After the task force meeting ended, Rough Rider met up with Rarity and Fluttershy, and he agreed to act as the latter's agent while she was in Canterlot with Photo Finish. Both mares seemed relieved that he had decided to accept the position, especially Fluttershy. Rough Rider actually found himself looking forward to representing the yellow mare in her modelling career.
Sir Haywood McCrank contacted the railroad company and notified them that he would be visiting their head office in two days. He told them that when he got there, he would require total unhindered admittance to their archives. The president of the company was willing to comply with this request, but he mentioned that Sir Haywood would need to present a warrant first.
Dread Naught had that part covered. As soon as the meeting ended, he wasted no time in drafting a subpoena. It took him about a day to compose it, and once it was finished, he forwarded it to the railroad company. The day after that, the ponies at the embassy received a message from the railroad company telling them that their request had been accepted.
Over the course of those two days, the rest of the task force had been carrying out the investigation in their usual manner by keeping a close eye on all the activity in town. However, it had been a few weeks since they had seen anything that could even be mistaken for a lead. In fact, they had come to put more faith in their group discussions than their work in the field. As such, Bronze Star suggested that they not worry too much about looking for clues in their immediate surroundings.
The other members of the task force seemed to approve of that decision, especially Shakedown. He was very confident that his plan for locating the Vermane through the train manifests would be successful. So confident, in fact, that he felt the task force could afford to take a break from the investigation altogether until the manifests arrived in Ponyville.
Naturally, the task force did not elect to stop the investigation altogether, but they had no problem with devoting a little less time to it. That way, they could focus more on their other obligations and responsibilities.
By the late morning of the second day after Shakedown arrived in Ponyville, Sir Haywood McCrank, Rough Rider, and Fluttershy were all packed and ready to go. All three of them packed rather lightly. Only a very small percentage of their luggage was composed of apparel. After all, Sir Haywood was the only one of the three who wore clothing on a regular basis.
Before they left, each of the three ponies had a small request to ask of one or more of their friends.
Sir Haywood McCrank gave Dread Naught provisional command of the task force, and he asked him to give Shakedown his support, even if the brownish-tan stallion seemed unreasonable at times. The greenish-blue stallion assured his colleague that he would work well with Shakedown.
Fluttershy asked her friends to take care of her animal companions while she was away. They were more than willing to grant her wish.
Rough Rider asked to borrow some of the photographs that the Vermane had sent to the task force. When asked why, he claimed that he had gotten an idea for how to pursue another lead for the investigation. Ultimately, each member of the task force gave the olive stallion two or three of their photographs.
After two days of preparation, Fluttershy, Rough Rider, and Sir Haywood McCrank headed to the train station in the early morning of the third day. There they said good-bye to their friends. Earlier that day, Dread Naught had taken his tablet and calibrated the frequency on Dapple Rhomb's legband to match the frequency of his tablet. That way, Sir Haywood would be able to take his tablet to Canterlot so that he could monitor Rough Rider's legband safely.
Rough Rider, Fluttershy, and Sir Haywood then got on a train to the capital city. They sat with Photo Finish and her entourage, so they did not have a lot of time to talk between themselves. A few hours later, the train pulled in to the station at Canterlot.
While Photo Finish and her staff gathered up their luggage, the indigo stallion took advantage of their absence and spoke with the yellow mare and the olive stallion.
"I'm going to check in at the Bureau," Sir Haywood informed them, "After that, I'll be going over to the railroad company's head office. If either of you need me, you can find me at one of those places at any time."
"Okay, Sir Haywood," Fluttershy avowed.
As Rough Rider nodded his head, Haywood McCrank queried "How long do you suppose you'll have to be here, anyway?"
"Well, we've got photoshoots, interviews, a couple of fashion shows…" Rough Rider thought aloud, "Altogether, it'll be about eight or nine days."
"That should be more than enough time for me to gather all the manifests I need from the train company," Sir Haywood pronounced, "I'm also glad to have an approximate date on when we return to Ponyville. I'll be bringing along about ten or eleven crates' worth of manifests. Or more. That said, I'm going to have to reserve a whole lot of freight space on the train that takes us back."
"Photo Finish intends to go back to Ponyville with us," Fluttershy disclosed.
"And we all saw how much junk she and her staff brought," Rough Rider cheekily perceived, "By combining that with the crates of train manifests, there probably won't be any room left in the storage car of the return train."
"Hopefully that won't be the case," Sir Haywood commented. After a momentary pause, he looked to the timid Pegasus, smirked, and stated "I wish you luck with the modelling, Fluttershy. I bet you'll leave them in awe."
Fluttershy blushed lightly, smiled softly, and remarked "Thank you, Sir Haywood."
Haywood then turned to the younger stallion and told him "Represent her well, Rough. I'm counting on you not to let her down."
"I won't, Sir Haywood," Rough Rider guaranteed him, "Take care."
"I shall," was all the investigator said in response.
Sir Haywood McCrank left the depot and made his way to the Intelligence Bureau's headquarters. For the past twenty years, he had practically lived in that building, but he had not even seen it in months. He was delighted to revisit the place. As soon as he stepped through the front entrance, he was approached by several of his colleagues. Many of them wanted to pat him on the back, shake his hoof, or simply say hello. Evidently, he had been missed. That was to be expected; Sir Haywood was one of the most respected members of the Bureau.
After this friendly greeting, Sir Haywood headed up to his office. Over the years, he and Dread Naught had collected intelligence on all of the Vermane's previous murders. Although Dread Naught had brought along all the information when he went to Ponyville, he did not include a concise list of the victims.
Luckily, Sir Haywood kept such a list in his office. He just needed to pick the list up, and then he would be on his way.
The list had not been updated since Sir Haywood had gone to Ponyville with Bronze Star. In the time since then, the Vermane had committed six more murders. All of those victims were smalltime in the long run, and the two investigators had no prior knowledge on any of their deaths. Dread Naught had apprised Sir Haywood of the dates and locations of the victims. Once he found his list, Sir Haywood added those six ponies to it. Now he had all the information he needed for determining which train manifests he needed.
Sir Haywood then made his way to the railroad company's head office. As soon as he arrived there, he was greeted personally by the president of the company. The president assured Sir Haywood that he would cooperate with him fully. After that, he escorted the indigo stallion to the company's archives.
The archive room was massive. It contained the manifest of every trip made by every train that had travelled around the country for at least the past fifty years. There were closer to ten million of them than one million. Fortunately, Sir Haywood only required a few hundred of them.
Once the president left him alone, Haywood McCrank proceeded to collect the manifests he needed. He looked over his list for the details of each murder. He looked over the date first, and he went to the section that contained the exact day and year. Next he consulted the location, and he found the records for the town in which each murder took place. After that, he gathered all the manifests of the trains that travelled to the cities in the three days preceding the murders, as well as the manifests of the trains that departed from the cities in the three days succeeding the murders.
Collecting the manifests was simple. The hard part was finding them, considering the archive room's size. This was why Sir Haywood believed it would take him a whole week to get everything he needed. Given the circumstances, that would indeed be the case.
While Sir Haywood kept himself busy at the railroad company, Fluttershy and Rough Rider were preoccupied with another task in the city five miles away.
Photo Finish had already scheduled a fashion show for the yellow mare. She and her staff were in the process of preparing Fluttershy for her debut. They had dressed her in a fancy, finely admonished outfit, and her mane had been styled in buns and fastened with a headband. Currently, they were working on her makeup.
While this went on, Rough Rider stood off to the side. He had Fluttershy's contract in his front hooves, and he was looking it over thoroughly. He had to ascertain that the details of the contract were acceptable for all parties involved.
He also had to ensure that Fluttershy had the option to back out at any time if she chose to do so. Knowing how adverse she was to being the center of attention, he found it reasonable to assume that she may not want to remain involved in this profession for very long. All the same, he was willing to represent her for as long as she needed him to.
When he verified that the contract was in order, Rough Rider put it in his saddlebag and watched Fluttershy as Photo Finish's staff finished touching up her appearance. One of them straightened out the hem on her dress, another gave her a shot of hairspray, and a third applied some blush to her cheeks. The blush stood out a little too much.
Photo Finish noticed this and declared "Too much blush."
The makeup artist wiped away most of the blush with her front hoof. Fluttershy became a little dizzy, but the blush was almost entirely gone from her face. Photo Finish observed "Not enough."
Once more, the makeup artist dabbed the blush brush against Fluttershy's cheeks. Again, she went a little overboard. Photo Finish stated "Too much."
So the makeup artist wiped the blush away once more, which caused Photo Finish to decree "Not enough."
For the third time, the makeup artist applied the blush to Fluttershy's face. When she was done, the yellow mare's cheeks were as rosy as they had been the first two times. However, Photo Finish said in approval "Perfect."
"Really?" Rough Rider mumbled sarcastically, "That's how much she had to begin with."
"Not exactly, Mr. Rider," Photo Finish countered, "It's a very minute difference, but minute differences are everything."
Rough Rider decided not to question Photo Finish's reasoning. After all, he was no expert on makeup. Nor was Dapple Rhomb. His wife rarely used makeup. She did not even use any to cover her scars.
All of a sudden, Fluttershy's face scrunched up, and she looked as though she was about to sneeze. She then went "Ah... Aaah..."
She ended up giving a very tiny sneeze.
"Bless you," Rough Rider bade her.
Photo Finish seemed pleased by that. She proclaimed giddily "Oh, yes! Even her schneezes are graceful."
After a bit of silence, the light grayish cerulean mare ordered her staff "NOW GO!"
The three other mares quickly exited the room, leaving the fashion photographer, the new model, and her "agent" by themselves. Photo Finish gestured for Fluttershy and Rough Rider to trot with her. As the three ponies made their way to the door that connected to the stage in the adjoining room, Photo Finish asked the yellow mare "How do you feel? Excited? Overjoyed? Thrilled beyond your wildest dreams?"
"N... nervous," Fluttershy candidly revealed.
"Nervous?" Photo Finish muttered in astonishment, "Dun be ridiculous. You're only facing a large crowd of ponies who will be watching your every move and silently judging you."
Naturally, that last statement did not help ease Fluttershy's anxiety. It just made her even more anxious than before. Luckily, Rough Rider was much better at providing comfort. He placed his front hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder and whispered into her ear "It's alright, Fluttershy. Just remember I'll be close-by if you need me. And if at any point you want out of this, just say the word and I'll pull you out."
She looked to the olive stallion, smiled sweetly, and said appreciatively "Thanks, Rough."
Right then, music started playing in the next room. Photo Finish promptly jumped into the air and yelled "Your cue! Now go!"
She then shoved Fluttershy through the door without any warning whatsoever. There were over a hundred ponies in the next room. All of them were crowded around the walkway, and many of them were brandishing cameras. They had been talking amongst themselves before Fluttershy entered the room. Once she appeared, they continued chattering, but the yellow mare was the subject of their discussions.
Straightaway, the sounds of cameras clicking emanated from all over the room. Fluttershy had not even started down the walkway yet, and already ponies were capturing shots of her. When she realized just how many ponies had come, she was overcome with apprehension once more. Fortunately, she managed to put those feelings aside by thinking of Rarity. She took a moment to compose herself, and then she proceeded down the walkway and murmured quietly "You can't let Rarity down. You must do this. You must. You must. You must."
The cameras continued to go off all over the room. Before long, the ponies in the crowd had gone from chattering to cheering. Clearly, they liked what they saw. Even those of them who were among the Canterlot Elite were impressed.
"So graceful," Lyrica Lilac commented.
"So lovely," Royal Ribbon remarked.
"So perfect for my new advertisement," Hoity Toity pronounced.
Rough Rider and Photo Finish were able to watch the whole show from the makeup room. Photo Finish seemed to approve very much of Fluttershy's presentation and elegance. Rough Rider had to admit Fluttershy took well to modelling; she was like a natural at it.
At the very end of the fashion show, Fluttershy flashed a friendly grin at the audience, and she graciously sauntered off the stage. All the while, the ponies in the crowd robustly cheered her on.
When she was back in the makeup room, Fluttershy dropped the grin and breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Amazing, my dear!" Photo Finish praised her, "What a way to make a debut!"
Rough Rider gently patted Fluttershy on the back and spoke frankly "See? You've got what it takes to do this."
Fluttershy lightly shrugged and conceded "I guess you're right."
"So, you think you'll be able to continue this?" Rough Rider queried.
"I think I can," Fluttershy proclaimed, "At least, I hope I can."
"Well, I'll be by your side at all times," Rough Rider asserted, "You won't be alone in this thing."
Fluttershy was very grateful for that.
"Come!" Photo Finish interjected "We must ready you for your next appointment!"
"Next appointment?" Rough Rider repeated in perplexity.
"I arranged for photoshoot in the marketplace this afternoon," the light grayish cerulean mare enlightened him, "We hurry there now, lest we be late!"
"If you say so," the olive stallion acknowledged. He looked to the yellow mare and asked "You up for it, Fluttershy?"
The quiet Pegasus lightly nodded her head in acceptance.
Photo Finish then summoned her staff back to the dressing room, and they swiftly began preparing Fluttershy for the photoshoot.
While they busied themselves with that objective, Rough Rider saw this as an ideal opportunity to speak with Photo Finish about something. He trotted over to the fashion photographer and got her attention with "Pardon me, Miss Finish."
"Yes?" the light grayish cerulean mare uttered in response.
"Could I speak with you in private?" Rough Rider requested.
Photo Finish cocked her head and inquired in interest "What for?"
"I'd like to show you something," Rough Rider replied vaguely.
Photo Finish then grinned deviously and leered "You said you were married stallion."
