"There she is!"

Twilight froze before she could sample the rose she'd been eyeing. The yell had come from the entrance of the Canterlot gardens. At it stood Rarity, flanked by several guards. Before she could react, one ran towards her, bended his head, and in one motion pushed her onto his back. Rarity then sped off back into the castle, with the guards in close pursuit.

"Rarity! What's going on?!" the princess shouted.

Her friend slowed down only long enough to say, "Do stay calm, dear. This is all for your own good." before running back to the head of the back. They ran through Canterlot's halls for five minutes, finally stopping at a large painting of Star swirl the Bearded.

"Open it!" Rarity barked. At her command, one guard, a pegasus, flew up to a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and took hold of it. He gave one swift tug, and the fixture dropped a foot down. The painting shuddered, then slid from its place on the wall, revealing a hole that led downwards into the castle. Rarity thrust a hoof in its direction. The guard carrying Twilight gave an understanding nod, and moved in front of it.

"Wait, stop! What!?" she asked, alarmed. The guard ignored her as he reared up and stamped down of the floor, sending his back half flying upwards. This flung Twilight off, sending her down the tunnel. Her screams could be heard all the way down.

"Thank you, darlings. You know what to do if...he comes along." Rarity told the her cohorts. They all saluted her as she climbed into the tunnel herself, and slid down after Twilight. The guard holding the chandelier released his grip, allowing the painting to slide back into place. They took quick glances at each other, then ran back to their stations.

Miss Rarity could take it from here.

Twilight's journey through the passage came to an abrupt halt in the form of a pile of hay. Getting up and shaking her head from the fall, she wondered where Rarity had sent her.

The room she was in was made of stone. It wasn't terribly large, but big enough for a decent-sized group. There was a table with various magazines, chairs, a radio currently playing static, and a blue cooler in one corner. Hanging on the opposite wall were a series of dartboards. Twilight huffed indignantly, seeing each held a member of royalty as an image. Celestia, Luna, and even Cadance all held their fair share of darts. She did note with a smile, though, that Blueblood had the most by far. She could only guess, since that particular board had so many darts the image was obscured entirely. Her board, she noticed, had but one one dart in it, which was reassuring. Even though it was lodged rather deep into her paper eye.

She noticed that besides the hole in the ceiling she had come down from, there were two other openings above her head. She was sure she could fly through one of them to get back into Canterlot. Flapping her wings to get ready for takeoff, she suddenly heard dainty grunts coming from the tunnel she had been thrown down. She turned just in time to see a white and purple blur crash into the hay bale she had landed in. Up from it sprang Rarity, who wasted no time in clearing her hair of straw and giving her a wide smile. One that was was missing a few teeth.

Rarity rushed up to her royal friend before she could question why.

"Oh Twilight, dear! Thank goodness we found you so quickly!" she said, holding Twilight's face in her hooves and sounding like she was on the verge of joyful tears.

"Just what did you need me for? And why did you need those guards?" Twilight asked, too used to Rarity's dramatics to be fazed by them.

"Oh, to protect you, dear! From that excuse for a pony, Blueblood!" Rarity said, leering at the very mention of the prince's name. "Those guards were oh, so generous as to tell me the location of this little hideaway. They even helped me sto- I mean, bring you here to keep you safe from him. There's no way he would find you here."

Twilight felt a severely strong urge to grab a nearby chair and beat herself with it.

"Rarity," she started slowly, "I do not need protection from Blueblood. In fact," She thought of her wings that had gone untouched for quite awhile. "I kind of need him at the moment."

"Oh no!" the white unicorn wailed. "He's already got a hold of you! I swear, Twilight, whatever sick, twisted things he's done to you, I will undo it."

Twilight sighed deeply. Maybe her friend would like a chair to the head instead. "Rarity, trust me." she said sadly, running a hoof over her wing and repressing a shudder, "You can't undo something like what he's done."

Her friend looked puzzled for a second, but suddenly covered her mouth with her hooves. "He...he.." she choked out uneasily, beginning to breathe heavily. She covered her entire face and shook her head, as though she'd received horrible news. Twilight could only stare in amazement at her acting. Oscar-level stuff.

