After biding the Apple Family good night, Bronze Star headed down the dirt road and passed through the ranch's front gate. Then he followed the path back towards Ponyville.
By this point in time, the Sun had almost set. Princess Luna must have been moving the Moon into place right about now. Bronze Star was not certain why, but he thought that the sunsets were more beautiful now than they had been before Luna travelled to Canterlot. He did not think his mother did a lousy job of raising the Moon or anything of the sort; there was just something about the way his aunt did it that made the scenery more pleasant to look at.
Fifteen minutes later, Bronze Star soon got back to the embassy. After signing in at the front, he went to the kitchen and got out a raw rabbit leg from the refrigerator. He had found the rabbit a few days earlier when he went hunting in the Everfree Forest. He had no intention of eating the rabbit himself; he had only caught it for Arthur. After seasoning the rabbit leg with a little salt for flavor and to let out excess moisture, he placed it on a plate.
He figured that the parasprites were probably hungry as well. He did not know what the small creatures ate, so he gathered a little bit of several different foods on another plate. After carefully placing the two plates on his back, Bronze Star headed upstairs.
When he stepped into his room and turned on the lights, he was met with an unexpected sight. He noticed Arthur was in his cage with the door closed. He seemed to be holding the door in place with his talon.
He had a good reason for this. The two parasprites Bronze Star had brought into the building were circling around Arthur's cage. But they were not alone. Somehow, another half dozen of the parasprites had appeared in the room.
Bronze Star trotted over to the cage and shooed the small creatures away. Then he turned to his pet hawk, opened up the door to his cage, and asked him "Arthur, did you let these other parasprites in here?"
The hawk vigorously shook his head in response, almost as if he was insulted by this accusation. Bronze Star saw no reason to disbelieve Arthur. He looked around the room at the eight parasprites and thought aloud "This is strange. All the windows are shut and the door was locked when I left. They couldn't have even gotten in through the chimney in the study; the flue's been sealed. So where the Tartarus did they come from?"
The avian Colonel flapped his wings in the direction of the parasprites, as if he was pointing towards them. It was as though he was trying to tell his master something. Bronze Star presumed "Did the first two let the other six in?"
In response, Arthur lightly flickered his wings. Bronze Star knew what this meant. In the time Arthur had been his pet, the young prince had come to recognize when Arthur was attempting to communicate with him. When he flickered his wings like that, that did not mean "Yes" or "No." It meant "Sort of."
Bronze Star was confused. How could the first two parasprites "sort of" let the others inside? Either they did or they did not. He spent a couple minutes wondering how else they could have gotten into the embassy. Ultimately, he simply shrugged and remarked "Oh, well. They can stay the night. I'll take them back to the Everfree Forest in the morning. Now how about some dinner?"
The hawk nodded his head in approval to both those statements. Bronze Star removed one of the plates from his back, picked up the raw rabbit leg, and slid it inside Arthur's cage. He grinned and stated "There you go, buddy. Chow down."
Arthur immediately started robustly pecking at the rabbit leg with his beck. He liked to pick off bits of meat that were just small enough for him to safely swallow whole.
Bronze Star then removed the other plate from his back and placed it on the desk. He turned to the parasprites and told them "If you guys are hungry, help yourselves to anything on this plate. There should be enough for all of you."
The small creatures did not need to be told twice. They flew over to the plate and began munching down on its contents. Bronze Star watched in astonishment as they gorged on bread, cheese, fruits, vegetables, and everything else.
"No wonder the Everfree Forest is so barren," Bronze Star commented, "These guys probably ate up every bit of its edible plant life."
He then covered his mouth and yawned loudly. Bronze Star normally stayed up until midnight or later, and currently, it was only nine o'clock. However, since he had been very busy that day, he felt rather fatigued. Adding that to the fact that he planned to get up earlier than usual the following morning, he figured that he may as well go ahead and turn in for the night.
Bronze Star went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He also made sure to floss. Whenever he flossed, he liked to be thorough, so he always used a very specific brand called "Gumbo's." This particular brand of dental floss was arguably the most durable and efficient in Equestria. As a bonus, it was available in several different flavors, such as orange, cherry, and pineapple. The flavor Bronze Star preferred was cinnamon. It smelled and tasted exactly like the actual spice.
One may wonder if this dental floss has any actual relevance to the plotline. It certainly does.
Despite its reputation as the most used and most reliable brand of floss in Equestria, "Gumbo's" did have one notable problem. It was very easy for users to get a strand of it wedged between their gums without even realizing. This may seem strange, considering the fact that "Gumbo's" never lost its flavor or aroma, but it still happened. This had happened to Bronze Star several times in the past. Most of the time, he would not notice it was there until the following day.
That night, he actually got two pieces of floss stuck in his teeth. He could still smell and taste the cinnamon, but he assumed that was just the lingering effect of using the floss. After putting away his toothbrush, toothpaste, and the container of floss, Bronze Star trotted back out into the bedroom. Arthur was nearly finished eating his rabbit leg, and the parasprites had completely cleaned off their plate. There was not so much as a crumb left over.
"Well, good night," Bronze Star bade his pet hawk and the parasprites. Arthur loudly screeched in response. The parasprites merely kept chirping and hovering in the air.
Bronze Star turned off the lights and laid down on his bed. As soon as he got comfortable, he drifted off to sleep.
The young prince had a very bizarre dream that night. He dreamed that he was walking through Ponyville. He was not going anywhere in particular; he just kept trotting and trotting.
After a while, he felt a strange tingling in his side. It felt as though somepony was poking him. The tingling only lasted for a few seconds; it went away after that. Bronze Star looked around the vicinity and saw that he was alone. So he simply shrugged and continued walking.
However, several times over the next few hours, the poking sensation returned. Every time it happened, it became more pronounced and uninterrupted. It also seemed to be getting higher on his body. Before long, he felt as though somepony else was forcibly pressing their hoof against his face.
