Other than Gilda's breakdown and the incident with the piñata, nothing else went wrong during the party. By the end of it, Mauser, Alpine, and Walther certainly felt quite welcomed to the town. Despite SIG Sauer's stern demeanor, the pine green stallion enjoyed it as well. He even had a drink of punch with Walther. There were no alcoholic beverages offered at the party, but a mare named Berry Punch brought a bottle of vodka and offered them some to "enhance" the quality of the punch. The two stallions normally preferred to keep a clear head, but since they were both off-duty, they figured they may as well help themselves to a little spirit.
Although the party began in the early afternoon, it went well into the late evening. It was about eight o'clock when the attendees started to leave. By nine o'clock, very few ponies were left. That was when Bronze Star, SIG Sauer, Alpine, Mauser, and Walther decided to head out. They thanked Pinkie Pie for the party and departed from Sugarcube Corner.
The five ponies made their way back to the embassy. On the way, Alpine commented "These Ponyvillians certainly know how to party."
"No kidding," Walther remarked, "I haven't had this much respite in a long time."
"Just don't get too used to all this relaxation, Walt," SIG Sauer advised his colleague.
"Oh, don't worry, SIG" stated the mahogany stallion, "I have no intention of letting my guard down while we're here."
"Neither do I," Mauser declared, "But I'm more concerned about falling victim to a practical joke than laziness. In addition to parties, Ponyvillians really know how to pull pranks."
"Which can sometimes get out of hoof," Bronze Star remarked, gesturing to his injured hoof.
"Are you alright, sir?" Walther asked in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine," the prince assured the veteran Wonderbolt, "It hurt like Tartarus when I first got cut, though. It still hurts a bit when I put my weight on it, but I can put up with the pain. I'll get it bandaged when we return to the embassy."
"Good," said Walther, "As soon as you're done with that, I'd like to speak with you and SIG Sauer. When I was out today, I came across something the two of you should know about."
Bronze Star nodded in acceptance. There was about a minute of silence, and then Alpine turned to the Pegasus and asked him "On that note, where were you this morning, Walther?"
"Canterlot," was Walther's candid response.
"What were you doing there?" Mauser inquired.
"I was there on business," the mahogany stallion replied, "Beyond that, I'm not at liberty to say."
Mauser lightly scoffed and muttered "I might've guessed."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Alpine asked her brother.
"Where I work, people tend to be quite unwilling to discuss their jobs," Mauser disclosed, "You know how many times I've asked one of my associates what they are up to, but all I got is 'I'm not at liberty to say?' Several dozen. And that's just since I joined the Constabulary Contingent. Including the times from before then, the number probably goes into the hundreds."
"Well, what can you expect, Mauser?" SIG Sauer told his son, "People who work for both the government and the armed forces are often sworn to secrecy. They have to be careful and selective about who they can share information with."
"I know that, and I respect the need for privacy," Mauser assured his father, "Believe me, Dad; I'm not complaining. It's just that sometimes I feel as though I'm being kept in the dark."
"I understand the sentiment," SIG Sauer remarked, "I felt the same way when I first started working for the government. But I quickly realized that before I could ever be given any knowledge about what was going on around me, I would have to prove that I could be trusted to hold on to it. As my experience in the force increased overtime, so did my colleagues' faith in me. Nowadays, there is rarely ever a matter of national security that I don't know about."
"So if you were to ask the General what he was up to today, you would get a response other than 'I am not at liberty to say?'" Alpine presumed cheekily.
"Indeed he would," Walther answered for his colleague, "In fact, I intend to fully discuss the matter with your father later on. You see, he's the one who sent me to Canterlot in the first place."
"Oh?" Mauser remarked in interest, "That so?"
SIG Sauer nodded in confirmation. "I needed him to pick up a package. Beyond that, I cannot say any more. There are only three ponies in this whole town who are authorized to know what it was, and two of them are the General and myself."
"Who's the third?" Alpine enquired.
"Who do you think?" Bronze Star sarcastically retorted, gesturing to himself.
"Oh, yeah," Alpine commented, feeling a little dumb, "I should have known."
Bronze Star just scoffed and stated "Don't kick yourself, Alpine. The answer probably wasn't that obvious, anyway. Still, being Equestrian Royalty comes with the advantage of automatically being entitled to know about almost everything that goes on in the country."
"Just 'almost' everything, sir?" Walther noted.
