Plans
He was dead.
He had to be. He felt nothing; his body was lighter than air. All he could see was blackness, a thick blackness that enveloped his entire body.
And yet he could hear voices. Angels? No, he would never be in a place where there were angels. He had been abandoned long ago, and he wasn't sure if the devil would have him either.
Then he felt the pain. It shot through his body like lightening; a searing wrenching pain that caused him to hiss and groan in agony.
The voices that were mere murmurs came to a stop, then he heard the sound of hooves shuffling around him and felt something cold touch his forehead. He was alive? Impossible! And yet his eyes began to flutter ever so softly and he could see the dim candlelight shining through the darkness.
Where was he? He heard one voice...a strange voice, a mare's voice, call out to somepony. He felt a small soft hoof touch his arm, then move to his forehead to lift the cool object and brush it across his cheeks.
His cheeks! His face was exposed! His mask was gone!
Discord bolted upright to Fluttershy's great surprise, his eyes wide and crazed, his muscles tense, and his right paw quickly moving to cover his exposed cheek.
"WHERE'S MY MASK?"
"Calm down, please-"
"GIVE ME MY DAMN MASK! GIVE IT TO ME NOW!"
Fluttershy stood her ground despite every fiber of her being telling her to flee. She had seen the wrath of this creature, it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. He could kill her if he wished it, and she knew there was a delicate strand between sanity and madness with him. She was walking that strand and it was in danger of breaking.
"Please, you must lie down, the bandage is still fresh, it could break-"
Discord released his scarred face and grasped her arm in a powerful death-like grip. "Give...me...my...mask!" he hissed between each word, his amber eyes like molten lava, burning through her own.
He twisted her arm ever so slightly to show her he meant business. Fluttershy bit her lip in an attempt to show him she didn't feel the pain he was causing her. Reasoning was going to be impossible. "Shortround!" she called out. The stallion appeared from the other side of the room. He had retreated there when he heard Discord's angry command. "Give your master his mask," she told him.
Shortround looked at Fluttershy for a long moment then glanced at his master. A few hours ago Fluttershy had stormed through one of the Opera House's secret entrances with Discord bleeding in a wheelbarrow. She announced what had happened and that he needed medical attention right away. However, calling for a doctor was out of the question, as Fluttershy soon learned after Rainbow Dash fled down one of the dark passages and Derpy calmed down from her panicking. She and the others had to take things into their own hooves; remove the bullet, stitch up the wound, and somehow bring his fever down. To do this, his shirt and mask had to be removed. "It's alright Shortround," Fluttershy whispered.
Shortround shuffled forward and held the mask out to his master. Discord moved quickly, grabbing the mask and then shoving Shortround aside. "NEVER ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN!" he roared at the trembling man.
"There's no need for that!" Fluttershy shouted in Shortround's defense.
Discord turned to the mare, his eyes wide with shock at the tone of her voice. Who did she think she was? SHE WAS HIS PRISONER! SHE HAD NO RIGHT TO-
A burst of pain split through his chest and he found himself collapsing back against the plush Persian pillows on his bed. "See? You need to calm yourself or you're going to make it worse!" Fluttershy scolded, gently dabbing at the bandage which was beginning to seep blood again. "Shortround, find Rarity and tell her I need fresh bandages." The dwarf nodded his head and quickly shuffled his way out of the room.
Discord winced with pain and moved his paw to his chest. "W-w-w-what's...w-w-what's happened to me?"
Fluttershy bit her lip and gently brought a cool wet cloth to Discord's chest to dab at the blood. "You don't remember?"
Discord growled his frustration. "Now if I did, do you think I would be asking you such a question?" he barked, before hissing in a breath as the pain swept his chest again. "I...I remember you running away!" he groaned.
Fluttershy ignored his sarcasm. "You were shot-"
"What?" Discord stared at Fluttershy in disbelief. He had no memory of being shot! When did this happen? And then...slowly, like ripples in a pool, it came back to him. The ponies he fought in the ally, and the donkey, Cranky Doodle. He had the mare by the hair, threatening to kill her. He had a pistol, and Discord remembered "removing" the pistol from Doodle the only way he knew best. But everything after that...was darkness.
"He...he tried to kill you," Fluttershy explained, gently dabbing at the wound. "He missed just barely."
Discord groaned as she dabbed at the blood. "Seems to me he was right on target."
"You're very lucky," Fluttershy whispered. "The bullet didn't hit your lungs or your heart."
