The double doors to the vast meeting room burst open with a loud BOOM! As the members of castle staff jumped in their seats, a white unicorn stomped up the central aisle. The ponies in the aisle seats blanched as they saw him scowling, even if his vision never wavered. Their fear rippled through the other audience members as the unicorn finally reached the raised podium, ascended the small stairs, and turned to scowl at them.
He looked almost immaculate, as always. Not one spot in his white fur nor one black hair in his thick ponytail out of place, and his jet black eyes blazed with inner fury. He wore a midnight black suit with an equally black tie, a large steel medallion pinned to his lapel. The only detail out of place were the dark bags under his eyes and the crows’ feet on either side of them. In one smooth movement, he pulled out a file, laid them on the podium, then leapt up, placing his front hooves on the podium.
“Good morning,” he growled, his voice cold and low.
“GOOD MORNING, YOUR HIGHNESS!” the audience shouted back.
“Thank goodness you got one thing right,” the pony muttered to himself. “Now,” he said to the crowd, “I understand that some of you were just recently hired for the Grand Galloping Gala last night, so you probably don’t know me. If I were to ask you who the most powerful pony in Equestria is, short of Princesses Celestia and Luna, who would you say? Naturally, most of you would say Cadance, or Princess Mi Amore Cadenza if you stood on formalities, as you should. You’re wrong. The most powerful pony in Equestria is above her and right below the two royal sisters, in just the right position to keep everything from going crazy. That pony is me. I am Prince Blueblood, Director of Internal Affairs and Chief of Security, and what I saw last night disgusted me.”
Blueblood opened the file on the podium. “We had several issues regarding event invitees, several of which I witnessed in disguise. Most of them were easily dealt with, but I wanted to address three cases in particular, all of which were dismal failures on the part of castle staff.” His horn lit up and an image of an orange pony in a cowboy hat was projected from above the door onto the wall behind him. “Ticket number 105,” Blueblood continued. “Applejack from Ponyville. I understand she set up a food cart on castle grounds during the event. As a quick question, what is the proper procedure regarding independent vendors of food and beverages that wish to sell wares at the Grand Galloping Gala?”
The room was silent. “Come on,” he chided with a smile, “I’m not going to bite.”
One blue stallion timorously raised a hoof. When Blueblood nodded at him, he cleared his throat. “There isn’t one?” he asked.
“And why is that?” Blueblood asked just as sweetly.
The blue stallion cast his eyes around the crowd, but everypony else just looked away from him. “Uh, it... makes us look cheap?”
Blueblood nodded. “Thank you. One final question. If you could tell me this now, why couldn’t you tell her that LAST! NIGHT!”
Blueblood slammed his hooves on the podium, which rattled. Everypony else jumped in their seats. “Hundreds of foreign dignitaries and business owners attend the Grand Galloping Gala each year,” Blueblood snapped, “my false identity included. They use this as an opportunity to size up Canterlot and Equestria in general. If they see us at our biggest, most dignified event with cotton candy stalls and fortune tellers, as if this was some grade school fundraiser, down go their opinions and off. Goes. Their. Business.”
He pulled out another paper. “Let’s move on to the next worst event of the night. Ticket number 127: Pinkamena Diane Pie, also of Ponyville.” The image on the projector changed to a pink mare with a big, wide grin on her face. Blueblood rolled his eyes when he saw the photo, but he turned back to the crowd. “This one I also got to witness firsthoof, at least in part. I actually almost got splattered by a cake she sent flying. However, I had to find out indirectly about the time she took over the orchestra and forced them to play a tacky little foal’s tune.” He leaned over the podium. “Anyone care to explain why she was still allowed to be at the gala?”
An orange pegasus with a blue mane raised his hoof. “Pickpockets, sir. Several guests had complained about valuables being stolen and we were combing the castle trying to find them.”
Blueblood’s scowl deepened. “And you couldn’t deal with the attempted crowdsurfer later because…”
“She’d already left by the time we caught all five pickpockets, sir. Most of our men were on that search-and-rescue with Princess Luna.”
Blueblood’s scowl grew. Regardless, he nodded. “Yes, I heard about that,” he growled. “However, I did not know that…” His scowl faded and he sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Good job, Corporal Sentry. That item can be disregarded.” His scowl returned in force. “However, that does not excuse our last case.”
