an ambitious fashion designer from a small town near Canterlot you probably never heard of." The fashionista confessed humbly. "As a matter of fact, I would like to learn more about you." She said, batting her eyelashes at him. For the first time that night, Blueblood found himself at a loss. He did not expect that. None of his previous dates ever asked him that. All of them have assumed that all they needed to know about him was that he was a prince and rich in order to claim him as their soulmate for life. "Well... I... Uh... You see..." Blueblood stammered as he tried to come up with a story about his life. He had no intention of letting a complete stranger in on his past. No matter how beautiful they were. Rarity giggled. She had to admit, seeing him becoming so flustered and losing his proper royal mask was amusing and kind of cute. "What's wrong, Prince Blueblood?" She teased. "Cat got your tongue?" Blueblood became completely stiff. He just sat there, motionless as a dummy as Rarity just kept smirking at him. But Blueblood put on a smug smirk of his own when he found the perfect response. He was gonna turn the exact same line of thinking he's experienced from the mares he dated before against her. "Well, what else is there for you to know, Miss Rarity?" He asked. "I'm a prince of Canterlot. What more would you need?" He flashed Rarity another arrogant smirk and he was satisfied to see that he reached his goal. Rarity, once again convinced that he was nothing more than a conceited snob, dropped her smirk and went back to eating her food grumpily. Blueblood sighed in relief. This mare was a lot more sly than she let on. If she got him to open up to her, his entire reputation would be down the drain. He would lose every bit of respect and authority he has garnered himself among the Canterlot elite. That would be an unimaginable scandal and a disaster for him. He had to be careful from now on. It was funny. Just a few moments ago, he was ready to engage in idle chatter with this mare just to break the awkward silence. But now, silence was the only thing he wanted for the rest of the night. As the awkward dinner on the deck proceeded, a red earth pony stallion was reading the charts with very specific instructions about where he was supposed to steer the yacht. Their journey was marked with a dark blue line that started at the harbor they left from and drew a large U shape across the sea surrounding Equestria before returning to the exact same spot. It was simple enough, but for some reason, the navigator was puzzled. He just couldn't understand why would anypony want to cruise out to the middle of nowhere just to head back immediately. And so far from the shore no less. There were many ponies who took their dates and party guests out on luxury cruises, of course, but not this far. There were several small islands closer to dry land that provided excellent background for romantic dinners and parties, but out here, there was nothing but the empty open ocean. He had a bad feeling about this. As he pondered about this, an old, grey unicorn stallion walked up onto the bridge. The yacht Blueblood rented belonged to his friend, Golden Platter, but the prince himself was rather inexperienced with seafaring, so he hired an old captain to guide the yacht through it's journey. And he was just as enthusiastic about this task and all the other servants on the boat. "How goes the dinner down there?" The navigator asked. The unicorn scoffed. "I gotta say, this little lady the prince is seeing has more in the head than the previous ones. She's not taking his pushing around lying down and actually tries to get under his skin as much as he does." He replied. "And that's good news for us. As long as they're focused on bothering each other, they'll leave us alone to do our jobs in peace. The sooner we get this over with the better." That reminded the navigator of his current problem. "Speaking of doing our job..." He said as he turned back to the charts. "...I can't make sense of this map." The captain walked up to him to take a look at it himself. They were so preoccupied with it that they didn't see two pairs of pegasus wings glide past the moon. When they left the light, they blended in perfectly with the starry night sky as their owners descended down onto the yacht from above and removed their dark, star decorated camouflage once they landed. "Seems pretty simple to me." The captain said. "We go out, turn back and go home. What's not to understand?" "Well, that's exactly it!" The navigator replied. "Why would anypony come all the way out here just to sail back? Doesn't make a lick of sense." The captain shrugged. "What does with these nobles? You know they're all nuts." The navigator laughed. "Yeah, I can't argue with that." The navigator wouldn't get the chance to argue with anything for a while, as he felt two hooves grabbing his head from behind. The same thing happened to the captain and the two ponies felt their heads being pushed hard against each other, rendering them both unconscious. One of them then picked up the map and ripped it to shreds while the other smashed the boat's control mechanisms. He then reached to his ear. "The boat is rendered immobile." He spoke into a transmitter. "You can board now." The luxurious dinner was almost enough to make up for the prince's less than charming behaviour. Almost. At this point, the dessert was the only thing that had any chance of salvaging this poor excuse for a date. And when Rarity saw the servants pushing a large vanilla cake on a cart onto the deck, those chances swiftly skyrocketed. So naturally, Blueblood took it onto himself to ruin even that for her. When the pompous stallion took a bite of the cake, his eyes widened and he immediately spat it out. "Excuse me!" Blueblood demanded, wiping his lips with a handkerchief. "What is this?!" The chef, a blue unicorn mare with light brown mane stepped forward. "It's a vanilla cake, your highness." She replied dryly, much to Blueblood's anger. "Don't get clever with me, mare!" Blueblood snarled at her. Rarity merely kept eating her cake. It may not have been the show she was expecting tonight, but it would no doubt be entertaining. "I want to know what kind of vanilla is it?!" The