"Yes," the gold stallion affirmed, "I say that because there are some affairs that my mother knows about, but nopony else does. Including me. Not that that bothers me, mind you. I value discretion as much as she does, and if she ever discovered something exceptionally important, I can count on her to be straightforward about it with me."
"That just goes to show how prominent a certain amount of trust is in all relationships," SIG Sauer observed, "Often times, one is inclined to be more trusting towards family members than coworkers."
"Very true," Bronze Star remarked, "But how much trust would you show to a colleague that you happen to be related to?"
"You're asking the wrong stallion, Your Highness," SIG Sauer bluntly stated, "Ask Walther. He's been there."
"Yes, but I'd rather we NOT go there," the mahogany Pegasus interjected, "I'd prefer not to speak casually about my own relationships."
"Alright, that's fine by us, General," Bronze Star assured his colleague. After a few seconds of silence, he queried in perplexity "How did this discussion begin, anyway?"
"I believe it started with Alpine making a comment about enjoyable Pinkie Pie's party was," Mauser recounted, gesturing to his sister.
"That's right," Alpine perceived, "And somehow, that one remark evolved into a conversation about trust."
"Rather intriguing, isn't it?" SIG Sauer pronounced, smirking.
"Yes, it is," Bronze Star concurred, "I suggest we just stop talking and continue trotting in silence. We can talk when we're back indoors."
"Good idea," said Walther. The three Unicorns agreed, too.
A couple minutes later, the group arrived at the embassy. They found Princess Luna in her usual spot in the library. However, she was not reading a book like she normally was. Instead, she was sitting absolutely still in a chair. She had her eyes shut tight and she was breathing very softly. She did not even seem to notice the others when they entered the room.
Bronze Star trotted over to the blue Alicorn and placed his right front hoof on her shoulder. He uttered softly "Aunt Luna?"
The female Alicorn immediately opened up her eyes and looked down. She smiled at her nephew and stated cordially "Oh, hello, Bronze Star. When did you get back?"
"Just now," he informed her, "What have you been up to?"
"Up until a couple hours ago, I was reading," Luna replied, "In the time since then, I've just been sitting here meditating."
"Ah, okay," Bronze Star commented, "That's always a good way to pass the time."
Luna smiled and lightly nodded her head. Then she noticed Bronze Star's wound and her smile faltered. She inquired anxiously "What happened to your hoof?"
"Cut myself," he apprised her calmly, "It happened at the party."
"It doesn't hurt, does it?" she enquired in concern.
"A little," he admitted, "But I can handle it."
"Good," Luna commented, easing down quickly. After a moment, she asked "So, apart from the injury, how was the party?"
"It was quite fun," Bronze Star answered, "If merrymaking was a recognized talent, Pinkie Pie would probably be Equestria's most renowned expert on the subject."
"You got that right," Walther cheekily remarked.
Luna looked up and noticed the other four ponies were standing out in the hallway. She beckoned them "Please, come in."
Mauser, Alpine, SIG Sauer, and Walther complied and entered the room. As they got comfortable, Bronze Star announced that he would get his hoof wrapped up.
So while the others mingled, the young prince trotted upstairs to his quarters and went into the bathroom. He opened up the medicine cabinet and removed a bottle of disinfectant and a small roll of gauze. He set the objects down on the counter and examined his wound.
The cut was larger and deeper than he originally thought. He was quite surprised by its size. As an Alicorn, he had an extremely sturdy hide. There were not many things that could penetrate his skin. Military-grade melee weapons could do the trick. Anything blunter would not have any effect on him.
The way he saw it, there were two possible explanations for how he came to acquire this injury.
His skin might have been becoming sensitive. This was very unlikely, as he was in great shape. The other possibility was that the blade that sliced his skin was military-grade. That seemed just as unlikely, if not more so. It was illegal for anypony outside of the armed forces to possess such a weapon, much less make one into a gag item. Aside from that, he had never heard of anypony concealing a knife in a baton.
Then again, he HAD closed his hoof around the blade. With that in mind, it could have been possible for him to cut himself, even if the knife was just a standard serrated edge. Even so, he was curious as to how that baton ended up in Sugarcube Corner. He would have asked the Cakes or Pinkie Pie if they knew where the object came from, but he had never gotten around to it.
Ultimately, Bronze Star decided to just shake off his concern about the baton and concentrate on repairing the damage inflicted by it. Part of his military training covered how to treat injuries. He only knew the basic methods, however. Thankfully, the basics were all he needed at this time.
It took him about two minutes to sterilize and bandage the cut on his hoof. Once he was finished, he picked up the roll of gauze and the bottle of disinfectant and returned them to the medicine cabinet.
