//------------------------------//
// Canary & Arrow Vol. 1: Battle Hardened: Issue #5: Returnal 
// Story: MLDC: The Justice League of Equestria - Omnibus 1 
// by littleman001 
//------------------------------//

By the time the equestrian ships showed up with a battalion of Royal Guards, Blueblood and Rarity have already rounded up all the mercenaries on the ship they boarded and the vast majority of the rest of them were still deep inside the jungle, running around on a wild goose chase. When they returned empty hoofed, they were horrified to see the welcoming party waiting for them. At first, they were ready and willing to fight them off, their weapons and equipment were far superior to the Guard's after all, but when they saw their leader captured and bound in their custody, they quickly lost their morale and decided to surrender.

Meanwhile, the members of the coast guard tended to the hostages. Rarity wanted to help them but Blueblood convinced her that she needed to rest and after everything she's done, she had more than earned it. The fashionista realised that the prince was right and allowed him to escort her to the coast guard's main ship that they would be travelling on the way home. On their way to the ship, they came across Bloodsport being escorted to the brigg by two guards. He gave them a dirty look.

"I probably won't be claiming the bounty on you anymore but don't think you've seen the last of me. I know who you are. Those costumes won't be hiding you from me or anypony else once I spread the word about who are wearing them." He told them smugly. Blueblood glared at him at first, but eventually smirked back at him.

"Oh, sure. Go ahead. Tell the whole world how you were beaten by the spoiled prince and an aspiring fashionista. I'm sure that will do wonders for the reputation of the stallion who shot Supermare." That was enough to effectively silence the mercenary as the guards dragged him away.

Blueblood lead Rarity to the captain's cabin who offered them to stay there for the journey. The mare was already half asleep by the time they got there so Blueblood helped her get in the bed before tucking her in. He then heard a familiar chirp and turned to see their little canary friend standing at the open cabin window, looking at them curiously. It flew over to Rarity's sleeping form before snuggling into the pillow next to her head and falling asleep itself.

Blueblood let out an amused chuckle. He was sure Rarity will be happy to see their avian companion accompanied them on their journey home. And he had to admit, the sight was very cute. He smiled softly as he raised a hoof and gently caressed Rarity's cheek to wipe some messy piece of her mane out of her face.

The prince then sat down into a chair in front of the captain's desk. He wouldn't be able to bring himself to sleep anyway. He had far too much to think about. He never thought much about the ponies he angered with his pompous royal act, but looks like he really crossed the wrong pony at some point if somepony was willing to go through all this trouble just to see him dead.

The question was, who could it be? Blueblood had enemies of course, in fact, that was almost like a requirement of being royal. Ponies who were envious of their wealth and fame were common. Hay, there were records of ponies killing a member of the royal court just for the infamy that came with it. So they would be remembered for something, even as horrible as regicide.

This Dark Archer however didn't appear so unhinged. He knew exactly what he wanted and that was killing him. Sadly, that didn't exactly narrow down the list of possible candidates. The key to solving the mystery was Bloodsport. The most wanted mercenary in Equestria wasn't exactly cheap to hire. So whoever he was, he had money.

He was also an excellent athlete, archer and fighter. Most ponies of the upper circle were lazy as a log. Few among them would bother to train their bodies to the physical peak this stallion had. Perhaps he could visit the more exclusive gymnasiums in Equestria and ask some questions about their guests.

The Dark Archer had a very luxurious and very expensive speedboat. That had to dock somewhere. Some of the ponies who worked around the harbors of the coastal cities had to know something. Unless the guy had a private docking bay somewhere, which was very likely given his obvious wealth.

Lastly, the most obvious giveaway sign would be that the Dark Archer had a very large scar on the side of his muzzle, courtesy of an arrow fired by Blueblood. He would have to see a doctor about that. The problem was, most doctors who treated patients of the upper circle were very discrete and wouldn't give away any information, not even to another pony of high standing.

Blueblood groaned I frustration. No matter what he came up with to identify and catch his assailant, there was always a flaw in it. After an hour or so of pondering, he finally started to feel his exhaustion from the day's events get to him. His eyes began to drop and before he knew it, his head fell on the desk as sleep took him.





Rarity didn't remember falling asleep in a bed. She was so tired that she would have been able to pass out even on the steel floor of the ship that would carry her home. She also didn't remember the little bird she befriended on the island being next to her head when she fell asleep. But both of them have been welcome surprises. The canary opened it's eyes as she got up and greeted her with a friendly chirp, making her chuckle.

"Good morning to you too, darling." She said, petting the bird's head. She looked around in the room. She was no sailor by any means, but judging from the equipment she saw, she must have been in the captain's cabin. She made a mental not for herself to thank him for allowing her to recuperate there before she got off the ship. That was very generous of him.

But what she saw when she got out of the bed was not such a pleasant sight. Prince Blueblood was also there, napping in a chair in front of the captain's desk. She initially frowned upon seeing him, but she also felt conflicted. It is true that he was the reason she got into this mess in the first place, but he did his part to make up for it on the island and now that she understood the reason behind his behaviour, she felt a little more connected to him.

She shook her head. 'No, Rarity! Don't think like that! Once you're off this ship, there will be nothing tying you together and you will be able to forget him and this ghastly trip forever.' She told herself. Still, he must have been the one to escort her to the cabin and make her comfortable in this bed so she supposed she should return the favor, so she used her magic to levitate the blanket over the prince's asleep form and wrap it around him.

She then got out of the bed and was about to leave the cabin when she saw something from the corner of his eyes. Blueblood had a bunch of papers in front of him and a quill nearby, indicating that he was working on something before dozing off. Rarity's curiosity got the better of her and went to see what it was.

Blueblood had a bunch of names written in front of him, many of whom Rarity recognised as members of the Canterlot elite. They have been gathered into four categories based on their wealth, their athleticism, possible docking places in Equestria and most peculiarly, any facial injuries they have suffered recently.

Rarity remembered how Blueblood injured the archer who attacked him on the mercenary ship and she quickly realised that he must have been searching for his identity. While she had to admit, she was a little curious about it herself, it wasn't like it was her business. That scoundrel only wanted Blueblood and once her way parted with his, that would longer be her problem. Eventually she just shrugged it off and left the cabin.

She made her way to the bridge to greet the captain who was an old unicorn stallion wearing the standard navy outfit behind the wheel. When he saw Rarity, he sent a friendly smile and a nod her way to greet her. A gesture which Rarity happily returned.

"Greetings, Captain. And thank you for allowing me for taking shelter in your cabin after that terrible island ordeal." She said as she stood next to him and looked out the window.

"No problem, lass. That fine stallion you were with is the one you should be thanking. He was quite adamant that that we put you there. He refused to leave your side even after you were resting peacefully." Rarity's eyes widened when she heard that. Was that the same stallion she escaped the island with?

"Is that so?" She asked in surprise. "Well, how gallant of him." The captain nodded.

"I tell you, you sure are lucky to have him by your side during this little misadventure. He really cares for you. It's been a while since I've seen such tenderness in a stallion towards a mare." Rarity decided change the subject.

"Will we return to Equestria soon?" The captain nodded again.

"You slept for quite a long time. Almost through the whole journey. We should be docking within the hour." Rarity sighed in relief at the joyous news.

"That is good to hear! Just because I'm good at surviving in harsh, jungle environments doesn't mean I do it happily. I can't wait to get home and take a long hot bath." She then took a sniff at her foreleg and winced in disgust. "Or two. Or ten."





True to the captain's words, the ship indeed made it back to Equestria within the next hour. By the time they docked, even Blueblood awakened from his slumber and accompanied Rarity as they once again set their hooves on equestrian soil.

The two turned to face each other but none of them could find the right words to say. The awkward silence between them lasted for almost a minute before the prince finally couldn't take it anymore and broke it.

"So... The Guards told me that they found Golden Platter's yacht with all of our belongings still on it. If you want to, you can come with me and we can pick them up." Rarity looked at Blueblood with no expression and it made the prince even more nervous. For the first time in his life, he had no idea what to say to a mare. "Or... Or I can bring them to your address myself." Rarity's expression, or lack thereof remained unchanged. "Or I can have them delivered to you by somepony if that's what you want. That's... that's fine too." Rarity finally couldn't take it anymore and sighed.

"Personally, what I want is to just go home and put this entire ordeal behind me as quickly as possible." She replied. "I am truly sorry, Prince Blueblood. I have seen your true face and I realise it was not the one that treated me the way you did that night." She then closed her eyes and sighed. "But the bad memories are just too much for me. I bid you farewell, Prince Blueblood. And I wish you nothing but the best." She said before turning away and walking off.

