//------------------------------// // The Degrees Of Familiarity // Story: Fortune Favors The Bold // by TheEquestrianWing //------------------------------// SIG Sauer's guests stayed with him for another half-hour. After that, Nurse Red Heart came by the recovery ward and informed them that visiting hours were over. They agreed to leave so that the pine green Unicorn could get his rest. The six ponies trotted to the hospital's front entrance together. Once they were outside, Noble Edict broke off from the group and went back to her office at the barracks. The other five planned to head back to the embassy. Walther, Mauser, and Alpine stopped by the train depot first to pick up their luggage. Bronze Star and Princess Luna went straight to the embassy, as did the two Royal Guards who had accompanied the latter to the hospital. By now, the Sun had set. The town was immersed in darkness and there was almost nopony out on the streets. Luna ordered her guards to trudge behind her and Bronze Star by about ten meters. This allowed the two Alicorns to speak freely as they walked. "When will Mr. Sauer be back on his hooves?" she queried. "Dr. Seams estimates another two days," he answered, "Maybe one and a-half. It'll depend on how the restoration program goes. As well as SIG's morale." "Why his morale?" she said. "Often, SIG's motivation is determined by his overall mood," he clarified, "Thanks to you, I'm certain he'll be in a very good mood for a while." "Why is that?" Luna inquired. "SIG Sauer has worked for the government for decades," Bronze Star expounded, "He's one of the most patriotic stallions I know. To him, the highest gift of honor is gaining the gratitude of a member of the Equestrian Royalty. You gave him that just now." Luna smiled at that, and she stated "I'm delighted to hear that. I was hoping my visit would have that sort of effect on him. To think that before I went to the hospital, I was actually debating whether or not showing up there would have been a good idea." "Well, I'm glad you decided it was," Bronze Star told the blue mare happily, "I'm proud of you, Aunt Luna. Coming to thank SIG personally was a very bold gesture. It couldn't have been easy to appear in public like that." "I will admit I was skeptical at first," Luna professed, "For a time, I was even concerned that my presence might have had a negative effect. But I managed to overcome my apprehension. Now I feel much more confident about making public appearances." "That's great," Bronze Star commented, "How long before you'll be ready to face the capital city's crowds?" "It may not be long," she conjectured, "Maybe a few weeks. There are still some items of business I would like to discuss about Canterlot before I go there. Most of them pertain to how the common people live. SIG Sauer, his children, and General Walther should be able to help me with those points." "What about me?" Bronze Star enquired, "Is there anything more I can do to assist?" "You've already given me plenty of aid," Luna assured him, "However, there is perhaps one thing you could help me with." "Certainly," her nephew affirmed, "What might it be?" "Yesterday, I was reading a book about formal exchange etiquette," Luna disclosed, "I came across a passage about something known as the 'Royal Canterlot Voice.' The information on it was vague at best. Do you suppose you'd be able to enlighten me?" Bronze Star lightly chuckled in response. Then he commented cheekily "Yeah, I can tell you plenty about THAT. I could demonstrate it for you, too. But considering the lateness of the hour, I wouldn't recommend that. Not unless we wanted to wake up the entire neighborhood. We should probably wait until morning to get into this." Luna was content with this proposal. Their discussion ended there and they continued trotting in quietness. That night was a pretty quiet night in general. Soon, Luna and Bronze Star arrived back at the embassy. Alpine, Mauser, and Walther got there a few minutes later with their luggage. When they arrived, the two Alicorns showed the two Unicorns and the Pegasus to the guest chambers. After the three of them got settled in, they had dinner with Bronze Star and Luna. After dinner, they all retired to their rooms and called it a night. The next two days were relatively uneventful. While Luna remained in the embassy in all that time, the other four ponies spent plenty of time out in the neighborhood. Mauser had not been on vacation in over a year. He had enough leave time accumulated to last for two weeks. He intended to take advantage of this break while it lasted. He spent most of the time interacting with the locals and browsing through the town. While Alpine planned to enjoy their trip as well, she also planned to get some learning in while she was in Ponyville. After breakfast, she collected her school materials and went to Golden Oaks Library, hoping that she and Twilight could study together. The lavender Unicorn was more than happy to have a partner to hit the books with. After SIG Sauer's children left the embassy, Walther came to Bronze Star and offered to go over the information he had on Hazy Wisp with him. The gold stallion accepted this proposal, but he suggested that they involve Noble Edict in their discussion. After all she had done, Bronze Star felt she deserved to be kept up to date. Walther agreed to this proposal. After acquiring his steel briefcase from his room, the veteran Wonderbolt and the young prince made their way to the barracks. They found the chief of security in their office, as if she had been waiting for them. The three ponies spent the next few hours going over Walther's findings on Hazy Wisp. They covered pretty much everything, but to save some time, they only briefly skimmed through the details that seemed trivial or insignificant. They focused primarily on what seemed relevant. Interestingly, Hazy Wisp had no criminal record, no history of resisting the government, and no established belief in any ideologies. Neither did the vast majority of her employees. Hazy Wisp had not been seen since the Summer Sun Celebration, but her employees were still all over Equestria. Even though their employer had vanished, Hazy Wisp's employees were still running the business. This implied that somepony else was giving out the orders. However, there was no chain-of-command in Hazy Wisp's corporation. This bid the question; who was keeping it alive? Currently, they did not have enough evidence to conduct an investigation of the company, but Walther's discoveries and Mr. Lessee's testimony were enough to call for the detaining of its creator. Noble Edict advised that they issue a warrant for Hazy Wisp's arrest. Walther supported this idea; he had the capacity to issue such a warrant on the federal level. Bronze Star approved this, but he asked that they not make the warrant a public one. He wanted to limit the number of people who knew about Hazy Wisp's involvement in the cultist conspiracy to ponies who worked for the government. When the three ponies finally wrapped up the matter of Hazy Wisp, Bronze Star turned their attention to her necklace. He was curious to know what Walther had uncovered about that symbol around Hazy Wisp's neck. Unfortunately, Walther's research in this matter was nowhere near as favorable. He had found next to nothing on the symbol. That is not to say he did not try. He looked everywhere through the Intelligence Bureau's archives, but he never came across anything that even partially resembled the insignia. He could not even speculate on what it was supposed to represent. To him, it was nothing more than a cluster of five shapes. Although Bronze Star was somewhat disappointed, he was very permissive. After all, Walther was one of the best investigators he knew, but even the mahogany Pegasus had limits on what he could accomplish on his own. Bronze Star could not and did not expect him to solve this entire conspiracy by himself. Walther assured the prince that he would keep his eyes open for the symbol in the future. Still, he was not very enthusiastic about the chances of encountering it again. Noble Edict and Bronze Star would look out for the symbol as well. They were more confident that they had not seen the last of it. After the meeting at the barracks, Walther and Bronze Star went back to the embassy. Walther headed back outside after dropping off his briefcase. Bronze Star decided to stay there for a while. Since it was the middle of the day, he figured this would be the best time to introduce Luna to the Royal Canterlot Voice. The blue Alicorn did not take long to learn the Royal Canterlot Voice. She took very well to using the royal "we." She definitely had no problem using enough volume. Compared to her, Bronze Star's version of the Voice was like a whisper. Bronze Star spent much of the afternoon to help