Cheerilee was about to do her rounds at the playground, when she heard Sweetie Belle tell her friends that they needed to talk about something. Cheerilee stayed just outside the door which was open in case it was something she needed to know. Last time she felt she needed to do this, she discovered that one of her students had abusive parents. This of course lead to his arrest and they were both currently serving time in the Canterlot prison. Because Cheerilee heard the conversation, she knew that she shouldn’t follow Sweetie Belle when she ran out crying.

Cheerilee quickly went around the corner of the building so that the other three wouldn’t catch her eavesdropping. While Cheerilee was glad that Noblesse had at least made two friends, she was afraid that was going to be it. Noblesse had just confessed to who-knows how many atrocities, and had been disturbingly casual about it. Cheerilee bit her lip as she thought about what would happen when her students told their families and friends that were in other classes.

Cheerilee started walking around the perimeter of the playground, though she was paying little attention to the students that were there. A huge advantage of segregating the students by age meant bullying didn’t happen as much as it used to, and there was almost no risk of an older student accidentally hurting a younger one. Because of this, Cheerilee felt free to let herself think solely on what Discord and Noblesse had talked about in her class. Cheerilee and Twilight had talked about how the Diarchs actually became Alicorns and even the shadier political moves they had to make, like Celestia’s political marriages and the two of them letting their subjects of the time worship them as gods. But Cheerilee was shocked at the revelation of how and why Ponies became Alicorns, and at this Equine Creator-God. Twilight didn’t say a word about it, so she either kept her in the dark about it, or didn’t know herself. Then there was the idea of more Alicorns being underground. The history books that Noblesse had given Twilight didn’t say a word about Deluge becoming an Alicorn, or even what the leadership of the Under-Cities was like, so she just assumed it was like Equestria’s government.

Cheerilee was pondering on why this information wouldn’t be in these books when she heard a blood curdling scream. Cheerilee turned her head blindingly fast in the direction of the scream, to see that several students had gathered around at the center of the playground and were staring with morbid fascination. But the only other sounds that could be heard was crying, most likely from whoever just screamed. Cheerilee just barely saw the other teachers on the playground supervision shift in her peripheral vision as she and the others raced to where all of the students were gathered.

What just happened!? Were the only thoughts going through Cheerilee’s mind as she galloped as fast as her hooves could carry her.

Minutes before the screaming, the Crusaders present at school, sans Sweetie Belle, were at their usual spot by the tree in the playground. Apple Bloom and Rumble didn’t want to talk about Sweetie Belle at the moment and were pleasantly surprised at how jovial Noblesse was when he was only with Ponies he felt he could trust. His sense of humor was dark at times, but he was quickly adapting for his current company.

Apple Bloom and Rumble had just finished telling Noblesse about the Cake Twins’ antics they experienced while foal sitting, when Rumble noticed that Noblesse hadn’t blinked a single time, “Hey Noblesse?”

“Yes Rumble?” Replied Noblesse, with a smile apparent on his face thanks to the lack of fur covering his face.

“How are you not blinking?” Asked the grey Pegasus with concern.

“I no longer have eyelids,” Replied Noblesse, tittering at Apple Bloom and Rumble’s shocked gasps.

“Won’t that make yah go blind?” Asked Apple Bloom.

“It would,” Said Noblesse while inching his head closer to his two friends, “But thanks to the mutations I have undergone, I have protective lenses on my eyes, similar to those of mundane serpents. Besides, the transformation rendered me blind anyhow.”

Thanks to Noblesse invading their personal space, both Apple Bloom and Rumble could see the lenses Noblesse was talking about. They could also see how dull his eyes seemed, clearly conveying intelligence but no emotion.

“How can yah move around so well then?” Asked Apple Bloom, upset that she didn’t notice that one of her friends was more crippled than she thought.

“I am a serpent,” Replied the metallic grey Serpicorn as he retracted his head, “I have a snake’s sense of smell. Compounded with the fact that sent and taste are effectively the same thing for me, and the fact that my being blind forces my body to rely on my other senses. I can navigate significantly better than I could before I took the Blood Rites.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Replied a confused Pegasus, “Could back up to your sense being one in the same?”

