Blue

Clop. Clop. Clop.

Hoofsteps echo in the silent street, no pony daring to cross the way of this individual. He is determined; determined to carry out his orders, entrusted to him by no other than the Princess herself. He swore upon his long-forgotten honour to make sure the country is safe; for that, he has to leave the life he's been leading up until now. He will become the vice-captain of the Changeling Containment Force; also tasked with the capture of suspicious elements. The captain, Applejack... well, she might prove to be a problem. That is to be expected, however; the very reason he was asked to act as a commanding officer was to ensure that she doesn't break the laws to capture a certain pegasus, who caused her much grief.

Ponies freeze upon his arrival, but then they all salute, noticing his CFF insignia, not unlike their captain's. He nods, and asks about the situation.

"Sir! We have been ordered by Captain Apple to investigate every nook and cranny of this mansion! She believes that Fancypants aided the escaped prisoners!"

He slowly shakes his head. There it is already. If left unchecked, the mare could seriously spiral out of control. This assignment was more of a punishment to him, than a real, honorable task.

"Where is the suspect and the captain located?" he asks, making clear that he has little patience for small talk.

"The captain is in the upper floor, searching for incriminating evidence. Earl Fancypants is in... the 'Drinking Room', I believe, Sir."

He nods again, and takes off towards the room familiar to him.

__________________________________________________________________________________

When he entered the room, Fancypants was sitting in one of his extravagant armchairs, hugging a suspiciously brown bottle. A quick sniff in the air revealed to him that it was indeed the strongest whiskey to be ever brewn in Equestria. The unicorn adjusted his monocle, and looked at his visitor with a clouded, but somewhat jolly expression.

"My, my, Blueblood, it's nice to meet you here!"

"It's Redblood," he replied coldly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What a terrible mistake I've made!" Fancypants was lacking the usual kindness in his voice; the prince was sure he was being sarcastic.

"What happened?"

"What happened? Oh, nothing important, you know, just the usual. A good friend killed, my life put on public display, wife leaving me... same old, same old."

"Fleur left you?" Redblood asked, true surprise in his voice. The blue-maned unicorn snorted.

"Yes. Apparently, the off chance that I might murder her in sleep, based on the fact that my mane is blue, was too much for her to handle. She handed in divorce papers yesterday morning, and... well, she renounced ownership of anything in this house, so the procedure was rather quick. But enough about me! How does life treat you, prince?"

Instead of answering, the other unicorn examined a small bottle rack on the wall.

"There are five empty bottles here," he observed.

"Oh yes, " Fancypants confirmed, "as you can imagine, I was rather preoccupied with... er... well, flooding my brain with alcohol."

Redblood stepped beside him, and gently yanked the bottle from his grip. Fancypants was about to grab it again, but his expression stopped him. For the first time since they have known each other, the prince seemed to actually notice others' situation besides his. He stood up, a bit wobbly, but straight, and slowly paced himself towards an exit. He stopped in the door.

"If you are looking for our dear Captain, she is in my study, no doubt expecting to find something world-shattering, something that proved I had a hoof in the events that transpired three days ago."

"If anything, I know you enough to not suspect you," Redblood replied. "While I had no real connection to that mare, I do know you would never fake a friendly smile to fool her. I know she was your friend."

Fancypants seemed baffled. He gathered himself, though, and offered a short, disheartened laugh.

"I believe your opinions would not be popular with Miss Applejack. Still... the truth needs to be found." He hesitated for a moment. "Behind the painting. The code is 546."

"Why—" the prince began, but the earl cut him short.

"I have nothing to hide. I believe she will not leave until she found something that is at least hidden. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I might have a minor case of alcohol poisoning. If anypony wishes to find me, I will be in the restrooms, probably vomiting."

__________________________________________________________________________________

Redblood braced himself, and knocked on the door to the study.

"Git in!" a voice barked.

He entered the small room, wearing a completely neutral, if bored expression. Applejack snorted as she realised just whom she encountered.

"Great. Ya came fer protestin' 'bout this search, am Ah right?"

He shook his head.

"Negative. I am here to be enlisted as your vice-captain."

The mare stared at him in disbelief.

"You?! A nitpicky, darned rude uptight git, who can't even get 'is hooves dirty?! Don't play with me, 'cause I ain't in a good mood, ya moron."

"The fact that I prefer not to be dirtied has nothing to do with my competence," the stallion replied calmly.

"Well then, amaze me!" Applejack taunted. "What skills ya might possibly have that I can put to good use?"

He lit up his horn, and suddenly, a sword slipped out from a hidden scabbard on his clothing. He took a fencing position, pointing the edge of the blade towards the captain.

"I may not look like it, but I've taken fencing lessons since I was small. And, according to my instructor, I am quite skilled with it."

"Maybe. But that makes ya no better than any other footpony!"

He levitated his sword back to it's hilt, and produced a piece of paper instead.

"If you will allow me... I have with me here the testimony of a certain Strong Walls, ex-director of Ponyville prison. He stated, amongst many other things, that the possible mastermind behind the escape may be an individual called Trixie Lulamoon."

"Trixie..."the orange mare spat.

"That is not all, however," the prince continued. "He also stated that aforementioned mare was heavily injured on her front right hoof. I also have a medical record from Rainbow Dash's last doctor, and he revealed, after a bit of pressuring, that he put the broken wing together the wrong way deliberately."

"Serves 'er right."

"I believe it's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

Applejack looked tired and sad, sad beyond belief.

"Harsh? I'll tell ya what's harsh: losing your little sister to a pony who was your best friend for years; and ya can't even giv'er the benefit o' doubt, 'cause there are too many witnesses there ta be fooled. Harsh is losing yer granma to a heart attack when she finds out what happened to yer sister. That is harsh, not some passing body pain."

The stallion stood silent for a moment.

"... I am sorry. I had no idea what happened to your grandmother."

Surprised with his empathic response, Applejack lost her stern expression. She looked lost, alone and vulnerable; and for the first time, a voice in Redblood's head told him that this pony needs not to be stopped, but understood. Recalling the emotions he felt when Princess Luna was injustly banished, he decided to actually try and help Applejack cope with the situation, rather just simply restrain her.

"What are ya standin' around, looking like a dumb dog?"

...Then again, it might be something he ultimately can't handle.

"I am awaiting orders."

"Well, uh... any news?"

"We have run test on the remains of the assasins. Apart from the griffon, we have identified the other ponies... strangely enough, they had no connection whatsoever to each other. The only common link we found was a café they all frequently visited, located in Canterlot Plaza. Night Shade agreed to lock down the place until you get there; his only request was for you to arrive before dusk."

Applejack looked at him, lost in thought.

"Ah guess ya did yer share of the work. Maybe y'all suited for this position after all?"

The stallion offered a brief smile.

"Thank you. One last thing: there is a safe behind a painting here. I have access to it's combination. Before we leave, we might need to inspect it."

The mare grinned.

"Finally! I can't wait ta see what he's hidin'!"