He was about to close the cabinet's door when he spotted something behind the first aid kit. He slid the kit out of the way to get a better look, and he discovered there were two yellow files there. Those were the same two files he had brought from Canterlot. He had hid them in the medicine cabinet when he first got settled in the embassy. In the time since then, they had been sitting there unnoticed.
However, Bronze Star would need the files tonight. He removed them from the cabinet and closed it. Shortly thereafter, he returned to the library. Luna had started meditating again. Alpine and Mauser were reading, and SIG Sauer and Walther were conversing quietly. The gold stallion entered the room and sat down.
Fifteen minutes later, Alpine gazed over at the clock on the wall. Then she closed her book, stood up, and announced "I think I'll turn in for the night. Could somepony knock on my door if I'm not up by six?"
"Sure, honey," SIG Sauer assured his daughter, "That's when your brother and I normally get up anyway."
"Since when do you wake up that early, Alpine?" Mauser enquired.
"I don't plan to make a habit of it," Alpine declared, "Twilight and I are going to start a little project tomorrow. We want to get a head start, as we're expecting it to be a little time-consuming."
"Is it a school project?" SIG Sauer queried.
"Technically, no," Alpine expounded, "A month from now, our class is supposed to write an essay on which type of magic we excel the most in. I already know that my expertise is in healing magic. Twilight, however, is not quite certain what field she does best in. To find out which, she wants to try her hoof at performing as many types of magic as possible. While she does this, Spike and I will be monitoring her and taking notes."
"Alpine, there are literally dozens of different types of magic," SIG Sauer pointed out, "It could take you hours to try them all."
"Hours?" Alpine remarked cockily, "I don't think so, Dad. Twilight emphasized that she doesn't want to rush through this project. So you'll probably be seeing very little of me, her, and Spike over the next few days."
"Well, I hope with fares well," Walther remarked, "Tell Twilight we said 'hello' and 'good luck.'"
"I shall, General," Alpine guaranteed him. With that, the chartreuse mare left the library and headed up to her room.
Not long after, Mauser and Princess Luna decided to call it a night as well. They bid their companions good night and retired to their quarters. Bronze Star listened for the sounds of doors closing, and when he heard them, he turned to SIG Sauer and Walther. He held up the files and declared "We need to talk."
When they saw the files, the two older stallions knew exactly what he meant.
"I agree," SIG Sauer commented, "We've already put this conversation off for long enough."
"Then let's have it now," Bronze Star proposed, "Walther, do you have that 'package' from Canterlot?"
"It's in my quarters, sir," the mahogany Pegasus replied. He stood up from his seat and said "I'll be right back."
The veteran Wonderbolt trotted out of the room. For a couple minutes, the prince and his trainer were left alone. They sat in silence for most of the time. Then SIG Sauer started chuckling softly.
"What's so funny, SIG?" Bronze Star asked in interest.
"Not funny as much as ironic, sir," SIG Sauer informed the younger stallion. He sat up in his chair and said "Take a look at my midsection, then take a look at your hoof."
Bronze Star was confused by this request, but he decided to go along with it. He leaned forward and studied the pine green Unicorn's upper body. There was a large scab in the center of his chest. This was all that remained of the stab wound he had received on the Summer Sun Celebration. Bronze Star then turned to his front hoof. The one that was bandaged.
Bronze Star raised an eyebrow in perplexity and stated "I fail to see any irony, SIG."
"Then allow me to enlighten you," SIG Sauer offered, "Ponyville is perhaps the most peaceful town in Equestria. At least, it's been given that reputation. Yet in the time since we arrived here, both you and I have had an incident with a knife."
"Oh, I see what you're saying," Bronze Star stated in understanding. He jokingly added in "Maybe this town isn't as innocent and harmless as it appears to be."
"Or maybe it is, and you and I should just be more careful around sharp objects," SIG wryly supposed.
"That's smart thinking," Bronze Star conceded, "On the plus side, at least you and I can be 'scar chums' until we've healed."
SIG Sauer chuckled again and repeated "'Scar chums?'"
"Yeah, it's like 'saddlebag buddies,' only with scars," Bronze Star affirmed, "I know it's a stupid term, but I didn't coin it."
"Then who did?" the pine green Unicorn inquired.
"I believe that'd be me," a third voice answered.