He changed the image again, this time to a yellow statue of a pegasus with a pink mane and a wide, insincere, pasted-on grin. Blueblood’s lips all but vanished before he hissed. “Ticket number 126: Fluttershy of Ponyville. I don’t know about you all, but I’m noticing a trend here. Unlike the other guests, she has actually committed a crime: animal harassment and reckless endangerment, both serious crimes with a combined punishment of a 20,000 bit fine and five years in federal, big-boy prison. Anypony care to explain where they were when this happened?”
The ponies in the audience shuffled their hooves. “I thought Greenhooves was on duty,” one of them called.
Blueblood’s eye twitched. “I’m sorry,” he rumbled. “I must’ve misheard you. Do you mean to say that the decrepit little madman who once watered a very nice ficus bush from Saddle Arabia with apple juice and who asked me why silver peacocks didn’t like pork chops was the pony in charge of keeping the animals safe and at bay during a major event?
The pony’s hooves shuffled. “Uh, yeah, didn’t you sign off on tha…”
Under Blueblood’s fiery glare, the pony wilted. Then Blueblood shook his head with a grunt. “Whatever,” he growled. “I’ll deal with him later. In any case,” he continued, “Fluttershy has been charged and will be-“
“-fined and sent back to Ponyville with a payment schedule.”
Blueblood slumped over as he heard the pony come up behind him. “Good morning, Princess Celestia,” he groaned. “I was just going to find you and ask about your invitees to the Gala.”
He didn’t look up but he could feel her glaring at him. “Thank you, Blueblood,” she told him, “but the situation is well in hand. I have spoken to all of them, and they will not be repeating their crimes.”
Blueblood looked up but he didn’t turn to look at her. “Your highness,” he said, “not that I don’t trust you, but three of your friends, possibly five, were responsible for various indiscretions last night. In addition to the three large problems I mentioned with Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, we have Officer Candidate Rainbow Dash, who I’m told has assaulted several ponies in a bid for attention from her superiors, and Rarity, who made herself a professional nuisance to my alter ego.” He paused to take a deep breath. “Thanks to them, the night turned into a disaster. Furthermore, all of them were responsible for the Canterlot Garden Party turning into a fiasco. So forgive me if I doubt your word, but it just cost us-”
“-nothing,” Celestia interrupted. “Blueblood, the individuals I deal with and invite to major events, some notwithstanding, are very understanding of the occasional fiasco, as most people are. I made sure that these people were willing to do that as well before I left last night, which you would know if you hadn’t spent all night in your office. Everything that went wrong will be disregarded by next week, as in the case of the Garden Party. As to the conduct of my guests, I will remind you that I am perfectly capable of mitigating any punishment to any resident of Equestria as long as I can justify it. I have no idea why Fluttershy did what she did last night, but based on my assessment of her character, it is not something that will happen twice. Thus, under the assumption that her reformation is already taken care of, I have reduced her sentence to restitution.”
Blueblood scowled, but said nothing as his aunt dismissed the crowd. Instead, he just held his face in his hooves as the ponies filed out. He felt Celestia approach. “Blueblood?” she asked. “Look at me.”
Slowly and stiffly, he turned to face her. She wasn’t quite glaring at him, but her frown was unmistakable. “Blueblood, what’s wrong?” she asked.
Blueblood set his face. “Nothing,” he said. “Work is proceeding as usual. Nothing especially interesting to report.”
One corner of Celestia’s mouth turned down. Before he could bolster his case, though, she sighed. “Alright then,” she said. “Carry on.” She then turned around and trod out of the room. Blueblood watched her leave, opening his mouth to say something, then closing it with a growl and walking out the other way.
<*>
Later, one Thursday afternoon in Ponyville, the door to the crystal tree-castle opened and a purple pony stood in the doorway. “Hi! Welco…“
The smile disappeared from Twilight’s face as she noticed Blueblood, and the bottom of his stomach dropped out of his body in response. He was aware of being well-groomed, but several of his hairs were out of place and his hooves had gotten quite dusty from the last two hours. One corner of his mouth was dotted with frosting, which he quickly wiped away. Twilight straightened up and cleared her throat. “Good afternoon, Prince Blueblood,” she recited. “Please, come in.”
Blueblood stood for a moment, his saddlebags suddenly feeling very heavy and the sun very hot. Blueblood’s face tightened for a moment, but he quickly bowed. “Thank you, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” he replied.
