"It was the right thing to do." -Blueblood
Despite its outside appereance, Equestria is a dangerous place. Creatures beyond what is natural lurk around the corner of your eyes, hiding behind the shadows, eyeing for food. The pony you're conversing in front of you may not even be a pony, and the nightmare you're having every night may not be as mundane as you thought it would be.
Thus it was for this purpose, Cerberus was created. To protect ponies from the dark unknowns, to give them assurance that they could close their eyes without fear, and to make sure they could converse with each other without doubt and suspicion flaring in their minds. It was through Cerberus, symbolizing the three-headed hound, that Equestria is safe.
It is now Blueblood's turn to make it stay so.
A comment-driven story inspired by a quest in Spacebattles forum, Loyal2Luna's Mass Effect crossover fic, and perhaps a bit from Raleigh's Blueblood: Hero of Equestria. I hope you'd enjoy it!
Seems like a promising start, but I find myself a little confused of the time frame, how old is Blueblood and Ditsy meant to be if they're already around while Twilight was a kid?
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Consider him 18, as with Ditsy. It's AU for a reason.
This is a promising start.
I have enjoyed this chapter.
Keep up the good work.
I would think Blueblood would do well to recruit his advisors from a rather inconspicuous stock. Unfortunately, I also don't believe he himself has the best connections to do so.
Another good address are ponies who are already very effective in their chosen fields but didn't rise to the top. Ponies hungry to prove themselves. However, personal rivalries are a risk and should be nipped in the bud as soon as they show. A modicum of teamwork is necessary, so no absolute solo players.
Canterlot is rife with students of magic. Twilight Sparkle is out, unfortunately; she's already snatched up by Celestia. Sunset Shimmer would have had power and drive, but likely too much drive. Also, she's gone.
The mare known as Moondancer might be a good choice. Well-read, inquisitive, reclusive. Possibly starved for some sort of companionship. She'll cling to this cabal like her life depends on it, should she accept.
I wouldn't look for martial talent in the Royal Guard, ironically. Or at least not as main criteria. The average guard is ineffective against nearly every serious threat out there, and they know it. The only leader with some competence is another Sparkle, Shining Armor. And Princess Cadance appears to have her eye on that one. Moreover, the kind of enemies Cerberus will face need outside the box thinking and strong, decisive actions. Even very risky ones; just because something looks 'extreme' should not preclude it from consideration.
Perhaps the prince should look into a particular Pegasus mare at some point. A failed Wonderbolt recruit named Lightning Dust. Her personal flying skills are superb, while she also has a quick and adaptable mind. She's also a complete daredevil, but he might need somepony like that to have any hope against the horrors preying on his subjects.
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I agree with these points.
Also, I think that the better place to put his organization would be a largish city like Manehatten or Detrot.
We already know that ponies there do not recognise royalty for the most part and this Blueblood seems like one that is more covered up in the media than covered.
Also, Ponyville is not only a (really) overdone setting. It is also too small for feasible covert operations and clandestine organisations. Additionally, the town is probably kept under unusual scrutiny by the princess herself.
Some ponies like operative Hooves/Doo could probably move unnoticed in said town but a whole organization run by a prince? The secret would be out in a day.
My point is it would be easier to hide an organization like Cerberus in a city of about half a million ponies (at least) than a town with 500 (at most) unless every member of the town other than the EOH/Twilight are Blueblood's agents.
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You're underestimating Blueblood's Intrigue. To put it into perspective, he could lie in front of the princess with a straight face. Yes, he rolled a nat 20 for Intrigue. So yes, he could certainly hide Cerberus in Ponyville. Not including Class Ladder if you're going to take up his offer as your advisor.
In fact, Detrot is the high-risk high-reward option. Really, that would rise some suspicion/worry from the princess.
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Wait does his natural 20 mean that the Blood lineage was literally born and bred to spy?
Also will we see allusions to things previous incarnations of Cerberus have done and perhaps why problems such as Nightmare Moon, the Crystal Empire and even Discord are only found in ancient/unedited books?
Namely, does Cerberus act as a historical censor as well? To help keep the peace?
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SoothingCoffee bring up a good point. Celestia would be elated if her nephew decided to stay in Ponyville for a while, probably hoping the town will rub off on him like it did with Twilight Sparkle. As well, it would mainly be the inner circle stationed there, not the whole organisation.
