Race 18
Race 18: Vigilantes
The moment of truth had come. With a foreleg, the Arrow swept back his hood. There was a collective gasp from the princesses; the domino mask he wore did nothing to hide his identity from them.
Celestia was devastated. How could she have failed so completely? Blue Blood's family had served her with honor for generation upon generation, putting duty and honor above all else, even their own lives. It was just that devotion that led to Blue Blood becoming Celestia's ward at the tender age of twelve. Both parents and all of his sibling had given their lives in support of the Crown and its ideals.
Celestia had tried her best to be a good mother, but having to micromanage the principality took almost all of her time; only the recent return of her sister had let her schedule revert to something that would not kill an ordinary pony. In her absence, a revolving door of tutors and caretakers had attempted to raise the recalcitrant colt, but none lasted long. When the colt grew into a stallion, he showed none of the drive or passion for which his family was famous. Instead, he chose to party like there was no tomorrow. Celestia was not fooled; she knew how much he hurt inside. She could have helped, if only there were time.
And, when he vanished, she had spared no expense trying to locate him. In her heart, she had truly believed that he had died. She truly believed she had completely failed his family.
His miraculous return had brought relief that she had not felt in centuries. However, despite superficial similarities, Blue Blood had returned a much different pony. He exhibited independence and self-reliance that had never been exhibited before. He moved out of the palace and into his family's estate. After buying a string of nightclubs, he began to repay Celestia all of the borrowed money that he had squandered on the previous lifestyle. As his profits grew, so did the size of each payment.
There was now no doubt how much he had changed. There was now no doubt how much she had failed. The pony she had tried to raise as a son was a murderer.
“Blue Blood?!” gasped Celestia.
“This is impossible,” mumbled Luna.
Blue Blood sighed, resigned to his fate, and waited. Celestia regained her composure, and called:
"SQUAD BRAVO! TO ME!"
The guards entered in formation and formed a defensive perimeter around the princesses. Only years of training preventing them from showing shock at the state of their comrades or Blue Blood's choice of clothing.
In a more normal tone, Celestia said, "Prince Blue Blood is under arrest. Secure him in solitary and await further orders."
As the soldiers moved forward, Blue Blood sprang backward and cried, "WAIT!"
With barely-concealed contempt, Celestia asked, "What is it, Arrow?"
Pointing at the unconscious Dash, he said, "Let her leave, and I'll go with them willingly. Move now, and you’ll never hear of me again."
Luna said, "Surely, you jest."
Celestia replied, "Trust in Harmony. Very well."
Ten minutes later, a casual observer would have sworn someone had thrown a switch when Rainbow Dash went from completely unconscious to fully alert in the blink of an eye. In even less time, she saw that the Arrow had revealed himself to the princesses and that a full squad of Celestia's elite guard stood at the ready.
“No, NO!” shouted Dash. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, BLOOD?!”
The vigilante turned to his friend and said calmly, "I truly appreciate what you did, Dash. This is my choice; I'm not worth your sacrifice, not as the Arrow, and especially not as Blue Blood. Go back to Ponyville and forget about me."
Rainbow Dash ground her teeth. “I promised Barry I’d take care of you!”
“I’m a grown pony; I don’t need a super-fast babysitter. Besides, you have to make sure I don’t kill anymore. I'm not about to hurt anyone from inside a tiny cell.”
“But . . .”
“GET THE HAY OUT, DASH!”
The cyan pegasus glared at Blue Blood, and sighed. “You're an idiot, Blood.” With that, she vanished in a streak of light.
Blue Blood watched as the light faded. He then nodded to the guards, who restrained him and led him away.
Ten minutes later, an armored prisoner transport left Canterlot Palace. Blue Blood settled in for what should be a short ride. He smiled at the guards who gawked at him through the windows.
"Gentlecolts, I gave my word I would cooperate."
The nearest guard said, "We know. We have to ask. Are you really him? Are you really the Arrow?"
Blue Blood rolled his eyes. “Yes I am.”
"I'm sorry we have to take you in; the princesses would kill us if we let you escape."
"Don't worry. I don’t really care"
“So, that island wasn't really a tropical paradise?” another guard asked nervously.
“You don’t say!” Blue Blood snarked as he turned back to the window. “Hey, we just missed the turn to Iron Gate.”
“Actually, the Princesses think a padded cell would be better for you,” explained one of the guards.
Blue Blood face-hoofed.
“Of course!”
