Fluttershy listens to her sister, Gust Gale, explain the plan to catch the culprit who has been stealing blueprints and money from their company. They both stand in the CEO's office, where Gust lays out the details of the operation. Fluttershy, however, is skeptical about the risk they would take to pull this off, especially since it involves the use of force.
Gust Gale turns to Fluttershy and says, "I don't know how we're going to persuade him to go to that location, but I'm counting on you, Fluttershy, even though you've never shown much leadership potential."
Fluttershy and Gust Gale scrutinized the plan once more to study the blueprints and funding stored in the vault. But, Gust Gale had made certain that the vault's door would stay open, giving permission to the Secretary, Carol Corol, and the Product Enhancements Officer, Hard Point, to enter it. Suddenly, however, Gust Gale grumbled as the two entered the CEO office and saw what she and Fluttershy were doing. She had forgotten to lock the door, revealing the operation at hoof.
"Hey there, Hard Point, and you too, Carol Corol," Gust Gale said.
Fluttershy greeted them awkwardly. "We - we were just... planning some stuff."
But, Hard Point chuckled. "Planning stuff, huh? With those blueprints on the table?" She replied with a smirk. "It looks more like you're plotting to rob something."
As Hard Point laughed mockingly, Fluttershy and Gust grew even more nervous.
"Uh, yeah, you're right. We ARE trying to rob something!" Gust gale blurted, sweating bullets.
But, to Gust gale's surprise, Fluttershy remained calm. She turned to Hard Point and Carol Corol and explained, "You see, it turns out that someone has been stealing resources from us. We decided we needed to take the law into our own hooves and take them back." Fluttershy said assertively.
"We just need a little more evidence to be sure," Gust responded, her voice growing quiet.
Hard Point tilted her head and glanced up at Carol, who had just begun to doze off in her seat. "Okay... but then why did you call us here?" he asked, her interest piqued by the vague and cryptic responses from Fluttershy and Gust. The two remained strangely silent until... Carol Corol's head bounced up, snapping her out of her slumber. She yawned and stretched before looking around. When she spotted Hard Point and Fluttershy huddled together, she leaned forward, now fully awake and paying attention.
Gust Gale adds, "Hard Point, I realize it would be nice to gather more information for our case, but we are running out of time. Plus, you're already here anyway. So, I want you to talk with the culprit and convince him to enter the vault, where a security team is lying in wait to observe what he does with the things inside."
Hard Point nods to her boss, but then asks, "Umm, wait... wait... Anopheli?" she addresses Gust's office and public name, before adding, "What's the name of the culprit we're after here?" Gust quickly responds, reminding Hard Point, "Oh right, it's Catstongue, the pony Resources director."
"So, I want you to talk to Catstongue and persuade him to go into the vault," Gust continues, detailing the trap she has set up for the heist. "There's a security detail waiting outside to see if he actually steals the items." Hard Point thinks for a moment, wondering how they could persuade him to walk into a trap so blatantly. There had to be a way, though, since Gust was so adamant about catching this pony red-handed.
Gust Gale is noticeably devastated by the betrayal. She had trusted Catstongue and never imagined he could be the one stealing resources from the company. She needed to put aside her emotions and focus on catching him, though, for the good of the company and the ponies working for it. It pained her to do so, especially since she couldn't afford to waste time being upset, but she knew it was her duty to handle the situation as efficiently as possible.
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Hard Point shares with Catstongue a rather unbelievable story about the vault being open for the rest of the day. She claims that the company plans to clean out the vault, moving its contents to another location, and that Carol told her all about it. Hard Point notes that Carol is notoriously loose-lipped and "a bit dumb," but she hopes that Catstongue will trust her tale as she leads him into a carefully-laid trap.
Catstongue is initially skeptical of the idea that the vault is actually open, without proper reason to be. However, given the opportunity to enter the vault and obtain whatever valuables may be inside, he's willing to take a chance. Hard Point leads him there, he hoped that she was right about Carol Corol being "a bit dumb" and having given accurate information to him. Once they reach the vault, Hard Point waits outside, with the security team hidden nearby. Gust gale was ready to catch Catstongue in the act, she watched on the cams.
Catstongue, enticed by the prospect of stealing valuable items from the vault, follows Hard Point's directions and approaches the vault. Upon reaching the vault, he's shocked to discover the door is completely open, exposing the contents of the vault inside. He cautiously enters the vault, planning to quickly snatch a few valuables and run. Hard Point waits outside, her heart racing as she waits to catch Catstongue in the act and bring him to justice.
Inside the vault, Catstongue discovered plenty of riches, far more than he had expected. It was filled with bits, valuable blueprints, and more, all of which could be stolen for his own nefarious purposes. Gust Gale was monitoring the security footage, her heart pounding with anticipation. This arrest would redeem Fluttershy and restore a modicum of peace to the company. But more importantly, perhaps, it would reveal what company Catstongue was working for, and why he was sabotaging the company. And, of course, Gust and the security team were itching for a confession.
