Layers Of Secrecy
Needless to say, Paisley Branch, Rollin Fields, Cassia Sprig, and Almond Wheeler were more than a little shocked to discover that Bronze Star was not who he first said he was. Of course, one could hardly blame them. For almost eight months, they had recognized him as the stallion who served as Ponyville's representative from the capital city. Now, without any warning whatsoever, they were being told that Bronze Star did not just work for the Canterlot Royalty; he WAS Canterlot Royalty.
After revealing his wings, horn, and crown to the rest of the task force, Bronze Star explained everything to them. Sir Haywood McCrank and Noble Edict aided him along the way. Copper Hollow helped as well, despite the fact that he himself had only been aware of the truth for a couple weeks.
Each of the other four members of the task force reacted differently to acquiring this knowledge. Paisley Branch seemed to take it the best. In fact, she was as excited as the Cutie Mark Crusaders had been when they learned the truth. Cassia Sprig was downright flabbergasted to learn this. The last time she had been this surprised was three years ago, when she found out she was pregnant with her daughter. Almond Wheeler was a little offended that Bronze Star did not trust her and the others enough to tell them the truth right away. Even so, she understood his reasons for concealing his identity for this long. Surprisingly, Rollin Fields seemed relatively indifferent to this news. He claimed that in his forty years of security work, he had seen stranger and more astonishing things. All the same, like the three mares, he had never once thought that Bronze Star was amongst them.
The primary reason Bronze Star chose to let the task force know his true identity was to inform them that the Canterlot Royalty was indeed aware of this murder plot, and as a result, to assure them that they were not alone in the investigation. When all was said and done, He managed to accomplish just that.
Bronze Star requested that the task force not discuss his secret with anypony else in town, apart from those who already knew it. All four of them swore on the spot that they would not betray the gold stallion's trust.
Once this topic had been wrapped up, they were able to return their attention to the murder plot. Haywood McCrank presented his plan on how to proceed next in the investigation. First, he was going to have Agent Dread Naught send them every piece of information he had on the Vermane. After that, he would have Dread Naught devote his attention and resources to aiding the task force from the capital city. Sir Haywood also planned to share his knowledge of the bounty hunter guild with the vigilantes. He was hoping that they might somehow be able to help the task force predict the guild's next move, or even locate its headquarters. That may have been a longshot, but Haywood McCrank was very confident that the vigilantes had the means to carry out such a task. Lastly, he announced that the task force would resume meeting at the embassy every other day.
The meeting ended shortly after all this was discussed. The six security officers headed home, and Bronze Star and Sir Haywood McCrank went upstairs to their rooms. Before going to bed, Bronze Star made certain to conceal his wings and horn again, and he relocked his strongbox and stored it in its usual hiding place. After that, he laid down on his bed and got comfortable. It was a little after ten o'clock at night. This was still pretty early for the gold stallion to turn in, but it had been a long day for him. He needed some time to reflect on the day's events.
He could not decide what the most significant event had been. Maybe it was his intimate experiences with his fillyfriend. Maybe it was the discovery of Pinkie Pie's Sense. Maybe it was the encounter with the hydra. Maybe it was learning about the existence of a guild of frighteningly persistent bounty hunters. Maybe it was the fact that the number of ponies in town who knew his real identity had nearly doubled in the span of three hours. Or maybe it was the knowledge that he would come face-to-face with the stallion who orchestrated the conspiracy against his mother in just two weeks.
Bronze Star predicted that he would be even busier than usual in the upcoming weeks. Regardless, he was confident that he could handle any and all difficulties as they came along. He was able to get to sleep easily that night, and he slept soundly for the first time in months.
Over the next week, Bronze Star's typical day consisted of working on the task force, managing his duties as the ambassador to Ponyville, and interacting with his friends in town. Two days before the Best Young Flyers Competition, it occurred to him that he had not yet worked out when and where he would meet with Walther at the event. So he sent the General a letter to request instructions on this matter. Knowing Walther, Bronze Star predicted that the veteran Wonderbolt would send him a response at least a day in advance. He expected it would arrive before lunchtime the next day. All he could do was wait until then.
As it turned out, Bronze Star was not the only pony in town who had been exceptionally busy lately. Twilight Sparkle had a number of midterm exams coming up, and she planned to be ready for them. So for most of that week, she did only three things: eat, sleep, and study. On a general day, the studying part comprised more than twice the amount of time as the time she spent eating and sleeping combined.
After following this routine for six days straight, Twilight Sparkle finally felt as though she was wholly and properly prepared for her midterms. One would have expected her to be exhausted at the end of all that, but miraculously, she had managed to remain physically and mentally healthy for all that time. However, she had not exactly kept the library in as good a state. During her lengthy study session, she had removed almost every book from the shelves, and she had not even bothered to put the majority of them back in their places. As a result, the first floor of the library was practically overflowing with books. So while Twilight had eliminated the stress of preparing for her midterms, it was quickly replaced by the stress of having an untidy house.
She planned to clean up the library as soon as possible, but based on how vast the mess was, doing so would take her the better part of a week, even if Spike worked with her. So she chose to ask her friends for some aid. Bronze Star, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity happily agreed to assist her, but Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were already too busy with something else.
The next day, Dapple Rhomb arrived at the embassy at nine o'clock in the morning like she always did. After she and Bronze Star reviewed the latest news updates from Canterlot, the gold stallion informed the purple mare that he would be spending at least part of the morning at Golden Oaks Library. He also mentioned that he was expecting a letter from the capital city sometime that day. He asked his secretary to go ahead and bring the letter to him if it arrived before he got back. As usual, Dapple Rhomb was more than willing to carry out her employer's orders.
Bronze Star swiftly departed from the embassy and arrived at the library. He had to struggle a bit to get inside the building, as a huge pile of books was blocking the door. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were already there. They were standing near the center of the room with Twilight Sparkle.
The lavender Unicorn used her magic to clear the books away from the door. This enabled Bronze Star to enter the room, but as soon as he was inside, the books fell back in front of the door. The gold stallion looked around at the library's front room. The place was even more disorganized that he thought it would be.
After taking a minute to examine the setting, Bronze Star turned to the mares and queried "How'd you get inside with that huge pile of books in front of the door, anyway?"
"Well, I've just been teleporting in and out of the building," Twilight Sparkle disclosed, "As for the others, I've tried moving the pile every time I need to let one of them in. Somehow, the pile manages to fall right back into place almost immediately after that."
"Maybe that's actually the library's way of telling us that it doesn't want anything else inside that would clutter it up even more," Applejack conjectured.
"That would not surprise me at all," Rarity proclaimed.
"If that's so, we'd better start cleaning," Pinkie Pie suggested.
"That's why you're here," Twilight Sparkle stated. She then looked around and sighed, saying "This could take a while."
Bronze Star rubbed his chin and thought about the situation. Then he smirked and pronounced "I've got an idea. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, I'd like to speak with you in private for a minute."
The orange mare, the white mare, and the pink mare complied with this request and joined the gold stallion in a corner of the room. He then began explaining his idea to the three of them. He made sure to never raise his voice above a whisper. At various points, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie whispered something back to him, like a question or an observation. At the start of their conversation, the three mares seemed slightly perplexed. By the end of it, all three of them were smirking like the young prince.
"Sounds great," Applejack perceived.
"Let's do it," Rarity advocated.
"This is gonna be fun," Pinkie Pie said eagerly.
After that, Bronze Star, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity rejoined Twilight Sparkle at the center of the room. The magic student raised an eyebrow in interest and inquired "What were you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing," Bronze Star told her innocently, "So, where should we start?"
Twilight Sparkle pointed to a pile of unraveled parchment sheets and answered with: "How about those maps? I had them out so I could study the geography and topography of Equestria and its adjoining countries. They belong in the cabinet by the door to the kitchen."
"Very well," Bronze Star conceded. He then looked over at the other mares and lightly nodded his head, smiling deviously. They returned the devious smiles, and the four of them approached the pile of maps. Bronze Star then picked up a hoofful of maps and tossed them into the air. Rarity used her magic to keep the maps suspended in midair and roll them up. Then she let them drop, and Applejack used her back legs to buck the scrolls towards the cabinet on the other side of the room. Lastlly, Pinkie Pie rushed over to the cabinet and used her tail to open up the bottom drawer. The maps neatly and gracefully landed inside of it.
This method was very efficient at putting the maps away, but in Twilight Sparkle's mind, it was also a little risky. She knew that it was relatively easy to tear or distort the parchment. As her friends worked, the lavender mare stepped forward and beckoned them "Guys, please be careful. I just need the maps to be put away; I don't need you to reshape them!"
"Oh, you hear that, fillies?" Bronze Star cockily announced, "She says we'll 'reshape the maps…'"
The other three mares chuckled at that observation. Bronze Star had made that statement as if it was a type of cue. In actuality, it was.
Before long, all the maps had were stored in the cabinet. Rarity picked up some books off the ground and spread them around the room with her magic. All of a sudden, she began singing:
"Reshape the maps and forge the signs."
Applejack threw more books into the air and bucked them towards the shelves. As she did that, she started singing, too:
"Tear the pages and smudge the lines."
Pinkie Pie started tossing books around the room and she sang the next lyric:
"Erase the titles and switch the dates…"
Bronze Star stepped up to the magic student and finished the verse with:
"That's what Twilight Sparkle hates!"
Twilight Sparkle was genuinely confused by what her friends were doing, but she found it best not to intervene. Amazingly, every book that was launched into the air by them ended up landing in its respective bookshelf in its proper place. It was as though luck was on their side.
The gold stallion, the orange mare, the white mare, and the pink mare continued trotting around the room very quickly. As they moved, they picked up a random book and tossed it in an equally random direction. While they worked, the four of them sang in unison:
"Upturn the shelves, snap the quills.
Gather dust on the windowsills.
Spill the ink on the storeroom door…
Throw the books across the floor!
Toss the scrolls in a cauldron pot.
Burn them up so they can get hot.
When you're finished if any are not…
Leave them out so they can rot!"
Despite the suggestive nature of the lyrics, Bronze Star, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie did none of the dreadful actions they sang about. They had carried out this entire routine just to toy with Twilight Sparkle. Surprisingly, they managed to get through that whole musical number without causing damage to a single book or any other part of the library.
After a few seconds of silence, they finished it up with:
"That's what Twilight Sparkle hates!"
Then they stopped singing and started laughing instead. As for Twilight Sparkle, she could only stare. She was absolutely stunned by what just happened. Not two minutes beforehand, the room was so cluttered that she could barely see any part of the floor. By now, almost all of the mess in the library had been picked up. Only a few dozen books were left on the ground.
After a minute of quietly standing by, Twilight simply grinned, scoffed lightly, and said in amazement "Nice job, guys."
"No problem, Twi," Applejack remarked.
"That's what we're here for," Rarity asserted.
"I knew that was gonna be great!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed giddily.
Twilight Sparkle scoffed again and professed "I suppose it was. Did you make that whole thing up on the spot?"
"Pretty much," Bronze Star affirmed, "What did you think of it?"
"It wasn't bad," Twilight Sparkle admitted. She then looked around the room and saw that it was considerably cleaner than it had been five minutes ago. She trotted over to the remaining books on the ground. As she lifted them into the air with her magic, she told the others "I think I can handle the rest."
"Okay, but we'll stay with you until you're done, just in case," Bronze Star offered.
Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie had no objections to that proposal. Twilight Sparkle was certainly grateful for her friends' willingness to continue helping her.
Just then, there was a heavy knock on the door. The stallion and the four mares promptly turned their attention to the front entrance.
"I wonder who that is," Rarity thought aloud.
"I'll get it!" Pinkie Pie proposed merrily.
As she bounced over to the entrance, Applejack wryly perceived "At least now we can answer the door without anything gettin' in the way."
"No kidding," Twilight Sparkle concurred.
Pinkie Pie soon reached the door and pulled it open. The pony on the other side turned out to be Dapple Rhomb. The pink mare smiled and greeted her with "Hi, Dapple."
The purple mare just grinned and uttered "Good day, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Mr. Ambassador. Are you busy? If so, I could come back later; I would hate to inconvenience you."
"No, no, not at all," Twilight Sparkle assured her, "Come on inside."
Dapple Rhomb nodded and trotted into the library. She was wearing a saddlebag on her back. Bronze Star assumed either Dapple Rhomb had gone out shopping, or she was delivering something. Considering the talk he had with her before he came to the library, Bronze Star was inclined to believe it was the latter.
"Next time, feel free to just let yourself in," Twilight Sparkle offered.
"Believe me, I tried to," Dapple Rhomb insisted, "But I couldn't even budge the door. It was like it was jammed or something. After several failed attempts to get in, I decided to just knock."
"Oh, alright, darling," Rarity acknowledged, "So how long were you standing out there?"
"Not that long," Dapple Rhomb revealed. She then looked over at Bronze Star and sardonically uttered "But I remember you saying on more than one occasion that you couldn't sing, sir. A moment ago, I could have sworn I heard some very compelling evidence that contradicts that claim."
The other four mares chuckled at that remark. Bronze Star lightly rolled his eyes and proclaimed "That wasn't exactly singing, Dapple. It was more like… crooning or chanting. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie did all the real singing."
"Speak for yourself," Dapple Rhomb refuted, "If you ask me, perhaps you really CAN sing, and either you won't admit it or you don't know it."
"She's got a point there," Applejack coincided.
"Fine, there may be some truth to that," Bronze Star drily admitted. He looked to the purple mare and observed "At any rate, I assume you did not come here just to analyze my musical ability?"
"No, I did not," Dapple Rhomb confirmed. She then reached back to her saddlebag, opened it up, and removed a scroll. She held it out to the gold stallion and apprised him "This is for you, sir. It's that letter from Canterlot you've been waiting for."
"It's already here?" Bronze Star muttered in amazement as he took the scroll in his front hoof, "It hasn't even been twenty minutes since I spoke with you at the embassy."
"Well, the letter arrived only about a minute or two after you left, sir," Dapple Rhomb enlightened him, "Since you emphasized how much you were looking forward to receiving it, I figured I may as well bring it here right away."
"As usual, you thought right, Dapple," Bronze Star stated approvingly. He gazed down at the scroll for a moment, and then he told his secretary "Could you please wait here while I look this over? It should only take a few minutes. Once I'm done, I may need you to take a replying message."
"You got it, sir," Dapple Rhomb avowed.
Bronze Star then sat down at the table at the center of the room, unraveled the scroll, and began to read it. Dapple Rhomb positioned herself near her employer and patiently waited for him to finish. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stood off to the side and passed the time by talking to each other. At this point in time, Twilight Sparkle was the only one there who was working to clean up the library, but only about forty more books needed to be put away. She could handle that many by herself.
Twilight used her magic to shuffle through the remaining books. Every time she found one particular book, she made her way over to a certain shelf and placed the book on it. Twilight had been living in Ponyville for so long that she knew where every single book in Golden Oak Library was supposed to go.
However, she had not paid as much attention to the actual bookshelves. This proved to be a foolish decision on her part.
Currently, the top shelf on the column closest to the staircase was unbalanced. The support on its right side had somehow come loose. If somepony looked closely, he or she would see that the shelf was in danger of crumpling. If any more weight was placed on it, the support would buckle and the entire shelf would collapse. Unfortunately, this shelf happened to be one of the few that was still missing a book.
At one point, Twilight Sparkle trotted over to this shelf and searched for the book that belonged there. Right when she found it, Pinkie Pie's tail suddenly began twitching. The pink mare looked over her shoulder and murmured "Huh?"
When the others noticed this, they snapped to attention.
"What's gonna to fall?" Applejack queried nervously.
"I'm… I'm not sure," Pinkie Pie disclosed.
"Keep your eyes on the ceiling," Rarity advised her friends.
Now that Twilight Sparkle believed that Pinkie Sense was authentic, she became somewhat concerned as well. However, after about ten seconds of inactivity, she casually dismissed the notion and got back to work. She used her magic to place a book on the top shelf. The moment she released the book from her aura, the support gave out and the shelf came toppling down.