"Huh?" Rough Rider mumbled in confusion. A few seconds later, he realized she was referring to what a mare and a stallion often did when they were alone, other than talk. Rough Rider slapped his forehead in exasperation and stated impatiently "Not that something."
"Oh, that for your wife's eyes only?" Photo Finish slyly presumed.
"Sure, yeah, whatever," Rough Rider answered, removing his hoof from his face, "I would love to drop this subject right now, if you don't mind."
"I'm just toying, Mr. Rider," Photo Finish assured him, "No need to take all I say so seriously."
"Well, I NEED you to be serious for a moment," the olive stallion proclaimed.
Photo Finish solemnly nodded her head, looked the stallion in the eye, and enquired "What do you want?"
Rough Rider was not entirely certain how to address the subject he wished to discuss with her, so he began tentatively with "As a fashion photographer, I would assume you're an expert on many different types of cameras."
"That is correct," Photo Finish affirmed, "All types, actually. Including ones that have been out-of-date for long time."
"Then I'd like to show you some photographs," Rough Rider pronounced, "Don't pay any mind to the ponies or objects IN the photographs. I just want to know if you can tell me anything about the photos themselves."
"Very well," Photo Finish agreed, "I will take a look."
Rough Rider then reached into his saddlebags and removed the photographs the task force had let him borrow. He carefully passed them along to the light grayish cerulean mare. As she looked through them, the olive stallion queried "Can you tell me anything about these pictures?"
"These pictures were taken by somepony experienced in photography," Photo Finish expounded, "Not experienced enough to be my level, but enough that they know how to properly handle cameras."
"What makes you say that?" Rough Rider asked.
"Everything about the picture is done just right," Photo Finish illuminated, "The lighting, the focus, the distance from the subjects, the lack of tilting or glare… definitely not the work of an amateur."
"So I see," Rough Rider pronounced, "Do you have any idea what type of camera was used?"
"I have more than idea," Photo Finish explicated, "I can tell you these were taken with a Kojak Plus."
"A what?" Rough Rider muttered.
"Kojak Plus," Photo Finish reiterated.
"Never heard of it," Rough Rider declared.
"No surprise," Photo Finish contended, "It's a very rare variety of camera. Most cities in Equestria do not sell it, and it's usually too expensive for all but the wealthy. Even so, it's very popular in my industry. I myself own two."
"I take it it's a very good camera?" Rough Rider assumed.
"One of the best," Photo Finish confirmed, "It is revolutionary in both design and capability."
"Is the Kojak Plus distinctive from other types of cameras?" the salespony inquired.
"Yes, in many way," the fashion photographer elucidated, "It is small, compact device. The lens is both adjustable and interchangeable. When used, the flash can hardly be seen by anypony but the user. The camera also comes with an auto-focus mode. But its main feature is its quick-frame setting. With that, it can take several pictures in rapid succession without any loss in quality or appearance. You won't find that on any other camera, I assure you."
Rough Rider was fascinated by how much Photo Finish was able to determine from these photographs, even though she was a professional in this field. Soon she gave him back the photographs, and he inquired "Where would be the best place to purchase a Kojak Plus?"
"Ideally, Manehattan or Chicacolt," Photo Finish professed, "They sell very well in Las Pegasus, too, but normally you have to order it instead of buying one in a store."
"Does the camera's city of origin make any real difference in its functionality?" Rough Rider asked her.
"No, I should say not," Photo Finish stated, "They've been in production for several years, and regardless of where Kojak Plus is sold, it is very good camera."
Rough Rider rubbed his chin and thought for a bit. Then he held up the photographs and questioned hopefully "Could it be possible to trace the camera that took these?"
"No, only if you have that specific camera's serial number," Photo Finish disclosed.
"Damn," Rough Rider mumbled in disappointment, "Oh, well. Thanks for your help anyway."
Photo Finish nodded her head. As Rough Rider returned the photographs to his saddlebag, the light grayish cerulean mare asked him "Why are you so interested in this anyway, Mr. Rider? What are those photographs about?"
"Just a personal matter," Rough Rider claimed bluntly, "You see, for various reasons, I'd like to meet the pony who took those photos, but I have no direct way of finding him or learning his identity. I was hoping I might be able to locate him through his photographs. I guess not, though."
"Alright," Photo Finish acknowledged, "Well, I hope you manage to find him."
"So do I," Rough Rider stated sincerely.
This conversation ended shortly before Photo Finish's staff finished preparing Fluttershy for her next appointment. Once she was ready, the yellow mare, the olive stallion, and the light grayish cerulean mare headed out to the marketplace. Her photoshoot there was just as big a hit as her debut in the fashion show.
That day officially marked the beginning of Fluttershy's career as a model. She only got bigger from there. Over the course of the next week, she progressively gained the notice of more and more of the city's population. Almost everywhere she went, somepony took pictures of her. Some of those pictures even wound up in newspapers, magazines, and advertisements. By the end of that week, she was already more famous and popular than most professional models.
Despite all this positive attention and admiration she was receiving, Fluttershy was still very averse to being in the spotlight. Photo Finish did little to ease the timid Pegasus' apprehension. All she did was constantly entice her to make "the magics." Either the fashion photographer did not notice her turmoil or she did not care.
On the plus side, Rough Rider continued to be a source of comfort for Fluttershy. He stayed by her side both when she was being ogled at by the public and when she was away from it. He knew what it was like to be under this kind of pressure. That was why he was wearing that legband, after all.
Remarkably, as a result of Fluttershy's fame, Rough Rider became somewhat popular, as well. That was hardly surprising, seeing as how he was with her almost everywhere she went. Quite a few ponies were eager to learn about the agent of the up-and-coming model.
A number of mares had even attempted to flirt with Rough Rider. Although some of them seemed nice and genuinely interested in him, he always turned them away by giving them this frank response: "Sorry, ladies, but I'm a married stallion. My wife loves and respects me dearly, just as I do her. Better luck next time."
Although Fluttershy and Rough Rider had been all over Canterlot that week, Sir Haywood McCrank spent almost all of that time in the railroad company's head office. Every day he left the office with one or two whole crates' worth of manifests. He only stopped collecting the manifests four times a day to get meals and sleep. So his week was considerably less exciting and eventful than his companions'.
One day, Fluttershy had been invited to attend the premiere of a certain motion picture in Las Pegasus. Naturally, Photo Finish had accepted the offer for her, but Fluttershy was actually eager to attend this event. Since this was not entirely a business-related one, Rough Rider did not have to accompany Fluttershy this time. That was fortunate for him, as Sir Haywood was unwilling to leave the city before his work at the railroad company was done.
Fluttershy had been in the company of Photo Finish and her encourage when they travelled to Las Pegasus. When Rarity found out her best friend would be attending the premiere, she had travelled all the way to Las Pegasus to surprise Fluttershy. The fashionista had worn the same hat she had worn when she met the fashion photographer, hoping that it might get her noticed again.
When Fluttershy and Photo Finish arrived at the theater, they received the full celebrity welcome. That included a ride in a limousine carriage, a long red carpet, and scores of ponies taking pictures. Rarity had been in the crowd at the time. She had tried to follow the yellow mare and the light grayish cerulean mare into the theater, but the security guard at the front entrance only let those two in. The white mare was left waiting at the entrance with the paparazzi. Rarity was left both shocked and angered.
By then, Fluttershy's fame had already extended well beyond Canterlot. Her face could be found on bulletin boards, clothing, and stores in nearly every city of Equestria. She became a popular icon in Ponyville, as well. Applejack and Rainbow Dash got permission to use Fluttershy to promote the farm and the weather makers respectively. Rarity was quite annoyed by these endorsements, but she did not say anything.
One would think that Rarity would have been happy for her best friend. She actually was, but she was also extremely jealous that she was not in Fluttershy's horseshoes. That was the whole reason why she had brought Photo Finish to Carousel Boutique in the first place.
While Sir Haywood McCrank was working in Canterlot, his colleagues in Ponyville were doing their best to further the investigation without him. They did not make a lot of progress that week, but Shakedown continuously assured them that they were in no rush, and that once the task force had the train manifests, they would be able to locate the Vermane soon after. He seemed confident to the point of complacency that his idea would work.
Outside of meetings, Shakedown never interacted with the other members of the task force. Noble Edict had offered to show him around town, and he had politely refused. Almond Wheeler and Rollin Fields had invited him to join them at the tavern, and he claimed he did not drink. Copper Hollow proposed that he introduce Shakedown to the mayor, and he turned him down, saying that he wished to keep a low profile in Ponyville.
A low profile was one thing, but it was as though Shakedown was determined to remain a complete mystery. It was amazing how reclusive and laconic this stallion was.
Bronze Star and Dread Naught tried several times to just get Shakedown to talk to them, and all he told them was that he was not one to engage in Smalltalk.
Even Dapple Rhomb did not mingle with the brownish-tan stallion. Bronze Star had asked her for some information about Shakedown, and the purple mare revealed that she and her husband did not know very much about their colleague, despite the fact that they had worked with him for years.
Before long, Bronze Star decided to just let Shakedown be, and he instructed the other members of the task force to give him some privacy. He doubted learning about the brownish-tan stallion's background would do much good in the long run, anyway.
During that same week, Bronze Star received two more letters from Canterlot.
The first one was from his mother. She had sent Bronze Star more details about her upcoming visit next month.
At the last meeting with the City Council, Bronze Star had informed the Mayor and her cabinet of Princess Celestia's impending trip to the town. He had told them that while it was meant to be a friendly get-together, Celestia had arranged to host a conference in Ponyville, as well. Naturally, Mayor Mare and the City Council were delighted to learn that Princess Celestia would be coming soon. They were also very interested to learn about this "conference" she planned on having.
Bronze Star explained it to them as best he could. Of course, at the time, even he did not have all the details on it. He did know the conference would be held between six companies who belonged to two business trios, and he knew that among them, there were two advertisement agencies, two insurance corporations, and two banking firms altogether. According to his mother, the purpose of the conference was to resolve a dispute between the two conglomerates. Bronze Star assured the Mayor that he would let her know the specifics of the conference once he had them.
This letter gave him those specifics. It told him everything he needed to know about the conference.
One of the business trios had been established in Canterlot. The other was founded in Manehattan.
The Canterlot-based trio was composed of an ad agency known as Uptown Mystique, an insurance corporation named MonuMarental, and a banking firm called Fabian.
The Manehattan-based trio consisted of an ad agency known as Radical Innovation, an insurance corporation named Landslide, and a banking firm called GrandiHorse.
Each of the six companies had been around for more than half a century, and their respective partnerships had been around for almost as long. So had their rivalry.
Up until then, their opposition had been strictly business-related. But recently, they had gone from being mere competitors in their industries to enemies on a personal level. Some ponies had been spreading some very alarming and disturbing rumors about all six companies' policies and methods. Each company had been accused of corruption and wide-scale embezzlement at least once. There had been no evidence to validate any of those claims, but those slanderous accusations had generated a lethal amount of friction between the two trios. All six companies had been planning to expand at the same time, but they were unable to go through with those plans until these issues had been fixed.
It had been decided that a conference needed to be held in order to resolve this dilemma once and for all. At this conference, they would decide what needed to be done. Princess Celestia explained that she had been asked to mediate the event because she was the only pony in the nation who had the authority, impartiality, and judgement to come up with a fair ruling for all parties involved.
She also revealed the reason why Ponyville had been selected as the sight for this conference. They had considered most of the major cities, but having the conference at any of them would have pushed the outcome of the meeting in the favor of one or more of the companies. However, none of the six companies had ever done any business in Ponyville. It was the closest thing they had to "neutral ground," so it had been decided that the conference would take place there.
Bronze Star could understand this reasoning. Over the years, he had helped his mother resolve several similar conflicts in Canterlot. Some of them were between delegates from other countries. Bronze Star had even handled a few of those disputes all by himself. That was probably why his mother had offered him the chance to partake in the conference, as well.
Princess Celestia wrapped up the letter by mentioning that she missed Bronze Star, and that she was looking forward to seeing him and Applejack together.
While Celestia was very wise, she was not omniscient. Her son had not told her anything about his breakup with his fillyfriend. Of course, if he did tell her, he would have had to tell her about the assassination conspiracy as well, and that was one thing that he was determined to avoid at all costs. However, if Bronze Star and Applejack were still apart when Celestia came to Ponyville, he would have to tell her what happened between them.
If that was not incentive enough to get Bronze Star to make things right with Applejack, the other letter was.
The second letter was from the Firebrand Regiment. A small package also came with this one. In the package were what appeared to be three empty, average-sized picture frames. One of them actually was just that. Bronze Star knew there was much more to the other two. A camera, sound system, and screen had been built into the frames. These were the very tools Bronze Star would use to identify the final conspirator.
The letter contained a set of instructions on how to operate the frames. Bronze Star made sure he read them carefully; he did not want to leave any room for uncertainty or vagueness. Once he had read them three whole times, he fully understood how the picture frames worked.
He was glad that the instructions were so thorough. Sure, Bronze Star was an educated stallion, and he knew plenty about magic, science, and the laws of nature. Even so, he was not very familiar on electricity, seeing as how it was relatively new in Equestria.
Still, he had no doubts that the frames would work. After all, they had been designed and built by Specialist Ruger, one of the greatest modern-day inventors. Ever since she started working for the defense department, she had created or helped create over a dozen breakthroughs in technology. In fact, she was the one who designed the legbands that Sir Haywood McCrank had put on Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb.
When he was done looking over the instructions, Bronze Star read the rest of the letter. It was mostly a bunch of tips and suggestions on how to plant one of the special picture frames in Esopus Spitzenburg's room, as well as how to use the other one to monitor all the activity. The Regiment had sent him a third, ordinary picture frame so that whenever he learned what he needed from Spitzenburg, Bronze Star would be able to sneak it into Spitzenburg's room sometime afterwards and replace the special picture frame with it. The Regiment emphasized the importance of this part; they had decided that there were too many risks associated with leaving either of the special picture frames behind in Appleoosa.