his Aunt practice the Royal Canterlot Voice. Occasionally, a random pedestrian or neighbor appeared outside the embassy's front gates to complain about the noise. None of them protested more than once when they realized this "noise" was actually Princess Luna speaking. The following day, SIG Sauer was released from the hospital at nine in the morning. Bronze Star, Mauser, Alpine, Walther, and Twilight Sparkle greeted him at the front entrance. Although he had made a full recovery, Sharp Seams recommended that he take it easy for the next few days. In accordance with Bronze Star's earlier request, Dr. Seams forwarded SIG Sauer's hospital bills directly to the embassy. Despite the tan stallion's suggestion, SIG Sauer was not compelled to spend the rest of the day just lounging around. He had been lying on a hospital bed for most of the past twelve days, and he was elated to be back on his hooves. However, Bronze Star made the pine green Unicorn vow that he would not do anything physically demanding too soon. SIG Sauer spent the day out on the town with Mauser and Alpine. Bronze Star would have joined them, but he felt the three of them deserved to be by themselves. After all, it had been months since the three of them had been available for an entire day, and it had been even longer since they had an opportunity to spend some quality time together. So while SIG Sauer was with his children, Bronze Star decided to go ahead and handle SIG's hospital bills. He headed over to the embassy and acquired his money bags. When he first came to Ponyville, he had brought a fair amount of gold from Canterlot. He had spent it wisely during his stay. The current remainder was more than twice the amount needed to account for SIG Sauer's medical expenses. However, Bronze Star made a note to replenish his supply sometime in the next month, just in case something else came up. In the evening, the Sauer family and Walther returned to the embassy. Oddly enough, this was the first time SIG Sauer had gone inside the embassy since he arrived in Ponyville. Before that day, the closest he had come to the building was just outside the front gates. That was when he introduced Bronze Star and Noble Edict to each other. Now SIG Sauer would be temporarily moving in. Bronze Star was glad the building was so big. There was more than enough room for all six of its current inhabitants to have their space. And all six of them valued their space very much, especially Luna. Nothing particularly interesting happened over the course of these two days. However, the next day did witness a fair amount of excitement. In the early morning, Alpine Sauer and Twilight Sparkle decided to do some more schoolwork together. Alpine suggested doing it outdoors, where they could get some sunlight and air. Twilight liked this idea, and she proposed that they go the park. She claimed that area reminded her of the courtyard in Canterlot's School for Gifted Unicorns. Bronze Star had another meeting with the Mayor and City Council that day. This meeting lasted for about an hour and a-half. During it, several of the council members asked Bronze Star to convey their appreciation to SIG Sauer for all he had done, as well as their relief that he had recovered from his injury. He assured them that he would do so the next time he saw the pine green stallion. As it turned out, Bronze Star encountered SIG Sauer shortly after the meeting ended. Once the gold stallion showed Mayor Mare and her staff to the door, SIG Sauer and Mauser Sauer came downstairs. They planned to go on a long run, and they invited Bronze Star to join them. Since he had nothing else on his schedule for the rest of the day, he accepted. While Twilight Sparkle and Bronze Star were glad to get out, they both had an unexpected run-in with a certain hyperactive pink mare. Twilight and Alpine spent much of the morning in the park lying on a bench, reading a book on the history of the clashes between magic and science. They read in silence for a while, and then Twilight looked up at her friend and inquired "So, has anything exciting happened in Canterlot lately?" "Well, there was that announcement Princess Celestia made," Alpine recalled. "What announcement?" the lavender mare queried. "The day after the Summer Sun Celebration, Princess Celestia informed the public that her sister returned to Equestria," the chartreuse mare replied, "Ever since then, the capital city has been eagerly preparing for Princess Luna's arrival. She'll certainly be given a royal welcome whenever she gets to Canterlot." Twilight smiled and stated "She'll be delighted to know that." "She already knows," Alpine disclosed, "Mauser and I told her about it yesterday. Sure enough, she was very pleased to know that the people of Canterlot are looking forward to her arrival." "Well, good for her," Twilight remarked merrily, "Other than these preparations, has anything else been going on?" "Nothing I would call memorable," Alpine stated, "Then again, I was a little distracted in the days leading up to when we got to Ponyville. Probably because in the back of mind, I could not ignore the fact that my father was in a hospital." "I understand what you mean," Twilight assured her, "If I was in your position and my father was the one who got attacked, I'm certain I would have been distraught, too." "Any mare would," Alpine debated, "I know that my Dad's job often involves him putting his own life in danger, but I still can't imagine losing him. Especially since I've already lost my mother." There was a sort pause as Alpine gazed off to the side. Twilight could see that the other magic student seemed a little dreary. She frowned, placed her hoof on her friend's shoulder, and told her "I'm sorry I brought this up." "It's okay, Twilight," Alpine notified her friend, suddenly brightening up a bit, "Why the hay are we even talking about this? Right now, I should just be glad my father is out of the hospital." Twilight smiled, nodded her head in agreement, and commented "I take it he's doing well?" "Yeah, very well," Alpine affirmed, "His stay in the hospital made him feel a little sluggish, but he's already regained his strength. In fact, he and Mauser are going running today. They'll be jogging all over the town." "Well then, maybe they'll jog by us sometime today," Twilight conjectured. "Maybe," Alpine endorsed. The two mares continued reading in silence for a while. Then they had a visitor. However, it was not Alpine's father or brother. Instead, it was Pinkie Pie. The pink mare entered the park cheerfully as if she did not have a care in the world. When she spotted the two Unicorns on the bench, she bounced over to them and called out "Hello, Twilight! Hello, Alpine!" Alpine gazed up, smiled, and stated "Good morning, Pinkie Pie." "Hi, Pinkie," Twilight uttered without looking up from the book. "What'cha up to?" the pink mare. "Reading," Twilight bluntly responded. "What about?" Pinkie Pie queried. "Historical examples of when magic and science have proven to go hoof-in-hoof," Alpine informed her. "Ooooo, sounds like fun," Pinkie declared. "You could call it that," Alpine slyly commented, "I bet Twilight would agree. Her idea of having a good time is taking a few hours to learn about Equestrian history." "I would feel offended, Alpine," Twilight pronounced, "But I don't see that as an insult. And I can't really deny that what you say is true. That IS my idea of a good time." Alpine scoffed and patted her friend on the back, lightly shaking her head in amusement. As she did this, Pinkie Pie stepped forward and stated "Do you know what MY idea of having a good time is?" "Throwing parties?" Twilight drily presumed. "How'd you know?" Pinkie Pie said in astonishment. "A wild guess, perhaps" Alpine proposed. "Well, being wild can make you be lucky," Pinkie Pie proclaimed, "Speaking of parties, we haven't officially welcomed you, your brother, or General Walther to Ponyville yet, Alpine." "What does that have to do with parties?" the chartreuse mare queried in confusion. "I always hold a party when somepony new arrives in town," the pink mare clarified, "Hey, Twilight, remember that party I threw for you when you first got here?" "How could I not?" Twilight rejoined, smirking, "You're the only person I know who has the bravado to host a party in a library." Pinkie Pie seemed a bit confused at that last statement. She remarked "What's 'bravo ado?'" "Bravado," Alpine corrected her, "It refers to boldness or nerve." "Oh, okay," Pinkie acknowledged, "Still, we should really decide when to throw a 'welcome to Ponyville' party for Alpine, Mauser, and General Walther." "Well, we'll probably be in Ponyville for a week or two," Alpine disclosed, "I'll be good with whatever date you'd prefer." "How about tomorrow afternoon?" Pinkie immediately proposed. "Sure, Pinkie," Alpine