Twilight Sparkle screamed in alarm as the books came tumbling down towards her. It would have only taken two seconds for them to reach her. That was not enough time for her to step out of harm's way. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack were standing on the other side of the room; they could do nothing to intervene. Bronze Star was closer, but he had been focused on his letter. Had he been paying attention to Twilight, he might have been able to save her.
Luckily, there was one pony there who had the means to save Twilight.
The very instant the bookshelf collapsed, Dapple Rhomb bolted across the room and moved in front of the lavender mare. Then she shielded Twilight with one of her front legs and seized the shelf with her other front leg. She managed to prevent any of its books from falling on her or Twilight Sparkle; the only thing they landed on was the ground.
All that activity happened in the span of no more than three seconds, and it all happened before anypony else knew what was going on. There was a very long, very unpleasant void of silence that followed it. During it, Bronze Star, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle gazed back and forth between Dapple Rhomb, the broken shelf, and the place where the shelf had been just moments earlier.
Eventually, the tense silence was broken when Dapple Rhomb turned to Twilight Sparkle and asked her "Are you alright, Twilight?"
The lavender mare was still in shock, but she managed to compose herself. Once she did, she nodded her head and pronounced "Yes, I'm… I'm fine. Thank you."
Dapple Rhomb merely grinned and reassured her with "Anytime."
Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were relieved to see that Twilight was unharmed. Bronze Star stood up straight and mumbled in amazement "Damn, Dapple. That was some excellent reaction time."
"Thank you, sir," Dapple Rhomb stated appreciatively, "It's a good thing you asked me to stay here."
"I'll say," Bronze Star coincided, rubbing his chin in interest, "Tell me; just how did you DO that? Have you had awareness training?"
"No, sir," Dapple Rhomb responded, "However, I have been known to think very fast. Especially when the situation calls for it."
"Well, that's good news for me," Twilight Sparkle keenly observed.
"Quite so," the purple mare remarked. She then looked around the room and noted "In the meantime, you've got to be more careful with these shelves, Twilight. You should probably check their supports every now and then. That way, you can ensure that this won't happen again."
"Thanks for the advice," the magic student told the older mare appreciatively.
Following that remark, there was another short pause in the room. After that, the door to the second floor opened and Spike poked his head out. He enquired in concern "Is everypony okay? I thought I heard a crash in here."
"Don't worry, Spike; we're fine," Pinkie Pie assured the baby dragon.
The other five ponies murmured in agreement. Spike sighed in relief and eased down. Just before he went back upstairs, he realized that somepony outside of his main circle of friends was there. When he realized who that somepony was, he smiled, stepped into the room, and called out to her "Oh, hey there, Dapple Rhomb."
The purple mare gazed up at the baby dragon. She grinned and told him cordially "Hello, Spike."
Spike nodded in acknowledgement and ran down the stairs. When he reached the base of the stairs, he extended his claw to her. Dapple Rhomb held out her front hoof and used it to shake Spike's claw. After that, Spike pronounced happily "It's good to see you."
"Same here," Dapple Rhomb rejoined, patting him on the shoulder.
Bronze Star was a little surprised. Based on how Spike and Dapple Rhomb interacted, they seemed to be good friends. The only time he had ever seen the two of them in the same place was during that party Pinkie Pie had thrown for SIG Sauer, Mauser, Alpine, General Walther, and Gilda. That was also where Bronze Star first met Dapple. However, that took place nearly seven months ago. Aside from that, Spike and Dapple had barely spoken a word to each other at that party. Yet they seemed to get along rather well. This drew his curiosity.
"I was unaware that you and Dapple Rhomb were so well-acquainted, Spike," the gold stallion interjected.
Spike turned to the gold stallion, seeming a little surprised by that comment. He queried in perplexity "Well, how is it YOU know her?"
"She's my secretary," Bronze Star candidly illuminated.
"Oh, yeah, Twilight mentioned that," Spike vaguely recalled.
"She was also the one who accidentally sliced his hoof open at that party," Twilight Sparkle reminded her assistant.
Everypony in the room snickered at that, even Bronze Star. While that incident had been very painful at the time, enough time had passed that he had come to associate it with some humor.
"How could I forget that?" Spike muttered drily.
"I sure won't," Bronze Star proclaimed, "Then again, it's practically impossible for me to forget anything. On that subject, I'm a little confused on how you and Dapple Rhomb know each other so well, because I have no memory of you two mingling at that party."
"Well, sir, the party was the only time when you SAW us together," Dapple Rhomb pointed out, "That doesn't necessarily imply that was the only time Spike and I were ever in the same place."
"So, what other occasion was there?" Bronze Star queried.
"Remember that day when Princess Luna went to Canterlot?" Spike elucidated, "You asked me to accompany her as a guide so that I could help her adjust to life in the capital city."
"Of course I remember that," Bronze Star recounted, "I was there when you got on the train with her, SIG Sauer, Mauser, Alpine, Noble Edict, and the six officers of the Royal Guard."
"Uh-huh," Spike acknowledged, "As you know, one of the train cars had been reserved for Princess Luna. She and the others stayed in that car for the whole trip. I, on the other hoof, decided to hang out in the passenger cars. When I entered the dining car, I came across Dapple Rhomb."
Bronze Star was intrigued by that statement. He noted "You met her on a train to Canterlot?"
"Yeah," Spike affirmed, "She recognized me from the party, and she called me over to her table. The two of us quickly started up a conversation. During it, she told me that she was going to the capital city to meet somepony. I just told her that I was going there because I had business at the castle."
"I figured out on my own that he meant royal business," Dapple Rhomb disclosed, "After all, why else would the assistant to Princess Celestia's personal apprentice accompany her sister to the capital city?"
"That's a logical observation, Dapple," Twilight Sparkle proclaimed.
As the purple mare nodded her head in agreement, Spike continued with: "At any rate, by the time we reached Canterlot, Dapple and I had already gotten to know each other pretty well. Since she did not know many ponies in the capital city, I told her I would be open to hanging out with her. During the night, I remained by Princess Luna's side. During the day, I went out into the city to meet with Dapple Rhomb."
"So, when did you sleep?" Bronze Star queried.
"Sleep?" Spike repeated. He paused for a moment and rubbed his chin. Then he thought aloud "Probably during the afternoon. No, that was when I visited Donut Joe's or another shop. Let's see… when did I sleep? Actually… now that I think about it, I may have gone without sleep for almost the whole trip. But I planned to make up for lost sleep when I returned to Ponyville."
"No wonder you've been sleeping in so often ever since you got back," Twilight Sparkle perceived.
Spike giggled and frankly remarked "Yeah, now you know."
Dapple Rhomb lightly patted the baby dragon on the shoulder again and told him "I hope I didn't trouble you by having you visit me in the city so much."
"No, not at all," Spike reassured her, "Since Twilight and the Ambassador were in Ponyville, SIG Sauer and his colleagues were busy with their jobs, and the rest of my friends at Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns had their classes, there was nopony else in the city I could mingle with during the daytime."
"Well, I really appreciate all the help you gave me," Dapple Rhomb revealed, "Especially when you managed to get me on that tour group of the castle."
"It was no problem; all I had to do was put in a good word for you," Spike informed her.
"Still, I don't think I could ever repay you for everything you did for me," "I mean, nopony in the capital city spent as much time on me as you did."
"What about that stallion?" Spike countered.
That statement drew the others' attention. Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and inquired "What stallion?"
"Every time I left Dapple Rhomb after meeting with her, I looked back and saw a stallion approach her," Spike expounded, "He was even in the same castle tour group as her. Out of courtesy, I never brought him up when I met with Dapple, but I assumed he was the pony she had planned on meeting."
"Yeah, he was," Dapple Rhomb confirmed.
"Not that it's any of my business, but who was that stallion?" Spike inquired.
"Oh, he was my husband," Dapple Rhomb revealed straightforwardly.
While Spike and the other ponies did not know what answer the purple mare would give them, that was perhaps the absolute last answer they were expecting to receive.
Applejack uttered in fascination "Your husband?"
"Yeah," Dapple Rhomb replied, "He and I have been together for four years."
Bronze Star snickered and sardonically muttered "I tell you everything about me and Applejack; you don't even mention to me that you're married."
"I didn't think it was important, sir," Dapple Rhomb proclaimed, "I mean, you didn't ask me about my family during the interview."
"You're right; I didn't," Bronze Star recounted, "For my curiosity's sake, would you mind telling me what you and your husband were doing in Canterlot?"
"We were there for our anniversary," Dapple Rhomb apprised him, "He and I have always wanted to visit Canterlot, and we figured that our anniversary would be the perfect excuse to do so."
"I can understand that notion," Bronze Star commented, "However, based on how much time you spent with Spike, it sounds as though you didn't spend very much of this getaway with your husband."
"Well, while it WAS our anniversary, my husband still had to work," Dapple Rhomb explicated, "He knew plenty of ponies in the capital city, but there was nopony there I knew other than him. Plus, I didn't have a job back then; I needed to find some way to keep myself occupied. So he did not mind if I spent a lot of my free time with Spike."
"That's fortunate for both of you," Rarity perceived.
"Indeed," Dapple Rhomb concurred.
"So, is your husband here in Ponyville?" Pinkie Pie queried.
"Not currently," Dapple Rhomb professed, "He and I moved here a couple months ago, but shortly after we finished getting settled, he had to leave town to go on a business trip. His job requires him to travel a lot. So I'm just looking after the house until he gets back."
"When will that be?" Applejack queried.
"A couple weeks," Dapple Rhomb hypothesized, "Could be sooner, depending on how the trip goes."
"Well, I'll be more than happy to keep you company until then," Spike proposed, "It'll be just like Canterlot."
"I really appreciate that, Spike," the purple mare claimed, "Right now, I don't need any more company, but I'll let you know if I ever feel lonely."
"I'll be here," was all the baby dragon said in response.
There was another brief pause in the room. After that, Bronze Star went back to reading the letter Dapple Rhomb had brought him, and Twilight Sparkle resumed sorting the remaining books in the shelves. Spike helped her fix the shelf that had collapsed, and they made sure the support was sturdy enough to hold an entire row of books.
When Twilight only had half a dozen books left to put away, Bronze Star had finished reading the letter. He rolled it back up, trotted over to his secretary, and held out the scroll. As Dapple Rhomb took it and placed it back in her saddlebag, Bronze Star stated "Thank you for bringing me this, Dapple. When you get back to the embassy, please forward a message to the address on the scroll. Use these exact words: 'Notice received. Shall be present at specified location at designated interval. Anticipate contact.'"
"It will be done, Mr. Ambassador," Dapple Rhomb assured her employer.
"Very good," Bronze Star murmured approvingly, "I'll see you in an hour or so."
Dapple Rhomb nodded in acknowledgement. Then she left the library and headed back to the embassy. Shortly after the purple mare departed, Spike went back upstairs to do whatever he was doing before he came down. Most likely, he had been sleeping.
Bronze Star, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie stood in silence as Twilight Sparkle went to place the last six books in their corresponding shelves. Within two minutes, the number decreased from six to one. Twilight Sparkle then looked around the room, and she spotted the last empty space in the bookshelves. She trotted over to this shelf, used her magic to slide this book into the opening. She sighed and pronounced "Last one."
The lavender mare then turned to her friends and told them appreciatively "Thank you so much for helping me clean up all these books, guys. It was a crazy week of studying."
The others just smiled and nodded in gratification. Their work at the library was done. Or so it seemed.
Out of nowhere, everypony in the library heard a scream. From what their ears could tell, it originated from somewhere outside the building. It was very faint, but it sounded as though it was getting closer to them.
They turned in the direction of the noise, and through the open window, they saw something rapidly approaching the library. They quickly realized it was Rainbow Dash. The cyan mare was soaring through the air in a straight line, but she appeared to have lost control of her wings. She was unable to alter her course before she reached the library. All she could do was brace herself for impact.
Before anypony could do anything, Rainbow Dash sailed through the open window and crashed into the library. The force of her landing was so violent and forceful that she caused the entire building to shake. As a result, every single book on the first floor was vaulted out the shelves and thrown onto the floor. Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were all at least partly buried under a massive pile of literature.
Several of the mares grunted in displeasure, but luckily, none of them had been hurt. Bronze Star pulled himself out of a pile of horror novels and surveyed the room. Somehow, it looked even worse than it did when he first arrived at the library. He grumbled angrily "Oh, come on."
Just then, Fluttershy appeared at the same open window. Although she had her eyes closed, she landed on it without any difficulty. She called out softly yet cheerfully "Rainbow Dash, you rock! Woohoo."
When she opened her eyes, she gasped in alarm and queried "Did my cheering do that?"
Nopony answered the yellow mare. They just glared at the cyan mare, clearly irritated by her intrusion and the result of it. Rainbow Dash grinned innocently and remarked "Hehe. Sorry about that, ladies. And Bronze."
She then composed herself and turned to the window. She declared crossly "THAT was a truly feeble performance."
Fluttershy moved from the window to the floor and observed "Actually, it wasn't all bad. I particularly liked it when you made the clouds spin."
"Ugh," Rainbow Dash muttered in annoyance, "I'm not talking about my performance, I'm talking about yours. That feeble cheering!"
"What are you two arguing about?" Twilight Sparkle asked.
"Were we arguing?" Fluttershy said worriedly, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, Fluttershy," Bronze Star assured the timid mare.
Rainbow Dash grunted and looked around at the Alicorn stallion, the two Earth Pony mares, and the two Unicorn mares, saying "I wish you guys could come to Cloudsdale to see me compete in the Best Young Flyer Competition."
That answered Twilight Sparkle's question. Apparently, Rainbow Dash had been training for the Best Young Flyers Competition, and she had asked Fluttershy to cheer her on. Bronze Star did not know that the cyan mare had entered the contest, but considering her competitive nature, he felt he should have guessed that she did.
"What's that?" Twilight Sparkle inquired in interest.
"It's where all the greatest Pegasus flyers get together and show off their different flying styles!" Pinkie Pie enlightened the lavender mare, "Some are fast!"
She then imitated the sound of a motor and did a few laps around the room. She managed to gallop through the piles of books without being hindered by them at all. After that, she stopped in her tracks, stood up on her hind legs, and remarked "And some are graceful."
Pinkie Pie managed to balance herself on her hind legs for a couple seconds, but then she lost her footing. She stumbled through the books and yelled "Woah, woah, WooooaaAAAAHH!"
She ended up falling painfully against the wall, but she was still unharmed.
After a momentary pause, Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash and pronounced "Golly. I'd love to see you strut yer stuff in that competition."
Rainbow Dash smiled at that and uttered "Yeah. I wish you guys could be there. Fluttershy's a great support, but her cheering isn't exactly inspirational."
Bronze Star stepped up to the cyan mare and told her "Well, all the same, I, for one, look forward to seeing you perform."
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash murmured in confusion, "What do you mean, Bronze?"
"I was already going to the Competition," the young prince informed the weather maker, "Tomorrow, I'll be flying to Cloudsdale in my true form. Before the Competition starts, I'll be meeting with General Walther to discuss some business. After that, he and I are going to attend the performance. My Mother even arranged for me to give the opening speech."
"Wow, sweet," Rainbow Dash commented excitedly. She then got a curious look on her face, as though she had gotten a brilliant idea. She looked to the gold stallion and bade him "In that case… I don't suppose that… well, maybe… you could cheer for me, too?"
Bronze Star thought about this request, and then he lightly shrugged and stated "I suppose I could. If anypony heard me cheer for one particular contestant, I doubt they would ask any questions. After all, I'm just as entitled as the other spectators are to choose favorites."
"Thanks," Rainbow Dash told him appreciatively, "Could I hear an example of your cheer first? I just want to make sure you can be loud enough."
"Sure," Bronze Star conceded, "You all might want to stand back, though."
The six mares chuckled at that statement, assuming it to be a joke. However, Bronze Star had not been kidding around. He cautioned them "No, seriously; you're going to want to stand back."
Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash backed away from the gold stallion. Once they were all more than ten paces away from him, Bronze Star gestured for them to stop. After that, he took a deep breath; he breathed in very slowly until his lungs were full of oxygen. After holding it in for a few seconds, he boisterously shouted "OH, YEEEEEAAAAAAH, RAINBOW DAAAAAAAAASH!"
