> The Menace of Canterlot
>  by The_Darker_Fonts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: The Canterlot Invasion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The filly panted hard as she ran, her hooves clacking on the cobblestone streets of Lower North Canterlot, tears streaking through her fur as she ran.  They were following her closely, cackling at her attempts to escape, but little did they know that these stupid bugs were in her territory now.  Forcing a smile through the terror and panting, she veered left suddenly, towards the old bar, weaving around scattered debris and other terrified ponies.  Daring to hope that the bugs had been distracted by the others, changing the target of their trajectory, she foolishly glanced behind her.  Still aiming straight for her, their legs with hoof-sized holes in them outstretched, the changelings sneered at her as they closed in.
Gasping, she jerked sideways once again, this time going into one of the alleys between a house and the local market.  If she could just reach the end of this alley, she could easily escape the two changelings.  In front of her was a dead end, but to either side of it was an escape that also splintered off into the other streets.  Huffing, she turned right as soon as she could, dashing now towards the open end of the alleyway.  Suddenly, one of the black bugs dropped down from the sky, landing in her way before she could even reach halfway down the wet stones.
Screeching to a halt, she whipped around to escape from the other direction, only to be met with the sneering face of the other changeling.  Her eyes going wide, she whipped around left and right, searching desperately for any escape.  It didn’t take a genius to realize that she was cornered, and it only took a few seconds for her to come to the conclusion that there was no way out except a miracle.  Gritting her teeth, she curled her tail around her legs, crouching down defensively, hoping to potentially dodge any attack to escape from under their hooves.
Leering her down, the changeling she stared at taunted haughtily, “Your parents’ love for you was quite the delectable feast, I could tell.  Too bad I had to skip out on it to catch you, but I guess I can have dessert for dinner.  What say you, Krimp?”
“Oohohohohoo,” the one behind her laughed cheerfully.  “I say we suck the delicious youthful love that fills her tiny pony body out and leave here for somepony else to try and suck whatever else is left out of her.”
The filly shivered at the changeling’s words, her jaw quivering fear as she felt herself being crippled by the tremendous amount of terror coursing through her.  She could feel it, see it already, the changelings reaching for her, their horns glowing as they opened their wide maws to suck the love from her.  She wanted to turn away, to let them do as they would and get it over with, but the changelings held the moment for as long as they could, enjoying her terror, she knew it.  Sniffling, she remembered her mother and father, both crumpling to the ground in the middle of the street as the love was sucked out of them, removing their strength.  No, she would not let them have the last laugh, even if they were going to steal the love from her.  Summoning her courage, the filly put on her meanest glare and looked up to her attacker’s, determined to glare them down even as they would suck the love from her.
To her surprise the changeling was no longer looking at her, or even moving towards her at all.  Confused, she noticed the rigid way the changeling stood, staring wide-eyed at something above them all.  Following the changeling’s gaze, she found herself staring up to right above her, a figure standing on the roof of the store.  The stallion was unmistakable, his billowing cape, his midnight suit, almost fancy, but well built for the physical aspects of his livelihood, and of course, the signature blue silk mask topped with a dark azure fedora.  Her mouth dropping as she stared, the filly understood full well the changeling’s fixation and general fear.  The Blue Knight had dared to show his face.
Fear like she had never known before began pumping through her, the thoughts of changelings and the threat they posed vanishing in an instant.  She began to back away from the stallion even as he stood still there, staring down the changelings as they converged where she had stood, glaring up at him defensively.  His emotionless mask was almost ironic as he held a struggling changeling in his magical grasp, the insectoid stallion struggling against his restraints desperately.  Silently, the Blue Knight jerked the changeling downward and to the side, allowing its head only to snap against the brick building as the magical grip that held the poor bug was released.  All three in the alley watched in shock as the bug fell limply to cobbled stone bellow, his body splattering green blood on impact.
“You’ll pay for that,” one of the changelings shrilly cried.  “Queen Chrysalis will drain all of the love from you before you have a chance to beg for mercy.”
“You shouldn’t have come here, attacked my city, and threatened this filly,” the Blue Knight replied darkly, completely ignoring the changeling’s warning.  Without a sound, the stallion suddenly leapt from his perch, landing only but a few spans away from the two changelings.  Yelping, they both jumped backwards, one of them tripping over the body of their comrade.  
“Y-y-y-you don’t know what you’re doing b-by messing w-with us,” the one to the filly’ right claimed, shaking in terror.  
“You have it backwards, bug,” the stallion replied, suddenly snapping into action, lunging into one, Krimp, and slamming him into the alley wall.  The changeling shrieked in terror as it was suddenly engaged but a quick jab from the Blue Knight straight into the changeling’s throat silenced it.  Krimp gasped desperately for air as the Knight turned to face its oncoming ally, raising a magical barrier as the changeling attacked him.  The bug slammed into the luminescent wall, groaning at the impact, but the stallion took little time in using the stammer to uppercut a hoof into the changeling’s stomach.
The changeling slumped at the impact, stumbling to the side as the Blue Knight relentlessly punched it in the sides and chest.  The bug fell to the ground, where he was finished with a stomp of the Knight’s hoof to his head.  Both the filly and Krimp gasped in horror as the changeling’s blood spurted from the impact, spraying across the alley ground.  Krimp flew into a rage, staggering towards the Blue Knight through his injuries.  Disregarding the changeling’s faltering attempts, the Knight simply bucked his hind legs backwards, right into the changeling’s head.  His head jerked sideways, snapping loudly with the force of the hit as his body suddenly slumped down, collapsing at the Blue Knight’s hooves.
The filly stood completely still, hardly breathing thanks to the shock and fear coursing through her veins as she stared at the silent, stoic fallen hero.  She felt her lip begin to quiver, her legs shaking as the Blue Knight slowly turned to her.  The emotionless mask stared at her shaking body for a long moment before he reached a gloved hoof out towards her.  She flinched away from the blood-covered hoof, bumping into the brick wall behind her, trapping her in the alley.  Slowly she sank to the ground, only able to stare as the stallion stepped closer to her.  Without warning, his hoof suddenly jerked forward.
The filly’s eyes snapped shut as she pressed herself against the wall, expecting to meet the same fate as the changelings’.  The moment came and passed when her head should have been smashed against the wall, but she held still a moment longer before finally opening her eyes.  The Blue Knight’s hoof was outstretched, waiting patiently, silently for her to take it, green blood dripping from it lethargically.  Unable to get over her own fear, she simply sat there for what felt like hours, staring wide-eyed at his gloved hoof and the bloodstains on it.  
They may have stayed like that for hours, the Blue Knight waiting for her to accept his offer, her rejecting it without a word, too afraid to move.  However, a sudden boom echoed across the entire city, drawing both their eyes as a wave of pink magic suddenly burst from the castle.  The filly watched with wonder as the magic picked up the attacking changelings and flung them into the air and away from the city.  Before she could even tell what was happening, the wave passed over her, warm emotions like she had never felt before filling her body as the magic passed right through her, rustling the bodies of the changelings.  
Snapped back to the present by the movement of the dead bodies, the filly used the Blue Knight’s momentary distraction to bolt, ducking past him and shooting out of the alleyway.  Panting hard, she disregarded the dozens of other ponies hugging one another in celebration of the changelings’ sudden defeat, the love stolen from them restored and returned.  Sprinting past them all, she ran straight to the safest place she could think of, right past her house and straight towards the factory that stood over the neighborhood.  
Bursting through the doors, she allowed them to slam shut behind her as she rushed up the nearby metal stairs.  She sprinted up them, disregarding the sign saying otherwise, running across the long walkway over the equipment and towards the office.  She came to a pause in front of the door in, attempting to control her panting as she thought about what to say when she would enter.  For a brief second, she feared the stallion she was looking for wouldn’t even be in his office, however, he had never not been there when she had gone searching.  In spite of everything, she had a feeling he would be just behind the door, waiting for her.
With a deep breath to focus herself, she pushed through the door, stepping into the dimly lit office.  She glanced around briefly at the small space with bookshelves of paperwork and novels carefully organized for the stallion, and as predicted, he was there.  She wasn’t used to seeing him standing, but in spite of the oddity, she rushed over to him as he turned away at the window, leaping up and wrapping her hooves around his neck.  
“Sir, you have to help me,” she cried into his neck as she clung to him tightly.
“Don’t worry, darling, the changelings have been defeated by the Elements of Harmony,” the stallion reassured her, patting a hoof against her back.  Setting the filly down, he looked into her eyes and asked, “Are you okay?  The changelings didn’t hurt you or your parents, did they?”
“The changelings got my parents, but the magic restored them like everypony else, or at least I think,” the filly replied quickly, staring earnestly into his eyes.  “But I’m not scared of the changelings, sir.  They chased me, but they didn’t get me.  Something worse almost did.”
The stallion’s brows furrowed in concern as he leaned down to her, asking, “How do you mean?”
“Sir, the Blue Knight was there, he took care of the changelings and then he- he… well he was there,” the filly exclaimed breathlessly.  “I saw with my own eyes and heard him with my own ears, sir.  The Blue Knight is back!”
The white unicorn’s eyes went wide as he stood straight up, silently reaching a hoof up to rub his chin.  His mouth had dropped in shock as his gaze left the filly and turned back out to the window, staring hard.  The filly twisted her head, concerned by the stallion’s actions.  Stepping towards him, she softly asked, “Are we in danger again?”
Starting at the filly’s words, the stallion glanced back to her with a soft smile, telling her truthfully, “No, you and your family- and probably everypony in this factory- have nothing to fear from the Blue Knight.  He does try to help us ponies from dangerous things like robbers and changelings, but we must remember that, while we can appreciate those actions, they don’t discredit what he did last year.  Now, I think you should run along home to your family.  They will certainly be concerned if they didn’t see you coming over here since the invasion started.”
“Yessir,” the filly endearingly replied, nodding her head swiftly in agreement.  “Thank you so much, sir.  I’ll see you tomorrow!”
“See you tomorrow, Hoodwink.”




The stallion stared out the window as he had been doing ever since the invasion ended, assessing the damage done to his part of the city.  It had taken some time and very careful preparation to complete this part of his plan, establishing himself in the northeastern, poorer part of Canterlot.  As shocking and enraging this sudden attack from the changelings was, it also provided a unique opportunity to continue to show his dedication to the ponies he now worked with and employed.  The setting sun illuminated the burn marks on the houses and the smoke rising from some of the small fires that still remained from the attack, but all of that was already memorized and cataloged in the back of his mind.
Now the only thought he could focus on was what Hoodwink had told him, the words rolling around in his mind like a boulder in a circuit.  His brow was set hard, anger unbelievably powerful at the thought that the damned stallion was back, living even when presumed dead.  As much as this put a chink in his plans, it wasn’t completely unforeseen.  It would just be a nightmare to deal with.  
Finally turning away from the window, he started with surprise at the sight of the dead changeling stored beneath his desk, having forgotten he had left it there.  Chuckling in relieved amusement, he thanked his lucky stars that Hoodwink hadn’t stumbled upon that mess.  The poor changeling didn’t even know what was happening to him when he died, his exoskeleton remaining unharmed even as his heart was crushed within him.  It eliminated the mess the bug would have made in the factory and on the stallion and had proven to be an effectively silent way of killing.  
He had planned long ago how one might use a spell to kill something from the inside, but he never could have imagined a victim would willingly test him in the matter, let alone a changeling one.  Smiling, he teleported the body over to the top of the mountain, far from sight and where the snow would bury it and hide the death from everypony who might be looking for it.  With a deep breath in, he pulled one of the books off his shelf magic, flipping to a predetermined page and staring hard at his own writing.  Nodding to himself, he snapped it shut and then incinerated the entire thing.  
Glancing out over the city one last time, he levitated a cigar to his lips and lit it with his magic, murmuring to the sun, “You shouldn’t have returned here, Knight.  There are some worlds where you’re better off dead than alive long enough to see what I’m about to do.”
> Chapter 1: He Returns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A lone figure flew across the sky, landing smoothly on one of Canterlot Castle’s many balconies.  Silently, he opened the glass doors, knowing well that there was nopony inside to surprise him.  Closing the door softly, he crept across the floor towards the back of the room, heading straight for the closet that had been recently installed to accommodate the owner of the room’s insatiable desire for the finest of clothing.  Closing the door to the closet behind him, he finally relaxed, letting out a sigh.
Blueblood tore the mask off his face, smiling subtly to himself as he quickly pulled the cloth off of his sweaty body.  Finally, after months of waiting, he had been given the opportunity to reveal the Blue Knight once again, to become the Hero of Canterlot all over again.  Shaking his mane out, he began to unzip the suit body, tossing his hat aside to be put away later.  He was almost laughing with how giddy he was to be back, the events feeling as if they were out of a dream.  Throwing the suit aside, he turned the water on magically while grabbing a towel and washcloth.  
Shaking his head at his own thoughts, the “I told you so” he was going to give Celestia and Luna, he dipped himself into the filling tub, yelping slightly at the sudden heat of the water.  The aches of bruises and cuts left by the changelings who had fought back were numbed from excitement, a sheer bliss to the engagement all he could focus on.  Sinking down into the tub, his tense body slowly loosened as he let out a soft groan.  Taking a deep breath in and then letting it slowly out, he focused himself, pushing away the giddy colt in him excited to play hero again and instead focused on the stallion he now needed to be.
Pushing away celebration and forcing thought, he attempted to piece together exactly what this changeling attack had been.  Over the past few weeks, threats against the city had been coming in from all directions, all anonymously posted against them.  It was right on time for the wedding of Princess Cadance to some noble pony general who was apparently related to the Twilight Sparkle, but he didn’t look into it too much.  Ponies didn’t make enemies with each other easily, and there was not a single pony in Equestria who would want to harm any of the Elements.
That was what he had been told by the Princesses, all three of them, that there was no possible way it was a domestic threat, but Blueblood knew better.  Ever since that fateful night eight months ago, the world had changed quite drastically.  Discord had been freed then returned to stone and the world had expanded greatly in the realms of possibilities.  Equestria seemed to have come back to life from its mundane existence with the return of Luna and the Elements of Harmony.  If they were lucky, which it turned out they weren’t, Discord would have been the last of their true concerns, but the events that had just occurred proved elsewise. 
Frowning, he had to admit he was more than disappointed that the threats and attack made today weren’t the actions of the white unicorn stallion who had become so evasive that Blueblood sometimes wondered if he had happened to pass away sometime afterwards.  Hundreds of deep dives into the identities of similar looking stallions had proved to be fruitless, everything coming up perfectly clean as it was with most ponies.  There were almost six thousand stallions in Canterlot that fit the unicorn’s description, and it was only after all of their confrontations that Blueblood had realized he didn’t remember the stallion’s Cutie Mark.  As frustrating as each search was, it only came at the cost of a few hours, and ever since Celestia had decommissioned the Blue Knight, he had plenty of spare time to kill.
Rubbing some soap and shampoo over his coat, Blueblood washed the residue of the fight away, enjoying the warm water.  The wedding had been planned only a couple weeks ago as both a distraction for the ponies and whomever was behind the threats, which prompted the question if the changelings’ plan had involved the wedding initially, or thanks to the proximity of both the threats beginning and the wedding planned, they had become enveloped in the plan.  Either way, there was something to say about how the attack had progressed, because in spite of his Aunts’ involvement in protecting the city with the help of the guard, the shield had somehow come down and the changelings had gotten through.  He would have to assess the facts with the Princesses when he had the chance, but he felt they most likely had their hooves full with concluding the disrupted wedding he had “failed” to attend.