Gray skies in morning, ponies take warning. The dawn ushered in what promised to be a bad day. It was a sure sign that Princess Celestia was upset. The headline on the morning papers left no doubt as to the cause.
ARROW CAPTURED
Prince Blue Blood revealed as the Masked Vigilante
The headline and the story were absolutely incredible. There was no way the self-centered prince could be the Arrow. Since when did he think of anyone but himself? There was no way he would have sacrificed himself to protect anyone, let alone the Element of Loyalty. This had to be a mistake. Then again, he was away doing who knows what for four years, and the princesses refused to comment on the situation.
The underworld was particularly cautious. The streets were teeming with henchponies out to confirm the truth. If the Arrow were truly in custody, it would only be a matter of time before he was found. Once he was found, he would no longer be a problem.
The friends of the Arrow took the news the hardest. That morning, they gathered with their fellow Elements Bearers in the cozy breakfast nook in the Castle of Friendship. To Rarity's relief, Rainbow Dash drew the others' attention with her antics.
“That moron!” complained Rainbow Dash as she threw away the paper. “Why didn’t he trust me? I had a plan, for Faust sake!”
“Were you planning on running away until the Princesses get tired of chasing ya?” asked Applejack sarcastically.
Rainbow frowned. “Of course not! Er, yes, but, I mean. All right, I didn't really have a plan, but you know me! I would never betray a friend!”
Twilight nodded, sighing. “We know, Rainbow Dash. We know.”
“What reminds me,” said Dash glaring at the lavender alicorn. “Why did you back Celestia and not me?”
“Because I never expected you to actually defy the Princess the way you did!” explained Twilight. “Besides, she promised me that she'd only hold you for a night.”
Rainbow nodded. "I'm just upset with myself. I promised Barry I'd keep the Arrow out of trouble. Now, there's no way I can keep that promise."
The speedster sat back in her chair and sighed. "I'll admit, I should have thought things out before defying the princess. Blue Blood really deserves our help, though. There's something rotten in Equestria, and since he stopped killing, the Arrow became more of a solution that a problem. With all the stuff he'd cleaned up, I don't get why Celestia was so anxious to capture him."
The girls argued among themselves, trying to discern the truth of the matter. They concluded that there had to be more than the deaths of criminals to draw Celestia's ire. Were the gray skies only the beginning?
“Well,” said Twilight, thoughtful, “I’m pretty sure something good will come from all of this.”
She didn’t even have time to blink when Rainbow Dash was right before her, glaring. “What did you say?”
“What I mean, Rainbow, is that, for all practical purposes, Blue Blood is Princess Celestia’s child. When she realizes what her son has been fighting, she might change the justice system so there won't need to be an Arrow to bring that kind of pony to justice.”
Rainbow separated with Twilight with a sigh. Her friend was right, and, now that she thought about it, wasn’t this what Blue Blood was aiming for when he revealed himself? She grinned.
“You're an idiot Blue Blood, a brilliant idiot.”
The discussion continued, with Rainbow Dash fielding questions about the Arrow and his origins. No one noticed that Rarity had slipped away.
Afternoon, Canterlot outskirts, old industrial zone:
The bones of dying buildings creaked and groaned in the non-existent wind. The occasional crash of a gangrenous extremity echoed through the deserted streets. Some thirty years ago, this had been a boom town, bringing carpetbaggers from far and wide hoping to make a quick bit. When reality finally prevailed, only the truly prepared were left to limp along. Such was the case with the factory that Blue Blood's grandfather had owned, which towered above the remains of its peers, like the last tombstone standing in a graveyard.
Only a practiced eye had any chance of perceiving the solitary figure that flowed from shadow to shadow. Her black outfit helped her blend it, despite the blond of her long, straight mane and tail.
The mare held her breath as she observed the abandoned factory. She could see the pair of guards at the main entrance, and heard three, or perhaps four others noisily cursing their fate. The light from powerful lanterns painted halos on the grimy windows.
The Canary continued to observe the building from multiple angles as she revised her plan. She had hoped that the guards would ignore this innocuous-looking property, but now that everyone knew the Arrow's secret, all available hooves had been summoned to root out his lair.
"Doesn't look like they're putting any real effort into this. Perhaps we'll be fortunate and they won't find it." The Canary grimaced a crash coming from within. "Then again, we shouldn't leave anything to chance."
