When Flash and Twilight returned to Canterlot, Spike and the squadron were relieved to find out that Twilight was okay. Spike explained how the queen's people said she went out ahead of them back to Canterlot, but when they didn't see her already back home, he was worried that something happened to her. The grayish mulberry inspector furrowed her brow when she realized that the queen deceived her brother as a means to hide that she was left to die in the catacombs, but then she grinned and explained to her squadron everything she and Sunset discovered under the castle. Twilight went on to say that she was confident that they were going to move out to arrest the queen as soon as she and Flash brought the evidence to Chancellor Neighsay.
The two of them went to the headquarters to Canterlot's Secret Services, where Flash introduced Commander Harshwhinny and showed her the proof. The commander had a mischievous grin on her face as she looked at the evidence, excited to show it to the chancellor, who she thought he would feel ashamed for discrediting her operation. She also checked the secret service's databanks and confirmed about Agent Sweetie Drops going missing while finding the Horse Bills. The brilliant orange woman expressed her most profound gratitude for Twilight's accomplishment in discovering the printing presses before the three of them left to meet the chancellor.
Inside Canterlot Castle, Chancellor Neighsay was in his office in one of the highest towers in the palace. He was a thin man with light azureish gray skin, dark grayish azure hair that was pulled back, and a small goatee. When Twilight entered the office with her backup pair of glasses followed by Commander Harshwhinny and Flash, Chancellor Neighsay looked at them with a stern look in his moderate turquoise eyes as he rested his elbows and clasped his hands together.
"Inspector Sparkle, you did not immediately return with your squadron as ordered," he said sternly. "I cannot overstate my disappointment that a woman of your stature would disobey direct orders because you are determined to capture one thief."
"My apologies, Your Excellency," Twilight said, unintimidated by the chancellor's words. "I'm afraid there were some unfortunate setbacks that misled my squadron into thinking I went ahead of them with returning to Canterlot."
"Indeed?" The chancellor asked before turning to Harshwhinny. "May I ask what business you have to come to my office without permission, commander?"
"Sir, Agent Sentry returned to Canterlot with Inspector Sparkle, and they have made discoveries in Everfree that require your attention," Harshwhinny answered.
"Discoveries?" Chancellor Neighsay asked. "Please don't tell me this has to do with your daft claims that Queen Adagio is running some counterfeit operation."
"I'm afraid it does, Chancellor," Harshwhinny said. "And the matter is worse than we suspected."
Chancellor Neighsay furrowed his brow, displeased with her response. Twilight took his silence as her moment to take out the blueprints and the rolls of fake bills out of her pockets and put them on the chancellor's desk. Harshwhinny and Flash smirked as Chancellor Neighsay looked at the evidence.
"As you can see, chancellor, these are blueprints of the printing presses inside Castle Everfree," Twilight said. "There is a large hall full of these machines that are making fake bills for Canterlot and its allies, as well as countries outside of our continent. In other words, the queen of Everfree is creating false money all over the world. Furthermore, I have discovered catacombs deep under Castle Everfree that contain countless bodies of people who have opposed the queen and her ancestors, signifying that -"
"Silence!" Chancellor Neighsay shouted.
Twilight jumped and took a step back, taken aback by the way the chancellor angrily interrupted her. Flash and Harshwhinny were also shocked as the gray-skinned man glowered at them.
"Claiming that Everfree is sending counterfeit money all over the world? Putting so-claimed blueprints on my desk? Saying that the queen has a catacomb full of dead bodies? How dare you speak such nonsense in front of me!" He growled.
"It's the truth, chancellor," Twilight protested. "These are real blueprints from their printing room, and I saw the catacombs myself. There are bodies everywhere, including the body of a special agent from Canterlot named Sweetie Drops."
"It's true, Your Excellency," Harshwhinny said. "We checked our databanks after Inspector Sparkle testified to us and there was an agent named Sweetie Drops who was sent to Everfree by Chancellor Octavia Melody to find the counterfeit operation in the country and went missing and was later declared K.I.A."
Chancellor Neighsay turned to Harshwhinny and said, "Now you're creating stories to back up your obsession on an old myth, commander."
"Obsession? The evidence is right here in front of you. What more do you want?" Flash rebuked. "Are you in so much denial that you can't just admit that you've been proven wrong like an adult?"
"I resent that accusation, Agent Sentry!" Chancellor Neighsay growled. "The fact is you just walked into my office trying to convince me to try to arrest the ruler of one of our allies. Even if a single word of what you're saying is true, it is not within my power or the power of our allies to meddle in the affairs of another country, leastways a small, well-respected country like Everfree."
