Night had fallen, and though Canterlot stayed moderately busy even into the late hours, a team of ponies and one little dragon were focused on the task at hoof, as they moved through the maze of crates full of cargo that were to be shipped out or had recently arrived, along the docks at the aeroport . As they approached the dock Quay had told them about, they found a good hiding spot with a perfect view.
Midnight wore his hooded cloak, and had given one to Twilight and Spike each. They were accompanied by two royal guards, along with one Hood.
"Heh, this sort of reminds me of the games we used to play as foals," Twilight whispered, trying to make light of the situation, "You know, where one of us would pretend to be the monster and the other had to sneak around to rescue the princess."
"I think I made a very pretty princess," Midnight responded while fluttering his eyes, "You and Cadance made sure of that after I lost the coin toss."
"Wait, you were dressed as a princess for a game?" Spike stifled a chuckle as he was already imagining the thought.
"Let's... focus on the here and now," Midnight immediately changed the subject.
"Your Majesties, an airship is arriving on the dock," whispered one of the guards and they looked to see the airship descend, the deck itself holding strapped-down cargo.
"And look!" Twilight pointed to a pegasus pony holding a clipboard as he flapped towards the ship, "A customs official."
"You're right, Twily!" Midnight whispered before quietly casting a spell, "Let's listen in..."
They all shushed up and listened as they heard the customs official meet with the captain of the airship.
"Evening, gentlecolts, I am here for my... inspection."
"But of course, sir," said the captain as he signaled one of his crew, "We wouldn't have it any other way..."
The crew member approached the official, holding a small but heft bag of bits... only to stall, which raised the official's brow.
"Provided... you have the necessary paperwork," the captain added with a slight edge.
"Not to worry," the official held out the clipboard and showed some form on it, "It's all right here, official seal an' all. So you can drop off your cargo, I can confirm my 'inspection' and we can all turn in for a good night's sleep."
"Didja hear that?!" Spike whispered urgently, "He's obviously accepting a bribe!"
"Hold on, we have to wait for him to actually receive it..." Midnight held his hoof up.
They watched as the captain nodded in satisfaction and nodded to his crew member, and the pony hoofed over the bag of bits to the official-
"MOVE IN!!"
They all jolted and cried out in alarm as multiple blinding lights were shined upon them.
"SCATTER!!" the captain shouted, but in all the confusion, most of the crew bumped into each other and were swiftly detained.
The customs official tried to make a break for it, only for the guards to catch him mid-flight and force him to the ground. The captain was simultaneously captured by the Hood, and Midnight easily subdued the rest of the crew with his shadow magic. Twilight and Spike picked up the papers the official and the captain had been looking at and gasped!
"Midnight! This form has the Official Seal of the Council stamped onto it!" Twilight showed it to him, and Midnight narrowed his eyes at the customs official and the captain.
"I hope for all your sake that you have a very good explanation for importing poisoned food and this form with a privileged seal stamped upon it," he said with a warning edge in his voice.
"I got it from a runner from the office of Breadbasket," the captain confessed. "That's all."
"I doubt that," one of the guards commented. "There's no way in stormy seas she'd ever poison her own food."
"It's the truth, I tells ya!" the captain yelped. "Them papers came from her office!"
After ordering the guards and Hood to turn the customs officlal, the captain, and his crew over to the police, Midnight, Twilight, and Spike headed to the law firm of Brass Scales, taking the form stamped with the official seal with them. Upon arriving, the receptionist buzzed Brass about his visitors and nodded after getting an answer.
"The judge will see you, Your Majesties."
She gave them directions to Brass's office, and upon arriving, they were surprised to see Brass already meeting with two other ponies, both earth pony stallions. One was strong yet husky in build, similar to Big Mac, muscular but with a noticeable pudge, his coat was bluish-gray, he had an ashy brown mane, his cutie-mark was a file folder with papers spilling out, and his royal blue eyes were furrowed. Beside him was a tall and lanky earth pony with a coat red like ketchup, a dark brown mane combed back apart from a stubborn curl hanging over his face, green eyes behind a pair of glasses, he wore a brown suit, and his cutie-mark looked like a tomato and a bag of money put together. But most interesting, apart from the different colored coat, manestyle, cutie-mark, and glasses, he was the spittin' image of...