As she had been taught by the Arrow, the Canary sought high ground, settling on the roof of the factory. "Minotaur or snake?" she mused as she peered into a skylight. "I could easily take out that small a detachment without them noticing." She drew her bo-staff and extended it. "But, when they wake up, they're sure to send for reinforcements." She retracted and holstered the staff. "Think, Canary, think."
A black-clad figure slithered through a surprisingly well-maintained doorway on the roof. Silently, it shut the exterior door before opening the interior door and settling on a catwalk. Moving between sweeps of the lanterns, it made its way over to tall, rusty hydraulic press. Draping her hood over her work, she removed the bolts securing the old machine. Gravity did the rest.
As the Canary went about her skullduggery, the soldiers put on a brave face as eerie sounds echoed throughout the dark interior. They would later swear adamantly that they did not hear a ghost padding about.
One soldier grumbled, "What a complete waste of time! What do they expect us to find in this heap of junk?"
Another replied, "You never know; after all, who'd have guessed Blue Blood was the Arrow?"
A third said, "What do you think guys?" A rat scurried out of the wandering light. "Tetanus or rabies?"
A loud, groaning screech caught their attention. "RUN!!!"
The soldiers beat a hasty retreat as the ancient press came crashing down. When the dust settled, the leader looked inside, skeptically. He said, "This place is falling apart. We'll tell them that search was cancelled due to unsafe conditions."
“We told Commander Skyward Sword this was a deathtrap, but she never listens!”
“She's not here; I am. I say it's not safe. We nearly got squashed. Move out!”
A half hour after the last hoofbeat faded, the Canary emerged from the shadows, removing the dust mask from her face. With a satisfied smile, she made her way to an old baling machine and opened an access panel away from the factory's main entrance. She climbed onto its conveyor belt and crawled into the adjacent room. She felt along the floor for specific tiles. When she pressed them in sequence, a secret door swung open. She now had access to the Arrow's lair.
Shutting the door behind her, she turned on the light. Everything was as she remembered. From an equipment locker, she retrieved a spare set of the Arrow's equipment, including costume and weapons. From the medicine cabinet, she retrieved a supply of her special throat tonic; it was half of the secret behind the Canary's cry. Now, all she had to do was break into one of the most secure facilities in all Equestria -- the Canterlot ward for the criminally insane.
Canterlot psychiatric hospital, maximum security wing:
The padding muffled the knocks from the nurse. She frowned. She'd always suspected there was something a bit off about Prince Blue Blood, but, surely, he couldn't be the Arrow.
When the door swung open, the nurse gasped. An empty straightjacket lay on the padded floor. The patient was gone!
Rhythmic grunts drew her attention upward. Blue Blood was hanging upside down from the lamp, doing ab crunches.
“What — is — it?” asked Blood without interrupting his exercise.
The nurse gulped, and backed out the room cautiously
“What?” asked Blue Blood, as he stopped, and glared to the nurse.
“Ahem . . . your personal psychiatrist just arrived. Are you decent?” asked the nurse nervously.
“I don’t care,” said the prince, resuming his exercise.
The nurse gulped again, and closed the door. Turning around, she jumped, startled when she saw the doctor. She said, "I don't mean to question your judgement, but I think we should medicate this one first."
The doctor calmly shook her head. “No. I'll handle everything.”
Then, she entered. Physical exercise was the last thing she expected from the prince. She said, "A bit of therapy would be much better for you than just hanging around."
Blue Blood just glared at her, pausing his exercise. “Get out of here, auntie. I’m waiting for my shrink.”
With a sad smile, Celestia replied, "You're looking at her. I don't mean to brag, but over the years, I've earned doctorates in every subject under the sun; psychiatry is just one of many.
Blue Blood jumped from the lamp, landing on the raised pad that served as his mattress. With a bored look he glanced at his aunt and said, "I never asked for your résumé.
The princess said, "As hard as it might be to believe, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."
"Is that so? Where were you when I needed you?"
Looking downcast, Celestia replied, "I admit, I failed you. I should have taken more time when you were growing up. I should have been firmer when you started acting out. I should have made sure you were truly all right when we finally got you back from that island."
Looking Blue Blood in the eye, she said, "I love you like a son, Blue Blood; let me help you now."
“I'm beyond the point where mere words will do any good.”
“Blue Blood, I want to evaluate you personally,” explained Celestia.
Blue Blood shook his head in disappointment. “What's the point? You already said the Arrow represented everything that was wrong in Equestria.”