Out of nowhere, Bronze Star felt as though he had been slapped full on his cheek. In response, he promptly jerked awake. He impulsively placed his hoof against the side of his face. The pain was no longer there, but the sensation of being slapped had seemed so real.
After taking a moment to compose himself, Bronze Star turned to the left side of the room. Presently, there was only one parasprite in the room. It was a red one. The others were nowhere in sight. This was odd, as Bronze Star had closed to door to his bedroom before he went to sleep. He softly murmured "Hey, little guy. Where're your friends?"
The parasprite did not give him any type of answer. It was then that Bronze Star noticed that the cage on the table was empty. He raised an eyebrow and remarked in alarm "Where's Arthur?"
Again, the parasprite did not reply. It seemed oblivious to everything the gold stallion said and did. Bronze Star became a little concerned. He pulled off his blankets, swung his hind legs off the side of the comforter, and got up out of the bed.
Before he could take one step towards the red parasprite, he stepped on something. It felt soft, sturdy, and a little wet, and it made a soft "crunch" sound when Bronze Star put his weight on it. Curious as to what it was, Bronze Star slowly looked down… and his breath almost went away.
The object he had stepped on was one of the parasprites. Or at least, the remains of one. It had nearly been crushed under the weight of Bronze Star's front hoof.
Bronze Star was horrified at the sight. At first, he honestly believed that he had killed the parasprite. But after his initial shock passed over, he took a closer look and noticed something. The parasprite was totally stiff and covered in dry blood. That entailed that it had to have already been dead for hours. So Bronze Star was not the one who killed it. He wondered who the actual killer could have been. Then he realized that the parasprite had several deep incisions imbedded into its body. This implied that the small creature had been sliced up by a sharp object. Perhaps a thick razor… or a pair of talons.
"Arthur…" Bronze Star muttered worriedly.
Bronze Star looked up slightly and saw another dead parasprite lying about a foot away from the crushed one. Three more dead parasprites were less than a foot away from the second one. Bronze Star hastily gazed around the floor and discovered that it was covered in parasprite corpses. He did not count them, but there was definitely more than seven. The number did not matter to Bronze Star as much as what had become of the small creatures. They all exhibited the same signs of a struggle, and they all bore the same injuries on their bodies.
Bronze Star hastily looked around the room, and he spotted Arthur near the door. He scowled and snapped angrily "Arthur, did you do this?"
The hawk let out a firm squawk. This meant he was saying "Yes" without a hint remorse. Bronze Star was disgusted by his pet's total nonchalance to what he had just done.
"You killed all of them?" Bronze Star muttered in disbelief, "That's deplorable. Even more deplorable is that you seem pleased by your actions. I thought I trained you better than this."
The gold stallion's scolding did not have a profound effect on Arthur. He was completely indifferent to his master's reproach. Bronze Star sighed agitatedly and mumbled "We'll discuss this later. You stay where you are. I'll see if the sole survivor of this carnage isn't in shock."
Bronze Star then turned to the remaining parasprite and delicately pronounced "Hey, buddy; are you okay? Arthur didn't hurt you, did he? I'm so sorry for what happened to the others. This is so unlike Arthur. He never attacks unless provoked. Never. If there is anything I can do…"
The red parasprite had heard everything Bronze Star said, but it had not been listening at all. It appeared to be as unmoved as Arthur. It did not even seem to notice that more than twenty of its companions had been brutally mangled to death.
However, the parasprite did spot the two strands of cinnamon floss that were wedged between Bronze Star's teeth. Once it picked up the scent, the parasprite zipped over to the gold stallion and attempted to pluck the sweet-smelling strand out of his teeth.
Bronze Star was caught totally off guard. He flinched backwards and yelled "What the Tartarus?"
The small creature relentlessly continued trying to pull the thread of floss out from the gold stallion's mouth. Bronze Star's attitude towards the parasprite quickly changed from sympathetic to outraged. He tried to push the small creature away and shouted frantically "Get off! Get away from me! Get the buck off me, you little cretin!"
At one point, Bronze Star stumbled into his bed. He was momentarily distracted by this obstruction. This gave the parasprite the opportunity to fly up to his mouth, wrap its tiny teeth around one of the pieces of floss, and pull it out. It sucked the cinnamon-flavored filament into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
Bronze Star was very perplexed by this action. What happened next stunned him even more. Only seconds after devouring the floss, the red parasprite stretched out its jaws and coughed up a huge ball of red. The red ball hovered in air for a few seconds, and then it sprouted eyes, feet, and legs. It was another parasprite.
Bronze Star was deeply shaken by what he just witnessed. He was not in the clear yet; there was still another thread of floss in his teeth, and both of the red parasprites were focused on it. They simultaneously darted towards his mouth and dove for the floss.
Bronze Star desperately tried to swat the two parasprites. They kept closing their jawbones near the gold stallion's mouth. Before long, Bronze Star was worried that he was going to lose one or both of his lips. He probably would have, had Arthur not intervened. Before either of the parasprites could harm his master, the hawk swooped in and seized both of them with his talons. Once he floored them, he cut into them with his claws. The parasprites squealed in pain, but Arthur did not break off his attack until they stopped thrashing around. Once they were totally lifeless and immobile, he relented.
Bronze Star was deeply shaken by what just happened. Thankfully, he and Arthur were both unharmed. After dealing with the parasprites, the hawk turned back to his master. He solemnly lowered his head, as if he was expecting another reprimand for his actions. However, instead of scolding his pet, Bronze Star smiled at Arthur, trotted over to him, and held out his front hoof.
The hawk obediently hopped onto his master's front leg. Bronze Star slowly brought his pet up to him at eye level and stated appreciatively "Very good work, Colonel. That's what I call saving face."
Hawks were incapable of laughter, but Arthur let out a shrill screech to show that he was amused. He then hopped from his master's front hoof to his shoulder. Once he was perched there, Bronze Star gazed down at the remains of the bird's two latest victims. He sighed and muttered tensely "At least now we know where they come from. But why did they attack me? They seemed to be interested in something in my mouth, but it probably wasn't the words coming out of it."