It was a good thing he had given the mares that warning. Had they been standing any closer, they probably would have gone deaf temporarily. However, even from their current distance, they all got a massive earful from him. Several of the books on the ground flew backwards, and a couple of the shelves buckled. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were even thrown off their hooves and onto their backs. Applejack and Rainbow Dash managed to remain standing, but just barely.
At the end of that, Bronze Star was the only pony there who had not been affected by his shout. He looked around at the mares and muttered cheekily "Told ya."
"How did you DO that?" Rainbow Dash mumbled in amazement.
Bronze Star slyly grinned and tapped his front hoof against his throat. He explained "Royal Canterlot Voice. Quite useful for speeches, announcements, getting attention, and – as you can see – cheering."
"Holy buck, that was intense," Applejack perceived.
"I'll say," Pinkie Pie concurred.
Bronze Star just scoffed at their reactions and looked to the cyan mare. He jokingly stated "Was that loud enough for you Rainbow Dash? If not, I could be even louder."
"No, that was just fine, Bronze," Rainbow Dash hastily pronounced, "That's just the right amount of volume. Many more, and you'd actually be TOO loud."
"If you think I'm good at using the Voice, you should hear my Aunt Luna," Bronze Star wryly proposed, "She's in Canterlot right now, but you could probably hear her from here."
"Well, if I had time, I might ask her to cheer for me, too," Rainbow Dash remarked in amusement, "Seriously, though, I really appreciate you agreeing to cheer for me."
"It's no problem," the gold stallion insisted, "Like I said before, I look forward to seeing you perform in the Competition. I just know that your routine will be great."
"Thanks," was all the cyan mare said in response.
"OOH! I'd love to see you make a sonic rainboom!" Pinkie Pie cried enthusiastically, "It's like, the most coolest thing ever! Even though I've never actually seen it, but I mean COME ON! It's a sonic rainboom! How not cool could it possibly not be?!"
"What's a sonic rainboom?" Twilight Sparkle enquired.
"You really need to get out more," Pinkie Pie told her incredulously. She then brightened up and elaborated "The sonic rainboom is legendary! When a Pegasus like Rainbow Dash gets going sooo fast... BOOM! A sonic boom and a rainbow can happen all at once!"
"And Rainbow Dash here's the only pony to ever pull it off!" Applejack proclaimed.
While they did not say anything, Bronze Star and Twilight Sparkle were quite fascinated.
Rainbow Dash then commented in an uncharacteristically modest tone "It was a long time ago... I was just a filly."
"Yeah, but you're gonna do it again, right?" Pinkie Pie presumed optimistically.
"Are... you kidding?" Rainbow Dash retorted. She sounded anxious at first, but she quickly became more poised and announced "I'm the greatest flyer to ever come out of Cloudsdale! I could do sonic rainbooms in my sleep."
She was obviously exaggerating, but she seemed reasonably confident in her ability. Twilight Sparkle perceived "Wow. If you pull that off, you'll win the crown for sure!"
Rainbow Dash then professed fervently "The grand prize is an entire day with the Wonderbolts. A whole day of flying with my life-long heroes... It'll be a dream come true!"
"Yay," Fluttershy cheered softly.
Rainbow Dash was not amused by that. After another brief pause, she brightened up and told the others "I'm gonna go rest up. Don't wanna over prepare myself, y'know. Hehe."
After that, she looked over at Fluttershy and told her demandingly "YOU, on the other hand, better keep practicing. I need a cheering section to match my spectacular performance."
Rainbow Dash then spread her wings and flew out the open window. As she left the building, Fluttershy looked over at the others and informed them "She's practiced that move a hundred times, and she's never even come close to doing it. I don't know if I can cheer loud enough to help her."
"I'll have your back, Fluttershy," Bronze Star assured the yellow mare, "Keep in mind that the Cloudeseum is a big place. There will be hundreds of other ponies cheering there. Considering Rainbow Dash's popularity, it's likely that at least a few of them will be rooting for her, too."
"I hope you're right, Bronze," the yellow mare stated quietly. After that, she followed Rainbow Dash out of the open window.
Now the group was composed of the same five ponies from before. However, the library was also in a much worse condition than before. Surprisingly, Spike had not checked in on the ponies again, despite all the commotion they had made.
Twilight Sparkle gazed around the room and drearily pronounced "Well, guess we better get this cleaned up... again."
"Right," Bronze Star bluntly muttered, "I would be happy to help you out a second time, but there's some work I have to get done before tomorrow. So if it's all the same to you, I need to get back to the embassy soon."
"I understand, Bronze," Twilight Sparkle assured the gold stallion, "We'll manage. Besides, it didn't take us that long the first time."
"We'll be glad to lend a hoof," Pinkie Pie asserted.
"Yeah, and if need be, we're up for more singin' while we work," Applejack claimed audaciously.
Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie snickered at that. After that short round of laughter was over, the gold stallion declared "I'll see you mares around. Good luck with the sorting."
Bronze Star then departed from the library and swiftly made his way back to the embassy. Dapple Rhomb was at her usual spot in her office. She informed the gold stallion that she had already written and mailed a response to that letter he received from Canterlot, as per his request. Naturally, Bronze Star was quite appreciative for that.
The young prince spent most of the rest of the day working with Dapple Rhomb. He did not bring up anything that had taken place at the library, but Dapple's visit kept repeating in Bronze Star's head. While she was there, he had discovered that Dapple Rhomb had lightning-fast reflexes, that she and Spike were good friends, that she had been in Canterlot, and – most relevantly – that she was married. Bronze Star had learned more about his secretary in those few minutes than he had in all the time she had worked for him these past several weeks.
When this realization hit him, it occurred to Bronze Star that he really did not know very much about Dapple Rhomb's personal life in general. Then again, he had never really thought to ask her. Since he himself was a very secretive pony, he respected the privacy of others, and he did not have a habit of snooping around. Still, Dapple Rhomb was a bit of a mystery to him. As such, he was inclined to wonder what other surprises she had in store.
However, as curious as he was, Bronze Star knew he could afford to put these thoughts out of his mind for the present. At this time, he needed to remain focused on bigger, more urgent affairs. So he set his mind at ease and continued working with Dapple Rhomb for the late morning and the entire afternoon. He never brought up a topic that did not pertain to their efforts in some way.
They decided to call it a day at five o'clock, like they normally did. Shortly before Dapple Rhomb left, Bronze Star informed her that he would be out of town for most of the following day, and as a result, she would not have to come to the embassy tomorrow. She was a little stunned by this, but she was also quite delighted. After all, while she loved her job, she still enjoyed an occasional day off from work as much as the next mare.
After Dapple Rhomb went home, Bronze Star spent the rest of the day lounging. He passed the time by reading, tending to his pet hawk, and talking to Sir Haywood McCrank. He tried his hardest not to even think about work. He wanted to enjoy all this leisure time while he had it, because he was fairly certain that once he got back from Cloudsdale, he would have to spend as much time as possible preparing for his meeting with Esopus Spitzenburg.
That night, Bronze Star went to bed shortly after the Sun stopped shining, and the following morning he woke up long before it started. It took him less than twenty minutes to shower, eat breakfast, and feed Arthur. Once all that was done, he pulled out his strongbox from under the bed, retrieved its key from the pillowcase, and removed his knapsack from its place on the wall.
Evidently, Bronze Star was determined to get to Cloudsdale soon. He was not going to leave just yet though, as his rendezvous with Walther would not be for a few hours. Aside from that, before he went anywhere, he had a quick meeting with the task force. He knew he could have opted out of the meeting, but it was that time of the week when they received a weekly update from the vigilante group. Otherwise, he would have considered skipping the meeting.
Once Bronze Star had his objects gathered, he called his hawk over. Arthur D. Hawkins promptly flew out of his cage and landed on the gold stallion's shoulder. The young prince had decided to bring his loyal pet with him to Cloudsdale. It had been a long time since the two of them had gone flying together, and he figured this would be the perfect opportunity for both of them to stretch their wings. Once Arthur was perched on his master's shoulder, Bronze Star left his room, closed the door, and locked it. After that, he trotted down the stairs and made his way to the meeting chambers.
It was still dark outside, but the other members of the task force were already gathered downstairs. At their last meeting, Bronze Star had requested that they next assemble a couple hours earlier than they usually did. He had already told them about how he would be at the Best Young Flyers Competition in Cloudsdale, and how he planned to get there well before the contest began so that he could speak with General Walther. Naturally, he did not tell them what he and the General would be talking about, but he told them everything else. Now that the entire task force knew his real identity, Bronze Star saw no need to conceal the whole truth from them.
The task force meeting only lasted about forty-five minutes. The eight ponies only spent a few of those minutes discussing their own findings from the previous week. The vast majority of their discussion related to what they had learned from the vigilantes. Based on the report, they were just as shocked as the task force had been to learn that a guild of bounty hunters was behind the murder plot. On the downside, they did not have any definite leads on who the assassins or the victim may have been, but they had a few ideas on how to draw up a list of the most likely suspects. The vigilantes also requested that Sir Haywood McCrank somehow give them the ability to correspond with Agent Dread Naught. They were confident that by working with him, they would be able to get even further along. After all, they would have more direct access to the Intelligence Bureau's resources if they were able to work with somepony at its headquarters. Sir Haywood was somewhat tentative about fulfilling their request, but Bronze Star pointed out to the indigo stallion that they did not have to give the vigilantes unrestricted access to the Bureau. They only had to give the vigilantes enough admittance to satisfy their needs in the investigation. So Haywood agreed to accept this request.
The meeting was over by eight o'clock. As soon as it ended, Bronze Star announced that he would be leaving for Cloudsdale straightaway. The other seven ponies told him they hoped he would have a good time, and Cassia Sprig asked him if he could get Walther's autograph. She claimed it was for her husband; he was a longtime admirer of the General. Bronze Star was more than willing to do this favor for her.
The prince then took his strongbox, knapsack, and pet hawk, and he hastily left the embassy. The Sun was only starting to rise now, and there was nopony out on the streets. However, Bronze Star was not going to take any chances; he would not change into his Alicorn form until he was somewhere where he would have no risk of being seen.
He galloped towards the eastern border of town until he reached the Everfree Forest, and he cautiously entered the overgrown wasteland. After making sure that nopony else was around, he reversed the illusion spell on his forehead and back, revealing his horn and wings respectively. He needed a moment to readjust to them, and once he regained total control of his appendages, he used his magic to pick up his strongbox, and he began flapping his wings rapidly. Once he ascended into the air, he turned to his pet hawk and told him eagerly "Alright, Colonel. Let's rise."
Arthur screeched in approval, spread his own wings, and flew off his master's shoulder. The hawk and the gold stallion then rose out of the Everfree Forest, and they started flying in the direction of Cloudsdale.
It was a rather lovely day. The Sun was radiating, there was little breeze, and there were only a few clouds out. These were the ideal conditions for flying. Bronze Star and Arthur savored the weather and the relative peace and quiet as they soared through the sky.
Within an hour, they arrived at Cloudsdale. Even from a distance, Bronze Star could see that the place was bustling with activity. Evidently, the excitement of the Best Young Flyers Competition was shared by everypony.
As the name suggested, the city was made entirely of clouds. Its construction had been difficult, but the Pegasi had found a way to make the intricate design work. These clouds had been enchanted to remain attached to each other permanently, and they would never dissipate, erode, or expand.
When he reached Cloudsdale, Bronze Star set down on the nearest cloud. He did not phase through it, as Pegasi and Alicorns had the capacity to walk on clouds. As far as he knew, any winged animal had that ability, too. All the same, Arthur chose to remain hovering in the air over his master's head.
Once he was standing on the clouds, Bronze Star opened his knapsack and removed the scroll General Walther sent him yesterday. In the letter, the General had told him where and when they would meet. While he had been very specific, Bronze Star had never been to Cloudsdale before. So he was not entirely certain where to go.
He studied the instructions for a moment, and then he looked around the area for a sign or something else that would indicate where he was. When he was unable to find anything of the sort, he decided to just ask somepony to point him in the right direction.
Just then, a Pegasus in uniform entered the area. He was clad in blue pants, a little blue collared shirt, a dark blue jacket with a badge on the upper left side, a navy blue hat, and sunglasses. Evidently, he was a police officer. Currently, he had his back turned to Bronze Star.
The gold stallion trotted over to the Pegasus and tapped him on the shoulder, saying "Excuse me."
"Yeah?" the Pegasus remarked as he looked over his shoulder. When he realized who had approached him, he snapped to attention and stood up straight. He mumbled nervously "Oh, uh… Prince Bronze Star."
"Correct, my good stallion," the young prince bluntly commented.
The police officer quickly bowed to the gold stallion, and then he stood up straight again. He stated in a collected tone of voice "What can I do for you, Your Highness?"
Bronze Star then looked down at the letter and pronounced "I'm supposed to meet with General Walther at the Flight Instructors Offices at nine-thirty. However, I'm not entirely certain where to find that building. Could you give me directions to it?"
"I can do you one better, Your Highness," the Pegasus proposed, "I'll take you there myself."
"Well, thank you," Bronze Star told him gratefully, "I appreciate that."
"Not at all," the police officer asserted.
Bronze Star looked over his shoulder, whistled sharply, and called out "Let's move, Arthur!"
The Colonel obediently flew towards the gold stallion. When the police officer saw the prince's animal companion, he eyed the avian suspiciously, and he queried "Is that hawk trained, sir?"
"Yes, but don't worry," Bronze Star reassured him, "Arthur won't attack you or anypony else. Not unless I order him to. And I have no reason to."
"I can assure you that nopony here will give you one," the police officer proclaimed, "Just make sure he stays by your side at all times."
"He always does," Bronze Star notified him.
"Excellent," the police officer remarked approvingly. He held out his front hoof to a nearby path and beckoned the gold stallion "Come this way, please."
Bronze Star nodded in compliance and followed the Pegasus down the path. Arthur flew alongside his master as the gold stallion and the cop trotted on the clouds. As they headed further into the city, they encountered many other ponies. Virtually all of them noticed Bronze Star was there, and the vast majority of them conspicuously reacted to his presence. Most of them appeared to be either stunned or amazed. Several of them pointed him out and whispered to their friends. Others smiled in the gold stallion's direction or lightly bowed to him.
Bronze Star was used to drawing this much attention, but he was mildly annoyed by it. He had managed to avoid receiving any of this during the eight months he spent in Ponyville. He got through this by reminding himself that he only had to appear in public as a royal for one day, while he was in Cloudsdale. After that, he would be able to resume his quiet life as a civilian in Ponyville.
After about fifteen minutes of navigating through the streets of clouds, the police officer and the prince arrived at the Flight Instructors Offices. Once they got there, Bronze Star turned to the Pegasus in uniform and told him "Thank you. That's all I needed. You may go now."
"Very well, Your Highness," the police officer avowed, "If you desire anything else, feel free to speak to me or one of my colleagues."
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Bronze Star pronounced.
The police officer then left the area and returned to his post. Bronze Star was left alone with Arthur at the front of the Flight Instructors Offices. He leaned against the building and waited patiently for General Walther to arrive.
Every now and then, somepony entered, exited, or passed by the Offices. Each of them expressed some amount of reverence towards the gold stallion when they saw him. In response, he gave all of them a polite nod of acknowledgement.
After ten minutes of this, Bronze Star saw somepony he actually recognized. It was not Walther, but it was somepony the General knew as well.
This pony was a mare in her forties. She had a purplish-blue coat, a jade mane, dark green eyes, and a lightning bolt over a chalkboard for a cutie mark.
Unlike all the other ponies he had come across in Cloudsdale so far, this mare did not swallow her pride around Bronze Star. When she realized the gold stallion was there, she kindly grinned at him and greeted him with "Good morning, Your Highness."
"Hello, Zippy Zap," he returned cordially.
Zippy Zap was a retired member of the Wonderbolts. She and Walther had entered the force at the same time. While they were at the academy, they had gotten romantically involved with each other, despite the fact that cadets were prohibited from engaging in intimate relationships. Fleetfoot was the result of their fraternization, and they managed to avoid getting expelled by appealing to the academy's board of directors.