He didn’t feel the slightest shame for missing out on the wedding, which he would have to miss anyways to fulfill his Prince Blueblood status quo.  However, not knowing Princess Cadance that well and not knowing Shining Armor in the slightest, he didn’t feel the need to waste his time with formalities.  Besides, in the long run, it had proven quite useful, as he had been able to intervene in some of the more vulnerable parts of the city after only a few minutes.  The vast majority of the changeling forces were focused on the castle, meaning those few rogues who targeted the civilians were forced to deal with him first.  Thanks to the edge he had over his own kind, he was able to fight multiple changelings at once, and if he said so himself, he had caused the bugs a good deal of grief.
In spite of his efforts and successes, however, he knew that many ponies had been harmed in the attack, though thankfully whatever magic had defeated the changelings seemed to have restored those affected by the changelings’ draining.  Still, it proved a difficult truth that Blueblood wasn’t quite ready to accept.  Canterlot was a large city with tens of thousands of inhabitants, and he was only one stallion, unable to defend everypony and watch everything.  Rubbing a hoof against his forehead, washing away the thought with soap, he sank slightly deeper into the water.
“I’m so glad to see that the lovely Prince Blueblood was enjoying a nice warm bath while the rest of the city was being torn apart by changelings,” a voice suddenly spoke, unimpressed by what she saw.  Glancing casually behind him as Luna entered the spacious marble bathroom, he gave her a smile, waiting for the realization to hit her.  Indeed, when she glanced down at the floor and saw the discarded mask and suit, fedora neatly placed atop the mess, her eyes widened.
“Come on now, Auntie, you know that the Blue Knight wouldn’t stand by and wait out the attack like your cowardly nephew,” Blueblood cheekily replied.  “Now, Prince Blueblood did in fact see the attack taking place, he just spent his time hidden in his closet, crying in fear that the changelings would get to his beautiful clothing.”
“I can see that,” Luna muttered softly, staring at the costume still with intuitive eyes.  She lifted the hat in the air, scanning it carefully as she asked, “Did anypony see the grand return of the most hated stallion in Canterlot?”
“Only a few dozen northern Canterlot citizens,” Blueblood answered, truly not caring for her reaction.  
Luna glanced up at him with a quirked eyebrow, asking quietly, “And did you even ask Celestia if you could return the Blue Knight to the public view?  After all, there’s a reason she and I forbade you from returning to the streets of Canterlot.  In spite of your good works, you have now presented yourself as perhaps the most dangerous stallion in Equestria.  The ponies fear you now.”
“And they always will,” he responded curtly,  subtly scrubbing his hooves clean.  “I’m well aware of the consequences my actions have on me and my reputation, but it doesn’t make the role of the Blue Knight any different.”
“His role was to be a symbol of hope to the citizens of Canterlot, but ever since you killed that stallion and destroyed a neighborhood, he’s become a symbol of fear and the unknown,” Luna argued.  “If you didn’t receive express permission from Celestia, which I’m pretty sure you just confirmed, then you just created a whole new pain in our sides.  I mean, what did you even do to those changelings you engaged against?”
Before Blueblood could answer the question, a sudden light flashed into the room as Celestia teleported in.  Her brow was furrowed in anger as her eyes locked onto Blueblood, who continued to bathe.  “Word gets around very quickly about Queen Chrysalis’ attack on the city, which is always very closely followed by the rumor of the Blue Knight’s return.  With those rumors comes something terrible that confirms only what my worst suspicions may be, Blueblood.”
“I have no clue as to what you mean,” Blueblood boldly denied, giving her a hard stare.  “The Blue Knight has returned, but beyond that, I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Celestia gave him a look that told him she saw straight through him, stating blandly, “Queen Chrysalis is requesting that the twenty-five drones we took captive be released in return for a promise to never return to invade while Luna or I are on the throne.  There are no changelings kept in any of the prisons across the city.  There was no chance to take captives, as all of the changelings were blasted away by Princess Cadence’s love.  All, we’ve found, except the dead ones.”
Luna gasped softly, her head jerking back to Blueblood, but neither Celestia or the stallion addressed her, both glaring at each other.  They remained like that for several tense seconds, Celestia waiting for his response, Blueblood waiting for her to break.  It may have lasted longer if it wasn’t for Luna, who exclaimed, “It’s your first day back and you’re already killing ponies!  Why?”
“Changelings,” he calmly corrected, “and because they were attacking and harming our ponies.  They were attacking anypony they saw, draining literally hundreds of civilians.  There were children, Celestia, and the changelings simply fed off of them as if they were any other source of food.  I wouldn’t allow it, and neither would you.”
“But I wouldn’t kill twenty five of them,” Celestia retorted.  “There’s no excuse for you to have used such force and such extreme measures, even with all things considered.”
“You wouldn’t kill them because you couldn’t, not because you wouldn’t,” Blueblood impatiently replied.  “You can’t claim to be perfect when you were the one who left ponies in a condition where only one in a million could protect them from the dangers of the world that surrounds us!  One day those actions, like all of your other mistakes, are going to come back to haunt you.  Besides, if you consider how many changelings I actually fought, I was merciful to over a two-thirds of them.  It was the ones that were either actively attacking civilians- children- that I eliminated.  You can’t claim that I’m evil for protecting ponies from an invading force.”
“We’re not saying your evil, Blueblood, but that killing is,” Celestia pointed out sharply.  “The vast majority of those changelings don’t think for themselves very much, simply listening to whatever Queen Chrysalis told them.  If she told them to feast, which I’m guessing she did, they would do nothing but happily oblige, and if they had been told to show restraint, they would have done that too.  You killed twenty-five individuals who were simply listening to instructions as they had been raised to.  There’s no justification for that, even if they were attacking our city.”
“Shows how much you care for your little ponies,” Blueblood spat, standing up in the tub to try and become more eye level with her.  “The last ones I killed were hunting down a filly, I repeat, a filly!  They would have sucked all of the magic from her like a juice box and then discarded her as such, without a single care to her wellbeing.  If it weren’t for me, she would have been harmed and emotionally scarred for years afterwards.  We don’t even know exactly what emotional and mental side effects come from having your love drained.  Just because you will never have to face the dangers of Equestria’ enemies doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t fear them or fight back.”
“Blueblood, this is no longer about the morality of your killings, but the nature of them,” Celestia snapped, throwing a hoof out to the balcony window.  “There’s a filly out there saying she saw the Blue Knight smash in the skulls of three changelings, telling everypony about how he brutally concaved their heads and left their broken bodies lying around.  She’s telling everypony who will listen that the Blue Knight is killing everything in his path because he’s trying to scare everypony into respecting him.”
“And that little filly is completely disregarding the Blue Knight’s service to her,” Blueblood interrupted angrily.  “A theme the Blue Knight is familiar with.”
“Your services were neither required nor requested,” Celestia replied evenly.  “The Blue Knight was retired after the Granite Street killing, to be presumed dead from the wounds he received in that fight.  You brought him back from the grave to play hero once again, your fanaticism over this persona of yours growing beyond your own control.  With this in mind, I Celestia, Princess of the Sun and co-ruler of Equestria, forbid you from this reckless act of donning a cape and mask and pretending to be everypony’s hero.  From this moment on, Blueblood, you are no longer the Blue Knight, but rather Prince Blueblood.”
“You can’t-” Blueblood began to protest before Celestia coldly stated, “That is all.”
With a flash, she was gone, leaving Blueblood staring into his own bedroom from the tub, Luna staring at him in kind.  After several long seconds of silence, she finally muttered, “I agree with my sister.”
“I didn’t ask for either of your’s permission,” Blueblood inclined, stepping out of the tub and grabbing his towel.  Rubbing himself off, he stared at Luna as she contemplated for a minute longer, licking her lips.  Finally, he realized she wasn’t so much contemplating as she was staring at his back.  With a soft sigh, he glanced at it.  
The burn mark had healed all the way in the eight months since that night, but in spite of his and Luna’s best efforts, the tissue had scarred and there was no hair growth on it.  The mottled pink skin would be easily recognized as a burn mark and would only take one keen pony to figure out that, unlikely as it was, the Blue Knight was none other than Prince Blueblood.  It was the reason his wardrobe had doubled in size, dozens of new suits for him to wear to conceal the scar from the public whenever the Prince made a public showing. 
Blueblood flinched slightly as Luna’s hoof suddenly came in contact with the skin, having failed to notice her approach.  Shaking his head slightly to clear the cobwebs, he looked his Aunt in the eye and told her, “I’m perfectly fine, Luna.  Just a few bruises are all, mostly self-inflicted.”
“But one of these days you won’t have a lucky break or two mares there to save you when you’re on the brink of death,” Luna reminded him.  “One day you’re going to outrun everypony who could help you, and by the time we arrive, you’ll be gone, all alone.  I agree with Celestia to protect all of our little ponies, and that includes you.”  Blueblood glanced away from Luna as she raised a hoof to his cheek, rubbing it gently.  “Your cause is noble and the reason you want to help is justifiable, but there is too much for you to lose in this endeavor for it to be worth anypony’s while.  I would highly recommend listening to Celestia, even if it is just this one time.”
Slowly looking up apologetically, Blueblood apologized, “I’m sorry, Auntie, but I can’t stop now, even if it is the best for everypony else.”
“But why,” Luna pleaded, “Why can’t you just leave now before you find yourself in a situation that nopony could save you from?”
“Because I know now that I can’t stop, not now that I know the white unicorn is back in Canterlot,” he answered, feeling a multitude of emotions bubbling from within him, anger primarily.  “Celestia claims that there were twenty five changelings missing- or as we know- killed, but I only killed twenty four.”
“Why didn’t you mention that Celestia,” Luna inquired, visibly attempting to see where Blueblood was going with this.
“Because she wouldn’t have cared, quite frankly,” Blueblood answered with a shrug.  “She would have given me that lecture if it had been only one changeling, but I don’t care much for words when there are untold numbers of victims out there.  The reason the missing changeling is so important, however, is because I know for a fact that I wasn't the one who killed that bug.  There’s only one other stallion I know in all of Canterlot that would be able to commit himself to such an act, and if I’m not mistaken, he has returned to the city with a vengeance.”
> Chapter 2: Sisters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re finally back,” Amber Breeze exclaimed, rushing to wrap River Lily up in a wide hug.  Lily laughed a little at her younger sister’s excitement and relief as she felt her stomach groan with hunger.  It had been a long day, and as the sisters pulled apart, Lily set the papers in her hooves on the table.  Amber momentarily ignored them as she asked, “Where have you been all day?  I was worried you’d miss dinner!”
“Carrot soup again,” Lily teased, handing up her satchel on a hook by the dining table.  The cozy little house had that warm feeling to it as usual, snuggly on the corner of a Central Canterlot square, awash with the light of the city.  The kitchen was on the second floor, in a room with drawn curtains to give the sisters more privacy.  Though there was rarely anypony out at this time of the night anyways, the changeling attack yesterday left the streets completely empty, rendering the curtains useless tonight.  
“No, barley gravy on potatoes,” Amber replied with a smile, producing two baked potatoes from the oven and a small pot of the gravy.  Lily gave her sister a smile in return, taking the pot and setting it on a hot pad already set out.  Glancing at the papers, Amber tentatively asked, “What are they saying?”
“They’re all talking about the same thing,” Lily told her.  Picking up one of them, she showed her sister the front cover.  “‘Blue Knight Returns, Changelings Slaughtered in Canterlot Streets’.  Every one of them is the same.  Blue Knight returns, kills twenty-five changelings.  Changelings attack, Blue Knight kills twenty-five in explosive return.”
“How many did you buy,” Amber questioned, suddenly realizing just how much of the table was occupied by newspapers.
“Seven,” Lily admitted sheepishly.
“Sweet Celestia, how much did you spend,” Amber asked with exasperation.  
“Only fifteen bits,” she quickly protested.  “I got most of them from the garbage or from ponies about to throw theirs away.”
“Goodness gracious, Lily,” Amber sighed.  “Your obsession with that dangerous stallion is starting to really concern me.  I thought you’d gotten better in these past months.”
“To be fair, the Blue Knight has been missing for eight months,” Lily pointed out.  “I haven’t had much proof that he would ever take action again, especially after the East Street killing.  I mean, all of Canterlot turned against him-”
“Because he killed a stallion,” Amber interrupted.
“-and destroyed some houses,” Lily finished.  “He made a lot of mistakes that night, but unlike everypony else, I don’t think he feels remorse for killing that stallion, and I don’t blame him.  I mean, he was one of the two stallions that attempted to rob and rape me.  Stallions are dangerous.”
“But should they really lose their life for their misdeeds,” Amber asked with uncertainty.  Her eyes were staring at her potato, indecision clear.  Lily frowned.
This predicament was one that the entire city was facing, a question they had grappled with over the last months.  Even though the city didn’t know about her struggles with the mean duo of stallions,they did know them as the stallions who had been arrested then violently broken out.  They and the nameless white unicorn had been the source of speculation and fear since, knowing that while the Blue Knight was possibly dead, they were still out there.  The constables had, of course, insisted their efforts to find the stallions had been strenuous and extensive, but there was no evidence that they were close to finding them.
Lily was personally fine with it, because even though she knew the Blue Knight lived and would probably fight them as soon as they re-emerged, she doubted they would return until provoked.  The fact that the Blue Knight was alive hadn’t become known until his physical return yesterday during the attack, meaning that Lavender had also kept the Blue Knight’s survival a personal secret.  Lily had told Amber, however, as the only pony in the world she trusted and could confide in.  There was skepticism at first of course, mostly about how much the Blue Knight associated himself with Lily, but over time she had come to accept the strange coincidences.
“No, I don’t think they should,” Lily answered finally.  “But I’m not sad to see that stallion gone.  Something wrong was done that’s result was… for the better of Equestria.  We can’t change it, we won’t agree with it, but we can’t deny the result.” 
“And I guess you feel the same about the changelings,” Amber mumbled.
“I don’t know, really,” she shrugged, cutting into the steaming potato and pouring gravy over it.  “I mean, stories about changelings drawing little colts and fillies of their love are the next most discussed story in the news.  So many ponies were victims to drainings, with numbers in the hundreds.  They also destroyed homes, shops, and hurt ponies.  At the same time… twenty-five?  It’s an insane number.  I think it hints to the Blue Knight not being the stallion I thought he was.”
“The past eight months haven’t clued you in on that,” Amber questioned from across the table, raising a brow.  
“Well, the past eight months made me think he was in control of his violence and only accidentally killed that stallion, but now…” Lily trailed off, picking at her food.  Taking a bite, she thought for a minute, before concluding, “Now I’m worried that he may begin killing as the solution to any problem that Equestria faces, which isn’t at all the impression he gave me.”
“And what impression did he give you,” Amber asked.  Lily had told her sister before, but she recognized it was just Amber’s attempt at helping her, so she answered.
“I thought he was a tortured stallion who just made a mistake and was shunned for it.  It seems that was wrong.  He may have just been genuinely cold, cruel, and dismissive because he doesn’t care so much for anypony.  That’s what I’m afraid of, what the city itself is afraid of.  We’ve seen how powerful that stallion is, potentially a rogue alicorn with the ability to level entire streets.  Will he be the next threat the Elements have to face?”
“And you don’t want this stallion you considered a friend to turn out to be a villain,” Amber concluded with a nod.  Gesturing to the scattered newspapers, she said, “That’s why you went digging through the garbage to find these papers.”
“Yup,” Lily replied firmly, before shoveling another bite of dinner into her mouth.  Swallowing, she added, “And it’s why I’m going out tonight as well.  I’m going to look for him.”