It looked as though everything was ready. Except for one critical factor. Bronze Star would not be able to get near Spitzenburg unless he went to Appleoosa. He could not go to Appleoosa unless he was invited, and the only pony who could invite him was Applejack.
He still did not know the nature of his relationship with the orange mare now. They had been apart for more than three weeks. In all that time, they had only spoken to each other on one occasion. Bronze Star was still apprehensive about whether or not it was still too soon to fix the situation with Applejack.
However, he now had three very good reasons to make amends with her. First, it would make his mother proud. Secondly, it would enable him to get close to Spitzenburg again. Third, and most importantly, he truly did love her. He could not imagine how much pain, shock, and anger he must have caused her when he told her about the assassination conspiracy. He hoped that somehow, he would be able to make everything right with Applejack and soon. If he did not, his mother's positive impression, the fate of Equestria, and his own self-respect would all be placed in jeopardy.
Nine days after Fluttershy began her profession as a model, she had completed all the activities and jobs Photo Finish had scheduled for her in Canterlot. The day before, Sir Haywood McCrank had finally amassed all the manifests on his list. So on the ninth day, the two of them returned to Ponyville, along with Rough Rider, Photo Finish, and her entourage.
As Rough Rider had predicted, between Sir Haywood's crates and Photo Finish's equipment, the storage car on the return train was very clustered. The train's staff almost had to utilize one of the passenger cars as secondary storage space.
Sir Haywood had let Bronze Star know in advance that he and the others were coming back to Ponyville that day. So the gold stallion and the rest of the task force – save for Shakedown – went to the train depot to wait for them.
The train got in shortly before noon. When Fluttershy saw how many ponies were gathered at the station, she became a little uneasy. She had been hoping to get a break from being the center of attention. Then she realized that most of those ponies were actually there for Sir Haywood. So for the moment, it looked as though she was getting a break from all the cameras.
As soon as Rough Rider stepped off the train, Dapple Rhomb trotted over to him and gave her husband an affectionate greeting, which he happily returned. He had spent so much time in dressing rooms this past week that he smelt of cosmetics and incense. But Dapple Rhomb was pleased to discover that he did not have the scent of another mare on him, meaning he had stayed totally faithful to his wife, despite all the "temptation" Bronze Star had mentioned.
Rarity had shown up at the station as well. She really wanted to congratulate Fluttershy on her success, but she wanted to gain the notice of Photo Finish even more. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to do either. Photo Finish only gave Fluttershy enough time to exchange pleasantries with the members of the task force. Once her entourage had their bags, their employer escorted them and the yellow mare away from the station. Rarity thought about following them, but she decided against it. So she chose to go back to Carousel Boutique, a note of frustration evident on her face.
Once they were gone, the members of the task force helped Sir Haywood McCrank with his cargo. In terms of personal effects, he and Rough Rider had only brought one suitcase apiece. However, he ended up taking enough train manifests to fill twelve large crates. Even so, he was hoping to get them all to the embassy in one trip.
Bronze Star was the strongest pony there; he was able to carry three crates on his back. Copper Hollow carried two, and the other seven members of the task force each carried one. Sir Haywood McCrank and Rough Rider also brought along their own suitcases.
A half-hour later, the group arrived at the embassy. They found Shakedown standing outside the front entrance of the building. From a distance, he seemed to be as stoic and indifferent as ever. But when Bronze Star got close enough, he saw a faint smile on the brownish-tan stallion's face. That was the second time he had seen Shakedown exhibit an indicative emotion.
"Excellent," Shakedown pronounced when the others were in earshot. He opened up the door to the embassy and held it open for the nine of them. His smile quickly receded and he requested firmly "Bring them to the meeting chamber. Then take a seat at the table."
One-by-one, the members of the task force stepped inside, signed in at the front, and carried his or her crate or crates to the meeting chamber. They pushed the crates against the walls, and then they each sat down in one of the chairs. Shakedown entered the room last. He closed the door and slowly trotted over to the short end of the table. There was a tense interval of silence that lasted until Shakedown took a seat in the chair opposite Bronze Star's; the mayor's chair.
"Alright, we got you what you asked for," Dread Naught proclaimed, "Now are you going to tell us what this is all about?"
"Yes, I shall, Agent Naught," Shakedown asserted. There was another short pause. Finally, the brownish-tan stallion spoke: "How do you think I got here?"
"You mean the embassy?" Almond Wheeler presumed.
"No, I mean 'here' as in Ponyville as a whole," Shakedown clarified.
"Well, by train, of course," Bronze Star professed, "Rough Rider said he met you there when you first arrived."
Shakedown nodded his head and asked rhetorically "Why do you think I took the train?"
"Because it's the fastest method of transportation in the country," Rollin Fields stated.
"Precisely," Shakedown affirmed, "Do you think everypony uses the train?"
"Well, some Pegasi may prefer flying," Dread Naught contended, "But since the only other alternatives are traveling on hoof or by wagon, I'd say train is by far the most popular method of travel in the country. So generally everypony uses the trains."
"Including the Vermane?" Shakedown inquired.
Dread Naught took a moment to think, and then he lightly shrugged and said "Yes, I suppose that would include the Vermane as well."
"Hence my reason for wanting the manifests," Shakedown declared. He stood up, trotted over to the nearest crate, picked it up, and placed it on top of the table. He announced to the others "We can use these to track the Vermane's movements."
"How?" Sir Haywood queried, "We don't know the names of any of the Vermane's members. We don't even have any potential suspects."
"We don't need any," Shakedown debated, "That information wouldn't be very useful, anyway. Unless you reserve a private cabin or request a specific seat, the stationmaster never asks for your name when you purchase a ticket."
"That'd certainly be an advantage for the Vermane," Copper Hollow perceived.
"Indeed," Shakedown conceded, "However, even though the railroad company does not take the names of everypony who gets on their trains, they have other means of keeping a record of the passengers."
"How so?" enquired Noble Edict.
"I'll show you," Shakedown proposed. He then removed the lid from the crate on the table and set it off to the side. Inside the crate was a large stack of folders, which contained the manifests. Shakedown removed the folder on the top of the pile. This one was dated thirty-seven years ago, and it belonged to a train that had travelled from Baltimare to Fillydelphia in the early afternoon.
Shakedown opened the folder and removed a short stack of papers. He held the pages up so the others could see the one on top. After ten seconds, he moved that page to the back of the stack so that he could show them the second one. Every ten seconds, he rotated the pages in this manner.
Each page contained a sketch of what looked like a train from an overhead perspective. The letters E, U, and P appeared on the left and right sides of the sketches frequently. Some of the letters were written in black ink; the rest in blue ink.
After he showed them the entire stack, Shakedown announced "Every time a train goes out, the staff makes a tally of how many ponies get on it. By that, I don't just mean the number of ponies. They keep tabs on how many of each race and each gender are on the train."
"They do?" Copper Hollow uttered in fascination.
"Uh-huh," Shakedown murmured frankly, "The easiest way to make notes of who's sitting where is by using a top-down sketch of the train. Before a train departs, the staff go through each car and mark the ponies in the corresponding seats with a very specific code. 'E' represents an Earth Pony, 'U' represents a Unicorn, and 'P' represents a Pegasus. The ones in black are male; the ones in blue are female."
"What's the point of all that?" Noble Edict mumbled in perplexity, "It seems somewhat discriminatory."
"I can understand why you might think that," Shakedown propounded, "However, this technique has been employed ever since the railroad company was created. They have good reasons for doing things like this."
"Such as?" Rollin Fields beckoned.
"Different types of ponies have different standards for the train's operations," Shakedown expounded, "For example, Pegasi may prefer speed, Unicorns may prefer comfort, and Earth Ponies may prefer durability. Also, males generally prefer a sociable staff and females typically prefer a courteous staff. If one train tends to be favored by a certain race or gender, the company adjusts that train's accommodations and crew accordingly."
"That actually makes sense," Bronze Star perceived, "But how does that help us?"
Shakedown looked to the indigo stallion and remarked "You said the Vermane conduct all their activities in groups of three. Right, Sir Haywood?"
"Yes," Sir Haywood confirmed, "One Earth Pony, one Unicorn, and one Pegasus; all male."
"Would it be reasonable to assume that whenever they go to a city to commit one of their murders, they go there together?" Shakedown conjectured, "And that they leave together after they've accomplished their work?"
"I never thought about that," Sir Haywood pronounced, "However, when you put it that way, I wouldn't be surprised at all if that was the case. After all, since they go after their victims together, it would follow that they travel to their destinations together, as well."
"I agree," Dread Naught muttered, "In fact, I would be surprised if they did it any other way."
"Then we're in luck," Shakedown announced, "Let's go over everything we've established so far. Trains are the most expedient way to move between cities, so we can assume that the Vermane frequently use them. We can also assume that they travel together. Regardless of where they sit on the trains, they must be catalogued just like the rest of the passengers. That's why I asked for these manifests."
"I think I see where you're going with this," Copper Hollow claimed, "Since the Vermane send three stallions – one from each major race – to carry out one of their operations, you believe that we can use that information to find out when they arrived in each city to conduct their crimes and when they subsequently left."
"Exactly," Shakedown coincided, "This is what I'm proposing. We need to look through all of these manifests for a black E, a black U, and a black P all in the same row. Every time we find that occurrence, we'll have an almost definite indication that the Vermane were on that train."
"And from there, we can establish a record of their movements," Bronze Star realized, a grin slowly appearing on his face.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Your Highness," Shakedown uttered approvingly, "After we've determined the comings and goings of the Vermane, we can search for patterns in their actions. Then we'll be able to track them to a specific city."
"I'm liking this plan," Dapple Rhomb declared giddily.
"So am I," Rough Rider stated, rubbing his front hooves together.
"It's certainly systematic," Dread Naught noted, "One thing, though. What would you advise we do once we've uncovered the Vermane's whereabouts?"
"That'll depend," Shakedown remarked.
"On what?" Noble Edict inquired.
"On what the prince decides," Shakedown explicated, looking to Bronze Star
The gold stallion raised an eyebrow and stated in bafflement "Why me?"
"I told you I'd help you find the Vermane," Shakedown recounted, "But you're still in charge of this investigation, sir. As such, their ultimate fate is up to you."
Bronze Star had to admit that was a fair point. Although he was now the youngest member of the task force, everypony looked to him for leadership. This was one instance where he was not entirely certain on how to proceed yet. Eventually, he gazed around at his companions and proclaimed "If and when we locate the Vermane, we should wait before we go after them. I mean, the Vermane's organization could be composed of hundreds of trained assassins. We're only ten ponies, and despite the fact that all of us have had advanced combat training, we only know how the Vermane behave on their missions. They may function quite differently at their base of operations. Until we know where they are and what they are doing, we shouldn't do anything reckless. So for now, let's just focus on finding them. Once we have, we'll decide what to do next."
"Works for me," Sir Haywood McCrank avowed. Everypony else gave mumbles of agreement, including Shakedown.
"First things first, though" Copper Hollow pointed out, "We have to actually locate the Vermane."
"Right," Noble Edict bluntly muttered. She looked around at the crates placed against the wall. Then she proposed "Well, we'd better get started."
"Yeah…" was all Bronze Star said in response.
There were twelve crates in that room; each one contained over a hundred manifests. Each manifest was around fifteen pages long, and as many as thirty symbols could be found on each page. Every one of the manifests needed to be thoroughly examined for one particular permutation.
All ten ponies were thinking the exact same thing. This was going to be a long week. Perhaps even a long month.
They did not waste any time with this endeavor, though. Shakedown removed nine more folders from the crate he had already opened and passed them around the table. They all proceeded to open and study their individual manifests carefully. They constantly kept their eyes open for a black E, a black U, and a black P in one row.
The first ten manifests did not yield this occurrence or any variation of it. So the task force put those manifests off to the side and went to work searching through the next ten manifests in the crate.
During this round, Dapple Rhomb turned to her husband and asked him how his trip to Canterlot was. At first, Rough Rider considered waiting until later to talk about that, but it turned out his wife was not the only pony who was curious to know about his experiences as Fluttershy's agent. Several more ponies there – including Bronze Star – were interested in the subject. So the olive stallion gave in and described the events from the past week.
He made sure to mention the conversation he had with Photo Finish immediately after Fluttershy's first fashion show. According to her, the photographs that had been sent by the Vermane to the task force had been taken by a very specific brand of camera known as the Kojak Plus. Photo Finish had described to it as a very rare and expense camera. The fact that the Kojak Plus was only available in Manehattan, Las Pegasus, and Chicacolt caught the interest of both Sir Haywood McCrank and Dread Naught. It implied that the Vermane might have had connections in one or more of those cities. The task force also knew now that they should keep an eye out for anypony in town who owned a Kojak Plus. Considering all the paparazzi that had recently arrived in Ponyville, they were bound to find somepony with one such camera sooner or later.
The second ten manifests did not contain any arrangement of the letters E, U, and P in black ink in a single row either.
However, when they studied the third batch of manifests, Rollin Fields notified the others that he had found something. He held up his manifest to show them that the letters P, U, and E had been written side-by-side in black in this train's fourth passenger car.
Sir Haywood asked for that train's date and intended destination. Rollin Fields looked it up, and he declared that this manifest belonged to a train that had travelled nonstop from Whinnyeapolis to San Horsé on a day in the fall of thirteen years ago.
Dread Naught checked his records of the Vermane's activities, and he announced that the day after that train arrived in San Horsé, a young mare had been found beaten to death in a warehouse. She was a promising young virtuoso who had made her debut on Bridleway not a month beforehand. Her death was a steep blow to the musical theater community, but the ponies who had invested in her training and career had been reimbursed three times over. That was how the Vermane made a profit in that scenario.