After they graduated, Walther and Zippy Zap requested to be assigned to the same squad so they could raise their daughter together. This worked for the first several years. Every now and then, one of them was scheduled to be reassigned to another unit, but they got around this complication by requesting that the other of them be reassigned as well or by requesting for the order to be dropped altogether.
By the time Fleetfoot herself was old enough to fly, Walther and Zippy Zap had started to drift apart. They had discovered that they actually had very few similarities. All the same, they agreed to stay together for Fleetfoot's sake.
Then one day, Walther was offered a huge promotion. If he turned it down, he would be able to stay with Zippy Zap and Fleetfoot, but it would probably be years before he would receive a proposal like that again. However, if he accepted it, he would be placed on one of the most prestigious teams in the whole force and he would be able to do greater things for his country, but it would be difficult for him to make time for Zippy Zap and Fleetfoot.
For a while, he was unable to choose between the two options. Then Zippy Zap helped him make his decision by speaking her mind. She made it clear that if Fleetfoot was the only reason he was staying with her, then he should go ahead and accept the promotion.
Ultimately, Walther did just that. Shortly after he was promoted, Zippy Zap resigned from the Wonderbolts. She then moved back to Cloudsdale with Fleetfoot, and she got a job there as a flight instructor for foals. By then, any special feelings she ever had for Walther were gone, and vice versa. Still, Fleetfoot remained close to both of her parents.
At least, she did until she herself entered the Wonderbolt Academy. Then something happened between her and Walther; something that generated a great deal of friction between Fleetfoot and her father. Nopony really knew what instigated this conflict, not even Zippy Zap. However, based on how tense things were between Walther and his daughter nowadays, it would probably be a long time before this conflict was resolved.
On the plus side, Bronze Star was on good terms with Walther, Zippy Zap, and Fleetfoot. He was always open to having a conversation with any of them. He just hoped that one day, he would be able to have a pleasant conversation with all three of them at the same time.
"How long has it been since we last spoke?" Zippy Zap queried "Fourteen months?"
"Seventeen," Bronze Star corrected her.
"I can trust you to know, seeing as you're the one with the flawless memory," Zippy Zap commented. She lightly scoffed and added in "I still remember when you were just an energetic little colt, eager to get himself off the ground."
"It's mainly thanks to you that I did," Bronze Star recounted.
"I don't know about that," Zippy Zap pronounced doubtfully, "After all, I was just one of several teachers you had."
"Yeah, but you were the only one who treated me like any other pupil," Bronze Star reminded her, "For that reason alone, you were always my favorite."
"Why, thank you," Zippy Zap said gratefully, "Truth be told, you were probably my favorite pupil, too. I've taught hundreds of fillies and colts how to fly, and none of them were as well-behaved, respectful, and excited to learn as you."
"I'm glad I left you with such a high opinion of me," Bronze Star thought aloud, "I always strive to show proper respect to everypony I meet. Especially ponies of the previous generation, such as you."
"Oh, so I'm of the previous generation, huh?" Zippy Zap muttered cockily. After a short pause, she shrugged and disclosed, "Well, I guess you're right. After all, I AM old enough to be your mother."
"No, you're not," Bronze Star countered teasingly "If you were my mother, your age would be in quadruple digits."
"True," Zippy Zap conceded, chuckling in amusement. Bronze Star laughed with her with a few seconds. After that, they briefly stood together in silence. Zippy Zap looked over at the young prince's pet hawk, and then she looked to the prince himself and told him "While it's always a pleasure to see you, Your Highness, I'm a little surprised you got here this early. We weren't expecting you and Princess Celestia for hours."
"Well, I have some business here that needs my attention," Bronze Star informed the middle-aged mare, "I'm looking for General Walther. I don't suppose you've seen him?"
"I'm afraid not, sir," Zippy Zap responded, "Then again, his whereabouts have not been my concern for more than a decade."
"I'm well-aware of that," Bronze Star drily remarked, "Still, it's imperative that I speak with him today. He told me he'd be here at exactly nine-thirty, and I know that he always keeps his word."
"That I cannot deny," the purplish-blue mare conceded, "If that stallion has one commendable facet, it's his trustworthiness."
"So that's my only likeable aspect?" a deep voice muttered sarcastically.
Bronze Star and Zippy Zap turned in the direction of the voice, and they saw General Walther approaching them from an adjoining path. He was carrying his steel briefcase on his back. He smiled at the young prince, but he scowled a bit at the flight instructor. The two of them returned those respective gestures.
"Perhaps it is," Zippy Zap said in answer to Walther's question when he reached them, "It was a little hard to think of one."
"Uh-huh," Walther uttered, clearly unamused, "Well, believe it or not, I can think of quite a few admirable qualities that you possess."
"Such as?" Zippy Zap beckoned.
"I'm not going to bother listing them," Walther spat crossly, "Giving you praise is like giving praise to a cloud or a wall."
"Only when it comes from you," Zippy Zap corrected him.
"That's my point," Walther mumbled.
Bronze Star sighed and scathingly remarked "I see you two get along as well as ever."
At that, Walther and Zippy Zap quickly ended their dispute. The purplish-blue mare turned to the gold stallion and told him apologetically "I'm sorry you had to see that, Your Highness."
"It's quite alright," Bronze Star assured her, "But the General and I need to talk in private. So, if you would not mind…?"
Zippy Zap nodded in acceptance, lightly bowed to the prince, and headed into the Flight Instructors Offices building. Once she was out of earshot, Walther thought aloud "To think that mare was once the closest thing I've ever had to a wife."
"At first glance, one might think you actually were her spouse," Bronze Star cockily perceived, "After all, you two certainly behave like an old married couple."
Walther chuckled lightly and declared "I'm not THAT old, Your Highness."
"Well, at forty-eight years, you are the eldest member of the Firebrand Regiment," Bronze Star pointed out, "And Fleetfoot is almost as old as the youngest members."
"Don't remind me," Walther murmured grimly.
"Okay, I won't," Bronze Star told him. He noticed that while Walther and Zippy Zap did not get along, they did have one thing in common other than Fleetfoot: they both preferred not to discuss their age. There came a short pause, and then the gold stallion added in "At any rate, we only have a few hours before the Competition begins. We should probably get started on the debriefing."
"As you wish," Walther coincided.
The mahogany Pegasus removed his briefcase from his back and carefully placed it on the ground. The briefcase had been enchanted so that it would not fall through clouds. That same spell had been placed on Bronze Star's strongbox, too. Since he was not going anywhere for a while, he released it from his magic field and set it down on the ground, as well.
Walther then plucked out his feather-key from his wing and used it to unlock his briefcase. He lifted up the lid and took out a three-inch binder. Then he held it out to the young prince, and Bronze Star took it in his right front hoof.
The binder was very thick. It must have contained hundreds of pages, perhaps as many as a thousand. As the gold stallion opened the binder and began flipping through its contents, Walther told him "This binder contains everything you need to know about studying a suspect without him or her being aware of your intentions. I apologize for its size; we just wanted to be absolutely thorough."
"Yeah, one more sheet and you probably would have needed to start on a second binder," Bronze Star conjectured slyly, continuing to browse the binder's pages, "How much of this did Caracal contribute?"
"Nearly half," Walther responded, "I suppose that's to be expected. She's gone undercover so many times that you could fill a book with everything she learned from her experiences."
"Or a binder," Bronze Star commented drily. After taking a few more seconds to look over the contents of the binder, the gold stallion closed it, looked up at the General, and told him "Despite its length, I can probably read all of this in a few hours. It'll give me something to do tonight when I retire to my quarters."
Walther smirked and said candidly "As you say, Your Highness."
Bronze Star then opened his knapsack, carefully inserted the binder, and closed the bag up again. After that, he turned back to the mahogany Pegasus and told him "I discovered that Esopus Spitzenburg will not be arriving in Ponyville in four weeks like I originally thought. Instead, he will get there in only one week. Have we acquired any new intelligence on him? Any information we have on Spitzenburg might be useful in helping me prepare for my meeting with him."
"Well, Your Highness, we still have our best field operatives watching over him," Walther apprised the younger stallion, "Unfortunately, they have been unable to uncover very much about him. That's not to say that we have learned nothing at all. Even with what little information we got our hooves on, we managed to arrive at a few conclusions."
"Like what?" Bronze Star inquired in interest.
"For starters, six of the twenty conspirators still need to be identified," Walther disclosed, "As we uncovered their identities over the course of these past few months, we noticed a pattern. Lavender Dazzle appears to be the only one of them who meets with all three of the ringleaders on a regular basis. Five of the others receive their orders solely from Raging Tempest, and five more receive their orders exclusively from Sparker Blare."
"Which of them gave Material Study and Raoul Jowl their orders?" Bronze Star asked him.
"Tempest corresponded with Study, and Blare corresponded with Jowl," Walther "On that note, our field operatives have managed to intercept all of the messages Tempest and Blare send to Study and Blare respectively. We have them reply to those messages in such a way that their responses appear as though they actually came from Study and Jowl."
"Good, it would be bad news for all of us if the other conspirators realized that two of their colleagues were no longer involved in their plans," Bronze Star perceived.
"Quite so," Walther muttered in agreement, "At any rate, since Raging Tempest and Sparker Blare each communicate with five of the conspirators, we believe that five more of the remaining six correspond exclusively with Spitzenburg."
"That's not unreasonable," Bronze Star noted, "What about the last one?"
"While we're not entirely certain of this theory, we believe he may correspond with all three of the ringleaders, like Lavender Dazzle," Walther pronounced, "We have tried to locate him through many different methods, but he is very determined to remain anonymous."
"Perhaps he's the one who established the communications network between the conspirators," Bronze Star hypothesized.
"He could be," Walther professed, "However, regardless of his whereabouts, I may have an idea for how we can uncover the identities of the other five conspirators. But we'll need your help in order to carry this plan out, sir."
"Very well," Bronze Star coincided, "What must I do?"
Walther then reached into his steel briefcase and pulled out a photograph. He held it out to the young prince, and Bronze Star used his magic to take the photograph, and he studied it up close. It was a picture of a brown, leather briefcase. Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and slyly remarked "Thinking of getting yourself a new briefcase, General?"
"No, that briefcase belongs to Esopus Spitzenburg," the mahogany Pegasus enlightened him, "Based on how close he keeps this thing, it must be his most prized possession. He almost never lets it out his sight. He brings it with him to work, to meetings, to meals, when he gathers with friends, when he's out running errands… he even sleeps with it."
"Do we have any idea what's inside it?" Bronze Star enquired.
"We're not entirely sure; Spitzenburg rarely opens the briefcase in public," Walther illuminated, "Plus, he is a very observant stallion; our field operatives are only able to get so close to him without tipping him off. However, they have managed to get a glimpse of the briefcase's interiors a few times. Based on their testimony, all he carries in it is a number of files."
"What sort of files?" asked Bronze Star.
"They appear to be personnel files," Walther stated, "Similar to the files you keep in that cabinet in your bedroom at Canterlot Castle."
"Oh, alright then," Bronze Star avowed, "Do you think those files are dossiers on the conspirators?"
"At least a few of them must be," Walther claimed, "We're almost one hundred percent certain of that, as every one of the files appears to have the face of a particular pony on it. Even from a distance, the field operatives managed to identify one of the faces as Lavender Dazzle's."
Bronze Star nodded his head in understanding, and then he thought aloud "You said 'a few' of those files must be of the conspirators. Why only a few?"
"Because according to what the field operatives have seen, Spitzenburg has no less than forty files in that briefcase," the mahogany Pegasus explained.
The gold stallion raised an eyebrow and muttered in amazement "Forty files in one briefcase?"
"It's bigger than it looks," Walther apprised him.
"It must be," Bronze Star commented candidly, "However, who do you suppose those other files are about?"
"Probably just associates or partners of Spitzenburg's," Walther theorized, "He likes to keep a record of everypony he does business with. While he is the stallion who orchestrated this conspiracy, he is still a member of the Apple Family. Like the rest of his family, he makes a living by cultivating apples. He's sold so many of them over the course of his lifetime that he's become a very rich pony."
"Well, Sir Raoul Jowl DID say that Spitzenburg provides all the conspiracy's finances," Bronze Star recalled, "That must be where the money came from."
"That's our guess, too, sir," Walther pronounced, "However, all else aside, we've come to the conclusion that the briefcase is the key to furthering this investigation. That's where you come in."
"I'm not quite certain I follow you, General," Bronze Star remarked, "Are you saying you want me to steal that briefcase?"
"No, stealing it is out of the question," Walther clarified, "Spitzenburg would notice right away if it went missing, and your cover would be blown immediately. Swiping the briefcase and replacing it with another one is out of the question, too, as there is no telling how often he opens it in private. That leaves us with only one course of action: we need you to find out what's in that briefcase without taking it away from Spitzenburg."
"Wait, a minute ago, you said he never parts with that briefcase," Bronze Star noted.
"I said he ALMOST never parts with it," Walther corrected him, "From what we've observed, the only time Spitzenburg leaves that briefcase unattended is when he has relatives over or the other way around. For whatever reason, he does not like mixing business with family in any way. So whenever he is with his family, he leaves the briefcase in another room. Since his reasons for coming to Ponyville are to visit the Apples at Sweet Apple Acres, it is reasonable to assume that there will be a few occasions when he will not have the briefcase by his side. Any one of those occasions would be any ideal time for you to find that briefcase and discover what's inside it."
"Alright, I think I can manage that," Bronze Star proclaimed, "Once I find the briefcase, what should I do?"
"First, I must ask: is your memory really as good as you claim?" Walther queried.
Bronze Star smirked and pronounced straightforwardly "If I wanted to, I could memorize an entire book word-for-word without even trying."
He was not trying to brag when he said that, but Walther did not mind if he was. He was actually quite pleased with that answer. He expounded to the young prince: "In that case, you should have no difficulty with carrying out this task. Once you find the briefcase, you'll have to open it up and look through each of the files individually. You do not have to read everything in them; all you have to do is study the pictures on the front of the files and read the first page on their insides. The names of the ponies the files pertain to are bound to be somewhere on the first page in each of the files. After you've done that, put the briefcase back exactly where you left it and act as though nothing has happened."
Bronze Star understood everything Walther was asking of him, but he was a little confused about certain aspects of it. He proclaimed "General, you're pretty much asking me to just take a simple peek inside that briefcase. How will only getting a glimpse at the files help the investigation?"
"Once you acquire the names and faces of everypony in that briefcase, the plan is for you to pass that information along to us," Walther explicated, "As soon as we receive that information, we'll run background checks on all of those ponies. From there, we should be able to determine who among them is one of the remaining conspirators."
There was a very brief pause, and then Walther looked the gold stallion in the eye and questioned "So, what do you say, Your Highness? Are you up for this?"
Bronze Star reflected on everything the veteran Wonderbolt had just told him. Walther was asking a lot of him; there was no denying that. Bronze Star had never doubted his ability to accomplish an assignment or a project, but he had never been placed in a situation such as this one. He had always left investigating the suspects up to the Firebrand Regiment and their field operatives. Plus, he would be spying on a family member of the mare he loved.
However, according to what Walther had just told him, the only way anypony got anywhere near Esopus Spitzenburg is if he allowed them to approach him. So this was a rare instance when the Regiment and their field operatives would not be able to get close enough to the suspect. Bronze Star, on the other hoof, was in the unique position of having an opportunity to get near Spitzenburg without tipping him off. He certainly had the capacity to do his own share of the investigating. He also had the biggest motivation to do this task, as the investigation's ultimate goal was to save his mother's life. With that in mind, he realized that he had to do this. In fact, he was the only pony who could do this.
He looked up at the mahogany Pegasus and lightly nodded his head, saying "I will do it, General. I will get you those names and faces."
Walther smiled in approval and stated in encouragement "I know you will, Your Highness. I have total faith in you. And so does everypony else in the Regiment."
Bronze Star was very pleased to learn that. He knew that the members of the Firebrand Regiment never gave anypony a task unless they were certain that that pony was capable of getting it done right. Since he had their confidence, the gold stallion had just cause to be confident in himself, as well.
Right then, the stallions' conversation about the conspiracy came to an end. Bronze Star and Walther had been talking for over a half-hour, and it was after ten o'clock. The Best Young Flyers Competition would be in roughly two hours.