“He’s not gonna be out tonight,” Amber told her frankly.  “I mean, if this stallion is as smart as everypony says, then he’ll know well enough that if he appears again, there will be panic.  Not to mention that everypony expects him to appear tonight.  The whole city is on edge, waiting for that stallion to make another brazen entry into the spotlight and take out more criminals.  The smart thing to do would be to wait, right?  Let the pot simmer down before adding to the heat.  Otherwise, it would boil over.  He might not just have the constables on his tail, but the Elements or even the Princesses!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Lily admitted.  “I still want to look, just in case…”
“No, you aren’t,” Amber denied her softly.  Reaching across the table, she grabbed her sister’s hoof as she explained, “You’ve been draining yourself over where the Blue Knight might be hiding or if he had truly vanished for months now.  He’s returned, so you no longer have to worry about that.  Take tonight off and get some good sleep for once and figure things out tomorrow.”
Lily paused hesitantly, staring at her sister’s deep amber hoof.  She was supposed to be the more mature, smarter mare of the two of them, three years older.  Yet here her little sister was, giving her advice on a topic she had no real association to, just trying to help her older sister.  Lily felt ashamed for a second.  She shouldn’t be putting her little sister with this, especially with nopony else in Canterlot knowing what they did.  Besides, Amber was right.  Even if she did come across the Blue Knight, all he would do was dodge questions and give her curt orders.  There was no point in going out.
“Okay, I’ll stay home tonight,” she agreed with a small smile.  “Thanks sis.”
“Of course,” Amber replied with a wide beam.  “Can I expect to see you in the shop tomorrow as well?”
“Yeah, I better get back to running it,” Lily admitted sheepishly.  “With the whole changeling attack already being repaired, it’s probably best if I take charge again.  How was it today?”
“Well, I don’t want to brag too much, but today was our best-selling day ever,” her little sister exclaimed excitedly.  Sobering slightly, she explained, “It’s kinda awful, actually.  Ponies came in to buy flowers for their loved ones who were hurt or lost something in the attack.  I decided to sell everything at a third the price because it felt wrong to sell grieving, scared, or sad ponies flowers for their loved ones stuck in the hospital from a draining.  Well, word spread pretty quickly, and out store got absolutely flooded.  I think Chipper counted over seven hundred customers.  I had to call up Rosette and Jasmine Spice to help because we were getting so many ponies flowing through.”
“Wait a minute, seven hundred,” Lily asked, breathless.  
“At least,” Amber nodded with wide eyes.  “It’s pretty crazy.  We ran out of most stock because everypony seemed to just want our cheaper flowers.  Turns out, everypony else kept their prices the same.  Orchid’s Flower Shop on the Northeast End actually tried to raise prices.  We had ponies from all over Canterlot coming in.”
“Holy horseapples,” Lily exclaimed, feeling the excitement build in her.  Even with a third of the profits, it would still be more flowers than they had sold in the past month.  “How much?”
“We didn’t have time to count,” Amber replied with shining eyes.  “Lily, this changes everything for us!”
The mare nodded slowly, her brain running through all of the different possibilities they could do with the money.  While they had never been lacking money to live comfortably- heck, they lived in Central Canterlot- they had never been able to expand the business beyond cozy comfort.
“We’ll keep the prices at a third for the rest of the week,” Lily quickly stated.  “Don’t run any ads in the papers and don’t accept any funding from other organizations looking for money.  If news reporters come, all we tell them is that prices are low out of respect for those affected by the attack.  We’ll put up signs in the shop asking customers to be quiet out of respect.  Stock up on gladiolus, begonias, chrysanthemums, and healer’s mark, and choose one of them to be the main item we want to sell.  If we manage this right, we might be able to keep this lightning in the bottle while still doing good.”
“I like chrysanthemums,” Amber muttered.  “They’re the goodwill flowers and are pretty easy to draw.  I’ll get Chipper to sketch out a few possible posters for them and maybe look into if we can get a little chrysanthemum sign from Hammer across the street.  He’d probably love a little challenge before retirement.”
“Great idea,” Lily complimented, tapping her fork on the table as her mind raced.  “We’ll have to get a permit for it, but I think the sign will cement our business into this street and give ponies a place to look for.  We’ll begin running little ads in the Canterlot Sun and Paper Star at the start of next week, to see if we can retain customers and entice new ones.  Play our cards right and we’ll secure our business for at least another few years.”
“Wow,” Amber breathed, sitting back as Lily finished off the potato.  “Seems like we’re in quite an invincible position.  Chipper, Rosette, and Jasmine are all going to be over the moon about this.  Chipper might finally ask Rosette out!”
Lily giggled at the statement. “No way.  The poor stallion is about as confident as a filly in the Everfree Forest whenever he talks to her.  Gosh, if anything, this might be what gets Rosette to ask him out, she’ll be so fed up with his nonsense.”
The sisters laughed at their coworkers’ folly, the little bit of joy they could derive from their back and forth amplified by the warm food and light.  After several moments of silence, Lily gave her sister a small smirk as she asked, “And how are things between you and that handsome stallion across the block?”
Instantly, Amber’s confidence was washed away with a deep red blush, looking everything like a filly being asked about her cutie colt.  Lily couldn’t resist chuckling at the flustered mare, who stammered, “Th-th-things have been, um, well, y’know… Baker may have… um… stopped by.”
“Ooh, do tell,” Lily insisted, leaning on the table with her head propped up by her hooves.
“Um, no, I don’t think I will,” Amber replied, glancing away with an involuntary beam, her amber face still bright red.  “There’s not much to say anyways, I promise.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to get an update from Jasmine instead, then,” Lily resigned knowingly.
“Nope,” Amber snapped instantly standing up.  “That’s unfair!  You can’t just pull the Jasmine card!  You know she’ll just spew on and on about nonsense that didn’t really happen or exaggerate it!”
“But I’ll get an idea of what happened,” Lily pointed out with a smirk.  
“Fine fine fine,” Amber sighed, beet red.  Almost too quietly, she mumbled, “He may have kissed me goodbye…”
“Oh, now that’s just cute,” Lily gushed with a grin.  “I don’t know what you’re so worried about.  You’re acting like this is your first kiss.”
“It is,” Amber grumbled, still looking away from her sister as she burst out laughing.  
“Really,” Lily questioned, her eyes tearing up from laughter.  When she saw Amber bashfully nod, she exclaimed, “Sweet Celestia, for all of the fun we poke at Chipper and Rosette, you and Baker aren’t any better!  You two have been flirting since the first day you moved here and you’re telling me that today you two shared your first kiss?”
“Oh shut up, you haven’t had yours,” Amber shot back.  When her sister only smiled, her face dropped.  “No way.”
“Yup, when I was seventeen, with Spring,” Lily confirmed with a confident smile.
“But you told mom and dad-”
“-a lie,” Lily finished devilishly.  “I wasn’t going to tell mom and dad, they wouldn’t have let me go out with him again!”
“Wow,” Amber said, confused.  “Why didn’t you ever tell me?  Are we sisters or not?”
“It never came up, and after we decided to part, I didn’t really think about it much,” Lily shrugged.  “Nothing against you or anything.  It was kinda bad too.  I mean it bruised his snout because I rushed it.”  
“Hah, you didn’t even get tongue involved,” Amber exclaimed before snapping her mouth shut and covering it with both hooves, horrified.  
Staring at her sister with wide eyes, Lily held back a laugh as she teased, “That’s a little bit more than a kiss, sis.  If you two ever decide to, y’know, hook up, just do it at his place.  I’m happy for you and everything, but please leave me out of it.”
“Okay, and goodnight,” Amber agreed, rushing away as she added, “I need to go to bed before I embarrass myself more.”
“Love ya, night,” Lily called after her little sister, standing up as well to clear the table, smiling softly at herself.  Amber had arrived about two years ago, fresh from their parents’ farm near Vanhoover, and had taken naturally to big city life.  Of course, it helped that she was just a bubbly mare all around, a bright flower in a city looking for its beautiful little roses.  It also helped that she already had a stallion fancying her, and one she fancied back.  With any luck, Lily hoped to see them married by next year.  It would certainly keep her sister happy and maybe make her an aunt.  
Smiling at the thought, the dishes cleaned, she went to bed for the first time in months without even the thought of the Blue Knight.
> Chapter 3: Ragamuffin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The alleys of Canterlot always had a certain appeal to them.  Not a pleasant one, by anypony’s standard, but an appeal that tickled Hoodwink’s young brain.  She dashed through the narrow confines, ignoring the small puddles of muddy water and occasional pile of trash long forgotten by the garbage ponies.  There was always another corner to turn, another part of the city to discover, whether that be a fancy neighborhood where ponies handed out bits left and right or where she gave up her bits to even younger, less fortunate colts and fillies.  Mam and Pap always had told her that they lived a good life even if it was in a rundown, overcrowded apartment, and that if she ever came across somepony with less than her to give ‘em a few bits.  
This next turn wasn't anywhere new, though.  She knew these alleys of the city so well that she would have been able to walk them blindfolded.  Ever since the attack a week ago, she had found the city streets increasingly cleaner and more crowded.  In an ironic way, the changeling attack had actually brought better life to the poorer parts of the city over here.  While almost every part of the city had seen drainings and damage to homes, Hoodwink’s part of the city wasn’t rich enough to simply fix the damage alone.  The nice white stallion who hired her Mam and Pap had gotten right to work funding these sortsa things, but even he wasn’t rich enough to do it alone.  So, other ponies got involved and the work provided newer buildings and more jobs while repairs happened.
Hoodwink didn’t understand the nitty gritty of it all, but even she had picked up more bits in the last few days than in the past three months being a go-fer for the nice white stallion.  Most people just called him the Boss, since he didn’t like his real name, but he had told her specifically not to call him that.  He wasn’t her boss, he said, just an old stallion tryna make the world a better place.  So instead, Hoodwink had started calling him Grandpa, and nothing the old geezer said could stop her.
Turning the corner, she smiled as she came across the main plaza of the East Side.  Successful shops and restaurants surrounded the romanticized image of the Elements of Harmony.  It was a bit much, the mares all way too tall and way too mature looking for any sense of realism, but regardless she saluted the icon as she passed it.  Though she was tempted to waste a few bits on a particularly tempting tart one of the shops was proudly displaying, she ignored it.  She was on very important business today, or at least, Grandpa had tried to convince her as much.  
Passing the shops, she came to a rather unassuming little parlor building aptly labeled The East Side Daily.  The newspaper was one of the less glamorous and more truthful pieces that floated about, which meant it was only picked up by those in the East side that didn’t care much for the classy gossip.  It was Hoodwink’s typa newspaper, one that got to the point and wasn’t fluffed up with weird, purposeless stories about some stallion with too many bits building a stupid thing for far too many more bits.  Opening the door, she quietly walked up to the desk, noting the sterilized smell of the building.  She probably should have guessed it would have the sharp smell of ink and hot press, but she’d grown too used to entering buildings with more gritty smells.  
“Hello there, little one,” the only pony in the front room greeted with a smile.  The mare was older, gray in her brown hair, but still had a weird, lasting beauty.  “What’s your name?”
“Hoodwink, and I got a little something for ya,” she proclaimed proudly, pulling aside her satchel.  “Mr. Grandpa told me ta give this to ya guys here at the news.  Said you’d know what to do with it.”
The mare on the other side of the desk watched with confusion as the little filly unceremoniously dumped the contents of her satchel on the table.  A bag of bits fell out along with an envelope that contained whatever it was the white unicorn wanted the newspaper to publish.  Based on the other things she’d seen in the news, it would probably be either another advertisement for job opportunities for the factory.  The old geezer was constantly hiring ponies and never firing them, adding more and more stallions and mares to his factory.  He had a few other factories in Baltimare and Manehattan that were also doing well, meaning a lot of ponies would move back and forth between the three cities.  
“I dunno what to do from here, but my boss told me to tell ya ta keep the change,” Hoodwink said with satisfaction.  “Bubye!” 
“O-okay,” the older mare stammered, picking up the envelope and bits as the little filly turned and walked out of the door, proudly self-satisfied.  Humming to herself, she decided that, since her job was done and that she would replace the wasted bits, she picked up the tart she’d seen earlier.  It was about lunchtime anyways, and while Mam would probably complain about her having too much sugar for a meal, she wasn’t there to tell her no.  
Chewing the treat cheerfully, she took her time walking back towards home.  Her parents wouldn’t be back for a good few hours, and she wasn’t bored enough to try attending school.  There was probably some chore or another that she could do while waiting for her parents to get home.  Maybe she could find another foal like her, out and about when they ought not to be.  They were few and far between, even with the ponies poorer than her, but maybe there would be a friendly fella like her out and about.  Smiling at the thought, she finished her tart as she turned the corner to her neighborhood.  
Sometimes she forgot she was walking, her affinity with the streets so good that-
Hoodwink froze as she stared at the front door of her house from the corner.  It was closed, but not in the way she had left it this morning.  Frowning, she squinted at the only front facing window.  Her house was mushed wall-to-wall with the other cheap homes on the block, which made it unremarkable.  Why, then, was the door shut weird and the windows darkened by the shadow of somepony.
For a moment, she let herself believe it just had to be one of her parents, home early because they were sick or something.  That wasn’t how her parents worked, though.  Even when Grandpa himself told them to go home on sick leave, they would stay the rest of the day.  They were too proud of their good work to let a little thing like typhoid take them out of work early.  Gulping, Hoodwink began hesitantly walking towards the door.  There were ponies on the street still that would hear her if she cried for help.  Besides, almost nopony would want to harm a filly.  The changelings last week had seemed to be the only exceptions.  Them and the Blue Knight.  
She paused again, right outside the door.  What if it was the Blue Knight?  What if he had somehow tracked her down and was now trying to get rid of a witness to his crimes?  Quivering in fear, she was about to start walking away, when the door burst open.  
A short squeak escaped Hoodwink before she realized who emerged.  Brick smiled at the filly, tipping the hat he wore at her as he emerged.  The big stallion always looked halfway asleep these days and walked with a limp.  Oftentimes she would catch him staring off in the distance like a pony lost in the middle of the city.  In spite of his oddities, he was like an uncle to her, mostly because he hovered around Grandpa and constantly helped the old geezer with the heavy lifting when needed.  
“Howdy, Hoodwink,” he greeted softly, his voice deep but quiet.  It always confused Hoodwink how such a big lug could be so quiet, but she guessed it was because if he let himself be loud he’d scare ponies away.  “Didn’t mean ta scare ya little one!”
“It’s alright,” she assured him with a smile.  “I just wasn’t expectin’ anypony ta be here is all.  Why are ya here?”
“Well, I’m afraid I was looking for you,” Brick frowned.  “The Boss has a need for you again and there ain’t no explainin’ why here.  Let’s just say that there’s been a little development that he’d like your help with.”








“You’re a very intelligent filly, Hoodwink,” the white stallion began honestly.  He stared at the little pony with a slight smile, only allowing the positive emotions to show.  “You know the streets of Canterlot like not even the oldest ponies in the city could and you love the ponies of the city very much.  However, something rather unfortunate must be faced head-on when it comes to Canterlot.  As much as it is a beautiful and kind city, you’ve seen with your own eyes how unequal it is with its ponies.”
“You’ve said this before, Grandpa,” Hoodwink pointed out, cocking her head to the side in confusion.
“I know, but what I’m going to say next is new and more important,” the unicorn told her gently.  “Equestria is a land of peace and love, but that is changing before our very eyes.  In the past eight months, it has been threatened more times than the past hundred years, and by all accounts there are more threats growing.  Pretty soon, the entirety of ponykind may be enraptured in dangers unlike has been seen in a thousand years, since the age of Nightmare Moon.”
He watched the little filly shiver at the mention of the terrifying villain.  He didn’t like using fear as a tool, but when it came to foals, it was less damaging and almost equally as powerful as love.  “Yes indeed, the days of the past security are faltering, and who do you see stepping up to stand for the peaceful past?”