Noblesse was more than happy to sate his friends’ curiosity, “I have no nose. And like lesser snakes, I smell with my tongue. So, there is no difference between sent and taste for me, and other Serpicorns.”

“Could yah smell width yer tongue before this happened to yah?” Asked Apple Bloom genuinely curious.

“Aye,” Replied Noblesse, “But I didn’t need to since I had a nose before.”

Noblesse raised his hoof to his mouth, “If thou look closely, thou can’st see mine tongue flicking out like a snake. ‘tis how I smell things as of my molting.”

“That’s…” Started Rumble, thinking out loud about what somepony would have to go through to have this happen to them, “Terrifying.”

“Rumble!” Said Apple Bloom sharply as she jabbed her coltfriend in the ribs.

Noblesse smiled widely, seeing his chance for something had been waiting for most of his life. Noblesse could scarcely hide his fangs as he raised his tail as high as he could from his seated position. Everyone had their attention on Noblesse’s face and lack of a horn and missing limbs, so no one noticed that his tail was now like a shorter fifth leg with a rattle on it.

“Oh, come now Rumble,” Said Noblesse getting his friends’ attention on him again, “Surely such things don’t-” Noblesse then shook his rattle, making a noise eerily reminiscent to that of venomous Rattlesnakes when their scared, “Rattle, you!”

Both Apple Bloom and Rumble gave Noblesse matching glares as venomous as the snakes he was mimicking as he laughed manically, “How long have ya’ll been waitin’ to say that?” Asked Apple Bloom, not dropping her glare.

“Nine years, almost to the day,” Replied Noblesse honestly as he wiped a tear out of his eye.

The three of them were brought out of the moment by somepony’s angry yelling, “Get back here Skunk Tail!”

Apple Bloom and Rumble moved to the side of the tree Noblesse was lying beside to see if they could find the source of yelling while Noblesse remained unmoving. The young couple saw a trio of Ponies their own age, one from each Pony Tribe chasing an incredibly small Earth Pony. Their victim was a colt about Pipsqueak’s height, maybe shorter, with a white mane and tail with a single black steak in the center of each taking up about a third of both the mane and tail. This was most likely where the nickname came from, if it wasn’t his real name. The small Earth Pony had a dark brown coat, a common coat color amongst Earth Ponies.

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as she realized she knew this colt, “Hey! That’s-” Apple Bloom stopped herself as she and Rumble a brown streak slithering across the ground, clearly on a path to intercept the four Ponies. The two of them looked to where Noblesse was laying to see that only his crutch remained in his spot.

Lemon Grass was an Earth Pony with a light green coat, so light in fact, it was almost white with a much darker green mane and tail. He and his friends had been trying to get this little nerd in their class to do their homework for them, which was not initially as malicious as it seemed.

Skunk Tail, the much smaller Earth Pony whose real name Lemon Grass couldn’t remember, went to the other classes, and asked single Ponies at random if he could do their homework for them. And he did this for every class except for theirs, which was strange because they were in the same class as Skunk Tail. Their classmates had asked Skunk Tail if he would do their homework for them, but he refused. Lemon Grass and his friends were the only ones that persisted after the first few times, and they were starting to get angry with this punk. Today was the day they found out why he singled out their class, and make him pay for it.

The smaller colt tripped on something and fell to the ground. This was their chance. Lemon Grass jumped into the air, intending to land on the jerk. Instead of hitting the ground or landing on Skunk Tail, something grabbed Lemon Grass, and used the velocity to spin him around a couple of times before throwing him back at his friends.

They both managed to dodge the improvised boulder hurtling at them. Lemon Grass hit the ground and was immediately kept from rolling and even helped up off the ground by Spell Tag’s telekinesis. Spell Tag was an unusually tall silver Unicorn with a velvet red mane and tail.

“Are you alright LG?” Asked the amber yellow Pegasus with a sky-blue mane and tail.

