//------------------------------// // 213. Trade Ya! - Epilogue // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// Celestia was lowering the sun by the time their airship arrived at Ponyville Airfield, and as the Harmonic Twelve and Spike disembarked, Thunderlane said, "I hope Flitter and Cloudchaser aren't mad at me for being gone longer than I said." "Why would they be mad at you?" Spike asked. "I asked them to foalsit Rumble for me before we left for the Exchange," Thunderlane explained, "and I'm way past the time I promised I'd be back so that they could go home." "Oh I'm sure they won't be too mad," Fluttershy assured, "they just love Rumble to bits." "Eeyup. C'mon, `Shy," Big Mac held the apple-shaped picture frame Fluttershy had gotten at the Exchange, now holding their wedding picture. "Ah got a pretty good idea where t' hang this." "Seeya t'morrow, Thunder," Applejack gave Thunderlane a peck, "Ah'll hav' a nice apple pie waitin' for ya in this tin ya got me." "S-sure thing, AJ," Thunderlane tried to hide his bashfulness with the goggles Applejack got him but it just made it more obvious. Hate to see you go, AJ, but love to watch you leave. The moment his wings erected to release excess heat, Thunderlane quickly took off, something that Rainbow and Soarin both easily noticed with stifled laughs before they said their see-ya-laters and flew home. "Night is falling and I need my beauty rest," Rarity sighed dramatically. "Good night, everypony," Blueblood bade them as he and Rarity walked home. "I gotta go too," Cheese said, "Ms. Spice needs me to help prepare for the Foal and Filly Fair." "Oooooh, I can't wait!" Pinkie exclaimed as she and Cheese bounced away. That left Twilight, Midnight, and Spike. "Today worked out perfectly!" Spike gazed reverently at his new mint-condition comic book, "I gotta get this home and add it to my collection!" "Spike, wait up!" Twilight called after the little dragon as he hurried ahead. Sighing as she levitated her books, Twilight looked to Midnight, who was smiling at the dragon as he left. "Are you gonna head back to Sweet Apple Acres, or..." Midnight looked to his Twilight and was about to say he'd like to spend the night with her when his sharp night-vision allowed him to see a familiar face, standing under the trees at the edge of the airfield. "Y'know what, Twi? You go on ahead, and I'll meet you at the library." "What're you gonna do?" Twilight asked. "I'm gonna swing by Pepper Pony's and bring us dinner," Midnight replied before giving her a smooch, "see ya at home!" And without waiting for Twilight's reply, Midnight then collapsed into his shadow, and slithered off as formless smoke-like shadowstuff. Midnight reformed in a clearing not far from the airfield but cast a sensing spell to insure no one else had followed him. Satisfied when the spell resulted negative, he spoke, "You can come out now." Stepping out from behind a nearby tree was a cobalt blue pegasus stallion with a slicked back rich purple mane, a pair of serious turquoise eyes behind a pair of glasses, his mustached lips pressed firmly shut, as he carried some kind of file under his wing. "Tranquil Skies," Midnight addressed his subordinate, "I trust you came here discreetly." "Of course, Sir," Tranquil gave a respectful nod as he approached, "and I have some gathered intelligence here for you." Tranquil offered the file, which Midnight accepted, using his aura to levitate the documents to himself, although Tranquil said, "However, Sir, I'm afraid there are some... complications." "...Tranquil, what is this?" Midnight sounded annoyed as he read the papers in the file. "That's what I mean, Sire," Tranquil explained, "Pen Drake's guy was found dead in his apartment." Midnight looked to Tranquil, his eyes demanding a more detailed explanation. "It would seem, Your Highness, that someone is aware that there is a mole in the operation and Pen Drake's subordinate wasn't discreet enough. The poor fool was found in what appears to have been a staged suicide, but the fact the apartment was ransacked gave that away. If Pen Drake's guy did have more evidence against Blackberry Hossmane, whoever killed him stole most of it. "Pen Drake wanted me to relay this information to you personally, and to tell you not to contact him until further notice. He's being watched and cannot afford to draw any suspicion." "Buck it all...!" Midnight seethed as he glared angrily at the papers, "This isn't enough, Tranquil! Bribery? Missing ponies cases?! The best I can do with this is arrest some cheap cogs in Hossmane's machine that he can easily replace! This doesn't come close to being enough to take him down!" "...Well, Sire, there's always the permanent method," Tranquil Skies suggested. Midnight did Cadance's calming technique, just barely keeping his anger under control, "No... Princess Celestia has made it perfectly clear - Blackberry Hossmane has to answer for his crimes and he can't exactly do that dead. Believe you me, I would love to get my hooves around his wretched throat... But she's right; Hossmane has to live with the consequences of everything he's done." "So then what will we do, sir?" Tranquil Skies asked. "We will do nothing," Midnight declared, "I'll have to deal with this personally. As for Pen Drake, we'll oblige his request to not contact him until he contacts us. He's too valuable to lose, and I hope he learns from his subordinate's mistakes." "Understood, sir." "Anything else?" "...There is one thing, Highness," Tranquil admitted, not so sure how he felt how Midnight wasn't looking at him. "Your supplier in the Griffon Kingdom... Due to some kind of epidemic in his hometown, he won't be able to send you any new cargo for the foreseeable future." Tranquil Skies shied, expecting Midnight to get upset. And he did, only he didn't explode. Rather, he seethed, his coat bristling, his long lion-like tail raised, indicating he was itching to strike at something. But the silence was the worst part. ... ... ... "You are dismissed." "Sir," Tranquil Skies bowed before flying off, leaving Midnight alone in the dark clearing. Of course today would turn sour in more ways than one. The evidence Midnight needed to bury Blackberry Hossmane, gone. His supply from the Griffon Kingdom, gone! What else could go wrong?! "....rrrrrRRRRAAAUUGGGHH!!" Midnight swung around, concentrating his power to the tip of his tail, which whipped out a blade of shadowstuff! It flew and slit clean through the trunk of a tree, dissipating afterwards, the tree crashing over, the force and sound scaring off the local wildlife. It honestly made Midnight feel a little better to vent but then he remembered, ...Twi's waiting for me. Gathering himself, Midnight made his way back to Ponyville, hoping Pepper Pony's wasn't closed yet.