“The Elements,” she shrugged, looking more uncertain.  
“And?”
“The Princesses,” Hoodwink guessed, sounding less confident than before.  
“And whom else claimed to be our hero, the Hero of Canterlot?”
“He’s no hero,” the filly spat.  “I saw it firsthoof!”
“Ah ah ah, but he was once a hero, and even you can’t say you didn’t believe he wasn’t here to protect us,” he pointed out calmly.  “It wasn’t until he killed somepony that anypony gave the stallion a second thought, and by that point, it was too late for that poor stallion.  I fear that this concept can be applied to many of our other heroes, modern or old, and that we ponies will only realize when it’s too late that our leaders are the true villains.  Not the Elements of course, Celestia knows the young mare’s couldn’t possess their powers with corruption, but have you ever wondered why the Princesses themselves never possess the Elements?”
“You can’t be saying…” the filly whispered, her eyes wide.
“The Princesses are guilty of a terrible crime, I’m afraid, one that is centuries old and poisons the hopes and dreams of Equestria to this day,” the white stallions stated grimly.  “It weighs on them terribly, as it should, but it’s irredeemable, nonetheless.  They have destroyed history itself in an attempt to keep us from learning what they’ve done- and I suspect- to try and forget their crimes.  Thousands of years ago, there was a terrible series of wars that ripped apart Equestria and the Crystal Empire.  The Bastard King Sombra”- the stallion paused as Hoodwink gasped at the language- “burned, killed, and scarred the continent, and when the war turned on him, he almost took his entire nation with him.  As much as ten percent of the population was killed and it weighed terribly on the Princesses.  So great was their pain that they removed the violence from ponies in an attempt to permanently destroy any chance of their being such a terrible war.  Unfortunately, the issue was not completely addressed.”
“But why would they do it, if it didn’t solve all the problems,” Hoodwink asked, looking surprisingly understanding.  She was a smart filly.
“Because they couldn’t know the damage this action would cause,” he whispered sadly, looking down at his hoof.  “They couldn’t have known that they would be destroying any chance at strength.  For hundreds of years, they have been able to hide this secret, the illusion of success keeping ponies kindly in the light.  But now, I’m afraid, the shadows are creeping back as the sun sets, and ponies are unprepared for a dark night ahead of them.  And Celestia and Luna removed their ability to light a fire.  What do you think will happen next?”
“We’re doomed,” the filly whimpered hushly.  Seeing the poor girl’s lip quiver and tears begin to form, the white stallion rushed to her side leaning down and wrapping a hoof around her.
“No no no, my dear, we aren’t there,” he assured her.  “But we could reach a point of helplessness when one wrong call topples the entirety of ponykind, a cataclysmic event in which there’s nopony to save us but ourselves.  And in trying to prevent ten percent of their little ponies from dying to each other again, the Princesses have guaranteed that all of them will be lost to other forces.”
“So there is nothing we can do,” Hoodwink wailed in distress.  Calmly rubbing his hoof through her mane, the old stallion shushed her quietly, looking up at Brick.  He stood silently, his eyes distant, as if not even paying attention to what was occurring.  Feeling his heart drop slightly, he turned back to the filly.
“As a matter of fact, there is a great deal we can do to protect ourselves,” he encouraged her.  “In fact, the reason I called you here today isn’t to fill your head with hopeless thoughts and fears, but to educate you on your role in this incredibly vital work.  Now that you understand what’s at stake, I can trust you to play your part excellently.  It’s a small role, something within the range of a filly like you, but it’s important nonetheless, and I know you’ll succeed.”
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it,” the filly confirmed bravely, sniffing.  She put up a brave face and asked, “What do you need me to do, Grandpa?”
“I can’t explain everything for you, because some parts of what must happen you simply wouldn’t understand, but I need you to understand that your parents are going away for a few months to help with work in Manehattan,” the unicorn told her with solemnity.  “They’ve already agreed to let you stay here with me and Brick through the winter and finish the important task I have for you here.  You’ll also help Brick here with his work as well.”
“Mam and Pap are going away,” Hoodwink questioned, getting teary-eyed again.  The filly would of course have no way of knowing the danger of having her parents around, her mother pregnant and needing her father to take care of her.  Having a couple like them in the factory as he finally enacted the next stage of his plan put the lives of the parents and unborn child in grave danger thanks to the Blue Knight.  Nonetheless, a filly as extraordinarily talented such as Hoodwink to run about Canterlot for him was a priceless advantage to give up.  Hopefully she was up to the task, even if it meant coming face-to-face with the Blue Knight once or twice. 
“I know it’s hard, but they aren’t leaving yet,” he assured her with a smile.  “They need time to pack their belongings and leave, as well as say goodbye to their precious daughter.  In fact, they were the ones who wanted me to break the news to you this evening, since they finally decided it would be for the best to move to Manehattan for a bit.”
“Where will I stay while they’re away,” the little foal asked, surprisingly steady in spite of heavy news for such a young one.  “Why with Brick and I, of course.  Your home will always be open if you want to stay there, but we think that you’d like a home that’s a bit nicer for the winter.  Besides, since you don’t go to school anyways, you’ll be able to learn from Aunty Sunrise a few nifty tricks you may actually need in life.”
“Aunty Sunrise will be there,” the filly questioned, smiling a bit.  “I haven’t seen her in months!”
“But of course,” the stallion grinned.  “She was off busy in Whinneapolis helping start up our first business transactions there for a while.  Boring stuff, unlike what I’ll need you to do.  Trust me, this is going to be the adventure of a lifetime, and when this is all over, you’ll be happy with yourself.”
“Are we going to overthrow the Princesses,” Hoodwink gasped, everything coming together in her little head.  She looked the old stallion in the eyes and gaped.  “We are, aren’t we?”
“Yes we are, but I assure you, we will do nothing to harm them,” he instructed her carefully.  “We need to acknowledge the great service they’ve done us ponies since they took power, protecting us from all manner of evils, and while it doesn’t excuse their mistake, we can fix that by becoming our own self-governing body.  They were the gentlest tyrants known to history, and for that we must be thankful.  They even gave themselves the same ailment as us to ensure they would never become the enemy they banished long ago.”
“So their dumb, nice ponies,” the filly summarized.  Then solemnly coming to an understanding, she nodded and said, “And when you need bits more than them, dumb, nice ponies are the best targets.”
Smiling at the smart girl’s intuition, the stallion muttered, “Indeed.”
> Chapter 4: Private Investigation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blueblood crouched on the roof of a suburban home, the concave style roof sheltering him from sight off the street.  The moon glowed particularly bright tonight, as if Aunt Luna wanted to put a spotlight on him, knowing he would go out.  Of course, both Celestia and Luna had prepared to stop him from leaving tonight, but there were a million ways out of the palace, and only the two of them were on the lookout for the Blue Knight.  Smirking slightly through his mask, he adjusted his fedora, carefully listening for the sound of the pony below opening the door, humming to themself.  That was his signal.  
Feeling slightly whimsical at being back in action, he let himself fall backward off the roof, flipping through the air and landing softly in the backyard.  It was surrounded by high hedges, providing him some privacy as moved towards the sliding glass door.  More importantly, it wasn’t visible from the front room, and Blueblood had already picked the lock.  Using his magic, he opened it carefully, a whisper of air as it slid open.  Confident, he stepped through the open door and closed it behind him as quietly as it had opened.  Blinking at the smell of roses, he shrugged off the unusualness of the pony’s house.  Who was he to judge?  He was the one breaking in, after all.
The sound of paper bags being set down somewhere drew his attention, and he pressed himself against the nearest wall, peering through the archway that led to the front room.  Blinking as the lights suddenly turned on, the pony inside absentmindedly taking out some bread from one of the paper bags they had set on their couch.  They turned to glance out the window one last time with a sigh before closing the blinds.  With the only port to the street now closed, Blueblood decided to reveal himself. 
“Constable Chief Hard Break,” he greeted, stepping through the archway.
“Sweet Celestia,” the pony exclaimed as they whipped around to face him.  At the sight of the Blue Knight standing in their living room, their jaw dropped as they muttered, “It’s you…”
“I need some information from you, Chief,” Blueblood told them, trying to get straight to the point.  “The stallion is back, and I think he’s gotten far more dangerous.”
“Dangerous, huh,” Break uttered, sitting down and trying to visibly calm themselves.  “Funny you should say that.  Princess Celestia gave orders today to arrest the Blue Knight on sight for the killing of twenty-five changelings.”
“Princess Celestia feels guilty for something she didn’t do,” Blueblood rebuked.  
“Nah, Princess Celestia has a perfect sense of justice,” the constable replied, narrowing their eyes.  “I should arrest you right now, Knight.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I caught you off-duty, then,” the stallion shrugged, sitting down as well.  “Look, I didn’t come here to be insulted and dismissed, chief.  The press has been doing enough of that the last eight months.  I need information from you.”
“Yeah, vanish for eight months without a trace after killing a stallion and then come back to ask me some questions by breaking into my house,” Break grumbled.  “Like Tartarus I’m gonna give you anything but ten seconds to leave before I take you in myself.”
“Please, chief, you’re acting like that stallion wasn’t the same one who attempted to rob and rape a mare twice and beat your cops up,” Blueblood rebutted.  “A stallion who is working for an unidentified, threatening unicorn who was able to knock out fifty of your boys with one powerful blast.  A unicorn capable of surpassing me in arcanery and calmly dueling me, void of hate and completely numb to the death of a comrade.  He is a stallion of the most dangerous kind, a stallion willing to fight and lose for what he wants.  If we don’t take action against him, we’ll be allowing a great threat to Canterlot, maybe even Equestria, to form right in our own city.”
“And what about the threat you pose, Blue Knight,” the chief questioned angrily.  “Y’know, I once respected you, looked up to you.  You were the newest beacon of strength, authority, and safety in Equestria, a perfect example of fighting for good.  But then ya go and kill a stallion in the streets and burn down a neighborhood.  I saw the red flags.  When you brought in that crooked banker, he was beat so terribly it took two weeks for him to be suitable for questioning.  I thought to myself that that was just you getting your licks in for forcing four ponies into cannibalism.  But no, it was you just being a brute.  Most ponies don’t even fight back; ya just beat them senseless because ya can.”
“Pain is the best teacher,” Blueblood reflexively responded.
“Right, and what’s killing,” Break questioned harshly.
“An effective way to end a fight that’s getting out of hoof,” he shot back, causing the pony to gasp.  “Look, I gave them a chance to surrender, chief.  I stepped back and saved one of the unicorn’s lives when he almost turned himself into a magical thunderstorm.  The thanks I got was cracked ribs, a concussion, and my back being set ablaze.  I killed that stallion by accident regardless.  I didn’t go to the fight looking to kill, but they forced my hoof and I lost control trying to put an end to the fighting before it got out of control.”
“And those twenty-five changelings forced your hoof as well,” Break questioned with crossed hooves.
“They went after foals, chief,” Blueblood spat darkly, glowering through his mask.  “Foals.  The most innocent and vulnerable of ponies, harmless and without fault, and changelings targeted them anyways.  I made sure that those who did paid, and the rest would leave them alone.  The changelings will never be brave enough to step foot into Canterlot again, knowing I still could turn up and dispatch them with ease.”
“And when they come for vengeance against Equestria for their lost kin,” the chief asked, still frowning, though less certain.  
“Chrysalis will be preoccupied with vengeance against the Elements and Princess Cadence, not the Blue Knight,” Blueblood responded.  “Besides, if she wanted vengeance for her lost children, Celestia will tell her it was the Blue Knight who killed the changelings.  If Chrysalis comes after the Blue Knight, Celestia knows he’ll be more than ready to take her on.”
“And what makes you so certain you can beat the Queen of the Changelings,” Break inquired, unamused.  
“Because I’m the third most powerful mage in all of Equestria and the best hoof-to-hoof fighter,” the stallion replied frankly.
“Oh yeah, and who’s better than ya?”
“Twilight and the stallion.”
There was silence for a moment, Hard Break pausing to consider their next words before finally sighing as they asked, “What even makes ya so sure the stallion’s back in Canterlot?”
“I only killed twenty-four changelings during the invasion, and while I know that doesn’t change your mind about me, it means that there’s somepony else in the city who’s not only capable, but willing to kill,” Blueblood explained evenly.  “We only know of two ponies who would have the temperaments to do such a thing, the white unicorn himself and the other stallion he was with.  That means there are now two killers in Canterlot, one that’s willing to work with the law and one that I think is actively attempting to destroy it.”
“So which is which,” the chief asked darkly.
“Chief, I don’t know what the hay I need to do to get your trust back, but you have to believe we’re on the same side here,” Blueblood pleaded.  “We’re two different entities working towards the same goal, a safe Canterlot where ponies can live their lives without concern from anypony.  I’m just doing it without your rules.”
“Without Celestia’s rules, and that’s the distinction that keeps me at bay,” they replied tightly.  “I can’t make exceptions for you anymore, Blue Knight.  The last time I did that, it got somepony killed and destroyed other ponies’ homes.  I nearly lost my job, and the only reason I didn’t is because Celestia outright stated that you had fooled everypony.  I won’t let you fool me a second time.”
Suddenly, it clicked in Blueblood’s head.  The pony’s mind wasn’t going to be changed tonight, not after everything he’d done.  He had figured there was a good chance of that, but unfortunately, he hadn’t thought of that being the actual case until now.  Seeing the chief’s determinedness, he realized that they had been keeping him here for a reason.  Sighing, trying to prevent himself from tensing up and giving his apprehension away, he asked softly, “How many constables will there be here?”
The chief blinked in surprise, opening their mouth to try and lie, but one harsh glare through his mask forced their hoof.  “Dozens, potentially every one we have right now.  You won’t be able to escape.”
“Then the white unicorn won’t be caught,” Blueblood harshly told the chief.  “Think about it, chief.  What if the unicorn doesn’t hold back next time you come across him.  What if the next time you confront him with how many of your boys, he decides he doesn’t have the time, patience, or care to leave you alive?  Instead of a blast to knock you back, it could be a blast to destroy you and everypony you bring with you.  The Canterlot Police are known for a lot of things, but strong unicorns aren’t one of them, and you’re facing somepony who I think we’ve only seen half the strength of.  You need somepony like me, a quick, powerful pony to match this guy in order to bring him in.”
“And say I do let you go right now and join the hunt for this criminal,” Break questioned with a huff.  “I can’t go and tell the police, let alone the princesses, that I let you go and agreed to let you continue to be free.  I’d get sacked and arrested myself.”
“Keep your boys out of my way, and nopony gets hurt,” Blueblood replied with a shrug.  “I can promise you that none of them will be killed or hurt badly, but if they give me too much of a push, I’m gonna have to shove back.”
“And how do you propose you convincingly escape here,” the pony questioned, folding their hooves again.  “They’re all probably surrounding the place by now.  You’ll be lucky to make it three steps outside the front door before being tackled.”
Looking up at the ceiling, smiling through his mask, he asked them, “How attached to this house are you, chief?”
“Deals off if you blow a hole through my roof, Knight,” the chief warned.  “I just finished paying this off.”
“Then I’ll be careful,” Blueblood answered, standing up.  Glancing to the chief one last time, he tipped his fedora lightly before vanishing, appearing on top of the roof.   
There were a few gasps of surprise from pegasus constables that stood around him on the roof, four in total.  With a flash of light, their hooves were stuck to the roof with ice as the Blue Knight took off, soaring into the air.  Hearing exclamations and shouts behind him, he turned and fired a small beam at a few pegasi who took off after him from the ground crew.  The beam hit one of the constables and teleported him right back to the ground, the hapless constable flying through the hedge of the chief’s backyard as he appeared there.  The other two pegasi tried to move evasively, but focusing slightly, he grabbed them both telekinetically.