"Bravo to me," he muttered. "Perhaps it was not luck...simply the fact that Doodle is a very bad shot–AHHH!" he roared as she dabbed somewhat too roughly over his wound. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
Fluttershy jumped at the change of his tone, however her feelings towards the Phantom had changed since he first took her prisoner. Oh she despised him still, that had not changed, but her fear of him had melted, and now she found that he was not the fearsome creature he pretended to be, simply a spoiled creature who threw great tantrums when he did not have his way, be that with the opera itself, or anything. "I'm trying to help you," she hissed at him, feeling her patience waste away.
"Help me?" he asked menacingly. "I do not recall asking for your help...and it rather feels like you're trying TO KILL ME!" He collapsed back against the pillows as the pain seared through his body, sucking in sharp breaths and gritting his teeth.
"You need to lie still!" she ordered. "You already broke the previous stitches, and I've never sewn flesh together before, so they aren't the strongest. Please, just lie still." Discord watched her through narrow slits as he saw her prepare a needle, burning the tip in a candle flame before lacing thread through it.
"You will keep that thing away from me," he growled low and deep.
Fluttershy was not intimated at all. "Hold still; the sooner you let me do this, the sooner it will be over and I can leave you in peace."
She moved to pierce the area of the wound, but Discord would have none of it. He was wriggling away from her like a babe who didn't want his medicine, and when she finally was able to make contact, he gave a roar as he felt the needle prick his already painful wound. "GET YOUR HOOVES OFF ME!"
That was it; her patience was gone. He wanted a fight? He was going to get one. "Perhaps if you listened to me it wouldn't HURT!"
His eyes widened for a moment, shocked that not only had she raised her voice to him, but that she was not intimated by him at all. "Need I remind you..." he growled. "That if you had not run away...this whole thing would not have happened?"
Fluttershy's eyes went wide at his accusation. Was he truly blaming this whole ordeal on her? "Perhaps if you hadn't thrown a chair at my head I wouldn't have run away!" she snapped.
"WELL YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN IN MY CHAMBERS, LET ALONE REMOVE MY MASK!"
"DO NOT BLAME ME FOR THAT! THIS WHOLE THING COULD HAVE BEEN TRULY AVOIDED IF YOU HADN'T TAKEN ME PRISONER!"
"I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FORCED TO TAKE YOU PRISONER IF YOU HADN'T COME BELOW THE OPERA HOUSE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
"Both of you stop it at once!"
Fluttershy and Discord turned to see Rarity standing in the entryway of the bedchamber, holding a basket full of bandages and clean scraps of cloth. Derpy stood just behind her, hovering in the shadows, holding a hoof over her mouth to keep from making a sound. It appeared she was trying to stifle some giggles.
"Honestly, the two of you, behaving like little fillies!" Rarity scolded, coming around Discord's bedside and handing the basket to Fluttershy, who was now a deep shade of red. Discord simply laid there, sulking and biting his lip as he felt Rarity tut at him before proceeding to sew up the wound that Fluttershy had begun. "There," she said with satisfaction after she finished her work. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?" she asked her master. Discord didn't say a word, he simply frowned heavenward.
"I'll dress the wound," Fluttershy whispered, removing a clean bandage from the basket. She glanced at Discord who's eyes continued to look elsewhere. What was he thinking? Was he embarrassed by this whole incident? After all, the infamous Phantom of the Opera now did not come across as frightening as he had before. Did he truly blame her for all this? Fluttershy quickly shook her head, wondering why she found herself caring about such things.
Rarity's voice broke Fluttershy's thoughts. "I'll make you some tea, Master, and perhaps some soup?"
"No, no tea and no soup!" Discord growled. "I'm not a filly to be coddled! Just...get out, all of you..."
Rarity rolled her eyes and turned, tugging on Derpy's hoof. Fluttershy moved to finish the bandage, but Discord began to fidget beneath her hooves. "I told you to leave, I want to be left alone!"
"I'll leave you as soon as I'm finished with this," she whispered, gathering any patience she could find.
Discord groaned and continued to sulk. "Why?" he finally asked.
Fluttershy was thrown by his question and looked at him, feeling extremely confused. "Why what?"
He groaned with exasperation. "Why are you doing this? Why did you bring me back here? If I recall, you had escaped, was that not your plan?" He didn't need an answer, he knew that was her intention. "You were free, and after the...incident, shall we say, you were still free...yet you brought me back here; why? I do not understand and I demand an answer!" he growled, pounding one of his paw and claw hard on the mattress.