"Cheese Sandwich?!" Spike uttered in surprise.
"Why does everypony keep bringing that guy up when they see me?" asked the lanky red stallion, "My name is Tomato Sandwich, thank you very much."
Midnight and Twilight shared a look but they knew this wasn't the time.
"Your Highnesses, you wanted to speak with me?" asked Brass Scales from behind his desk.
"Yes, Duke," Midnight quickly explained the sting operation, along with the trail that had led them to it, "...and after we arrested them, we confiscated this! Take a look."
Midnight levitated the form to Brass, and once he saw the seal stamped onto it, he was aghast, "This is an Official Seal that only the members of the Council can use! Are you saying Duchess Breadbasket is behind this outbreak?"
"We don't think so," Twilight shook her head, "but somepony is definitely poisoning the food her wheat farms are shipping out across Equestria. Whoever they are, they have a stamp of the Council's Seal, which is why nopony questioned the shipments."
"That alone is disturbing-" Brass responded, only for the dark blue earth pony to not-so-subtly clear his throat. "My apologies. Your Majesties, allow me to introduce the other participants of this meeting. Tomato Sandwich has already introduced himself, and joining us also is Detective Hard Case of the Vanhoover Police Department."
"Hard Case? You're the detective Thunderlane told us about!" Spike got wide-eyed.
"Heh, no surprise he'd mention me," Hard Case smirked but then got serious, "I'm here because I've managed to compile a buttload of evidence from different police departments across Equestria. Everything that I could get my hooves on that involves a crime lord known as the Lord of Lords. I'll give you three guesses who I believe this guy's identity is!"
"Buck Cheap of House Avarice, Duke of Commerce and Business," Tomato Sandwich spoke up as he pulled out an envelope from his jacket. "I almost went to work for that guy, but... let's just say, I got a bad vibe from him. On my way out of his office building, some mare followed me out and gave me this envelope, saying I should take it to Duke Brass Scales.
"When I asked for her name, she told me to call her Whistle Blower."
"I know that mare!" Hard Case pointed to Tomato, "From some old friends who helped me. They say several ponies, all going by the name of Whistle Blower, have been mailing out folders and packages to detectives and reputable precincts that contain evidence connectingmultiple incidents of organized crime from different cities across the nation. After one of my buddies found out that I was digging into this, he sent me what he had, and told me to make sure that this bastard sinks!"
"Why would Cheap's employees be turning on him now?" Brass asked.
"Take a guess," Hard Case invited.
Everyone looked around and at each other, wondering if anypony could figure it out. Nothing else made sense. There was no other alley to get information. No back door, no alternate path. Nothing seemed to come to light. Hard Case took that as his cue to speak.
"They suspect the same thing as we do, that Cheap is behind this mass-poisoning! Not only that, several of them, all using the alias Whistle Blower, have come to the offices of my friends, with evidence of blackmail, bribery, extortion and just about every other crime you can think of."
"This is starting to sound like a regular Hearth's Warming gift-giving session," Twilight commented.
"That and I'm willing to bet, as my friends are, that the bastard has plans to go after those,who had even the slightest role in instigating the reformation of government to abolish the Aristocratic Council," Hard Case continued. "We need to act fast and get search warrants before Cheap catches on. Otherwise, he'll start cleaning up house and doing whatever he has to do to make sure the witnesses don't talk."
Ulp! Spike was starting to get a little nervous, and then he realized, "If Cheap really wants to get back at anyone who had a part in getting the council abolished, he might go after Thorax!"
"We need some kind of die-hard evidence to get him now, that way we can take him into custody to get hm out of the way," Brass stated.
"That's going to be difficult," Midnight said, "he's presently one of the most powerful ponies in the government, and he has close connections to the Canterlot Elite. Unless we can absolutely prove his complicity in the outbreak the nobles of Canterlot will support him no matter what we say."