“Yeah, Ah’m fine Vapor,” Replied the Earth Pony, “The hay happened?”

“I intervened,” Replied an unfamiliar voice.

The three bullies didn’t see anypony else as their attention was on Skunk Tail. Spell Tag and Water Vapor didn’t see him throw their friend at them as they were more concerned with getting out of the way than figuring out who threw him in the first place.

The three of them turned their heads instantly to face the interloper. Clearly a colt by his facial features. This ‘Pony’ appeared to be one the freaks who came out of nowhere to help with the last Winter Wrap Up, but this one looked really strange. Aside from his serpentine features, this guy was clearly missing two of his legs, but only Spell Tag noticed the scar tissue in his scaly skin where a horn would be. There was also the fact that he was wearing a cloak, it was casual wear judging by how thin it was, unlike the thick traveling cloak the Zebra used to wear. It was already odd that he was wearing cloths outside of some fancy social event, but nopony had worn cloaks like this in centuries.

“Who the hay are you?” Asked Spell Tag.

Noblesse barely managed to pick himself off of the ground and into a seating position as he spoke, “I am Noblesse Oblige: sworn servant of Equestria. Thou’rt guilty of crimes most foul against her people. Thou shalt bow before the authority entrusted in me by the Twin Thrones, or thou shall face even more dire consequences for thy felonies.”

The three bullies and their target weren’t able to understand much from Noblesse’s archaic manner of speech, only that he wasn’t going to get out of their way. Who did this bastard think he was? He was outnumbered three-to-one and only had two legs. This punk needed to be taught a lesson as well it seemed.

“Let me take care of ‘em boys,” Said Lemon Grass before charging at the two-legged thing in their way. Noblesse had made this personal.

Noblesse didn’t move until Lemon Grass had crossed half the distance needed to reach him. At that halfway mark, Noblesse hit the ground instantly before charging at Lemon Grass. The Earth Pony stopped in his tracks and reflexively brought his limbs closer to his body, precisely what Noblesse wanted. Before that reflexive moment could end, Noblesse used his body to coil around Lemon Grass in such a way that his legs were bound to his torso. Noblesse then used the velocity from Lemon Grass’ recoil and his own charge to hold the bully upside down as Noblesse balanced himself on his head, “Ah can’t move,” Was all the Earth Pony was able to choke out as Noblesse tightened his hold on the bully.

Spell Tag was shocked at how fast Noblesse moved and the unnatural way he moved his body. His bones would have to be shattered to move like that! Was what the Unicorn thought as his hot-blooded Pegasus friend rushed to help Lemon Grass.

Just as planned was the only thought going through Noblesse head as Water Vapor rushed. Noblesse then released Lemon Grass like a top, sending him into the air. Vapor stopped and watched in awe as his friend was sent flying. All too late to realize that his friend was on a crash course for him. Lemon Grass landed on Water Vapor, knocking both of them unconscious as Lemon Grass’ form bounced off of the Pegasus’ body and rolled into the grass as he landed.

Noblesse used the momentum from his spin to face Spell Tag. Noblesse then made himself fall on his stomach as he coiled his uninjured limbs and tail and made his maimed foreleg form a sideway ‘s,’ perpendicular to his face. Spell Tag was too panicked to do anything as Noblesse leaped at him. Noblesse’s foreleg grabbed Spell Tag’s horn by the base, and ripped off of his head. Spell Tag made the horrible scream all of the teachers heard the instant his horn was severed. Noblesse then coiled his maimed foreleg around the bully’s horn and tightened his grip, making a soft crunching noise that made Skunk Tail flinch, as he was the only one aside from Noblesse who heard it. Spell Tag fell over on the ground crying and screaming in pain.

Noblesse then whipped out his foreleg as though he was trying to throw something, only to release a cloud of silver colored bone dust. Skunk Tail flinched again as Noblesse turned to face him and started slithering his way. Skunk Tail kept his eyes closed as Noblesse coiled around him. Somepony! Help me! Were the only thoughts going through the small colt’s mind as he prepared for the worst.