"Meddle in the affairs of another country? This is no political matter!" Twilight shouted. "Ruler of a country be disregarded. Queen Adagio is a criminal, and with this evidence, we have her dead to rights."
"And I only have the desperate words of two members of our secret service trying to prove that a myth exists and an inspector who has a bad public image of late to go by," Chancellor Neighsay said.
"Bad public image? What are you talking about?" Twilight asked.
"You mean you haven't read the morning papers?" Chancellor Neighsay asked. "It's been in the talk of the city for the last two days."
He took out a newspaper lying next to him on his desk and put it on top of Twilight's evidence. Twilight slowly picked it up and looked closely before she gasped. Flash and Harshwhinny looked over Twilight's shoulders, and their eyes widened as the headlines read, "Queen Adagio bravely saves her fiance from a criminal mastermind." There was a large picture of Adagio in a full-body photo standing tall and proud and waving at the camera on the front page. To the left of the photograph were half-body pictures of Rough Draft and Sunset. The prince was sitting on a chair with a melancholy look, and the image of Sunset was a mugshot.
"They say that Sunset Shimmer attempted to kidnap the prince and hold him for ransom," the chancellor said. "They've also been talking about a henchman disguised as you tried to help her."
"That wasn't a disguise. That was me," Twilight said.
Chancellor Neighsay frowned and said, "You mean you knowingly aided a criminal attempting to kidnap the prince?"
"Uh, no, we weren't kidnapping. We were rescuing," Twilight said.
"Rescuing?" The chancellor asked unfazed.
"Yes, sir. The queen is holding Prince Rough Draft against his wishes and blackmailed him into marrying her," Flash said.
"A royal wedding arranged through blackmail? This is by far your tallest story yet," Chancellor Neighsay said.
"But it's the truth," Twilight protested again. "Since when has my word and the word of Canterlot's secret service accounted for so little?"
"That's right. No matter what you believe, Your Excellency, you have solid evidence right in front of you that Queen Adagio is committing a horrible crime," Harshwhinny said.
"What I have is fake money and blueprints that could have come from anywhere along with your words against the queen's, and to be blunt, I believe the queen," Chancellor Neighsay said.
Twilight stared at the chancellor in disbelief and asked, "I'm testifying as an eyewitness. How can you be so dismissive about the evidence right in front of you just because the person in question is a queen?"
"It's quite simple, Inspector Sparkle. The world believes what it wants to believe," Chancellor Neighsay said. "It believes that the queen of Everfree is a courageous hero who protected her future husband, and that, whether you were there or not, you have some part in an international thief attempting to commit a heinous crime. What you consider to be the truth is irrelevant. No matter what you say, these claims are coming from an inspector who has defied orders and two members of our secret service who are desperate to be seen as proven right."
"Your Excellency, please be reasonable," Harshwhinny said. "It can't be that -"
"Enough!" Chancellor Neighsay growled. "I will say no more about the matter. Harshwhinny, your case is closed. Inspector, I'm going to discuss your past actions to the commissioner and recommend that you are suspended from the Canterlot police."
"Suspended?!" Twilight shouted. "But I -"
"Dismissed! All of you!" The chancellor barked.
Twilight, Flash, and Harshwhinny looked at Chancellor Neighsay in disbelief before they sadly left the office. Neither of them said a word to each other as they exited the castle. It was dark out when they left, and Spike and the rest of Twilight's squadron were waiting for them in formation in front of the castle gates. The lieutenant smiled and saluted his big sister.
"Everyone is ready to go, Twilight," he said. "Just say the word, and we'll be back in Everfree before you know it."
Twilight gave her brother a sad smile before she looked down in defeat and said, "No one's going anywhere, Spike."
The squadron looked at each other confused, and Spike asked, "What do you mean? Didn't you give the chancellor the proof?"
"Chancellor Neighsay didn't believe us," Twilight said. "He said the bills and blueprints could have come from anywhere and said he's going to recommend that the commissioner suspends me."
"What?! But that's ridiculous!" Spike shouted.
"Understatement of the century, Lieutenant," Flash said.
Twilight sighed and said, "Just go home, everyone. There's nothing we can do about Chancellor Neighsay's decision. More than likely, he'll have the commissioner replace me before long."
The squadron looked at her in disbelief and shouted words of protest until Twilight held up her hand and said, "Disperse. That's an order." The officers reluctantly did as ordered, glumly leaving while occasionally glancing at their leader as they walked as a final act of loyalty. Before long, Twilight, Spike, Flash, and Harshwhinny were the only people left. The purple man with green hair walked over to his sister and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Twilight, is there anything I can do?" He asked.