chef raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?" Blueblood gasped in outrage. "Does it matter?! Do you expect me, a prince of Canterlot to settle for cheap vanilla from anywhere?! I only eat desserts made from quality ingredients imported by trusty royal merchants! I can't eat this... common swill!" He complained before shoving his plate away. "Miss Rarity, I apologise but our dinner has been effectively ruined by this... talentless hack." He then stood up and was about to retire for his cabin, but the offended mare wasn't about to let this insult slide. "I've put my entire day into making that cake!" She snarled through her teeth, but Blueblood just shrugged. "It's a pity then that it still turned out this edible." That did it. The chef let out an angry scream before picking up his plate and hurling at the stallion. Blueblood just passed Rarity's chair and yanked her out of it to use her as a shield. Everypony on the deck gasped in shock as the half eaten dessert splashed across the mare's face. When the plate slipped off of Rarity's face, it was redder than the Flash's costume. She turned around to face Blueblood with so much fury that even the prince became intimidated. Perhaps he had gone just a step too far. "You..." Rarity snarled, dragging out the word as much as she could before exploding. "YOU UNCOUTH, MANNERLESS, ARROGANT, INCONSIDERATE, POMPOUS SWINE!" She roared at the top of her lungs. "I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt but now I see that Scarlet was indeed right. Your only royal quality is that you're a ROYAL PAIN! Agreeing to this date was the biggest mistake of my life! I will clean myself, gather my belongings and then I'm turning this boat right back!" She screamed into his face before storming off into the lower decks without another word. Blueblood looked at her leave before turning back to the servants who just stared at him in bewilderment. "What?" He snapped at them and they instantly snapped out of their stupor and started cleaning up the mess. Blueblood sighed, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. His date was officially over and the one thing he aimed to do tonight was more out of his reach than the throne of Equestria. Perhaps retiring for the night would be the best course of action for him as well, but for obvious reasons, he shared the same cabin as Rarity and he was certain she would throw him overboard the moment she saw him. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard something metallic clinging against the wooden deck. He looked down to see a small metal cylinder rolling in front of his hooves before coming to a stop and releasing a cloud of smoke with a loud hissing sound. Blueblood looked up and the last thing he saw was the servants across the deck panicking and trying to run away as more gas grenades were thrown across the deck. Blueblood had trouble seeing through the smoke, but he could hear them cough and fall over once they passed out. Even though the smoke was becoming more and more thick, he could also see the silhouettes of ponies with weapons running onto the deck and rounding up the unconscious servants. He didn't need to be a genius to realise that he fell into the middle of a hostage situation. Fortunately, he was close to the door leading to the lower decks so he could slip away unnoticed. He didn't waste any time and headed to his cabin. Once he got there, he noticed Rarity packing into one of her many suitcases. When she heard the door close, she turned around and glared at the stallion with such heat that even his aunts would be impressed. "You have the audacity to show your face in my cabin after... mph..." She didn't get to finish as Blueblood jumped over to her and covered her mouth. "Be quiet!" He whispered firmly before heading to the cupboard on the other side of the room. Rarity was about to demand an explanation, but when she saw the panic on the prince's face, she knew that there was something seriously wrong going on. Blueblood pulled out his own suitcase from the cupboard and threw it onto the bed. "What in Equestria is your suitcase doing in my cabin?" She asked in angry confusion. The prince did not reply, merely kept digging through the suitcase, but Rarity quickly connected the dots herself. "Of course! You placed us both into the same cabin?! I should have known! From the start, you just wanted to..." Blueblood once again shut Rarity's mouth himself before finally finding what he was looking for. His golden bow. "What do you want with that?" Rarity asked, becoming slightly nervous but also a little curious. For some reason, that bow looked really familiar to her. Her fear only grew when she heard heavy hoofsteps on the corridor, approaching their cabin. Blueblood grabbed the mare's hoof and pulled her next to the door just before it was opened and two earth pony stallions burst into the room, both carrying crossbows. "He's gotta be here!" One of them said. "I've heard voices coming from this cabin." The two ponies walked over to the bed where they saw Blueblood's suitcase lying open and in doing so, they inadvertently gave their targets the opportunity to get the drop on them. Blueblood snuck up to one of them and raised his bow over his target's head before pulling it against his throat. The stallion struggled in vain to break free but Blueblood managed to keep him in place until he passed out. He was about to do the same to the other one, but somepony beat him to it. The prince could only watch in awe as Rarity leaped over the stallion's back and slammed his head into the open suitcase. She then landed gracefully on the other side of the bed and slammed the top of it down on his head repeatedly until he also passed out. Rarity then looked at Blueblood who still kept staring at her in disbelief. She scoffed. "I would ask if you didn't know that staring is impolite, but given all you've done tonight, I think even that would be expecting too much from you." Blueblood looked down in embarrassment and went to check on the two stallions' weapons. He saw that they were both wearing quivers on their backs which gave Blueblood ammunition for his bow, but to his dismay, he noticed that that they were sporting crossbows. He shook his head. "So