There's also the fact that the town is quite safe in comparison. That might sound strange, seeing as how monster attacks are common there, but they're usually quickly and efficiently dealt with by the Elements of Harmony. They would inadvertently keep Cerberus' leadership safe. In turn, Cerberus can keep an eye on one of Equestria's most important defences, namely the Elements themselves.
The downside is that Ponyville is a little isolated. They'd need a way to get information in and out quickly. Twilight has dragonfire mail, something Blueblood doesn't have access to as far as we can tell.
On top of that, they'd need to be careful not to arouse suspicions by the Elements. One can only imagine what might happen if Twilight Sparkle stumbles across signs of a Secret Conspiracy operating without Celestia's supervision or knowledge.
Tricky choice. Of course, Ponyville offers some shipping opportunities, so...
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Shipping is all well and good....
But Detrot offers not only risk but also the opportunity to explore a not often explored region of Equestia.
Also, This means that Blueblood could invest in a larger scale operation with a standing base in a high rise.
I also imagine that a research team could be devoted to making a communication device of some type under his orders.
There is also nothing stopping him from visiting Ponyville in the future.
Also, dependent on your Blueblood..... He could divert attention by purchasing Detrot businesses and improving the quality of life for ponies on the poorer side of life. This would not only stump Celestia a bit but also probably improve their relationship, effectively reducing her need to look deeper into his motives for a time at least.
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If you're fretting that just because Blueblood is going to Ponyville would mean you won't get any worldbuilding, you're going to be surprised. Also, Blueblood's and Celestia's relationships are not, in anyway, bad. It's actually pretty great, Nephew-Aunt wise.
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Eh, the Dice Gods were being extremely kind. Say, do you want me to post his stats, or not?
Keep in mind, that the stats won't affect the story much, other than that Blueblood is bad at A annd talented at B.
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Nah. Keep the stats under your hat. It will keep us readers in the dark about what actions he is likely to take.
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Don't worry I'm always fretting.
Keep up the good work.
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I would like to know what Blueblood's relationship is with Cadance. Blood? Adopted? Sibling? Cousin?
And, extrapolating from this, the chance of the Pink Alicorn Princess of Love showing an interest in hooking the prince up with a mare for good.
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She's a rare one-in-a-kind alicorn that popped out of nowhere, and Celestia decides to take her in/adopt her, making her Blueblood's sibling of some sort. Relationship is warm, if distanced.
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Hmm. Good to know.
So, chance of direct/indirect matchmaking interference..?
Also, there is a particular pair of Unicorn brothers who could make for wonderful diplomats. They're very charming and persuasive, the only problem is, well.. they're con men. Unicons, if you will. That kind of shady past must be erased or at least be put at a distance.
Great story can't wait for more
Maybe have bulkbisceps as a bodyguard to help out with missions ?
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We'll see. The chapter's done. Just writing the choice.
Great chapter im liking cloud punch
My vote
Meet with celestia and be based in ponyville
Don't go too big right away, Blueblood. You need to jumpstart the whole thing before any serious progress can be made. First, you need to make sure you have a secure base of operations, anything else follows from this. Yet you also need some freedom to enact your plans, having your well-meaning auntie breathe down your neck might hamper your efforts. Overall, Ponyville offers a good balance of protection, anonymity, and the chance to test your ideas on some of the weaker monsters crawling forth from the Everfree.
Try to make a good first impression. Act generous (if you can't manage to be generous), be polite. Throw some money around on charitable causes but explain that you like to stay out of the limelight. Ponies will think you are nice but shy.
As for the meeting with Celestia, I would suggest you accept it. The last thing you want is to arouse her suspicion before you even started. Knowing her personal student might offer a future resource/ally to be tapped in questions of obscure magical problem.
Great story so far, I always love the Fandom Controversial Blueblood, their is just something that I like about his arrogance and pampered rump, even when he is genuinely trying to help, that I like about him I hope to see the next chapter soon.
I think BlueBlood should play hardball.
Detrot for the chance of a cutting swath against corruption.
Meet with Celestia to see little Twilight and also hopefully a relationship buff with Celestia will help him placate her later.