"Stop right there!" Not that Blossom gave much of a choice there, landing on the pony's back and driving her to the ground. "Yer under arrest!" With her glowing horn, she slapped a cuffs on either of the pony's arms, then her back legs, securing them in place. "Now, why'd ya go an' do that?"

The law-breaking mare wriggled in her binding. "I ain't tellin' you nothin', copper!"

Blossom snatched a bag free of the mare. "This is goin' back where it belongs." With her glowing horn, she grabbed her walkie talkie and pressed the button. "Caught the perp. I'll bring 'em by the station."

"Roger that, over."

Blossom hauled the wriggling mare onto her shoulder. "And off--" She planned to hop directly there. She'd been to the station no few times. Teleporting there was a fine way to avoid trouble.

But she hadn't planned on a sudden bolt of magic scorching the ground by her left hoof. She danced back away from the attack. "Hey!" She looked for the source and found a mare with a haughty expression and an even more outlandish outfit. "Who're you?"

"Your worst nightmare." The unicorn brushed her cape back, flapping in the breeze. "A villian that you can't catch so easily. Put down that--" Blossom was gone. "--mare... down?" The unicorn stomped in place. "That was rude! Really... I go through all that effort..."

Blossom appeared in the precinct, beside a startled officer.

"Watch it," they cautioned, shivering for some reason. "It... feels really strange when you try to hop where somepony already's standing." That was when he noticed the second pony, slung over Blossom's back. "Is that...?"

"A criminal." Blossom tossed down her package carefully to the ground. "Can ya get her to the cells? Ah left somethin' unfinished."

"S-sure." The officer set a hoof on the still wriggling pony. "I got it. What'd you..." But there was no Blossom anymore. "Huh..."

"Where we we?" Blossom looked up at the caped mare. "An' that ain't safe."

The mare jumped in surprise at Blossom's return. "Oh, there you are! What isn't safe? Challenging me? I should think not!"

"Ah didn't challenge you." Blossom slowly tilted her head. "But that ain't safe. Magic blasts or standin' up on that buildin' with that cape like that. It could get caught in somethin' or just blow away and carry you away with it."

The mare glared down at Blossom. "Is that really where your mind's at right now? Seriously?" She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Here I am, making my dramatic reveal and you're worried I'll hurt myself?"

"'Course." Blossom lifted on her wings, ascending to the mare's height. "Don't want nopony gettin' hurt."

"What about the other one?" She pointed at Blossom's empty back. "Where'd she go?!"

"To jail, 'course. She won't be gettin' out till they answer a few questions, maybe spend some time chillin' out. They were a naughty pony."

"Naughty?" The mare barely stifled her laughter. "That's one word for it. She's doing what she has to! Welcome to city life. You wouldn't understand that. You sound and act like a country bumpkin."

"Now that ain't..." It was time to get a taste of her own medicine, the mare vanishing in a bright flash of magic. "Where'd ya go?"

"Right here." As Blossom twirled and spun through the air, she saw the mare standing on the other side of the alley, on the roof of the building across from her. "Not every pony you'll run into is helpless. I'm a protector too, you know."

Blossom's face was filled with doubt as she asked "Yeah? What are ya protectin' then?"

"Outlaws, outcasts, the downtrodden, and the unaccepted," counted out the mystery mare, clopping her hooves with each one. "They need somepony that cares about them, and it isn't police officers like you, princess."

"Hey!" Blossom swooped in closer, wings flapping. "Ah care about all ponies!"

"Right." The mare contorted her nose in a gesture of scornful derision. "So when's the last time you helped any of the ponies I just counted? I can see that look in your eyes. You're counting the seconds until you have me in one of those cuffs." She snorted into a cruel smile. "Do you enjoy that sort of thing? I hear some ponies love the idea of a little bondage."

"That ain't funny." Blossom landed on the roof just in time for the other mare to pop out of being in a flash of magic. "That... really is annoyin'... Am I that annoyin'?"

"Yes," called out the mare, a few rooves away. "I'll be watching you!" With a final flash, she vanished, leaving an annoyed Blossom behind.

Blossom rubbed at her chin softly. "How can ah be less annoyin'..." There was also the matter of that mystery mare. She hadn't done anything, technically, illegal. She had startled Blossom with that magic blast, but nopony had been hurt, and no property either. It was, at best, an act in poor taste. A pony couldn't be arrested for just that, usually.

Technically, Blossom could get her for doing that to a police officer specifically, but that felt petty...

"Shoot..." A guardian of the downtrodden? It sounded... almost nice, sorta, except the whole maybe defending a criminal part. She was pretty sure that part wasn't so great. "Ah better report this in." She ceased to be on that roof. Instead of hopping into the station, she appeared in the alleyway just next to it and walked out with the other ponies to reach the station.

"Gotta be more careful with that..." Just 'cause she could teleport didn't mean it had no consequences or polite, or impolite, ways to use it. If nothing else, she could thank that mystery mare for that, at least. "Ah good lesson."

She pressed inside to the noise and bustle of the station. One of the many secretaries looked up, then perked on recognizing her. "Officer Blossom."

"Howdy." She tipped her cap. "Ran into somepony that could cause problems later. Oh, and did they get the one ah dropped off?"