The arrival of that train coincided perfectly with the mare's murder. Now the task force had some proof to backup Shakedown's theory. They still needed to do a lot more research before they could draw any definite conclusions. At the very least, they had made a start.
The task force looked through thirty more manifests, and they found a black E, U, and P side-by-side in various orders two more times. The date of one of those manifests happened to be the day before the Vermane had committed a murder in that train's intended destination. The other manifest was from the day after the respective murder, and this time, the train had departed from the city of the murder. Obviously, that was the killers making their getaway.
Once they finished studying those sixty manifests, the first crate was half-empty. Sir Haywood proposed that they go ahead and call it a day. The meeting had already gone on for much longer than usual, and he did not wish to monopolize the others' time. After all, Noble Edict and her officers had their jobs in the security staff, Rough Rider needed to continue acting as Fluttershy's agent, Bronze Star had his responsibilities as Canterlot's ambassador, and Dapple Rhomb needed to function as his secretary. With that in mind, Haywood McCrank, Dread Naught, and Shakedown were the only ones who could devote their entire day to examining the manifests, and they would not make a lot of progress with just the three of them.
So the meeting ended there. Almond Wheeler, Rollin Fields, Copper Hollow, and Noble Edict headed back to the barracks, and Rough Rider left to find Fluttershy and Photo Finish. Sir Haywood McCrank, Dread Naught, and Shakedown all went upstairs to their quarters. Bronze Star and Dapple Rhomb got back to their usual work in the latter's office.
Later on, Shakedown proposed to Dread Naught and Haywood McCrank that they go ahead and continue looking over more of the manifests anyway. He argued that the more manifests they studied now, the sooner they would be able to track the Vermane and the less work they would leave for the rest of the task force. The two federal investigators did not have anything better to do, so they agreed to assist him.
By the late evening, they managed to finish looking through the remaining contents of the first crate. They found six more instances of E, U, and P in black ink in one row; all of them had been on the manifests of trains that had arrived in or departed from the town of one of the Vermane's murders within thirty-six hours of the crime. By this point, Shakedown was absolutely certain that his theory would work completely. This was definitely the biggest development the task force had made in the investigation into the Vermane.
Bronze Star was very pleased with how things were going. His mother would be visiting Ponyville in less than a month, he would get part in a very important conference, the final member in the assassination conspiracy would likely be revealed soon, and it would only be a matter of time before the Vermane were exposed.
There was, of course, one pressing matter that he had to attend to. He wanted and needed to mend his relationship with Applejack. Although he preferred to take this process slowly, it would be less than two weeks before she left for Appleoosa. So haste was of the essence.
Three times that week, Bronze Star attempted to go to Applejack to make things right.
The first time was the following morning. First he had a meeting with the mayor and City Council. There he apprised them of all the new information about Celestia's approaching visit and the business conference. They were happy to reserve accommodations for the Princess and the executives of Uptown Mystique, MonuMarent, Fabian, Radical Innovation, Landslide, and GrandiHorse.
After the meeting, Bronze Star left the embassy and intended to go straight to Sweet Apple Acres.
When he reached the town square, he came across Fluttershy and Rough Rider. Based on how busy the latter had implied they would be this week, this would be one of his few opportunities to talk to them. He decided to take advantage of it.
"Morning, Fluttershy, Rough," he greeted them.
"What's up, Bronze?" Rough Rider casually returned.
"Hi, Bronze," Fluttershy said softly, "Where you off to?"
"I'm going to see Applejack," Bronze Star tentatively replied, "Try to… you know… 'remedy' the situation with her."
Other than Noble Edict and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Fluttershy was the only pony in Ponyville who knew about the state of Bronze Star's relationship with Applejack.
"Oh, okay," Fluttershy avowed.
Rough Rider raised an eyebrow and queried "What situation?"
"Applejack and I used to be together," Bronze Star illuminated, "We were quite close. Unfortunately, she and I had a falling out shortly before you arrived in Ponyville. We've barely spoken to each other since then."
"Ah, yes," Rough Rider muttered frankly, "Having a fight with the mare you love is the worst. I'd know."
"That so?" Bronze Star stated in perplexity, "You and Dapple get along so well."
"We do most of the time," Rough Rider admitted, "But sometimes we strongly disagree on things. For example, I used to be very against the concept of settling down. Being a travelling salespony, I'm frequently on the road. Dapple put up with that for a long while, but then she gave me the idea to move into a house. I was concerned that living in one place would be bad for my business. Dapple was adamant though; she was getting sick of travelling to a new city every few weeks."
"How did you settle that conflict?" Fluttershy inquired.
"Let's just say there was a certain development that influenced me to change my mind," Rough Rider enlightened her.
Bronze Star could imagine that this development must have been the order from the vigilante group for Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb to move to Ponyville.
"At least everything worked out for you and Dapple," Bronze Star noted.
"Yep," Rough Rider commented, "Hopefully everything will work out for you and Applejack, too."
"I sure as Tartarus hope so," Bronze Star contended.
There was a short interval of silence, and then the gold stallion asked the yellow mare "How's the modelling going anyway, Fluttershy?"
"It's going fine," Fluttershy spoke quietly.
Bronze Star was not very convinced of that. He looked to Rough Rider for a more candid observation. The olive stallion disclosed "She still isn't very fond of all the attention."
"That doesn't surprise me," the young prince remarked, "Although you and she were in Canterlot all week, her face has been showing up on everything in town lately. Even though she's back, I don't think she'll be getting a lot of time to herself. In fact, I'm surprised she hasn't already been swarmed by adoring fans."
At that time, a few ponies were crowded around a nearby newsstand. Unsurprisingly, most of the magazines it carried had Fluttershy's picture on the cover. Shoeshine and Golden Harvest were among the stand's customers. When Bronze Star, Rough Rider, and Fluttershy passed by, Shoeshine happened to look up from her magazine and noticed the yellow mare.
She called out elatedly "It's Fluttershy!"
Rough Rider scoffed and thought aloud "Spoke much too soon."
Bronze Star nodded his head and he uttered softly "Run."
Fluttershy did not need to be told twice. She turned away from the newsstand and started trotting in the opposite direction. Rough Rider and Bronze Star trotted with her.
Straightaway, Golden Harvest, Shoeshine, and the stand's over customers began chasing after them. Fluttershy and the two stallions soon quickened their pace to a gallop.
When they reached the end of the block, they turned onto the next street. There they bumped into a whole mob of paparazzi. All of them began snapping pictures of Fluttershy and shouting excitedly at her.
It looked as though the three ponies were cornered on the ground. Luckily, Fluttershy was able to use her wings to ascend into the air. Shortly after, she encountered three Pegasi in the sky who were wearing camera extenders on their shoulders. This allowed them to take several pictures of the timid Pegasus while airborne.
When Fluttershy regained her bearings, she hastily flew away from the scene. Bronze Star and Rough Rider watched as she tried in vain to evade the crowds. They tried to keep up with her while on the ground.
"They don't know when to quit," Rough Rider commented edgily.
"That IS the defining aspect of paparazzi," Bronze Star contended
"True," Rough Rider concurred, "We gotta get her out of here."
"Yeah, and I know just the place," Bronze Star thought aloud.
He led Rough Rider all the way to Carousel Boutique. By the time Fluttershy reached that part of town, she had managed to temporarily shake off the paparazzi.
"Fluttershy, over here!" Bronze Star yelled.
The yellow mare hastily flew over to the gold stallion and the olive stallion. Then she pushed open the door to Carousel Boutique and stepped inside. Bronze Star and Rough Rider entered right after her.
Presently, Rarity was in the front room. She was in the process of using her sewing machine to construct a dress. Noble Edict was standing close to her.
When she heard the door bell ring, the white Unicorn stopped what she was doing and looked over her shoulder. She saw Fluttershy crouching at the entrance of the store. She was clearly trying to hide from the paparazzi.
She did not have much luck. Even though Bronze Star and Rough Rider were standing in front of the door to prevent it from being opened, a few ponies with cameras appeared at the windows and took several pictures of the yellow mare in her vulnerable state.
Rarity took a few steps closer to her best friend and pronounced tensely "Wow. Look how popular you are. I'm so excited for you. You must be having the best time ever."
"Oh, yes," Fluttershy apprehensively murmured as she approached her best friend, "Best time ever..."
"Welcome to my life," Bronze Star wryly remarked, "This is a lot like what I had to put up with every time I went outside the castle. Then again, at least I had the Royal Guard to keep some space between me and everypony else."
The ponies outside continued to take pictures of Fluttershy. After a bit, Rough Rider sighed in annoyance, gazed outside, and shouted "Don't you people have anything better to be doing? Buck off!"
The paparazzi could hear him quite clearly, even through the glass. They seemed shocked by that outburst, but they wisely chose to follow that suggestion. Within twenty seconds, they were nowhere to be seen.
"They're gone now," Rough Rider notified the others.
"Yeah, but they'll be back," Bronze Star claimed, "Never underestimate the stubbornness of the paparazzi."
"What am I going to do?" Fluttershy mumbled hopelessly.
"You could file a restraining order against the entire town," Noble Edict cheekily advised.
"That sounds a little extreme," Rough Rider refuted.
"I was joking," the red mare stated drily.
"Well, we'll think of something," Bronze Star contended, "Those ponies really need to understand the concept of personal space."
A few seconds later, the door bell rang again. The five ponies looked to the entrance, and they saw Photo Finish was standing there.
"Floottershy!" the light grayish cerulean mare declared, rushing into the building, "I have been looking for you everywhere. We have the thing at the place."
Clearly, Photo Finish was not asking or suggesting for Fluttershy to accompany her. The yellow mare turned to Rarity and proposed "I'll see you at the spa? Our usual time?"
"Of course!" Rarity responded happily, "I can't wait to hear all about the... 'thing at the place.'"
"Guess I better come along," Rough Rider thought aloud. He said to Bronze Star "I'll meet you tomorrow, then?"
"Yeah, for the 'other thing' at the 'other place,'" Bronze Star said jokily, referring to the next task force meeting at the embassy.
"Right," Rough Rider acknowledged, smirking.
Fluttershy stood in the doorway of the building while she waited for the olive stallion. A moment later, Photo Finish grabbed the yellow mare and pulled her outside. Rough Rider followed them, closing the door behind him.
Right then, Rarity, Noble Edict, and Bronze Star were the only ponies left in the building.
Rarity grumbled in frustration, saying "I'm the one who should be mobbed by strangers wherever I go."
"That's not a thing people usually yearn for," Noble Edict sardonically uttered.
"Maybe you and Fluttershy could switch places for a day," Bronze Star slyly suggested.
"No, I don't want to deprive her of something she worked so hard for," Rarity proclaimed.
"Glad to know you care so much," Noble Edict perceived.
"Of course, I do," Rarity asserted, "Fluttershy's my best friend. I want her to be happy."
Bronze Star and Noble Edict could respect a reason like that. After another short pause, the gold stallion spoke to the red mare "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here, Noble?"
"My aunt's got a birthday coming up," Noble Edict disclosed, "She has a fondness for fancy clothing. So I asked Rarity to design a dress for her."
"Oh, how thoughtful," Bronze Star told her approvingly.
"Thanks," Noble Edict rejoined, smiling, "My aunt deserves only the best."
"And the best she'll have," Rarity insisted.
The white Unicorn was about to resume working on the ensemble for Noble Edict's aunt. Just before she could, the door bell rang yet again.
Rarity promptly turned to the entrance and announced "Welcome to Carousel Boutique!"
This time Bon Bon and Berry Punch had entered the building. The former of them uttered eagerly "Is she still here? We heard Fluttershy was here."
Once again, she was speaking in a different voice. This one suited her a lot better than the one she used when Apple Bloom tried to sell her apples.
"Sorry; you just missed her," Rarity bluntly stated. She then approached a rack of her finest outfits in the room and declared "But you're still in luck. I'm having a huge sale of some of my best designs."
Bon Bon and Berry Punch looked at each other, as though they were baffled. They then turned back to Rarity, and Bon Bon queried "And you are...?"
"Rarity, of course," the fashionista proudly responded, standing tall and straight.
"Never heard of you," the beige mare claimed.
That statement greatly irritated Rarity. She frowned angrily and skulked back to her sewing machine.
Berry Punch left the boutique. Right before Bon Bon could follow her, a thought occurred to Bronze Star. He called out "Hey, Bon Bon. You got a moment?"
"A moment for what?" Bon Bon inquired, looking back at him.
"Oh, I've found myself in a sweet mess," Bronze Star revealed. "I need to drop a few things to fix it."
Those two sentences seemed to catch the beige mare's attention. She nodded and professed "Alright, I can help you out."
"Good," Bronze Star commented. He turned to the red mare and murmured "Noble, I'd like to talk with you, too."
"Umm, okay," the chief of security conceded in bewilderment.
Bronze Star, Noble Edict, and Bon Bon exited Carousel Boutique together, leaving Rarity alone to do her work and sulk over her misfortune.
"Where we going?" Bon Bon asked.
"The barracks," Bronze Star replied, "I'll explain when we get there."
The three ponies trotted in silence for a while. At one point, Bronze Star turned to Bon Bon and stated "'Never heard of you?' Really?"
Bon Bon grinned cockily and presumed "Too much?"
"Yeah," Bronze Star affirmed, smirking, "Keep it believable."
"Yes, sir," the beige mare asserted.
Noble Edict raised an eyebrow and queried "Am I missing something?"
"Yep, but it's not your fault," Bon Bon insisted.
"Like I said, I'll explain at the barracks," Bronze Star claimed.