“Now boys, don’t do anything stupid like chasing the Blue Knight when the real trouble is down there,” he chastised them jovially, careful to make sure he still seemed to be flying with wings.  Pointing them towards the ground, he already had an illusion of a massive bullfrog leaping through the street, causing many of the constables to be distracted from their main goal.  Smiling, he let the confused pair go and quietly made his getaway before magically exploding his illusion in a soft white light.  Not blinding, but rather consuming, covering up where he flew while the constables’ vision was all white.  Chuckling to himself as he made his way behind a cloud formation, his light spirits from his ridiculous getaway quickly died.
Frowning, he slowly made his way to the castle, moving through the clouds to keep from sight.  He knew the way back better than he anticipated, though he was a bit rusty from eight months of inactivity.  The moist coldness of the clouds bit through the mask on his face, a comfort he had missed during his recovery.  He hadn’t expected to miss being the Blue Knight so much, nor had he anticipated his reliance on the role as a crutch to keep him tempered.  It was surprising that after only playing the hero role for a few months, he had come to rely on it greatly.  It was also strange that it had taken him only a few months to become hated for the rest of his life.
He had killed somepony, which of course garnered negative thought and a good deal of fear, but the level of Canterlot’s paranoia was unanticipated.  Even eight months after the stallion had been killed in the streets, burnt to a crisp, many newspapers had speculative headlines or small articles updating the hunt for the elusive criminal.  Of course, all of them had been misleading and rather harmful, as two different stallions had been arrested for being the Blue Knight.  There was no evidence and their cases dropped, but it was still a fiasco that kept the city fearing.
Blueblood wished the ponies of his beloved city would stop fearing him, he really did.  His return hadn’t been planned, though, and the reception he received was even more damaging than his absence.  At least it let the ponies of the city know the Blue Knight lived and still worked to protect them, even though they feared him like Tartarus itself.   It also served as a very good warning to the changelings and any other villains that may dare to threaten Canterlot.  The griffons had begun getting riled up by the disturbances of their neighbors, and a rogue dragon had neared the city two months ago.  He had almost emerged then, but fortunately it had been taken care of before it was necessary for the Blue Knight to become involved again.
Even then, though, six months after his back had been set ablaze, he had still been in recovery from the severe wounds.  Thanks to the help of Ms. Lily and the other mare, he had survived long enough for Celestia and Luna to save him, but their ministrations had to be secretive and Prince blueblood had appearances to make and keep up.  That meant both prolonged recovery and accidental negligence when it came to healing.  Frowning, he glanced over his shoulder as he flew and tried to move his tail.  It didn’t so much as twitch, though he felt something pull in his dock as he flexed the muscle.  
The scarring was bad, and it appeared he would never be able to move his tail again thanks to muscle damage from the burns.  His coat no longer grew on most of his back, burn scars covering them and leaving his wanting to keep a coat on even in private.  It was humiliating, the damage that stallion had done to him, attempting to kill him after he had saved his life.  In return for mercy, he had been mutilated.  Glaring at the mist in front of him, he dove, emerging from the cloud and landing on the castle rooftop covered in low-hanging clouds.  
Now that stallion was back, and this time when they came face-to-face, Blueblood would not make the naive mistake of trusting the unicorn’s chivalry.  Even though the white stallion looked respectful and impressed by Blueblood, that hadn’t kept him from turning him into a flying torch.  Blueblood admitted he could be brutal and cruel when occasion demanded it, and he was ever unremorseful of killing the other unicorn, but he wasn’t so far gone he would kill the pony who saved his life.  Gritting his teeth, he looked out over the city, trying to see it through the cloud cover.  Much like the mystery that surrounded the dangerous stallion, though, the city was kept from his sights.
“Sweet Celestia,” he cursed in frustration, reaching up to his head and removing his fedora.  Sitting down, he growled at the terrible turn of the night.  While it had been good to convince the chief not to arrest him on sight, nothing else had gone as hoped.  He desperately needed to catch back up with whatever ongoing investigation was being held for the nameless white unicorn and he had hoped the chief would be able to give him some information.  Unfortunately, his most trusted source inside the city itself had turned against him, and now he was back to the start again.  He remembered this feeling well, or at least part of it.
Over a year ago, when he had begun this job, the ponies of Canterlot had wondered if he was a hero or simply a vigilante.  He had shown them he only meant good, turned himself in to the chief for questioning.  They had built a respect for each other, the police not attempting to reveal his identity and him sharing everything he knew with them.  They had worked in tandem for months, but one bad incident had ruined it all, and now he had to find a way to make them trust him again.  So, he knew this feeling of needing their trust, but now also had the bitter sting of rejection to go along with it.
“You called, nephew,” Princess Celestia suddenly questioned from behind him, causing him to jump slightly.  His senses must have dulled incredible to not hear the heavy footfalls of an alicorn on the roof behind him.  “Out playing… hero again, are we?  What did you break now?”
“A hedge,” he replied dryly, turning around to stare at the princess.  “More accurately, one of your constables ran into it while chasing me.”
“You fought the constables,” Celestia asked with wide eyes.
“No, I just evaded them,” he answered with a sigh.  “I’m sure you’ll read a report about it in the morning.”
“I still want to hear your side of the story, Blueblood,” Celestia stated compassionately, sitting down in front of him.  Reaching out a hoof carefully, she pulled on his mask, though instead of taking it off, it just pulled him forward.  Flushing slightly in embarrassment, she let go as she apologized.  “Oops, I thought you took it off by pulling on it…”
“A bit more than that,” he chuckled in response, reaching up both hooves, and grabbing it by the front of his snout and back of his head.  Tugging on it hard, it came off, letting his damp brown mane free.  “Gotta make sure it doesn’t get ripped off in a scuffle and cause a whole mess for the both of us.”
“I see,” Celestia nodded before falling silent, glancing aside awkwardly.  “You know, Blueblood, while I don’t agree with you, I’m still on your side.  It’s why you’re still free, not turned over.”
“No, that’s because you don’t want the mess,” Blueblood grumbled, beginning to stand.  Before he took a step forward, though, Celestia reached out and pressed a hoof against his chest.  
“Yes and no,” she admitted.  “I don’t want that mess, but more importantly, I want you to keep doing what you’re doing, if only with a better methodology.  I know you’re right though, and I know there isn’t a pony in all of Equestria that is better suited for taking on this danger than you.  That night, when the ripples of that unicorn’s blast passed over me and I felt the hate in them, I felt truly afraid.  I haven’t felt such scorching, internalized hate since Sombra himself, almost seventeen hundred years ago.  But when I see you looking over Canterlot with such love, I know you’re the best pony to take on its threats.  That’s why I let you do what you do.  Because in spite of your missteps and our arguments, you’re still protecting the city.  Do you understand?”
“Yes Auntie,” Blueblood answered with a light smile, before giving her a kiss on the cheek.  “I understand perfectly.” 
“Good,” she said, beaming at him.  “Now off to bed with you, before anypony notices we’re sharing quality time with each other.”
Grinning, he muttered, “Celestia forbid.”
 
> Chapter 5: Names
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wind whipped wildly atop the mountain, blowing snow across the stallion’s face and eyes.  Even though the sun was setting rapidly and the cold was beginning to penetrate his thick fur, he remained there, standing and staring at the grave.  It was the first chance he had been given to visit his brother ever since the Blue Knight’s return, his first chance to mourn his brother in almost a month.  There was no name on the grave, but he knew that was for the better.  Besides, it wasn’t as if there were anypony else but him to mourn the stallion buried beneath the round stone.  
He reached out a hoof and brushed off a small pile of snow that had begun to build up on top.  He wanted to ensure that nature wouldn’t simply cover up his brother’s grave and forget about it like everypony else.  The stallion was bitter, certainly, but given the vile emotions he had now that the stallion who had killed his brother was back, he felt renewed sorrow.  It should have been him who was punished for their mistakes, not his smarter younger brother.  He was the idiot who kept making the mistake of chasing that mare.  He was the one who had been useless in the fight against the Blue Knight in the street.  
The boss probably knew he was up here at this moment, thinking the exact things he was thinking.  The boss was smart like that, knowing a ponies thoughts and desires just from looking at them once.  Brick was never that smart.   Brick had been a stupid stallion who had never once used his head to think, only focusing on how strong he was and how hard he could hit somepony.  If only he had realized sooner what Thorn had.  Maybe if he had let himself learn a thing or two, his brother wouldn’t be a charred corpse buried under some gravelly dirt and covered with a rock.  Maybe the world would be better already.
The stallion who had once been Brick had made many mistakes in his life, far too many to waste the breath justifying.  He had been the one who turned to crime when the urge got to him, and he had dragged Thorn along because he was the older brother.  Then, he had been the one to try and rob that mare in the alley.  He was the one who put them in that jail cell and he was the one who got his brother and himself almost killed when they attacked her again.  That stupid mare seemed to have a charm on her that summoned the Blue Knight instantly, and he had only learned when his ribs were shattered.  
By then, it was too late to escape the Blue Knight’s omnipresent shadow.  The boss had thankfully bailed them out and healed them, but that only drew his attention one more time, and that time there was blood.  The stallion still had a small, thin triangular patch of missing fur on his left cheek from a particularly hard hit from the Blue Knight.  Unicorn or alicorn, the stallion hit hard and fast with his hooves.  The boss had theorized that the Blue Knight was an alicorn since he could do so much with his body and magic.  The stallion kept his thoughts to himself before they could hurt anypony.  
The only good thing from the past eight months was how the plan was slowly proceeding.  Factories in Baltimare, Manehattan, and Whinnyapolis had been purchased and operations connected there.  Crimson had taken naturally to her line of work, but for obvious reasons, the stallion didn’t know exactly what she did, only that it was highly effective.  Everytime she returned from one venture or another, the boss traded a cigar for a bottle of wine, and sometimes that was enough for the stallion to keep his mind off his failure.  Thankfully, as always, the boss had been there to turn him away from drinking his pains away.  While more than likely it was to keep him a functional member of the team, he knew that, if the boss had the time, it would also be because he cared.
It was the only reason he was still here anyway.  After the colossal disaster that had been their confrontation with the Blue Knight in that street, the boss had every reason to out the stallion or straight up kill him.  Directly because of his actions, the cause had lost one of its most vital and irreplaceable cogs.  It was grounds for a complete outsting, but contrary to everything he had expected, the boss had helped bury Thorn and promised his death would be a martyrdom remembered in the future.  Funnily enough, it already seemed like that statement was true thanks to the reaction Canterlot had to it.
Joining the boss was one of the few times Brick had listened to Thorn.  It was the best decision he had ever made, listening to his younger brother and beginning down this path. For the first time, he and his brother were accepted for the ponies they were and given a job to do.  He remembered the thrill of joining a cause so marvelous, visionary, and complete as the boss’, given an opportunity to become more.  Sadly, there didn’t seem to be anything left of those feelings now that he had buckled the weight of his failures.  What had been a fun excuse to let loose and be himself had quickly become nightmarish to Brick, constraints and obligations hindering what he wanted to do.  He had forced his way past those with Thorn loyally by his side, and in the end, it got his brother killed.  
Now he understood.  He knew what it meant to be part of the cause, what he had joined even as a naive and stupid stallion.  Even though he had chosen to follow the boss for the wrong reasons, it was still the right thing to do.  It just took some growing pains for him to finally get it through his thick skull, the gravity of the situation and the risks he was going to have to take to make the world better.   For both himself and Thorn, he was invested completely in the boss’ plan and his part in it.  Nothing, not even the return of the Blue Knight, would sway him from that.
“Mourning again, I see,” the boss suddenly noted from behind the stallion.  He didn’t flinch, having guessed that at one point or another the older stallion would come to give him orders.  
Turning to face the boss, he nodded slightly and softly asked, “Whaddya need, boss?”
The white unicorn looked the stallion up and down for a long moment, squinting through the wind.  It had grown sharper as the sun set completely, leaving the mountain to be lit by the moonlight that seeped through clouds above them.  The stallion didn’t change a thing, didn’t even dare think while the boss slowly scrutinized him, stepping close enough that the collar of the unicorn’s brown overcoat brushed his fur.  Finally, after several long seconds of staring, the boss sighed and took a step back.
“Brick, when I hired you, you were a dull stallion with only your powerful hooves to back you up,” the boss laid out flatly.  “It was annoying, and to be perfectly honest, I only hired you because it ensured your brilliant brother’s employment as well.  But the brothers I hired two years ago died that night of the encounter with the Blue Knight.  Thorn died to the Blue Knight’s magic, and Brick died to the collateral damage.  The brute earth pony I hired has been missing ever since the stone that covers your brother’s grave was placed down.  What happened to him?”
“He thought that he was invincible, that his actions didn’t have consequences,” the stallion mumbled, glancing back at the grave.  “He died when both were proven wrong…”
There was silence for a moment longer, the boss analyzing him thoroughly, before he finally said, “Well, if you aren’t Brick, then who are you, my friend?”
“I don’t know,” the stallion mumbled, staring out over the mountain.  The snow had come to only a slow drift, which meant, if he strained, he could see the distant lights of Canterlot.  Down there, it was still warm enough that snowfall was a rarity this time of year, yet the mountain almost always had a blanket of it.  It was a struggle to keep the grave cleared of snow, and even with his best attempt, he knew there were many hours when it was buried and forgotten.  Turning back to the stallion, he replied, “I do not deserve to be a new stallion.  I am simply one whose only purpose is to fulfill my brother’s dream.  Maybe then I’ll find myself.”
“That is a long time to be without a name,” the boss muttered, eyes locked onto the stallion’s.  “I think, for now, we shall call you my Student.  You are swiftly learning and growing, becoming the culmination of your brother and the strong stallion you were.  If you continue to seek out improvement and knowledge, I suspect that you will quickly be prepared to fulfill your brother’s dreams and make him proud.  It is a rare thing to see a stallion completely reshape who he is, especially at your age.  For my part, I look forward to seeing your growth as both a stallion and a friend, that the cause will find a new powerful witness in you.”
With that, the boss turned and began to walk away, leaving the stallion thinking hard.  The white unicorn lit his horn, but before he could teleport away, the stallion shouted, “I’m worried!”
When he saw the boss’ horn stop glowing, the unicorn silent, the Student continued, “My brother did not die a good stallion, sir.  He died for the cause, which is a noble and right thing, but he also had many mistakes in his life he did not make up for… I still have many of those same mistakes.  I’m afraid that my brother and I have done too much wrong to deserve the nobility and honor that comes with the success of the cause.  I’m worried that ponies will only remember my brother for his many mistakes, not having an opportunity to redeem himself like I do.  How do I protect him from that?”
“Your brother may be dead, my Student, but the current thriving success of the cause is his legacy,” the boss replied, finally turning to look at the stallion.  Strangely, he smiled as he said, “Fillies and colts across Equestria will learn that even imperfect ponies can make a lasting good impact.  It does not take a perfect pony to be a good pony.  It is the strive to do good in the world, to become a better pony, that truly embodies a great individual.  In that sense, I think your brother shall be remembered fondly and honorably, a martyr for the cause and a strong embodiment of what we hope to do.”
In spite of himself, the Student felt tears slowly beginning to drip down his face.  After months of worry, confusion, and fear, he felt the turmoil in him unwind, the strands of each of those emotions letting go of his heart and slipping away.  A flood of relief and understanding instead took their place, warming him in spite of the cold.  Without warning, the boss stepped forward and wrapped one hoof around his Student’s neck, pulling him into a light hug.  Finally, he broke down crying in full, sobbing against the smaller unicorn.  For several long minutes, they stood like that, the Student sobbing in the snow while the boss softly hugged him.