Noblesse coiled his body around the small Earth Pony and gently placed his head on top of Skunk Tail’s, causing the smaller colt to widely open his eyes in shock. Skunk Tail was also surprised at the fact that he wasn’t being crushed by this snake-Pony thing. In fact, it was comforting, a welcome feeling after his ordeal no doubt.

“Hast thou come to harm?” Asked Noblesse.

Skunk Tail needed a moment to figure out what he was being asked, “No, I-I’m fine.”

Noblesse slithered off of Skunk Tail and coiled the lower half of his body on the ground, leaving his torso and head exposed. Skunk Tail felt shivers go down his spine as he realized how snake-like his savoir was moving.

Noblesse was trying to figure a few things out. Firstly, why did this colt smell so familiar? It wasn’t that he had met the colt before, but that he has been in close contact with someone he knew well and frequently. Then there was his high-pitched voice, height, and pheromones. This all suggested that his rescuee was significantly younger than anyone else in this class period. He should be in the morning class period figured Noblesse.

The Serpicorn was brought out of his ponderings by a familiar scent and the sound of hooves on the mulch. Noblesse did a one-eighty with his head without moving any part of his body below his neck to face the teacher, “Ah, Ms. Cheerilee, just the person I wanted to see.”

“SWEET CELESTIA! WHAT HAPPENED!” Screamed Cheerilee in horror.

While Cheerilee did notice the unconscious Earth Pony and Unicorn, her attention was on the Unicorn. Spell Tag had curled himself into ball. The wound where his horn was gushing blood and a sparkling teal substance that Cheerilee supposed was Mana. Her main concern at the moment was the small pool of blood that had formed at Spell Tag’s head, and how it was rapidly growing in size.

Cheerilee quickly looked for two of the Pegasi that were on duty today, and found them standing close by in stunned silence like most of the students, “You!” Cheerilee exclaimed while point at one of them, “Get to the hospital. You!” Cheerilee moved her hoof to point at the other, “Go back into the school and get towels.”

The two Pegasi moved like bullets as they leaped into the air and started flying in to their respective destinations. Cheerilee forced Spell Tag to sit up straight in an effort to slow the blood flow and to keep him conscious. The second soon returned with towels that Cheerilee applied to Spell Tag’s head, the white towels almost immediately turning red in color. Cheerilee bit her lip as blood kept leaking from the wound and was starting to soak through the towels. What more can I do? Wondered Cheerilee in a panic.

A large flash of light got Cheerilee’s attention. She turned her head to see that Unicorn paramedics had just teleported a few yards to her right, “Over here!” Yelled Cheerilee.

The paramedics initially had their attention on the two unconscious Ponies, but shifted their priorities as they saw the Unicorn on the verge of bleeding out. The duo had rushed to the Unicorn’s side while shooing away Cheerilee, “That Pegasus didn’t say there were multiple wounded Ponies.”

“We’re going to have to take this poor this poor kid to the palace,” Said the other, “Ponyville General doesn’t have the means to treat anything this serious.”

“Doesn’t protocol say to give the unconscious priority?” Asked the first.

His coworker gave him a hard glare, “They’re both in stable condition and this poor bastard is already going into shock. He’s our top priority.”

The two Unicorns touched the tips of their horns to one another while holding onto Spell Tag. Their horns flashed with colorless light before teleporting with Spell Tag to give him help. Cheerilee gave a sigh of relief. She turned to face who she assumed had either seen the most or had hurt these students in the first place only to notice the much shorter colt, the one Pony she really didn’t want to see.

Cheerilee swallowed saliva and regained her composure before speaking, “What happened?”

Cheerilee and the rest of this week’s recess supervisors spent the next fifteen minutes getting statements from their students about what happened and how. Within the first five minutes of their initial investigation, medics from the Everfree Palace came and took Lemon Grass and Water Vapor to the palace medical wards. All while leaving Noblesse, the Pony who hurt the three bullies, to wait in the principal’s office.