Walther offered to let Bronze Star keep the photograph of the briefcase, but the gold stallion claimed he did not need it, as he could easily remember what the briefcase looked like. However, Walther insisted that he hold on to the photograph just to be safe, and Bronze Star agreed to take it.
As the mahogany Pegasus locked up his steel briefcase and hid the key in his wing again, Bronze Star placed the photograph in his knapsack. In addition to the binder, a quill, an inkwell, and some parchment was inside the knapsack. Remembering Cassia Sprig's request, he took out those objects and held them out to Walther. He informed the elder stallion that one of his friends in Ponyville had asked him to get the veteran Wonderbolt's autograph. Walther was more than willing to oblige.
He swiftly proceeded to use the quill and ink to write his name on the parchment, and he stamped his hoofprint right below his signature. After that, he gave the materials back to Bronze Star. The gold stallion thanked the mahogany stallion and returned the inkwell, quill, and parchment to his knapsack.
As Bronze Star closed up his knapsack, Walther leaned against the Flight Instructors Offices and gazed off into the distance. He took a moment to admire the view and the scenery. A few seconds later, he spotted two figures in the distance. He concentrated closely on them, and he realized that they were two Pegasi. One of them was cyan; the other was yellow.
Walther tapped Bronze Star and pointed him in the direction of the two figures. He asked rhetorically "Isn't that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?"
Bronze Star focused on the two Pegasi, and then he nodded his head and pronounced "Yeah, that's them alright."
Walther rubbed his chin and commented "I assume Rainbow Dash entered the Competition?"
"Yup," Bronze Star affirmed candidly, "She's been practicing all week, but she's not very confident in her ability to win. Fluttershy's not participating, though. Rainbow Dash just asked her to come along so she could cheer for her."
Walther scoffed and remarked "I did not spend a lot of time around Fluttershy when I was in Ponyville, but I do recall she said very little, and whenever she did speak, she spoke very quietly. So Rainbow Dash is probably going to have a pretty calm cheering section."
"That possibility occurred to her," Bronze Star revealed, "So she asked me to cheer for her, too."
"Will you?" Walther inquired.
"If she actually impresses me, yes, I will," Bronze Star decided, "Rainbow Dash is my friend, but nopony in Cloudsdale is supposed to know that. With that in mind, I can't show her favoritism at the Competition for no apparent reason. So I'll only cheer for her if she does something worthy of praise."
"Good call," Walther conceded, "I've been in a very similar position once before, so I understand your reasoning. Just be careful; you don't want Rainbow Dash to think you've turned your back on her."
"I'll remember that," Bronze Star averred.
The two stallions stood idly by for a while, and then Bronze Star proposed "Since the Competition isn't for a couple more hours, how about we go see how Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are doing?"
"That's fine by me," Walther proclaimed, "Just remember that you and I need to be at the Cloudeseum by noon."
"Right," was all Bronze Star said in response.
The young prince used his magic to pick up his strongbox, and then he, his pet hawk, and the veteran Wonderbolt rose into the air and flew towards the cyan mare and the yellow mare.
On their way there, Bronze Star noticed a familiar grey blonde Pegasus. He quickly recognized her as Derpy Hooves.
Inwardly, he panicked a bit when he saw the cross-eyed mare. Apart from Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, Bronze Star had not expected anypony from Ponyville to be in Cloudsdale that day. If Derpy saw him, he would have some explaining to do.
Or so he thought.
A moment later, Derpy happened to spot the gold stallion. Her eyes widened in surprise, but not for the reason one might think. It was not out of shock for seeing a familiar face; it was out of astonishment for seeing a member of the Canterlot Royalty.
When she reached the mahogany Pegasus and the gold Alicorn, Derpy bowed to the latter of them. Or she bowed to him as best she could while in midair. Then she stated in her usual gawky tone of voice "Hello, Your Highness. I'm very pleased to meet you."
Bronze Star was stunned by how those statements were delivered. Derpy honestly did not seem to recognize him. Not being one to question good fortune, he went along with this and told her "Good morning, my dear. May I ask your name?"
She nodded her head and replied with "Derpy. Derpy Hooves."
Bronze Star nodded in acknowledgement and smiled at her.
A moment later, Derpy turned to General Walther. She looked surprised, almost as though she had not realized he was there until right then. Nevertheless, she grinned at him and pronounced "Oh, hi, General. Fancy seeing you here."
"Good to see you again, Ms. Hooves," Walther rejoined, "How is your daughter?"
"She's fine," Derpy replied, "How's yours?"
Walther was surprised to hear her ask him that question. He never would have guessed that Derpy was aware that he and Fleetfoot were related. However, she did not seem to be aware that the mahogany Pegasus and his daughter were not exactly on speaking terms, either. Ultimately, he just sighed and answered with "Unfortunately, I haven't a clue. Hopefully, that'll change soon."
"Well, good luck with that," Derpy bade him. After a few seconds of silence, she spotted Arthur by Bronze Star's side. Derpy smirked and commented "That's a nice bird you've got there. Our town's ambassador has one just like him."
At that, Bronze Star no longer had any doubt that Derpy did not recognize him. He felt quite relieved by that. He decided to humor the grey mare, and he claimed "I know. Gold Streak's a good friend of mine. He and I used to go hunting together quite often. If you see him, please tell him I said 'Hello.'"
"Yes, sir," Derpy uttered in a surprisingly stern tone, saluting the prince, "I shall relay this message with haste and exactness."
Bronze Star and Walther were a little astonished by the sudden formality, but Derpy immediately eased down, smiled, and remarked jokily "Sorry, I've always wanted to say that."
The two stallions chuckled at that. Derpy then bowed again, and she headed into the city. Bronze Star and Walther watched her as she flew away. Once she was a safe distance away, Bronze Star smirked and thought aloud "Derpy might not be the brightest lightning bolt in the sky, but it's really hard not to like her."
"I quite agree," Walther conceded.
They soon made their way to the section of Cloudsdale that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had set down in. They spotted the two mares in a clearing. They were talking with three stallions who were roughly the same age as them. Their conversation did not appear to be a friendly one. The stallions seemed to be taunting Rainbow Dash.
When Bronze Star and Walther were within earshot, they heard Fluttershy mutter crossly "Now wait just a minute!"
She was trying to stand up for Rainbow Dash without raising her voice. When the three stallions looked to her, she backed down a bit and mumbled softly Oh, I'm sorry. I'm trying to be more assertive. Anyhow... She is going to do a sonic rainboom!"
"No, she's not," one of them countered, "'cause there's no such thing!"
"Then show up at the Cloudeseum and see for yourself!" Fluttershy heatedly murmured. She then gazed downward and added in meekly "...If you're free."
The three stallions burst into a round of laughter that lasted more than ten seconds. In the midst of the laughter, another of them announced "Yeah, I'll be free."
"Oh, don't worry," the first one proclaimed, "We'll be there!"
The three stallions then started to leave the vicinity. As they withdrew, the second one called over his shoulder "See you then, Rainbow Crash!"
Once the three of them exited the clearing, Bronze Star and Walther entered it. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy quickly spotted the prince and the Wonderbolt. As the two stallions approached the two mares, the latter pair greeted the former pair.
Fluttershy grinned sweetly and said "Hi, Bronze Star. Good morning, General Walther."
Rainbow Dash stared at the ground and drearily mumbled "Hey, Bronze. Hey, General."
"Greetings, ladies," Walther pronounced cordially, "I must say, you handled that situation rather well."
Fluttershy beamed happily and remarked in excitement "Did you see that? I was so assertive!"
"Yes, you were," Walther contended.
At that moment, Arthur flapped over to Fluttershy and hovered in front of her. She smiled at the hawk and greeted him with "Hello, Colonel."
If Arthur had lips, he would have grinned at her. Instead, he just screeched in delight. He landed on the yellow mare's shoulder and nuzzled his head against hers. She remained smiling and gently stroked him behind the ears.
Bronze Star grinned at this tender display. Arthur must have remembered Fluttershy from all those months ago, when she repaired his broken wing. Clearly, he was still grateful to her for all the care she had given him. Fluttershy was still the only pony Bronze Star had ever seen his pet hawk warm up to.
A minute later, Arthur rose off the yellow mare's shoulder and flew back over to his master, who nodded in approval.
While she was glad to see Bronze Star and General Walther, Rainbow Dash still seemed depressed by the apparent hopelessness of her situation. She sighed and thought aloud "Those guys are right. I'll never be able to do it."
"Not with that attitude,"Bronze Star whispered to General Walther.
As the mahogany stallion nodded in agreement, Fluttershy tried to boost her friend's spirits. She calmly told the cyan mare "But, Rainbow Dash. Just because you've failed the sonic rainboom a hundred thousand times in practice doesn't mean you won't be able to do it in front of an entire stadium, full of impatient, super-critical sportsfan ponies."
That did absolutely nothing to improve Rainbow Dash's morale. If anything, it just made her more anxious and more insecure. As soon as Fluttershy stopped talking, Rainbow Dash shrieked in alarm and screamed "What do I do?! Everypony's gonna see me fail! The Wonderbolts will never let a loser like me join. Princess Celestia will probably banish me to the Everfree Forest! My life is ruined!"
Bronze Star did not know whether to pity Rainbow Dash or laugh at her. He was party compelled to do both at the same time.
"I think she's losing it," Walther perceived.
"Evidently," Bronze Star mumbled drily. He lightly rolled his eyes and announced to the cyan mare "Okay, Rainbow, first of all, my mother would never banish you for such a stupid reason. Secondly-"
Before he could continue, he was interrupted by Fluttershy. She articulated quietly "Rare..."
She was staring slightly upwards at a piece of the sky behind Rainbow Dash. Bronze Star and Walther gazed in that same direction, and they quickly realized why the quiet mare was so astonished. When they saw what she saw, they gaped in bewilderment.
"Rare?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, having misunderstood the yellow mare, "The sonic rainboom is WAY more than rare!"
None of the other three ponies paid any mind to that remark. Fluttershy murmured in profound disbelief "Rarity?"
At that, Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow in perplexity and turned around. She came face-to-face with an astounding sight, and she immediately understood her friends' reactions.
"Buck a duck," Walther muttered under his breath. The others were thinking the exact same thing.
Rarity was less than five meters away from the four winged ponies. By itself, the white Unicorn's presence in Cloudsdale would have been strange enough. However, at this time, she was physically floating in the air. There were two large, translucent butterfly wings on her back. She was not wearing them; they were not attached to a belt, a harness, or anything of the sort. They were literally fused into the fashion designer's back, as if they had always been part of her body. Based on her countenance, she seemed rather content with them.
"Rarity!" Rainbow Dash yelled in shock, "Are you... flying?!"
"I most certainly am!" Rarity merrily confirmed, "Aren't my wings smashing?! Twilight made them for me. I just adore them!"
Despite her candor and exposition, Bronze Star, General Walther, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were speechless. They had no words to express their thoughts on Rarity's new appendages.
The white Unicorn noticed her friends' discomfort, and she casually remarked "Why so shocked? We couldn't leave our favorite flyer without a big cheering section!"
"'We?'" Rainbow Dash repeated in confusion.
The white mare did not give a verbal response, but the cyan mare still got an answer to her question. A few seconds later, a purplish hot air balloon sailed upward through the ground of clouds. When the balloon was all the way through the ground, the others discovered that Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie were in the basket.
A smile slowly crept onto Rainbow Dash's face, and she uttered in amazement "I... I can't believe it!"
"It's incredible!" Fluttershy pronounced.
The four mares' arrival seemed to do volumes of good for Rainbow Dash. She brightened up and exclaimed giddily "This is so cool! You guys made it!"
"Sure did!" Pinkie Pie called as she hopped out of the basket.
"WAIT!" Rainbow Dash shouted in alarm. She was concerned that Pinkie Pie would plummet through the ground of clouds, but she did not. She landed right on them, which perplexed the four winged ponies. The cyan mare commented "How'd you do that? Only Pegasus ponies can walk on clouds."
As Twilight Sparkle and Applejack climbed out of the basket, Pinkie Pie started giggling and doing cartwheels on the clouds. She remarked "Pretty cool, huh?"
Twilight Sparkle elaborated with "I found a spell that makes temporary wings, but it was too difficult to do more than once. So I found an easier spell that lets the rest of us walk on clouds."
"And we came to cheer you to victory!" Applejack claimed merrily.
"Now THAT'S what I call dedication," Walther stated approvingly.
"I wholeheartedly agree," Bronze Star pronounced, "It's great to see all of you here. When did you think of this?"
"Yesterday, right after you left the library," Twilight Sparkle answered him.
"We would have told you," Applejack disclosed, "But we wanted it to be a surprise."
"And what a pleasant surprise it is," Bronze Star thought aloud. He trotted over to the orange mare and embraced her. She hugged him back happily. After that, he pulled her in for a kiss.
Before he could place his lips against hers, Walther hastily intervened and told the gold stallion "Sir, I beseech your pardon, but I must ask that you be careful about how you present yourself with Applejack here. She's a well-known resident of Ponyville – a town you've supposedly never visited, as far as the common people know. If you were seen interacting with her like this in Cloudsdale, don't you think the ponies of this city would be suspicious?"
Both Bronze Star and Applejack could see the logic in Walther's observation. As much as they relished each other's company, they did not want to risk generating a scandal.
"The General's right," Applejack perceived.
"Yeah, he is," Bronze Star concurred.
Luckily, they had ample determination and self-restraint to prevent themselves from behaving intimately around each other for one day. They only had to hide their special relationship for as long as they were in Cloudsdale. Once they were back in Ponyville, they could return to it.
In the meantime, Rainbow Dash was just glad to have all her best friends and General Walther with her. She announced to them "To be honest, I was starting to get just the teeniest, tiniest bit nervous. But I feel a LOT better now that you guys are here. Hey, we've got some time before the competition. Why don't Fluttershy and I show you around Cloudsdale?"
Having never come to Cloudsdale, Applejack, Bronze Star, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie were very open to a tour of it. The five of them replied in unison "Yes!"
Walther lightly shrugged and declared "I suppose I may as well come along. I haven't been to this city in nearly seven years. It'll be nice to get reacquainted with it."
The eight ponies and the hawk then headed into the city. Bronze Star, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and General Walther trotted on the ground of clouds. Rarity never touched down on the clouds once. She only used her wings to get around.
As the group traversed through the streets of Cloudsdale, Bronze Star drew a number of looks from the locals. He had anticipated that, as he was fairly well-known in this city, despite having never visited it before that day. However, he was not the only pony in the group who attracted a great deal of attention. General Walther and Rarity gained just as many stares as the young prince.
Rainbow Dash trotted at the front of the group. As they progressed, she announced proudly "Here it is: the greatest city in the sky!"
They had a magnificent view of most of the city from their current position. Several ponies in the group all went "Oooh! Aaah!"
Rarity did not seem to pay much attention to the scenery. She was more focused on a large mirror against a wall of cloud. She gazed at her reflection and muttered "Oooh! Aaah!"
Rainbow Dash glared at her in irritation, but she decided to ignore the white mare's actions. She led the group down the walkway and informed her friends "Uhh... Some of the greatest Pegasi in history came from Cloudsdale!"
"Not me," Walther countered, "Canterlot is MY hometown, and I'm proud of that."
"I know, General," Rainbow Dash proclaimed, "That's why I only said 'some.'"
The group then moved on. When Rarity realized the others were far ahead of her, she called out "Oh, wait for me!"
A small team of construction workers were building a house on a nearby cloud. When they noticed Rarity flying by, they stopped what they were doing and stared in astonishment. One of them accidentally released his jackhammer, and the device fell off the side of the cloud.
Steam Roller yelled in admiration "Those wings are gorgeous!"
"Why, thank you!" Rarity rejoined giddily.
Twilight Sparkle looked over her shoulder and saw how complacent the white Unicorn was being. She cautioned her with "Be careful with those wings, Rarity. They're made from gossamer and morning dew, and they're incredibly delicate."
"Don't worry, Twilight," Rarity assured the lavender mare, "I'm sure they can't get worn out from too much attention."
The eight ponies continued through the area. After a brief interval of quietness, Applejack suggested "Since we're up here, I'd sure like to get a look at where the weather's made."