When the Student stepped out of the hug, he felt new resolve, a growing hunger in him that called for action.  “Thank you for that, sir,” the Student gratefully nodded.  “I think I’ll be going back now.  I’ve got to get myself back into a more proper state than this.”
“Indeed, you do look more like a hobo than a hero,” the boss chuckled, before reaching out one hoof and resting it on his shoulder, preventing the Student from leaving.  “However, before you go, my Student, it only seems right that I reveal to you something of great value to me.  You see, for over two years now I have had you in my employment and have known as much as I wanted to know about you.  It wasn’t until today, though, that you made me realize you are a far greater stallion than I first thought.  For that, you have my respect, and with that, you will know my name.”
Taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly, the boss stated, “My Student, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.  My name is White Gold.”
> Chapter 6: Maid
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As it had turned out, becoming an employee in the Canterlot Castle was not a very difficult task.  In fact, when it came to female workers, there seemed to be a want for more of them as of late.  All Lavender had to do was sign up for an interview, answer some simple questions about herself, and suddenly she was in.  Of course, for the safety of the Princesses, it would be a years long process before she was able to actually work in any of the areas of the castle they inhabited.  
Currently, she would be working on the more mundane areas of the castle reserved for guests and parties, the more public areas the Princesses only visited on rare occasions.  It was fine by her, because it meant she was able to simply do things she was already good at like take inventory, schedule rooms, and mark up prices.  It was simple, easy work that didn’t take too much thinking or exertion to do, and the environment was surprisingly relaxed and forgiving.  From time to time, she would stumble into the wrong parts of the castle or not realize certain rules of specific rooms, and everytime Mr. Horoscope politely informed her of her mistakes.
Umber Horoscope was another very positive part of her work, the main butler of the lower suites, or the area of the castle she worked.  He had a stereotypically polite and uptight attitude, though that was probably because he had worked for the Princesses for over forty years.  The unicorn, umber as his name suggested, had taken in every employee of the lower suite under his care from day one of their work, whether it be for two weeks, eight months, or several years.  Under his watchful eye, she had found herself enjoying the job more as a job and less as an excuse to investigate.  The ponies were friendly, the pay was good, and the accommodations were exceptional.
For safety concerns, almost every worker who was single must stay in the castle for their employment, though that was hardly a negative restriction.  There was a whole wing dedicated to the care, housing, and entertainment of the maidstaff, most of which was under the castle.  Some areas, such as anywhere the Princesses lived or worked in constantly, were strictly off-limits for her, even on the job.  After two years of working at the castle, she would be allowed to work with the Princesses personally, but for the moment it was all through other, more important and experienced staff members.  
However, she wasn’t here to work for the Princesses, though frustratingly, she seemed much closer to them than the Blue Knight.  Thanks to his behavior, female maid staff weren’t allowed in the same wing as Prince Blueblood, let alone the same room.  She had learned quite quickly that, in fact, he never actually raped any of the mares he had drugged, or at least, none of it had been proven.  The maids had a running joke as to why that might have been, but it only fed into Lavender’s theory of the pompous prince.  After all, if he was one of the most hated stallions in Canterlot, nopony would even think of him as the pony behind the Blue Knight’s mask.
At the very least, she had learned from the male staff that worked around the prince that he was rather reclusive when there wasn’t some sort of party, ball, or festival to attend.  He left the castle for days on end to either some rich friends in Baltimare and Manehattan or to visit the beach towns in and around Griffonstone.  Apparently, during the attack, he had been so frightened he had thrown himself into one of the dungeons, only to complain for days about how he stank.  Frankly, if her theories were right and Blueblood was just acting like a jerk, she’d be thankful nopony would actually be so preposterously empty-headed.
“Lavender, you have the preparations ready for room eight-eleven,” Umber questioned as he suddenly appeared in the main lobby.  The castle had its grand front doorway, the traditional entrance to the castle, but to catch up with the times, a public lobby had been installed as well.
“Everything’s in order, but I haven’t heard back from Jade’s group yet,” she dutifully replied, before checking the clock.  “Given, they were told they had until six to have everything ready.”
“They have twenty minutes, then,” Umber sighed, glancing around.  After the crisis with the attack had shut everything down for a couple days, they were extremely busy, which naturally affected him the most.  Lavender was considered the lucky one since she was new enough not to be run around the castle but barely in enough that she knew how to operate the desk alone.  While everypony else, whether they were meant to or not, was doing some mobile task to cater to the endless conferences and room service.  
Without a word, he left, leaving her to mindlessly manage the front desk.  The twenty minutes came and went, Jade’s group managed to get their work done and move on to their next task, and, in general, there was no longer a backlog of work, just everypony moving about but her.  Halfway to the hour, she managed to finish with the work of securing the schedule for several rooms when she suddenly found a small filly standing in front of her desk.  The little pony had perhaps the biggest, brightest smile Lavender had seen since the attack and eyes just as big to suit.
“Howdya Mis’s, I don’t s’pose ya’d mind given that prick Blueblood a nice note fer me, right,”  she asked with a cheshire grin.  
“Pardon,” Lavender stuttered, overwhelmed by the little filly’s rapidfire question.  
“Oh, don’cha worry none, I wasn’t the one who wrote this thing,” she assured with a nod that sent her mane flying.  “Though, if it was me who wrote this thing, I’d be stickin’ it right into his face and sayin’ all the nasty things me and everypony else wanna say but can’t.  But I’m a filly, so I can!”
“Um…”  Lavender struggled to think of an appropriate response to the little filly’s wild and quick words.  Finally, she managed to reply, “I don’t think that’s how it works, honey.”
“Of course that’s how it is,” she fervently insisted.  “Nopony can touch him cuz he’s rich and pathetic, and nopony can touch me cuz I’m a small, young, fast pony.  Even if that meanie did try to get a lick on me, I’d be out and across the city in five minutes flat, and nopony here knows me, so I could get away with it.  Which is why I’m askin’ you ta give ‘im the letter for me.  Cuz otherwise everypony’s gonna have a whole big mess ta deal with and I’ll be feelin’ bad for makin’ you all deal with it.”
“In that case, I’ll be taking that,” Lavender assured her with a smile, reaching for the letter in her hooves.  The little filly gave it up without a problem and promptly took a step back, saluting the mare.
“Best of luck in facing that grimy monster upstairs, Mis’s, and thank you for bein’ so kind,” she praised, turning and literally dashing off before Lavender could speak another word to the curious filly.  
She was left alone and stunned by the vibrant, confusing little one, holding the envelope in her hoof.  Shaking it away, she glanced down at the unmarked, white envelope, an opportunity unforeseen presented to her by an unpredictable twist of fate.  Staring at it, she felt her pulse quicken as her mind raced to find the best way to utilize this personal note to the prince.  She could try to open it now and reseal it in another envelope if she was careful handling it.  Whether from a collaborator, friend, or even just some distressed mare, perhaps it would reveal more about himself that he didn’t reveal to the public.  
The much more risky action was to go to Blueblood’s wing herself to personally deliver the message and hope that he would be there to take it.  That was if she could manage to sneak her way past all of the other staff to break the rules.  If she was caught, more than likely she’d be out of the castle at the end of the night unless she could convince them of her innocent intentions, though her lying skills were frankly awful.  However… if she were able to get face-to-face with him, she had no doubt she would know if he really was the Blue Knight, and that knowledge was worth any risk.  
Determined now, she glanced around, making sure there was nopony on staff who would see her leave her post and question her about it.  With the coast clear, she quickly jotted down a note about needing to desperately use the restroom before zipping off towards one of the servant’s corridors.  The narrow hallways that ran alongside the main hallways were concealed behind a wall, though not in a very secretive way.  Everypony knew the servants used them to get about and prepare rooms or answer room service, it was just a matter of making the trip quicker.  
This one headed to the south wing, conveniently in the direction of the bathrooms in case anypony asked.  However, with everypony else busy rushing about anyways, they didn’t question her fast pace and ignored her as she made her way down several twists and turns before coming to the unfamiliar south wing.  Thankfully, there was nopony around thanks to this being the area of the castle reserved almost exclusively for Prince Blueblood and foreign guests of high distinction.  With a lack of use for the maidstaff in the wing, she was probably in the clear, but just in case, she moved about the halls slower, listening for anypony.  
After several minutes of meandering back and forth through the southern wing, she finally found a door marked with Prince Blueblood’s Cutie Mark.  Pausing with her hoof on the door, she took a stabilizing breath before pushing through, halfway expecting to be shouted at by somepony for breaking the rules.  However, there was just the swish of wind as the door opened too quickly, and in her nervousness, she accidentally hit it against the wall.  Cringing, she quickly and quietly shut the door, eyes darting around the empty hallway in case the noise alerted anypony.  With the hall remaining empty, she let her breath out and rushed to the grand pair of doors.
This was definitely Prince Blueblood’s room.  There was a strange, overcomplicated, and incredibly expensive set of doors to fit the kingly vanity Prince Blueblood was famed for, but she had neither the time nor care to investigate the carvings and paintings for clues.  There wasn’t a moment to spare, and after testing the door and finding it unlocked, she gave it a push and slipped through.  With a smile to herself, she found what she thought she would.  
Behind the doors, a small but extravagant guest room designed perfectly to impress guests and make them expect the most from Prince Blueblood’s personal chambers.  Spectacular paintings, gold embroidering, and a few carvings in the wall all as royal and grand as if this were the Princesses’ chambers itself.  Disregarding it all, she moved to the second, smaller set of doors that would lead into the Prince’s room.  It was only when she felt the door’s handle give, unlocked and ready to open, that she finally hesitated for a second.
If she opened the door, regardless of if the stallion was the Blue Knight or not, she had no way to predict how he would react.  If she found Prince Blueblood behind the door, she would be completely done for, probably incapable of living in Canterlot itself if she weren’t imprisoned.  However, her future wasn’t certain either if Prince Blueblood turned out to be the Blue Knight.  He could still play it off to everypony else that he was just the bratty snob Prince Blueblood and make sure she would never be able to reveal who he really was.
However… the knowledge she would gain from this all yet again outweighed any and all risks.  Throwing caution to the wind, she pushed the door open.
The first thing she noticed was, of course, Prince Blueblood, sitting at a desk against the wall to her left.  The second thing she noticed was the terrible scar that covered almost half of his back, mottled skin without any coat, a distinct burn.  Lavender recognized it right away, remembering when the long patch of skin had been cracked and bleeding.  For the briefest moment, she felt a spark of pride.  The help she and the other mare had provided the Blue Knight had kept him alive, and now the fruits of their labor would be knowing the stallion behind the mask.
“Why did you use the door, auntie,” the Blue Knight asked, not looking behind him.  His voice was deep and quiet, but hardened regardless.  She didn’t know if it was out of focus on whatever he was working on or just a general gruff attitude, but it was most decidedly not Prince Blueblood’s high-pitched, nasally whine.“Feeling formal today?”
“I’m not one of the-” Lavender squeaked in surprise as she was suddenly lifted to the air by the unicorn’s magic as he whipped around so fast the chair he had been sitting on flew to the side.  He froze as he glared right into her eyes, his face like nothing she had ever seen before.  Prince Blueblood was a handsome stallion whose good looks were hampered by his foul attitude, while the Blue Knight had been a faceless stallion constantly quipping and cheerful.  This stallion was neither, and the longer he glared into her eyes, the more intimidated she became.  Before she could lose her nerve however, she managed to finish her sentence and squeak out, “Princesses?”
As if her speaking had broken his focus, he suddenly dropped her back to the ground.  Yelping, she landed softly on her hooves, her legs shaking as she tried to stand up straight.  Oh yeah, he was definitely the Blue Knight.
“What are you doing here, maid,” the stallion sneered, suddenly taking on the voice of Prince Blueblood.  Confused for only a moment, Lavender realized the game he was playing.  “I thought mares weren’t allowed in the same room as me.  Did you decide you and I should break that rule?”
“Actually, it’s in the same wing as Prince Blueblood, not the same room as the Blue Knight,” she confidently replied, smirking at the stallion.  Sweet Celestia, she hoped her legs had stopped shaking.  This stallion did not need to know both how excited and frightened she was to finally discover him.
Prince Blueblood simply raised a brow instead before chuckling slightly.  “Well, I was never one for roleplay, but I’ll give it a shot if you want.”
“Oh come on, everypony in the castle knows that you don’t actually do anything to the mares you drug,” she informed him, her confidence building.  If he was going to try to trick her out of what she knew, then she would just have to be more brash, more reckless, and more intelligent than him.  Unfortunately, she only knew how to do one of those things.  
“Hay, I could get on your bed right now, spread my legs, and you wouldn’t do anything about it,” she declared, promptly strutting towards the bed to the right of the room, watching the stallion carefully.
“Oh no, please don’t do that,” he replied with a widening grin, however, his eyes betrayed a flicker of panic.  She had him now.
“Don’t worry yourself, I will,” she answered, jumping right onto the plush bed.  It was soft and almost made her fall over from how much give it had, but managed to keep herself standing.  All the while, Prince Blueblood’s grin faded and his eyes widened as he realized the reckless young mare was indeed committing to her promise.  
A thrill rushed through her as she sat down, and right before she could do anything more, he shouted, “Alright, you made your point you stupid filly!”
“I am not a filly,” she sneered as she began to stand up on the bed, a surge of victorious pride making her grin like she had just won Equestria itself.  It was gone in a moment as suddenly the bedding she was standing on betrayed her, wrapping around her limbs and muffling her before she could react.  Her cry of surprise was cut off when she was suddenly jerked forward, the stallion’s magic lifting her into the air while keeping her bound.  
“You might as well be as clueless as one,” he growled, marching into a room adjacent to the bedroom, dragging her along while gagging her.  “What in Celestia’s Equestria am I supposed to do with you now?”
> Chapter 7: Dumb Mares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The frustration of the situation Lavender had placed him in left Blueblood fuming as he levitated the mare through the abandoned dungeons underneath the castle.  There wasn’t very much time in which he could get away with what he was doing, being that as soon as somepony connected the dots that Prince Blueblood and a female maid were missing at the same time would lead to… problems.  Still, he had to hope the mare was incredibly careful in order to get to his room alone.  With a growl, he turned a corner and found the tunnel he had been looking for, finally releasing Lavender from his magical restraint to plop her on the ground.  
“You have just made both of our lives very hard,” he finally spat as the mare gave him a fearful look.  Taken aback by the fear in her eyes, he calmed himself down enough to reassure her, “I wouldn’t ever hurt you, but you have to realize what this means for the both of us.”
“All I ever wanted to do-” she began to protest before Blueblood angrily cut her off.
“-was help.  I get that, but you could have at least thought through your actions before you decided to put us in such a compromising situation.”  Letting out another frustrated sigh, he circled the spot where he was standing for a second while trying to think of a way to let the mare go that would clearly get across to her that she couldn’t reveal anything about tonight.  “Look, you might be a bit young to understand this, but actions like this have greater consequences for all of Equestria if revealed to the public.  Did you ever think for a moment the implications of the Princesses accidentally housing the Blue Knight all while having an active arrest out for him?”
“Wait, they don’t know,” Lavender questioned, looking skeptical.
“Would you be the first pony to know my identity if they did,” he countered, intentionally throwing aside her question.  
“Don’t need to be so spacey about it,” she complained, making Blueblood glare at her.  
“You don’t have a right to know anything, young mare,” he growled, turning his back to her.  “You decided to track me down and unceremoniously reveal my identity, so now you get to live with that reality and the many questions that come from it.”
“And you have to live with me as a potential threat to your identity and the Princesses,” she replied, confident in her voice despite having literally been foalnapped.
He glared over his shoulder at her as she smartly added, “A threat you can’t ignore or remove because it would threaten you more.  So you have to work with me in order to prevent any problems from arriving.”