Cheerilee was less than pleased that Clockwork, Skunk Tail’s real name, had been subjected to bullying from three Ponies nearly twice his age. And she was super upset that the fight had not only happened, but that three of her students had been seriously wounded. All that was left for the investigation was to get Noblesse’s side of the story before turning their findings over to the Town Guard.

Cheerilee walked into her office to find Noblesse patiently waiting in the seat in front of her desk, completely calm and seemingly unfazed by what happened. Cheerilee sat down at her desk before starting her interrogation, “Why did you feel the need to intervene at all?”

“Aside from the colt a third my size and age being run down like a dog?” Replied Noblesse, “I have taken a number of oaths. While I haven’t publicly taken my oaths as the governing noble of the province, I have in fact taken it. So, I am bound by it, and all of the other oaths I took while in the Under-Cities and in Canterlot.”

“So, you were legally required to get involved,” Summarized Cheerilee. That certainly complicates things.

During the three week long debate the Town Council held to decide whether or not Noblesse Oblige should be allowed to make Ponyville his Provincial Capital, Cheerilee went out of her way to do what research she could on the young noblepony. Noblesse was extremely reclusive, so she couldn’t find anything other than rumors. Most of the rumors concerned his eccentric behavior and how he spent his time in the Canterlot Palace District.

Cheerilee assumed that the rumors about his behavior were either made up or exaggerated as Noblesse was always polite to an almost cold degree for the time she knew him, but the conversation she overheard explained why, and even gave credibility to the rumors. Then there was how Noblesse spent his time in Canterlot. Allegedly, Noblesse went out of his way to help the palace staff with anything he was allowed to; preparing and serving food and drink, cleaning the palace hallways and windows, making beds, etc. If Noblesse had gone as far as to take the oaths the palace staff legally had to for their jobs, then Noblesse would face legal charges for inaction.

Finally, there were the oaths he took while serving in the Under-City military and as a noble. Cheerilee had no idea what kinds of things Ponies born and/or raised in the Under-Cities had to agree to live there, but her research into Noblesse did turn up what the Noble Pledge required one to do. Namely, ‘defending the subjects of realm.’ Usually, this meant nobles ordering their family’s knights to act as paramilitary units in emergencies such as bank robberies or violent protests and riots. But Cheerilee was unsure of what a noble was required to do if they were at the scene of a crime. Noblesse might have been facing the death penalty if he didn’t intervene.

Cheerilee sighed. There was no way Cheerilee could legally punish Noblesse, even if she wanted to. The Ponyville Confidential and The Foal Free Press were going to eat her alive for not doing anything to the only Pony who actually hurt others, and leaving grievous wounds at that. And just what were the families of her students going to think? I just can’t wait for the next PTA meeting thought Cheerilee sarcastically.

“Well Noblesse,” Started Cheerilee, “You’re free to go.”

Noblesse nodded in acknowledgement, “Before I go, I have a question.”

“What is it?” Asked Cheerilee, already guessing at what he was going to ask.

“Why was that colt here in the noon time class period?” Asked Noblesse.

Cheerilee guessed correctly, “Clockwork is super smart for his age. So, with the consent of the School Board, his parents moved him up to a more appropriate grade. But all of his friends are still in the morning class period, so we let him attend the morning class period as well. Making him the only student that is in two class periods.”

“So, Clockwork is his name,” Said Noblesse. Now Noblesse was certain that he had never met this colt before, but why was his scent so familiar? While Noblesse remembered everything with perfect clarity, it could take him over an hour to sort through fifteen years’ worth of memories. Going through everything his senses had detected throughout his entire life, while looking for something specific that may have been irrelevant for years, was not exactly easy.

Noblesse was about to ask another question, when both Noblesse and Cheerilee heard some sort of commotion from the secretary desk just outside of Cheerilee’s office, “Sir you can’t come in right now.”

A gruff male voice made itself heard, “Why the hay not! Some son of a bitch put mah son in the hospital, ‘nd Ah want answers!”