The two stallions turned to the entrance of the room and saw that Walther had just returned. He was carrying a small box over his shoulder. He closed the door to the library, trotted over to a rectangular coffee table in the center of the room, and placed the box on the table. Then he stated "Sorry if I kept you waiting. I had to make sure the package was well-hidden when I dropped it off here this afternoon. Took a while to dig it up."
"No worries," Bronze Star assured him, "We've got all night to talk."
"Excellent," Walther commented. At this time, Bronze Star was sitting at a chair facing one of the short ends of the table. SIG Sauer was sitting at a couch facing one of the long ends. Walther sat down at a chair facing the other long end.
As the mahogany Pegasus got settled, SIG Sauer said to him "So, before we begin, I'd like to know something. How did you come up with the label 'scar chum?'"
"It started three years ago, during that mission at Foal Mountain," Walther began plainly, "You remember that one?"
"Of course I do," SIG Sauer responded, "I never forget an assignment."
"Neither do I," Walther stated, "At any rate, you may recall that that was one of our more… hazardous jobs. Although none of us were killed, almost all of us received some type of injury. Heckler and Koch were so banged up that were both put in a doctor's care for almost a month. As you may recall, they did not take kindly to their hospitalization."
"No, they did not," SIG Sauer averred, "But who could blame them? I'd hate to be out of commission for that long, too."
"We all would," Walther perceived, "Anyway, when Heckler and Koch were finally allowed to return to work, they both had a little 'memento' from their stay at the hospital. Heckler had a lengthy scar along his back between his wings, and Koch bore a scar along his forehead. Needless to say, they did not appreciate these blemishes. So I tried to lighten the mood by suggesting that they could be 'scar chums.'"
SIG Sauer got a good laugh at that. "And how did they react?"
"Surprisingly, it did a lot to improve their moods," Walther recalled, "They found it quite amusing, and it helped them get over their resentment. They even decided to apply the label 'scar chums' whenever two or more of the team got bruised in the future. It must have been somewhat catchy, because it wasn't long before everypony else was using it, too."
"Everypony except me," SIG Sauer pronounced slyly, "I'm surprised I never heard that term before."
Bronze Star illuminated "Walther considered mentioning it to you, but he felt you would have classified the expression as just plain 'dumb.'"
"It IS dumb," SIG Sauer declared, "Incredibly dumb. But I have to admit, it's also mildly amusing. Just don't make a habit of using it."
"I don't plan to," Walther stated cockily, "And I won't, as long as our people don't get harmed on a regular basis."
"That's a reasonable aim," Bronze Star observed, "Of course, we can't guarantee that any of them can avoid getting hurt altogether. As experienced as they are, they're bound to encounter some type of extreme danger sooner or later."
"Very true; we've all got the scars to prove that," Walther avowed, "Thankfully, there shouldn't be any 'extreme danger' on our next job."
"That's good," Bronze Star commented, "Now would be a good time to change the subject. How about we focus on the job?"
"That's why we're here," was SIG Sauer's blunt response. He turned to his colleague and bid him with "General, if you would?"
SIG Sauer had addressed the Pegasus by his title to signify that they were now discussing business. Walther promptly sat up and positioned himself in front of the box. It was locked with a padlock, and the General was the only one who knew the combination. After entering the five numbers, he unfastened the bolt and removed the lock. Then he carefully removed the lid, reached inside the box, and removed a glass vial filled with a colorless liquid, a folder with the label "Confidential" on the front, and a set of blueprints for a tall building.
He placed the three objects on the center of the table. Then he looked up at Bronze Star and asked him "Which would you like to start with, Your Highness?"
"The folder," Bronze Star decided, "It's always best to cover the classified material first."
"Very well," Walther accepted this. He took ahold of the edge of the folder and opened it up. Inside were a few small stocks of assorted papers. The stack on top contained a picture of a bearded stallion. Bronze Star recognized him straightaway. He opened up one of his own files and placed it next to the folder. There was a nearly identical picture of the same stallion on top.
"So, what has our 'affiliate' Material Study been up to?" Bronze Star queried.
"The usual stuff," Walther disclosed, "Wandering through towns, purchasing equipment and minerals, meeting up with business associates, the works. At least, that's what Material Study was doing seven days ago. For most of the past week, he's been at his country home just outside of Galloping Gorge."
"Were you able to keep him under surveillance?" Bronze Star asked.
"Yes, I've had two of our stealthiest operatives watching over him," Walther disclosed, "They had a bit of difficulty blending in, seeing as how there's nothing but wilderness out there. But the two of them managed to avoid detection and monitor Material Study's actions closely. He couldn't scratch his muzzle without them noticing."