She flipped through some papers. "Right... here!" She slapped a hoof down on the right paper. "Booked, stolen goods returned. Out of our hooves now."

"Yeah..." Once she got things where they needed to be, it wasn't up to her. "Glad to hear it."

"Solid work." The secretary was quiet a moment. "Oh! Did you need to talk with the sergeant?"

"Kindly."

"I'll check." She grabbed the phone and pressed a large button. "Sarge? Officer Blossom's here with a report. Yeah? Yeah. Alright." She set the receiver down with a click. "He says to go right in."

"Thanks kindly." Blossom tipped her officer's cap and trotted to the door she knew. She knocked gently and pressed in. "Sorry ta bother."

"Blossom." The heavyset sarge pointed to a seat across from him. "Have a seat. I hear you just brought in a new perp. A quality night!" His voice was booming, but friendly. "Is this about that?"

Blossom slid into the available seat. "Nah, ain't that. She was jus' another pony up to no good. Ain't nothin' even worth talkin' 'bout."

"I appreciate you knowing the difference." He turned up a mug to swig the contents. "But you are here, talking. What's it about?"

"'Nother pony, showed up just as ah cuffed the perp. She said she was the 'guardian' of ponies down on their luck, includin' criminals. She didn't stop me, or do much but annoy me... But ah thought ah should bring her up."

"Sounds like trouble." He slammed the mug down. "What's she look like?"

Blossom folded an ear back at the slam, but it perked back up. "Unicorn, wore a cape, all big and billowin' like. Ya know? Mare. Reddish-purple coat. Didn't see her mane, she had somethin' over it, and her tail wasn't in sight neither, come to think. Reckon she wasn't tryin' to advertise herself."

"Huh..." The sarge made notes with a pen in his mouth. "Huh... Sounds like trouble... Capes aren't... What was she doing, other than spewin' nonsense?"

"She was up on the rooves." Blossom pointed up. "And she could teleport. Not as good as ah can, hardly fair to compare, but she could hop around pretty good."

"Mmm," he grunted out with a fresh scowl, jotting more notes. "Unicorns that can do that are rare. You said purple? She didn't have wings, right?"

Blossom shook her head quickly. "No wings!"

"That rules out Princess Twilight. For the best..." He tapped at the desk a moment. "But... what about her student? She's purple, unicorn, can teleport, isn't she?"

Blossom imagined Starlight's smiling face. "Redder than that. An' she ain't a bad pony... How'd you even hear about her?"

"It pays to be in the know." The sarge folded his arms. "Alright not her. The way you reacted says you know her personally, so you'd recognize her color at least. You did say you could see her pelt, right?"

"Ayup." He nodded firmly with thought. "Really ain't sure who it is, but don't think that was Starlight. Didn't sound or look like her, 'sides being kinda purple and a unicorn. Different purple."

"Reddish, you said." He set the pen down, releasing it from his mouth. "I'll put out the word so we can keep an eye on that. To be perfectly honest, this may not be your problem at all. You're here as much as you're anywhere else." He chuckled at the thought. "Princess of police, you're there for all of us across Equestria." He reached out to pat Blossom on the shoulder. "We have to manage our own city, you here or not."

Blossom offered a proper salute. "Ah 'course. The way she talked made it sound like... she knew about me, personal like. Like she might want to bother me personal-like in the future? Ain't sure."

"Well..." The sarge rolled a hoof. "That may be a good thing. Means she won't bother anypony else, until you're around to be a pest to. I'm confident you can keep a handle on it. However, you should call in if she shows up. Let's keep an eye on this."

"Yes, sir." Blossom slid to her hooves. "Aside that, all's under control. Gonna check out a little early today."

"You did warn us. It's in the schedule." He pulled over a thick book. "Thanks for the heads up. I've fired ponies for forgetting that."

Blossom cringed at that thought. "Y-yeah... That'd be rude anywho.. Um... Gotta date an'..." She trailed off, realizing what she had said. "Um..."

The sarge leaned in with a low chuckle. "It's none of my business, Your Highness, but, since you asked, it's nice to know there's a step between celibate and married for princesses. Do I know them? That a secret?"

She hadn't asked! But she had surrendered that information anyway. "Well... Um... Don't go tellin' everypony!"

He crossed his lips with a hoof. "Not a word."

"Right... Do ya know Fancy Pants? Canterlot?" She worried her hooves, perhaps hoping he'd just not know Fancy Pants.

"Fancy Pants?! I would never have guessed in a thousand years..." Unfortunately, he did know Fancy Pants, at least by reputation. "Still, I guess... You've heard me go on long enough. Enjoy your time off, and I'll see you tomorrow evenin' to keep Equestria safe."

"Sir, yes, sir!" She saluted sharply. "With pleasure!" With dismissal secured, she scurried free of the office with a big smile. She had a date to attend, and that she was looking forward to it was no secret to any pony she passed on the way out of the building. She stepped out of traffic once she was outside and casually ceased existing.

Just as suddenly, she appeared in front of Fancy's house, just in front and to the side of his gate, where she'd never seen a pony lingering. Fortunately, she saw no pony being startled by her appearance. She hurried to the gate and knocked on it. It was time for a date!

Author's Note

A new opponent has joined the field. Who is this mare of mystery?

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