Fluttershy sighed and eased herself away from him, the wound now properly dressed with a new clean bandage. "You saved my life," she whispered. "I was...simply returning the favor."
Discord rolled his eyes and made a sound of great disdain. "Do not flatter yourself my dear," he scoffed. "I am no prince and this is no fairy tale; I merely pursued you because I can't take the risk of you telling others about my lair. If it were just me, I wouldn't care...but it's not just me, there are others that depend on me to keep them safe, and I will not have some...country chit ruin our lives!"
His words did the trick; Fluttershy could tell that the sting of his tongue had indeed affected the costume mare. There were tears pooling in her eyes, he could see them shimmering in the candlelight, and for a brief moment, he felt the pangs of regret for what he had said. Somewhere, deep within his chest, he felt a pang squeeze at him and fill him with guilt. He shook his head, believing it to be his recent wound.
Fluttershy refused to cry before him; she was not going to show him that he had any power over her, especially her emotions. "I share your opinion sir," she said icily, lifting her chin in defiance. "Believe me, I had no 'romantic notions' with your so-called rescue; you are far from being a prince, monsieur," she spat. She rose to her hooves and quickly turned on her heel to leave the chamber at once.
"Just one moment!" he shouted.
Fluttershy didn't know why, but she stopped, her back facing him. "Explain to me why you felt the so-called need to remove my mask...again," he muttered. "Did you want a better look at the monster beneath? Had not your eyes received a good enough look earlier?"
His tone was dripping with sarcasm, and while she did not turn to see him, she could picture a smirk on his face. If she could see it, she would march over to him and slap it right off. "I had to remove your mask so I could tend to the fever that was raging within you," she explained. There was silence again between them, and once again, Discord felt that odd feeling stir within him. He opened his mouth to say something, but her words took him by surprise. "And the true reason I brought you back was the same reason in which you pursued me," she turned to face him, the tears once again shining in her eyes. "Your servants, if that is what they are to you, have been the only ones who have shown me any ounce of kindness or understanding since I've been brought here," she spat. "I know that they depend on you for their safety, and truly, it was them that filled my mind when I brought you back here," she lied. Here words held some truth, she had thought of the Phantom's servants, if that was what they were to him. Yet they were not the only ones that filled her head when she was rushing him back to the Opera House.
Discord felt the feeling in his chest harden to ice at her words. He didn't know why he was upset, but he was. "Do not think about trying to escape again," he warned. "You were lucky last time that you weren't killed in one of my tunnels."
Fluttershy lifted her chin once more before turning on her heel and leaving. "Say what you will...but I've already proven monsieur that no cage you create can hold me if I so wish it."
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Blueblood was rubbing the bridge of his nose, preparing himself as his carriage slowly pulled up to the Maris Opera House. This was the last place he wanted to be.
His head was still pounding from the previous night's antics, and he knew once he set foot inside the damn place he would hear nothing but complaints and worries. It was customary, the day after an opera, for the managers to beg their most powerful patron to come and talk about the previous evening. Truth be told, the previous evening from a theatrical standpoint, had been a disaster. Blueblood was all too aware of this as several reviews in the morning paper did not feel the need to be tactful or kind. However, what did their reviews matter? The opening gala had been a success as far as he was concerned; the place had sold out, as were the next several operas. Besides, this was not the first time Fleur de Lis had performed badly, and still the tickets sold.
No, he knew all too well what would be on the managers lips the second they saw him, and his blood boiled at the very thought...
...the damn Phantom of the Opera.
Blueblood knew that ponies who worked in theater were a superstitious sort. He knew that before she performed,Fleur de Lis had a ritual she had to go through in order to prepare herself, even if it meant delaying the curtain from going up. Many of these superstitions were welcomed by the Prince; it was one way to lure unsuspecting dance and chorus mares into his bed. But this Phantom...of all the foolish things in the world to believe in...this Phantom irritated him beyond anything else.
For as long as Blueblood could remember, there were notes that the supposed Phantom had written, full of demands and directions for how the Opera House should be run. They were a complete joke of course, but they infuriated the Prince like nothing else. Why? Because Blueblood liked having complete control of everything in his life; his fortune, his mares, and his business ventures. The Opera House was one of his largest business ventures, and he would see it reach a success that no one thought possible. And that success would be entirely his own.