Blueblood watched her go with the saddest expression he ever allowed himself to wear in public. He felt terrible. Not only for misjudging this mare completely, but for realising just what he lost. Rarity was really something special. Generous, brave, kindhearted and strong. He could have had all that but due to his shortsighted prejudices against all mares, he ruined his chances. He was going to rue this for the rest of his life.

When the mare disappeared from sight, Blueblood turned away and headed back to Canterlot while struggling to keep his tears from slipping out. It may be too late to hide the mystery on his face at this point, but he absolutely refused to let the crowd see him cry.

Upon returning to the castle, he asked his personal coachpony to pick Rarity up and take her home or wherever she wanted to go, but without revealing to her that he sent him. He knew she would never accept the ride if she knew. But then, he had no Idea where to go next.

His aunts were no doubt busy with political matters and he did not wish to disturb them. They probably didn't even notice he was gone. As he kept pondering, he could think of only one solution. He would visit his good friend, Golden Platter. He was probably the only pony who was going to be more concerned about him than his yacht.

As he made his way towards his friend's room, he came across his maid, Scarlet Feather. The pegasus looked even grumpier than usual and Blueblood should know because he usually gave her quite a bit to be grumpy about but never before did he see her like this. She cast her eyes down, grumbling to herself and she was so caught up in it that she almost bumped into Blueblood. Of course, the prince's sight hardly did anything to improve her mood.

"Welcome back, your highness." She said casually before walking off without even bothering to bow. Blueblood would have usually snapped at her for this, but this time he wasn't in the mood. He opened his mouth and in a sudden surge of kindness, he was about to ask her what was wrong before remembering that he was back in the world of his royal facade. So he steeled his expression and adopted his commanding royal tone.

"Have you seen Golden Platter?" Scarlet scoffed.

"He's in his room. I just helped him patch up an injury he received on his face." Blueblood's blood froze when the maid's words reached his brain.

"What... What injury?" The prince's shaking voice caught Scarlet off guard. She had never heard him sound like that. It would have been almost satisfying if it wasn't for her sour mood.

"A large long scar on his left cheek. He said he received it while practicing archery. You know how much a klutz he is. He probably had the arrow facing the wrong way. And he tried to pick me up even during the time I was tending to his injury! Seriously, you think he'd have taken the hint by now!"

Scarlet suddenly remembered just who she was talking to and quickly corrected herself by adding "Your Highness" at the end of her sentence, but luckily for her, Blueblood didn't seem to notice or care about her disrespectful tone. He had far bigger concerns on his mind. He made a swift change of directions and headed to his room instead of Golden's so fast that the maid thought he just saw a ghost.

In his room, he opened the hidden door to the secret passageways he knew so well and made his way towards the closest exit he knew they had to Golden's room. Before he exited the tunnels, he used the eyeholes of a nearby painting to peek out and wait for the earth pony to leave his room.

'How I hate clichés such this.' He groaned to himself as he waited. He berated himself for even considering the possibility that his lifelong friend could be the very same assassin who tried to kill him not even a day ago. The very thought was absurd. Golden Platter was a meek, happy go lucky and harmless stallion who wouldn't hurt a fly. He couldn't even shoot an arrow straight, let alone fight like that dark archer back on the ship.

Or could he? For all his life, Blueblood has been playing the role. The role of the pompous, spoiled prince. So what prevented Golden Platter from doing the same? But even if that was the case, why would he do it? He was the one pony he was never rude to. They were foalhood friends almost like brothers and even their parents were close. It just didn't make sense to him.

The opening of Golden's door snapped him out of his thoughts. He saw Golden Platter exiting his room and sure enough, there was a patch covering his face exactly where Blueblood's arrow had struck him. The prince gasped behind the painting so loud that he had to cover his mouth. But it still wasn't enough as Golden jumped at the sudden noise and turned around to see who was there. When he saw nopony, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously but continued his way.

Once he was out of sight, Blueblood slid the painting out of it's frame and came out. His suspicions were raised but just because he had the same injury as the Dark Archer wasn't compelling proof. He needed irrefutable evidence and he was hoping he'd find it in Golden's room. Fortunately it wasn't locked so Blueblood gained access with no difficulty. Now he only had to hope he won't be interrupted.

He looked around the room but didn't see anything suspicious left in plain sight. Looks like Golden really wasn't as dumb as he looked. He started to search through the room, making sure to leave nothing out of place. He pulled out the drawers but found nothing. He peeked under the bed only to get the same result.

He was running out of ideas when he saw the door to Golden's closet. He opened it to take a look inside and befitting a member of nobility, it was quite spacious full of clothes. He could spend hours searching through the whole thing. Good thing he knew what he was looking for.

If Blueblood was a supervillain and wanted to hide his costume, he would probably bury it in the back of his closet so he started there. He saw several tuxedos, leisure clothes and sportswear, but not the dark cloak worn by the assassin. He's been at it for almost five minutes when he finally started giving up.

'This is ridiculous.' He thought, hanging the clothes back to their place. 'What am I even doing here? There's no way Golden Platter would and could ever...' He was in such a hurry to get out of there that he accidentally knocked down a box from the top shelf.

The box's contents fell in front of him and his eyes widened. He found what he was looking for. A dark cloaked black jumpsuit and the golden bow he lost during his battle with the mercenaries. So it was true. His oldest friend was the one who wanted him dead. And if that was the case...

Blueblood realised in horror that he would no longer be safe in Canterlot Castle. Golden Platter knew him better than anypony else. He knew his daily routine, his favorite places in the whole city and even the secret places he visited when he wanted to slip out of his royal facade. He could strike anywhere and he would be helpless against him. He proved himself as a superior fighter back on the island. He only won because of Rarity's assistance and...

Rarity! For the first time in his life, Blueblood found himself concerned about the life of another pony more than his own. Golden would no doubt know that Rarity was the other pony who fought him alongside the prince. He could even use her as bait to lure him out. He didn't doubt Rarity was capable of defending herself, she has proven that back on the island, but if Golden was the Dark Archer, he could be more than a match for her. He had to warn her.

He looked back at his bow. He wanted to reclaim it but then Golden would grow suspicious that he was onto him and right now, that was the only advantage he had over him. He softly caressed the weapon before putting it back into the box.

"I will come back for you. I promise." He whispered as he closed the box and put it back on the shelf. He was about to make his way out of the room but when he stepped out of the closet, he heard the door opening. He barely had time to back away into the closet before Golden entered.

He hid between some of the hanging clothes, trying to come up with a way to escape undetected. He used his magic to shake the clothes on the rack on the other side beneath the shelf the costume was on, hoping the rattle would catch Golden's attention.

When the earth pony entered the closet to investigate, Blueblood stopped and used his magic to knock the box off the shelf and it fell right onto Golden's head. The cloak cloak fell out of it and landed on Golden's head, obscuring his vision long enough for Blueblood to sneak out of the room.

He had no time to waste. He headed back to his room, pulled out a bag and began filling it with food and other necessities. The secret tunnels would no doubt help him slip out of the castle, but what would he do then? The only thing he knew is that he had to warn Miss Rarity, but he had no idea where she lived. No problem though. Being a famous fashion designer, she must have fans and friends who knew a lot about her, including her address.

He'll have to be sneaky about this too. Since he was a member of the Canterlot Elite, he would be recognised instantly wherever he went and Golden would no doubt be right after him. He will have to conceal his identity and he knew just the way to do that. He entered his own closet and pulled out a costume of his own. His old Robin Hoof costume. Nopony in their right mind would ever suspect a member of the royal family parading around in this.

After filling his bag, he took the wooden bow he made on the island and Rarity later fixed up. He still had a few arrows left but they won't be enough for much. He's gonna have to fill that up, but he'll worry about that later. Right now, he had a certain fashionista to track down.





Rarity had a lot of things on her mind when she exited the carriage that delivered her back home to her boutique in Ponyville. The first amongst them was where would she accommodate her little canary friend? She already had a pet and she was fairly certain her cat, Opalescence would make short work of the bird if it ever entered her sight. Fortunately, her feathered companion was more than happy to take up residence on the outskirts of her house. She already saw it chirping and flying around with several other birds on a nearby tree.

The second was the identity of her "mysterious benefactor" who sent her the carriage. She had not a shadow of a doubt in her mind that it was Blueblood. The pompous prince was more than likely trying to ease his conscience after the way he treated her during their date. Or maybe he was just trying to make sure she got home safe? Rarity shook her head.

"No! Don't do this, Rarity! Don't start thinking about him affectionately! It was nothing more than his guilty conscience! And even that's probably giving him way too much credit!" She put on an indifferent look for a few moments before her face softened and she let out a sigh.

