//------------------------------//
// Checkpoint 
// Story: The Clandestine Clydesdale Case Files: The Heist of Harmony 
// by The Glass 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight showed up just as we were wrapping up. It was just as I had expected; not so much as a single hair in the vault, and the Promenade was just too contaminated with all the guards, the Princess, and the custodian coming and going. The Chief left to look after the search effort but left the Lieutenant with us. I lead Twilight and the Lieutenant along toward the Hall of Genealogy and Penal Records, which neighbored the Starswirl the Bearded wing, and briefed Twilight on her new research assignment, now that the search of the castle was given up as hopeless.
“Find a list of everypony in the Protected Community, and list them by who would know the sequence decryption key, who would know how to use an amulet, and who would know both.”
“Alright, I can do that” she answered confidently.
“Good. Once you do that, I’ll need you ready to trace a magical signature. I trust you know how to do that?”
“Yes, I do, but how will that help? I already tried scanning for the Elements, but they haven’t been used recently enough to be detectable.”
“Just trust me on this one. It’ll make sense later.” She would have pursued the matter, but just then we reached the Hall. She and the Lieutenant went in, and they immediately started opening strongboxes and skimming papers. I trotted to the guard station to hear the rest of the Bearers check in.
Fluttershy was the first one back, having searched the closest. Neither she nor the animals had found any trace of the Elements on the castle grounds, and they would be searching the parks next. Rarity arrived next, carrying bundles of high quality dress materials but no tale of the Elements. During Rarity’s report, Pinkie appeared under a coffee table in the middle of the room and startled Fluttershy, then stated that she had seen no sign of the missing artifacts. She then produced a deck of cards and she and Fluttershy built a house of cards. Dash arrived late as usual, showing her disappointment at finding out earlier that afternoon that the Wonderbolts, the stunt-flier guards that to say she ‘holds in high esteem’ would be an understatement, were giving an air show in Fillydelfia and would not be on duty in Canterlot. The patrols had caught no suspicious packages or ponies heading in or out of Canterlot, and there was no sign of the Elements from the sky.
A few minutes after Rainbow’s arrival, we were summoned to dine with the Princesses and Chief Cuffs. A squad of guards was sent out to search for Applejack, who hadn’t been seen since the dispatch, but no one was alarmed because we all knew how caught up Applejack could get in her work. Supper was a grand affair, with the customary two appetizers (stuffed mushrooms and soup), one entrée (pasta with root vegetable medley), and one desert course (mini chocolate cannoli with strawberries). Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie gave their reports to the Princess, Celestia gave me the magical spectral analysis from Rich, and Twilight reported on her research progress and that she was halfway through narrowing down the list. Turns out the key for decoding the flashes had been passed down genealogically from the servant who installed the door, one Hinge Shiner, and so Twilight was tracing his line; she was almost to the current generation.
Business taken care of by the end of the entrée, conversation over chive and onion soup turned to personal stories, this time about siblings. Rarity related Sweetie Belle’s latest exploits in the kitchen, which included a half-decent meal of sautéed carrots ended with burnt ice cream. “And it was going so well too, you should have seen her shock when she realized she had tried to thaw ice cream in a 900 degree oven!” she finished, every one laughing.	We were just catching our breaths and the bus ponies moving in to clear the table when Applejack bust through the door and collapsed, covered in brown slime, green moss, and white dust, panting. Her rear legs were splotched with blood.