Arthur lightly tapped the gold stallion on the side of his face. Once he had his master's attention, the hawk gestured towards the inside of his mouth. The gold stallion was baffled at first, but it soon dawned on him that Arthur may have been trying to tell him that something was in his mouth. The gold stallion brought his front hoof up to his mouth and felt around the inside of it. A moment later, he touched the strand of floss and plucked it out. After staring at the filament for a few seconds, he realized what it was.
"So they were after the floss," he observed, "The scent of cinnamon must have attracted them. Since I usually sleep with my mouth open, the other parasprites must have seen the floss and lunged for it while I was asleep. They probably would have chewed my face off trying to get to it. Looks like I owe you big time for averting that, Arthur."
The hawk stood up tall and proud in response to that. The gold stallion scoffed at Arthur's stance; he clearly enjoyed receiving commendation for his accomplishments. Bronze Star then concentrated on the ground. The bodies of dozens of parasprites were scattered all over the floor, and a larger percentage of it was stained with blood.
"Still, we've made quite a mess in here," he mumbled in slight annoyance, "We'd better get this place fixed up."
Bronze Star spent the next half-hour cleaning up his room. He started by gathering up all the dead parasprites and stuffing them into a large brown sack. Once he was finished with that, he went into the bathroom, picked up a bucket, and filled it with water and a bit of liquid soap. Then he carried the bucket and a brush out to his room, placed them on the ground, and proceeded to wash the entire floor. It took him a while to remove all the bloodstains from the ground. Parasprite blood was surprisingly thick, and a lot of it had dried in place. The blood was not layered, but Bronze Star needed to scrub the whole floor twice. Luckily, once he was finished, the ground was spotless. There was no lingering indication that anything violent had taken place there.
Bronze Star went back into the bathroom and dumped the remainder of the cleaning water into the sink. He noticed it had been tainted red from all the blood. He then washed out the bucket and set it aside with the brush.
Bronze Star leaned against the sink and gazed into the mirror. He had checked the time a moment ago; it was nearly six-thirty in the morning. He had planned to have had breakfast and be showered by this point in time. Unfortunately, he had been too busy cleaning up parasprite corpses to worry about that. In other words, he was already behind schedule. He sighed and uttered in an aggravated tone "This is not how I envisioned starting my morning."
Little did Bronze Star suspect that the rest of his day would be quite similar to his morning.
The gold stallion had gotten some blood on his hooves. He considered washing his hooves, but he figured it would be pretty pointless, seeing as how he was going to take a shower in a minute.
Bronze Star reached into the shower stall and started the water. Once it was just the right temperature, he stepped in and began washing himself off.
On average, Bronze Star spent about ten minutes every morning in the shower. However, he needed another five minutes to rinse the blood off his hooves and coat. This was no simple task; parasprite blood seemed to stain rather easily. Bronze Star wondered if this was what murderers and assailants did after committing a crime. In a way, he certainly felt as though he was cleansing himself of any wrongdoing after the incident with the parasprites. Still, he could not help but laugh at that very idea. Imagine him of all people killing somepony and trying to erase any evidence of the act. To him, that was absolutely preposterous.
After he got out of the shower and dried off, Bronze Star took Arthur down to the kitchen for breakfast. He cooked up some bacon, eggs, and oat waffles. The bacon was for Arthur, the oat waffles were for him, and the eggs were for both of them.
Bronze Star and Arthur ate in silence for a while. The hawk evidently enjoyed the meal. Bronze Star tried to enjoy it as well, but not as much. He could not get the fiasco with the parasprites out of his head. He could not decide what was more alarming; the fact that they had a larger appetite than Pinkie Pie, or that they reproduced by regurgitation. He noticed there was an interesting correlation between those two factors. It seemed that they had to consume an edible substance before they could breed.
"I wonder; why don't the parasprites just replicate at will?" Bronze Star thought aloud, "Why did that last one wait until after it ate the floss to cough up that other parasprite?"
Bronze Star let his mind wander as he continued to eat. Soon he realized something intriguing. Before he came downstairs, he had been famished. However, as he ate breakfast, his hunger was gradually being quelled. In addition to that, the more he ate, the more he felt revitalized and reinforced. There was nothing quite like the feel of a full stomach after eating.
This made him wonder; perhaps the parasprites felt that way, too. Maybe that exact concept applied to their biology as a whole. From this hypothesis, he quickly arrived at a conclusion. Bronze Star gazed down at his breakfast, and then he turned to Arthur and informed him "So that's how it works. They eat, and then they reproduce. Then their spawn eat, and THEY reproduce. Then the cycle repeats over and over and over again."
This theory may have seemed like a shot in the dark, but Bronze Star was fairly confident in its validity. After all, from a pragmatic standpoint, it made perfect sense.
After eating breakfast and washing and putting away the dishes, Bronze Star stretched his legs and remarked "Well, my mother will be here in less than four hours. I've got a lot to do before she gets in. Better get busy."
Once Arthur was perched on his shoulder, Bronze Star trotted back up to his bedroom and sat down on his desk. He proceeded to draft a report of everything that had taken place in Ponyville over the past seven days. As the ambassador to Ponyville, he was expected to send one of these reports to the capital city once a week. It may have seemed a little unnecessary, as he planned to discuss many of the recent events in Ponyville with his mother later that day. However, Princess Celestia was not the only one who needed to be kept up to date on current events.
After writing his report, Bronze Star sealed it in a large envelope and addressed it to Canterlot Castle. He muttered under his breath "Next stop, post office."
Bronze Star then grabbed his knapsack, slid the envelope into it, and put it on. Before he left the room, his nose detected an unpleasant smell. He looked around the room and realized that the source was the brown bag full of parasprite corpses. Apparently, the tiny creatures expired at a much faster rate than equines.