The two continued into the building and up a flight of stairs. Blueblood noted with some sadness that the building was dominated by the same dark colors as were on the outside, though the bright yellow carpet and the matching ribbons did make the interior look brighter. “So, are you enjoying your new castle?” he asked.
Twilight glanced back at him for a moment. As soon as he turned to face her, though, she pointed her eyes forward again. “It was a little much to adjust to,” she said. “Especially given… what happened to the Golden Oaks library. However, I’m settling in well.”
After that, there was silence again, Twilight still looking away from Blueblood. When it passed ten seconds, Blueblood opened his mouth again. “How’s Spike doing?” he asked.
“He’s OK,” Twilight said. “He’s not very fond of you, given what happened at the Gala between you and... one of the guests.”
Blueblood stared at her for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“I promised I wouldn’t talk about it,” Twilight flatly told Blueblood.
“Alright,” Blueblood said.
Twilight looked back at Blueblood. “So, what brings you here?” she asked. “Business?”
Blueblood opened his mouth, but his practiced lines had abandoned him. Instead, he nodded. “Yes.”
Twilight’s face soured. “We can discuss it in the main study room,” she said.
Instantly, she turned right. Inside one of the rooms were a good number of waist-high bookshelves, all filled, and off to the right was a simple table, which Twilight moved to sit at. Blueblood joined her. “Alright,” Twilight said, “what’s the problem?”
Blueblood looked at Twilight’s weary face for a moment, then bent over. “Twilight,” he said, “I’ve come with staffing concerns.” Out of his saddlebags, he pulled out four forms. “I understand you have the help of five other ponies in matters of national security.”
Twilight’s frown deepened. “Yes, what’s your point?” she asked.
“They are performing work for the government of Equestria,” Blueblood said as he laid five forms on the table, “and we haven’t received their insurance forms yet. Since this work is potentially fatal, we require that those involved have life and health insurance on record with the federal government, to ensure that they have an option should worse come to worse. Rainbow Dash’s information we have already, but that leaves the other four Element Bearers.”
Twilight’s frown remained in place. “So why do you need me?” she asked. “Couldn’t you just mail the forms out?”
Blueblood shuffled in his seat. “Well, that’s another thing.” He magically reached into his saddlebags and pulled out five more forms, about three pages each. “Since you’re a princess now, you are the de jure leader of their group. As such, you’ll need to fill out these Forms of Employment as well.”
Twilight picked up one of the forms and rifled through it. As she read, her frown deepened until she finally put the form down. “Alright,” she said, “I’ll fill these out and have them to you on Monday.”
Blueblood blushed. “Actually,” he said. “Due to the long time it took to notice this issue, I need to have them by eight-forty-five.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “What?” she snapped. “Do you know how much work this is?”
“Nopony’s happy about this,” Blueblood interjected. “I just got told about it this morning. However, Equestrian law gives you ninety days to file this from the date of hiring. Counting from the date you were crowned a princess, that’s in three days, which is Sunday.” Blueblood let out a breath. “I’m going to be back on the train at seven, and I’ll be able to file the forms tomorrow. That’ll save you the penalty.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it’d be terrible if I got fined a month after the federal funds for the library ‘just went missing.’”
The frown on Blueblood’s face deepened. “I’m sorry about that,” he said, “and I’m working as hard as I can to get them back to you. I just need those forms by today. As princess, you should be able to get all of the information at City Hall, so all that you need is for them to fill out the insurance forms and sign the employment forms.”
“Oh, is that all?” Twilight growled as she glared at Blueblood.
Blueblood simply shrugged. “I’m sorry, your highness, but I…”
He trailed off under Twilight’s glare, and soon turned away. The tension hung in the air between the two for a good ten seconds. Then Twilight groaned. “Oh, for crying out loud,” she muttered. ”SPIIIIIIIKE”
Instantly, Spike burst into the room. “Yeah, Twilight, what’s…”
He stopped the instant he saw Blueblood. Immediately, Blueblood raised his hoof in a feeble attempt at a wave, but Spike scowled at him until he lowered his hoof again.
Twilight stood up. “We need to get the others,” she told Spike. “Immediately. You go after Pinkie and Fluttershy, I’ll get everyone else. Tell them to meet us at City Hall.”
Spike’s frown deepened a little. “Got it,” he said.