Twilight gave Spike an appreciative smile before she frowned again and said, "No. There's nothing. Go home, Spike. Rarity's waiting for you."
Spike opened his mouth to object, but then he closed it and reluctantly walked away. Harshwhinny then walked in front of Twilight and gave her a sad smile.
"You have my deepest apologies for what happened there, inspector," she said. "If it's any consolation, I want to thank you for your contribution to our case. Without you, the Horse Bills would still be just a myth."
"Thank you, Commander," Twilight said in a monotone voice.
Harshwhinny then turned to Flash and said, "I want a report on your investigation by the end of the week, Agent Sentry."
"Understood, Commander," Flash said.
Harshwhinny gave her agent a short nod before she walked away to her own home. Twilight hung her head and put her hands in her trench coat pockets as she started walking down aimlessly down the city streets. Flash watched her walk away sympathetically before he looked down and scratched the back of his head. He then ran over to catch up with Twilight, who turned to him, having heard him running toward her.
"Hey, listen, do you want to go get a drink or something?" He asked.
Twilight frowned and asked, "Are you asking me on a date after I just found out that I'm going to lose my job?"
"No, I mean, do you want to get a drink after everything that happened in there?" Flash clarified. "I mean, I don't know about you, but I just learned that the assignment I've been working on for months has been for nothing, so I could certainly use something."
Twilight took a moment to think about Flash's offer and said, "I don't want a drink. I want comfort food. Something sweet."
Flash smirked and said, "In that case, I know just the place that's open at this hour."
Twilight smiled, feeling hopeful that what Flash is thinking would be just what she wanted. She followed the grayish amber man to the other side of the city, where there was a small donut restaurant close to the city walls. When Flash and Twilight came in the front door, a little bell rang, alerting a tall man with light amber skin, moderate orange hair, and broad shoulders standing behind the counter. The man turned around to see Flash and Twilight walking over to them and gave them a friendly smirk.
"Well, well, well. As I live and breathe. Flash Sentry," he said. "Haven't seen you around these parts in some time, old buddy. Where have you been?
"Oh, I had a long business trip," Flash replied.
"I see," the man said before turning to Twilight. "And who is she? Your girlfriend?"
"He should be so lucky," Twilight said. "I'm just someone he met during his...business trip. I'm Twilight Sparkle."
"Pleased to meet ya. I'm Donut Joe, but you can call me Joe," Joe said. "So, what can I do for you two?"
"I'm craving for something sweet, and Flash recommended your establishment," Twilight replied.
"Did he now? Well, you've come to the right place, Ms. Sparkle," Joe said proudly. "When it comes to donuts and coffee, you'll never find a better restaurant than mine."
"That's quite a claim," Twilight said. "In that case, I'd like a half dozen of your best donuts and a cappuccino, please."
"Excellent choice," Joe said. "How about you, Sentry?"
"I'm thinking of a long john and a cappuccino myself," Flash said. "And I'll be paying for both of us.
Twilight frowned and said, "You don't need to -"
"I insist," Flash said with a smile. "We're here more for you than me."
Twilight continued to frown at Flash for a moment before she smiled and silently accepted his offer. Flash took out his wallet and paid Donut Joe before he and Twilight found a booth to sit on next to a window. For a minute, the two of them were awkwardly silent as they waited for Joe to bring them their orders.
"So…" Flash said.
"So…" Twilight said back.
"I guess this is redundant to ask, but how are you feeling right now?" Flash asked.
Twilight was silent for a couple of seconds before she sighed and said, "I don't know. I guess I'm sad, but at the same time, I feel frustrated and confused. Nothing makes sense anymore."
"What do you mean?" Flash asked.
"I mean nothing goes the way it should," Twilight said. "When I decided to be an inspector, I wanted to find and bring down criminals using logical deduction and solid evidence. Nothing about my job should be simpler than that. I may not always succeed just on account of trying to hunt down Sunset Shimmer alone, but I give myself some grace considering how she is by far the most cunning and resourceful criminal there is."
Flash nodded in understanding while Twilight continued.
"So, when I discover something as atrocious as what the monarchy a country has been doing for centuries, was able to escape with solid evidence of what is happening, I expect someone like Chancellor Neighsay to see the truth and act on it. And yet, just because of what the newspaper says and I ignored an order, my evidence is discredited."
"Yeah, I know. It doesn't add up," Flash said, sadly.
The two of them became silent again, feeling defeated by the situation. After another minute, Joe came back with their drinks and pastries on a tray. They politely thanked him as he put the orders on the table before he went back to the counter. As soon as he was gone, Twilight opened her box of donuts and dove right into one. She munched hastily until her mind fully processed the sweet taste, and she chewed slowly to savor the donut before swallowing. She grabbed another donut and took a smaller bite to relish the taste while Flash was eating his long john at a moderate pace. The edges of Twilight's mouth curled up as she finished her second donut.