She finally collected herself. She strode over to her friend and pulled her into a tight hug. She tried to speak in between sniffles.

"Twilight...I swear to you...I swear to both of you....that you don't have to go through this alone. I don't care what happens....me and the girls will make sure you have everything you need." There were actual tears in her eyes. Twilight couldn't fathom what she was going on about.

"But all that will have to wait. Because right now, I need to find Blueblood. SO I CAN SHOVE HOT DARNING NEEDLES DOWN HIS RANCID DI-!"
"Aaaaaaaaaugggggggh!

Rarity's declaration of violence was drowned out by a scream that rang from the tunnel opening above them. A large, white mass fell from it, landing on Rarity. It was a unicorn covered in scratches, bruises, a few burns, and some rather rude drawings.

"Blueblood!" Twilight shouted.

It was indeed the prince, who got up on stiff legs. Rarity got up from under him, and shook her head. Upon seeing Blueblood, her eyes grew wide. Then she leapt at him with a savage yell.

"You monster! You got my best friend pregnant with your spawn!" She began to strike at his side rapidly, strike after vicious strike. Blueblood looked at her blankly before pushing her back with one hoof. Even this didn't deter her assault, as she flailed her hooves uselessly in his direction.

"Well, I'm glad she's of consistent sanity at least." Blueblood grumbled. "I certainly hope your day has been as eventful as mine, Sparkle."

"I've been interrogated by my friends and thrown in a hole. Normal stuff for me, really." Twilight said flatly.

The prince scoffed. "I've been interrogated by my friends, grilled by your friends, forced to "perform" for both, assaulted by the citizens of Canterlot, chased into the same hole, and then attacked by my least favorite of your friends."

Twilight considered him for a moment, then giggled, which got a smirk on his face. Not the usual arrogant smirk that seemed to summon hooves (and more recently, angry mobs) directly towards his person, but an actual amused smile.

"Yes, I've gotten into my share of messes, but this one, not unlike my aunt, really takes the ca-OW!" he suddenly yelped. Rarity, tired of being ignored, had latched onto his arm and sunken her teeth into the prince's forearm. He reared up and swung his hoof around trying to dislodge her. "Ow, ow, ow! Release my royal hoof, you tarted! up! urchin!"

"Rarity, stop! Let him go!" Twilight yelled, quickly using her magic to tug her friend off. This proved fruitless, even as Blueblood pulled in the opposite direction. The fashion pony refused to detach herself. With a roar of pain, and more than a little frustration, Blueblood tore away Twilight, ran to the corner of the room, and began to beat his Rarity-equipped hoof against the static-spewing radio, changing the station with every hit.

Bam! The night I can't forge- Bam! -and One Trick Pony sings- Bam! -even trust the air you breath, cau- Bam! The new royal couple- Bam! -sightings of Chalicotherium reported today,

"Wait, wait! Go back a station!" Twilight shouted.

Bam! "If you all are just joining us, we here at Station 101.1 The Graze are honored to speak with the one and only Princess Cadance about the romantic tensions taking place in Canterlot's halls. We're very grateful to have you here, Princess." the host, Sweet Nothing, said softly.

"And I'm very grateful you could make time for me." Cadance's chipper voice responded.

"So, your highness," Sweet continued, "you say that you not only support the apparent union of Princess Twilight and Prince Blueblood, but that you actually thought they would hit it off well from the beginning?"

"Oh, yes! I knew my little brother would prefer a mare of real intelligence and substance, and I could think of no pony better suited than Twilight. Not only that, but not too long ago, I asked her what attributes she liked in a stallion. And based on what she told me, it's no wonder they hooked up! And I'm just so glad he's finally found a good mare."
"Interesting, interesting. Tell me, what do you have to say about reports that Blueblood himself has denied the relationship?"

Cadance chuckled. "Don't let Bb fool you with that act. He's just being shy about it! So adorable!"
"Yes, yes, quite so. And it looks like we have a caller. Caller, you're on The Graze, what's up?"