He spun on his heel and opened the door to leave, but three fillies poured into the room. One was a yellow earth pony with a pink bow in her red mane. The second was a unicorn, white with pink and purple curls. The last was orange, with a purple mane and slightly undersized wings. All of them were bearing khaki saddlebags, though the unicorns bags were much more ornate and stylish. “Hey, Twilight!” the yellow one said. “We’re ready for Twilight Time!”
Blueblood noticed Twilight quickly put a smile on her face. “Hey, girls,” she said. “Look, I’m really sorry to cancel on such short notice again, but something just came up.” Blueblood noticed Twilight pause, then take a deep breath. “It’s going to be a while, but I can’t put it off. So it looks like the nature walk’s going to have to wait.
Gradually throughout Twilight’s explanation, the faces on the fillies started to fall. “Aw, nuts,” the orange one said.
“I’m sorry,” Twilight repeated. “I know I had to reschedule, but”
“It’s more than that,” the white one said. “Diamond Tiara’s been after us.”
Twilight sighed. “Not again,” she muttered.
“Yeah,” the unicorn continued. “She told us it’d been almost a year after she got her cutie mark and that if we didn’t hurry up, we’d never get them.”
“That’s preposterous,” Twilight said. “There’s no cut-off date to get a cutie mark, it just comes in when it’s ready.”
“Yew keep sayin’ that, Twilight,” the one with the bow told her, “but Ah looked through mah family tree, and I’m th’ longest anyone’s gone without getting a cutie mark. Even Applejack’s getting’ nervous.”
“Same here,” the pegasus admitted. “My brother’s been looking around for professional help, though he never admits it. What if we’re just the first permanent blank-flanks in Equestria?”
Blueblood’s heart sank as Twilight’s mouth turned down. Instinctively, he bit down on his tongue as he felt his spirit mire. He wished to himself that he could do something. Then lightning flashed through his mind. He opened his mouth for a moment, but wavered. ‘This is a stupid idea’ he thought. Then he frowned for a moment and cleared his throat.
“Actually,” Blueblood said, “I can handle your nature walk.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped as she and the three fillies turned to stare at him. “I’m sorry?” Twilight asked.
Blueblood’s face didn’t change. “Per the Transitive Powers Act,” he told her, “anypony deemed worthy of the title of Prince or Princess by Princess Celestia is assumed to be a responsible party in any unlicensed situation, in this case, as a chaperone. I’m considered perfectly trustworthy around children, so I can take them on their nature walk while you finish your paperwork.”
Twilight still stared at him as the three fillies looked at each other. “Not that that wouldn’t help,” Twilight continued, “but we’ll be walking through the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. While they’re safe now, you still don’t know the area.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Blueblood announced with a smile. “I just had to investigate land concerns regarding the Everfree right here in Ponyville. I’ve studied the forest so well I know it like the back of my hoof. Besides, I’ve never let my old scouting skills rust away, so I’ll even be able to teach them.”
Blueblood stayed silent as he felt Twilight stare into his eyes. As her frown deepened, Blueblood’s smile faded away. Finally she shook her head with a small groan, then turned to the fillies. “Is that alright with you?” she asked.
The three fillies looked back at Blueblood, who waved to them with a small smile, then turned back to Twilight. “You know him?” the orange one asked.
“Yeah,” Twilight said.
“My name’s Blackthorn,” Blueblood interrupted. “I-“
He stopped when Twilight glared at him. “I’m sorry,” he said as his cheeks colored. “Carry on.”
Twilight turned back to the fillies. “Well,” she continued, “Blackthorn is a prince of Equestria.”
The fillies’ jaws collectively dropped open. “Ye’r kidding,” the yellow one mused.
“I’m not kidding, Apple Bloom,” Twilight replied. “He’s the director of Internal Affairs. Basically, he makes sure the government runs like it’s supposed to.”
“And you actually know him?” the orange filly asked.
“Yes, Scootaloo,” Twilight answered. “We were actually in Starflight together when we were kids, and he was really good.”
“I still am,” Blueblood protested. “Master rank tracking, navigation, botany, and zoology. If it moves, I can identify it, catch it, and if necessary, cook it.”
The white one made a face. “No offense,” she said, “but I don’t think we’ll be out there that long.”
“Don’t worry, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight assured her. “He’s going to be finished on time.” She glared at Blueblood as she walked out the door. “Have fun,” she said as she disappeared.