"I take it that hits the spot?" Flash asked, smirking.
"Good golly, does it ever?" Twilight replied as she took another donut. "How have I not heard of this place before?"
Flash chuckled and said, "Well, Canterlot is a big place, so there's going to be hidden gems when it comes to food."
"No kidding. My sister-in-law would love these," Twilight said. "This is just what I needed."
"Glad to hear it," Flash said. "I usually come here to reward myself after completing an assignment."
"How long have you been in the secret service?" Twilight asked.
"Eh, about eight years or so," Flash answered. "How about you with becoming an inspector?"
"About the same," Twilight said.
"Yeah? How long have you been trying to catch Sunset?" Flash asked.
"Seven years," Twilight answered before it hit her. "You know, I think I've read something on the file for Sunset Shimmer saying that she dated a special agent when I started looking for her."
"Uh, really?" Flash asked, nervously.
"Yeah, do you know anything about that?" Twilight asked.
"I...might have an idea," Flash answered, looking away from Twilight.
Twilight tilted her head, puzzled by the way Flash was acting. He was looking down, facing the floor while scratching the back of his head. It took a moment before it hit her, and she looked at Flash in disbelief.
"You dated her?" She asked. "What in the world possessed you to do that? She's a criminal."
"It was during my early years as a spy," Flash answered, looking at Twilight again. "Every now and then, she would be there when I was on assignment to steal something. Most of the time, she was my enemy interfering with my job, but other times she and Starlight Glimmer were my allies. Though even when we were, it was because Sunset and Starlight could get something valuable like jewels or money out of helping me. Eventually, Sunset and I got to a point where we would secretly date."
"Seriously? You could get in huge trouble for that," Twilight said.
"Oh, I did," Flash confessed. "Commander Harshwhinny was fuming when she learned about us. She looked the other way when we needed her for our operations as long as I completed my assignment, though."
"And Sunset Shimmer was okay with helping you just because you were her boyfriend?" Twilight asked.
"Partially, but I think it's really because she and Starlight have a moral obligation to do the right thing when there's something worse than stealing is happening," Flash answered.
Twilight looked at Flash dumbfounded until she thought about it and said, "That does add up. Sunset Shimmer was disgusted by how the Celestial family has killed so many people to hide their counterfeit operation. She didn't want to take over anymore after that."
"Exactly," Flash said.
Twilight frowned and said, "But I hope you realize that doesn't excuse her crimes. If I don't get suspended or eventually get my job back, I still intend to lock her up once and for all."
"I would be disappointed if you weren't planning to do that," Flash said with a smile. "Truth be told, after traveling back here from Everfree and seeing you so determined to get the chancellor to accept the truth, I admire your passion for justice."
Twilight smirked and asked, "Did you just say that to make a move on me?"
"I said that because it's the truth," Flash insisted before he played with his fingers and said, "Though if you were flattered in that way, I wouldn't mind."
Twilight covered her mouth to hide a snicker while Flash looked away shyly. Then he turned back to her, and the two of them smiled while looking into each other's eyes. But while Twilight was staring, she noticed something at the corner of her eye and looked away from Flash, furrowing her brow. Flash was puzzled by her change in mood until he turned his head to where Twilight was looking and frowned.
On the black square tv hanging above the wall behind the counter, a news station was reporting on Adagio and Rough Draft's wedding. The station then cut to Adagio standing in front of the front gates of Castle Everfree with a stand holding several microphones in front of her, waving with pride as photographers took pictures. The sound of journalists trying to get the queen's attention roared through the TV speakers until Adagio pointed at one of them.
"Your Highness. Snappy Scoop from the Baltimare daily news," a journalist said. "How are you feeling about the wedding just days away."
"Oh, there are no words to describe how I feel," Adagio said blissfully. "I always believed that Rough Draft and I would be the ones to unite our families after centuries of separation, and our wedding will be a day that I will treasure always."
"Your Majesty. Press Release of the Las Pegasus Journal," said another journalist. "Where is Prince Rough Draft right now?"
"I'm afraid he is staying in his quarters right now," Adagio said. "The poor dear is still traumatized from the attempted kidnapping, but he will be right as rain in time for the wedding."
"Your Highness. Buried Lede of the Manehattan Post," said the third reporter. "How are you holding up after saving your fiance from the international criminal, Sunset Shimmer?"
Adagio let out a soft gasp and placed her hand on her heart.