"So what was he doing out there?" SIG Sauer questioned.
"According to the operatives' report, he spent many hours every day in his workshop," Walther elucidated, "Unfortunately, the workshop was one of the few rooms in Walther's country home that was windowless. So our operatives could not physically see what he was up to. But that did not stop them from finding out what was going on in there."
"What was going on in there?" Bronze Star enquired.
"He was mixing up various chemical compounds," Walther disclosed, "They did what they had to do to determine which compounds specifically. At first, the best they could do was examine the house's waste disposal. One night they were able to sneak into his workshop and get a good look at his inventory. They even managed to acquire several samples. Our analysts in Canterlot finished studying the compounds this morning. Most of them turned out to be poisons and nerve agents. Very potent ones, I might add. They included a full list of what they found. Take a look at it."
Bronze Star flipped through the pages until he found a page entitled "Workshop Reserves." He skimmed through the list. There were plenty of hazardous compounds included in it. Tabun, digoxin, ethylene glycol, VX, batrachotoxin, just to name a few.
Bronze Star was stunned. As he passed the list to SIG Sauer, he noted "Even a small amount of most of these could kill you."
"True," Walther affirmed, "Material Study must have known that, but apparently, he wasn't content with a small amount. He made enough of those compounds to fill an entire barrel of each one."
The gold stallion placed his hoof on the glass vial and presumed "Is this one of the compounds?"
"Yes," Walther replied, "Nitromethane, to be precise. It's one of the few that wasn't a poison or a nerve agent. Its most common use is actually a cleaning solvent. However, it's known to be an extremely flammable substance. One spark is all it takes to produce an explosion."
Bronze Star quickly withdrew his hoof from the vial and bluntly stated "I'll keep that in mind. So where does this get us?"
As SIG Sauer looked over the list of compounds, he professed "Well, although these compounds are all quite deadly, their creation and manufacture is not outlawed. However, nopony makes them in quantities as large as this unless they plan to inflict some serious damage. Material Study must have another agenda."
"That's a reasonable theory, SIG," Bronze Star concurred, "However, I find it unlikely that Material Study would aim to use those compounds himself. He has never been very outspoken about his political ideologies. I'm not that certain he even has one. So what possible motivation would he have to harm anypony?"
"I understand what you mean, sir," Walther asserted, "Our operatives actually have acquired evidence that strongly suggests Material Study plans to get rid of all his compounds just as soon as he finishes creating them."
"Were they able to procure a list of his potential customers?" Bronze Star hypothesized.
"Yes, but I wouldn't call it a list; he only has one intended customer," Walther revealed, "However, this particular individual is not so much a buyer as a business associate. A very affluent associate. According to our operatives, she intends to purchase Material Study's entire stash."
"Who is this associate?" SIG Sauer queried.
"Somepony we've already connected to Material Study," Walther enlightened him.
"Let me guess," Bronze Star requested. At that, he took his other file, opened it up, and set it down next to the file on Material Study. There was another picture on top of the contents of this file; this one was the photo of a mare. Bronze Star pointed to the picture and conjectured "Is this her?"
"Yes, sir," Walther confirmed, "Lavender Dazzle has become more than just a contact to Material Study. Now she is his client, as well."
"So she's gone from protesting against the government to dealing in toxic substances," Bronze Star observed, "Quite a steep transition, even for her."
"Do we know how the deal will be carried out?" SIG Sauer queried, giving Walther back the list.
Walther nodded his head in response. He flipped through the papers in the folder until he came across a dozen pages that were held together by a paperclip. As he extracted these pages, he explained "One notable thing about Material Study's country home is how isolated it is. He doesn't even get mail out there. The whole time he was there, he only had one visitor. It happened to be Lavender Dazzle herself."
"Really?" Bronze Star remarked, raising an eyebrow, "A moment ago, you said Material Study is still making more of those chemical compounds. Why would Lavender Dazzle be visiting him before he was finished?"
"While she may have changed her trade, she still prefers to discuss her business face-to-face ahead of time," Walther replied, "She only stayed at Material Study's house for a few hours, and they spent most of that time in his workshop. Our operatives managed to find a way to eavesdrop on their conversation. They learned quite a few interesting bits of information from the two."
"Like what?" asked Bronze Star.
"For one thing, whenever Material Study sells his compounds, he is not going to give them to Lavender Dazzle directly," Walther illuminated, "Instead, he'll be passing them along to another pony first."
"Who might this intermediary be?" SIG Sauer queried.