"We should probably take the trash out," Bronze Star wryly commented. He was not normally this insensitive, but he had little respect for the parasprites, seeing as how they almost mutilated his face for a piece of floss.
Bronze Star picked up the brown bag and shoved it into his knapscak. After fastened the top flap into place, he looked at his pet hawk and offered "You want to come along with me?"
Arthur screeched in approval at this. Bronze Star smirked and stated "Alright then. Let's go."
The gold stallion and his pet hawk headed outside. It was still pretty early in the morning, but several ponies were out and about. Halfway to the post office, he encountered a familiar grey blonde Pegasus with a pale purple blonde Unicorn filly.
"Good morning, Mr. Streak," the filly greeted the gold stallion.
"Hello, Dinky," Bronze Star rejoined. He turned to her mother and said "How are you doing, Derpy?"
"I'm doing fine, Gold," the cross-eyed mare replied, "Just taking Dinky to school."
Bronze Star was mildly surprised to hear that. "They're still having school today?"
"Yeah, but we only have a half-day," Dinky informed him, "We'll be out by noon."
"Well, that's fortunate," Bronze Star perceived.
"Yeah, it'll give me and my classmates more time to see Princess Celestia," Dinky mentioned excitedly, "I really can't wait for her to get here."
"You and the whole rest of the town," Bronze Star bluntly remarked. He was quiet for a moment, and then he turned to the grey mare and inquired "By the way, Derpy, are you working today?"
"Of course," Derpy replied assuredly, "I never take a day off. I've been told that if I did, the postal service wouldn't be the same."
"I should say not," Bronze Star stated drily. He reached back to his knapsack, unfastened the lock, and removed the large envelope. Then he turned back to the blonde Pegasus and proposed "In that case, whenever you get to the post office, could you add this to the priority outgoing mail for Canterlot?"
"You bet," Derpy happily responded, taking the envelope in her right front hoof, "Out of curiosity, what is it?"
"Just some bureaucratic forms," Bronze Star claimed, "I'd take it to the post office myself, but I've got a lot to do this morning before the princess arrive, and I'm looking for ways to get all my work done in as little time as possible. For instance, you'd save me about fifteen minutes by dropping this envelope off for me."
"I get what you're saying," Derpy avowed, nodding lightly, "You don't have to explain yourself, Gold. I'm just happy to be of service. I'll have this delivered to Canterlot as soon as possible."
"Thank you," the gold stallion said appreciatively.
There was another brief interval of silence. Then Dinky wrinkled her muzzle and commented in mild disgust "What is that stench?"
Derpy and Bronze Star could smell something rather unpleasant as well, but the latter quickly realized what it was. He reached back to his open knapsack, grabbed the brown bag, lifted it up slightly, and disclosed "I believe you're referring to this."
"What is that?" Derpy said in revulsion, "It smells like a sack of stale muffins."
"This is the next item of business I have on my agenda," Bronze Star informed her, "There was a little… rodent infestation at the embassy. My pet hawk Arthur here managed to catch them all, but I still have to get rid of them."
"Well, at least it's not as bad as stale muffins," Derpy proclaimed, "You know, there're dumpsters all over town. Why don't you just toss the bag into one of them?"
"Because if you leave a dead animal in one place for too long, the area will hold on to its scent, even after its body has been removed," Bronze Star enlightened her, "I don't want Ponyville to smell like this, so I plan to dispose of these things properly. I'm going to dump them somewhere in the Everfree Forest later on. But before I do that, I'm going to file a report. Who's in charge of pest control in this town?"
"I'm not sure we have that here," Derpy thought aloud, "This sounds more like a job for the town's security forces. I'd recommend that you go to the barracks and tell Noble Edict about this."
"Noble's still in Canterlot, Derpy," the gold stallion reminded her.
"Oh, yeah; I forgot," the cross-eyed mare remarked, smiling guiltily, "Then just talk to whoever's in charge."
"Okay, I'll do that," Bronze Star decided. He dropped the bag of parasprites into his knapsack, closed it up, and bade the Pegasus and Unicorn a good morning. Then he headed directly to the barracks. Once he got there, he went to the chief of security's office. Strangely, nopony was there. Luckily, a minute later, he found Copper Hollow in his office. When the deputy noticed the gold stallion enter, he grinned at him and remarked "Top of the morning, Mr. Ambassador."
"Good morning to you as well, Mr. Hollow," Bronze Star returned the gesture, "I must say; I'm a little surprised to find you here. I would have thought you'd be in the main office. Noble made you the temporary chief, after all."
"Yes, she did, sir," Copper Hollow affirmed, "However, all I'm holding on to is her title. As long as she carries her badge, I have no intention of actually taking her job. Noble Edict earned her place here; the main office is her space. So even in her absence, nopony sits in her chair. That includes me."
"That's a rather… gallant mentality for you to have," Bronze Star pronounced in admiration.
"If you asked around, you'll quickly discover that all my colleagues share that mentality," Copper Hollow declared, "Our security force is small, but the officers are very tight and close-knit. That must seem strange to you; security officers holding on to such a moralistic code of honor."
"Actually, I understand entirely," Bronze Star proclaimed, "I developed a very similar mindset from my military training. Ever since I started, I've been living by a very particular set of principles. They've helped me function as both a follower and a leader."
"My point exactly," Copper Hollow specified, "It would appear as though you and I think alike, Mr. Streak."
"Great minds typically do," Bronze Star wittily declared, "Joking aside though, I'm glad to hear you say that. You've given me yet one more reason to make me feel as though I truly belong in Ponyville."
"Trust me, sir; you do," Copper Hollow assured him, "Ask anypony else in this building and they'll tell you the same thing. You've helped save this town on at least three separate occasions. Because of that, we've come to think of you as one of us."
"Well, I don't know what to say," Bronze Star frankly admitted, "Thank you, Copper. Thank you very much."