"But then why would he try to hide that it was him who sent that carriage? Oh, I'm so confused!" The fashionista cried as she dropped herself on her bed. Her mind was a raging ocean of emotions right now. She needed to do something to occupy herself with so she turned to the one thing she always did when she wanted to do that. Her work.

Few ponies knew this, but when Rarity was stressed - which was often - then she usually buried herself into her work. It was actually the main reason she was such a productive designer. She even joked sometimes that if more ponies knew this, they would deliberately stress themselves out just to match her work rate.

And just what was she working on? Well, the truth of the matter was, she had no idea. All she knew was she had to work to keep her rampaging emotions down. She pierced a black piece of fabric with needles, cut some more with scissors, pulled another piece onto the legs of her ponyquin in front of her and before she knew it, she was staring at a modified version of the heroine costume Pristine Parfait wore during her last fashion show.

But this one was somehow different. The black domino mask across the eyes resembled the look of the little bird she befriended not too long ago. The collar and the zipper line of the jacket was decorated with sparkling diamonds. A black spiked skirt covered her cutie marks to avoid recognition from those she didn't want it. Four black boots decorated each hoof beneath a set fishnet stockings and small, sharp diamonds sticking out of it for both decorative and combat reasons.

Rarity surprised herself with her creation. Sure, she made several superheroine suits in the past, but this was something so much more personal. It felt like she made this solely for herself which really flew in the of her generous mature. She felt like putting in on, heading out into Equestria in an attempt to find the Dark Archer herself and bring him to justice. Just like a real superhero. She raised a shaking hoof and reached out to touch it, but then she shook her head with a laugh.

"Oh, Rarity. Ever the romantic dreamer!" She chuckled. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door which brought her back to reality. She looked up at the clock on the wall and was shocked to see that it was already past eight. She got so carried away with the making of that dress that she completely lost her track of time and forgot to close shop for the day.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm closed for the day." She told the stallion outside once she opened the door. "Come back to..." Before she could finish, her visitor dashed inside and slammed the door shut behind him. He then pushed Rarity up against the wall and pressed his foreleg against her mouth to silence her.

"Shhh..." He tried to calm her, but apparently not doing a very good job. The stallion then removed his hood to reveal none other than Prince Blueblood. "It's me." Rarity was gobsmacked.

"You! What are you..." She didn't get to finish as Blueblood pressed his hoof against her mouth again.

"Listen! You're a very nice mare and I like you a lot! But right now, shut up!" Before Rarity could voice her outrage over the prince's choice of words, he dashed to the windows and closed the shutters. He looked around and his eyes fell on a large closer which he then used his magic on to levitate it in front of the door. Rarity could only watch in absolute confusion as Blueblood pushed one of the shutters slightly aside and peeked out. He looked around for a few moments before letting out a sigh.

"Good, I don't think I was being followed."

"Followed? By who?" Rarity asked, staring at the prince in utter bewilderment. "What in the name of Princess Celestia and every other Princess who ever lived is going on here?!" She demanded.

"I couldn't stay in Canterlot!" Blueblood replied frantically. "I'm no longer safe there! He's after me!"

"Not precisely clearing up the situation." Rarity deadpanned. "Who is after you?"

"Golden Platter! It was him! He set  Bloodsport and his crew on us! He's the one who tried to kill me!" Now that got Rarity's attention.

"What?! That cannot be! Golden Platter is the shining example of nobility in the Canterlot elite I've ever seen!" She cried in disbelief. "I cannot believe of a stallion of his station and upbringing could ever be..." Rarity stopped when she noticed that Blueblood was giving her the most unamused look she's ever seen. No doubt he was mentally reprimanding her for not learning her lesson about holding nobles and royals in too high regards after what happened between them. "Alright, point taken. Why are you so sure it's him?"

"I found his costume in his closet! And before you ask what was I doing there, my maid told me that she treated him with a wound on his cheek! Exactly where my arrow hit him! It has to be him!" Blueblood explained. "He knows everything about me! I shared every part of my daily schedule with him for years! He'll find me anywhere! But he doesn't know you! And you're the only pony in Equestria that I trust!" Rarity wasn't particularly moved by this plea."

"While I am flattered by this show of trust, darling, I will have to ask, how is this any concern of mine?" Blueblood was left speechless by this response.

"I... beg your pardon?"

"You heard me." Rarity replied with utter indifference in her voice. "It seems like this problem does not affect me. It is you that two faced snake wants dead." Rarity expected Blueblood to break down into a pathetic fit of begging to let him stay, but what happened next left her speechless.

"Miss Rarity, surely you remember that he wanted you dead as well as me! He might come after you to get to me and I am not about to let anything happen to you!" Blueblood replied full of determination. Rarity was not sure how to respond to that. On the one hoof, it was kind of charming to see her so ready to protect her despite her still apparent animosity towards him. On the other, she was a little irritated that he would believe she needed his protection.

"I assure you, I will be quite fine on my own, but your concern is much appreciated." She told him, still not dropping her hostile demeanor. This was the point where Blueblood decided to put his hoof down.

"I know you still don't like me, Miss Rarity, but I don't care at the moment. All I want is to keep you safe from him. If he was able to hire Bloodsport, then he's prepared to go any length to see me dead. And since you were with me on that island and evaded him as well, he will be after you too." He told her firmly, making it clear that he won't be leaving until this crisis was dealt with. Rarity's eyes widened when he realised Blueblood was completely right. Of course a ruthless maniac like that would be after her just for being associated with his target and escaping with him.

"Oh, goodness, that's true!" She shrieked, starting to panic and pace around the room. "What am I going to do?! A pony with his resources can get to me with no difficulty!" She stopped pacing and turned to the prince accusingly. "Argh! This is all your fault! Even after we escaped that island, you still continue to bring ill fortune to me!" Blueblood sighed and looked down sadly.

"I know. I cannot express my regret enough. I brought this menace on your head and now it is my responsibility to remove it. And I promise you, I will or die trying."

"Well, I feel safer already!" Rarity groaned sarcastically. "Why don't we take this matter to Princess Celestia? I am sure the word of her nephew would be enough to make her do something!"

"And you would be wrong." Blueblood answered dejectedly. "I have nothing concrete against him and you wouldn't believe the things royals and nobels have come up with in the past to accuse each other. I wanted to get proof from his room but he returned before I could find anything. I would probably find something there but I would need to distract him."

"And how would you plan to do that?" Blueblood started thinking of something, but he wasn't having much success with it, much to Rarity's frustration. "Come on! I'm sure you know him just as much as he does you! You must know some of his weaknesses!"

"Well, as it turns out, everything I knew about him was a lie, so I'm not sure if I do know him after all." Blueblood retorted, but then his eyes lit up with realisation. "But there IS something! Mares! Golden Platter would never be able to resist an attractive and seductive mare!" He remembered all the times he reprimanded him for hitting on mares beneath his station and how he always defended himself with how a pretty mare is a pretty mare, no matter her social standing.

"That settles it then!" Rarity exclaimed. "I'm going to ask him out on a date while you search through his room for evidence!"

"That is out of the question!" Blueblood objected. "Allow me to remind you that he will be out for you as well after what happened on the island! We're going to have to find somepony else! Do you happen to know any pretty mares would do anything with anypony and could help us?" It didn't take Rarity long to come up with the solution.

"Oh, yes!" She smirked. "I know just the mare for the job!”





The next day, the two ponies arranged a meeting with the mare Rarity had in mind for the task at hoof in a small cafeteria on the outskirts of Ponyville. They were both rather nervous about the whole thing, although for different reasons. Blueblood kept looking around and over his shoulders, trying to spot anypony who might be after them on Golden Platter’s behalf, while Rarity was more than a little embarrassed about going out in public with a Robin Hoof cosplayer.

The waiters mistaking them for a couple only added to Rarity’s discomfort and while Blueblood would have been more than delighted to play along with the assumption, he didn’t want to blow his cover. Eventually, the prince got bored of the waiting and checked the clock on the wall.

“Well, punctuality is certainly not one of your friends’ strong suits.” He complained, crossing his forelegs as he slumped back in his seat.

“She is only fashionably late, darling!” Rarity defended her. “Befitting her status as a fashion model.”

“There is a fine line being fashionably late and just being plain rude.” Blueblood grumbled, but Rarity had the perfect response to that.

“You would know all about that, wouldn’t you?” She retorted, causing Blueblood to look down in shame. After a few minutes, the mare they had been waiting for finally walked through the door.