"We don't know," Walther disclosed, "According to our operatives' testimony, Lavender Dazzle never referred to him by name. She only described him as a 'strict, cautious, hardhearted stallion who is just as eager as she is to put the compounds to use.'"
"Do we have any idea who she was referring to?" said Bronze Star.
"We have compiled a list of suspects," Walther admitted, "However, we may not have time to narrow them down."
"Why is that?" stated Bronze Star.
"Because by the time we ran through the list, Material Study will have already gotten rid of his stash," Walther explained, "As SIG Sauer has told you, Material Study will be arriving in Hoofington in two days. He'll be staying there for another four days. On the third day, he'll be meeting up with Lavender Dazzle's associate and selling his items."
"Well, for obvious reasons, we can't allow him to carry out that transaction," Bronze Star declared, "Did Lavender Dazzle ask Material Study to do anything else after he gives away his compounds?"
"She instructed him to go to Canterlot, as per his original itinerary," Walther recounted, "But she advised him to go dark before he got there. She mentioned that her associate has those same orders. She expects both stallions to go into hiding for a few weeks and to contact nopony in that time. She doesn't want them to resurface until they hear from her."
"So nopony would notice if they went missing," SIG Sauer observed, "Not even Lavender Dazzle herself."
"Good, then we can still carry out our original plan to apprehend Material Study," Bronze Star noticed, "While we're at it, we should take in this contact of Lavender Dazzle's, as well."
"We've come to the same conclusion, sir," Walther disclosed, "We cannot afford to let those compounds fall into the wrong hooves."
"Alright, so how shall we proceed?" SIG Sauer queried.
"We've already devised a plan to capture Material Study and Lavender Dazzle's associate," the General informed his colleague. He took the blueprints of the building, smoothed them out across the table, and continued with "This is an outline of the Rosebud Hotel in Hoofington. The meeting is scheduled to take place five days from now in a suite on the eleventh floor."
"Odd how they would chose a public building to exchange volatile substances," SIG Sauer commented.
"Oh, the actual exchange won't occur here," Walther expounded, "Lavender Dazzle advised Material Study to hide his stash somewhere in the city and then go to the hotel. He'll receive half his payment at the meeting. After that, he'll reveal where he hid the compounds, and after the contact acquires them, he will give Material Study the other half of his payment."
"Should we arrest the two stallions before, during, or after they arrive?"
"Ideally, during their meeting," Walther declared, "We'll need Material Study to reveal where he hid his stash. Once he gives up its location, we'll move in."
"How will we get somepony to listen in on their conversation?" Bronze Star queried.
"Well, we can't bug the room without informing the hotel staff," "Our best hope would be to have somepony posted outside the room. I'll have Caracal flying outside the window. She should be able to pry it open just enough to overhear the conversation."
"As long as she can do it without anypony noticing, I'm all for that," Bronze Star stated.
"She can get it done," Walther assured him, "Anyway, Peacemaker will be standing outside the front entrance of the hotel. As soon as Material Study reveals where his stash is, Caracal will let him know. Then Peacemaker will give the signal to move in. Heckler, Koch, and Carabine will then enter the suite and arrest both stallions."
"Alright," stated Bronze Star, rubbing his hooves together, "This seems like a fairly straightforward operation."
"It should be," Walther commented, "But there's one minor complication. Lavender Dazzle mentioned that her contact is a very careful stallion. By 'careful' she means 'paranoid.' He surrounds himself with protection everywhere he goes."
"By protection, I assume you mean 'bodyguards?'" SIG Sauer presumed.
"Precisely," Walther affirmed, "Dazzle told Study that her contact will show up to the meeting with a total of five. One of them was referred to by name: Maelstrom."
SIG Sauer's eyes lit up at this statement. Bronze Star noticed this and queried "Something wrong, SIG?"
"I know that stallion," the pine green Unicorn explicated, "Not personally; only by reputation. He's an attendant-for-hire who takes his job extraordinarily seriously. Whenever somepony seeks out his services, he does whatever he deems necessary to protect them. And I mean 'whatever.' He doesn't care if his client is on the run or a wanted felon. As long as they pay him, he is willing to go so far as committing murder to keep them safe."
"He actually has been suspected of killing at least a dozen people over the course of his career," Walther added in, "We've tried putting him away, but there has never been enough evidence to convict him. He's exceptionally good at covering his tracks. We're quite confident he was responsible, though."
"Will his presence pose a threat to the team's well-being?" Bronze Star queried in concern.