About ten minutes later, they got to the barracks. Inside the building, Bronze Star guided the two mares to a holding cell. He beckoned Bon Bon "Look inside."
Noble Edict knew the relevance of this particular holding cell. Before the beige mare could move, the red mare hastily queried "What are you doing, sir?"
"Don't worry, Noble," Bronze Star asserted, "Everything's fine."
Noble Edict was intrigued, but she decided not to question the prince. So she let him proceed.
There was a slot on the door to the holding cell. Bon Bon slid it open and peered inside.
She saw a creature with the body of a snake and the head of a chicken. It was the cockatrice Bronze Star and Noble Edict had captured in the Everfree Forest a few weeks ago. They had been keeping it here ever since then. It was still blindfolded, and it seemed much less aggressive than it used to be.
"Ah, a cockatrice," Bon Bon remarked, grinning deviously. She turned to Bronze Star and told him "You came to the right mare, sir. This is one of my specialties."
"'Specialties?'" Noble Edict repeated, "In your line of work?"
"In one of them," Bon Bon replied, "I haven't always been a voice actress or a sweetshop worker."
"You see, I'm not the only pony in town with a secret identity, Noble," Bronze Star disclosed.
Noble Edict was lost by this point. "Okay, now I'm confused."
Bronze Star just smirked, placed his front hoof on the beige mare's shoulder, and pronounced "Noble, allow me to reintroduce you to my associate Special Agent Sweetie Drops."
Noble Edict did not know what to expect, but definitely not that. However, she had come to except a few surprises ever since she became affiliated with Bronze Star. She said in interest "She's a special agent?"
"Used to be," Bon Bon elucidated, "Years ago, I worked for a covert organization known as the Office of Paranormal and Supernatural Happenings in Canterlot. We were tasked with monitoring and controlling all monster activity in Equestria. Despite being a relatively young organization, we were very efficient with our work. I was one of the Office's best agents. It was a dangerous job, but I was proud to do it."
"Why'd you leave it?" Noble Edict enquired.
"Because I had no choice," Bon Bon uttered simply.
"One day, a creature known as the Bugbear escaped from Tartarus," Bronze Star continued for her, "It got away all because of a single error the Office's board of directors made. If word got out that the Office allowed the Bugbear to flee, it would have caused irreparable damage to the government's image. My mother decided that we had no choice but to permanently shut down the organization. Within days, it was completely dissolved. The records were burned, the headquarters was condemned, and the personnel was dismissed."
"All because of one mistake?" Noble Edict noted in astonishment.
"One is all it takes," Bon Bon professed, "Anyway, most of my colleagues from the Office were absorbed by the Intelligence Bureau. The organization's executives and top members – including me – were relocated for our protection. We were given new identities and new backgrounds. I was able to start anew in Ponyville, mainly thanks to my ability to blend in."
"No wonder your voice changes every time you talk," Noble Edict observed wryly.
"Yeah, my vocal range was one of the reasons why I did so well at undercover work," Bon Bon expounded, "It also helped me land that job as a voice actress."
"Cool," Noble Edict remarked. After a momentary pause, she gazed over at Bronze Star and stated "So, if you know who Bon Bon really is, does that mean she…?"
"Yeah, she knows I normally have wings and a horn," Bronze Star confirmed, "With all the strange creatures that visit this town, I found it ideal to have an expert on monsters close-by. One who I could go to at a moment's notice. Luckily I knew Sweetie Drops was living in Ponyville even before I moved here. So about five months ago, I told her the truth about 'Ambassador Gold Streak.'"
"I still can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner," Bon Bon interjected.
"To avoid compromising Sweetie Drops' cover, I've been pretending to know almost nothing about her," Bronze Star enlightened the red mare, "I even convinced Twilight Sparkle and Applejack that I was unaware of her friendship with Lyra Heartstrings and her career as a voice actress respectively."
"I'd say you did an excellent job of maintaining her secret," Noble Edict contended, "But if she doesn't work for the government anymore, why are you telling her about the cockatrice?"
"Even though the Office is no longer around, its former employees are still obligated to keep the country safe from all monsters," Bon Bon explained. She gestured to the creature in the holding cell and muttered "Take this one, for instance. I put down quite a few cockatrices during my time with the organization. Do you need me to get rid of this pest, Your Highness?"
"In one sense of the term," Bronze Star answered her, "I don't want you to dispose of him. Not yet, at least. For now, I just need you to take him somewhere where he'll be isolated from the townsfolk. Make sure it's someplace he can't escape from and someplace we could find him at any time."
"I know just the place to put him," Bon Bon disclosed, "Let me just get my equipment, and I'll get right on it."
"Great," Bronze Star remarked in approval.
Noble Edict was slightly astounded by how Bon Bon was so willing to do this task without hesitation. She murmured "You don't even want to know what he's doing here or how we managed to capture him?"
"What good would that information do me?" Bon Bon countered, "I can get the job done, no questions asked,"
"Nice," was all Noble Edict said in response, smiling.
The beige mare then turned around and galloped down the hallway. Noble Edict and Bronze Star watched her as she moved. Once she was gone, the red mare informed the gold stallion "Are you sure Sweetie Drops is her real name? I mean, I remember seeing Bon Bon at a party in Ponyville about ten years ago. She was a filly at the time, and I was a teenager. I could have sworn she went by the name Bon Bon then."
"Well, the Office of Paranormal and Supernatural Happenings recruited its members at a very young age," Bronze Star expounded, "Her visit to Ponyville may have been part of her initiation, where she was tested on her ability to blend in and interact with the locals."
"That would make sense," Noble Edict agreed, "So how many other ponies in town know her real name?"
"None," Bronze Star firmly replied, "Just you and me. Her former life is a secret from every single pony in this town."
"Even Lyra?" Noble Edict asked.
"Yes, even her best friend doesn't know she used to be on the government's payroll," Bronze Star affirmed, "She'd prefer to keep it that way. She doesn't want Lyra to think that her best friend is a totally different pony from the one she knows."
"I'm sure you can understand her worries, considering…" Noble Edict began sheepishly. She would have continued, but she did not. She soon looked as though she wished she did not say that last word.
"Considering my own relationship problems?" Bronze Star presumed.
"Well, yeah…" the red mare stated awkwardly.
"You got me there," Bronze Star mumbled drily.
Oddly enough, this whole affair had started out with Bronze Star trying to go to Sweet Apple Acres to fix the dilemma with Applejack. With everything he had been through that morning and all the work he had to do at the embassy later on, he did not feel like going through with his plan to speak with Applejack just yet. He decided to put that task off for a day or two.
A few minutes later, Bon Bon returned with a kennel and a suitcase. When she reached the gold stallion and the red mare, she instructed the latter "Noble, open the cell."
Noble Edict removed a key from her belt and used it to unlock the holding cell. When she opened the door, the cockatrice squawked loudly, but it made not menacing movements.
Bon Bon told Noble Edict and Bronze Star "You guys can leave this to me. I'll erase any trace that the cockatrice was here, and I'll move him to a safe, undisclosed location. If you either of you need it to be 'disclosed,' just come to me and I'll take you to him."
"Sounds good to me," Bronze Star avowed, "That work for you, Noble?"
"Definitely," the chief of security proclaimed, "I'm just glad to finally be rid of this nuisance. My staff was starting to get a little too curious about what was in this cell. I had to keep inventing excuses on why I had it sealed off. At least now I can reopen it, and they can stop asking questions."
"That's a relief," Bronze Star uttered candidly.
The gold stallion and the red mare left the beige mare to her work. They chose to carry on with their day. Noble Edict went back to Carousel Boutique to pick up that dress for her aunt, and Bronze Star headed back to the embassy.
So that was the first of Bronze Star's three attempts to reconcile with Applejack. It was a total fail. He never went even close to her.
He made the second attempt two days later. He had spent most of the previous day in the meeting chamber of the embassy, sorting through more manifests. The task force had gone through another whole crate of them, and they had located fourteen more instances of the letters E, U, and P in black ink in one spot. All fourteen pointed directly to the Vermane. There was still no pattern to the manifests, but then again, the task force had only just begun examining them.
Bronze Star was relieved to get outside the next day. While he was outdoors, he tried again to speak to Applejack. He recalled that on this time of the week, the orange mare usually spent most of the morning and early afternoon selling her apples in town. He headed off to the market, hoping to find her at her stall.
When he got to the market, the apple stall was open, but nopony was running it. Bronze Star was a little irritated, but he was not about to give up so easily. He decided to linger in the area until Applejack showed up.
After waiting there for about a half-hour, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rough Rider entered the vicinity. The yellow mare was wearing a large hat and a pair of shades. For some reason, nopony was taking pictures of her or stalking her.
Bronze Star spotted the three ponies when they approached the apple stall. They each gave him a friendly nod of recognition.
"Hey, guys," he hailed them cordially. He turned to the Pegasus and asked "What's with the getup? Is it part of your next photoshoot?"
"No, it's a disguise," Fluttershy revealed.
"She's trying to throw off the paparazzi," Rough Rider elaborated.
"With a hat and a pair of sunglasses?" Bronze Star uttered scathingly.
"Well, it IS working," Twilight Sparkle pointed out, "Nopony's following us or getting in our way."
"I can see that," Bronze Star commented, still speaking with a note of both sarcasm and amusement, "So, that's all it takes to evade the public's notice? Just a hat and a pair of sunglasses? Why didn't I think of that when I first came here?"
"Your situation was a little different, sir," Rough Rider perceived.
"Debatable," Bronze Star conceded, "Anyway, are things going well with Photo Finish?"
"They are for me," Rough Rider responded, "As for Fluttershy… not so much."
"I'm actually starting to dread it," Fluttershy revealed.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Bronze Star stated apologetically.
"It's not your fault," Fluttershy assured him, "Still, I hope there's some way for me to get out of this."
Bronze Star was a little surprised by that. While he knew Fluttershy was not too comfortable with the modelling, he would not have guessed that she flat-out despised it. Clearly, Twilight Sparkle and Rough Rider were aware of her displeasure, though.
"I was just thinking," Twilight thought aloud, "If you really don't like being a model, you could always quit."
"Oh, no," Fluttershy sternly countered, "I could never do such a thing. Rarity would be devastated."
"But Rarity told me..." Twilight began. Before she could continue, Pinkie Pie burst out of the pile of apples in the apple stall, causing Twilight to gasp in alarm.
The pink mare eyed the lavender mare closely. She slowly picked up one of the apples and took a large bite out of it. She chewed it very slowly in an almost frightening manner. Overtime, her façade became less intimidating, and she seemed more interested in the apple than Twilight. When she swallowed, she uttered happily "Mmm... Juicy!"
Twilight Sparkle moaned angrily. Bronze Star was not certain what was going on, but if he had to guess, the magic student was under some type of duress from Pinkie Pie. What baffled him was how Pinkie Pie had just appeared underneath the pile of apples like that. Bronze Star had been standing by the apple cart for the past thirty minutes, and he had not even seen Pinkie since well before then. So either she had been hiding under the pile of apples that whole time, or she had somehow materialized underneath them. Either way, he was amazed.
As the pink mare continued to eat her apple, Bronze Star, Fluttershy, Rough Rider, and Twilight Sparkle trotted further down the street. They were still looking for a solution to Fluttershy's dilemma.
"As your agent, I could negotiate with Photo Finish to get you out of your contract," Rough Rider offered.
"No, that'd have the same bad result as straight-up quitting," Fluttershy perceived.
"Maybe you could demand that Rarity be added to Photo Finish's entourage," Twilight Sparkle proposed, "You know, as a wardrobe designer or something."
"Bad idea," Bronze Star refuted, "Photo Finish doesn't take kindly to demands, and she doesn't let anypony join her entourage unless she wants them there. If Rarity really had anything that impressed Photo Finish that much, she would have invited her into her group by now."
"And she hasn't," Rough Rider noted, "Guess Rarity won't be working with us anytime soon."
"Then what should we do?" Twilight Sparkle inquired.
"I haven't a clue," Bronze Star replied, "I deal in politics, not fashion."
"Oh, if only all these ponies didn't like me so much," Fluttershy commented dismally, "Photo Finish wouldn't want me to model anymore. She'd find somepony else with... the magic!"
When she said those last two words, she dramatically raised her hoof in the air to imitate Photo Finish.
"I guess you're right," Twilight Sparkle muttered in agreement. There was a short pause, and then the lavender mare seemed to get an idea. She brightened up and jumped up and down as she ecstatically cheered "You're right. You're right, you're right, you're right!"
During her bout of joy, she accidentally knocked off Fluttershy's hat and sunglasses.
As if on cue, Gala Appleby yelled "It's Fluttershy!"
Almost immediately, every pony in the vicinity rushed towards the yellow Pegasus and tried to get her picture. Before they were surrounded, Bronze Star, Rough Rider, and Twilight Sparkle hastily escorted Fluttershy out of the area.
After about twenty minutes of running, the four ponies managed to ditch the crowd of crazy fans. Once they were certain they had safely gotten away, Rough Rider and Bronze Star asked Twilight Sparkle what exactly Fluttershy had been right about.
The lavender mare explained that she had come up with a solution for how they could get Fluttershy out of the modelling gig for good. In a nutshell, all she had to do was give a terrible performance at her next fashion show. Twilight's theory was that if Fluttershy acted crude and repulsive in front of a crowd, she would lose her appeal as a model, and Photo Finish would fire her soon after.
Rough Rider, Bronze Star, and Fluttershy actually thought this was a clever scheme.
However, there were a few factors that needed to be accounted for. Namely, Fluttershy was so nimble and poised that she literally could never intentionally behave vulgarly. However, Twilight Sparkle was well-known for being adept at magic. If she concentrated enough, she could use her magic to control the yellow mare's actions while she was on stage.