Blueblood looked down at the three fillies in his charge. “So, are we ready?” He noticed something on the orange one’s face. “Scootaloo, was it? Is something wrong?”
Scootaloo frowned. “Well…” she said, “and don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t seem like the wilderness type.”
Blueblood smiled. “I get that a lot,” he said. “Give me a chance and I’m pretty sure I’ll prove myself.”
<*>
“And if you poke here…”
One gentle magical tendril later, and the glowing green bug shot out a burst of magic, deflating like a balloon. The three fillies stared at the display of bright green wisps as they hung in the air. “Ooooh,” they murmured.
Smirking, Blueblood let the bug go. “I trust that puts concerns about my credentials to rest,” he remarked.
Scootaloo blushed. “Yeah, I guess it does.”
Blueblood smiled, then he saw something moving out of the corner of his eye. It looked like a tangle of vines. Every few seconds, though, it seemed to breathe. “And that should be a wumbling briar,” he whispered. “Watch this.”
Blueblood stretched out a leg and tapped on the tree beside him. Easily his magic caught the fruit that fell from the tree and flung it onto the briar. As soon as the fruit made contact, a vine untangled itself and caught the fruit. It was quickly pulled inwards, disappearing from sight. As soon as the fruit was gone, the bush pushed off with its ‘foot’ vines and rolled off further into the woods.
The three oohed. “That is so coooool,” Scootaloo gushed.
Blueblood’s smile widened. “It’s actually closely related to the squid,” he explained. “Those so-called vines are actually tentacles. The thorns are actually dexterous enough to latch onto wood and let it climb trees.” Then a roll of thunder sounded above them. “Well, looks like we should head back some time soon,” Blueblood said.
Sweetie Belle noticed the way his face fell. “Are you alright?” she asked. “You don’t look too happy to be leaving.”
Blueblood shook his head. “It’s just been a while since I’ve been out of my office,” he told her. “It used to be that I got the chance to actually go camping every once in a while. Now, the best I can get is a ‘research’ session with my aunt Celestia’s favorite divan.”
“It’s a type of couch,” Sweetie Belle told Scootaloo.
Scootaloo scowled. “I knew that one,” she huffed.
“So, yew really like camping?” Apple Bloom interrupted. “Yew were even a part of Starlight?”
Blueblood nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. “I was,” he said. “Troop 37. In fact, I got my cutie mark on a hike. That day, I was in charge of several kids, and I was teaching them about whirling wrens. They were about as invested as you were.”
Then he frowned at the open air. “Then, however, Sugar and Spice, the two new girls, came running by, followed by a swarm of Fire Wasps. They’re an endangered species, thankfully, but the few there are can prove deadly. Thankfully, me, Twilight, and a bunch of the other scouts managed to hold them at bay until the scoutmaster got back and sent the wasps off.” Blueblood’s teeth gritted. “Then, about midway through me reading the two the riot act, Twilight noticed that I’d suddenly sprouted a cutie mark.”
Closing his eyes, Blueblood sighed through his nose. “So what’re yew doin’ in a desk job?” Apple Bloom asked. “Shouldn’t ya’ be, like, a lion tamer or somethin’?”
“That never appealed to me,” Blueblood told her. “Besides, there was really only one way I could go.” Slowly, he shrugged. “I guess I should be thankful for that, burnout aside. I can follow my destiny.”
Suddenly, Scootaloo cleared her throat. “Blackthorn,” she said, “I think I lost my… canteen back in the woods.”
Blueblood turned to look at her. “You did?” he asked. “Why didn’t you-“
“I just noticed,” Scootaloo told him. “I thought my pack felt a little light a while ago, but I thought I was just imagining things.
Apple Bloom was already scowling, but at that point she rolled her eyes. “Scootaloo, yew are such a dodo.”
Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed. “Oh yeah?” she asked. “Where’s your bow?”
Apple Bloom’s hoof rushed to the top of her head, and her mouth dropped open. “…ye’r right, it’s gone!” she gasped. Then her face fell. “Ooh,” she moaned. “An’ that bow was so important to me. My ma made it for me before she…” Apple Bloom sniffled. “B-before she…”
As soon as tears started to gush out of Apple Bloom’s eyes, Blueblood rushed forward. “It’s alright,” he said as Apple Bloom started rubbing at her eyes, sobbing profusely. “It’s OK. You stay here with the other three, I’ll go find your bow.”