"Great idea!" Rainbow coincided, "C'mon, girls, Bronze, and General. To the weather factory!"
Ten minutes later, the group arrived at the weather factory. Before they went inside, a staff member at the front entrance told them that they were required by regulation to wear white coats and hats while inside the facility. She quickly distributed this attire to the eight ponies, who proceeded to put on the coats and hats. They even had a miniature coat and hat for Arthur.
Once the eight ponies and the hawk were properly dressed, they headed inside the foundation. The sound of thunder permeated the vicinity.
In the first room they came to, dozens of ponies were worked on making snowflakes. Rainbow Dash announced "This is where they make the snowflakes. Each one is hoofmade. As you can see, it's a delicate operation."
Even when indoors, Rarity did not stop using her wings. She rose up to the ceiling and examined the snowflakes that had been hung out. She gasped and declared "Ooh, the snowflakes look even better from up here."
She did not seem to notice that her wings were causing an artificial breeze to circulate through the room. Many of the snowflakes were caught in the breeze, and they were blown all over the place. The snowflake workers grumbled and yelled as they tried to reacquire the rouge snowflakes.
Rainbow Dash surveyed the place, and she drily proposed "We better move on before Rarity ruins winter and causes a drought."
While the snowflake workers struggled to recover the snowflakes, the eight ponies and the hawk moved on. They soon arrived at an outdoor room that produced massive amounts of rainbow juice.
Rainbow Dash apprised her friends "And here's where they make the rainbows!"
The group gathered around the nearest pool of rainbow juice. Pinkie Pie dipped her front hoof in it, brought it up to her mouth, and licked her hoof once. Almost straightaway, her face turned six different colors in three seconds. When it returned to its normal pink hue, she shrieked quietly "Spicyyyyyy!"
She then galloped away, searching for a raincloud or something to quench her sudden thirst. Applejack and Bronze Star laughed in amusement.
Rainbow Dash shook her head and revealed "Yeah, rainbows aren't really known for their flavor."
Several meters away, they heard a male voice yell "Whoa!"
Everypony in the group turned in that direction, and they realized that Rarity was no longer with them. She was flying around the area, and she was being followed by three stallions. Bronze Star recognized them as the three stallions who harassed Rainbow Dash earlier.
The leader of the group was nicknamed "Dumb-Bell." He called up to Rarity "Oh, where'd you get those amazing wings? I want a pair!"
Rarity rubbed her chin and mumbled "Hmm... Yeah, I guess I could see that."
Walther got a mischievous look on his face. He placed his front hooves around his mouth and shouted cockily "I've got a better idea. How about you GROW a pair?"
Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash burst out laughing at that. Fluttershy chuckled politely as well, even though that was not her type of humor. Bronze Star patted the mahogany Pegasus on the back and told him "Nice one, General."
Dumb-Bell was annoyed by that insult, and he glared in the General's direction. However, he and his accomplices seemed to notice the cyan mare before anypony else.
He cheekily proclaimed "Oh, hey look, it's Rainbow Crash again!"
The second stallion, named Hoops, chuckled idiotically and murmured "Heheheyeah! Rainbow... Umm... Eyah... Crash!"
Rainbow Dash glared up at the white Unicorn and snapped angrily "Rarity! What're you doing talking to these guys?"
"Oh, they were just admiring my wings, Rainbow Dash," Rarity answered her candidly.
"Yeah," said Dumb-Bell, "You should forget the sonic rainboom and just get yourself some wings like these!"
He, Hoops, and their friend "Score" then broke into a wave of laughter and trotted away from the group.
Rainbow Dash gazed sadly at the ground and moaned "Oohh..."
Bronze Star was disgusted by those stallions' rudeness. If there was one thing he detested, it was insolent ponies. He thought about teaching them a lesson in manners, but before he took two steps towards them, Walther placed his front hoof on the prince's shoulder and held him back.
"Let them go, sir," Walther advised him, "They're not worth our time.
"Fine," Bronze Star agreed, albeit reluctantly.
Fluttershy noticed Rainbow Dash was under distress, and she thought aloud "Uhh... C'mon, girls, General, and Bronze. Why don't we go see how clouds are made?"
She then turned to Rainbow Dash and told her "Don't listen to them. You're gonna win that competition for sure!"
"Are you kidding?" Rainbow Dash sharply retorted, "I can't DO the sonic rainboom, and just look at these boring, plain old feathered wings. I'm doomed!"
By now, a whole crowd of workers were awing at Rarity. The number of ponies who were focused on her at this time was greater than the number of those who were focused on Bronze Star and Walther combined.
Rarity fluffed her mane once and proclaimed "What, these old things? Go ahead, everypony. Photos are encouraged."
Bronze Star and Twilight Sparkle were really starting to lose patience with the fashion designer. The latter of them glared up at her and muttered irately "Rarity, we're supposed to be helping Rainbow Dash relax, remember? Put your wings away and stop showing off!"
"Oh, pfft," Rarity commented indifferently, "How can you ask me to put away perfection?"
When she said that last word, she extended her wings fully, and a few rays of sunlight passed through them. They touched her wings in just the right spots; it caused them to project multi-colored light beams all over the area.
The workers marveled in awe at the sight. When Rarity herself noticed that, she too became elated, and she shrieked in delight "Waa-haa-haa!"
While everypony else was busy admiring the white Unicorn, her friends tried to comfort the cyan mare. She looked as though her mind was slipping.
"Rainbow Dash, are you okay?" Twilight asked in concern, "You don't look so good."
Rainbow Dash panted unsteadily and muttered edgily "Of course! Why wouldn't I be okay? Everyone's so in love with Rarity's wings that they won't even notice when I totally blow it in the Best Young Flyer's Competition."
"Hey!" Rainbowshine called out, gazing up at Rarity, "There's an idea! YOU should enter the competition!"
"Yeah!" Foggy Fleece uttered in agreement, "I could watch you fly all day long!"
"There really isn't anypony who uses their wings quite like me," Rarity professed, as if she was contemplating the validity of this concept, "Perhaps I should compete."
"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
She was praying that her ears had deceived her, but they had not. Those words really did just come out of Rarity's mouth. As the workers continued awing at her, Rainbow Dash fretfully mumbled "What am I gonna DO?! I'll never win the competition now..."
In spite of how everypony seemed focused on Rarity, Rainbow Dash still had Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, General Walther, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie to support her.
Bronze Star approached her and placed his hoof on her shoulder. He told her "Rainbow, you can't let this thing get to you. You're not giving yourself enough credit. If you were really this skeptical about your chances of winning, you would not have entered the Competition in the first place. Try to have a little faith. All you need to do is trust yourself."
"You should listen to the prince, Rainbow," General Walther advised, "I've seen firsthoof what you can do in the sky. As I'm sure you know, I myself won the Best Young Flyers Competition when I was your age, and you're an even better flyer than I was back then."
The gold stallion and the mahogany stallion did improve Rainbow Dash's demeanor slightly, but not by very much. She looked up at her friends and commented "It's not just my performance that I'm worried about. What if I actually manage to do everything perfectly, but it turns out not to be enough to satisfy the judges?"
"I highly doubt that scenario would transpire," General Walther proclaimed, "Rainbow Dash, have you forgotten I'm one of the judges? I always evaluate every flight performance I see fairly. I'm not saying I will be inclined to automatically favor you over the other contestants, but I am fairly certain that you will do very well in the Competition. So let me give you some advice. You need more than just talent and skill to do well. You also need motivation, determination, and confidence. Those are the qualities that really produce an excellent performance. As long as you have them, victory is always attainable."
The veteran Wonderbolt's words of wisdom seemed to have a positive effect on Rainbow Dash. She stared at the ground for a few seconds, and then she looked up at Walther and told him appreciatively "Thank you for the tips, General. I'll try to remember all that when I'm out there."
Walther smiled in approval, patted her on the shoulder, and remarked "Good. Just have some confidence in your ability. I certainly do."
That made Rainbow Dash feel a little better. She was still very nervous and uncertain, but she was glad to know that there were ponies who believed in her. At the very least, she was at least going to TRY to put on a great performance at the Competition.
There was a brief period of quietness. After that, Bronze Star checked the time, and he quickly informed the older stallion "General, it's a quarter to noon."
"Alright, Your Highness," Walther conceded. He looked around at the other ponies present and announced "In the meantime, we better get to the Cloudeseum. Otherwise, we'll miss the Competition altogether."
The mares agreed to this proposition. After they managed to pull Rarity away from a group of admirers, the eight ponies and the hawk left the weather factory and headed to a certain part of Cloudsdale. They soon came to a massive stadium. It was big enough to accommodate hundreds of ponies, and – like the rest of the city – it was made entirely of clouds. This was the Cloudeseum.
When they arrived at the stadium, the group broke up into two pairs and a group of four. The first pair was composed of Rarity and Rainbow Dash. They made their way to the contestants' waiting room. The second pair was composed of Bronze Star and Walther. They made their way to the judges' preparation room. Arthur accompanied them, too. The group of form was composed of Applejack, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie. They made their way to the bleachers. They managed to get some good seats near the center of the Cloudeseum.
When Bronze Star and Walther arrived at the judges' preparation room, they found six other ponies there. Three of them were Wonderbolts. Their names were Spitfire, Soarin, and Misty Fly. They were in their late twenties, and they were already in uniform. Bronze Star and Walther were acquainted with all three of them. It was also worth noting that they belonged to the same platoon as Fleetfoot.
Two of the remaining three ponies in that room were officers of the Royal Guard, and the last one was Princess Celestia.
Spitfire was the first to notice Bronze Star and Walther. As soon as she saw them, she stood up straight and called out "Attention!"
Soarin and Misty Fly immediately moved to either side of her, and they stood up straight as well. The three of them remained perfectly still until Bronze Star and Walther reached them. Then, one-by-one, each of them saluted the prince and their superior officer.
Bronze Star and Walther saluted them in return, and the latter of them pronounced "At ease."
The three young Wonderbolts lowered their front hooves and relieved themselves. Walther stepped in front of Spitfire and addressed her with "Captain."
She nodded in acknowledgement and said officially "General."
Walther then gazed around the room, as if he was expecting somepony more to be present. When he confirmed that nopony was in the room other than the eight ponies and the hawk, he turned back to Spitfire and stated "May I inquire as to the whereabouts of your third-in-command?"
"Yes, sir," Spitfire replied, "First Lieutenant Fleetfoot was initially scheduled to be on the panel of judges, but she requested to be excused from it. Second Lieutenant Misty Fly came in her place."
"What was her motive for abstaining?" Walther queried.
"She claimed it was for personal reasons," Spitfire enlightened him.
"So I see," Walther avowed, frowning, "Well, thank you for your time and answers."
"Of course, sir," Spitfire asserted.
While Walther was talking to the captain, Bronze Star went over to his mother and spoke to her in an equally formal yet much more sociable manner.
After greeting her son, Celestia asked him eagerly "How did they take it?"
Right away, he knew she was referring to when he revealed his identity to the members of the Apple Family. Bronze Star told her merrily "Oh, they took it VERY well."
"Excellent," Celestia commented in approval, smiling, "Did I not tell you that your best course of action would be to come forward?"
"You did," Bronze Star confirmed, "And as always, you were right. Things tend to go better when you stop hiding secrets from ponies close to you."
"I concur," Celestia conceded, "However, that does not mean you cannot keep any secrets for just yourself."
"Yes, if anypony knows that, it's me," Bronze Star commented in agreement, "And you, to an extent."
Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow in perplexity and asked "What do you mean?"
Bronze Star had been referring to how his mother had never told anypony who the father of her son was. She had never even told Bronze Star that, and she apparently had no plans to. Since she seemed to become very uncomfortable on the subject whenever it was brought up, he decided not to tell her that that was what he meant. He did not want to upset her, especially since they were about to appear in front of hundreds of ponies.
Ultimately, he merely told Princess Celestia "Never mind. It's nothing important."
The white Alicorn nodded in understanding, saying "Very well."
General Walther then took his steel briefcase and stepped into a small adjoining room. Other than the binder he gave Bronze Star earlier, the only thing he had in his briefcase that day was his old uniform. He planned to change into it straightaway.
Since he had been wearing nothing at all beforehand, he knew he could have gotten dressed in front of the others. He simply chose not to do so because he did not feel it would be appropriate to get dressed in the presence of royalty.
Bronze Star did not have the same reservations. He placed his strongbox on the ground in front of him, unlocked it, and opened it up. After removing his knapsack, he proceeded to adorn his regalia. He started with his soft shoes. The vest came next, and finally, the crown.
By the time Bronze Star finished adjusting his crown, Walther reentered the room. He was clad in standard issue Wonderbolts apparel. It covered him from head to toe; there were only seven openings in it for his eyes, his mouth, his wings, his mane, and his tail. He also had a pair of detachable goggles around his forehead. This was the very same uniform Walther had worn when he had flown with the Wonderbolts. Even though he had not put it on in over six years, it still fit him perfectly.
His uniform was nearly identical to the ones Spitfire, Soarin, and Misty Fly were wearing. The only difference was the medallion on his chest. Every Wonderbolt wore a particular medallion to signify his or her rank in the force. Walther's was solid gold with black stripes and a red pin. This was the official marker of a general, the highest possible rank a member of the Wonderbolts could achieve without being on the Council.
Bronze Star looked the mahogany Pegasus over and smirked. He announced favorably "General, you look excellent in that getup."
"Well, I appreciate that, Your Highness," Walther uttered gratefully, "It only took me a moment to reacquaint myself with my uniform. It's almost as though I never took it off."
"In a way, you never DID take it off," Bronze Star perceived.
"Yes, you told me that once before," Walther recounted, "And I still agree very much with that sentiment."
Bronze Star merely nodded in agreement.
A minute later, they heard somepony make an announcement: "Judges, please report to the Cloudeseum! The show begins in five minutes!"
Bronze Star quickly placed his knapsack inside the strongbox and locked it up tight. He then looked around the room and proposed "Shall we to the Competition, then?"
Walther nodded his head, pulled his goggles over his eyes, and answered with "Yes, we shall."
Bronze Star, Arthur, Princess Celestia, General Walther, Spitfire, Soarin, Misty Fly, and the two officers of the Royal Guard departed from the preparation room. Altogether, they flew over to the eastern section of the Cloudeseum. Hundreds of ponies were gathered there. The sounds of chatting and cheering completely filled the area. The place was already buzzing with excitement and eagerness.
There was a round of trumpet fanfare, signaling that the show would begin very soon. The crowd was cheering heartily. Bronze Star spotted Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle on a patch of cloud near the bottom of the northern section of the Cloudeseum. He also spotted Dumb-Bell, Hoops, and Score on a cloud not too far form them. Based on their laughter, the three stallions were quite amused by something.
Amidst the tumultuous cheering, the commentator – a stallion named Madden – announced "Fillies and gentlecolts! Please rise and join me in welcoming our beloved Princess Celestia and Prince Bronze Star!"
There came another round of fanfare, followed by a huge round of applause. Princess Celestia and Bronze Star entered the area and set down on a patch of cloud at the top of the Cloudeseum. Arthur flew up behind them and landed on his master's shoulder.
Madden then proclaimed "Please welcome our celebrity judges for the Best Young Flyer Competition: the Wonderbolts!"
As the crowd started cheering loudly once again, Spitfire, Soarin, and Misty Fly entered the arena and landed on another cloud. This one was a little further down and slightly to the right of the Royals' cloud. General Walther and the two members of the Royal Guard remained in the air behind the Cloudeseum for the time being.
Once the three Wonderbolts and the two members of the Canterlot Royalty were settled, the Madden broadcasted "Welcome, one and all, to the annual Best Young Flyers Competition! We have a great lineup for you this year. Fifteen promising contestants have entered, including a last-minute entry who – believe it or not – is really a Unicorn! Yes, you heard me right! An actual Unicorn will be participating in this contest. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what this year's contenders will produce. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The event cannot begin without a proper introduction. So here to give the opening speech is a first-time spectator, Canterlot's own Prince Bronze Star!"
Everypony erupted into a round of applause at that. Bronze Star then rose into the air and flew about a hundred feet forward. Arthur stayed behind with his mother. The gold stallion then raised his front hooves to gesture for silence. Once he got it, he looked all over the Cloudeseum and pronounced "Thank you. I am delighted to be here, standing with all of you. Or, to be more precise, hovering with all of you."