Catstongue began filling his pockets with bits and tucking blueprints under his clothes, all while his gaze swept the vault curiously. He had expected such a place to be more secure, but there he was. Hard Point and the security team, standing outside the vault, observed everything from their hidden vantage point, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce. Gust Gale, watching the security footage, felt her gut tighten as she wondered whether or not Catstongue would take the bait. She remained confident, though, knowing that Fluttershy had been on the right track.
Fluttershy was tasked with finding out who was stealing from the company, and she had suspected it was Catstongue. Gust Gale's deal with Fluttershy was to be nicer to her if she could successfully identify the correct culprit. But, Gust was fond of Catstongue, so it was difficult for her to accept that her most trusted employee was a thief. Still, she respected Fluttershy's investigative abilities, so she was determined to find the truth, even if it upset her personally.
Gust Gale spoke into the comms, telling Catstongue, "Catstongue, you are under arrest for theft!" Hard Point and the security team rushed into the vault, catching the culprit by surprise. Before he could make a run for it, the team pinned Catstongue to the ground while Gust stared on, her face blank. She sighed and turned her head away. "Why did you have to be right Fluttershy... I wish we weren't sisters," she muttered softly.
After Catstongue was apprehended and taken outside, Gust Gale emerged from the security room to confront the culprit. She held her composure and stares Catstongue directly in the eyes. "I want a confession before you are taken to jail. Why did you do this? Who were you working for?" Catstongue, however, seems more interested in mocking her. "I wanted more money," he says, "You simply didn't pay enough. And as for the rival, it's a leather and coat company, they sell large amounts of leather and sheep coats."
Gust's face hardens as she hears Catstongue's nonchalant response. She looks away, trying to maintain her composure. Inside, she's heartbroken at the revelation that it was one of her trusted employees who betrayed her and the company. But she can't let that get in the way of her goals, so she remains stern and resolute. "Get him out of my sight," she says firmly, keeping her emotions hidden. But, just beneath the surface, a tear forms in her eye as she watches Catstongue be taken to jail.
Fluttershy comes up behind Gust, and they stare at one another. Gust tries to maintain a professional demeanor, especially after the emotional turmoil she just went through. But she still feels hurt that Catstongue was the one who stole, so it's difficult to completely suppress her emotions. "Well, it's done. Thank you," she says, trying to sound as professional as possible. "You did a good job finding out the information and letting me know." Fluttershy nods, satisfied. They may have caught the culprit, but at what cost.
Fluttershy turns to ask Gust one last time, "Will you keep your promise to treat me nicer now?" She looks up at her older sister with anticipation of what the response could be, hoping for a positive reply. But to Fluttershy's horror, Gust seems to turn away for a moment as if the question caused her even more emotional pain.
However, Gust turns back towards Fluttershy and, after taking a deep breath, gives a response that's slightly kinder but still tinged with disappointment. "Just know... I do these things to you because I see you as the one next in line to take over my company,"
"Just know that I do these things to you because I want you to be more assertive and productive. I'm trying to prepare you for the future," she continues, sounding slightly kinder and more sympathetic towards her younger sister. Fluttershy doesn't quite know how to respond to this, but deep down, she's glad that Gust still believes in her and wants to help develop her skills. She hopes that their relationship may improve now that the Catstongue case has been solved.
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Fluttershy, is continuing to tell the story to Discord, who has an enraged expression and is ready to confront Gust Gale. Fluttershy stops Discord from taking action without listening to her side of the story. She explains that she does not hate Gust, and Discord should not either. She says she loves Gust, even if Gust has a sad and difficult past, which explains her behavior. Fluttershy implores Discord to be understanding, and he reluctantly agrees to hear Fluttershy out.
Discord and Fluttershy are now just drinking tea and discussing the events of the narrative. Fluttershy still stands by her belief that Gust was not all bad and had good intentions, while Discord still feels that Gust deserves some sort of revenge for her past mistreatment of Fluttershy. But Fluttershy remains calm and tries to end the discussion peacefully, hoping that Discord will forgive Gust Gale and perhaps even learn to appreciate her. But the tension between Discord and Fluttershy seems to still exist.
And so the story comes to a close! Fluttershy has told her story to Discord, and the two are now simply chatting over tea. Discord still seems angry at Gust and wants vengeance, but Fluttershy remains adamant that her sister had good intentions and was only trying to help. Nonetheless, Discord reluctantly accepts Fluttershy’s viewpoint on her sister while the two horse-pals finish their tea. And so, Fluttershy’s story is complete, albeit with some unresolved tension between her and Discord.