"Ah, yes. This is Time Turner." Cadance gasped

"The famous actor?"
"Yes, the one and the same."
"To what do we owe the pleasure, Turner?" Sweet asked.

"I'm here to say that I find the pairing of these two quite logical."
"How so? Quite a few are expressing some real disbelief at the fact."
"Well, Mr. Nothing, it's quite simple. Twilight has, in a few short years, burst through the ranks of Equestrian society to emerge as a princess. Blueblood has quite noble standings and ability as a member of the royal family, aside from all his pompousness. But a courtship with Miss Sparkle would mean an entirely new perspective cast on him and future endeavors. And personally, the princess can't do much better than Equestria's only prince."
"Whelp, you heard it here first, folks. Twilight Sparkle and Blueblood gets the Doctor Whooves Seal of approval."

"Although, I doubt BB is doing this for anything regarding status." Cadance grumbled.
"Of course, of course, Your Highness! I-I'm sure they do care for each other!" Turner stammered.

This got Sweet to chuckle deeply. "Yeah, that's what it's all about. And it looks like we have another caller. Second caller, you're on The Graze, you want to weigh in on this?"

"Uh, yeah, this is Scratch. And I think all three of you need your heads examined!" a very irate, female voice declared. "That prince is a jerk and isn't suited for anything but a shovel to the face!"

Cadance gave another audible gasp. "H-How could you say that about Bb?" she said, her voice shaky.

"Because Bb is a Big douche....Bag! And you know what, Doctor? She can do waaay better than that jerk!"

"Ma'am, please, there's no need to be hostile." Turner reasoned, trying to calm down the mare.

"Well Canterlot obviously doesn't agree. They chased his stuck-up ass through town earlier today."

"THEY WHAT!?" Cadance shrieked, causing many who were listening to jump.

"Uh huh, that's right, princess. They finally got tired of him and united against his dickery. Wouldn't be surprised if they ran him out of tow-"

There was a bang and a minor scuffle before they could hear Cadance's screaming.
"DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT MY BROTHER LIKE THAT AGAIN, YOU LITTLE BITCH! YOU'RE NOT EVEN FIT TO HAVE HIS NAME GRACE YOUR FILTHY LIPS! AND WHATEVER SONS OF WHORES TRIED TO HURT HIM BETTER HOPE I DON'T FIND THEM, BECAUSE IF I DO I'M GOING TO STICK A BOLT RIGHT UP THEIR-!"
BAM!

Blueblood struck the radio one last time, finally turning it off and dislodging Rarity, who fell unconscious immediately.

His frown of displeasure could be matched only by Twilight's agape mouth.

Shining didn't need this. He really didn't.

Outside Canterlot's front gates, a large crowd had gathered. And boy were they pissed. They all held torches, hammers, and other tools menacingly. Their enthusiasm was to be admired, since it seemed several of them had already been in some fight. There were some limping and some bruised and clinging to consciousness, so the guards held them back easily.

He stepped up to them, being careful to stand behind his fellow guards.

"Everyone, will you please calm down!" he yelled over their ruckus. The noise did come down considerably. "Thank you. Now, what are you all here for?!"

"The prince! We want the Prince!" they called out.

"Prince? You're talking about Blueblood, right? What did he do this time?" Shining groaned.

He could hear a mare speak up from the back. "He's taking advantage of your sister!" The crowd cheered for her.

Shining cast a look back at the castle. "Oh, is he now?" he said, a dangerous tone in his voice. Another pony, a stallion closer to him, spoke next.

"And he's doing the same to her friends!" This caught Shining's attention, causing him to step closer.

"What are you talking about?"
"We believe he is manipulating Twilight to gain control over the other elements. The Bearer of Loyalty has already fallen to him! He must be stopped!"

The Captain of the Guard paused. He looked at the slew of angry ponies, all calling for the blood of royalty. He turned to one of his officers.

"Send them all home. This ends today."
"Yes, sir." the stallion responded as Shining retreated back into Canterlot Castle.

Author's Note

Next Chapter: The Showdown you've all been waiting for.

Shining V. Blueblood 2013!

PS. Comments are scientifically proven(somewhere) to improve my writing and your reading comprehension.