Two figures sat across from each other in a darkened room. One a diminutive, slender unicorn mare, the other a towering, dense earth pony stallion.
"Why haven't they shown their faces yet?" the unicorn hissed.
"They're in the center of the public eye these days, is that not face enough?" the earth pony replied.
"No. Puppets on a stage," she hummed. "The strings are so clearly visible, and yet, neither the bars nor their holder ever appear."
"Puppets controlling puppets, maybe?" he meekly suggested.
"Cannot be, not with their insipid little logo plastered to everything they touch."
"Right, including ponies."
"Yes, including... Hmph." She put her hooves together in thought. She sat stock still as the gears turned in her head.
"Something the matter, ma'am?" the brute inquired.
"I'll admit I'm feeling the green hues of envy." She did not turn to look at him. "Your total lack of wit actually managed an ingenious idea."
"Thank... you?"
"Don't let it get to your head," she snapped. "Like infinite monkeys on typewriters, anypony would have eventually reached this conclusion."
"But my monkey hit all the right keys, yeah?"
She stared at him with such palpable contempt, his early warning implant alerted him to life-threatening danger.
"Apologies, ma'am," he rushed, scrambling into a salute.
"Gear yourself and your little squad for extra training," the shadowy mare mused. "It's time to dig up an old project, and I need no distractions while I research."
"Yes ma'am!" With a quick twist, the hulking stallion clomped his way out of the office.
Turning to face the screens behind her, she hit a few keys in a very particular order. The machine sprang to life, bathing the dark room in a hazy glow. Each of the wall's many monitors contained a different snippet of information; pictures, articles, personnel files, and news reports.
"Coals are lit, Ovocon," she said to herself. "The wheels are in motion. It's all but a matter of time."
She typed a few more commands, bringing up a different set of information across all screens. Many different newspapers and their headlines popped up, but what took center stage was her true focus. Spread across the four central monitors, was the picture of a batpony mare sitting upright in a hospital bed. Despite all of the tubing and machinery surrounding her, she wore a bright, if weary smile. The unicorn's eyes flicked to the image's headline.
Miracle Mare: Lone Survivor of Manehattan Chemical Disaster Pulls Through Successful Surgery!
"Not to mention..." she started through grit teeth. Her gaze hardened as she stared at the wall of her publicized failure. "...you still have one of my loose ends."