"My pleasure, sir," Copper Hollow said in response. There was a brief interval of quietness, and then the deputy pronounced "At any rate, I assume you didn't come here just to chat. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes, I wished to submit a complaint," Bronze Star answered straightforwardly.
Copper Hollow raised an eyebrow in perplexity and queried "About what?"
"Some trouble with vermin," Bronze Star replied. He opened up his knapsack and removed the brown bag. He loosened the top of it, tilted the opening towards Copper Hollow, and beckoned him "Take a look inside."
The deputy complied with this request. He recoiled in shock when he saw what was inside the bag. He looked up at the gold stallion and enquired "What in Celestia's name are those?"
"Pinkie Pie calls them 'parasprites,'" Bronze Star apprised him, "Fluttershy brought one into town from the Everfree Forest yesterday morning. However, by the time she got to Sugarcube Corner, she had three. She had no idea where the other two came from. It was as though they simply materialized out of thin air. She let Twilight Sparkle and I each keep one of them. Twilight's crawled into her tail before we left the shop. When we got to Carousel Boutique, three parasprites crawled out. You getting this so far?"
"Yes, these little guys basically appeared out of nowhere," Copper Hollow coolly recalled, "I take it you eventually found out where they really came from?"
"Correct," Bronze Star established. He then gave the deputy a thorough recollection of what had happened at the embassy. Although he had only taken one inside that building, there were two by the time he got to his bedroom. When he got back that evening, there were eight. After feeding them and Arthur, he immediately went to bed. When he awoke the following morning, there were many more, but the majority of them were dead, courtesy of Arthur. By the time Arthur put down the last two parasprites, Bronze Star understood what was going on.
Copper Hollow was both impressed and astounded by this story. "This is quite an elaborate tale, Mr. Ambassador. It's hard to believe that you only took one of these creatures to the embassy. You must have dozens in that bag."
"Thirty-nine, to be exact," Bronze Star revealed, "I counted them as I put them into the sack."
"Okay," Copper Hollow acknowledged, "And you say they reproduce by spewing each ohter?"
"Pretty much," Bronze Star replied, "However, their rate of reproduction seems to be totally erratic. Also, they cannot duplicate whenever they wish to. They require large amounts of sustenance to keep up their metabolic rate and their reproductive organs."
"Sounds like that's all they do," Copper Hollow observed, "They just eat and give birth."
"Yeah, I've already gathered as much," Bronze Star commented, "That's why I'm here. While I blame myself for letting these particular parasprites grow in number, I thought it would be best if you were aware of their existence. A small cluster of these creatures could consume everything edible in Ponyville in a matter of hours. After that, they'd grow into an entire swarm. Just imagine the sort of damage they could cause then."
"I'd rather not," Copper Hollow muttered uneasily, "Still, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'll get to work drafting an order for parasprites to be banned from the town, and that they will not be allowed entrance under any circumstances. I could have it in effect by the end of the day."
"I'm very grateful for that," Bronze Star proclaimed, "In the meantime, is there anything you need me to do about this?"
"Actually, there is," Copper Hollow told him. He sat up straight and continued with "You said Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle kept two of the first three parasprites that came to town. Do you know if anypony else took one?"
"Yes, Rainbow Dash and Rarity did," Bronze Star recounted, "I'm pretty sure they were the only ones, though."
"Alright, that's a bit of good news for us," Copper Hollow stated, "Now, let's assume for a moment that all four of those mares took her parasprite home. Let's also assume that each one of them fed her parasprite at least once over the past twenty-four hours. Do you think it's possible they're experiencing the same issue that you faced earlier this morning?"
Amazingly, this possibility had not yet occurred to Bronze Star. The thought of it made him feel profusely uneasy. He muttered anxiously "There's certainly a chance of that."
Copper Hollow promptly rose out of his chair and walked over to a cabinet by the wall. As he opened it and looked through some folders, he announced over his shoulder "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us."
"How so?" Bronze Star inquired in interest.
"We just established there's a chance that Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy's houses are currently being occupied by masses of parasprites," Copper Hollow expounded, "If so, we have to flush those creatures out and chase them out of town. All of them. If just one of these things manages to remain in Ponyville, we could have an epidemic on our hooves."
"You're absolutely right," "What do you need me to do?"
"I need you to find the mares and help them wipe out the infestation," Copper Hollow instructed him. He then pulled a small pin out of his filing cabinet, trotted over to Bronze Star, and attached it to the strap on the gold stallion's knapsack. Then he declared "I'm making you and Arthur the heads of our newly-formed pest control committee."
"Just how newly-formed is it?" Bronze Star enquired.
"It's about ten seconds old," Copper Hollow shamelessly admitted, "This sort of situation requires the formation of a few additional provisos. The two of you were able to put down thirty-nine parasprites all by yourselves. I'd call that ample qualifications to head the committee."
"Well, Arthur did all the work," Bronze Star reminded the deputy.
"Yeah, but you're better leadership material," Copper Hollow pointed out, "Plus you're… shall we say, easier to communicate with."
"If you say so," Bronze Star acknowledged, accepting the pin. As he adjusted it on the strap of his knapsack, he queried "What are you going to do in the meantime?"
"I'll gather up my fellow officers and bring them up to speed on this matter," Copper Hollow declared, "In the event that you're unable to contain this mess, we'll be prepared to assist you."
"I appreciate that," Bronze Star stated gratefully, "Still, I hope it won't get that far."
"So do I," Copper Hollow disclosed, "If it does, we'll be ready to help you out in any way we can. We're not exterminators, but we do know how to repel unwanted and unwelcomed visitors."
"I'll keep that in mind," Bronze Star affirmed, smirking lightly.
He was about to return the brown bag to his knapsack, but before he did, Copper Hollow held out his hoof and requested "Would you mind if I hanged on to that for now? My colleagues may not believe me when I tell them about the parasprites unless they can actually see them."