The so-called Phantom of the Opera represented someone who was outside his control, a nemesis that threatened the control he had over the Maris Opera House. How dare anyone else attempt to have power over his theater! Blueblood vowed that he would personally squash whoever was behind the mysterious "Phantom" notes like a roach beneath his boot.
"MONSIEUR BLUEBLOOD!" exclaimed both Flim and Flam as Blueblood entered their office. Just as he had suspected, they began to fill his ears with worries and concerns over the recent reviews in the morning papers, as well as inform him about the Phantom's threats and demands in their most recent letter.
Fleur de Lis was there as well, with Fancypants by her side attempting to win the heart she did not possess. She was too angry by the morning reviews to even attempt flirting with him. Blueblood knew that this would mean a much "longer" session in her dressing room in order to calm the vain prima donna down. What used to be pleasure was beginning to become a chore.
"AND THAT DAMN VIOLINIST! THIS IS ALL HIS FAULT! DID I NOT TELL YOU I NEED A VIOLIN TO PLAY BESIDE ME DURING THAT PARTICULAR SOLO? IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FOLLOW MY NOTES WITHOUT IT!" Fleur de Lis screamed at the managers, who simply stared at her wide-eyed.
"Senora, we tried to explain to you last night-"
"You two are idiots!" Fancypants snorted. "You run this theater do you not? You should have had a substitute at the very least for my beautiful Fleur de Lis-"
"Oh do shut up Fancypants!" Fleur de Lis screeched.
Blueblood rolled his eyes and removed the note from Flam's hoof and began to tear it up into little pieces, which caused the whole office to fall silent.
"D-d-do you think...t-t-that's wise monsieur?" Flam stammered, staring at the pieces of paper that fell to the floor.
"Flam," Blueblood groaned, "how many times have I told you both that THERE IS NO PHANTOM!" the two managers jumped from the Prince's sudden change of tone, which even surprised Blueblood himself, who normally kept a cool facade in his business matters. He ran a hoof through his blonde hair, smoothing it back and appearing calm and collected as he normally did. "From now on...we are going to treat these letters as they should have always been treated...as empty threats."
Flim paled at the Prince's words. "Empty threats? Monsieur, say what you will, but...well...strange things have occurred around here to...well...let us just say that it is not that difficult to believe that this place very well could be haunted-"
"Flim," Blueblood groaned, "you are a stallion in his prime, I believe you are a little old to be terrified of ghost stories." Flim turned a dark shade of pink before shutting his mouth and keeping it that way. Blueblood eyed both managers carefully to see that they would listen closely. "I want all letters by this supposed Phantom to be brought to me, and IGNORED, gentlecolts, from now on."
"But-"
"IGNORED, gentlecolts..." Blueblood repeated once more. The two managers glanced at one another and slowly nodded their heads in reluctant agreement.
Fleur de Lis rolled her eyes dramatically. "To hell with that! I need a new costume mare!"
Blueblood's attention changed immediately. "What do you mean, you need a new costume mare?" he demanded.
Fleur de Lis was shocked by his question at first, then pouted when she realized his sudden interest. "That mare I had before? I fired her!" she couldn't help but smile in triumph, especially as she watched Blueblood pale before her. That should teach him, she thought.
"WHAT?" Blueblood immediately calmed himself after taking a deep breath. Fleur de Lis stared at him with both shock and disgust. She knew all along that he wanted the little chit for his own "amusement". "Why did you fire her, my dear?" he knew he had to sweeten the mare. "Did she offend you my dear? Was she unkind to my star?"
That did some of the trick, for Fleur de Lis began to melt somewhat to his words. However, she kept a wary eye. "She struck me!" she pouted. "I have been able to cover up the bruise with powder, but...the ungrateful toad struck me! She is a violent little witch! I had to get rid of her!"
Blueblood had to summon all the will power he could in order to not burst out laughing at the thought of someone, especially someone as small as the costume mare, hitting Fleur de Lis hard enough that it would leave a bruise. That mare had done what he only dreamt about doing. "Well you did the right thing," he reassured the soprano, although he wanted to ring her neck for letting the beauty escape him. He was going to have her, one way or another, he had never failed in any conquest.
"Tell me, where is the mare now?" he inquired. Fleur de Lis, who was leaning against the Prince's chest and pretending to sob for the pains she had to go through in life, snapped her head up at Bluebloodl's words. However, before she opened her mouth to let out an ear-splitting shout, he quickly added, "I think any person that dares harm a lovely hair on your beautiful golden head should be locked away! The mare is obviously mad, not to mention jealous of course," Blueblood lied, smiling to himself at the success he was having on the prima donna. "Flim! Flam! How could you both hire such a hellion?" he angrily demanded.