"I've taken measures to ensure that it won't," Walther disclosed. He pointed out certain sections of the blueprints as he went on with "There's a tall building across the street. Beretta can set up on the roof and observe the meeting from afar. If anything goes wrong, she can help thin out the numbers on Material Study's side. Glock will be guarding the hotel's back entrance, in case any of them attempt to escape. Even if they get by the rest of us, they'll never get past him. In the unlikely but still possible event that we are overwhelmed, Ruger will have the H.P.D. on standby. She'll be ready to summon them at a moment's notice. I'll be coordinating the entire operation from the roof of the hotel to make sure that everything goes according to plan."
"Looks like everypony on the team has a job to do," SIG Sauer remarked, "Everypony except me."
"Yeah, about that…" Walther tentatively began. After a brief interval of quietness, he looked his colleague in the eye and told him "SIG, don't take this the wrong way, but it may be for the best if you sat this one out."
The pine green Unicorn was surprised to hear this. He frowned and muttered "Whatever would impel you to think that, Walt? You've already brought me up to date, and I can make preparations just as quickly as everypony else."
"I'm not questioning your competency, SIG," Walther guaranteed him, "But consider some recent events. You were stabbed in the chest less than two weeks ago. You shouldn't be overexerting yourself so soon after recovering from surgery. Aside from that, Mauser and Alpine came all the way down here to see you. It's been a long time since you had a chance to spend time with both of them. You should take advantage of that. Most importantly, there's something else you should be preparing for."
"What might that be?" SIG Sauer asked.
Walther grinned deviously and told him "Princess Luna is not the only one who is grateful for what you did during the Summer Sun Celebration. Princess Celestia and Lord Bellerophon wish to commend both you and Noble Edict."
"Commend us how?" SIG Sauer said, obviously intrigued.
"Celestia plans to hold a ceremony in your honor," "She has not decided on an official date, but she aims to have it sometime in the near future. It would be bad form indeed if you were caught unprepared on the day she announces it."
SIG Sauer was somewhat stunned to hear this. After processing it all, he lightly scoffed and said in amazement "I suppose that's true. If Celestia ever summoned me to Canterlot, I would be there in a heartbeat."
"You still wouldn't get there as quickly as me, though," Walther leered flippantly.
SIG Sauer sniggered in amusement and commented "Perhaps not."
He then turned to the gold stallion and told him "This is really your call, sir. Should I remain here, or should I go to Hoofington with the rest of the unit?"
Bronze Star spent a while debating on an answer. Ultimately, he sighed and declared "You are one of the best operatives I know, SIG, and I've never doubted your ability. But even with that said, the General raised some very fine points. So I'm inclined to agree with him. It may be for the best that you stay here in Ponyville. Leave this one job up to Walther and the rest of the squad."
SIG Sauer was somewhat disappointed, but he knew he could count on his prince to make the right decision. He nodded his head in acceptance, saying "Very well, sir. I am willing to stand down and relinquish my position for the present."
Bronze Star then turned to the mahogany Pegasus and pronounced "General, under the Absentee Clause of the Official Leadership Statutes, I'm giving you temporary command of the Firebrand Regiment. Effective now until the mission in Hoofington is complete. Do you accept?"
"I do accept this duty, Your Highness," Walther proclaimed in a very serious tone.
"Then let it be so," Bronze Star decreed.
"Let it be so," SIG Sauer repeated.
"Let it be so," Walther agreed.
The three stallions sat in silence for about a minute. Then Bronze Star gazed over at Walther and asked him "Is there anything left to discuss, General?"
"No, I believe we have covered every part of the operation, sir," the veteran Wonderbolt remarked, "However, there is still one thing I need to know from you. How much force are we permitted to use?"
"As much as you need to capture Material Study and that contact," Bronze Star responded straightforwardly, "It is imperative that those two are brought in alive. However, the contact's bodyguards are expendable. If they resist arrest, you are authorized to put them down."
"I understand," Walther asserted, "We will not hesitate to eliminate Maelstrom and the other four bodyguards if they put up a struggle. If there are any casualties, I give you my word they will not be on our end."
"I believe you, Walther," Bronze Star claimed. There was a pause, and then Bronze Star smirked and cockily stated "Just make certain that nopony on the team has to be a 'scar chum' with me and SIG."
Both of the middle-aged stallions got a kick out this remark. They laughed so hard that they almost could not breathe. Thankfully, they stopped guffawing before they passed out. Once they were under control, Walther gathered up the glass vial, the folder, and the blueprint, and he returned them to the box.