"Sure, they're all yours," Bronze Star responded, handing over the brown bag, "I was just going to dump them into the Everfree Forest as soon as I left here, anyway."
"I'll do that once this catastrophe is over," Copper Hollow asserted, "I may keep one or two specimens for the science department to study. The others I'll dispose of swiftly and discreetly."
"Very well," Bronze Star approved. He then shut his knapsack, left the deputy's office, and trotted out of the barracks. He looked at his pet hawk out of the corner of his eye and wryly proposed "Well, Arthur, what say we go hunting?"
Arthur could not smile, due to a lack of lips. But if he could at that time, he would have flashed a grin that conveyed eagerness and enthusiasm. That was all the answer Bronze Star needed. He smirked and commented positively "Good."
He halted for a little bit to consider his relative position in town. He had to choose between one of four possible destinations. After about a minute, he thought aloud "Rarity's place is the closest. We'll start with her."
The gold stallion broke into a gallop and rushed to Carousel Boutique. Right when he got there, Rarity stepped outside and shut the front door. She was wearing a saddle bag over her back. Both containers were stuffed full, and they appeared to be moving slightly. Even from a distance, Bronze Star could tell what was inside of them.
Bronze Star spotted Pinkie Pie approaching the emporium from the west. When she reached the white mare, the pink mare held up a small rectangular object and told her "Look Rarity, Applejack loaned me a harmonica."
She then played a few bars, and she added in "Isn't that great?"
She noticed a lot of movement and chirping resonating from Rarity's saddle bag. She gasped and pronounced "And not a moment too soon."
Rarity did not seem particularly interested. She mumbled agitatedly "Ugh, Pinkie, I'm a little busy right now."
"And I'm not?" Pinkie Pie countered, "You know how many more instruments I've gotta find? A lot, that's how many. Now if we split the list between us, we might just make it in time."
"Please, Pinkie," Rarity implored, "I don't have time for some silly scavenger hunt. I've got a real problem."
"You've got a real problem alright," Pinkie Pie proclaimed, "And a banjo is the only answer!"
The pink mare then hastily departed from the area. Bronze Star scoffed in amusement at how determined she seemed to accomplish this bizarre goal.
Once Pinkie Pie was gone, Bronze Star trotted over to Rarity and offered "Need some help?"
"Yes, please," she beseeched him, "I woke up this morning to find that my boutique was overrun by these parasprites. I was willing to tolerate them until I learned how they… procreate. Once I learned that, I decided to get rid of them. I've already gathered them up. Now I'm looking for a place to drop them."
"I'd recommend the Everfree Forest," Bronze Star suggested.
"Alright, let's head over there now," Rarity coincided.
The gold stallion and the white mare then made their way through town. A couple minutes later, they encountered Twilight Sparkle near the park. The lavender mare was wearing an overloaded, shifting saddle bag, as well. She and Rarity gasped when they saw what each other was carrying.
"I see we're having the same problem," Rarity candidly noted.
"Ditto!" shouted a frightened voice in the sky. The three ponies looked up and saw Rainbow Dash zipping through the air. She was being chased by a small crowd of parasprites. She tried desperately to escape from them, but the tiny creatures were quite persistent.
"What about you, Bronze?" Twilight Sparkle asked the young prince.
"Well, I HAD the same problem," Bronze Star illuminated, "Fortunately, Arthur took care of it. If you girls want, I'm sure he'd be willing to do the same for you girls."
"I don't think that'll be necessary," Rarity perceived, "We've already got all these creatures in one place."
"Are you sure about that?" Bronze Star asked her.
"Yes, I made sure my boutique was totally empty before I left," Rarity informed him.
"The library's been vacated, too," Twilight Sparkle professed.
"What about your house, Rainbow?" Bronze Star asked the Pegasus overhead.
"It's… clear…!" the cyan mare yelled as she hastily soared away from the trailers, "They… just… won't… stop… following… me!"
"Alright, so we do have them all amassed," Bronze Star noted, "That makes things a little easier. Our best course of action would be to go straight to the Everfree Forest."
"Easier said than done," Rarity observed, "We need a way to keep them under control until we get there."
"Fluttershy knows everything about animals," Twilight Sparkle informed the others, "I'm sure she can tell us how to stop them from multiplying."
"Like I said a moment ago, Arthur found a permanent solution to that," Bronze Star reiterated, "Just let him handle them."
"Sounds… good… to… me!" Rainbow Dash yelled in approval.
"I'd prefer a more civil resolution," Rarity disclosed, "I don't do well around carnage, Bronze."
"Yeah, let's try to find a more… nonaggressive answer," Twilight Sparkle advised, "Let's head on over to Fluttershy's. She might have the most ideal solution."
The gold stallion, the lavender mare, the white mare, and the cyan mare quickly travelled to Fluttershy's cottage. When they got there, Twilight approached the front entrance and prepared to knock on it. Before her hoof could come in contact with the door, the door swung open on its own and a flock of parasprites flew outside. Altogether, they chirped loudly and energetically.
"...Or not," Twilight corrected herself.
There were many more parasprites inside the cottage. There had to be hundreds of them. Bronze, Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity stepped through the doorframe and spotted Fluttershy in the front room. Twilight called out to her "Ugh, do something Fluttershy, can't you control them?"
"I've tried everything I know," the yellow mare frantically insisted, "I've tried begging, and pleading, and beseeching, and asking politely and..."
"Guh," Rainbow Dash murmured in disgust.
"Well, I'm willing to wager there's something you haven't tried," Bronze Star conjectured. He looked at his pet hawk and requested "Arthur, would you care to demonstrate?"
In response, the hawk spread his wings and ascended into the air. He lunged for the nearest parasprite, seized it in midair, and slashed the area beneath its mouth with his talons. The parasprite immediately dropped to the ground and laid totally still.
"See, it's a very practical solution," Bronze Star pronounced, picking up the dead parasprite and holding it up for the others to see, "And a very effective one, I might add."