uncivilised." He complained. "You should know." Rarity muttered under her breath. "So who are these ruffians?" "I don't know, but obviously they are after the only pony on this yacht who's worth anything." Blueblood replied as he finished putting one of the quivers onto his back and took all of the arrows. Rarity was aghast. Even in such a crisis, the stallion's thoughts could only revolve around his delusions of grandeur. "But if they think they will take Prince Blueblood easily, they have another thing coming." Rarity was less than impressed by the prince's boasting, but then four other stallions burst into the cabin with crossbows in their hooves as well. The two ponies didn't even wait for them to order their surrender. Blueblood pulled out two arrows and shot them out before his targets had the chance to fire. The arrows went through the two stallion's shoulders and pierced them to the wall, giving Blueblood the chance to use his bow and slam their heads against the wall until they passed out. Meanwhile, Rarity did a somersault forward, dodging two arrows that were fired her way. She kicked the crossbow out of the hooves of one attacker, before grabbing him and throwing him over her shoulder, knocking the last enemy in the room off of his hooves. When the assailants were all down, Blueblood and Rarity looked at each other. It was obvious to both of them that they just witnessed a side of the other that they never thought they'd have. But before they could say anything, they heard a panicked scream coming from the upper deck. They rushed up to see the servants being lined up and being interrogated by the attackers. The chef currently had a crossbow pressed against her throat by an angry pegasus mare, demanding the location of the Prince. Blueblood loaded his bow and got ready to announce his whereabouts in dramatic fashion. "Announcing, Prince Blueblood of Equestria!" He shouted to gain the mare's attention before firing the arrow and knocking the weapon out of her hoof. Rarity then ran forward and delivered a spinning kick into the mare's muzzle, knocking her out. Blueblood then turned around and saw three other ponies standing on the bridge and preparing their crossbows to fire at him. The prince quickly dashed over to the pool and jumped into the water which protected him from the barrage of arrows coming his way. He then burst out of the water and released a few arrows of his own, disarming the attackers and giving Rarity the chance to run up the stairs and take them out. The fashionista then quickly found herself on the receiving end of another barrage of arrows as two pegasi began firing at her from the air. Blueblood noticed this and fired an arrow at one of them, cursing under his breath when he missed. He was never good at hitting moving targets. But he did manage to take the heat off of Rarity long enough for the mare to pick up the weapon of one downed enemy and flung it at one of the pegasi, hitting him in the head and knocking him out of the air. This startled the other one enough that Blueblood could take a clear shot at him, piercing his wing and forcing him to the ground where Rarity took care of the rest. Amidst the skirmish, the two ponies failed to notice one single unicorn stallion walking onto the deck with slow and heavy steps. Only when Blueblood and Rarity took care of the last of their opponents did they turn to see him standing there and sizing them up. His massive size and confident appearance was all they needed to tell that this unicorn was the leader of their attackers. While they were both tired and panting heavily from all the fighting they've just done, they were both confident that they could take down one more opponent with little difficulty. They were quickly proven wrong. The unicorn pulled a bola launcher out of nowhere and incapacitated Rarity with it. Blueblood then loaded his bow to take the assassin out, but to his astonishment, the stallion merely knocked the arrow away with his weapon. As he turned to him, Blueblood got a look at his face and recognised who he was. "Bloodsport!" The mercenary unicorn Rapid DoBad, also known by his codename, Bloodsport, had a reputation even amongst the Canterlot elite. Nopony would ever admit it, but he was a favoured employee among them whenever they needed some dishonest work done. And it looks like this time, that dishonest work included doing away with Blueblood. 'Well, it looks like Golden Platter was right. My behaviour in the court really would be the end of me.' The prince thought. But he wouldn't go down without a fight. He loaded another arrow while Bloodsport transformed his weapon into an energy blaster. Blueblood fired quicker and his arrow penetrated Bloodsport's weapon, causing it to malfunction and explode in it's user's hoof, blasting him back, right into the pool. Blueblood and Rarity who had finally managed to wiggle her way out of the bola wrapped around her were also caught in the blast and unfortunately for them, since they happened to be standing at the edge of the yacht, they were blown overboard by the explosion. Bloodsport crawled out of the pool and checked his ruined weapon. It was beyond repair but he wasn't concerned about it. He could make a new one from scrap metal if he tried. He was more worried about his quarry. He ran over to the edge of the yacht and looked down. The water was calm and the two ponies were nowhere to be seen. All he saw was the prince's golden arrow floating in the water The mercenary growled before levitating the weapon with his magic and taking it in his hoof. No bodies meant no payment for him. And he had learned a long time ago that you should never assume your target was dead until you had their body stiff and bullet ridden in front of you. His job was not done yet. He had his methods of searching the seas and he was nothing if not thorough. His prey would not escape him. Not even into a watery grave. "Sir?" Bloodsport turned to see another squad of his mercenaries raiding the deck, rounding up the hostages and helping up their knocked out comrades. The mare trooper in question looked up at him inquisitively, waiting for the next order. "Send search parties out." He commanded. "Nopony rests until they are found. Dead or alive."