As he locked the box back up, Walther announced "In the morning, I'm going to contact Carabine and tell him to begin making preparations. It should only take them a couple hours. Once they're ready, they'll travel to Hoofington right away."
"Alright," Bronze Star commented, "When do you suppose you'll rendezvous with them?"
"Well, the meeting is five days," Walther thought aloud, "However, as long as I get there at least twenty-four hours in advance, I'll have plenty of time to run through the plan with the others, as well as discuss any new developments that might have come up. So I'm not in any particular rush to get to Hoofington."
"In that case, if you're available, I could use your help with something," Bronze Star proposed.
"What might that be?" queried the Pegasus.
"You remember that symbol I showed you?" Bronze Star explicated, "The one Hazy Wisp was wearing around her neck?"
"Yes, I remember it quite well," Walther replied, "I've never seen anything like it. Apparently, neither has anypony else in recorded history, seeing as how I couldn't find it anywhere in the Bureau's archives."
"That's why I'm bringing it up," Bronze Star disclosed, "Although your first search on it yielded dismal results, I'd like to take another look. Something tells me there's a story behind that symbol. If we can find out what it is, it may help us learn more about the cultists. If all else fails, we could just try to decipher it ourselves."
Walther considered this proposal for a minute, and then he told the gold stallion "Alright, sir. While I'm not very optimistic that we'll find anything, I'm willing to search again if you believe we will."
"I do," Bronze Star confirmed.
"Very well," Walther acknowledged.
By this point, the three stallions had been talking business for well over an hour. They chose to end their discussion here. Shortly after, the three of them decided to turn in. They bid each other good night and retired to their rooms. Before going to bed, Walther and Bronze Star made certain to hide their box and files respectively.
Walther and SIG Sauer got to sleep pretty soon. Bronze Star, on the other hoof, lay awake in bed for a while. Although it had been a long day, he was not especially tired. Still, he knew he needed his rest, so he just lied down and tried to relax.
As he got relaxed, Bronze Star's mind wandered back to the conversation about trust he had earlier that evening with Mauser, Alpine, Walther, and SIG Sauer. One part he could not avoid replaying was when he mentioned his special privilege as a member of the Equestrian Royalty. That privilege was his right to be made aware of almost everything that went on in the world.
He had always enjoyed that privilege, but his mother had advised him not to abuse it. Thankfully, he never had. However, sometimes he wondered what it would be like if he had the right to be informed of everything that happened, and not just 'almost' everything.
The reason it had always been 'almost' was that there were some people Bronze Star knew who were a little more protective of their knowledge. Legally, the only people who can withhold information from him were his mother, Bellerophon, and the occasional emissary from another nation. Of course, the emissaries were under oath not to discuss certain information with anypony other than Celestia. Bellerophon shares most of his confidential information with her, as well.
From this perspective, Princess Celestia seemed to be the only one who really kept Bronze Star out of the loop in the long run. Bronze Star never resented this. He had always loved, admired, and respected his mother, as well as the decisions she made. Even if they involved keeping him in the dark. Aside from that, he could not blame her for keeping secrets from him. After all, all parents kept secrets from their children.
However, children often keep secrets from their parents as well. Bronze Star was definitely no exception. There were several things he knew that his mother was unaware of. The true irony in this situation was that Princess Celestia had been the beloved leader of Equestria for over a millennium, but even she did not know everything. There were very few things she did not know, but her own son knew several of them.
For instance, the operation Bronze Star had just discussed with SIG Sauer and Walther. She was totally unaware of anything about it, including its existence.
Bronze Star had been conducting these types of operations for years, but Celesita had never known about them. All she did know was that she had given her son control of the Firebrand Regiment, and that he only used the Regiment with good intentions in mind.
Still, Bronze Star had his reasons for hiding these operations from his mother. Even so, he hoped she would never have to learn of their existence. Otherwise, things might turn out disastrous for both of them.
Bronze Star knew that every time he sent the Firebrand Regiment on one of their special missions, they risked the prospect of failure. If they ever failed, they would risk exposing themselves. Many times, the gold stallion had wondered if this was all truly worth it. This was precisely what he was wondering at this very time.
Ultimately, Bronze Star came to the same conclusion that he always came to. In other words, he decided that all this secrecy and plotting truly was worth the dangers involved, when considering the outcome. He may have had some doubts, but he was able to push them to the back of his mind and ignore them.
After having this debate, Bronze Star soon nodded off and went into a peaceful sleep.