Most of the spectators burst out laughing at that remark. The laughter subsided after about twenty seconds, and Bronze Star continued with "All jokes aside, I really am thrilled to join you here today. Nopony knows how much potential the ponies of my generation have more than I do. So I am expecting a very fine show today, at the Best Young Flyers Competition. I'm willing to wager most of you are, too. However, I am not your only special guest. There is somepony here who is just as deserving of your praise as I. I am referring to a certain stallion. This stallion is arguably the foremost definition of a living legend. I have known him for many years, and I have always held him in the highest regard. While he is many years my senior, he is also a close affiliate of mine, as well. He is also one of the greatest military officials I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Today he is here to celebrate this thirtieth year of service to the Wonderbolts."
There was a short pause, and then Bronze Star looked over his shoulder, held out his front hoof, and shouted "Mares and gentlestallions… I present to you… my good friend and your esteemed guest… GENERAL WALTHER!"
The mahogany Pegasus bolted into the arena. The very instant he entered the Cloudeseum, every pony there starting cheering enthusiastically. He zipped around the area with incredible speed. He was so quick that it was almost impossible to keep track of his movements. He did a number of complex and difficult maneuvers in midair without changing direction or altering his speed. Despite being in his late forties, he was still just as agile and flexible as he had been in his prime.
After about a minute of this, Walther abruptly ended his little show. The audience continued to cheer wildly for a long while. When they finally calmed down, Walther flew over to the gold stallion, and once he reached him, he loudly declared "Thank you for the introduction, Your Highness. It is an honor and a pleasure to be here."
"I'm very thrilled to see you in uniform, General," Bronze Star proclaimed, "And I'm certain I'm not the only pony here who is."
"I do believe you're right, sir," Walther conceded, "However, this event is not about me. I am here only as a judge. We are here to observe the aptitude of a number of very talented mares and stallions. There are fifteen in total, and one of them – and only one – shall be crowned the greatest flyer of the current generation. I'm sure the same question must be on everypony's minds: who will it be?"
Bronze Star gazed around the vicinity and dramatically broadcasted "Yes, who will it be?"
Following that, ponies all over the area started shouting the names of who they believed would be the winner. Bronze Star could swear that over all the commotion, he could hear Pinkie Pie cry "Rainbow Dash!"
Walther's speech was not over just yet. Once the arena was silent once again, he pronounced in a more firm voice "On a more solemn note, there is something I would like to add before we begin. As much as I hate to put a damper on everypony else's joy, this is something that I feel must be addressed."
After a short pause, the veteran Wonderbolt went on with: "As I'm certain you all know, a terrible accident occurred in Hoovston a mere two weeks ago. Nearly a thousand ponies lost their lives in that tragedy, and thousands more are without shelter or work. Most of those ponies had to relocate to other cities. I'm willing to wager that more than a few of them are here right now. If any of them are, I would like to ask that they rise up."
For a few moments, nopony moved. Then a male Pegasus at the bottom of the southern section rose up out of his seat. After that, a female Pegasus near the center of the eastern section rose up out of her seat, as well. Over the next few minutes, more Pegasi ascended into the air.
In the end, more than four dozen ponies had risen out of their seats. Bronze Star looked back and forth between all of them. To think, all these ponies had recently witnessed the death of a neighbor or loved one. All of them had been a victim of Livewire's act of sabotage. More to the point, they had all been a victim of Esopus Spitzenburg's conspiracy. Bronze Star could not figure out if General Walther had done this to elicit sympathy for the survivors of the Hoovston disaster or to give me more incentive to bring the remaining conspirators to justice. Either way, he was very effective.
Walther sternly announced "I would ask that you all close your eyes, lower your heads, and take a minute of silence to remember all those who lost their lives in the Hoovston disaster two weeks ago. Let us also remember all the ponies who were lucky enough to survive that event, but were unlucky enough to return to their normal lives in the aftermath."
Every single pony in the audience complied with that request. They all closed their eyes, lowered their heads, and remained total silent. Even the other Wonderbolts, the officers of the Royal Guard, and Princess Celestia did this. Bronze Star and General Walther were the very last two to do it.
The entire Cloudeseum was immersed in absolute quietness for a whole minute. Nopony spoke a word or moved an inch in all that time.
Once that minute was over, General Walther assertively called out "Now, let us honor their memory by holding this Competition in their honor!"
Almost immediately, the atmosphere in the Cloudeseum went from dreary to triumphant. There was not as much as a grimace or an uninviting expression to be seen anywhere in the area.
As the crowd continued to cheer, Bronze Star and Walther flew back over to the stands. Bronze Star set down next to his mother again, and Walther set down next to the other Wonderbolts. After the two stallions were comfortable, Madden resumed the announcements. He shouted "And now, let's find out who will take the prize as this year's best young flyer!"
The Best Young Flyers Competition then began.
The first contestant was Orange Swirl. She was very nimble and speedy. Her form was a little disorganized, but her reflexes and coordination compensated for that.
The second contestant bore an uncanny resemblance to Dr. Whooves. He had the same coat, the same mane, and even a very similar cutie mark. However, Bronze Star was fairly certain that that stallion was not Dr. Whooves. Unless the doctor had somehow regenerated into a Pegasus, or maybe he had learned the illusion spell that Bronze Star had acquired from his mother.
The third and fourth contestants were Cloud Kicker and Parasol respectively. Both of them performed a number of intricate moves over the whole arena.
Interestingly, the fifth contestant was Derpy. Bronze Star had no idea she had entered the Competition, and at first, he wondered if she had signed up by mistake. However, he quickly discovered that that was not the case. In spite of her disability, Derpy clearly knew what she was doing. She was light, swift, and very much in control of her movements.
The rest of the competition proceeded in much the same manner. Bronze Star kept waiting for Rarity or Rainbow Dash to come out. Strangely, neither of the mares made an appearance. Not until the very last act.
The first thirteen contestants all performed individually. Due to time constraints, that was not the case in the last act.
When Rainbow Dash finally emerged from the contestants' waiting room, Madden proclaimed "And now, for our final competitor of the day, contestant number fifteen!"
A few seconds later, Rarity appeared in the arena as well. Madden quickly added in bafflement "Uhh... And apparently contestant number four..."
Bronze Star was on the opposite side of the Cloudeseum, but even from that distance, he could tell that Rarity's face was buried under about three layers of makeup. She was also wearing a pendant and a multicolored feather boa around her neck. Obviously, she wanted to look extravagant for her debut in the Competition. It was worth noting that she did not share Rainbow Dash's apprehension.
"Oh, boy," the gold stallion murmured under his breath.
As the crowd continued cheering, Rarity flew near Rainbow Dash and stated "Good luck, Rainbow Dash. Just do your best. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of changing our music. That "rock and roll" doesn't really match my wings."
Classical music soon started to resonate around the arena. Rarity began to execute a number of graceful and poised moves in the air.
Rainbow Dash remained motionless at first, but she had already come this far; there was no turning back now. She gulped and said to herself "C'mon, Rainbow Dash. You can do this. Just remember the routine. Phase one."
She then started maneuvering to the cloud pillars in the center of the stadium. She flew quickly and nimbly to dodge each of the pillars one at a time. The crowd continued to cheer her and Rarity on at the same time.
At one point, Rainbow Dash came too close to one of the pillars and she bumped hard against it. That mistake caused her to veer off course and crash into the stands. She screamed "Oof. WAAAH!"
That blunder by itself was bad enough. What made it even worse was that she had hit the cloud directly below Dumb-Bell, Hoops, and Score.
"Nice work, Rainbow Crash!" Hoops taunted her. He, Dumb-Bell, and Score laughed in amusement.
Rainbow Dash just ignored the three stallions, pulled herself together, and mumbled "Time for phase two."
She then started moving back and forth between several clouds in the sky. She made some of them spin, some of them rotate, and some of them disappear.
"Look!" Fluttershy pointed out to the other mares, "Phase two is working."
Ponies continued cheering all over the arena. Rainbow Dash seemed to have fully regained her confidence. Then she made another error. She bucked one of the clouds too hard, sending it hurling directly towards Princess Celestia.
Celestia gasped in shock as the cloud accelerated towards her. Luckily, Bronze Star stepped in front of his mother and struck the cloud with his back hooves, dispelling it before it could hit either of them. Celestia gazed at her son appreciatively; he just grinned in satisfaction.
Rarity was doing rather well in the show. So far, she had not made any slipups in her routine. She muttered softly "And now for my grand finale. I will fly right up to the sun and beam my beautiful wings over the whole city of Cloudsdale!"
She gasped and squealed in excitement, and then she added in "They'll be talking about it for years!"
As she started ascending further into the air, Rainbow Dash was preparing to execute the last part of her routine, as well. She uttered worriedly "Looks like this is my last chance to turn things around. Phase three. The sonic *gulp* rainboom. Wings, don't fail me now!"
She then bolted vertically upwards. The crowd gave a collective gasp when they saw how fast she moved through the air. Soon, Rainbow Dash had passed Rarity, but she did not decrease her speed there. If anything, she pushed herself to go even faster. She grunted in determination as she flew higher and higher.
Rarity stopped gaining altitude when she was about five hundred feet above the pinnacle of the Cloudeseum. She panted to gain her breath, and then she announced "Look upon me, Equestria, for I... am... Rarity!"
At that, she spread her wings to their full length. Several of the Sun's rays passed through the wings, and they reflected colorful waves of sunlight over the entire Cloudeseum.
Everypony in the arena was absolutely astonished. They all gave a collective "Ooh" in amazement. Even Bronze Star and General Walther had to admit it was an impressive display.
However, Rarity's moment did not last very long. She had gotten so high that the Sun's rays were pouring on her intensely. After a bit of inactivity, the tips of her wings started sizzling. In a split-second, her wings burned to ashes.
Rarity remained suspended in midair long enough for her to realize what had happened. She murmured anxiously "Uh-oh."
Immediately after, she started plummeting downwards. She screamed in fright and terror as she fell through the air
"Oh no!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, "Her wings evaporated into thin air!"
Soon, Rarity dropped through the top of the Cloudeseum, and within seconds, she had reached the bottom of the stadium. She continued to make her descent, gradually accelerating more with every passing second.
General Walther decided to take action. He gestured for Spitfire, Soarin, and Misty Fly to follow him. The four Wonderbolts quickly rose out of their cloud and flew rapidly towards Rarity to save her. All the while, the white Unicorn continued screaming.
Unfortunately, Rarity was so frightened that she was erratically and involuntarily flailing her legs without paying any attention to her surroundings. Because of that, she ended up accidentally striking Misty Fly, Soarin, and Spitfire in the head when they got too close to her. As a result, all three of them passed out in midair.
General Walther noticed his colleagues had been neutralized, so he took a more cautious approach. He managed to gain enough speed so that he passed Rarity by. When he was about a hundred feet below her, he held out his front legs to catch her. Once he rescued her, he could worry about helping the other Wonderbolts.
This strategy appeared as though it would work. However, when Rarity was within a few meters of the mahogany Pegasus, her body did a 180-degree turn in midair. Walther had not considered the possibility of that; he had expected Rarity to have her back to him when she reached him. He tried to catch her when her front was facing him, but her flailing legs got in the way again. She ended up striking him in the head by accident, as well.
Luckily, unlike the others, Walther had not been knocked out when he got hit; he was still conscious. Even so, the blow to his head was strong enough that it severely disoriented him. He could not focus on his flying, and he was soon spinning out of control.
When Bronze Star saw this, he shouted in concern "General!"
The gold stallion hastily approached the edge of his cloud, spread his wings, and dove off. He concentrated on the five falling ponies and flew directly towards them. He pushed himself to move faster and faster until he was upon them.
He reached Walther first. When he was close enough, he grabbed the middle-aged Wonderbolt by his sides and held onto him tightly. He threw Walther's front leg over his shoulders, and he told him in assurance "Hang on, General; I've got you!"
Walther was still delirious from being kicked in the head, so he was unable to verbally respond. He managed to lift his head and weakly grin at the gold stallion.
Bronze Star had managed to save Walther, but Spitfire, Soarin, Misty Fly, and Rarity were still falling. They were at least five hundred yards below him. Bronze Star might have been able to reach them by himself, but he had a wounded comrade in his care, and he dared not release Walther before the mahogany stallion regained his bearings.
When Bronze Star viewed this scenario in perspective, he panicked. He knew there was no way he'd be able to save all four of the others before they hit the ground.
Fortunately, it turned out he did not have to.
In all this time, Rainbow Dash had been flying further upward. By now, she had finally heard Rarity's screams. She looked over her shoulder and saw that her friend was in mortal peril. At that, she stopped ascending, turned around, and flew straight downwards. She yelled "Hold on, Rarity! I'm coming!"
Within a few seconds, Rainbow Dash had flown through the Cloudeseum. She was determined to catch up with Rarity and the Wonderbolts
"Oh, I can't look!" Fluttershy cried, covering her eyes.
While Cloudsdale was many miles above the ground, there was only so much distance one could fall before meeting with an unpleasant fate. Rainbow Dash realized how desperate the situation was. Lives were at risk. That was enough to motivate her to go faster. She flew faster and faster with every passing second. Soon she was flying faster than she had flown in many years. She was flying so fast that it looked as though she was going to penetrate the sound barrier.
Rarity saw what was going on with the cyan mare, and she stopped screaming long enough to gasp in surprise. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle noticed what was happening, as well, and they gasped in astonishment, too. That encouraged Fluttershy to take a peek at what was going on.
Bronze Star noticed this, too. He hovered in the air and nudged the older stallion, beckoning him "General, look."
The mahogany Pegasus managed to focus just enough to keep his eyes on cyan mare. She continued to rapidly accelerate. She grunted as she flew at a speed that she had ever dared to fly at before. Then it happened.
Rainbow Dash went so fast that she broke the sound barrier. When she did that, six beams of light – each representing one of the colors of the rainbow – swirled in various directions around Rainbow Dash. That was not all that happened. As Rainbow Dash flew downwards, she left a huge rainbow in her path.
Bronze Star stared in absolute shock. Above in the Cloudeseum, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle stared with their jaws hanging open. Fluttershy did not stare. She started jumping up and down in excitement and she screeched "A sonic rainboom! She did it! She did it! WOOO!"
Amazingly, she was loud enough that even Bronze Star could hear her from his position miles below the Cloudeseum.
Just before Rarity and the Wonderbolts hit the ground, Rainbow Dash reached them. She managed to catch Spitfire, Soarin, and Misty Fly on her back, and she grabbed Rarity by her front hooves.
Rainbow Dash continued flying a few meters above the ground, and she looked over her shoulder. When she saw all that had happened, she murmured in an astounded tone "Whoa."
After a bit, she changed her direction and flew back towards Cloudsdale. She took advantage of the situation to place a massive rainbow over the city. After that, she returned to the Cloudeseum. By then, Bronze Star and General Walther had gotten back to the arena as well.
A number of Pegasi quickly approached Rainbow Dash. Three of them each removed one of the unconscious Wonderbolts from the cyan mare's back, and the other two took Rarity for her. Rainbow Dash managed to catch her breath, and she landed down on one of the clouds on the sidelines.
The moment she touched down, the Cloudeseum erupted in thunderous applause. Every pony there was cheering ecstatically.
"A sonic rainboom!" Fluttershy shrieked,"Wooo! YEAH!"
Rainbow Dash fully realized what had just occurred. She muttered in delight "I did it. I did it!"
Rarity sighed in relief and pronounced gleefully "You sure did. Oh thank you, Rainbow Dash. You saved my life!"
"Oh, yeah," Rainbow Dash avowed, "I did that too. Ha, best day EVER!"
As the audience continued cheering, Bronze Star got an idea. He turned to the older stallion and warned him "General, cover your ears."
Walther managed to place his front hooves over his ears, even though one of them was still around Bronze Star's shoulder. Once he did that, the gold stallion turned to his front, took in a deep breath, and yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice "LET'S HEAR IT FOR RAINBOW DASH!"