“Rarity, darling!” The earth pony greeted her friend as they embraced and pecked each other’s cheek. “I was so worried about you! You disappear for days without saying a word to me?! Why, that prince of yours must have been quite a specimen if he was able to take you away for so long!” She teased as she playfully poked her in the shoulder.

“Yes.” Rarity replied dryly. “He was quite something. Anyway, I’m so happy you could make it, Pristine, darling! I need you help in a rather... delicate manner. It’s a little complicated. All I’m gonna say for now is that it has to do with the prince I’ve been with.” Pristine Parfait looked at Rarity in slight surprise, then she smirked suggestively.

“Why, Rarity, I never thought you would be into a threeway, but if this prince is really that good, I certainly wouldn’t mind…” She was quickly silenced when Rarity put a hoof over her mouth.

“It’s not that you gutter minded pervert!” She snapped as she blushed furiously and looked around to see if anypony was listening in on the conversation. “Seriously, can you think of anything else fore more than 10 seconds?!” Pristine shrugged.

“I don’t think about that all the time. Only when the opportunity is too good. Which is often when I have a body like this. Don’t blame me, blame my genes!” She chuckled.

“Can we please get back to the topic at hoof?” Rarity shook her head, trying to get the images Pristine put into them away. “Please have a seat.” Pristine did so and immediately noticed the hooded stallion seated in front of her. She raised an eyebrow.

“Rarity, I may let my lower parts do the thinking for me most of the time but I’m far from stupid. This mysterious loner wouldn’t happen to be your hoofsome prince, would he?”

“Shhhh!” Blueblood sprung up and put his own hoof over the mare’s lips. “Nopony can know who I am!”

“Why not?” Pristine asked in confusion before she got an idea that made her squeal. “Oh my gosh! You two are eloping, aren’t you?! That’s the delicate matter you need my help with!”

“Not exactly.” Rarity said as she fiddled with her forelegs, trying to find a way to let Pristine in on the situation. “This may sound outlandish, darling, but one of his friends seem to have it in for him and he wants him dead. And by association, me as well.” Rarity was about to elaborate the situation further, but to her surprise, Pristine stopped her with a wave of her hoof.

“Say no more, darling, what do you need me to do?” Rarity’s and Blueblood’s eyes widened.

“That’s it?!” Blueblood marveled. “You don’t find this weird? At all?”

“Honey, I’ve been there and done that several times.” Blueblood was naturally surprised by that, but as he examined Pristine, her appearance, her confidence and her personality, a wide grin formed on his face.

“Oh, Miss Rarity, you were right! She is absolutely perfect! Golden goes absolutely crazy for bimbos like her!” His eyes widened when he realized what he just said. “Uh, no offense.” He apologised sheepishly.

“None taken, honey.” Pristine said, waving her hoof again. “I've been called far worse.”

“I just hope she's capable enough to pull this off.” Rarity said with concern for her friend.

“I'll be fine, sweetheart.” Pristine reassured her putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Just a few months ago, I hooked up with a stallion who was being targeted by RichCorp hitponies for refusing to sell them one of his inventions.”

“Really?” Blueblood asked with intrigue. “What happened?”

“Well, I offered to go up to the hitponies’ hotel room…” She began, but Rarity cut her off.

“We don’t need the details!” She yelled, her cheeks reddening again. Pristine shrugged.

“Your loss. Let’s just say there was a hidden camera, a lot of alcohol, some incriminating photographs and a little blackmailing involved but in the end, we got him off. I assume this is gonna be something similar.”

“A little.” Blueblood admitted. “But we will handle evidence. All you have to do is keep our ‘friend’ occupied for the night.”

“I’m your mare!” Pristine announced proudly. “No stallion has ever been able to resist me. You’ll have all the time in the world. You two go find some dirt on your guy and I'll take care of the rest.” Blueblood and Rarity exchanged a look with each other. Looks like they were in for an interesting night.





Just as Pristine promised, the date between her and Golden Platter was arranged easily and rapidly. She was going to Canterlot the night after the day she planned everything with Rarity and Blueblood. Where they were going to be during this time, she didn't know, but it was better this way. She didn't want to say or do anything that might give them away.

Not that she was going to have difficulty with her task. Seduction and deception were right up her alley and if the stallion she was supposed to seduce proved to be any capable in bed, she was going to get something out of this herself. She still chuckled when she remembered Blueblood's face when she asked him to vouch for his abilities in that regard.

When she reached the gates of Canterlot Castle, her date for the night was already waiting for her. He definitely wasn't sore on the eyes and judging from the giant bouquet of flowers and heart shaped chocolate box he had in hoof, he also wasn't short on neither manners, nor money. Pristine was almost sorry the guy was supposedly an evil prick. He definitely looked like one for the keeps.

“Pristine Parfait!” He cheered when he noticed his date in the absolutely stunning nightblue gown she was wearing. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight. But expecting any less from one of Equestria’s top models would be foolish.” He praised as he bowed to her and handed her the gifts.

“Oh, Goldy, you shouldn’t have.” She told him appreciatively, taking the flowers and sniffing them. “Seriously, you shouldn't have. I don’t come this expensive, if you get my meaning.” She said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Golden stared at her for a while, surprised that she’d make that proclamation so openly, but it didn’t take long for that look to be replaced by a similarly suggestive expression “You don’t mind if I call you Goldy, do you?”

“A pretty thing like you can call me whatever she wants.” He replied, exchanging two pecks on the cheek with her before turning back to the guards standing at the gate. “Don’t wait for me tonight, boys. I have a feeling I’ll be out until morning.”

‘That’s the idea.’ Pristine thought to herself slyly before extending one of her forelegs to the stallion. “Well, then, shall we?”

“Oh, we shall!” Golden replied, taking her hoof. “Let’s not delay another second.” He mused, leading the mare away from the castle, towards the city. And while Pristine PArfait lead Golden Platter away with the promise of a good night, underneath the city, two costumed figures were moving through the forgotten underground caverns.

“Are you certain this is the way?” Rarity asked in disgust as she took in her surroundings. The tunnel they were currently in was absolutely filthy. There was a small stream pouring down on their hooves and she wasn't sure if all of it was water. The smell was unbearable and that's not even going into the rats, insects and all the other repulsive creatures she saw carling around along the way.

“Trust me.” Blueblood answered without looking back at her, due to having to illuminate their path with his horn. “I've been through these tunnels more times than I can count. I could probably lead you anywhere in the castle through them blindfolded.” Rarity wasn't exactly reassured and every time she took another step, she shivered as her hoof connected with the cold liquid again.

“Ugh, you owe me a deluxe emergency hooficure treatment after this.” She complained, earning a chuckle from the stallion.

“And I thought I was the squeamish one.” Rarity just rolled her eyes.

“About that, darling, why would you ever crawl through these disgusting tunnels?” She asked as he raised her hoof to shake something off of it. “You're a prince, surely you can come and go as you please.”

“With the expectations of one.” Blueblood replied half heartedly. “Sometimes when I don't want to be Prince Blueblood, these tunnels allow me to slip away unnoticed and just be… well, me.” Rarity understood where the prince was coming from but she couldn't say she related to it.

“I don't think I would ever want to be anypony other than myself.”

“That's because you aren't royalty.” Blueblood scoffed. “I know it's your dream to marry into royalty, but take it from me, you're not missing out on much. You can easily make the money to live luxuriously with your fashion work and you don't have to meet anypony’s expectations but your own.” Rarity was thankful the prince couldn't see it, but she actually blushed from the prince's compliment.

“Thank you, darling. You know, for what it's worth, I think you have grown into a much better stallion than you were at the start of our misadventures.” She said, wanting to return the gesture. Words couldn't express how much these words warmed Blueblood's heart. He didn't know how to respond and his loss of words was making him feel very awkward and he became so flustered that he didn't see that he was walking right into a wall.

“Ow!” He cried out, rubbing his nose. Rarity chuckled.

“What’s wrong, Prince Blueblood? I thought you knew these tunnels like the back of your hoof.” Blueblood gave her an annoyed look.

“Well I will let you know that I have just bumped into the exit we need to enter Golden’s room unnoticed.” The stallion pushed on a stone on the wall and the wall in front of them opened and they stepped through the hole, right into the halls of Canterlot Castle. Rarity looked around in awe. She had never actually been inside the castle itself and the sight made her nothing short of euphotic. Blueblood saw that she was about to squeal and quickly covered her mouth.

“Allow me to remind you that we are supposed to be undercover here.” Rarity quickly took the hint and blushed in embarrassment before nodding sheepishly. The two slowly made their way towards Golden Platter’s room. To their surprise, they found that it wasn’t locked. They stepped inside and looked around.