Apple Bloom looked up at Blueblood, her eyes red and puffy. A few sniffles later, she’d wrapped herself around his neck. “Th-thank you,” she blubbered out. “It’s just-“
“I understand,” Blueblood said. Then he pulled her off of him. “If it starts raining, leave. I’ll be fine, and I’ll be coming back with your bow. I promise that on my aunts themselves.” He motioned for Sweetie Belle to come closer. As soon as she’d gotten close enough for Apple Bloom to latch on, he turned and dashed off into the underbrush.
“Oooookay, he’s gone.”
Apple Bloom instantly detatched herself and glared at Scootaloo. “Great improvisin’, dodo.” She then stomped over to a nearby bush and fished out her now-bent hair decoration. “Y’know Ah’m almost outta’ bows fer this month?”
“Good crying,” Sweetie Belle said. “Did you learn that from my sister?”
“Threw in a few things,” Apple Bloom added as she pinned her bow back in place.
“OK, girls,” Scootaloo interrupted, “time to find a Fire Wasp.”
Sweetie Belle did a double take. “What? But aren’t those really dangerous?”
“What part of the Everfree isn’t?” Scootaloo answered, shaking her head. “Besides, it’s totally worth it. You see how miserable Blackthorn is, we can’t just leave him dead inside like that! Anyways, once we get the one little wasp mad, we run back through, tell Blackthorn we found it going back, then he deals with it. In the process, he realizes what his true calling is meant to be, so he can quit his job and go be happy!”
As the plan was further described, Apple Bloom’s eyes narrowed. “Have you been snoopin’ through mah sister’s book?” she asked.
Scootaloo scoffed. “Ew. No. Now come on, let’s get going.” She swiftly set off into the forest, Apple Bloom right behind her. After a few seconds, though, she stopped and turned back. “You coming, Sweetie Belle?”
Sweetie Belle shook herself out of her daze. “Does Blackthorn seem a little weird to you?” she asked. “’cause I remember Rarity was with a prince at the gala and it wasn’t Blackthorn.”
“Maybe it was just a prince from somewhere else,” Apple Bloom suggested. “Now let’s get movin’.”
The three sped off, Sweetie Belle still frowning in thought.
<<*>>
After twenty minutes, Blueblood was growing concerned. The stormclouds were only darkening, and he could hear thunder in the distance. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t find either the canteen or the bow, and much as he wanted to, he couldn’t stay behind any longer. Thus, he lifted his head and set out along the path. He’d get back ahead of schedule, but his heart sank. Poor Apple Bloom.
“HEEEELP!”
Blueblood’s ears perked up. That was Apple Bloom, her shriek piercing through the brush. Instantly, he pounded off the path. He magically blasted through anything he could, only dodging around what his magic couldn’t destroy. The sound was coming from off the path, and Blueblood’s face paled as he stepped up the pace. Finally, he crashed through the last brush. “What is i…”
The three fillies were pounding up the path towards Blueblood. Right behind them was something that made Blueblood stop in his tracks: a veritable fog of bright red wasps, surrounded on all sides by smoldering terrain. Fire wasps. As they flew, they shot blue plasma from their stingers. It fizzled out after a short distance, but they flew quickly, and were gaining on the three. “BLUEBLOOD, HELP!” Sweetie Belle shouted. Before Blueblood could stop her, Sweetie Belle shot a faint blast of magic at the wasps. It touched a few of them, but those wasps flashed and suddenly doubled.
“Give me your canteens!” Blueblood shouted. Instantly, three saddlebags slid off and dropped at Blueblood’s hooves, their owners hiding behind Blueblood. In a flash, he opened the bags and out floated three canteens. He cracked them open, revealing a good deal of water still inside. With his magic, he made it flow upwards and in front of him, stretching into a barrier. Then, he started to fire small drops forward like sling bullets.
Most of the drops missed, and some were shot down by fire shot. The ones that hit their marks, though, caused the insects to burst into tiny fireworks, quickly fizzling out. However, the supply of ammunition quickly dwindled away. As the large glob of water was reduced to a trickle, the wasps advanced.
“What do we do now?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Blueblood quickly cast his eyes around. “Try looping around!” he told them. “I’ll hold them off!” The water was almost reduced to mist, and the wasps were within literal spitting distance. Blueblood kept searching, desperate for another source of water. He could pull droplets out of the tree, but that wouldn’t produce enough to be worth it. Trying to condense humidity would be equally pointless.