Celestia ignored the comment an asked, "What happened on that island?"
Coldly, Blue Blood replied, "Blue Blood died. The Arrow was born. Nothing I want to talk about."
Celestia nodded sadly. “Okay, this is your session, nephew. What would you like to talk about?”
Blue Blood shrugged. “I don’t know; why are you even bothering with me? As I told Dash, the Arrow's not worth the bother; I'm not worth the bother.”
"You're wrong," insisted Celestia. "I care. I remember the colt who was going to save the world. I see before me the stallion I tried to raise in my own image. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to know I've raised a murderer?" Celestia paused. "As long as you live, there is still hope."
Blue Blood glared at his aunt. "I only killed criminals who were beyond the law. They could do anything they wanted, kill anypony they wanted. Why did you allow such monsters to have free rein?"
Celestia closed her eyes, hurt by Blue Blood’s words.
“Do you realize that was the kind of monster you were becoming?”
“I do. That's why I hate them so much,” explained Blue Blood.
Again, Celestia nodded, hurt.
The dam finally burst. Blue Blood started talking.
"As much a monster as I was before the island, I never intentionally hurt anyone. I never took advantage of ponies' weaknesses, spreading poison to addicts. I never foalnapped the vulnerable and forced them into prostitution. I never killed witnesses to cover my crimes. The monsters I now hunt do that and more. They shield themselves with your rules, your laws. You made it possible; with enough money, with the right connections, anypony can game the system and get away with murder, and worse.
“Well, but that . . .”
“You already knew that, right?” interrupted Blue Blood, as an epiphany suddenly came to him. "I always knew something wasn't quite right, but it all makes sense now. You know your beloved system doesn't work the way it should. It's stayed the same; you've stayed the same while over the generations, the unscrupulous have learned to use all your rules to their advantage. I have news for you; times have changed; your precious system must change, or your precious little ponies will be at the mercy of those monsters your rules protect.
Celestia just stood there, looking at her nephew, unsure of what to say.
Blue Blood grinned. “That’s why you hated the Arrow, isn't it? With all those crimes in the shadows, you could pretend there was nothing wrong. I brought all your failings to light. I showed the world that your system had failed to the point where it took someone outside the law to protect ponies from the evil that lay within. I showed the world you refused to do anything about it. I showed you what a failure you've become!"
Celestia’s expression darkened. “Don’t you dare to call me that!”
“We both know the truth,” said Blue Blood coldly. “Nothing you say or do will change what has happened. You have failed Equestria.”
Celestia’s eye twitched, and she grabbed her nephew with her magic.
“Don’t ever talk to me that way!”
“I’ll talk to you the way you deserve, no more, no less,” said Blue Blood.
“Stop it! Or I'll . . .”
“You'll what?” asked Blue Blood, looking at her in the eye. “I'm not like the Dash; she's a true hero; she has everything to lose. I have nothing. That's why I became a vigilante. That's why I turned myself in.”
Finally, Celestia released him.
“There is still some good inside you. We can talk more during your next session.”
Blue Blood shrugged. “You're ignoring the problem again. Putting me here, I'm good as dead.”
Celestia replied, "You're perfectly safe. I have my best guarding this place."
“That didn't help Street Junk.”
Celestia backed out of the room. "We'll speak more tomorrow, nephew. Sleep well." With that, she closed the door.
Troubled by Blue Blood's last assertion, Celestia cast a scrying spell on the corridor before leaving. As the evening wore on, there was no activity until a blond orderly wheeled a cleaning cart up to the door. She entered briefly and left. A few minutes later, a brunette orderly wheeled a cleaning cart up to the door. She entered briefly and left.
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Celestia. She teleported herself to the door. Noxious black smoke seeped out from the bottom of the doorway. Casting a shield spell around the room, she opened the door. When she vanished the smoke, she found there was nothing but ash, leaving behind a grotesque parody of what was within.
Celestia magically projected her voice throughout the building. "Code Tangerine. Code Tangerine. This is not a drill."
From the bottom of the cleaning cart, Blue Blood said, "It's a lockdown!"
The Canary hissed, "What do we do?"
"The doors will be sealed with magic. Act natural and go to the doctor's lounge on the top floor."
Inside the lounge, the Arrow donned his costume while the Canary sealed the door. Once he finished, he pointed to the window as asked, "If you'd do honors?"