“Something about this doesn’t feel right.” Rarity said. “Where are the guards? Not that I would like to run into them dressed like this.” She pointed to her black leather outfit. “Not that I wouldn’t like to show off my newest work, but it would be suspicious under the current circumstances.”

“Yes, I understand.” Blueblood said in an attempt to cut off her ranting. “Now that your friend has Golden occupied, we’ll have time to search this room thoroughly. You search the closet, I’ll cover the room itself. Rarity nodded and headed to Golden’s closet. Being the fashionista she was, she was instantly enamored with how spacious it was. Even her own closet back at the boutique wasn’t this big. And the clothes were the finest pieces of fabrics her eyes ever landed on.

She felt giddy just looking at them before reminding herself that she was on a mission. “Focus, Rarity! You’re not here to gawk. No matter how fabulous these clothes are.” Her eyes filled with sparks as she looked at them over one more time. “And they are really fabulous.” She reached out to touch one of them before snapping out of her awe and shaking her head. “No! Bad Rarity! Eyes on the prize!”

Meanwhile, Blueblood was searching the room. He didn’t find anything the last time, but maybe he will be lucky and Golden had moved a few items around since he was last here.Or maybe he would stumble upon some hidden area in the room that would lead him to his false friend’s secret supervillain lair. Or maybe…

…or maybe Golden would be stupid enough to leave his journal wide open on his desk. Blueblood picked it up and began to read it. His eyes widened. He wrote in detail about how he set up the date between him and Rarity, Bloodsport’s ambush and how frustrated he was when the moron failed and the prince came back alive.

He just hit the jackpot. Surely this will be enough to expose Golden for the traitor he was. He slammed it shut and was about to go straight to his aunt’s room, when he was stopped by Rarity who exited the closet.

“There’s nothing in there!” She told him. “I found the box you were talking about, but it was empty. No costume.”

“I don’t understand.” Blueblood said as he put a hoof to his chin. “Why would he take it if he’s out on a date?”

“Did you find anything?” Rarity asked. Blueblood showed her the journal.

“Yeah, everything’s in here. Come on, let’s take it to my aunt.” But Rarity wasn’t so sure.

“There’s something suspicious here.” She said, pulling him back. “No guards, he leaves his journal out in the open, his costume is missing. It almost feels like this is a…”

“Trap?” Blueblood and Rarity jumped in surprise and turned to see Golden Platter standing at the door dressed in his Dark Archer costume complete with a quiver and Blueblood’s golden bow. At his hooves, was the tied, unmoving figure of Pristine Parfait. “You’re smarter than you look, miss Rarity. I don’t know why you settled for him.” He snarled, pointing at Blueblood. Rarity’s eyes widened upon seeing her friend’s body.

“Pristine! What have you done to her, you scoundrel?!”

“I must admit, the idea of spending the night with her was certainly tempting, but contrary to popular belief, I don’t always think with my nether region. I immediately recognised her as your top model and when I heard that Blueblood was missing, it didn’t take long to connect the dots. It was a good plan, but you could have sent somepony with no ties to you. Maybe I would have fallen for it.” Blueblood narrowed his eyes at the earth pony.

“It’s over, Golden.” He said, lifting his journal. “I have proof that you’re a two-faced backstabber. You’ll be lucky if you only get a life sentence.”

“Blueblood, weren’t you listening?” Golden retorted in amusement. “Then again, you were never too hot at listening to anypony other than yourself. This trap is for you, not me.” He then pulled out a rope and tossed it in front of them. “Now tie your little marefriend up.” He said, loading an arrow into the bow and aiming it at Pristine’s head. “Or she gets it.”

Blueblood and Rarity looked at each other before looking back at Pristine. They tried to think of a way to save her but couldn’t come up with any. Blueblood had no arrows to intercept Golden’s and he would fire immediately if he saw his horn glow. Rarity thought she could use her wail to incapacitate him, but what if the arrow he holds goes loose and hits Pristine? She couldn't risk it. In the end, they resigned themselves to Golden’s game.

Golden watched with a satisfied grin as his ‘friend’ picked up the rope with his magic and tied it around Rarity’s legs and body. Golden then reached into his suit and pulled out a magic repressor before tossing it to Blueblood who quickly got the hint and put it onto Rarity’s horn. Golden then pointed at the closet door with his bow and Blueblood carried Rarity inside before doing the same to Pristine. Golden then locked the closet door and turned to Blueblood.

“Let’s take a walk.” The two hooded stallions exited the room and walked down corridors towards the gardens. Golden was slightly behind Blueblood as he kept pointing his arrow at the prince’s flank and urging him to move on.

“Why, Golden?” Blueblood asked the question that’s on his mind ever since he found out Golden was trying to get him killed. “We grew up together. We were practically brothers.”

“Hardly.” Golden sneered. “Did it ever occur to you why your parents took me in after my family lost everything? My mother’s only wish was that they will look after me after they have taken away every bit of their fortune and lands! Your family destroyed mine, brother! All my life, I’ve been driven only by my desire to see you pay for the sins of your parents!”

Blueblood was shocked. Surely Golden was lying. He wanted to turn back to him and scream at him that he did not believe a single word he was saying. But he did know that Golden’s family lost everything and had to leave Canterlot, leaving Golden behind who was taken in by his parents when they saw how close they were. And he also knew that his parents didn’t exactly have the most honorable reputation among the Canterlot Elite. As much as he hated to admit it, the idea of them being the ones who ruined Golden’s family was not a far-fetched one.

When they arrived at the secret garden they used to practice their archery almost every day. Blueblood remembered all the time Golden was so clumsy with his arrows. Of course, now he wondered whether those were actually accidents at all.

“It seems I’m not the only one of us who can play a role well.” Blueblood remarked dryly. Golden chuckled.

“True enough. It wasn’t easy to practice my own fighting and archery skills without you noticing. It also wasn’t easy to restrain myself to put an arrow between your eyes earlier but I knew I had to wait for the right moment. I didn’t want to risk attracting any suspicion. And I also wanted to find an opportunity to beat you at your own game.” Blueblood raised a brow.

“You wanna challenge me to an archery contest?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Golden mused. “But there is a twist to it. There are only two targets in the arena.” He said as he walked directly in front of the prince. “You and me. And to make things more interesting, I have hidden several arrows in the garden. We're going to start without any ammunition. The better and more resourceful hunter wins.”

“And what if I won't play this twisted little game of yours?” Golden’s only answer was a diabolical grin.

“Then I'll kill your little crush.” The mention of any harm coming to Rarity instantly enraged Blueblood. He marched straight up to Golden and glared right into his face.

“If you so much as touch her with one hooftip…” He never got to finish his threat as Golden pushed him away with a hoof so hard he fell on his flank.

“Then what will you do, brother?” He snarled contemptuously. “Did you forget how easily I beat you back on the mercenary ship? If your marefriend didn't save you, I would have killed you then and there!” Blueblood groaned before getting up. He had to face it that his only way of getting himself and Rarity out of this was to play Golden’s game.

“Now that I have your attention…” Golden continued. “...let me tell you a fun fact. Do you remember all those Robin Hoof stories your mother always read to you? Do you know why they stopped making them? Well, the creators ran out of ideas and they decided to have the noble hero meet a heroic end by a nemesis they created for him. Do you know who that nemesis was?” Golden then pointed to his dark suit. “His name was Neighcoln Marelin, The Dark Archer. So since you loved those stories so much, I decided this would make a fitting end for you.” He then tossed Blueblood the golden bow before pulling out another one form his quiver. It was a similarly decorative bow of black and dark purple colors with Nightmare Moon’s figure serving as the handle and her two wings being the two end that held the string between them. “Are you ready?” Blueblood narrowed his eyes at him.

“You will be disappointed to find that our story will have a very different ending.” He snarled. hanging the bow onto his shoulder.

“I doubt it. Golden scoffed. “I’m gonna give you a one minute head start. I would use it wisely.” He then pulled out a smoke bomb and smashed it into the ground, disappearing in a huge cloud of smoke. Blueblood could barely jump back in time to avoid inhaling it in When he looked up, the Dark Archer was nowhere to be seen. “The hunt is on.” He heard his echoing voice that sounded like it was coming from every direction. “Run, little lamb.”





Rarity struggled with all her might, but she couldn’t break out of the ropes tying her hooves together. For all the things Bluelbood was lacking, tying knots just had to be one thing he excelled at. And with the magic repressor at her horn, she couldn't use her magic either. She felt completely helpless. None of her fighting skills, not even her wail would be able to get her out of this mess. Her only hope was that Blueblood would be able to handle Golden by himself and she didn't have particularly much faith on that front.