Then Blueblood looked up. After a moment of thought, he shot a bolt of magic upwards.
The water he had dropped into the dirt. Instantly, the wasps swarmed forward, blue plasma spurting at the four ponies. Then, however, the patch of cloud up above unleashed all of its water at once. The deluge caught many of them. When the wasps tried going around, Blueblood sent the falling water off to the sides, catching and destroying them. Eventually, the swarm turned around and buzzed off into the brush.
For several long moments, the three fillies and Blueblood sucked in breath. None of them said anything; they just focused on breathing and regulating their pulses. Finally, the three looked up at Blueblood. “Thank you,” Scootaloo breathed.
Blueblood slowly turned around. The three felt the desperate urge to recoil as they saw his cold, evil eye, but barely stayed put. “Please,” Blueblood icily hissed. “You’ll want them back in a moment.”
<*>
By coincidence, Twilight Sparkle and her employees were arriving at the castle right as Blueblood and his charges were. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash scowled as they saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders plodding behind and Twilight frowned at Blueblood’s glowering. “Good evening, Prince Blackthorn,” she ventured. “I have ju-“
“Hang the pleasantries,” Blueblood growled. “They know who I am.”
Rainbow Dash flew in closer. “What did you do?” she spat at Blueblood.
Blueblood returned her death glare in equal force. “I did nothing.” Then he turned to the fillies. “Maybe you three would like to explain?”
The six mares turned to the three fillies, who started to sweat. Apple Bloom swallowed. “W-well,” she stammered, “Prince Blueblood here was takin’ us on a nature walk, an’ we were enjoyin’ ourse-“
“Cut to the chase,” Blueblood snapped.
“We ticked off a swarm of fire wasps,” Scootaloo blurted out.
Six grown mares gasped. “Celestia’s teeth!” Applejack barked. Before the three fillies could say anything, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity rushed forward.
“Are you alright?” Rarity asked her sister.
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yeah. We’ll be fine.”
“I doubt that,” Blueblood growled. “These three are probably going to be spending the next three months in juvenile hall.”
“WHAT?”
“These three fillies,” he indicated them, “are guilty of harassing an endangered species. And given the past cases of reckless endangerment they’ve informed me of on the way back-”
Twilight glared at Blueblood. “Blueblood, that’s enough,” she growled. “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo haven’t been convicted of anything. They haven’t even been charged by anypony.”
Blueblood’s eyes widened. “What?!”
“I am talking!” Twilight snapped. “The Transitive Powers Act does not allow you to serve as any kind of police officer or judicial authority. As for their crime, I absolve them as Princess. They almost died, that should be enough punishment for them.”
Blueblood’s nostrils flared and his face reddened as his breaths began to hiss through his teeth. He glared at Twilight, his eyes widening, but Twilight’s face remained steady. Finally, he whipped his head away and yowled to the heavens. This caused the fillies and Fluttershy to flinch, but everyone else just watched him scream. Finally, his lungs ran out of air and he fell to the ground, just as it started to rain.
After a few moments of silence, everypony else walked past him. Twilight dropped his papers right next to him. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack scowled at him. And Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo just stared at him for a moment before following their sisters.
<*>
Blueblood stretched a cramp out of his back. Despite his venting of frustrations, he’d found himself even more keyed up than he was before venting. One long night of lying in bed staring at the ceiling had helped him calm down, but he still dragged his hooves back to the train station. The papers were labeled and notarized by him and carefully tucked into his saddlebags; Blueblood had checked at the station. With that done, he just sat and waited.
“YER HIGHNESS!”
Blueblood’s stony scowl deepened as he heard the sound of little hoofbeats storming up to the station. “What’re you doing here?” he growled to the three fillies.
The three of them stopped right in front of him. “We’re really sorry about yesterday,” Sweetie Belle said.
“So you’ve been telling me,” Blueblood rumbled.
“We didn’t mean for everything to go wrong,” Scootaloo interjected. “We just wanted to help you.”
If Blueblood had talons, they would’ve clenched as he took a deep breath. For several seconds, he forced his lips shut. “Well, thank you,” he hissed. “You did wonderfully.”
Sweetie Belle looked at the other two fillies, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shook their heads at her. “We just wanted to know,” Sweetie Belle told Blueblood, “why aren’t you a nature guide instead of a G-pony?”