The Canary found the resonant frequency of the safety glass, reducing it to fragments. The Arrow shot a line down to the balcony of an adjacent building. Anchoring the other end in the lounge, he said, "Hop on!" With that, the vigilantes made their escape.
Once they were on the street, the Canary asked, “Is the suit really necessary? Your identity is public knowledge.”
The Arrow nodded. “Blue Blood died when the Arrow was born. Let the prince rest in peace.”
The Canary asked, “How did you know I'd come to rescue you?”
“I didn't; I just had a gut feeling. I'd already planned my escape, regardless of whether I got any help. To be honest, I never thought that you, of all ponies, would risk everything just to save me.”
“I can’t really explain it myself, but I believe in what you do as the Arrow. Now that you’ve stopped killing, I want to help you. We make a great team.”
Blue Blood shook his head.
“Not happening, sorry.”
“What? But Blue Blood!”
“No. I knew from the beginning that it was only a matter of time before my aunt captured me. I'd prepared for that, and for every other contingency. If you want to keep fighting crime on your own, go ahead, but I’ll be on my own from now on.”
“But . . .”
“I won’t kill again, isn’t that enough?” asked Blue Blood.
The Canary had no choice but lower her head, and give a small nod.
“I guess so.”
Blue Blood smiled at her.
“Thank you, for everything.”
“No, thank you. You gave me a new perspective on life, Blue Blood. I guess you’ll take the Arrow’s identity exclusively now, right?”
“Until he's no longer needed,” assured the prince.
The two went their separate ways.
The next weeks were strange for Equestria.
The corrupt nobles were in constant fear. Everyone knew that Blue Blood had been assassinated, but the nobles knew he was never the Arrow; it had all been a ploy by Celestia to throw them off guard. Rumors of a new vigilantespread like wildfire. Whoever really was under the mantle of the Arrow was working with a partner, the Canary. To make matters worse, Celestia was changing the laws, destroying the sanctuaries they had used to shield themselves from justice. A task force was actively pursuing them. Their money and influence meant nothing now. Nopony wanted to risk the wrath of Celestia. However, to the evil, the greatest threat came from the Arrow and the Canary.
Also, there were also rumors about a multi-colored (but mostly blue) streak of light that ran all over Equestria, doing good deeds. Criminals found themselves inexplicably bound. Those in need of rescue found themselves suddenly brought to safety. Nopony stayed around to take credit.
Yes, the streak, or the Dash as she liked to be called, took full advantage of her speed, and covered the whole of Equestria. The media gravitated to her light, ignoring the darkness of the Arrow and the Canary.
“Say, Arrow,” asked the Canary as they found themselves working together to take down a drug gang, “don’t you find annoying that now that the media is ignoring us and giving Dash all the attention?”
“Why would I? I work best from the shadows.”
And, just like that, life continued.
As an earth pony was putting a fresh coat of paint on Celestia's throne room, his scaffolding collapsed. He screamed, but the sudden stop he expected never materialized. The Dash had eased him to the ground. Then, with her super speed, she finished the job, topping it off with a quick drying using her wings.
“How about that?” asked the Dash, winking an eye at the solar princesses.
“Well . . .”
The speedster disappeared in a streak of light.
“Well, this is a new era of heroes,” sighed Celestia, “The era of the masked vigilantes, and boastful metaponies.”
The painter, however, had something else in mind.
“I’m still getting paid, right?”
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hehe this was great, wonder if we'll see more heroes pop up over time or if we'll just be sticking with what we got for now. Either way I'm looking forward to things with Reverse Dash getting underway soon.
Will the Flash meet Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash?
there must be a Batman, or at least a mention of him somewhere.
Nice! What an escape!! So, think we might be getting more Arrowverse doppelgangers? Perhaps a couple years go by and Sweetie Belle becomes Black Canary? Maybe Rarity goes on to be White Canary and Doctor Whooves recruits her for the Legends? Twilight becomes Vibe? The possibilities are endless! Wait? Will Barry return to Equestria with all the other Arrowverse heroes for a "Crisis on Earth-X" kind of thing?
Cool rap up of this arc,
So I guess savitar won't exist in the arrowverse anymore since Barry didn't screw up the timeline which means john will keep his daughter and Ciscos brother is still alive. Can't wait for Barry to come back or the other way around.
That ending doe
Commander Skyward Sword? Who’s next? Private Majora?
8662275
Or a new superhero named the Masked Majora.
8662275
Nah, i think it would be major majora. Just for the cringeworthy pun
Love that part