“Sweet Celestia, I know that, but I’m not happy about it and don’t have to be,” he shouted angrily, rolling his eyes at her.  “It would have been far easier for me and you if you had lived and let be while I continued protecting Canterlot and the Princesses from threats you have no capability of defending yourself from.”
“What’s that supposed to mean,” she questioned defensively, and for a moment Blueblood panicked as he realized that, in his frustration, he had revealed yet another secret.  However, the mare didn’t seem to notice as she continued, declaring, “I’m perfectly capable of defending myself.”
“Like you did against me,” Blueblood rhetorically asked, unable to help the hint of smugness that crept into his voice.  Making himself stern again, he told her directly, “You wouldn’t have lasted two seconds against the true villains that threaten Canterlot.  The changelings, the thugs, and their leader all would have done untold damage to the city and its ponies without my intervention.  If you had been there that night eight months ago, do you think you could have withstood the white unicorns incredible magic and fought them off?”
“Could you have done it without killing one of them and destroying half a block of innocent ponies’ homes,” she countered angrily.  This was the first time Blueblood had seen the young mare expressly angry at him, and while it wasn’t intimidating at all, it did make his gut twist slightly in guilt.
“No, the enemy did not put me in a situation to stop collateral damage,” he replied evenly.  “I could only prevent it from being the entire block.”
“You burned down those houses and killed that stallion,” Lavender pointed out, her voice wavering as she said “killed”.  “Make no mistake, I don’t approve of your actions both against them and the changelings.  They’re horrifying, but fascinating in a way that I can’t take my mind off of.  In spite of those terrible actions, you’re clearly not evil, but somehow you commit such erroneous acts nonetheless.  Truly, you are the most unique stallion to call Canterlot home, if not in all of Equestria.”
“You know why I killed those changelings and that stallion, Lavender,” he questioned, maintaining his composure in spite of the disgust he felt for those he was about to speak of.  “It was because I saw what they did to the ponies of Canterlot and would not let them live without consequences.  You didn’t see how that stallion beat the cops half to death, breaking their bones and leaving some crippled for life to escape punishment for nearly raping a young mare like yourself.  Rape’s probably a word you aren’t familiar with, so let me explain it for you.  It’s-”
“I know what it is, and I know exactly who you’re talking about,” she interrupted, looking away uncomfortably.  
Raising a brow at this, Blueblood continued regardless, “And if you had seen those foals the changelings drained, how they collapsed to the ground eyes empty, breath ragged and colors dimming, then you would have fought back like I had.  You wouldn’t have run in the face of terror because you would have known in your hooves that you could save dozens of ponies.  You wouldn’t have given the changelings who had drained foals a second chance, because if they damage an innocent foal like that without a second thought, why should you give them a second thought either?  Justice is impossible with ponies because of their nature, so I have to step in when extremities call for it.”
“So you’re saying you aren’t a pony,” Lavender pressed, stepping a little closer, excitement and curiosity egging Blueblood on.  He was strangely compelled to reveal his motivations to somepony who would actually listen, unlike Celestia.  
“I’m not your everyday pony, obviously,” he stated, eyeing the mare.
“And that validates you to exact justice,” she inquired. 
“No, but my flawed justice is better than them receiving no justice whatsoever,” he explained determinedly, receiving a satisfied nod from Lavender.
“I think I understand,” she finally muttered, stepping away as she apparently had nothing else to ask him.  Surprised by this, Blueblood waited a second to see if she was just thinking of the next question to ask him, but when it came it wasn’t what he expected.  “So… I’ve been gone a while and so have you, which means we probably need to be spotted soon, right?”
“I can’t just let you go out into the world with the knowledge you have,” Blueblood chuckled dryly, shaking his head.  “Even you recognize how much of a threat that would be to me, you, the Princesses, and by extension, all of Equestria.”
“But you can’t stop me either, so you’ll have to take my word that I want to help,” she pointed out with cheeky satisfaction.  “You’ll have to just trust me.”
“Just trust you,” Blueblood repeated, unamused.  
“Weird for you, isn’t it, but like I said, there’s nothing else you can do so…” Lavender trailed off expectantly, glancing at the exit.
“I’ll have to keep you close, you know, both for your protection and to protect my secret,” he insisted, eyeing her.  
She seemed disinterested in the idea, shrugging as she replied, “Figured you would, but that’s your problem to figure out, not mine.  I’ll go along with whatever you say because I don’t really have a choice either.  Like you said, keeping me close is for my protection too.  While everypony else seems to only remember those three stallions for the incident that I occurred, I remember the feeling of magic echoing through the entire city.”
Blueblood silently stared at the mare for a long minute, trying to deduce her intentions.  She had said exactly what he didn’t think anypony else would say, sharing his concerns perfectly.  It almost had to be an act, but he couldn’t definitively say.  What would she be trying to hide if she was simply acting?  She had helped save his life right after he had killed the stallion, and while he couldn’t know if she had known this at the time, her ability to be angry about that but not reject him as the villain made him think her desire to become a part of this was genuine.  Otherwise, why would she do all of this? 
With a slow sigh, Blueblood finally told the mare, “There’s nothing I can do to stop you from trying to help.  All that I require from you is that you never question my intentions.  They are always to protect Canterlot and the ponies in it.  Understood?”
“Perfectly,” she replied curtly, glancing over her shoulder to the tunnel out of the dungeons.  
“You probably need to get going…” Blueblood softly agreed, still hesitant about letting the mare go.  Adding a little more decisiveness to his voice, he told her, “We’ll talk tomorrow if things run smoothly.  Go, now.”
Silently, the mare nodded at him and began to make her way through the dark tunnel, disappearing from sight.  With a deep sigh, Blueblood turned and slowly made his way back through the rank dungeon.  He had discovered in his youth that there were secret, forgotten routes from his tower to the dungeons deep in the mountain, thanks most likely to the times hundreds of years ago when they were necessary.  There were no windows or doors the entire journey down, meaning that if one were to discover it, they would have to be in his room and find the strange false desk that sunk into the ground to reveal the small tunnel into the walls.  
Such secrets in the design of the castle were still being discovered everyday, as not only was it built almost sixteen hundred years ago, it had also been renovated several times.  There were rumors he heard from some of the male maid staff about rooms with no way out, having accidentally or intentionally been hidden away by new additions to the castle.  Whatever the case, there were almost six miles of hidden halls in the walls, between floors, and even underground that the maid staff and Princesses knew, and a few more miles uncharted or rumored to be hidden still.  This was useful information Blueblood had slowly been gathering as his activities as the Blue Knight became more frequent and more illegal.  
With a sigh, he made it back to his room in a matter of only a few minutes, which was still astonishing to him considering the technical distance between his room and the dungeons.  Using magic to activate the mechanism to open the tunnel from the other side, he squeezed through the small, ground-level opening and back into his bright, perfumed room.  Shaking off the dust from his coat, ignoring the way the stone had scraped against his scarred skin, he closed the entrance and raised the small desk back into place.  Realizing that there may be somepony coming by to ask his whereabouts if they had noticed his absence, he quickly put on a minimalistic suit that hid his back and most of the smudges from his fur.  
Looking at the chair he had unintentionally thrown across the room after Lavender had surprised him, he moved it back into place at his main desk.  While this venture with the mare now consumed much of his thoughts and had taken a good amount of his time, he couldn’t let the interruption or any worries about said mare prevent his work further.  Sitting down in the chair, he inspected the healer’s mark flower, trying to see if it had wilted any since Lavender had come by.  
The purple flower- Blueblood decided it had to be purple and not lavender when compared to the mare’s coat- didn’t look any worse for wear, so he continued studying it.  Several small glass vials were filled with the liquids excreted from the flower when crushed, clear with the very slightest green.  Three different pots full of healer’s mark from the riverside also occupied his desk, organized by difference in hues.  While not almost inexplicable, Blueblood suspected that based on the darkness of the flowers’ coloration, there may be a difference in the juices produced.  
Ever since he had fully recovered from the burns, he had spent a sizable chunk of time studying the flower.  Luna and Celestia had both confined him to the castle for another two months to recover, though he suspected it was more punishment than anything, considering how he couldn’t heal a scar.  Blueblood suspected there was something about the flowers that had helped saved his life that night, though he had been incapable of identifying it yet.  As Lily had told him and he had later confirmed through his own studies, the flower was named for Meadowbrook, one of the lost Pillars, not for actually having any healing capabilities.  However, after Blueblood’s own experiences, he had come to doubt these claims entirely.
Given, there was plenty of credibility to them seeing as how he had been incapable of proving his theory after nearly half a year of work.  From all accounts about the flower in botany and pharmaceutical books, historically tested methods of unlocking any medical purposes for the plant had failed.  In each case he found, though, he could eliminate an ingredient or mixture from the possible ingredients that may unlock healing processes in the plant.  After some rather thorough research and recollection of his experiences with the flower, he had come to the conclusion that there had to be an ingredient that activated healer’s mark.  It was the only explanation he had thus far, and seemed to line up with why healing purposes for healer’s mark had yet been discovered.  
The juices on their own, from the flower, stems, roots, and few leaves all had different bitterness to them, but none had yielded any results other than an ill stomach from so much raw plant juice.  Given that things such as sugar, cinnamon, mint, sunflower, and any number of oils had been tried and failed, and that none of those had been present for his own healing, he could eliminate such possibilities.  Nevertheless, even with the limited factors in his own experience, he had countless other possibilities and combinations to try.  Looking over a three-page long list of factors he had written down as suspect to the healing, he sighed.  All but a few items were crossed out, and these remaining ones were the most far-fetched and… unpleasant to try.  
Silk had, in both cases, been present and most likely ingested by him when his healing had taken place, and though minimal, it may be the key to healer’s mark.  He of course had his doubts, which was why it was one of the last few on his list.  However impossible something was, though, it had to be tested.  With a reserved sigh, he took a small puff of silk and carefully poured a smidgen of the “Purple1'' juice onto it.  Staring at it for a moment, Blueblood shook his head and levitated it into his mouth, uncomfortably chewing and swallowing the bitter silk as fast as he could.  Gagging slightly as it went down, he stood up and aimed to go to a nearby bin in case his body rejected the unnatural meal.  
“Did you just eat that,” Luna suddenly shouted, having appeared from out of nowhere at his bedside.
In response, Blueblood coughed out the small tuft at her hooves.
> Chapter 8: Cold Cases
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For better or for worse, Hard Break had hoped that the Blue Knight had died that night eight months ago.  They would never have to question the Blue Knight as a concept if he had just died.  They could have said that the Blue Knight was another evil that Equestria had removed that night or that it was fated that the two true evils would destroy each other.  They never would have had to confront the truth about somepony who had become a trusted advisor, even maybe a friend.  But now there was a hole in their roof, twenty-five dead changelings, and every constable in Canterlot was watching for what they would do now.
It had been brazen of the stallion to return in the first place, terrifying to do so with such violence, and predictable that he would turn to them for help.  Unfortunately, that was about the only read Break could get from the masked stallion.  In over twenty years as the Chief of the Canterlot Constabulary, they had never been as stumped by a hidden face as they were now.  The stallion had covered his tracks incredibly well for somepony who supposed themselves to not be a criminal, in such a way that Break’s information and speculations matched the media’s.  There wasn’t even a point in pretending to know more than they did, given the unpredictable, but deliberate, way in which the Blue Knight acted.
Killing those changelings had been the ultimate statement, and so had breaking into Break’s house.  The Blue Knight wanted to ensure the Constabulary that it was they who had relied upon him, not the other way.  He wasn’t threatened by a single pony in it, and if they were going to be intimidated by him, he was going to press that advantage.  If he needed information from them, which appeared to be the only advantage they had against him on a technical level, then he was going to try to extract it.  The constables had no reason to fear for their lives around him, but they also needed to comply if they wished to have any leash on the out-of-control stallion.  Unfortunately, Break hadn’t expected the dog to return home after running off.
Pursing their lips, Break leaned back.  There was nothing they could do to shake the fear from the constables thanks to how abrupt and omnipresent the Blue Knight appeared.  Probably because that’s exactly what he was, always waiting, watching, and learning.  Whoever the stallion actually was, he had an undeniable intelligence and dedication that, applied to anything else, would have been wondrous for helping the city.  Break glanced at the window in their office, half expecting the masked stallion to be looming there, but there was nothing.  The sunlight of the clear midmorning day flooded the room, reminding Break that this pressing matter was on a deadline.  Somehow, they had to make their move by noon, when the press meeting Shoal had planned was supposed to take place.  That mare was sometimes too efficient for the force.  
Sighing, Break stood and quickly walked around their desk, attempting to alleviate some of their pent up stress.  The problem wasn’t that they didn’t have a response, the problem was the response.  The Constabulary, in spite of being the top job for Royal Guard trainees and retirees, had remained nearly completely free of Royal administration during its entire existence.  Being a city-wide service, it fell under the jurisdiction of the mayor, was funded by the taxes of the city, and overall was centralized solely around the mountaintop city.  The Princesses had only been involved thus far because of the intense impact the Blue Knight’s case was having on their capital city.  If Break took the action they wanted too, it would directly through the Constabulary under the control of the Princesses.  
Not only that, it would do something that had never been done in crime history before, across all Equestria.  There were no laws against it, but that didn’t mean lawsuits, complaints, and criticisms wouldn’t come the Constabulary or Break’s way after the fact.  Let alone the fact that it was practically admitting the Blue Knight was an unstoppable, independent entity the constables had no clue how to stop, the entire idea threw into question of Break’s capabilities.  While they would always put the city before them, it was impossible not to consider what making such a drastic move would impact their career and life after retirement.  
With a grimace, Break sat back down, staring at the paper on their desk.  It was the last thing that needed to be done in order to set the plan into motion, a signature to approve of the most aggressive action Break or any other constable in Canterlot history had needed to take in order to capture a criminal.  Reaching out and grabbing a quill, they carefully dipped it into ink and signed the dotted line.  Setting the quill back in its place, Break once again leaned back in their seat, staring long and hard at their own signature.  
They had to do this.  Whether it would hurt or harm Break, it would ultimately serve to help catch the Blue Knight and maybe, if luck was on Equestria’s side, also snare the mysterious white stallion.  Because if there was one thing the Blue Knight had been correct about, it was him and the danger he posed.  
It just wasn’t nearly on such a magnitude as the Blue Knight.
The door jiggled a little as Shoal suddenly opened it, entering Break’s office.  The young mare with a brown coat and sleek cream ponytail, engagement ring proudly prominent on her horn.  These were the ponies Break was attempting to protect by taking such extreme and risky measures, they told themselves as the mare gave a quick salute.
“Ten minutes ‘til the conference, chief,” she informed Break, glancing briefly at the paper on the desk.  Frowning slightly, she asked, “You’re following through, chief?”
“I don’t see any other way out of this mess than with Celestia and Canterlot’s help,” Break determinedly stated.  “If there were, it’s too late to find it now.  We have to be confident in the path we’ve chosen, because I personally believe this is a path to resolution, even if it isn’t perfect.”
“I trust your judgment,” the mare replied curtly with a small nod, continuing to hold the door open for the chief as they stood and left their office.  They could see out the front windows of the station where the press was gathered, facing the podium in front of the door.  Shoal gave them one last nod of reassurance before returning to her desk, signed paper levitated to the top of another pile of papers.  Taking a deep breath, Break pushed their way through the doors and up to the podium.  
Already, multiple members of the press were attempting to shout questions at them, but they had become quite used to not paying attention to questions until after they had made their statements.  A few bright flashes highlighted them as they took the podium, news cameras attempting to catch the juiciest picture for the evening papers.  Little did they know, Break mused to themselves.  