"Maybe this envelope has something in it that can help," Tomato offered as he opened it, and everyone waited as he read the contents. "Um... I'm not quite sure what this is, but it comes from the... Department of Research and Development? It mentions a deposit made to a lab assistant that works there, and there's some kind of formula here."
"Let me see," asked Twilight, and Tomato held it out to her. Reading it, Twilight gasped, "This is a chemical formula, and the ingredients listed are all toxic!"
Brass, Midnight, and even Hard Case looked at the papers. After five minutes of examination, Hard Case's face pulled back into a grin as he looked to Tomato.
"Kid, you've just given us a Faustsend gift."
"Indeed, if this chemical formula is the same as what was used to contaminate the food," Brass conjectured, "then our suspect is all but confirmed.
"Then I'll take the formula to Doctor Miracle Cure," Midnight volunteered, "If it matches the poison's chemical makeup, I'll need for you to acquire a warrant, Duke Brass. To investigate Duke Buck Cheap for evidence of crime and conspiracy."
"In the meantime, I'll take the form with the official seal stamped onto it to Princess Celestia," Twilight volunteered, "maybe she can determine which member of the council used it to guarantee the shipment of the poisoned food."
"...What should I do?" Tomato raised a hesitant hoof.
"You'll come with me," Twilight said, "At the moment, there's a chance you could be targeted. You'll be safer in the castle."
"Alright, ponies!" Hard Case slammed his hooves together, looking ready for a reckoning, "Let's get to work!"
Morning rose by the will of Celestia, and Midnight emerged from the shadows in the alleyways across the street from the hospital. The streets were clearer and the masses of poisoned victims were almost gone.
That is either really good or really bad... Midnight thought as he made his way in.
After getting direction from the receptionist, he found Miracle Cure going over some forms in a private office.
"Doctor."
She looked up, "Prince Midnight. What brings you here?"
"The patients, are they... well?" Midnight hoped.
"Doing better with each passing hour," Miracle Cure smiled, relief suddenly filling the room. "Your friend Rarity will be fine as well."
"You found a cure?" Midnight brightened up.
"Not me, Doctor Mareston Burner," Miracle Cure explained, "She examined the tainted food and managed to analyze the poison's composition, and from that she synthesized an antidote. The pharmaceutical lab is working around the clock to make more."
"That's wonderful news, but I'm afraid I've come to confirm something," Midnight reached into his cloak and pulled out the paper he'd gotten from Tomato Sandwich, "In the course of my investigation, I uncovered this, a chemical formula. I came here to see if you can confirm whether or not it's the same poison."
Miracle Cure read the formula to the last letter and nodded, "It is... This is the very formula for the poison! Such a relief that Doctor Burner was able to create the cure as quickly as she did."
Something clicked in his mind as Midnight began to put two and two together, "Yes... isn't it... Uh- Doctor Cure, what about the other cities and towns that have been afflicted by the poison?"
"We've sent the formula for the antidote to every city or town that reported mass-poisoning," Miracle Cure responded, "but, it will take time for those messengers to get the formulas to each place affected."
"Then there's no time to waste," Midnight decided, "Have any stashes of the antidote you can spare delivered to the castle. I have an airship that can deliver the cure to every place affected in record time."
"Are you certain, Midnight?" Miracle Cure raised a brow.
"Absolutely, my ship is the fastest vessel in Equestria," Midnight smirked, "I know because I trust every brilliant mind that helped me build it!"
"Very well, I'll have crates of the antidote delivered to the castle within the hour," Miracle Cure replied.
Midnight nodded and turned to leave-
"Sire."
He paused and looked back to see Miracle Cure regard him hopefully, "Good luck."
Midnight nodded and smiled to her before leaving, making sure she didn't see the dark look in his eyes as he thought of a certain member of the council...
As Midnight entered the castle's entry hall, he saw Spike hurrying towards him, the young drake looking both pensive and relieved.
"Midnight, thank goodness I found you," he panted as he rested is hands onto his knees while catching his breath.