“Oh, what am I going to do?!” She moaned before hanging her head in defeat and dropped herself back on the ground. Unless some miracle happened, her fate looked rather bleak. Little did she know, that miracle was closer than she would have ever hoped.

“Well, you could start by quitting your moping and stay still while I undo that knot.” Rarity looked up to see Pristine Parfait standing over her, free of the ropes that restrained her.

“Pristine” She screamed in shock. “How did you…”

“Honey, this isn't the first time I had to escape from bondage and I assure you it won't be the last.” Pristine waved her surprise off as she freed Rarity and removed the magic reoressor form her horn. “Now we'll just have to get out of here.” Rarity smirked.

“I can handle that.” She said, motioning for Pristine to stand back. She then walked up to the door and pulled out a needle from a pocket on her jacket and picking the lock of the closet door open. “So many ponies sleep on the many practical uses of a needle.” Rarity noted as they ran out of the closet. “Now let's go!”

“I don't think so!” Rarity and Pristine jumped as they found themselves facing two royal guards. “You're not going anywhere, thieves!” A gray unicorn cried. “Lord Golden Platter told us you could try to escape, but not as long as we are here!”

“Pardon me, darling, but did you just say you are here on the behalf of Golden Platter?” Rarity asked in her usual ladylike tone.

“The pony you are just trying to rob? Who else would have put us here to guard you?” The guard yelled back. Rarity cracked her hooves and flashed them an evil grin that would have made the Joker blush.

“That’s all I needed to know.” She knew these guards were merely following their orders, but as long as they were Golden’s orders, they were his accomplices and as such they were perfect for her to take some of her frustration out on.

Rarity jumped forward, doing a somersault and kicking the stallion in the chin with her hind legs. She then swept the forelegs of the other stallion out from under him, making him fall forward and hitting his head on the floor. Rarity then sprung up and bashed his head into the floor again, knocking him out. Pristine watched the violent display in astonishment. She never knew Rarity had it in her.

“Wow. Remind me never to get on your bad side.” Rarity ignored the comment and looked around the room. Fortunately, Golden’s journal was still on his desk. He probably didn’t expect her to escape.

“Got it!” She exclaimed as she picked it up. “We have to get this to the princess!” She told Pristine, dragging herself out of the room with her. On the corridor, another nasty surprise awaited them as they ran into another group of guards, about a dozen of them who immediately surrounded them.

“Uh, I don’t suppose you can kung hoof your way out of this situation as well.” Pristine asked nervously.

“Perhaps I could but I’d rather not test that right now.” She replied before shoving the journal into the other mare’s hoof. “Cover your ears.” Pristine just stared at her in confusion.

“What?”

“I will help you get through them. Cover your ears and run as fast as you can!” Rarity didn’t wait for a confirmation that she understood or not. She took a deep breath and released a huge scream at the stallions surrounding her. The wail she released was so loud that it released sonic waves that knocked the guards back, shattered the glass and the vases around her and even turned a few smaller items over.

Pristine didn’t cover her ears as soon as Rarity warned her and she instantly regretted it. When she finally did, she took off running through the stallions who were busy protecting their eardrums as well as they could. The soundwaves Rarity created actually gave her a boost, pushing her down the corridor as she sprinted towards the princess’ quarters.

Rarity watched her go and once she was out of her sight, she stopped wailing. Happily so as she wasn't sure how much longer her throat and lungs could have lasted. She exhausted them but she wasn't done. The guards slowly recovered and judging from the looks on their faces, they weren't going to settle on detaining her this time around.

One of them pulled out a spear and charged at Rarity with a roar, but the mare jumped out of the way in time and using the guard's own momentum against him, she slammed him head first into the wall. She then picked up the spear and raised it in front of herself defensively.

The guards were not deterred though. Two of them threw themselves at her, believing they can easily overpower her, but that belief was quickly shattered when Rarity began twirling the spear around and bashing them in the muzzle repeatedly until they were out cold.

Suddenly, Rarity felt the spear beginning to fly out of her grasp and looked down to see it surrounded by a green magical aura. One of the unicorn guards was trying to take it from her with his magic and she quickly realized she was losing this fight.

“You want it? Be my guest!” She said, throwing the spear at the unicorn and managing to pierce him in the shoulder. Her moment of triumph was short lived though as an earth pony guard grabbed her from behind. She struggled to break free but the stallion was much stronger than her. She had only one choice. She pressed her hind legs together before raising them high in the air and flinging them back and hitting the stallion right in the family jewels. That did the trick. He let go of Rarity, leaving her free to knock his lights out.

“You would think they'd have protective armor down there too.” Rarity remarked before shrugging. “Oh, well.” Her casual attitude was swiftly swept aside when she saw an arrow fly past her head. She turned to see two more guards at the end of the corridor aiming crossbows at her. Rarity did her best to dodge them but even her reflexes weren't that fast. One of the arrows managed to chip off a lock of her mane and as Rarity watched the purple lock slowly fall onto the floor, something inside her snapped.

“My mane!” She screamed. “You fiends! Do you have any idea how expensive my manedresser is?!” This was it! No more Miss Nice Mare! Rarity ran behind the cover of a desk her wail knocked over earlier and picked it up with her magic. Using it as a shield, she ran at the firing guards, tackling both of them and pushing them against the wall. She then pulled the table back and slammed it against the two guards repeatedly until her rage abated.

“Who's next?!” The remaining guards looked at each other nervously before charging at her at the same time. They surrounded her, trying to intimidate her into submission but it was a futile attempt. Rarity saw one of them holding a spear which she pulled away from him before stabbing it into the floor and twirling around it, kicking all the guards in the muzzle with her hind legs and sending them to the ground.

“You owe me a trip to the best stylist in Canterlot after this.” She told the groaning ponies on the floor, flicking her mane stylishly.

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” A loud, booming voice echoed through the corridor that could rival her own wail. Rarity turned to see the two princesses, Celestia and Luna standing at the end of the corridor with a very intimidated looking Pristine Parfait next to them with Golden’s journal still in her hooves.

The princesses examined the scene thoroughly, looking at the mess Rarity's wail has made, the injured guards moaning on the floor and finally the costumed mare in the middle of the hallway. They narrowed their eyes at her and Rarity found herself gulping nervously.

“Uh… Good evening… your hignesses…”





Blueblood was making his way through the lush vegetation of the huge gardens as quickly as he could, looking out for any arrows Golden might have hidden along the way. He found one sticking out of the dead body of a small yellow bird. He doubted it was the same bird Rarity befriended on the island they escaped from but it was probably symbolic of the canary motif the mare had.

Another one was stuck inside a used target that was left lying there. He had to be really careful not to break it as he pulled it out. A third one he found accidentally as he ran through a pile of leaves and was lucky enough to step on it.

As he ran, he stopped every five seconds to take a look around. He knew Golden gave him a minute head start, but he was so focused in looking around for arrows that he lost his track of time just seconds after the hunt began. He couldn't see him anywhere but that didn't do much to reassure him. In his dark suit, he blended in perfectly with the night. Even if he was there, he wouldn't be able to see him.

So instead, he kept searching for more arrows. While he couldn't find any, one did find him as he suddenly felt a burning pain in his shoulder and he collapsed to the ground with a scream. He looked to see an arrow sticking out of the wound, which thankfully wasn't too deep. His costume was thick enough to prevent the arrow from going deeper.

“Your one minute is up, brother!” Golden called out to him as he slowly emerged from the darkness. “And it seems that so is the rest of your time.” Blueblood just glared up at him as he tried to pull the arrow out of his shoulder.

“Non lethal shot. On purpose, I assume.” He snarled, finally managing to pull it out.

“Of course! Do you think I went through all this trouble just to put an arrow between your eyes and be done with it? No, I want to savour this moment!” Golden smirked maniacally. “So, get up, brother! Give me what I've been wanting all these years!”

“Coming right up, brother!” Blueblood yelled out before trying to surprise Golden by lunging at him and trying to stab him with the arrow, but Golden wasn't fooled. He spun around and kicked Blueblood right back to the ground.

“Going back down! You disappoint me.” The earth pony mused.

"Let's see how how much this disappoints you!” Blueblood groaned in pain as he loaded the arrow he was holding into his own bow and fired it at Golden. He managed to catch him off guard this time and hit him in the foreleg, making him fall down. By the time he removed the arrow and got up Blueblood was gone.

“Oh, no, brother!” Golden snarled. “Your head start is over. No more hide and seek.” He knew Blueblood was injured so all he had to do was follow the blood trail. But Golden got in over his head. Blueblood learned how to survive in the jungle on the island and he would use that to his advantage. Golden wasn't the hunter, he was the quarry. He just didn't know it yet.