They had no script, not in hoof or prepared on the podium as every other press conference would require.  Licking their lips, they looked out over the small crowd of maybe fifty or so reporters, with a couple dozen citizens watching from across the street.  They couldn’t help but wonder what those ponies would think, witnessing something that would undoubtedly alter Canterlot’s history.  Break just had to hope that they would reflect in awe at a momentous occasion they happened to witness rather than regret at something that had taken Canterlot to a new low.  
“Mare, gentlecolts, and everypony else, last night the Blue Knight broke into my personal home while I was off duty,” Break announced without warning.  They paused as the reporters ravenously began shouting questions over one another and cameras flashed.  Raising a hoof to indicate silence, they fell back into their seats with discontent.  “The Blue Knight did not harm I or the other constables on site, even after confrontation, nor did he make any attempt to.  He seemed to be under the impression that the Canterlot Constabulary has forgiven him for his crimes against both the citizens of this city and the changelings.  While they did attack us, their rights as living creatures of Equestria cannot be denied, especially in the face of such ruthless brutality from a pony.
“The Blue Knight did make it clear to me that he held no remorse for any of the crimes he committed and, if given the chance, would do them again.  For this reason, I am restating clearly that the Blue Knight is in fact unjustified in his killings, both of pony and changeling.  When we catch him, he will serve punishment for his crimes according to the extremity of them.  However, that is not the point of this press conference.
“As has been obvious by the lack of his capture, the Blue Knight is an incredibly  hard stallion to track down, having hidden everything from his fur to his magical signature well.  He flies like a pegasus, uses magic like a unicorn, and has the physical prowess of an earth pony.  While I have been hesitant to call into question this strange phenomenon, it is clear to both myself and the Constabulary that this matter cannot be resolved with the usual logical, methodical techniques we’ve used to solve countless other cases.  No, it is time we call upon a different approach than has ever been seen in Equestrian police history.
“The Blue Knight is an unexplainable, uncontainable force that opposes the good of Canterlot’s ponies.  Worse, he believes what he is doing is going to help the city, when it clearly has and will not.  Therefore, extreme measures must be taken to hasten the capture of the stallion behind the mask before he can cause more harm to anypony.  In order to help involve the ponies of Canterlot in the protection of their city, and in the hopes that a larger pool of volunteers and minds can unravel the mysteries of the Blue Knight, I have just signed an order to open all files involving cases in which the Blue Knight has been involved.”
This time, Break had to pause not for questions but as reporters gasped or whispered to each other at the shocking announcement.  Break needed the moment though, as the tremendous weight of telling the world became crushing.  They would have to wait until morning to see how the city would react to such a bold maneuver, but given that it was far from unprecedented, they could only hope it would be supportive.  If it wasn’t, Break could only imagine the criticism they would receive after this next announcement.
“The Blue Knight is the greatest lasting threat to Canterlot as a city, one the Constabulary has been incapable of addressing.  He fooled the entire city and caused unparalleled damage before retreating from us, hiding for a time and recovering until he could inflict his vision upon this city once again.  I am ashamed to admit that, at one point, I had been completely trusting of the stallion even without knowing who he was.  During his time in which he partnered with the Constabulary, he came to know our way of work and understand our code.  Unfortunately, this means that he knows the Constabulary’s ins and outs better than it knows him.  
“With this vital flaw in mind, we have come to the hard decision that the Constabulary alone cannot be the only entity to be searching out for and capturing the Blue Knight.  It is with the utmost humility and urgency that I must ask, publicly, Princess Celestia to assign the Royal Guard to the Blue Knight case as well.”  Even though there was once again very loud and clear shock from the crowd at the announcement, this time Break kept speaking.  “Not once in the history of Canterlot has the Constabulary and Royal Guard worked together on a case, but mares and gentlecolts, this is a time and case that requires the pairing of these two powerful and efficient institutions.  The Blue Knight represents the greatest threats to Canterlot, and thus one of the greatest threats to Equestria; a powerful mage who has no loyalties, no control, and no rules.  If it were not for the dire nature of this case, the most concerning and impactful in all my career, I would not have been prompted to make such an admittedly bold move.  However, if there’s one thing we can learn from the Blue Knight, it is to never confront him unprepared.  And that, Canterlot, I promise we will not be.”
> Chapter 9: An Invitation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blueblood stared long and hard at the letter on his desk.  It lay open, its contents dangerously exposed to the light of the setting sun.  Shadows played across the words scrawled neatly on its white paper, dangerous letters that formed a strange promise.  There was no name on it, but Blueblood knew exactly who had just sent him this letter.  Delivered anonymously by a poor filly from the outer streets of Canterlot with the wit, cunning, and vague nature of the greatest mystery in Equestria.  Prince Blueblood had, without a doubt, been invited to a private meeting with the white unicorn stallion.
Now, of course, there was no indication who the individual requesting a midnight meeting with Prince Blueblood was on the surface.  It was an anonymous request for a business venture that was heavily reliant on the Prince, politely requesting if he refrain from informing the Princesses of his private venture.  Furthermore, it gave a rather inconspicuous location to meet, a table at a high-end bar not too far from Central-North Street, one of the richest business locations in Canterlot and only half a mile from the castle.  It was a common meeting spot for parties interested in talking business, politics, or gossip.  However, rooms were available for rent as well, with the guarantee of privacy.
The white unicorn struck him as the rich, well-educated type who knew who he was talking to.  He had shown such to both Prince Blueblood and the Blue Knight.  If he had to venture another guess, the stallion needed funding and inside information that only Prince Blueblood could provide, as well as a friend of high status for other purposes.  In fact, if Prince Blueblood was more than just a character, it would have been one of the most intelligent moves the stallion could make.  The Prince was clearly disloyal to the Princesses save for the fact that they held the keys to his money.  If somepony could persuade him with promises of greater wealth and power, it wouldn’t be a longshot that the Prince would join their cause, no matter what it may be.
He’d have to play his cards right, though.  This was an astounding opportunity, one Blueblood hadn’t realized possible.  In just acting out Prince Blueblood, he could secure himself information not only about the white unicorn, but also about his organization, followers, and plans.  Prince Blueblood needed to remain in the perfect pocket of dumb but capable in that case.  If he was too ditzy, there was no doubt he would be discarded, but if he was any more intelligent than their first meeting had hinted at, the white unicorn would grow suspicious.  If his cover was blown at any point, it would cause unpredictable damage.  He may be beaten, killed, or otherwise subdued, or the white unicorn may just retreat underground once again, only reappearing as a greater threat than before.
That was one of the only two risks holding him back.  Failure on his part would be catastrophic.  The white unicorn could pick up on it without Blueblood even realizing and end up using the stallion as a tool against himself and the Princesses, or just outright kill him.  It would deprive Canterlot of its one true protection, but worse leave the stallion unchecked.  Without the Blue Knight’s prying and frightening presence over the entire city, the white unicorn probably wouldn’t even have to hide his movements.  Almost nopony else alive had the ability to resist them in any way that mattered.  Failure, then, would mean the end of Equestria as it stood and subjecting it to whatever the white stallion had in mind.
That’s where the second risk came in.  The very same doubts that he was having at the current moment would be what would make Celestia and Luna force him to stop from pursuing this chance.  Their fear of risk and choices had always hindered Blueblood’s movements as the Blue Knight, and now with restrictions growing tighter after the Canterlot Wedding Incident, as it had been labeled, there was no way they would ever approve of him in the presence of the enemy himself.  Most likely, they would assume he was just using this opportunity as a chance to get close enough to the white unicorn to kill him and be done with it.  While he had certainly considered the option, Ray doubted simply killing the stallion and everypony else in his gang would resolve the issues he was exploiting.  
So, by taking on this venture, not only would he have to keep his Prince Blueblood guise immaculate around the white unicorn and his crew, but also hide his movements as the Blue Knight and Prince Blueblood from his aunts.  It would be an impossible endeavor on his own, however, a new factor that he had been so dismissive of until now proved to be a possible way out.  In spite of being three stallions at once, he couldn’t be in three places at once.  His days and nights would be split between Prince Blueblood and the Blue Knight, during which there were ample opportunities for either of the Princesses to notice his antics, even if just by pure happenstance.  He needed somepony to cover for him and keep his aunts’ attention as far from him as possible.
Lavender was an eager young mare who just so happened to be in a place to forge timetables, falsify meetings, and cover Prince Blueblood’s sudden disappearances.  She also conveniently knew the unused route to his bedroom through the abandoned dungeons, giving her easy access to it unnoticed if the occasion ever arose.  She was certainly a skilled investigator of her own accord, given she had discovered his identity when so many others had failed.  She also had a knack for being kind enough to ignore, but smart enough to use others’ ignorance to her advantage.  Besides, she was practically dying to get herself involved in this convoluted mess anyways.  May as well keep her busy somewhere she wouldn’t end up in harm’s way.
There were, of course, other certain considerations he had about the whole idea.  He would need to convincingly reallocate his funds to whatever the white unicorn wanted if indeed it was Prince Blueblood’s bits he was after.  Following that, Blueblood needed to ensure that if he did fund or assist in any actions the group were taking against Canterlot, he could nullify the effects of those actions.  Those, however, would be a case-by-case scenario he would have to deal with when they popped up, if indeed they did.  Whatever the case, it would be a strenuous endeavor that could last months, depending on the white unicorn’s timeline for whatever it was he was attempting to do.  
Honestly, there wasn’t much Blueblood could conclusively plan for, given how shrouded in mystery his enemy remained even as he was so close to penetrating their veil of secrecy.  All it would take to learn what he needed to decide his next move was a smart, decisive step forward into the mystery.  It was an awful feeling, not knowing if the choice he was making was smart or if it was dooming himself and the city he loved.  There weren’t any other times he could remember when the choice was laid before him with so much time to choose.  It was almost a curse, being able to think through the endless possibilities his many choices could end in.  
With a deep sigh, he finally set the letter to the side, folding it up with his magic and returning it to its unmarked envelope, where it would remain as a silent reminder.  Closing his eyes and rubbing his cheeks with his hooves, he cleared his head enough to focus on the next order of business.  He hadn’t been able to read the night’s news, but given the city was practically buzzing, he knew something had to have happened.  Canterlot was the gossip center of the world, and anything from the daily adventures of the Elements of Harmony to the near-destruction of the city could cause an equal amount of discourse.  
“Chief Constable Takes Aggressive Steps Against the Blue Menace of Canterlot” the headline declared boldly.  
“Oh, sweet Celestia,” Blueblood couldn’t help but grumble aloud, looking to the door near him.  
On cue, Princess Celestia appeared in a flash of her golden magic, bringing with her a brightness to the rapidly darkening room.  She wore an expression of mixed anger and exhaustion, their eyes instantly meeting on her entry.
“So, you’ve seen the news then,” Blueblood stated dryly, glancing back down at his paper.  “I haven’t gotten past the headline.  How is it, Auntie?”
“Not good,” Celestia replied punctually, her voice sharp.  “Your little stint at Hard Break’s home certainly has left a lasting impression.  She’s now directly requested the assistance of the Crown and Royal Guard in capturing the Blue Knight.”
“Ah, I see,” Blueblood nodded, leaning back in his seat and staring at the headline.  There was a long, sullen moment of silence as his brain sifted through what that meant.  More restriction, more eyes on the sky, less shadows to hide in.  Celestia looming over his shoulder.  Luna begging him to make it all end.  Breaking the law itself.  Celestia and Luna covering up for him, betraying the law they swore they would uphold.  This was… problematic.  In spite of his roaring, conflicting emotions, he calmly asked the Princess, “Are you here to apprehend me, Auntie?”
The silence he was faced with this time was less uncomfortable, almost reassuring.  Celestia took a small step away from Blueblood, in shock or to give him some space, he couldn’t tell.  Either way, she silently confirmed that he was safe from her, for the moment at least.  She neither had the strength to tell him she would keep his identity a secret or to arrest him there and then.  He could understand the conflict he was putting her through at the moment, so he gave her the time she needed to formulate an argument.
On the one hoof, she was choosing to continue a lie that had grown from him being a folk hero to him being a psychotic terror that’s omnipresent shadow loomed over the entirety of Canterlot.  She was consciously deceiving her ponies into remaining in fear.  On the other hoof, though, she could reveal that she had been covering up for Blueblood, much to the dismay of everypony, and possibly threaten her position on the throne.  She’d also be betraying Blueblood, her charge and godson, the stallion she’d raised from infancy, before she had given him the chance to keep the promise he had made.  Either way, she was stuck with a choice to hurt somepony she loved.  
“Your secret remains safe with me, but the Blue Knight must become an inactive and dismissive part of the city,” Celestia proposed coldly. “You will remain a free stallion, only if you stop terrorizing Canterlot.  Otherwise, I will have no choice but to give the order to have you investigated, found out, and detained.  I know what you’re trying to do is good, but you’ve gone too far now as the Blue Knight.  Let him go, forget about him, and you get to live the rest of your life free.”
“If the Blue Knight vanished after tonight, ponies would grow suspicious, Auntie,” Blueblood carefully pointed out.  “His appearances must be frequent at first before slowly decreasing as he encounters more and more resistance and exposure from the ever-growing list of pursuers.  It will seem like he’s been forced to stop his operations by the combined efforts of the Crown and Constabulary.  Both agencies will receive public acclaim and credit for the permanent dispersion of the Blue Knight.  All will return to normal, and the Blue Knight will become nothing more than a folktale and Nightmare Night story.”
“Are you really going to give up the Blue Knight,” Celestia questioned skeptically, taking a few steps forward to close the distance.  
“The mask and fedora, yes,” he lied, staring her in the eyes.  “I can’t give up my search for the white unicorn though, and you know the danger he presents still.  I won’t physically chase after him, and all of my findings will end up on the front desk of the Constabulary somehow, but I won’t stop investigating of my own accord.  It’s the one permission I wish to keep.”
Celestia stared at him long and hard, obviously trying to digest what he had said.  Frankly, he didn’t feel remorse for lying to her face like this, especially with the information he had now.  The white unicorn would be emboldened by increased effort in muzzling the Blue Knight.  Now was the time to be risky, to throw himself into the mystery and wade through it until he came to a conclusion.  Besides, in a way, he was still being honest.  He would turn in whatever information he had gathered to the Constabulary, just as soon as it wouldn’t incriminate him, Celestia, or anypony else who didn’t need to be stopped.
“Alright, I’m trusting your word on this though, Blueblood,” she finally declared with a deep sigh.  “You’re probably right about the white unicorn, and you might be one of the only ponies able to track him down to see what he’s truly up to.  I must emphasize though: You are not to fight him, no matter what.  I don’t want another tragedy like what happened eight months ago.  Am I clear?”
“Yes, Auntie,” Blueblood agreed demurely, genuinely intimidated by the harshness of her voice.  Sometimes it was easy to forget who exactly Celestia was.  Then, she would pull out her Royal Canterlot Voice, and suddenly he was quivering slightly, barely able to keep his composure and continue lying to her.  That’s what set him apart from nearly everypony else though, and knowing what he was able to do with good intentions only left him more certain to stop those like him with evil plans in mind.
“I’m going to bed now, and so are you,” Celestia stated, giving him a demanding stare.  “Goodnight, Blueblood.  I love you. I do.”
“I love you too, Auntie,” Blueblood replied, feeling the slightest twinge of guilt.  Standing up from his seat at last, he gave Celestia a short hug before deliberately opening up his cabinet and slipping night garments out, beginning to remove the suit he wore.  Satisfied enough with his actions, Celestia turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.  
Even as he lay down on his bed, however, he prepared another set of clothes, much more fitting for business at night.  Setting an alarm for two hours on his clock, he allowed himself to doze off.  He would need some rest for what tonight might bring him.