Blueblood turned to stare at Sweetie Belle, who pinkened a little. Regardless, he sighed. “I don’t belong there,” he murmured.
“Are you kidding?” Scootaloo snapped. “Up until we messed with the fire wasps, that was the most fun I’ve had learning anything that wasn’t from Miss Cheerilee! And don’t tell me you weren’t having a blast, too, your highness. You’d be a great teacher.”
”I can’t be a teacher!”
Blueblood looked back at the three. When he saw they were paying attention, he opened his mouth again. “I was born into royalty,” he said. “Blueblood, 23rd Earl of Derby. However, that hereditary title means that I have responsibilities. I can’t become a teacher, I was born to be something more. I was born to be a leader.”
“Yew don’t seem t’ like it.”
Blueblood glared at Apple Bloom. “That’s just burnout. Every job has times when you hate the work, that doesn’t mean I should quit.”
“But do ya’ actually enjoy it?”
Blueblood started to speak, Apple Bloom held up a hoof. “Now, Ah know yew don’t like us,” she said, “an’ Ah don’ blame ya’, but bear with me. Ah told ya’ about how we rebuilt our old clubhouse? Well, last Thanksgiving, somepony noticed that Ah could make really good houses, and suggested that I could help build houses for poor ponies. Ah’d always liked building stuff, so I said ‘sure’ and I started volunteering; fetchin’ nails and delivering messages, things like that.”
Apple Bloom shrugged slightly. “At first, Ah loved doing what Ah was doin’. Ah was givin’ ponies homes, after all. However, as the weeks went by, Ah realized that, while building stuff was fun, doin’ it like work all th’ time an’ not havin’ any control over what Ah was building was suckin’ the joy out of it. Ah like workin’ on houses, but Ah didn’t want t’ jus’ be doin’ busy work. So, Ah quit. Ah didn’t want t’ be selfish, but Ah couldn’ force mahself t’ do somethin’ that drained me every day.”
Blueblood’s lips pursed together. He waited a few moments to say something, but nothing especially apropos came to mind. “It’s like that with me and my scooter,” Scootaloo said. “Rainbow Dash might be up for being an athlete, but getting up early to exercise isn’t really my thing. It’s fun, but it’s not worth the extra work to make it a job.”
A few moments creeped by, but Blueblood couldn’t think of anything to say. So he just sat, frowning, eyes shifting from one filly to the other. Then Sweetie Belle cleared her throat. “Your highness,” she squeaked, “have you ever thought about abdicating?”
Blueblood’s eyes narrowed and Sweetie Belle closed her mouth. Eventually, though, he sighed. “Several times,” he replied. “But still, I was born into-“
“Oh, stop trying to be what everyone else wants!” Scootaloo blurted out. As Blueblood opened his mouth, she continued. “Yes, you’re royalty! Born to be some bigwig! You’re also so miserable that you can’t even do your job! Don’t look at me like that!” Just the same, Scootaloo put her hoof over her eyes. “If you’d been focused, wouldn’t you have found out about that insurance issue before now? Or tracked down Twilight’s library money?”
Blueblood scowled at her, but his lips strained to tilt downwards. He looked the slightest bit away, staring off into the distance. For a long time, he said nothing. Finally, though, he grunted. “Maybe,” he muttered. He snorted. “Why am I talking to you about this?”
Sweetie Belle walked forward. “Because you’ve been keeping it in for a long time and you need somepony to talk to?” she asked him.
Blueblood didn’t even bother to frown, merely deflating. “Maybe.” He looked at the three fillies, face devoid of any sort of energy. “No offense, but you’re still just fillies. I need to talk to an adult about this.”
Apple Bloom frowned. “Jus’ consider it, OK?” she asked him. “Ye’r really cool an’ we’d hate t’ see ya’ crash and burn.”
Softly, Blueblood nodded. Then the train whistle sounded. “I’ll consider it,” he said. “And…” He paused for a moment. “…thank you. For coming to talk to me.”
“Thank you for saving our lives,” Scootaloo told him.
With that, Blueblood turned around and walked to the train. Try as he might, he kept thinking of abdicating, and as he sat down, he picked a seat where he could wave good-bye to the three fillies. For several minutes, he turned the question over in his mind. Then he decided to lean back in his seat and doze off.