Fluttershy seemed terrified by this action. She slunk back to a corner of the room and stammered uneasily "P-please… d-d-don't d-d-do th-th-that a-a-again."
"You sound like me under the influence of Poison Joke," Bronze Star cockily remarked.
"This isn't funny, Bronze," Rarity snapped somewhat irately, "Fluttershy's very adverse to any sort of violence. It frightens and appalls her so much that she almost makes me look like a person who gets off on it."
"Oh, right," Bronze Star commented, slapping himself in exasperation. He could not believe how careless and inconsiderate he had just been. He quickly turned to the yellow mare and told her sincerely "I'm so sorry, Fluttershy."
"It's… alright, Bronze," Fluttershy proclaimed, even though she was still a little shaken, "I know you're just trying to help. But if you're going to do anything to the parasprites, I would appreciate it if you did not do it in here."
"I'll remember that," Bronze Star asserted, "How about we take them outside before I put the Colonel to work?"
"Bronze, enough of that," Twilight Sparkle brusquely remarked, "Believe me; I want to get rid of these parasprites as much as you do. But there are well over a thousand of them in this house alone. There is no way Arthur could eliminate all of them by himself. And even if he could, it would take hours for us to clean up the resulting mess. Imagine what Ponyville would look like when it's covered in tiny bodies and the ground's soaked with blood. More to the point, imagine what your mother would think of it. It would be an even worse sight than if we just let the parasprites roam freely."
"Oh, you've got a point there," Bronze Star admitted, "It took me a half-hour just to clean up the floor of my bedroom at the embassy. It would probably take like a week or so to clean up the entire town."
"So what are we going to do?" Rainbow Dash queried as the five ponies stepped outside.
Twilight visualized what might happen if the parasprites were still in Ponyville when Celestia arrived. Worst case scenario, it would end with the white Alicorn being carried off by the entire swarm. Once this thought passed through her head, she pronounced "If we can't get them under control before the princess arrives, it'll be a total disaster."
Just then, a yellow parasprite flew by Rarity and hacked up a brown ball, which immediately sprouted eyes, wings, and legs.
"Ew!" Rarity shrieked, "If you ask me it's already a total disaster."
"Or damn near close to one," Bronze Star commented.
Just then, the gold stallion noticed Applejack was approaching the cottage. She was harnessed up to a large cart full of apples, which she was pulling in tow. When she was close enough to the others, she called out "Here's all those apples you wanted, Fluttershy, but I still can't figure why y'need so many."
A moment later, the entire swarm of parasprites soared over to the cart and completely devoured its contents in a matter of seconds. Applejack glowered at them and shouted "HEY!"
Bronze Star trotted over to the farm pony and told her "That's why. We've been struck by a plague of parasprites."
Applejack raised an eyebrow and remarked "That's what those things are? There are parasprites in Ponyville?"
"You've heard of them?" Bronze Star presumed.
"Yeah, Granny once told me about them," Applejack elucidated, "I've never actually seen them myself, though. All you need to know about them is that they scrounge like fleas and multiply like bacteria."
"Indeed, they do," Rarity concurred.
"What do we do?" Fluttershy asked in worry.
"Well, I've already informed Copper Hollow about this ordeal," Bronze Star informed the five mares, "He's tasked me with controlling the parasprite infestation."
"Why you?" Rainbow Dash queried.
"Because I already know how these creatures think, and Arthur was able to prevent them from taking over the embassy," Bronze Star explicated.
"Prevent them how?" Applejack asked in interest.
Bronze Star smirked and dropped the dead parasprite in front of the orange mare. She was a little stunned at first, but then she eased down and stated cheekily "Well, that's certainly an effectual method."
Bronze Star nodded and declared "It's one of the benefits of having a predator as a pet. However, this particular solution is a little too… messy. Parasprites actually hold a lot of blood, and I know from experience that after putting one of them down, it takes a while to clean up the resulting mess. Plus, I don't want to risk traumatizing Fluttershy. So I'm looking for a solution that involves less bloodshed."
"Is anypony else helping you?" Rarity enquired.
"Well, Copper Hollow is currently bringing the rest of the town's security force up to speed," Bronze Star revealed, "They'll be on stand-by in case this thing gets out of hoof. But before I ask the town's security force for aid, I'm going to try to resolve this scenario without them. However, if you mares are available, I could really use your help."
"You can count on us, Bronze," Applejack assured the prince. Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all nodded in agreement.
"So what are we going to do?" Fluttershy asked nervously.
There was a brief interval of silence. Then Twilight Sparkle gasped elatedly, turned to the mare in the hat, and declared "I got it! No pony can herd like Applejack."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash coincided, "We can drive 'em back into the Forest."
Applejack grinned, scoffed, and announced "I'll rastle 'em up, but I need everypony's help to do it. Twilight, you, Bronze, and Rarity wait over there. I'll herd the little critters straight at ya like a funnel. Rainbow Dash, you and Fluttershy stay on top of 'em, don't let 'em fly away."
"Aye aye," Rainbow Dash acknowledged, hovering in the air above the others. Fluttershy quickly ascended into the air to join her. Bronze Star turned to Arthur and proposed "Want to spot us, Colonel?"
The hawk nodded his head and flew a little higher into the air. In the week since Fluttershy had repaired his wing, he appeared to be flying steadily again. However, he was not quite flapping his wings at their normal average frequency. His master beckoned him "Take it easy. Don't try to overexert yourself. If your wing starts acting up again, just land on my shoulder."
Arthur acknowledged this. Once he, the gold stallion, and the mares were in position, Applejack reared back on her hind legs and called out "Yeeeeeee-haw!"
Over the next few minutes, the group gathered up all the parasprites in the area. They rounded up the tiny creatures in a spherical cluster. The sphere grew progressively larger by the snowball effect, meaning that its diameter became wider the further it rolled along the ground. The parasprites screeched in surprise, but they put up no resistance.