conceded, "First you should check with my brother and the General. If they're available, we can go with tomorrow afternoon." "Oh, goodie," Pinkie thought aloud. There was an interval of silence, and then the pink mare queried "So, have you enjoyed being in Ponyville so far?" "Oh, yeah; definitely" Alpine answered her. She sat up a bit and looked around the area, saying "It's funny, really. When I first heard that Twilight would be staying here, I was quite surprised. I mean, I never would have thought that she of all ponies would ever choose to study abroad. But now that I'm here, I can see why she decided that. Ponyville is a very lovely place. It's peaceful, sparsely populated, and its humble appearance complements the natural beauty of the surrounding meadows. In fact, being here is actually making me consider studying abroad, too." "If you came here, I certainly wouldn't protest, Alpine," Twilight revealed, "After all, you're like the only pony in our class who doesn't talk about me behind my back." While Alpine was grateful that Twilight approved her idea to study abroad in Ponyville, she was a bit surprised by the cynicism of that last statement. She told her friend reassuringly "Twilight, just because some of the others gossip about you, that doesn't mean they all think badly of you. Most of them are probably just jealous that Princess Celestia didn't pick THEM as her personal apprentice." "That's what I've always suspected," Twilight proclaimed, "Even though I've never gloated about having the Princess as my mentor, I couldn't help but feel that a few of our classmates are a little resentful of me. Oh well; at least here, I don't have to put up with them." "Nope, you certainly don't, Twilight," Pinkie conferred, "Here in Ponyville, nopony goes out of their way to make anypony else feel disliked or belittled. Even though there are times when not everything goes right. But most of the time, everything does! Let me tell you about a funny thing that happened a couple weeks ago…" Pinkie Pie then went into a rant about everything that happened recently which excited her. Since she was easily excited, she was speaking for quite a while. Before long, Twilight and Alpine decided to ignore her and just pretend to keep listening. At one point, Pinkie Pie talked about a stunt she had seen Rainbow Dash perform the other day. She recollected "Hoof-biting action overload! She was like a stunt superstar, flying higher and higher, and then Rainbow Dash swooped down-swoosh-and right before she hit the ground-shoom-she pulled up-vrrrmmm!" "Uh-huh," was all Twilight said in response. "Cool, Pinkie," Alpine bluntly commented. The pink mare unceasingly continued with "And then she looped around and around like whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo whoo!" "Uh-huh," Twilight repeated. Alpine did not even bother giving a verbal response that time. At this moment, Rainbow Dash flew over their heads. Pinkie Pie spotted the cyan Pegasus and noticed she was on a collision course for a mountain. She quickly trotted after her friend to warn her. Once the pink mare was out of the park, Twilight muttered agitatedly "Phew. I thought she'd never stop." Alpine just smirked and professed "She may be hyperactive, but it's hard to get bored around her. I like her already." The two Unicorns resumed reading their textbook in silence. That was the last they saw of Pinkie Pie before noon, when they went back into town. This time, they only saw her for about fifteen seconds. She was looking for Rainbow Dash, and she asked the two of them if they had seen her. Twilight pointed out that the cyan mare was directly above their heads. Sure enough, she was resting on a cloud. But that quickly changed after Pinkie Pie spotted her. Five seconds after the pink mare called out to her winged friend, Rainbow Dash hastily bolted away from the area. Pinkie Pie calmly bounced after her. Rainbow Dash tried several times to get away from Pinkie Pie. She tried hiding in Golden Oaks Library, Sweet Apple Acres, and the town swimming hole. Somehow, the Earth Pony always managed to inexplicably catch up to the Pegasus. It was as though she was defying the laws of physics. Eventually, the cyan mare stopped trying to escape and asked the pink mare what she wanted. All Pinkie Pie told her was that she was needed a favor, but she assured Rainbow Dash that they would have fun. She did not tell her what exactly she had in mind; all she did say was that it involved Spike and a raincloud. By this time, Bronze Star, Mauser, and SIG Sauer had finished their run. The three stallions got in a fairly decent workout, as they had been all over the district that morning. As they reentered Ponyville, they slowed their pace to a steady trot so that they could catch their breath. They decided to have a casual conversation about recent events. "So, let me get this straight," Mauser stated, "When she saw how much work was left, she just passed out and stopped breathing right in front of you?" "That's right; she almost literally worked herself to death," Bronze Star confirmed. "Yet you managed to revive her with CPR?" SIG remarked. "Yeah, but I had to administer it twice," Bronze recalled, "I was staring directly into her eyes when she regained consciousness. Caught me totally off guard." Mauser chuckled and commented "That must have been something." "I'm just glad it worked," Bronze Star disclosed, "It's been ten years since I first learned CPR, and I failed the test three times before your father passed me. Remember that, SIG?" "Hard to forget, sir," the pine green stallion retorted amusedly "That was mostly because your compressions were too rough. Any firmer and you probably would have cracked the patient's rib." "Well, give him some credit, Dad," Mauser contended, "Don't Alicorns have like twice the strength of Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi?" "Yes, but the ability to control and use one's strength is key to being a soldier," SIG Sauer debated, "I'm certain you already knew that, Mauser." "Oh, yeah," the jasper stallion confirmed, "The drill sergeant at boot camp nailed that into my head on the fourth or fifth day. When I joined the Constabulary Contingent, I heard even more of it from Commander Hard Hull. He put much more emphasis on that policy than the drill sergeant. Anypony who didn't get it was given an official reprimand." "That's Commander Hard Hull for you," SIG Sauer remarked, scoffing, "He has a notorious reputation for his lack of leniency and empathy." "Don't I know it," Mauser stated, rolling his eyes lightly, "Thankfully, I haven't gotten on his bad side yet. That's more than I can say about several of my fellow officers. Some of them have taken to calling him 'Commander Hard-Ass.'" "Really?" Bronze Star said in amusement. "Yeah, but only behind his back," Mauser replied, "They'd never say it to his face. Nopony in the force is THAT stupid. Or that troublesome." "That's good," Bronze Star commented. The three stallions continued trotting in quietness for a while. Soon, they passed Town Hall. SIG Sauer noticed that Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were outside the building. Rainbow Dash was in the sky holding a raincloud, and Pinkie was on the ground directing her on where to place it. They looked as though they were up to something. "Speaking of troublesome, what do you make of that?" the pine green stallion pronounced. The jasper stallion and the gold stallion looked towards Town Hall. Pinkie Pie continued instructing Rainbow Dash on where to move the raincloud. Ultimately, the cyan mare became very annoyed and demanded that the pink mare pick a spot and stay with it. Pinkie Pie nervously agreed. "Let's take a look," Mauser proposed. The three stallions approached the building until they were about fifty feet away. Then they stopped and observed as Spike exited Town Hall with an armful of scrolls. When the baby dragon stepped outside, Pinkie Pie hid and signaled Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus gave the raincloud a swift kick. Immediately, there was a rumble of thunder and a crash of lightning. The noise and the bolt had the intended effect on Spike. He yelled in surprise and stood absolutely still for a few seconds. Then he started hiccupping. As this happened, Pinkie Pie burst out laughing and said "Oh, Rainbow Dash, we startled Spike into getting the hiccups." When she realized what they had done, Rainbow Dash chuckled as well. The three stallions who witnessed this affair snickered as well. Even Spike got a giggle out of it. "Good one, Pinkie *hiccup* Pie," the baby dragon chuckled, "*hiccup* You're always pulling a fast one *hiccup* on me." He picked up one of his scrolls, but he hiccupped again and it was engulfed in green flames by mistake. He shouted in alarm. Pinkie Pie seemed a little concerned at that. She asked worriedly "Oh no, you're not hurt, are you?" "Ne-*hiccup*-eh, don't be *hiccup* silly," Spike assured her, "Dragons are *hiccup* fire-proof." "Oh, okay, good," Pinkie stated in relief. After a moment of silence, she and Rainbow Dash resumed laughing. Spike began gathering up the scrolls, but he hiccupped again, causing the entire bunch to be engulfed in his green fire breath. He muttered "I wish the same thing *hiccup* were true with scrolls." Pinkie and Rainbow just kept laughing. Spike kept trying to collect the scrolls, but every time he picked one up, he hiccupped again, causing it to disappear. By now, Bronze Star, SIG Sauer, and Mauser had approached Town Hall. The gold stallion perceived sardonically "Never a dull moment in this town." The baby dragon noticed the three stallion, grinned, and stated "No *hiccup* kidding, Bronze." Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash quickly got themselves under control. When they realized they had company, they turned their attention to the stallions. Rainbow Dash came closer to the ground and said "Hey, SIG, I didn't know you were out the hospital." "I've been out for more than a day," SIG Sauer apprised her, "Dr. Seams released me from his care yesterday morning." "That's great!" Pinkie Pie declared, "We should totally throw you a party to celebrate!" "Uh, alright then," SIG Sauer stated in slight bewilderment, "But what exactly would the theme be?" Pinkie Pie thought a moment, and then she replied with "It's too late to have a 'get better' party, since you're already well. Maybe a 'welcome back' party, but I mostly just throw those for ponies who have been away. How about a 'welcome back to the world of the healthy' theme?" "That sounds excellent," SIG Sauer stated in approval. "Great," Pinkie Pie remarked, "Now we just need to work out a date. I would schedule it for tomorrow, but I'm already planning another party for your children and General Walther." This statement caught Mauser's attention. He inquired "What do you mean?" "You've been here for three days, and she still hasn't given you a 'welcome to Ponyville' party," Rainbow Dash specified, "That's probably a record for the longest she's ever gone without throwing a party for a new arrival." "I think it is," Pinkie Pie concurred, "I already spoke with your sister, Mauser. She said she's free tomorrow. What about you?" "Yeah, I should be available," the jasper stallion stated, "Knowing the General, he'll be there, too." "Good, very good," Pinkie Pie declared, "Now that we've handled that, I need to decide when to hold SIG Sauer's party." "Why not tomorrow?" SIG Sauer suggested, "I wouldn't mind if you held it at the same time as the other one." "You sure?" Pinkie Pie queried. "Quite," he assured her, "It would save you some time and resources, I would have a chance to celebrate with my children, and it would give me an excuse to have a drink with the General." "Okay, I suppose I could make the party a double-themed one," Pinkie Pie thought aloud, "I'll hold it tomorrow afternoon at Sugarcube Corner." "I'll be sure to come by," SIG Sauer declared. Mauser smiled, patted his father on the back, and commented "Nice to see you getting some excitement into your life, Dad." As the pine green stallion scoffed as his son's remark, Bronze Star turned to Rainbow Dash and asked her "So, Rainbow, have you and Walther gotten a chance to talk?" "Not yet," the cyan mare revealed, "After my… outburst at the hospital, I decided I should give him some space for a while. I don't want him to think I'm totally obsessed with him." "I wouldn't worry; the General isn't one to harbor a grudge," SIG Sauer disclosed, "But if you'd prefer to wait, you can always speak to him at the party tomorrow." "Alright, I look forward to it," Rainbow asserted, grinning. After a brief period of silence, she turned to the jasper stallion and said "By the way, Mauser, how well do you know General Walther?" "Well enough to consider him a friend," Mauser replied, "My father and Bronze Star know him a lot better, though. Why do you ask?" "I was just wondering if you and Walther were ever in a combat situation together," Rainbow Dash explicated, "After all, he's in the armed forces, and Bronze Star mentioned that you're in them, too." "We serve different branches," the jasper stallion enlightened her, "The General represents the Wonderbolts. I work for the Military Enforcement Corps. They have very little in common." "Oh, okay," Rainbow commented. "On that subject, how has the Corps been working for you, Mauser?" Bronze Star inquired. "Despite Commander Hard Hull's unpleasant demeanor, it's been going quite well," Mauser informed his friend, "It's much more intricate than the regular army, the navy, the Wonderbolts, or Special Forces, though. Unlike the other factions of the military, the Corps involves upholding the law. At times, it seems like I'm more a police officer than a soldier." "Have you had to arrest anypony yet?" Pinkie Pie inquired. "Well, last week, two young mares tried sneaking into the castle," Mauser recollected, "I wasn't the one who apprehended them, but I was tasked with questioning them to determine their motives. Commander Hull suspected they were spies or revolutionaries. Turns out they were just a couple of schoolfillies doing a dare." "A dare?" Rainbow Dash asked in perplexity. "Yeah, they were members of a sorority at one of the city's universities," Mauser elucidated, "They claimed that their house sisters challenged them to sneak into the castle, and they insisted that they couldn't refuse the dare." "Unbelievable," SIG Sauer said in astonishment, "Apparently, breaking and entering is a fad now." "That or modern fraternities and sororities have no regard for public property," Bronze Star proposed. "What happened to the two mares, anyway?" Rainbow Dash queried in interest. "Both the Royal Guard and Commander Hull wanted to press charges," Mauser recalled, "The district attorney even proposed criminal prosecution. However, Princess Celestia herself stepped in before anything happened. She gave both mares a royal pardon for their actions." "She did?" SIG Sauer queried in bafflement. Mauser nodded his head in confirmation and disclosed "I was there when she ordered Commander Hull to release them. The Commander felt she was being too merciful, but he agreed to let the mares off with a warning. Then he ordered me to escort them out of the building. You want to hear the most amusing part?" "What's the most amusing part?" Pinkie Pie questioned eagerly. Mauser smirked and responded with "Just before we left, Princess Celestia flashed a smile at the mares and told them 'Next time, try not to get caught.'" The others were surprised to hear this. Rainbow Dash muttered in disbelief "She actually said that?" "Yeah, and I had to make an effort not to laugh," Mauser affirmed, "I couldn't believe it myself." "I'm actually not that surprised," Bronze Star pronounced, "My mother may be the undisputed ruler of Equestria, but she has a fairly large sense of humor." In all this time, Spike had been attempting to retrieve his scrolls. Every single one of them had been cast away by his green fire breath. He drearily thought aloud "Let's *hiccup* hope so. She's *hiccup* probably buried in scrolls *hiccup* right about now. *hiccup* Literally." "I'll send her a note explaining this later," Bronze Star assured the dragon, "I'd write it now, but SIG, Masuer, and I just finished a four-hour run. All I want to do right now is take a shower. I'm going back to the embassy to get cleaned up." "You go ahead, sir," SIG Sauer suggested, "We'll meet you there later." Bronze Star nodded, bid the others good day, and left the area. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash quickly went back to having a laugh at Spike's expense. Pinkie thought it was the most hilarious thing she had ever seen. That is, until Rainbow Dash kicked the cloud again and startled Pinkie into getting the hiccups as well. Although the joke was on her, Pinkie thought this was even funnier. When Rainbow found out that Pinkie loved to pull pranks, the cyan mare asked the pink mare if she wanted to hang out and pull some more pranks on other people. The hyperactive mare perkily accepted. SIG and Mauser watched the two mares as they headed towards the town's joke shop. Mauser lightly shook his head and observed "Somepony should probably keep an eye on those two. Make sure they don't hurt anypony. Or themselves." "Oh, they'll be fine," SIG Sauer avowed, "There is a difference between jokesters and sadists. There's nothing wrong with a few pranks. In my early days in the military, I myself pulled a few on my fellow officers." "To tell you the truth, I've done that, too," Mauser shamelessly disclosed, "But you never know, Dad. There are times when pranks can go dangerously wrong." "If you're that concerned, Mauser, then go ahead and be their lifeguard," SIG encouraged his son, "That is your job, after all. But keep in mind there's also a difference between sentries and stalkers." "I know the difference, Dad," Mauser guaranteed his father, "I don't plan to monitor their every move. I just want to make certain that their pranks don't get out of hoof." "Suit yourself," SIG Sauer remarked, "I'll be at the barracks if you need me." The pine green stallion departed from the area, and the jasper stallion headed over to the joke shop. Spike was left on his own to get rid of his hiccups. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie left the joke shop ten minutes later with two bags of merchandise. They wasted no time putting their supplies to use. Mauser spent the next couple hours watching Pinkie and Rainbow. His goal was to ensure the safety of their actions, not spoil their fun. He gave the two mares plenty of space to have their freedom. In the long run, all their pranks were relatively harmless. They started by delivering a bouquet of flowers laced with sneezing powder to Carousel Boutique. They rang the doorbell and ran off. Rarity answered the door and eagerly accepted the flowers. Immediately after smelling them, she went into a violent sneezing fit. Rarity was annoyed by this, but when Pinkie accidentally spilled the sneezing powder and sneezed herself out of the area, the white Unicorn lightened up. Next, Rainbow and Pinkie swung by Gold Oaks Library and switched the regular ink with disappearing ink. Twilight Sparkle and Alpine Sauer were crafting a certain potion. Twilight wrote down the recipe as Alpine mixed the ingredients in a beaker, but when the words vanished from the paper, the two mares quickly lost their place and the mixture in the beaker exploded. Although Twilight and Alpine were bothered by this setback in their work, they had to admit it was somewhat entertaining. Mauser was pleased to see that his sister got a laugh out of this prank. After this, the two mares trotted over to Sweet Apple Acres and used several cans of paint to recolor the apples in some of the trees. Applejack was stunned when she saw what had become of her produce. She angrily chased Pinkie and Rainbow away by chucking the painted apples at them. However, when one of the apples landed in a water barrel, the paint washed right off. When she saw that the paint was not permanent, Applejack chuckled in amusement. Rainbow and Pinkie decided to pull one more prank and call it a day. Rainbow Dash advised using a telescope and a duck-shaped squirt toy. Pinkie Pie eagerly agreed. They went down by the river and set up their equipment. As it turned out, somepony was already there. However, when Rainbow Dash announced that it was Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie advised that they abandon the prank. She knew how sensitive the yellow mare was, and she did not want to hurt her feelings. Rainbow Dash agreed, albeit reluctantly. She still wanted to find another victim to prank. Pinkie Pie already had one, and it turned out to be Rainbow herself. Unbeknownst to the cyan mare, Pinkie had lined the rim of the telescope with wet dirt. When Rainbow pulled away from the telescope, there was a large black circle surrounding her eye. This caught her off guard, but she got back at Pinkie by offering a high-hoof and pulling her hoof away at the last second. The two mares got a good laugh at each other's expense. All-in-all, their pranks that day were innocent and risk-free, much to Mauser's relief. He felt as though his anxiety had been unwarranted, but he did not feel as though he has wasted his time. He overheard Pinkie suggest that they pull more pranks the following day, and Rainbow happily approved of this idea. Mauser decided that the situation was under control and that he did not need to watch over them anymore. During dinner at the embassy that night, everypony talked about what they had done that day. Alpine had spent most it doing experiments with Twilight Sparkle. Walther and Bronze Star had been explaining the obligations between the military and the Equestrian Royalty to Princess Luna. SIG Sauer had been brought up to date on the latest developments in the cultists' conspiracy by Noble Edict. When Mauser had his turn, he just said that he had passed the time by "getting to know the locals." His father was the only one who knew what he actually meant. The following morning, the embassy's six residents woke up at various times, but they all had breakfast at approximately the same time. As they ate, they discussed their plans for the day. Alpine mentioned that she and Twiight were going to get in a little more studying before the party. Bronze Star and SIG Sauer would head out to the Everfree Forest to do some training. Princess Luna stated that she was going to practice the Royal Canterlot Voice, despite her nephew's insistence that she had already perfected it. Walther just said that he needed to go somewhere, but he assured everypony that he would be back in time for Pinkie Pie's party. Mauser remarked that he aimed to "get to know the locals" some more, but he planned to do it "more directly." After the first meal, everypony began their day. Luna stayed inside the embassy, Alpine trotted over to Golden Oaks Library, Bronze Star and SIG Sauer headed to the Forest, and Walther flew off to the north of Ponyville. Mauser had no specific destination in mind, so he just strolled through the town. For the next few hours, he interacted with townsfolk and passed through the shops. Shortly after noon, he ate lunch at a fine restaurant. After that, he stopped by an ice cream parlor and ordered a pecan milkshake. He spent the next half-hour sitting at one of the tables outside the parlor. He slurped down his milkshake, watched various ponies passed him by, and enjoyed the overall mood of the moment in general. There was no doubt about it now; he was finally in vacation mode. Twenty minutes later, the ice cream parlor had another customer. Mauser smiled at her and greeted her with "Hello, Pinkie Pie." The pink mare quickly noticed the jasper stallion. She smiled in return and calmly retorted "Hi, Mauser." She appeared to be happy, but Mauser could tell that something was bothering her. He waited in silence as Pinkie ordered a strawberry milkshake. Once she got it, she looked around for a place to sit. Mauser offered "Care to join me?" "Sure," Pinkie accepted. She placed her milkshake next to Mauser's and sat down next to him. After taking a few sips, she sighed in despair. "Is something wrong?" Mauser inquired, "And how come you aren't with Rainbow Dash?" "Both those questions have the same answer," she notified him, "Rainbow's spending the day with another of her friends." "Who?" he enquired. "A gryphon she knew from Flight Camp," she replied, "Her name's Gilda." "Why can't you just hang out with both of them?" he proposed. "Oh, I TRIED to," Pinkie assured him, "But Gilda made it clear she didn't want me around," Mauser was surprised to hear this. He presumed "And Rainbow didn't try reasoning with her?" "Rainbow Dash didn't even notice," Pinkie elucidated, "Gilda was only mean to me when her back was turned." "Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Mauser proclaimed, "But if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did Gilda do?" "She popped a bunch of my balloons, she told me to 'buzz off,' and she wouldn't even give me a chance to speak to Rainbow," Pinkie Pie described the affair, "I was just at the library talking to Twilight about this. She and Alpine both think I'm overreacting." Mauser scoffed and commented "Well, my sister has no shortage of friends; I'm not surprised she would think that. Can't really say the same about Twilight, though. Back in Canterlot, the only friends she really had were me, Alpine, Bronze Star, and Spike. And maybe my Dad, when he was off-duty." "Yeah?" Pinkie Pie remarked in interest, "Get this: Twilight thinks I'm the one who should improve HER attitude." Mauser raised an eyebrow in surprise and uttered "She actually said that?" "Yeah," Pinkie confirmed, "She also said that maybe I should just leave Rainbow and Gilda alone and let them catch up." "Well, there, she may have a point," Mauser thought aloud. He held onto his milkshake and stated "Let me make an analogy. You see this milkshake right here?" "Yeah, it's a pecan one," Pinkie Pie observed, "Good choice. But what about it?" "This is the first milkshake I've had in four years," Mauser informed her, "In the time since then, I've almost forgotten how much I liked them. But now that I've had one after so long, I'm reminded of my fondness for milkshakes. In fact, I find that I'm enjoying this one much more than any other I've ever had." "That makes sense," Pinkie