“I understand that,” Replied Sick Note, Cheerilee’s secretary, “But not only do you not have an appointment, but Ms. Cheerilee is busy. I’m sorry Mr. Grass, but you’ll have to come back later.”

“Ah don’t think so!” Replied the stallion, “Ah’m getting’ answers, even if Ah have to go through ya’ll”

Cheerilee and Noblesse quickly exited the office to see two the Earth Ponies arguing. Sick Note was a wood brown mare with a forest green mane and tail. Cheerilee recognized the light green stallion with a darker green mane as Wheat Grass, Lemon Grass’ father and the head the Grass Family; one of Ponyville’s oldest farming families. It looked like it was about to come to blows between the two Earth Ponies, but Cheerilee and Noblesse’s sudden arrival caught their attention.

Wheat Grass realized that Cheerilee might have been talking to this… ‘colt’ because he knew who beat up his son and his friends, “Do ya’ll know the bastard that mess up mah son.”

Cheerilee was about to say something in an effort to defuse the situation, when Noblesse answered Wheat Grass, “I assure ye, mine parents were wed before I was born.” The three adult Ponies were stunned for a moment at Noblesse confessing to a stallion who most likely planned to kill whoever hurt his son.

“Why you mother fu-” Wheat Grass was made to stop as Noblesse turned his head to look at him, and he was suddenly unable to make his body move.

Every ounce of Wheat Grass’ body was screaming at him to move lest he died, but he was just too afraid to so much as breath. The adult Ponies, Wheat Grass included, wondered what could be making him so afraid when Noblesse started walking. Noblesse moved sedately, his hoofsteps, and even his crutch, sounding with the finality of the tomb. Cheerilee had heard about Fluttershy’s ‘Stare’, and instantly drew the comparison. Cheerilee was pondering how a blind Pony could use the stare when Noblesse spoke.

“Listen, and listen well knave,” Noblesse’s voice was so cold and malicious that the others in the room could have sworn that the temperature dropped, “Thy son and his friends outnumbered me, I am also blind and currently unable to use magic. What hope dost a vengeful fool such as thyself have against me.”

Wheat Grass’ pupils became pinpricks as Noblesse slowly wrapped his healthy foreleg around his neck, “I hath enough strength to give you an internal decapitation, a condition that occurs when the skull is severed from the spine but the flesh is relatively unharmed. Thou would die as they head bounced off of the ground, if thou didn’t die as thou fell.”

Noblesse put his muzzle eerily close to Wheat Grass’ ear, “Keep that in mind next time thou thinks to even attempt to challenge me,” Noblesse released his grip and whatever power he was using to paralyze Wheat Grass with fear. Wheat Grass fell to his knees and started hyperventilating. Noblesse walked to the door into the school lobby before speaking again, “Oh, and thou will not see thy son again until his trial. With the lord’s coronation so close, I suspect he and his friends will be judged by the Diarchs themselves. Until we meet again Wheat Grass.”

The fact that Noblesse; a stranger, knew his name sent shivers down Wheat Grass’ spine. Of course, Noblesse knew about the strategically important Ponies in his families’ holdings, but the farming family patriarch had no way of knowing that Noblesse was the noble inheriting Everfree Province. That thing is no Pony, he’s a monster! Thought Wheat Grass as Cheerilee and Sick Note helped him off the ground.

Cheerilee spent the next five minutes explaining to an eerily silent Wheat Grass as to why she couldn’t do anything to penalize Noblesse for his overzealous methods, and why his son and his friends were going to jail as soon as they were released from the Everfree Palace Medical Wards. I hope Twilight’s day was better than mine thought Cheerilee.

Author's Notes:

Feel free to leave any constructive criticism you have for me in the comments. If you just want to give your thoughts on the story so far, go right ahead. I would be very interested in what any of you readers have to say.

I apologize if any part of that fight scene was confusing. It was my first time writing anything like it in my life, and I would be more than happy to clarify anything if anyone needs/wants me to.

I hope you are all enjoying my story so far.