Blueblood picked up some leaves from the ground to conceal the blood trail he left behind. He managed to buy himself enough time to get away unnoticed but most importantly, the tables have turned. He still had Golden in his sight and now it was his turn to strike.

But he won't do it just yet. Golden wants to beat him at his own game and Blueblood is not going to give him that satisfaction. The arrogant bastard already think he won and he was gonna let him keep believing that.

He looked up at the tree he was hiding behind and saw some vines hanging off of it. He tore them off and used them to tie two of his collected arrows together. He then loaded them into his bow and fired them at Golden, tying up the shocked earth pony and piercing him against a tree.

Golden struggled to get out of the trap, but Blueblood tied them well. Eventually, he realised they won't come lose so he used the sharp edges of his bow to cut himself loose. He then headed straight into the direction where the arrows came from, loading one of his own into his own bow. He looked around, trying to locate Blueblood but that was when he felt something tighten around one of his hindlegs.

Before he knew it, a rope trap made from the vines hanging from the tree lifted him upside down. He was so shocked that he dropped his bow to the ground, leaving him unarmed for the time being. Blueblood casually walked out of the bushes and picked it up with his magic before breaking it in too.

“Now who's the lamb?” He scoffed. But to his surprise, Golden only smirked.

“Still you, brother.” He then flung his upper body up and grabbed onto the vine before using it to climb up to the top of the tree, disappearing between the branches. Blueblood cursed under his breath and reached for his last remaining arrow, but before he could load it into his bow, he heard a loud snap from the top of the tree and the same vine he used to trap Golden flew towards him, wrapped itself around his bow and yanked it away from him.

The next thing he knew, Golden jumped down in front of him with another arrow pointed straight at him. Blueblood's eyes widened in fright as he used his magic to pick up the reamins of Golden’s bow and hurl it at the earth pony just in time to throw his aim off enough for the arrow to miss.

Blueblood bolted off again but Golden didn't bother chasing him at full speed. He was now both armless and helpless so he didn't have to hurry. He completely sealed the garden off. There was no escape for him. He would die in this place. And since he was still bleeding, he even had a trail to him. This couldn't have gone any better.

He followed the blood and eventually, he saw the outlines of Blueblood's costume hiding between two trees. The fool couldn't even find a good hiding spot. Deciding to finally end this little game, he aimed his bow and fired the arrow at a point he knew would cause slow and painful lethal bleeding. However, when the arrow stuck, all he heard was a wooden thump.

“What?!” He exclaimed as he ran over to his target, on to see that it was merely a small bush in the shape of a pony with Blueblood's costume put on it. But Golden didn't have to search for the real Blueblood for long. From the pile of leaves by his hooves, a figure burst out and kicked his bow out of his hooves before tackling him on the ground. He caught the bow as it fell and aimed the arrow straight at Golden’s throat, leaving him unable to move without damaging himself.

“Game over, brother.” He spat at him viciously. Golden merely shot him a glare in response.

“Not over! Not by a long shot!” He started thinking up possible ways to get himself free, before another voice interrupted him.

“Oh, but it is.” Blueblood looked up in surprise to see his aunts standing a few meters away with Rarity and Pristine Parfait next to them.

“Rarity!” The prince exclaimed before getting off the other stallion and running up to the mare to embrace her. Rarity was caught off guard by the gesture, but to her surprise, she welcomed it and nuzzled against the stallion's chest. “I'm so glad you're alright!”

“So am I, darling! I didn't doubt you for a single second.” She assured him. Blueblood chuckled.

“But you did, didn't you?”

“Yes, I did.” Rarity admitted her lie without a hint of shame. “I doubted you a whole lot.” Blueblood couldn't care less. As long as he had the mare of his dreams next to her.

“Heh. I don't blame you.” Pristine rolled her eyes.

“Get a room, you two!”

“Oh, like you're one to talk.” Rarity retorted playfully. Unknown to the trio, Golden watched the reunion from afar and picked up Blueblood's discarded bow that still had the arrow in it. He aimed at Rarity and let the arrow fly. If he couldn't kill Blueblood, he'd at settle for taking his love away from him. Blueblood turned just in time to see what was happening and jumped in front of Rarity, but fortunately, his sacrifice wouldn't be necessary tonight.

Just before reaching Blueblood, the arrow stopped mid-air, covered in a bright golden glow. Everypony turned to see Princess Celestia using her magic to stop the arrow before disintegrating it.

“I do not think so.” She spoke sternly before summoning a barrier around the defeated stallion. “Lord Golden Platter, consider yourself under arrest.” She said, full of authority as two of her guards came up to take Golden into custody. Celestia lowered the barrier, but before the guards could take him, Luna stepped forward.

“Leave this one to me instead, sister. I have the perfect place for him.” Celestia considered her sister's request for a few moments before nodding and lowering her barrier for Luna who summoned dark purple restraints around Golden’s hooves and led him away.

“And I believe this belongs to me.” Blueblood said as he went to pick up his golden bow. “Reunited at last, my precious.” He cooed as he nuzzled the bow before noticing the odd looks he was getting from the mares and stopping with a sheepish grin. Fortunately, before Rarity or Pristine could comment on it, Celestia cleared her throat.

“Are you alright, nephew?” She asked with her features softening considerably. Blueblood hung his head sadly.

“Physically? I'll be fine. But in spirit, I'm a wreck. I never thought Golden would do this to me. I thought I had at least one friend.” Celestia and Rarity looked at him sympathetically and nuzzled him in an effort to comfort him.

“I know it's small comfort, but with the evidence against him provided by these two lovely mares, you won't have to worry about him ever again.” The princess said. “I would say that means you've traded a false friend for two true ones. And that should be a cause for joy.” Blueblood was about to say that he hoped Rarity would be more than just his friend, but he stopped himself just in time. But Pristine spoke for him.

“Friends? I thought you two were…” Before she could finish, Rarity used her magic to shut her mouth.

“Anyway,” Celestia spoke. “I believe you all had a very exhausting day. Miss Rarity and Miss Parfait are more than welcome to reside in our guest rooms for the night.” The two mares could barely contain their joy upon hearing that. “As for you nephew, please follow me to my study before you retire for the night.” Blueblood nodded before quickly taking hold of Rarity's hoof and kissing it, bidding her goodnight before taking off after his aunt.

Celestia walked up to a huge hedge and used her magic to lower it, revealing one of the secret tunnels. Blueblood smiled knowingly.

“You knew, didn't you?” He mused. “You've been knowing all of this.” Celestia turned back to him with an innocent look on her face.

“I did not have a clue.” She answered before heading down the tunnel. Blueblood merely chuckled.

“Never change, aunt Tia.” Celestia's story about not knowing about the tunnels was further disproven as they exited a door that lead directly into her study. The alicorn took a seat behind her desk and Blueblood stood in front of it.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Celestia looked at him stoically for a few moments before smiling proudly.

“First of all, let me tell you how proud I am.” She said on a motherly tone. “You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this to happen.” Blueblood just stared at her blankly.

“You have been waiting for me to be the victim of an attempted assassination by my best friend?” Celestia laughed.

“Of course, not! But during these past few days, you have demonstrated more nobility than you ever have before!” She explained. “You helped those ponies the mercenaries kidnapped from your yacht, you aided Miss Rarity and you were ready to put yourself in mortal danger to protect her. You acted like a true prince ever since you met her. Dare I say, a true hero.”

“Aww, aunty, you make me blush.” Blueblood said sarcastically, feeling rather awkward from this conversation.

“Well, it’s true. She’s been having a most positive influence on you. She’s just the kind of mare you would need by your side.” Celestia told him suggestively. Blueblood rolled his eyes.

“Aunty, matchmaking is Cadence’s thing. And I really hope you kept me from my bed for more than just voicing your approval of my possible new relationship.” Celestia’s face hardened.

“Indeed. Since Golden Platter turned out to be a traitor of the highest kind, I’m going to need your testimony as well as everything else you can provide to aid his prosecution.” She answered as she pulled out a quill and a piece of paper. “It is an arduous process and I would rather get it done now than later.” Blueblood sighed. That was a grave matter indeed and despite just having made an attempt on his life and threatened the mare of his affections, he was still the pony he spent his entire foalhood with while growing up. Even if it was all a lie, he still didn’t want him to receive the harshest punishment.

“What will happen to him?”