Pie coincided, "I couldn't imagine going four whole years without a milkshake." "That's not my point," Mauser expounded, "My point is that when you try something you enjoy after being deprived of it for so long, you may find that you like it even more than when you last tried it. The same thing applies to one's friends. If you've gone a long time without seeing a very close affiliate of yours, wouldn't you be overjoyed whenever you next saw her? So much so that you'd want to keep her to yourself for a while?" "I suppose I would," Pinkie Pie professed, "That's a very good point, Mauser. Maybe Twilight is right. Maybe Gilda isn't a big meanie grumpy mean-meanie-pants. Maybe I'm just a big jealous judgmental jealous-jealousy-pants." She sighed and sipped her milkshake again. Mauser snickered and remarked "That's a unique way of putting it. But it seems appropriate." A couple minutes later, two figures flew over their heads. Mauser looked up and realized they were Rainbow Dash and a gryphon, whom he assumed to be Gilda. They landed about twenty meters away from the ice cream parlor. Rainbow Dash laughed and stated "That was sweet. Ugh, I gotta take care of a few weather jobs around here. Shouldn't take long. Just, uh, hang out in town and I'll come find ya." "That's cool, I guess," Gilda responded, "I'm gonna go chow down." "Later," was all Rainbow Dash said before she ascended back into the air and flew away. Mauser Sauer and Pinkie Pie observed Gilda as she walked over to a stand of vegetables. Soon after, an elderly mare approached the stand from the opposite direction. She had a green coat, a white mane, orange eyes, an orange apple-encrusted bandana around her neck, and an apple pie for a cutie mark. Gilda noticed her and hid behind the stall. The green mare reached the stand and sniffed the produce. A moment later, Gilda's tail shot out through the vegetables. The elderly mare shouted in alarm "Aaah! A rattler, a rattler! Run for the hills! Everybody forsake yourselves!" She turned to run away, but her pace was so slow that I could hardly even be regarded as trotting. As the elderly mare went away, Gilda emerged from behind the stall and told the vendor "This stuff ain't fresh, dude." Pinkie Pie was astounded by what she just saw. She muttered angrily "Aw, poor Granny Smith, she didn't know it was a joke. How mean." "Maybe," Mauser stated, "As much as I respect the older generations, I thought it was a little funny." Pinkie Pie considered this, and she muttered in agreement "No, no, I can't misjudge her. It was kind of a funny prank, I guess." "There you go," Mauser encouraged, taking another sip of his milkshake. He and Pinkie turned back to Gilda and watched as she came closer to an apple stand. As she passed it, she casually wrapped her tail around one of the apples, brought it up to her mouth, and stuffed it into her mouth whole. As she chewed the apple, Pinkie Pie gasped and declared "I did misjudge her. She's not only a meanie mean-pants, she's also a thief." "Quite so," Mauser concurred, a note of disapproval in his voice, "Frightening an old mare is one thing. But taking a commodity without paying for it is a crime." "Nonononono, she might give it back," Pinkie insisted, trying to be tolerant, "It's just a joke." At that, Mauser glared at Pinkie incredulously and told her "At this point, I don't think the owner would WANT it back. For Gilda's sake, she'd better go back and pay for it." Mauser and Pinkie Pie soon noticed that Fluttershy was leading a mother duck and her ducklings through the street. By now, Gilda had left the marketplace, and she was moving through the street as well. She was walking directly towards the yellow mare. Fluttershy was too busy guiding the ducks to notice the gryphon. She softly told them "Alright little ones, this way, this way. Mama duck, you're free and clear." Just then, the gryphon intercepted the Pegasus. She yelled impatiently "Hey." Fluttershy quickly turned around, looked up at, and stated apologetically "Please excuse me." Gilda ignored her and mumbled furiously "I'm walkin' here." Fluttershy could tell gryphon was upset with her. She mumbled nervously "Oh, um, I'm sorry. I-I-I was just trying to..." Gilda rolled her eyes and uttered mockingly "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Why don't you just watch where you're going, doofus?" The yellow mare was really getting scared by now. She stammered "B-b-b-but I... I..." Gilda did not even give her a chance to say anything more. She just breathed in deeply and roared in her face. The effect on Fluttershy was instantaneous. She bleated and started sobbing. Mauser decided he had seen enough. He got up from the table, trotted over to the scene, and stepped between Fluttershy and Gilda. He glared up at the gryphon and barked heatedly "Back off. Now." "Or what?" Gilda snarled sharply. "Or I'll make you wish you never came to this town," Mauser threatened. "Oooo, I'm so scared," Gilda remarked sarcastically, "Why don't you buck off before you embarrass yourself?" "I'm not the one who should be embarrassed," Mauser shot back, "You know, I could arrest you for what you just did." "Yeah, right," Gilda snapped, "You're not a cop." "No, but I do work for the Military Enforcement Corps," Mauser informed her, "That gives me authority to act as a police officer in every city of Equestria." "Whatever," Gilda bluntly stated, "What would you even charge me with?" "Disturbing the peace, pilfering goods, and unprovoked verbal harassment," Mauser tensely pointed out, "And that's just for what I've seen you do in the last five minutes. If I was around you longer, I'm certain I could work up quite a few more charges." "Like I'd want a tight-ass like you stalking me all day," Gilda derisively commented. "You think I'm bluffing?" Mauser proclaimed crossly, "I sure as Tartarus am not. I could arrest you right here, right now. But I'm going to cut you a break. So I'd suggest you move along before I lose my patience." Gilda scoffed and uttered "Ugh, please, all these lame ponies are driving me buggy. I gotta bail." At that, she spread her wings, rose into the air, and flew away from the area. Mauser watched as the gryphon flew away. Then he turned to Fluttershy. The yellow mare was crouched on the ground, lightly sobbing. Mauser leaned down to her, placed his hoof on her shoulder, and told her calmly "It's okay. She's gone now." Fluttershy slowly opened up her eyes and looked up at the jasper stallion. He was smiling at her gently. She slowly smiled in return, sniffed once, and said to him softly "Th-thank you." "No problem," he said assuredly. Mauser helped her up and asked "Are you alright?" "I'm… I'm fine," she informed him, "I…I just… don't like… being treated so… so… so poorly." "If you want, I could actually arrest Gilda," he proposed, "I really do have the means to make that happen, and I've already seen her do enough to warrant an arrest." "No, that… that wouldn't solve anything," Fluttershy remarked. "Are you sure?" Mauser questioned. "Yes," she affirmed, "I don't want to give her another reason to be mad at me." Mauser could understand this sentiment. He remained smiling and told her "Alright, I understand, Fluttershy. But if you change your mind or if you need anything, feel free to come to me." "Okay, I will," she acknowledged, "Thank you, Master Sauer." He chuckled lightly and stated "Just call me Mauser." "Alright… Mauser," the yellow mare said in response. She had stopped crying by now, but she was blushing a bit. Once Fluttershy departed from the area, Mauser walked back over to his table at the ice cream parlor. Pinkie Pie grinned at him and declared "That was very nice of you, Mauser." "I just couldn't stand to see somepony get badgered like that," the jasper stallion pronounced, "You were right about Gilda, Pinkie. She is a real pain in the flank." "Not only that," Pinkie Pie uttered fumingly, "She's a grump, and a thief, and a bully. The meanest kind of mean meanie-pants there is. I can take it, but no one treats Fluttershy like that. No. One." "I say we do something about Gilda," Mauser advised, "I offered to arrest her, but Fluttershy doesn't want me to." "I don't want you to, either," Pinkie disclosed, "If anything, arresting her would just cause more trouble." "Then what should we do?" Mauser requested, "If you've got an idea, I'm willing to listen." Pinkie Pie grinned deviously and told him "This calls for extreme measures, Pinkie Pie style." Mauser smirked and beckoned her "Go on." Unsurprisingly, "extreme measures Pinkie Pie style" involved little more than throwing a party. Pinkie Pie arranged to hold a party for Gilda later in the afternoon. However, she had not forgotten that she already planned to throw another party that same day. Since that party was already a double-themed one, Pinkie figured there was nothing wrong with making it a triple-themed one instead. Ideally, it would involve welcoming Alpine, Mauser, and Walther to Ponyville, celebrating SIG Sauer's release from the hospital, and greeting Gilda for her visit to the town all at once. The party was held at Sugarcube Corner. It was open to the public; nopony had to be invited to attend. It had a modestly large turnout. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were among the first to arrive. Mauser, Alpine, and Twilight Sparkle showed up shortly after. Fluttershy appeared after most of the other attendees. Bronze Star and SIG Sauer got back from the Everfree Forest just in time to partake in the festivities. Fluttershy privately expressed her concern to Pinkie Pie that having Gilda at the party might not have been a good idea. The pink mare dismissed the yellow mare's worry and insisted that the situation was under control. Soon after this, Gilda got to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie welcomed her with a hoof-shake… and gave the gryphon quite a shock. Pinkie was wearing a hoof-shake buzzer on her hoof. Rainbow Dash got a kick out of that one, and Gilda feigned amusement, but she suspected that Pinkie was up to something. At this point, there was still no sign of Walther. Pinkie Pie was a little concerned, but SIG Sauer ensured her that the General would not miss this event. With that reassurance, Pinkie decided to go ahead and begin the party, seeing as how four of the five guests of honor were already there. After presenting Alpine, Mauser, SIG Sauer, and Gilda to the other guests, Pinkie Pie bid them to help themselves to anything they would like. Alpine, Mauser, and SIG Sauer quickly began enjoying the festivities. The three Unicorns had an excellent time. The same could not quite be said for Gilda. From the moment the party started, the gryphon became the victim of a number of practical jokes. First, she consumed a vanilla lemon drop filled with pepper. She tried washing the overwhelmingly hot taste out of her mouth with punch, but the first cup she picked up turned out to be a dribble glass. Several of the ponies got a good laugh at this. After Gilda managed to quench her thirst, she pretended to be amused, but she was a little irritated by what just happened. Next, Rainbow Dash tempted the four guests with a stack of presents. Gilda eagerly went first and opened a cylindrical box on top. As soon as she removed the lid, a bunch of spitting snakes popped out and startled her. This aroused another round of laughter around the room. The present had no tag identifying the giver, but Gilda had a feeling she knew who sent this gift, as she eyed Pinkie Pie suspiciously. A short time later, Pinkie Pie proposed that they skip ahead to the cake. Mauser and Spike both offered to blow out the candles, but Gilda stepped in first. She managed to extinguish the flamed wax sticks with a single blow. However, the wicks relit after a couple seconds. Confused, Gilda inhaled deeply and blew them out again. The candles were quickly relit. Gilda tried again and again to extinguish the flames, but they kept flickering back on almost immediately after she put them out. It quickly became apparent that the cake had been covered with re-lighting birthday candles. Several of the ponies in the room gradually went into another fit of giggles. While Spike literally dug into the cake, Gilda pulled Pinkie off to the side and warned her not to cross her. Pinkie was not one to be intimidated by threats, especially subtle ones. Applejack proposed that they play pin-the-tail-on-the-pony next. Rarity and Alpine both asked to go first, but Gilda interceded and declared that she would have the first turn. However, she was a little uncertain after Pinkie blindfolded her and spun her around several times. When Gilda stopped spinning, she had no idea where she was standing relative to the poster of the pony. Pinkie recommended that she walk straight ahead. The gryphon chose to ignore this advice, as she was convinced this was yet another prank. So she turned around and walked in the opposite direction. That proved to be both a foolish mistake and a profound error in judgment. Gilda had not taken two steps before she slipped on a piece of cake and crashed into a table. Somehow, the fake tail ended up getting pinned on Gilda's beak. After this last incident, Gilda finally lost her temper. When she was back on her claws, she roared in fury and voiced her disdain for everypony in the room. She focused most of her anger on Pinkie Pie; she accused the pink mare of deliberately setting her up, and she derided her for using such pathetic pranks to try to get on her bad side. She announced that she and Rainbow Dash needed nothing to do with anypony else there, and she proclaimed that she and Rainbow would leave the party. However, she could not speak for both of them. After Gilda's eruption, Rainbow Dash revealed that she was the one who set up all the "pathetic" pranks. She had not intended them to be for just one person; it was just coincidence that Gilda had been the victim of all of them. The gryphon did not buy this; she was certain that Pinkie Pie was responsible. Pinkie was shocked to hear that; she had no such desire to humiliate Gilda. She claimed that all she wanted to do was encourage Gilda to be friendlier around other ponies. Rainbow Dash then stood up for Pinkie by calling Gilda out for her rotten behavior, her judgmental mindset, and her unfair treatment of Rainbow's other friends. She realized now that the Gilda she knew back at Summer Flight Camp was not the same Gilda before her. She advised Gilda to either chill out and try being more open-minded, or leave Ponyville and look for some other "cool" friends. Gilda was at a loss for words. She felt betrayed by the cyan mare, and she could hardly even work up a proper comeback. Ultimately, she decided she would leave the town, and she told Rainbow Dash that she would cut off their friendship until she stopped being so "lame." With that, the gryphon exited Sugarcube Corner. She quickly rose into the sky and flew away from Ponyville. A lot of the ponies in the room were astounded by what they had just seen. For a few moments, they chattered amongst themselves about Gilda's uncivilized display. After a while, Rainbow Dash turned to face the other ponies and coyly spoke to them "I'm sorry, everypony, for bringing Gilda here. I didn't know how rude she was. And Pinkie Pie, I'm really sorry she ruined that awesome party you put on for her." Pinkie Pie just smiled knowingly and stated assuredly "Hey, if you want to hang out with party poopers, that's your business." Rainbow Dash smiled back and retorted "I'd rather hang out with you. No hard feelings?" Rainbow held out her right front hoof to Pinkie Pie. The pink mare held hers out as well and repeated "No hard feelings." Then they shook hooves… and both of them received an electrical surge. Oddly enough, they had both been wearing a hoof-shake buzzer. Once they pulled apart, there was a short period of silence. Then Rainbow and Pinkie burst out laughing, as did everypony else in the room. The laughter lasted for a good long while. When it finally subsided, Rainbow Dash heard a deep voice behind her say "That one never gets old, does it?" The cyan mare quickly turned around to see who said that. To her surprise, General Walther was standing in the doorway. He was leaned against the wall on his hind legs, and he had his front legs folded over his chest. He lightly smirked, as if he was amused. Walther's sudden appearance had caught Rainbow Dash off guard. She grinned nervously and stated "Oh, hello, General. When… when did you get back?" "About fifteen minutes ago," the mahogany Pegasus replied. He then looked around the room and declared "My apologies to all for my tardiness. I would have gotten here sooner, but I had a previous engagement of greater precedence elsewhere." "You don't have to make excuses, General," Pinkie Pie assured him, "We're just happy you made it. Come on in and join the fun!" "As you wish, Miss Pie," Walther cheekily remarked. He lowered his front legs so that all four of his hooves were on the ground. As he trotted inside, Rainbow Dash inquired "How long were you standing outside the building?" "Since your gryphon friend had her little meltdown," Walther disclosed, "I thought it best to let you resolve that dispute before I came inside. I must say, you handled the situation very well, Miss Dash. Telling one of your old friends off like that could not have been easy." "It wasn't," Rainbow admitted, "Gilda and I have been friends for so long. I've kept in contact with her since Summer Flight Camp, and today was the first time I've seen her in years. I liked her and I missed her, but if she's just going to keep treating my Ponyville friends