Both managers were at a loss for words, but that didn't matter, he was determined to carry on his charade long enough to discover the whereabouts of the delicious costume mare. "I am going to pay a visit this very afternoon to her and demand that she not only apologize to our dear star, but also send her to the nearest asylum, where she should have been all this time!"
Fleur de Lis squealed happily and threw her arms around the handsome Prince. Fancypants snorted his disgust from a corner while Flim and Flam exchanged weary glances. "We...we do not know where Time Turner and his daughter live," they admitted. "You'll have to ask Madame Luna–she helped them find the flat."
Blueblood groaned at the thought of approaching Madame Luna with such a question, but it was the only way to learn where Fluttershy was. He left the office then in pursuit of the dance mistress, only discover her waiting for him just around the corner.
"Good morning monsieur," she greeted coldly.
"Madame Luna," he replied, just as coldly, with a slight nod of his head.
"I understand you wish to ask me a question?"
Blueblood stared at the mare in disbelief. Had she been eavesdropping? Before he could say anything she was already answering his question. "You will not find her at the apartment she and her father had occupied since coming to Maris. She is gone...most likely both she and her father have left Maris and are traveling back to the countryside." This was all a lie of course, Madame Luna had no idea where Fluttershy was. After the incident with Discord the night before, she raced to the Turner residence in hopes to find Fluttershy, but the mare was nowhere to be found. She had told Fluttershy to return home and wait for her, but the mare had not listened, or...
She did not want to think the alternative. Yet she was not going to reveal any of this to the Prince.
"I'm sorry monsieur, I'm afraid you...missed your opportunity."
Blueblood scowled at the mare. Of all the ponies in this company, she was the one he despised most of all. Once upon a time he had considered making her daughter one of his conquests, yet the mare proved to be a cobra waiting to snap; no mare, no matter how beautiful, was worth pursuing with such a mother.
"Thank you for your...information, madam," Blueblood replied through clipped lips. He gave a small bow then turned on his heel, not bothering to say anything further to either the managers or Fleur de Lis who were calling out to him as he walked out the doors of the Opera House.
He got into his carriage, barked for the driver to return him to his town house at once, and settled back for a long sulk. He wasn't entirely sure why, normally Blueblood did not upset himself over a mare this much. Maris was filled with beautiful mares, many who others had claimed to be utterly unattainable, but Blueblood had proved those voices wrong. Nothing had stopped him from a conquest, nothing. And the ones that proved to be difficult were not worth his time, such as the dance mistress' daughter. But this mare...it was becoming an obsession almost.
No mare...had ever refused him. He began to grind his teeth at the memory of Mademoiselle Fluttershy walking away from him after accusing him of grossly insulting her. The little wench! She should be grateful that a stallion like himself took notice of a penniless country-born ingrate on the verge of spinster-hood, like herself! No...he would have her, make no mistake about that. And he would have her, whether she came willingly to him or not.
The carriage pulled up to the Prince's fashionable town house, but his frown deepened when he saw a policepony waiting at the entrance. "Beg your pardon Monsieur Blueblood, but we have an urgent matter that we need to discuss with you right away."
Blueblood's already deep frown deepened even more. He did not want his servants spreading idle gossip about, nor did he wish to give this stallion the proper time he apparently wished to have in Blueblood's presence. So, Blueblood stepped back inside his carriage and invited the inspector inside.
"What do you want inspector?" Blueblood groaned, feeling a headache coming on.
"I am Chief Inspector Silverstar, and last night, an old stallion covered in dirt and smelling like sewage, stormed into one of our posts and started screaming about a monster kidnapping his one and only daughter."
Blueblood's brow furrowed at the inspector's tale. This was sounding strangely familiar to him. "Well, the stallion was obviously mad," Silverstar continued, "and we had no choice but to lock him away, at least for the night; after all, we could not have such a lunatic roaming the streets and upsetting people!"
"Quite right," Blueblood muttered. "I beg your pardon inspector, but do you mind explaining what any of this has to do with me?"
Silverstar sighed and nodded his head. "Well, you see monsieur, the stallion started raving that he had approached you last night! That he had gone into your club, and begged for your help! Then he started raving about how he was a violinist for the Maris Opera House, and that his daughter was a costume mare-"
"Costume mare?" Blueblood interrupted. Now he remembered.