"What is it, Spike?" Midnight asked.
"You're wanted at Brass's office, like twenty minutes ago! He's got, to quote him, 'something hot that can't wait'," Spike reported.
"Well, this..." Midnight tried to say.
"Look, I can take a message to Princess Celestia. But you gotta get moving, now!" Spike urged.
"Alright," Midnight conjured a parchment and pencil and wrote something down before giving it to Spike, "Make sure Celestia gets this message."
"I'm on it, seeya!" Spike hurried off and Midnight took the stairs towards the apartments where the council members slept whenever they visited the castle, quickly finding Brass Scale's apartment.
Opening the doors, Midnight found a rather pleased Brass Scales going over some papers, who noticed his visitor and put them down, "Ah, Prince Midnight. So very glad to see you."
"I take it you have the warrant?" asked Midnight as he approached.
"I do, a warrant that allows a formal investigation into Buck Cheap's private residence and to confiscate anything deemed evidence of foul play," Brass beamed as he held the warrant.
"That's good, because I confirmed our suspicion with Miracle Cure," Midnight reported, "The chemical formula is the same poison that was used to taint the shipments of food from the Galloping Grains Agricultural Society farm."
"Perfect, and the timing couldn't be better," Brass elaborated, "Buck Cheap actually left Canterlot yesterday shortly after the meeting. He's due back in a few hours."
"That gives up plenty of time," Midnight agreed with a bright look of mischief.
"Then what're you waiting for?" Brass smirked as he hooved over the warrant, and Midnight got the idea.
He wasted no time and flew out the castle and towards the wealthiest district in Canterlot, where every house on the block was at the very least a three-story manor built over a hundred years ago. Reaching Buck Cheap's address, he found Hard Case waiting at the front gate, accompanied by several police officers.
"You got it?" Hard Case asked, already knowing the answer, but boy did it do his heart good to see Midnight hold up the warrant. "Perfect! Orders from Duke Scales is that any information relating to Cheap's crimes are to be turned over to you immediately. So make good use of it. That bastard's got it coming."
Midnight couldn't help but smirk deviously as he gazed up at the literal House of Avarice. Now they were talking the same lingo.
"And... that's the last of it!"
Celestia was glad that things were moving along smoothly, as Techorse has just announced the last crate of the antidote had been loaded onto The Break of Dawn. The airship was truly a masterpiece of mystechnological marvels! The Solar Sails alone were absolutely amazing to the Sun Princess.
"Thank you, Techorse," she spoke to him warmly, "But are you certain this ship can get the cure to all the afflicted cities in time?"
"Your Majesty, I daresay The Dawn is the fastest airship ever designed," Techorse responded, "Even so, this'll be her maiden voyage and there's no telling what could happen. But I promise you, me and the crew will do our very best to get the cure to every city that needs it."
"And as a show of support..." They looked to see Sombra approaching, "I'll be coming along. I believe it would do our little ponies some good to see an alicorn helping to bring relief and aid."
Though Celestia didn't want her husband to leave, she understood his reasons and gave him a tender kiss, "You've come a long way."
Sombra smiled as he placed his hoof under Celestia's barrel, rubbing her belly softly, "We both have, love."
He parted from his wife and boarded The Dawn. Gazing over the railing beside Techorse, Sombra promised, "I'll see you soon, and make sure you keep your guards close."
"Cast off!" Techorse called out, and pony at the helm started up the ElectroStorm Engine while the masts rose up and unfurled the Solar Sails. The Arcane Thrusters ignited while limited power was fed to the network along the ship's body that held energems imbued with featherweight charms, causing the ship to become lighter and everypony on the dock watched in awe as The Break of Dawn took flight!
The Dawn was soon soaring east, to its first stop in Manehatten, and at that moment, another airship was soaring towards Canterlot from the north. At the helm, Buck Cheap peered through his spyglass, seeing The Dawn fly away.
"An airship that flies without a gasbag?! Hmm, I'm going to have to look into that after my meeting with the council..."