"The mere idea that the coldhearted villain, Sunset Shimmer, came so close to kidnapping my precious groom still haunts me,” she said. “But I assure you, my courageous act has never made me feel prouder of myself. As far as my people and I are concerned, I have proven that I will be a loyal and protective wife to my husband and king. As long as we are together, Rough Draft will worry for nothing."
"Oh, brother," Twilight groaned.
"But can you say for an absolute fact that Sunset Shimmer is dead?" Buried Lede asked.
"Absolutely," Adagio claimed. "She was mortally wounded when she tried to kidnap Rough Draft. I offered medical attention from the goodness of my heart, but the prideful woman refused and tried to escape with her life. We have not found the body yet, but at the critical state she was in, there can be no doubt that she succumbed to her wounds."
"Pfff. Yeah right. If you call blackmailing the prince an offer from the goodness of your heart," Flash grumbled.
The news then cut back to the newscaster who said, "Citizens of Everfree and tourists alike have grown more excited for the unity of the royal families as the festivities continue in the country's capital. The Archbishop of Mt. Aris has already left for Everfree to officiate the royal wedding. Queen Adagio has only allowed your Canterlot 9 News to record the wedding live, and we will broadcast the historical event worldwide."
"This is ridiculous," Twilight complained.
"No kidding," Flash said. "If you ask me, the queen is overcompensating by having the archbishop marry her and Prince Rough Draft."
"That and having it shot worldwide," Twilight agreed. "She probably expects everyone in the world to watch."
Flash hummed in agreement, while still looking at the TV. But after a second, his eyes widened, and the edges of his mouth curled up. He sprang up from his seat, startling Twilight as the grayish amber man started laughing like a madman.
"That's it!" He shouted.
"What's it?" Twilight asked.
"The whole world is going to see the broadcast," Flash said.
"I'm not following," Twilight said.
"Twilight, don't you see? We can use that to reveal the Horse Bills to everyone," Flash said.
"What? How in the world are we going to do that?" Twilight asked.
"The newscaster said that only Canterlot 9 News it's going to record the wedding," Flash explained. "If I can get Commander Harshwhinny to have me and a couple of my fellow agents pretend to be the news crew going to Everfree, we can prove to the whole world about the printing presses under Castle Everfree. You said there's a stairway that leads to the printing room inside the castle's chapel, right?"
"Right. Just behind the altar," Twilight said.
"There you have it. We'll already be inside the chapel to shoot the wedding, so all we have to do is get behind that altar and go down to the printing room for the entire world to see," Flash asked.
Twilight hummed and held her chin in thought before she said, "That sounds well and good, Flash, but how do you plan to get to the altar unnoticed?"
"Well, that's where Sunset and her friends come in," Flash said. "If she is still alive, and we inform her about the wedding, she will no doubt crash the ceremony and prevent the prince from marrying the queen. That'll give us a big distraction while we sneak our way there."
"That sounds like a big risk to assume that Sunset Shimmer is alive and will be able to crash the wedding," Twilight said.
"True, but if she does it, it will be smooth sailing for you and me to sneak inside the printing room," Flash said.
"But I can't do that, Twilight said. "I'm going to be put on suspension, remember?"
"But you're not in suspension yet, so technically you're still on the case to hunt down Sunset," Flash pointed out. "You're not exactly disobeying orders if you're going back to Everfree because Sunset Shimmer is there, right?"
Twilight thought about it before she smiled brightly and stood up, saying, "That's right. I can take my squadron back to Everfree in secret, and if Sunset Shimmer appears at the wedding, we'll charge right into the chapel, pretending to be chasing after her. No doubt she would do something over-the-top to get away with the prince, which can be used for us to sneak our way to the altar in all of the confusion."
"Exactly," Flash said with a grin.
Twilight smirked at Flash and crossed her arms as she said, "You know, this plan of yours sounds like something Sunset Shimmer would conjure up. Clearly, she rubbed a bit of her mischievous mind on you."
"Is that going to be a problem between us?" Flash asked.
"Not unless you come up with ideas like choking people unconscious or flying an aircraft neither of us have used before," Twilight said. "And you better not try anything to stop me from arresting your ex when this is over."
"Then I shall do everything in my power accomplish our goal with a little restraint, my lady," Flash said with a smile and a bow.
Twilight giggled and asked, "Are you going to do that every time you say something to try and please me?"
"I don't know. Let's find out after we take down the queen," Flash replied.
"Fair enough," Twilight said. "So, how do we find out if Sunset Shimmer is alive and bring her into our little plan."
Flash's smile turned into a smirk, and he said, "You just focus on getting your squadron ready for a fight, Twilight. Leave Sunset and everything else to me."