In order for this to work, Twilight Sparkle needed to be present at Fluttershy's next fashion show. She would also need to be close to the Pegasus at all times. Rough Rider declared that he would be able to convince Photo Finish to let the lavender mare come backstage at the event. He just had to claim it was a personal request from Fluttershy.
Twilight felt this ploy would work best if as many high-status ponies as possible attended the show. A negative opinion from enough of them would pretty much guarantee that Fluttershy's career would be over before she left the room. Bronze Star proposed that he could use his influence to convince a number of the Canterlot Elite to appear at the fashion show. Their word carried a lot of weight in the capital city and the rest of the nation. Anypony who was on bad terms with all of them could never hope to become prestigious in any city.
Fluttershy's next fashion show was scheduled to take place at the Ponyville Theater. That gave the four ponies plenty of time to ensure that it would be a disaster.
Twilight Sparkle, Rough Rider, Fluttershy, and Bronze Star spent over an hour working out the details of the affair. When they were finished plotting, they had devised a surefire technique that would virtually guarantee that Fluttershy would never be asked to model anything ever again.
Later on, Rough Rider and Fluttershy met up with Photo Finish and persuaded her to let Twilight Sparkle go backstage at her next fashion show. Twilight's position as Princess Celestia's apprentice helped sway the fashion photographer's decision.
Twilight Sparkle was so thrilled about how ingenious and daring her plan was that she felt the urge to tell somepony about it. But she wanted to tell somepony who could be discreet about it. Ultimately, she decided to tell Pinkie Pie, as she could not deny the pink mare was excellent at keeping secrets.
As soon as he got back to the embassy, Bronze Star contributed his part of the plan. First he had Dapple Rhomb compose a simple letter. In it, he extended an invitation for an unnamed individual to come to Ponyville to witness the performance of a rising star in the fashion industry.
Dapple Rhomb only needed to write one letter. Once she was finished, Bronze Star took the letter and brought it to Twilight Sparkle so she could use her magic to make about fifty copies of it. Then he addressed each copy to a different member of the Canterlot Elite. After that, he signed the letters and marked them with the royal seal. That way the Canterlot Elite would know they came from him.
Of course, Bronze Star knew he could not mail the letters directly from the embassy. If he did, he would easily give away that he was in Ponyville. Luckily, he had a solution.
The gold stallion stopped by the post office and bought their largest envelope, along with a few dozen regular-sized envelopes. Then he went back to the embassy, headed up to his bedroom, and wrote a letter to Lord Bellerophon. He explained the situation with Fluttershy in detail. Once he composed it, he inserted each of the invitations into one of the smaller envelopes and addressed it to the respective intended member of the Canterlot Elite. After that, he stuffed all the small envelopes into the large one, along with the letter to Lord Bellerophon.
His plan was that once the large envelope arrived in Lord Bellerophon's office, the palomino Pegasus would mail the other letters from there. That way, the Canterlot Elite would believe that the invitations had in fact originated from the castle. It was a foolproof plan.
Bronze Star knew full well that he was fundamentally asking the Canterlot Elite to waste a whole day in Ponyville just to see an ill-fated fashion show, but that did not bother him. In his opinion, most of them deserved to experience such an inconvenience.
On the downside, Bronze Star had been unable to find time to speak with Applejack that day. His second attempt to make things right had been just as unsuccessful as the first. He was too busy with Twilight's plan, the task force meetings, and his own obligations as ambassador to find any opportunity over the next two days, as well.
However, on the third day, he made his third attempt. But before he did that, Twilight Sparkle put her plan into motion.
More than four dozen of the Canterlot Elite had arrived in town over the past couple days. All of them were present at the Theater for the fashion show. Bronze Star himself did not appear there; he did not wish to risk the possibility that any of them would recognize him. However, Rough Rider managed to get him into the dressing room so he could hear about the show's aftermath.
Rough Rider also convinced Photo Finish to view the show from the ground with the other attendees. That way, she would not be backstage, and by extension, she would not see Twilight Sparkle using her magic.
Finally, the big moment arrived. Ponies could be heard chattering all over the room. Fluttershy was a little anxious, but if bungling the show meant she could stop being a model, she was willing to go through with it.
A couple minutes before the show was supposed to start, Fluttershy emerged from the dressing room in a beautiful gown. Her mane had been styled and her makeup had been fully applied. Ponies could be heard chattering on the other side of the curtain.
Fluttershy approached Twilight Sparkle and asked her "You really think it'll work?"
"They love you for being you," the lavender mare contended, "So all I have to do is make you not be you. Just leave it to me."
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. A moment later, music started playing, and the yellow mare passed through the curtains. Everypony watched her in awe.
If she looked closely, she would have spotted Rarity at the very back of the crowd. The white Unicorn had decided brought herself to appear at this fashion show. She had chosen to wear her fanciest dress and headpiece, hoping it would get her noticed. She mumbled under her breath "Guess it's time to see what all the fuss is about."
As Fluttershy proceeded down the walkway, Twilight Sparkle peered around the curtain to monitor the scene. When the yellow mare was in just the right position, Rough Rider signaled Twilight Sparkle by waving his hoof.
When she saw the olive stallion's signal, the lavender mare worked her magic. Literally.
She started by making Fluttershy trip. That alone caused the DJ to stop the music. A number of ponies gasped in shock.
Next, Twilight caused Fluttershy to produce noises like a hen, raise her backside much higher than the front of her body several times, and collapse onto her stomach.
That was enough to make Photo Finish faint.
Twilight was just getting warned up. She then willed Fluttershy to drag her body across the ground with her wings extended. Then without any warning, she flipped her over and caused her to fly upside down with her legs flailing all over the place.
After that, Twilight put Fluttershy on her hooves, and she made her pick her muzzle. That just downright disgusted the audience.
Twilight was really getting creative by that point. She decided to make Fluttershy behave like a dog. She willed her to scratch her ear with her right hind hoof, shake her head violently, and bark loudly.
Even Rarity could not believe what she was seeing. She murmured "Oh no."
Twilight Sparkle wrapped up the show by making Fluttershy stand on her hind legs and bray like a sheep.
That was about all the audience could take.
"Get her off the stage!" Golden Harvest demanded.
"She's an embarrassment to all things fashion!" Lemon Hearts yelled.
Photo Finish had gotten back on her hooves by then. She uttered in disappointment "I, Photo Finish, have made a terrible mistake!"
If she turned to her right at that very moment, she would have seen a wide grin on Rough Rider's face. Twilight Sparkle was smiling in satisfaction as well.
They were the only ones who seemed pleased with what was going on. Everypony else was booing Fluttershy. Or rather, almost everypony else.
Even though she had been extremely envious of Fluttershy's success, Rarity could not bear to see her best friend be shamed like that. She felt a rush of sympathy which incited her to clap her hooves and shout "Bravo! I say bravo!"
At that, everypony ceased their catcalls and listened to the out-of-place cheering.
"Bravo?" Lyrica Lilac muttered incredulously, "Who could possibly say bravo to that horrid display?"
"Such attitude!" Rarity proclaimed merrily, "Such pizzazz! She's invented an entirely new kind of modeling! Bravo!"
"Who is saying these things?" Lyrica Lilac queried.
"It's her," Royal Ribbon declared, pointing out Rarity, "The Unicorn in the gorgeous cape and headdress."
Everypony looked over at the white Unicorn. They were very impressed by her current appearance. Lyrica Lilac pronounced "Now that is a pony who clearly knows a thing or two about fashion. Well, if that fabulous pony likes it, then I do too! Bravo!"
She began heartily cheering for Fluttershy. Soon Royal Ribbon and the rest of the audience joined in. Everypony there was giving her praise. Except for Rough Rider and Twilight Sparkle. The olive stallion rolled his eyes and lavender mare stared in utter disbelief. The roles from earlier were totally reversed. In less than one minute, Twilight Sparkle's plan had completely backfired.
Fluttershy could do nothing but moan in misery.
Less than an hour later, Fluttershy, Rough Rider, and Twilight Sparkle were gathered in the dressing room. The yellow mare had already gotten undressed, she had wiped off her makeup, and her mane was in its usual style. The three ponies had been telling Bronze Star about what had happened in the fashion show. He seemed just as astounded as they were.
"They changed their minds, just like that?" he commented in astonishment.
"Yeah," Rough Rider affirmed, "One moment, they were practically ready to kick Fluttershy out of the building. The literal next, they were showering her with admiration."
"I still don't get it," Twilight Sparkle muttered, "We did everything just wrong. I mean, everything."
"Where did we go right?" Fluttershy enquired.
"We neglected to account for the Canterlot Elite's weakness for conformity," Bronze Star observed, "That's how Rarity was able to get them to change their minds so easily."
"Then let's make sure she doesn't come next time," Rough Rider proposed.
"Next time?" Twilight Sparkle snapped, "There won't be a 'next time.' That was our only shot."
"She's right," Bronze Star coincided, "Now that Fluttershy's got the approval of the Canterlot Elite, it'll be nearly impossible to discredit her."
Fluttershy groaned at that revelation. "This is awful. Just awful! Somehow I've become more popular than ever. Oh, I'm so frustrated I could just kick something!"
She was standing directly in front of a vase at that time. She gave it a kick with her hind legs. All she did was make it wobble in place for a few seconds, and then it immediately returned to its original position. Bronze Star and Rough Rider both chuckled slightly.
"If only Rarity didn't want me to be a model so badly," Fluttershy thought aloud.
Twilight Sparkle seemed extremely aggravated by that remark. She muttered "Ugh! But Rarity...!"
Suddenly, she cut herself off by sticking her front hoof in her mouth. She drew looks of confusion from the other three ponies.
As Twilight extracted her hoof from her mouth, the door to the dressing room opened and Rarity appeared. She had gotten undressed, as well. She stated in concern "Fluttershy! Are you all right?"
"I'm great!" Fluttershy insisted in an unconvincing tone, "I'm a super famous fashion model. Why wouldn't I be great?"
"Because you ha...!" Twilight Sparkle spoke. Before she said another word, she covered her mouth with both front hooves and sank onto her stomach.
Fluttershy and Rarity were baffled by the magic student's behavior. Bronze Star raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked to Rough Rider. The olive stallion merely shrugged to show that he had no idea what was going on with the lavender mare.
Rarity turned her attention back to her best friend and proclaimed "Out there on the runway, everyone was turning on you and... Oh... Oh, Fluttershy. It's so awful. I wanted them to."
Rough Rider, Bronze Star, and Fluttershy seemed shocked to hear that. The yellow mare uttered in amazement "You did?!"
"Of course she did!" Twilight Sparkle contended, "Because...!"
This time, she stopped herself by shoving the contents of a bowl of fruit into her mouth. It looked painful to have so much food in her mouth, but thankfully, she did not try to swallow it all.
"I'm jealous!" Rarity declared, "I wanted all the attention. And instead it was going to you. I even started hoping that you would do something silly so your modeling career would be over. But then, when it started happening, all I could think was how could I want you to fail at something you love so much?"
Twilight Sparkle spat out the food and rushed between the two mares. She yelled impatiently "But... Fluttershy doesn't... Ugh!"
The lavender mare then sprinted over to a potted plant and stuck her head in the dirt. Before Bronze Star or Rough Rider could ask what the buck was up with her, Fluttershy spoke first. She finally came forward with her true thoughts on her new profession.
"Love?" Fluttershy murmured, "Oh, Rarity. I hate being a model."
"You do?" Rarity remarked, aghast.
"More than anything," the yellow mare confirmed.
"Then why did you keep doing it?" the white mare queried.
"I was afraid if I quit, you'd be mad at me for not wanting to... 'shine all over Equestria,'" Fluttershy explicated.
Rarity was amazed by that revelation. She disclosed "And I thought if I told you how jealous I was of your success, you'd think I was a terrible friend."
"Never!" Fluttershy assured her.
"All this time!" Rarity realized.
"If we just told each other the truth," Fluttershy conceded.
"I promise never to keep my feelings in secret again," Rarity alleged.
"Me too," Fluttershy asserted.
The two mares then used gesture with their hooves and announced in unison "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
After they made that vow, the two mares laughed in delight. Bronze Star and Rough Rider smirked in amusement, as well.
At that moment, Photo Finish appeared at the entrance of the dressing room. She proclaimed merrily "You were brilliant. Brilliant! I've already got six photo shoots lined up for tomorrow alone."
Fluttershy lightly grinned and candidly professed "I'm sorry, Photo Finish, but I don't think I'll be able to make any of them."
"Whaaat?" Photo Finish mumbled, flabbergasted.
Fluttershy and Rarity bumped their front hooves together and pronounced "We go!"
The two mares then departed from the dressing room, laughing joyously. They left Photo Finish in a state of profound bewilderment. She looked to Rough Rider, Bronze Star, and Twilight Sparkle and demanded "Vat has just happened?"
Without warning, Twilight Sparkle pulled her head out of the pot and shrieked "Spike has a crush on Rarity!"
Out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie abruptly appeared in the mirror on the wall behind the lavender mare. She sighed and observed dismally "And you were doing so well."
Photo Finish approached the olive stallion and enquired "Mr. Rider, what is the deal here?"
"The deal is that… the deal's off," Rough Rider cockily replied.
"Off?" the light grayish cerulean mare
"Fluttershy has chosen to resign from the modelling industry, Miss Finish," Rough Rider illuminated, "Her contract explicitly states that she is free to extend, modify, or cancel this gig at any time. So as her agent, I'm asking you to tear up her contract and throw away the pieces."
Initially, Photo Finish said nothing in response. Then she presumed "This is her final decision?"