“If you recall, my sister said that she had the perfect place for him. I may have an idea about what that entails, but I’m afraid I cannot reveal that to you. It is a state secret of the highest classification.” Blueblood didn’t know what could be so important about Golden’s punishment that it had to be classified a state secret, but at the moment, he didn’t really care either. He gave Celestia Golden’s journal and his testimony before heading towards the exit, but he stopped as an idea struck him.

“Is something wrong, nephew?” Celestia asked upon his sudden halt.

“No, it’s just… does Cadence still need a designer for her wedding dress?”





The next morning, Rarity woke up after a very long and very reinvigorating sleep. She’s had a very tough day and she needed the rest, but the luxurious room she slept in also helped a lot. She got out of the bed and made herself presentable. She was a guist in the royal palace of Canterlot, she couldn’t wear her Black Canary suit - a name she gave it in honor of her little bird friend - in public.

Fortunately, since no fashionista worth her salt goes anywhere without spare dresses and she quickly found one just right. It was a navy blue dress with a large turquoise skirt and matching glass slippers. A gown worthy of the Grand Galloping Gala itself if she said so herself. She then made her way to the corridor and bumped straight into Blueblood.

“Oh, my apologies, Miss Rarity.” The prince said, uncharacteristically politely. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

“It is quite alright.” Rarity replied. The awkward silence that descended upon them was quickly becoming unbearable and Rarity was the first one to break it. “Say, I was about to make my way to the royal gardens to bring a large flower bouquet to the hospital wing for the guards I had put there last night.” She said in embarrassment. “Would you like to accompany me?” Blueblood’s face immediately lit up.

“I would love to. And perhaps we could have breakfast together?” Rarity was uncertain if she shouéd accept. She wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to give a romantic relationship another chance, but what could be the harm in a simple breakfast?

“That sound nice, darling. I accept.” Blueblood grinned brighter than he ever did in his life. He vowed to himself that he would not mess things up this time. As the two ponies made their way towards the garden, she came across none other than Princess Celestia who greeted them with a warm smile.

“Good morning, nephew. Miss Rarity.” Blueblood simply greeted her with a nod of his head but Rarity bowed down so deeply her nose touched the floor.

“Your royal highness!” She groveled, trying to prevent herself from squealing in excitement. “I am so humbled to be her and be graced by your presence.” Celestia just smiled at her words, but Blueblood rolled his eyes.

“Oh, cut it, Miss Rarity! Aunty Tia hates these formalities! Isn’t that right, aunty?” Rarity was aghast and embarrassed that Blueblood would talk like that to the Princess of the Sun, but Celestia merely chuckled.

“It is true. I do prefer the directness of my little ponies. Stand up, Miss Rarity. I have a question for you.” Rarity was quite surprised by this.

“Of course, Princess! Ask whatever you want.”

“My nephew tells me that you are the most talented dressmaker in Equestria.” Rarity looked at Blueblood who looked away, trying to look innocent. As flattering as it was, she didn’t want others to write checks she couldn’t cash.

“Well… I try…” She muttered humbly. “Do you perhaps need a new dress?”

“Not me, but my niece is getting married soon and she hasn’t found anypony to make her dress yet. So I was wondering if you could…” She was interrupted by a loud thud on the floor. Rarity had apparently fainted, much to the two royal ponies' concern. “Uh… Miss Rarity?”

“Me?!” Rarity squealed as she sprung up from the floor with stars in her eyes. “Design a dress for a royal wedding?! I… I…” Rarity couldn't form words. This was a dream job for any fashion designer.

“Well, if you accept that is.” Celestia replied. “I don’t want to burden you with anything you don’t want to…”

“Are you kidding?!” Rarity screamed, completely forgetting her manners. “Of course I accept!” She yelled as she began to bounce around happily not unlike a certain pink party pony in Ponyville. Blueblood was becoming a little embarrassed by it to be honest, but Celestia didn’t seem to mind.

“Splendid!” The princess cheered. “Well then, I won’t disturb your morning any longer. We can discuss the details later. Good day!” She said before walking off. Rarity kept bouncing around for a few more seconds before coming to a halt next to Blueblood and embracing him.

“THANK YOU!” She screamed before pulling the stallion in for a kiss. Blueblood’s eyes widened. It felt even better than he ever dared to imagine. He was uncertain if he should kiss back but before he could decide, Rarity came to her senses and pulled away.

“Hehe…” She chuckled nervously with a blush. “Anyway, shall we proceed to the garden?”

“Uh, sure…” Blueblood said, still under the spell of that kiss. “Let us go…”

As the two ponies walked down the corridor, they suddenly passed Blueblood’s maid, Scarlet Feather, who looked like she was having a very bad morning. Blueblood smiled as he pulled out an envelope from his vest.

“What is that?” Rarity asked curiously. “Another gift perhaps?” Blueblood chuckled at her excitement. It was honestly very cute.

“Yes, but this isn’t for you.” He then turned to the maid. “Scarlet! Could you come over here please?” Scarlet turned around and looked at the Prince in shock. Did Blueblood just ask her to come to him politely? And he said please to her? What planets had to align to make this happen?

“Yes, your highness?”

“You have been the best and most hard working maid I could have asked for, Scarlet.” Blueblood said, offering her the envelope. “I know I haven’t always been the easiest master and I made this job a lot more difficult for you than it should be. So I have something for you to show you my appreciation.”

Scarlet was uncertain, but she took the envelope anyway. It had to be a pretty big paycheck to make all the crap he made her go through worth it. But when she opened it, she found something even better.

“FULLY PAID LESSONS IN THE BEST DANCE SCHOOL IN CANTERLOT?!!” Her scream made both Rarity and Blueblood cover their ears, but they still rang a little when they opened them.

“Uh… yes.” Blueblood said after rubbing his ears for a few seconds. “I know how much you complain for missing out on dance school to come and work here in the palace, so I thought:” He didn’t get to finish as the maid pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you!” She repeated over and over as she tightened her grip on him. It was rather painful and Blueblood was worried that Rarity might get the wrong idea. But when he looked at her and saw the loving look she gave him upon seeing his generosity, he felt like it was worth it.

And maybe, just maybe, the warm feeling in his chest fueled by the maid’s happiness and knowing that he was the cause of it also helped.





Golden Platter’s plan fell apart in the most spectacular way imaginable. It was supposed to be so simple. After that moron, Bloodsport failed to do the one thing he paid him for, he took it upon himself to finish the job. He was superior to Blueblood in every way. He was stronger, smarter, a better fighter and a better archer.

And yet, fortune favored the accursed prince yet again. His arrogance caused his downfall and Blueblood capitalised on it perfectly. Now he found himself sitting in a cell in Princess Luna's prison facility, stripped of his status, his money, his influence and his whole life. While the stallion whose family ruined his life continued to live the good life with the mare he loved and finally gaining Celestia's approval. It made Golden’s blood boil.

And to add insult to injury, he had a cellmate. None other than the incompetent mercenary who couldn't kill the pompous jerk her hired him to kill. Rapid DoBad sat on a bed on the other side of the cell staring at him mockingly. Everypony knew what he was in for, including him and he just had to get him as a cellmate. Golden knew that Princess Luna was having a laugh at his expense somewhere right now.

“So, Lord Golden,” The mercenary quipped. “I don't suppose you want a refund.”

“I would if I was still out.” He responded. “I thought you were the best, Bloodsport. Turns out, I was wrong. Should have went after my target myself.”

“Well from what I've heard, you didn't do much better yourself.” The unicorn laughed. “If you need fighting lessons, just let me know.” Golden didn't get a chance to respond as their cell door was suddenly opened. A group of guards entered carrying restraints and a leash.

“Prisoners 034 and 037. You are to report to a special evaluation process under Princess Luna's orders.”

The two stallions shared a confused look. What could the Princess of the Night possibly want with them? The guards led them to a room with nothing but a table in the middle and three seats around it. One of them was occupied by a white earth pony with gray mane wearing a tuxedo. When he saw the two prisoners being led to him, motioned for the guards to leave.

“Thank you. I will take it from here.”

“No can do, sir.” The leader of the guards shook his head. “Prison procedure says that guards must be present in the room during sessions with prisoners. These are dangerous individuals.” The earth pony just gave an unamused look in response.

“I believe Princess Luna's orders override any procedure in Equestria. What I am about to discuss with these prisoners is top secret. Now if you please…” The guard was obviously not pleased, but it wasn't like he could do much about it.

“Fine. Your funeral.” He said before leaving with his comrades. The two prisoners sat down in front of the earth pony who pulled out a pen and a clipboard.

“Good morning, gentlecolts. My name is Jean Jeans. I am Princess Luna's assistant and I am here to interview you for her highness’ Project X.”