like scum, I don't want anything to do with her." "That's commendable of you," Walther perceived, "In the past, I've had to dissolve several of my own friendships. The reasons for doing so varied. But I've never cut off ties from any of my peers without just cause to do so. While I can't say I knew Gilda or spoke to her, I heard enough of your argument to surmise that she is a somewhat unreceptive and unforgiving individual. With that in mind, you certainly had just cause to cast her out, Rainbow. In case you were wondering, no; you are not to blame for her attitude. Even though you invited her here, she was in control of her actions. Whatever she did to deserve your contempt, she did of her own accord." Rainbow Dash was somewhat glad to hear the mahogany stallion say this. Part of her had actually been considering that she may have been a little hard on Gilda, but Walther's analysis of the scenario reasserted her that she was not. She grinned appreciatively at Walther and told him in a somewhat formal tone "I'm glad you… approve of my actions, General." "Don't mention it," Walther candidly told her. He approached the refreshment table and picked up a glass of punch. Then he turned back to the cyan mare and declared "Now, I seem to recall you suggesting back at the hospital that we have a talk sometime while I'm in Ponyville. We both seem to be free at the present, so how about we have it now?" Rainbow Dash brightened up and replied excitedly with "That sounds great!" The two Pegasi walked off to a corner of the room to have a casual discussion. As they did this, Twilight Sparkle trotted over to Pinkie Pie and told her repentantly "Hey, Pinkie. Sorry I accused you of misjudging Gilda. Looks likes I'm the one who misjudged you." "It's okay Twilight, even you can't be a super smart smarty smart-pants all the time," the pink mare guaranteed the lavender mare. Then she looked around the room and announced "Come on, everypony, there's still a whole lotta party to finish." Everypony in the room cheered merrily. Despite the fuss Gilda had made, the party quickly got underway again. The attendees soon put Gilda out of their minds and concentrated on enjoying the party. SIG Sauer, Mauser, Alpine, and Walther proved to be much more appreciative guests of honor than the gryphon. At one point, Twilight Sparkle decided to compose a letter to Princess Celestia about a friendship lesson she had learned from Pinkie Pie. Once it was written, she had Spike deliver it to Canterlot. Then the lavender mare and the baby dragon returned to the party. Many times throughout the celebration, another pony fell victim to another prank. But every time this happened, everypony – including the victim – just laughed. The number of victims quickly piled up overtime. Before long, it seemed as though Bronze Star was the only pony there whom nopony had attempted to prank. Two hours into the party, Pinkie Pie brought out a pony-shaped piñata. She encouraged the attendees to have some fun with it. Once she had it hanging from the ceiling, she queried "Okay, who's going to take the first swing?" Initially, nopony responded. While many of the attendees liked piñatas, several of them were fairly certain that this was going to be another prank. Their hesitation did not stop Pinkie Pie from seeking out a victim. She looked around at the assembled ponies. Eventually, her eyes stopped on Bronze Star. She grinned and proposed "How about you, Gold Streak?" Bronze Star was surprised that the pink mare put him on the spot like that. "Why me?" "Because why the heck not?" Pinkie debated. "Come on, Mr. Ambassador," SIG Sauer incited him cockily, "Show us how it's done." Bronze Star was still somewhat hesitant to volunteer, but when he gazed around the room, he saw that he was getting a number of encouraging looks from the other ponies. This number was gradually increasing overtime. Ultimately, Bronze Star gave in. He lightly rolled his eyes and stated "Alright, alright; if you insist." Several ponies cheered in excitement at that. Bronze Star looked around the room again and queried "Does anypony have a club or a stick or something I could use?" A female Earth Pony then stepped forward and held out a baton to Bronze Star. She asked him "Would this do, sir?" Bronze Star examined the baton visually and nodded his head in approval, saying "Yes, that'll do nicely. Thank you." The mare just smiled in acknowledgment. Bronze Star slowly reached for the baton with his right front hoof. He calmly wrapped his hoof around the free end. Once he grabbed the long rod, something completely unexpected happened. The moment he tightened his grip around the baton, the half he held retracted into the half the mare was holding. Underneath the baton, there was a long serrated blade. Bronze Star did not even have time to notice the blade before his hoof came into contact with it. The blade was extraordinarily sharp. As soon as his hoof touched it, his hoof was cut open. The gold stallion reacted instantaneously. "YE-OW!" Bronze Star shouted in shock and pain, pulling back his hoof, "Son of a bitch!" Everypony who witnessed this was startled. Especially the mare who offered the baton. She looked down at the rod in surprise and then back up at the gold stallion. She muttered "I'm… I'm so sorry, Mr. Ambassador. I just found this thing lying on the table over there. I thought it was just an ordinary baton. Bronze Star did not seem to be paying her much attention. He was concentrating more on his injury. His hoof stung quite a bit, and blood was flowing out of the cut. He grumbled in frustration and shook his front leg vigorously to numb the pain. He muttered edgily "What idiot left this weapon out in the open? Is this supposed to be a prank?" "If it is, it isn't one of mine," Rainbow Dash assured him. "Or mine," Pinkie Pie proclaimed. "I don't really CARE whose idea it was," Bronze Star stated, gripping his right front hoof with his left front hoof, "Could somepony please get me something so I can stop the bleeding? Maybe a towel or a rag?" "Here, Mr. Ambassador," the mare with the baton proposed, offering him a white linen. Bronze Star smiled and accepted the linen. As he used it to clean his cut, he told her gratefully "Thank you, again, Miss…" "Rhomb," she notified him, "Dapple Rhomb." Dapple Rhomb had a purple coat, a crimson mane, sky blue eyes, and a three-dimensional parallelogram for a cutie mark. She was wearing a black overcoat which covered most of her upper body. "Right," the gold stallion acknowledged, "Thanks for this." "I'm just happy I was able to repair the damage I caused," she stated, "I hope I didn't hurt you." "Relax, you didn't," Bronze Star claimed. As he continued wiping away the blood, he looked around at the surrounding ponies and told them "You hear that, everypony? No harm's been done." Several of the ponies sighed in relief at this statement. A couple minutes later, Bronze Star managed to finish cleaning his wound and get the blood to clot. He still needed to bandage the injury, but he decided to wait until later to see to that. When he was finished using the linen, Dapple Rhomb stepped up to him and offered "I'll take that, sir." "Very well," he coincided, handing back the linen. By this point, it was soaked in blood. When Dapple Rhomb received the linen, she announced "I'll go throw this out. You all go on without me; I'll be back soon." Bronze Star nodded his head in response. He watched as Dapple Rhomb trotted to the front entrance and exited. The gold stallion smirked, looked around at the other ponies, and proposed "Now let's find an actual stick so we can beat that piñata senseless!" This statement was all that was needed to set everypony's minds at ease. The jovial atmosphere from before quickly returned to the party. Outside the building, Dapple Rhomb approached a dumpster to the side of the building. She looked as though she was going to open up the lid and toss the bloodied linen inside. This was not what she actually did. When the coast was clear, Dapple Rhomb reached into her overcoat and pulled out a plastic bag. She shook the bag out and carefully slipped the bloodied linen inside. Then she sealed up the bag and slid it underneath the dumpster. After hiding the bag, Dapple Rhomb casually sauntered back into Sugarcube Corner. Less than five minutes after she went back inside, a stallion walked through the area. He circled the building a couple times, and at one point, he stopped by the dumpster. After making certain he was alone, he reached underneath the dumpster and pulled out the plastic bag. Without opening the bag, he examined the contents. When he saw the bloodied linen, he grinned deviously. He hastily departed from the vicinity. As he trotted away, he gazed down at the linen and muttered under his breath "Now let's see what we can learn from you."