"Yes," Rough Rider confirmed, "She has enjoyed her time under your employ, and so have I. Even so, she has concluded that being a model is not for her, and she wishes to return to her quiet life in Ponyville."
Photo Finish seemed very displeased with that declaration, but she had no right to deny this request. She sighed and stated reluctantly "Very well. I will release Fluttershy from her contract at once. Tell her I hope she doesn't come to regret this later."
"I shall," Rough Rider claimed.
The fashion photographer hastily exited the dressing room. Now Bronze Star, Rough Rider, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie were the only ponies in there. At some point, the pink mare had emerged from the mirror, and she was standing next to Twilight Sparkle. She was giving the lavender mare a look of disapproval.
"So, Rough, tell me something," Bronze Star commented, "Did you hate being Fluttershy's agent as much as she hated being a model?"
"No, I actually enjoyed it," Rough Rider proclaimed, "It was definitely an interesting experience. It was challenging yet rewarding, and it was full of excitement and opportunities. If Fluttershy decided to keep being a model, I would have gladly continued to represent her."
"Then how come you didn't protest when we tried to help Fluttershy get fired?" Twilight enquired.
"Because she wasn't satisfied with her job," Rough Rider expounded, "I could tell she was miserable, and I wanted to improve her situation. A happy client is more important than a hefty profit; that's what I always say. Besides, I'm perfectly content to go back to being a salespony. After all, that's been my occupation for the past four years. As much as I liked being an agent, I can't see myself making a living off of that profession."
"Well, just because you're used to being a salespony, it doesn't mean you can't get involved in another line of work," Twilight Sparkle debated.
"That is definitely true," Bronze Star conceded, gazing at the legband around Rough Rider's front leg.
"I appreciate the encouragement, Twilight," the olive stallion pronounced, "But I think I'll just stick to selling material goods."
"Okay, that's fine," Twilight asserted, "It's your decision, after all."
There came a brief period of quietness, and then Bronze Star turned to the lavender mare and told her "What was happening to you earlier? You looked like you were having a seizure."
"A few days ago, Rarity and Fluttershy told me their opinions on the situation with Photo Finish," Twilight Sparkle elucidated, "They both made me promise not to tell each other how they felt. Knowing what they knew but being unable to talk about it got to be a huge burden. Soon it got to the point that I was physically struggling to keep my mouth shut. Eventually, I got so sick of all these secrets that I felt an overwhelming urge to blurt one out."
"And it ended up being the one Spike shared with us?" Rough Rider presumed.
"Yeah," Twilight Sparkle affirmed.
"I wouldn't worry about that one having any major backlash," Bronze Star pronounced.
"I agree," Rough Rider contended, "The fact that Spike's infatuated with Rarity is about as big a secret as the fact that he's a dragon."
"Still, it was wrong to just exclaim it like that," Pinkie Pie argued.
"Well, she could have given away bigger secrets," Bronze Star proposed, "Such as my identity."
"Good thing I didn't," Twilight Sparkle thought aloud.
"No kidding," Rough Rider coincided, "That would have made the setting even more awkward that it already was."
"Still, I really wish Fluttershy and Rarity talked to each other sooner," Twilight Sparkle commented, "That would have saved me a lot of stress. It would have also made things easier for them. But since they chose to stay quiet, I had to, too. Nothing but trouble resulted from that."
"That's normally what happens when a pony is unwilling to share their thoughts with somepony close to them," Rough Rider observed, "If they're too worried about how their friend would react, they won't say a word. But the irony is that that scenario can work in reverse. The second pony may be just as reluctant to share their thoughts with the first one. Dapple and I used to have that problem when we first started dating. It caused quite a few difficulties in our relationship. Then we learned to properly communicate with each other. Not long after, we had our wedding. Ever since then, I've always been upfront with her, and she's always been just as straightforward with me, too."
"So your forthrightness is the reason why your marriage works so well?" Twilight Sparkle assumed.
"It's certainly one of them," Rough Rider proclaimed, "Because of that, I'm never afraid to speak my mind. If you ask me, nopony else should be afraid to speak their minds, either."
"I like the way you think, Rough," Pinkie Pie commented, grinning.
"So do I," Twilight Sparkle pronounced, "In fact, I bet it really would be for the best if nopony held back on their feelings."
"Yeah, it would…" Bronze Star uttered very quietly.
The gold stallion was gazing off to the side, as if he was lost in deep thought. After a minute, he came out of his reverie, turned back to his friends, and told them "Well, guys, I'm glad everything worked out for everypony involved in this scenario. Now if you'll excuse me; I need to be somewhere."
"Okay, see you Bronze," Twilight Sparkle acknowledged.
"Bye bye, Bronze," Pinkie Pie stated cordially.
"Take it easy, Bronze," Rough Rider proposed, "Say 'hi' to Dapple for me when you're at work."
"I will," was all the younger stallion said in response.
He then stepped out of the dressing room and left the Ponyville Theater. He was not going back to the embassy just yet. He had a certain task that needed his attention first.
Bronze Star had listened to Rough Rider's entire speech on the importance of being honest and open with others. It was surprisingly thought-provoking and sagacious. In fact, it caused the young prince to have an epiphany.
Ever since his disastrous breakup with Applejack, Bronze Star had been wondering incessantly how he would repair his relationship with the farmer. Every time he tried to approach her, he was unable to go through with it. Often, he found himself hoping that Applejack would be the one who made the first move.
However, never once had he considered the possibility that Applejack may have had the exact same mindset as him. What if she too wanted to salvage their relationship, but she was just as apprehensive as he was? Could that actually be the case?
Bronze Star could not believe that possibility had never occurred to him. He also could not believe that he expected Applejack to be the first one to act. He was supposed to be the embodiment of bravery, yet he could not even bring himself to face the mare who used to be his fillyfriend. He had allowed his anxiety to prevent him from reaching out to her.
He had concluded that far too much time had elapsed since his fight with Applejack. If he did not try to repair the situation with her soon, not only would be risk losing the orange mare forever, but he did not think he would be able to continue looking at himself in the mirror without feeling appalled.
He was not going to put off speaking to Applejack for any longer. He was determined to talk to her on that very day. At the end of their conversation, Bronze Star planned to ask Applejack if she wished he was out of her life, or if she was willing to give him a second chance.
If she turned him away, then at least he would have some closure, and he would be able to move on. If she accepted him, then there would be hope for their relationship.
A half-hour later, Bronze Star reached Sweet Apple Acres. He could not see any movement in the orchards, so Applejack was likely indoors.
Bronze Star made his way to the clearing in the plantation's courtyard. He spotted Big McIntosh working in the barn. The red stallion noticed the gold stallion, and he gave him a friendly smile. Bronze Star smiled back, despite the nervousness he felt for what he was about to.
Bronze Star made his way to the house, and he knocked on the front door three times. It was quickly answered by Granny Smith. She grinned and greeted him with "Hello, Bronze Star,"
"Good day, Granny Smith," the young prince rejoined genially. After a short pause, he asked "Is Applejack here?"
"Yeah, she's up in her room," Granny Smith revealed, "I can call her down for ya."
"No, that's alright," Bronze Star countered hastily, "I… I'd prefer to go to her myself."
"Oh, you want to surprise her?" the elderly mare assumed, smirking.
"Yes, that's it exactly," Bronze Star claimed.
"Okay, I get what yer sayin'," Granny Smith commented, "Have fun up there. But not too much fun. Ya get me?"
Bronze Star chuckled a little and stated "Yes, ma'am."
The gold stallion swiftly trotted over to the staircase and headed upstairs. After that, he gradually made his way to Applejack's bedroom. The door was closed, but it appeared to be unlocked. Even so, he was not going to just barge in. That would have been rude, and he was not entirely ready yet.
The gold stallion needed a moment to prepare himself. Once he composed himself, he took a deep breath and rapped his front hoof against the bedroom door.
"Who is it?" a familiar voice called out.
Bronze Star quietly replied with "It's me."
At first, he was not given any response. Then he heard the sound of a floorboard creaking. Applejack must have gotten out of her bed, a chair, or something similar. Bronze Star then heard hoofsteps approaching the door. When they reached him, he watched the doorknob get turned and the door get pulled open.
He was now face-to-face with Applejack.
For over a minute, the orange mare and the gold stallion just stood in place, staring at each other. Bronze Star could not tell what Applejack was feeling; her facial expression was neutral in pretty much every way.
Ultimately, Applejack simply gestured for the gold stallion to enter her bedroom. He nodded in acknowledgement and stepped inside. Once he was in, she shut the door behind him.
Bronze Star was not certain what to do next. He had not exactly rehearsed for this conversation. He was usually very good at discussing various subjects without any preparation whatsoever. He had hoped that the right words would just come to him in this setting like they usually did. Alas, he had no idea what to say.
After a bit, he opened his mouth and said "I…"
"Don't…" Applejack interrupted, "Don't say anything."
Bronze Star promptly closed his mouth again. Apparently, Applejack did not want him to talk yet. He wondered if she was waiting for something. Of course, he could not ask her; that would require talking.
Once again, Bronze Star and Applejack were just standing in front of each other, staring into each other's eyes. There was complete silence all around them. That was the longest, most uncomfortable silence of his life. He barely even found a chance to breath.
At the end of that elongated silence, Applejack took two steps forward. Then she slowly raised her right front hoof, as though she was going to slap Bronze Star.
The gold stallion noticed this, but he did nothing. If slapping him would make Appelajck feel better, he would just let her do it. After all the things he said, he felt he probably deserved it, anyway.
Bronze Star merely closed his eyes and braced himself for the blow.
It never came.
Applejack did not lay a hoof on him. Instead, she laid two.
She placed her front hooves on Bronze Star's cheeks, pulled his head closer to hers, and pressed her lips hard against his.
Bronze Star was caught completely off guard. His breath almost went away, he was so surprised. But Applejack held him close to her, as if she was never going to release him. Initially, Bronze Star did not know whether to break free or return the affection. Eventually, he went with the latter option, and he wrapped his front legs around Applejack's upper body. She did not resist. If anything, she seemed to welcome the action.
Eventually, Applejack removed her lips from Bronze Star's, and she was looking directly into his eyes. She had a few tears in her own eyes. After a brief pause, she stammered "Bronze, I'm… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
If Bronze Star was confused a moment ago, it was nothing compared to now. He asked "Sorry for what?"
"For everything," Applejack clarified, "The way I confronted you, the way I treated you, the way I behaved… I don't know what the buck came over me."
"Applejack, you have nothing to apologize for," Bronze Star calmly claimed, holding the orange mare close and wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Yes, I do!" the farmer insisted, "You only tried to get me to see the truth, and in return, I cast you out."
Initially, Bronze Star was perplexed. Then it dawned on him what Applejack was referring to. He queried "Are you talking about Esopus Spitzenburg?"
"Yes, I am," Applejack affirmed, "You were right about him. Completely right. You warned me that he was a vicious criminal, and I refused to listen. But now I wished that I heard you out."
"Why?" Bronze Star enquired, "What changed?"
"I… saw some things," Applejack revealed ambiguously, "Things that you might say 'implicated' him in that conspiracy or somethin' like it."
"What do you mean?" Bronze Star asked curiously, "What did you see?"
Applejack did not reply straightaway. Instead, she took a few seconds to think. After that, she pointed to her bed and beckoned the gold stallion "Sit down. I'll tell you everything."
"Very well," he coincided.
Bronze Star sat down on the side of Applejack's bed. She sat down right next to him. Once both of them were comfortable, she began a lengthy explanation which started with:
"When you first told me about what my Uncle Esopus was up to, you can imagine I was shocked. In fact, I was outraged that you would dare to make such an accusation about him, even though you said you had proof. I just could not bring myself to believe that one of my favorite relatives was plotting to murder thousands of innocent ponies and your mother."
"I don't blame you for doubting me," Bronze Star asserted, "Had it been me in your place, I wouldn't have believed it, either."
"Still, my handling of our last conversation was… less than professional, I suppose," Applejack noted, "That morning, I went home angry, upset, and heartbroken. I felt as though everything you ever said to me was a lie. I was so distraught that I had half a mind to tell Esopus Spitzenburg everything you told me. But I couldn't do it."
"Maybe because you still felt a small amount of respect for me," Bronze Star conjectured.
"That must be it," Applejack concurred, "Anyway, when I got back to the farm after our argument, I still thought of you as a detestable liar who was out to persecute my Great Uncle for crimes he never committed. Then I made a few discoveries which suggested that there was some truth to your accusations."
"What kind of discoveries?" Bronze Star stated in interest.
Applejack enlightened him with "To begin, when Apple Bloom got back from her sleepover that day, she told me about how you, Fluttershy, and Noble Edict had saved her, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Twilight Sparkle from a cockatrice. I was almost certain that you made up that part of our conversation. But then I heard it from my little sister. While Apple Bloom has a very active imagination, she described the encounter with the cockatrice in almost the exact same manner that you did. So there was no way that you both fabricated that story.
"Since at least that part of your explanation checked out, I wondered if perhaps other parts did, too," she continued, "At the time, I was more concerned with convincing myself that Esopus Spitzenburg was innocent. So I went out to the barn and peeked inside that box he had brought with him. There was nothing in it, but it smelled like a reptile had been living there, and I thought I saw some feathers at the base of it. I quickly did the math, and I realized that only one thing could have been in that box recently."
"It was in there until the previous evening," Bronze Star proclaimed, "Noble Edict saw him take that box out into the field and put it back shortly after."
"I know; you told me that," Applejack recounted, "Anyway, this was around the time that I began to suspect my Uncle Esopus of the things you said about him, but I was still on his side. I tried talking to him to get some answers. I started by telling him about Apple Bloom's encounter with the cockatrice. I made sure to mention how Fluttershy and Noble Edict managed to capture the creature before it could do any harm. When he found out that nopony got hurt, Esopus seemed relieved, but I could tell he was actually frustrated in a way. I could not imagine why; he had been in very good spirits before I brought the topic up. Then it occurred to me that perhaps he actually wanted the cockatrice to inflict some damage on the town. But that only meant one thing."