He was so loud that he could heard over all the other noise in the vicinity. Most of the ponies there were stunned to hear somepony use that much volume. Nonetheless, the prince's remark had incited them to cheer longer, louder, and better than before.
Bronze Star looked back to the veteran Wonderbolt and asked him "Are you alright, General?"
By now, Walther had regained his coordination. He lightly shook his head to clear it, and then he turned to the gold stallion and told him "Yes, Your Highness. I'm fine. I must thank you for coming to my aid."
"Oh, don't mention it," Bronze Star asserted, smiling. Walther just smiled back.
A few seconds later, they heard a voice say behind them "Here, let me give you a hoof."
Both stallions thought they recognized that voice. Walther felt his other front leg being lifted up and placed around the shoulders of another pony. He and Bronze Star looked to his side, and their suspicions on the pony's identity were confirmed.
The pony was a Pegasus mare in her late-twenties. She had a light arctic blue coat, a light gray mane, brilliant fuchsia eyes, and a winged horseshoe for a cutie mark. Neither Bronze Star nor Walther had seen her in three years, but they would never forget her face or name.
"It's okay, Your Highness; I've got him," the mare informed Bronze Star.
Despite this assurance, Bronze Star continued to give Walther a helping hoof. The mahogany Pegasus stared in amazement and muttered softly "Fleetfoot?"
"Hi, Dad," the light arctic blue mare said in response, "I'm glad you're not hurt."
"Well, that remains to be seen," Walther perceived, gesturing to his forehead, "I'll probably get a large bump. But I can handle that. I've had worse. Much worse."
"True," Bronze Star conceded, "Your uniform does a good job of hiding your scars, though."
"What matters is that you're in good health," Fleetfoot declared.
"I'm surprised you're this concerned about my well-being," Walther commented.
Fleetfoot seemed offended by that statement. She murmured crossly "Of course I am, Dad! Why the Tartarus wouldn't I be?"
"Last time we spoke, you gave me the impression that you did not care what happened to me," Walther explicated, "After all, you told me that you despised me, and that you hoped you never saw me again."
"I said that mostly because I was angry," Fleetfoot insisted, "I may have meant it at the time, but even so, that doesn't mean I wanted you to get injured. Or worse. If that conversation ended up being the last one we ever had, I never would have forgiven myself."
Walther took a minute to absorb all that. For the past few years, he had been genuinely convinced that his daughter resented him. He had even started to believe that he would never make amends with her for their dispute. Now, all his worries had been lessened in two minutes.
Walther lightly scoffed and told Fleetfoot "If I had known that a near-death experience was what it would take to get you to approach me voluntarily, I would have gotten in one long ago,"
"Well, actually, you tend to have one quite often, General," Bronze Star pointed out, "After all, the work you do for the Firebrand Regiment is not exactly the safest in the world."
"Oh, you're right, Your Highness," Walther observed.
Fleetfoot paid no mind to those last few remarks. She just grinned, patted her father on the back, and stated "Well, now that I know you're alright, you better get back to work. The judges only have an hour to pick a winner for the Competition."
"That's correct," Walther affirmed, "All things considered, I'm sure it won't take a whole hour to decide."
"Yeah, but it may take that long to wake up Spitfire and the others," Fleetfoot conjectured.
"Good point," Bronze Star commented.
By then, Walther was able to move completely independently again. Bronze Star and Fleetfoot released their hold on him, and he started hovering in the air with them. A few seconds later, he instructed the Pegasi that were carrying Spitfire, Soarin, and Misty Fly to bring the unconscious Wonderbolts to the judges' preparation room. They all quickly departed from the vicinity.
Fleetfoot planned to go along with them. Before she did, she approached the cyan mare and told her "Hello. Rainbow Dash, is it?"
"Yes, that's me," the younger mare confirmed, "Wait, aren't you… Fleetfoot?"
"You know it," the light arctic blue mare stated, "Please don't flip out or anything. I just wanted to say; I appreciate how you saved my teammates from falling to their deaths. Also, you were good out there. You may even have a chance at winning."
Rainbow Dash seemed elated at that. She grinned widely and inquired "You really think so?"
"Yeah, the odds seem to be in your favor," Fleetfoot proclaimed, "However, I should give you a word of caution. Don't put too much faith in your friendship with the General. That alone won't be enough to get him to vote for you. He has an excellent reputation for never letting his personal feelings for ponies influence his opinion of their abilities. If anypony knows that, it's me."
Both Bronze Star and Rainbow Dash were stunned by that allegation. The latter of them raised an eyebrow and uttered in acknowledgement "Um, thanks. I guess."
After that, Fleetfoot swiftly left the area without another word. Bronze Star and Rainbow Dash looked to each other and shrugged.
An hour later, the two of them were gathered with Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity in the southeastern corner of the Cloudeseum. The hot air balloon had been brought around so that Rarity could sit in the basket, as Twilight had not given her the spell that allowed non-winged ponies to walk on clouds. Arthur had joined them, as well. He was perched on his master's shoulder.
Rarity looked around at her friends and told them regretfully "I want to apologize to all of you for getting so carried away with my... beautiful wings. I guess I just lost my head."
"No worries," Bronze Star asserted.
"It's okay," Fluttershy claimed.
"Oh, don't worry about it, kiddo," Applejack bade her.
"We still love you," Pinkie Pie avowed.
Rarity then turned to Rainbow Dash and pronounced "And I'm especially sorry that I was so thoughtless as to jump into the contest at the last minute after you had worked so hard to win it. Can you ever ever forgive me?"
Rainbow Dash just smiled in understand and said in assurance "Aw, it's okay. Everything turned out alright, right? I just wish I could have met the Wonderbolts when they were awake."
Ironically, at that very moment, somepony tapped Rainbow Dash on her shoulder. She turned straight around, and she gasped in astonishment. Spitfire, Soarin, and Misty Fly were directly in front of her. Walther and Fleetfoot were standing off to the side, as well.
Rainbow Dash stammered "OhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohMYGOSH!"
"So you're the little pony who saved our lives," Spitfire thought aloud, smiling, "We really wanted to meet you, and say thanks."
All Rainbow Dash could get out was "Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"
At that moment, Princess Celestia and the two members of the Royal Guard entered the scene, as well. Twilight Sparkle noticed her first and acknowledged her presence with "Princess."
She and everypony else there – including Bronze Star – bowed to the regal mare. Celestia grinned and pronounced "Hello, Twilight Sparkle, and hello to your friends too."
Rarity lowered her head in shame and declared sorrowfully "Princess Celestia, I am sorry I ruined the competition. Rainbow Dash here really is the best flyer in Equestria."
"I know she is, my dear," Princess Celestia commented straightforwardly. She was carrying a gold headpiece on her back. That was the marker for the winner of the Best Young Flyer Competition. She removed it from her back and announced "That's why, for her incredible act of bravery and her spectacular sonic rainboom, I'm presenting the grand prize for best young flyer to this year's winner, Miss Rainbow Dash!"
As the white Alicorn placed the headpiece on the cyan mare's head, the crowd started cheering once more. Rainbow Dash gaped in awe at the setting. Amidst the cheering, she muttered unsteadily "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!"
While all the attention was on Rainbow Dash, Celestia approached her student and remarked "So Twilight Sparkle, did you learn anything about friendship from this experience?"
"I did, Princess," the lavender mare proclaimed, looking over her shoulder, "But I think Rarity learned even more than me."
"I certainly did," the white Unicorn conceded, "I learned how important it is to keep your hooves on the ground, and be there for your friends."
Princess Celestia smiled in approval and commented "Excellent. Well done, Rarity."
"This really is the best day EVER!" Rainbow Dash joyfully reiterated.
At that moment, Dumb-Bell, Hoops, and Score appeared. Dumb-Bell tried to get the cyan mare's attention's with "Uhh, hey, Rainbow Crash."
"Dash!" Hoops corrected him.
Dumb-Bell realized his mistake and pronounced "Oh! Uhh... Sorry. Rainbow Dash. Uhh, we just wanted to congratulate you on winning the competition."
"That sonic rainboom was awesome!" Hoops cried.
"Heh, thanks, guys," Rainbow Dash said appreciatively.
The stallions had more to say than just that. Dumb-Bell added in "Uhh, we're really sorry we gave you such a hard time before."
"Aww, that's okay," Rainbow Dash assured them, "Don't worry about it."
Dumb-Bell, Hoops, and Score were relieved to hear that. Dumb-Bell then proposed "Hey. Do you want to hang out with us? Maybe you could show us how you did that incredible trick!"
"Sorry, boys..." Rainbow Dash said in response. By now, two more members of the Wonderbolts had reached the immediate area. Rainbow Dash took off, flew towards them, and wrapped her front legs around their shoulders. As the three of them flew higher, she called over her shoulder "But I've got plans!"
Bronze Star just scoffed at that. Rainbow Dash was clearly savoring her victory. Just as well, she had definitely earned it.
Rainbow Dash spent the rest of the day mingling with General Walther, Spitfire, Soarin, Misty Fly, Fleetfoot, and several other officers of the Wonderbolts. Bronze Star and the others passed the time by hanging out in Cloudsdale. They had quite a bit of fun with the locals.
When Princess Celestia started setting the Sun in the late afternoon, Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity decided to go back to Ponyville. Fluttershy planned to wait around for Rainbow Dash. Once the cyan mare got back from her friendly gathered with the Wonderbolts, she and the yellow mare would head back to Ponyville together.
Bronze Star decided to go back to Ponyville separately from the other four mares. That way, he would be able to touch down in the Everfree Forest and change back into his Earth Pony disguise without being seen by the townsfolk.
At eight o'clock in the evening, Bronze Star returned to the embassy in Ponyville. His regalia was safely stored in his strongbox, and his wings and horn were concealed. Arthur was still resting on his shoulder. The two of them had gotten back to Ponyville without any setbacks.
Bronze Star headed up to his room. He hid his strongbox underneath his bed, hung his knapsack on the wall, and placed Arthur on his perch.
It had been a great day. Bronze Star had been able to fly and use magic for the first time in months, he had had some quality bonding time with both General Walther and his pet hawk, he had seen some old friends, he had been to the Cloudsdale for the first time ever, he had recieved a huge update on the assassination conspiracy, the Best Young Flyers Competition had been a thrill, Rainbow Dash had won the Competition, and – best of all – Walther and Fleetfoot were finally speaking to each other again. They had not completely mended their relationship just yet, but they were making progress.
Bronze Star did not have a lot of plans for the evening. He would just eat dinner, feed Arthur, and start to look over the contents of the binder. He only had one week to prepare for his meeting with Esopus Spitzenburg. He would need to get in as much preparation as possible before then.
Bronze Star soon left his room and headed for the kitchen. Before he even reached the top of the stairs, he noticed Sir Haywood McCrank was standing in the doorframe of his bedroom. He called out to the indigo stallion "Hello, Sir Haywood."
The federal investigator nodded his head and stated "Hello, Your Highness. How was the Best Young Flyers Competition?"
"It was great," Bronze Star illuminated, "Rainbow Dash won."
"Well, good for her," Sir Haywood commented. There was a short pause, and then he remarked "Now that you're back, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. Would you mind coming in here for a minute?"
Bronze Star was in no hurry to get anything else done, as he did not have a lot on his agenda for that night. He agreed to accept Sir Haywood's request. He nodded his head, saying "Sure."
Haywood McCrank smiled in approval and trotted back into his room. Bronze Star followed Haywood and entered after him. He assumed the investigator wanted this to be a confidential meeting, so Bronze Star closed and locked the door. After that, he turned to face the indigo stallion. Once Sir Haywood had the gold stallion's undivided attention, he pulled out an envelope. Bronze Star recognized it as the envelope they had received from the vigilantes earlier that day.
"As you know, when we gathered with the task force this morning, we received our latest report from the vigilantes," Haywood McCrank recounted, "They shared a great deal of new and useful information with us. However, there was one piece of information that I withheld at the meeting. I wanted to wait until you and I were alone to discuss it."
"What might that be?" Bronze Star queried.
"At the end of their report, the vigilantes requested to borrow the clues we found in Whitetail Woods," Sir Haywood apprised him, "They claim that they want to examine the objects themselves. They're convinced that they might have a chance of learning something new about the Vermane from those clues; something that even we do not know."
"What's wrong with that?" Bronze Star muttered in perplexity, "It's a fairly reasonable demand."
"Yes, it is," Haywood McCrank affirmed, "Only one problem. I never mentioned those three clues to the vigilantes. Not once in any of the reports I sent them."
"You didn't?" Bronze Star uttered in surprise.
"No, I saw it necessary to remain quiet about the clues until I confirmed that the Vermane were behind this murder plot," Haywood McCrank revealed, "Apparently, that did not stop the vigilantes from learning about the objects' existence on their own."
"Well, keep in mind; these are the ponies who broke into my room at the castle and planted a message there without getting caught," Bronze Star pointed out to the indigo stallion, "They are incredibly resourceful."
"I know, but even they have their limits," Haywood perceived, "After all, that was why they approached us in the first place. Apart from that, I took steps to ensure that nopony other than Dread Naught and the members of the task force found out about the spyglass, the piece of cloth, and the sliver of metal."
"What sort of steps?" Bronze Star queried.
"For starters, for all the time between when we got back from the Running of the Leaves and when I mailed them to Dread Naught, the objects were always in my room," Sir Haywood expounded, "I spent most of that time with them, so I can verify that they never left my quarters. When I mailed the objects to Dread Naught, I placed them in an envelope that had been sealed with a special adhesive. Only Dread Naught and I have the solvent to that adhesive, so only he and I could have opened the envelope. The envelope itself was one-of-a-kind, too. Any attempt to open it by force would have resulted in it bursting into flames and destroying its contents. So nopony could have gotten the envelope open except me and Dread Naught. Also, Dread Naught assured me that he always had the objects on-hoof while they were in his possession, and the only times he removed them from the envelope were the times when he was studying them. Ever since he returned the objects, I've kept them close-by as much as possible. With all this in mind, it is completely impossible that anypony other than you, me, Dread Naught, or the six officers on the task force could know about the three objects."
Bronze Star took all of this into account, and he realized that Sir Haywood's logic was practically irrefutable. He looked up at the older stallion and asked him "So, in that case, how do you suppose the vigilantes managed to learn about them?"
"I've looked at this scenario from every possible angle, and I've concluded that there is only one plausible explanation," Haywood McCrank apprised him, "The only way they could have known about the objects is if one of their members actually saw all three of them at some point. That can only mean one thing: somepony close to us must be working for the vigilantes."
Bronze Star was absolutely astounded to hear that. Then again, it could have been worse. At least Sir Haywood had not theorized that somepony close to them was one of the assassins. Even so, the investigator had made a very serious and unsettling charge. He was accusing one of their friends of using them and working behind their back. Even more disturbing was the fact that not many ponies in town could have had an opportunity to eavesdrop on the task force. That greatly reduced the list of suspects.
After a very uncomfortable period of silence, Bronze Star proposed "You're not suggesting it's somepony on the task force, are you?"
"It could be," Haywood McCrank conjectured, "However, it could be somepony else. Lady Noble and her officers aren't the only ones who have access to the embassy."
"So, who do you think it might be?" Bronze Star queried.
"I haven't a clue," Haywood McCrank revealed, "But right now, we cannot afford to take anything or anypony for granted anymore. Be mindful of anypony who comes to the embassy or near it. More importantly, be careful about who you invite into this building. Even though the vigilantes are on our side, I'm inclined to question the integrity of ponies who spy on their allies like this."
"I understand, Sir Haywood," the gold stallion asserted, "Should we find that somepony we know really is working for the vigilantes, what are we to do?"
"There is only one thing we can do," Haywood McCrank decisively declared, "We will arrest that pony, bring him or her before the task force, and do whatever it takes to get that pony to talk. And I mean, whatever it takes. We must make it clear to the vigilantes that we are just as determined to prevent this murder plot as they are, and we must reassert your authority above them."
"Very well," Bronze Star coincided, "If you believe that that is how this scenario must go, then that is how it shall go. You have the full support of the Canterlot Royalty to do whatever needs to be done."
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I'll never trust that Dapple....Ugh, there's just something so... untrustworthy.
"She is here."
"Gold Streak; I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I'd have lost my way were it not for that mark on the door."