Time Turner. The old stallion that burst into his club last night after Blueblood had already had several drinks, and hysterically started screaming about his daughter being kidnapped by the Phantom of the Opera. Utter nonsense of course...but it was a connection to the mare.
"Monsieur?" Blueblood shook his head and came back to the present when he realized Silverstar was talking to him. "Monsieur...do you know this stallion? Naturally I assumed he was simply crazed, but...our post received several complaints from that particular club about a homeless beggar upsetting several patrons, not to mention the owners. And...well, I just wanted to know, monsieur, if this was that stallion, and if you wished to file any complaints of your own."
Blueblood opened his mouth to speak, but then quickly closed it. A plan...a plan was brewing.
"You say...that the stallion is in your custody at the moment?"
Silverstar's brow furrowed with confusion, but he nodded his head. "Yes, we still have him in our custody. Outside of disturbing the peace, the stallion has committed no crime, however we plan to contact the nearest asylum and have him delivered-"
"No..." Blueblood interrupted. "Do not send him away...just yet."
"But monsieur, we can not hold him for a lengthy period of time, he belongs in an asylum! The stallion is clearly-"
"Insane? Yes, quite right," Blueblood muttered. "But...truth be, I know the stallion, yes, I know him."
Silverstar's eyes widened in amazement. "You do monsieur? You know who he is?"
"I know of him," Blueblood explained. "And...I know the stallion's daughter. Now, as you have obviously seen, the stallion is quite mad, his daughter has not been kidnapped by a monster...she is simply missing at the moment, nothing to worry about of course," Blueblood quickly explained before Silverstar could respond to this piece of news. "She is a fickle sort of mare...always scampering off with handsome stallions of large fortunes, no doubt hoping some stallion will see past her...disabilities, you know what I mean."
Silverstar simply snorted a reply.
"Now we can't have the stallion thrown into an asylum, at least not until the mare comes forward to claim him. However, we are unsure where she is...so allow me to offer my assistance in this matter."
Silverstar stared at the Prince with great confusion. "I beg your pardon monsieur?"
Blueblood could only grin, a wicked grin for the plot he was setting up. "I will find the mare, after all, she is attracted to single stallions of great wealth, it will only be a matter of time before she falls into my lap," he drawled. "And when I finally have her, I will then explain the horrid news of her mad father, and that if she does not claim him, the dear police will have no alternative but to send him away."
"But monsieur-"
"AND, inspector," Blueblood interceded. "I am prepared to make it worth your while..." The coachman appeared. "Tell my valet to contact my banker immediately...I wish to pay 150 franks in gold to the good Chief Inspector for his...pains." The coachcolt nodded his head and went to deliver the message at once.
Silverstar's mouth hung open in shock. "Monsieur Blueblood, I...I can not possibly-"
"This is simply a deposit, of course," Blueblood explained. "For every week that the stallion occupies your jail, I will pay another 100 franks in gold to you."
Silverstar was speechless. "And...then when you find the stallion's daughter, you will bring her here...and if she refuses to claim him..."
"I will see to it personally, that he is delivered to the asylum."
Blueblood grinned. Silverstar was sold, and the plot was sealed. Fluttershy would have no choice but to play along if she wanted her father back. Yes...she would prove to be a most...willing student to the art of lovemaking, if she truly wished to see her father again. It was all too perfect.
Silverstar stepped outside and bid farewell, leaving the pompous Prince to congratulate himself on a great victory. "I informed your valet," the coachcolt announced after the inspector left. "He is writing a letter as we speak to your banker and plans to deliver it this very afternoon."
"Good," Blueblood said with great satisfaction. "In fact, I feel like celebrating...the best kind of celebrating...take me to Madame Sapphire's, I think a few hours of cards, drink, and company, will turn this rather dull day into something memorable."
The coachcolt nodded his head and prepared to take the Prince to his favorite high-society brothel. However, before they set forth, the coachcolt, who knew his master extremely well and who had been listening to the entire conversation between the Prince and the inspector, asked, "begging your pardon monsieur, but...what if the mare does not respond as you hope? What...what if she truly has been kidnapped?"
Blueblood rolled his eyes. "She has not been kidnapped, especially from the so-called 'Phantom'," he groaned. "And she will come forth...oh she will...and when she does...I'll be waiting."