"He let the cockatrice go in the first place?" Bronze Star assumed.
"Yeah, that was the only explanation," she pronounced, "When I realized that, I was inclined to wonder if he really was scheming something. I brought up that box of his a few times, asking who it was for. He never gave me a name; all he said was that it was a special surprise. But here's the irony. When Esopus and the others finally got on the train and left Ponyville, I checked the barn afterwards, and the box was still there! He deliberately left it behind!"
Bronze Star smirked and declared "Or maybe he already had delivered it."
"Well, then like he said, it was definitely a surprise," Applejack murmured, "However, the box wasn't the only thing that made me question my Uncle Esopus' innocence. There was a lot more to suggest that he was up to something bad. For instance, I asked him and my other relatives why they had chosen to come three weeks earlier than they originally planned. I found out that the whole reason they had come so early was because of Esopus Spitzenburg. Apparently, he had some business in Hoovston to do before he travelled here. He claimed his business would have taken those three weeks to accomplish. Then the Hoovston disaster happened, and Esopus' schedule was freed up quite a bit. He was the only one of my six relatives who would've had something going on, and all of them were eager to visit us. So they decided to push their visit ahead by three weeks. That did make sense, but it also raised some questions. I mean, the Hoovston disaster was purely electrical. My Uncle Esopus runs an agricultural empire. So regardless of how much damage the disaster caused, it wouldn't have affected whatever business he had in Hoovston."
"You're right, it wouldn't have," Bronze Star conced, "If anything, I would have thought his presence would have been welcomed by the residents of Hoovston. Since so many ponies were left without shelter or work, they would have seen the arrival of an entrepreneur of a food-based company as a blessing."
"That's what I thought, too," Applejack professed, "In fact, later on, when he and I were alone, I made that point. You know what he said in response?"
"What?" Bronze Star queried in fascination.
"He said that the Hoovston disaster wasn't his problem," Applejack reminisced, "He also claimed that the whole calamity could have been avoided if Princess Celestia had done a better job of looking out for her subjects."
Bronze Star grimaced and mumbled in disgust "He said that?"
"Yeah, I heard it with my own ears, and I still didn't believe it," Applejack disclosed, "In fact, he said quite a few harsh things about her when you weren't around. While my Uncle Esopus has never been your mother's biggest fan, I never saw him badmouth her like that before. It was as though he was trying to convince me and the others that Princess Celestia is unfit to rule this country."
"Considering that the conspirators wish to disrepute my mother before they kill her, that doesn't surprise me," Bronze Star contended.
"That was another thing that got me," she explicated, "I remembered how excited he had been when you offered to arrange a meeting between him and Celestia, and how equally nervous he had been when you mentioned that he had undergo a background check before that could happen. By then, I was certain that he was hiding something. I even began to wonder if he really was behind that conspiracy you told me about."
"When were you convinced that what I told you was the truth?" he questioned inquisitively.
"The night before he went back to Chicacolt," she expounded, "On that night, we were all gathered downstairs when Esopus announced that he was going out for a few hours. He didn't say where he was going, and I could not guess, as he had not left the farm since he first arrived in town. My curiosity got the better of me; I got the idea to follow him. A couple minutes after he left, I told the others that I was going to do a little late-night applebucking. I soon caught up to Esopus, and I tailed him all the way to the train station."
"He didn't notice you, did he?" Bronze Star asked in concern.
"No, I managed to stay out of sight," Applejack reassured him, "However, as I followed him, Esopus constantly looked over his shoulder, as if he was worried about being watched or something. When he got to the station, he became even more unsettled."
"What was he doing there?" Bronze Star queried.
"He was meeting a mare," Applejack recalled, "A Unicorn, to be precise. She was a few years older than you and probably a whole decade older than me. Her coat was somewhere between violet and lilac. Her mane was a deep red, like scarlet. According to her magic aura, her eyes were a shade of orange. Not orange like my coat; I'd say more of an ochre. And her cutie mark-"
"Was a flowerpot sitting on a podium?" Bronze Star interjected.
Applejack seemed surprised by that, but she slowly nodded her head in confirmation. "You know her?"
"Her name's Lavender Dazzle," Bronze Star elucidated, "You may recall I told you about her, too. She's an outspoken opponent of my mother's administration. She was also the very first pony we identified as one of the conspirators. It was because of her that we found out there was a conspiracy in the first place. We had her under tight scrutiny until a few months ago. Then she somehow managed to slip away from us."
"Well, she was definitely here a couple weeks ago," Applejack proclaimed.
"What did she talk to your Uncle about?" the prince inquired.
"Well, I had to keep my distance to avoid being noticed by them, but I was able to eavesdrop on some of their conversation," the farmer revealed, "They discussed a lot of strange things. Mainly… the Hoovston disaster."
"The Hoovston disaster?" Bronze Star repeated in bafflement.
She nodded her head again and went on with "They brought up a stallion named Livewire, another pony whose name I recognized from our last conversation. Both Esopus and Lavender Dazzle almost directly referred to him as the person responsible for the disaster. They also discussed all the destruction and casualties that had resulted from the disaster. Lavender Dazzle said something like 'Plenty of damage was done.' My Uncle Esopus said in turn 'Not enough. We need our next acts to be more successful. That's the only way we can ensure that our cause will succeed.'"
That statement left Bronze Star practically speechless. Applejack clearly had trouble saying that herself. She looked off to the side and disclosed "It was at that moment, when I stopped living in denial. That was when I realized that you were right all along. My Uncle Esopus really was and is an insurgent, a felon, and a terrorist."
The gold stallion patted the orange mare on the back and told her apologetically "I'm so sorry you had to witness that. It must have been a horrible experience."
"It was," Applejack confirmed, "Even though I was pretty much frozen in shock, I managed to regain my senses and get back home before Esopus or Lavender Dazzle saw me. I didn't get any sleep at all that night, though. I couldn't get that meeting between the two of them out of my head. I was also forced to reflect on certain other events."
"Such as our last conversation?" Bronze Star theorized.
"Yeah, I relived that experience in my head several times," Applejack explained, "But that time around, I was seeing the whole argument from your point of view. I felt terrible for how I treated you. That's why I continued to stay away from you even after Esopus left Ponyville. It wasn't because I resented you for anything you told me. It was because I couldn't even look at you without imagining how badly I must have hurt you when we last spoke. I also felt like a prime idiot. I was on the wrong side."
"That wasn't your fault," Bronze Star asserted, "At the time, you were just defending your Uncle."
"No, I was defending a dishonorable mass murderer!" Applejack snapped angrily, "Over nine hundred ponies died in the Hoovston disaster, and I saw Esopus Spitzenburg practically confess to being responsible for all of them. According to what he said and what you told me, he plans to kill many more. There is no justification for that."
"You're right," Bronze Star coincided firmly, "There isn't. Truthfully, I can't think of a punishment harsh enough for what he's done. Even death may be too good for him."
"No, I think death would be suitable enough," Applejack muttered through gritted teeth, "On that subject, do you still plan to have the remaining conspirators killed?"
Bronze Star thought for a minute, and then he proclaimed "Well, I'm definitely going to have Lavender Dazzle, Raging Tempest, Sparkler Blare, and the other thirteen lower members executed. As for Esopus Spitzenburg… I'll let you decide his fate. What are your feelings for him?"
"I don't feel anything for him anymore," Applejack tensely responded, "If you want him dead, go right ahead. After everything he's done, he deserves to die."
Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and noted "You seem very decisive about this."
"It's not a hard decision," Applejack insisted, "He's a disgrace to both the Apple Family and the whole of Equestria. This world would be a much better place without ponies like him. In fact, I care so little for that stallion that…"
She paused there. After twenty seconds, Bronze Star leaned closer and queried "That what?"
Applejack inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and finished with "That I'd like to help you bring him down."
The gold stallion was amazed by that declaration. He remarked in intrigue "Do you mean that?"
"Absolutely," the orange mare substantiated, "If there's anything I can do to help you stop Esopus – anything at all – just ask and I'll do it."
Bronze Star could not believe his good fortune. He had been apprehensive enough about talking to Applejack. He had been absolutely dreading the concept of telling her about his plan to spy on Spitzenburg in Appleoosa. He could not have even ventured a guess as to how he would bring it up to her.
In a glorious twist of fate, Applejack turned out to be the one who was asking HIM for a way to contribute to the investigation into the assassination conspiracy. Now that he had her support, he figured it would be the perfect chance to address what he had discussed with SIG Sauer.
"Well… there is one thing," he tentatively told her.
"Tell me," she beseeched him.
Bronze Star then told Applejack all about the current status of the investigation. He told her how the Firebrand Regiment how managed to identify all but one of the conspirators by this point. He mentioned that they believed the last one was somehow in direct contact with Esopus Spitzenburg. When she asked how, he informed her that the conspirators used large monitors disguised as pieces of poster boards to communicate with each other.
Applejack did not find that hard to believe. During Esopus Spitzenburg's stay in Ponyville, she had passed by his room a few times, and she thought she heard him whispering in there. Not only that, but she could have sworn he heard another voice with him. But she knew for a fact that nopony else had gone into Spitzenburg's room.
Later on, she had looked around in his bedroom when he was not there, and she had found a large piece of poster board underneath his bed.
At any rate, Bronze Star told Applejack about how the Firebrand Regiment was one hundred percent certain that the last conspirator was receiving orders from Spitzenburg directly. As such, they had devised a pair of picture frames with built-in screens, sound systems, and cameras. He informed her that the Regiment needed to place one of the frames near Spitzenburg. That way, they would be able to spy on him with the other frame, and hopefully they would catch him conversing with the final conspirator.
He told Applejack that he needed her to plant the first frame in Spitzenburg's room whenever she visited him in Appleoosa. After that, he would be able to watch Spitzenburg's actions around the clock. All she had to do was provide a picture of her or another member of the actually family, and once they had the information they needed, she would have to replace the special frame with an ordinary frame.
Applejack was impressed by the ingenuity of this plan. It sounded more than a little risky, but she was willing to go through with it. After all, by doing it, she would help Bronze Star bring her Great Uncle to justice. The prince was thrilled to have the farmer on his side now.
After Applejack agreed to carry out this favor, Bronze Star told her "I'll bring you the picture frames tomorrow. I'll show you how to use them."
"Okay," Applejack avowed, "Electricity isn't really my thing, though. It might take me a while to get the hang of them."
"Not to worry," Bronze Star asserted, "The Regiment included an instruction manual. That should help."
"It might," Applejack conceded, uncertainly, "Still, is it really necessary for me to learn how to work them?"
"Of course it is," Bronze Star insisted, "Since I won't be going to Appleoosa, you're the only one who can do it."
Applejack raised an eyebrow and inquired "What makes you think you won't be going there?"
"Well, I wasn't invited," Bronze Star drily pointed out, "As much as I would like to keep an eye on Spitzenburg myself, I'm not about to travel to a private settlement like Appleoosa without permission."
A grin gradually appeared on Applejack's face. She proposed "Then there's only one thing to do."
"What?" Bronze Star queried in interest.
"Why don't you come along to Appleoosa with me, Spike, and the girls?" Applejack suggested.
Bronze Star did not expect that proposition, but he was delighted to be given it. He smiled and answered merrily "I'd love to join you."
"Great," Applejack muttered approvingly, "I'll make sure there's room for you on the train."
"Thanks," Bronze Star told her gratefully. There came another brief pause. Then Bronze Star scoffed and commented "You know, it's funny. All these weeks, I've been fretting over this meeting. I kept thinking I would somehow make the situation between you and me even worse. Now it turns out my fears were unfounded. You don't know how happy I am, Applejack, now that I've reestablished our friendship."
Applejack seemed a little intrigued by that last word. She leaned forward and placed her hoof on Bronze Star's shoulder, saying "Just our friendship? Is that all you were hoping to save?"
Bronze Star did not know what to make of that statement. He shrugged and muttered "Well, I figured I should keep my goals realistic. I mean, after how our last conversation ended, I thought our romantic relationship was beyond hope of recovery."
Applejack smiled softly, leaned forward, and declared "You thought wrong."
Bronze Star looked at her, surprised. "Huh?"
"I don't want us to be apart anymore, Bronze," Applejack elaborated, placing her other front hoof on his other shoulder, "Turning against you was a huge mistake. Breaking up with you was an even bigger one. I've never met a more respectable stallion than you. Getting together with you was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me."
Bronze Star almost could not believe what he was hearing. But he was overjoyed to hear it. He wrapped his front legs around Applejack's torso and pulled her close. He told her "I feel the same way about you. You're more honorable than any other mare I've ever known, and it's thanks to you that I even know what it's like to experience romantic love. You have no idea how happy you've made me, now that I know you want me back, too."
"'Want you back?'" Applejack uttered in amazement, "Bronze, I don't just want you back. I need you back. I didn't realize until this very moment just how much I missed ya. I don't want to feel like ever again."
"Neither do I," Bronze Star asserted.
The farmer then pulled the prince in for a hug. She embraced him tightly and affectionately. He held her with just as much passion and warmth.
"I'm never gonna let you go," Applejack whispered gently, "Never."
"I'll hold on, too," Bronze Star reassured her tenderly, "I'll stay for as long as I draw breath."
As he embraced Applejack, Bronze Star reflected on the scenario. Everything really had worked out just right. This was his third attempt to make amends with her. He had totally botched the first two. But the third one had ended with a better outcome than Bronze Star could have dared to hope for.