"Alright y'all, here goes nothin'," Applejack proclaimed once the parasprites were amassed. The six ponies and the hawk directed the sphere towards the Everfree Forest. On the way there, they made sure that none of the parasprites escaped, and Applejack gave out instructions. "Look out Rarity, that one's fixin' to get away. Keep a lead on 'em, Rainbow Dash. Bronze, cover that corner. Hold on girls, we're almost there."
Just then, a certain pink mare appeared next to Twilight Sparkle. She exclaimed in surprise "Pinkie!"
"Twilight, we don't have much time," Pinkie Pie claimed as she ran alongside the lavender mare.
"You're telling me," Twilight Sparkle commented restlessly, "The princess could arrive at any moment."
"Exactly," Pinkie Pie affirmed, "That's why I need you gals to drop what you're doing and help me find some maracas."
"What?" said Bronze Star in perplexity.
"Maracas?" Twilight muttered confusedly, "Pinkie, we've got much bigger problems than missing maracas."
Pinkie Pie gasped and pronounced "You're right! Getting a tuba has to be our number one goal. Follow me."
She turned around and began galloping in the opposite direction. When Bronze Star and the mares did not do the same, Pinkie sprinted backwards until she caught up with them. Once she reached Twilight Sparkle, she continued running backwards and repeated impatiently "I said, 'follow me!'"
"Pinkie Pie, you are so random," Rainbow Dash bluntly mentioned.
"And you are all so stubborn!" Pinkie Pie retorted irately. She could tell that Bronze Star and the mares were unwilling to hear her out. So she shifted direction and hastily galloped back towards Ponyville alone.
"Forget her, ladies," Applejack instructed the mares as the group pressed onward, "Focus. Head 'em up and move 'em out."
They were almost upon the Everfree Forest by this time. At a certain point, Applejack gestured for the others to stay back while alone directed the swarm of parasprites towards the Forest by herself. Just before she reached the border, Applejack halted in her pace, but the parasprites kept moving in a collective spherical formation. The orange mare watched as the small creatures rolled straight into the Forest. They continued rolling for a while, but it only took about fifteen seconds for them to vanish from the group's line of sight.
"All right!" Rainbow Dash cheered. She raised her hooves and grunted as she slapped them against Fluttershy's to give her a high-one.
"Ouch," the yellow Pegasus moaned softly.
Arthur was somewhat worn out by this point, and his wing was starting to ache. Luckily, Bronze Star was close-by, so he was able to flap towards him and land on his shoulder without collapsing. The gold stallion smiled at his pet and told him "That's a very fine job, Arthur."
"We did it," Twilight proudly declared, "Nice work, Applejack."
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stood on either side of the orange mare and warmly brushed against her in appreciation. She was grateful for this gesture, and she modestly proclaimed "Couldn't a'done it without y'all."
While the other mares were thanking Applejack for helping them get rid of their problem, Bronze Star gazed back into the Everfree Forest. He wanted to take another look to ensure that the parasprites were not coming back. To his relief, there was no sign that the small creatures were returning.
However, something caught his eye. About forty feet inward, there appeared to be movement. Initially, Bronze Star thought he may have been seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes a bit. Then he looked again, and it turned out his vision was not impaired. There was indeed something moving in the Forest.
He could not make out who or what it was, but it was making an effort to keep moving whilst remaining hidden in the shadows. Bronze Star took a step closer to the Forest and squinted his eyes in an attempt to concentrate on the moving object.
Rarity noticed his behavior, and she inquired in slight concern "Everything alright, Bronze?"
That snapped the gold stallion out of his trance. He turned back to the mares and replied with "Yeah, yeah, everything's good. I just… well, I just, uh… oh, never mind. It's nothing important."
"You sure?" Rainbow Dash queried.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," Bronze Star asserted, "I'm just glad we got rid of those parasprites."
"I hear you there," Applejack coincided.
"Now let's get back and clean up the mess they made before the princess arrives," Twilight Sparkle proposed.
"Good idea," Bronze Star commented.
The five mares, the stallion, and the hawk calmly headed back to Ponyville. On the way back, Bronze Star thought intently about two things. Firstly, he wondered who or what it was he had seen prowling inside the Forest. For some reason, he could not get the sight of that thing out of his head. It occurred to him that it was probably just some type of wild animal or poacher, but he felt it was equally possible that what he saw was something a little more… unpleasant.
Then again, it was also possible that he was simply being needlessly paranoid. Bronze Star managed to put this matter out of his mind for the present, as it was trivial compared to the other subject on his mind.
This other subject was his agenda for the day. Although Bronze Star had lost track of time, he was certain that Princess Celestia would be arriving in town in less than two hours. There was a lot left to do before his mother got in, and the parasprites had added even more to his workload. Bronze Star sighed in weariness at this prospect.
At this time, Applejack was trotting alongside the gold stallion. She turned to him and queried "Somethin' botherin' ya, Bronze?"
"Yeah," Bronze Star straightforwardly admitted, "I was hoping to have all work done long before my mother gets in. Now because of those parasprites, I'm way behind schedule. In fact, other than mailing an envelope to Canterlot, I haven't accomplished anything else on my agenda. If anything, I've got more to do, seeing as how we also have to repair the damage the parasprites inflicted on the town."
"I get what you're sayin'," Applejack professed, "Don't let time constraints trouble you. Think of them as more an objective than an obstacle. That's what I always do, and I always get things done on time. Plus, there's no reason for you to do everything by yourself. I'm sure there are plenty of ponies in this town who are willing to lend you a hoof. Present company included."
The other four mares smiled and nodded in agreement. Bronze Star was very grateful for this friendly gesture, as well as for Applejack's kind words. He grinned at the orange mare and told her appreciatively "Thanks, Applejack. That did a lot to boost my confidence."
"No problem, sugar cube," she assured him, smiling back, "Regardless of how many things we've got on our timetable, I'm certain we can find a way to get them all done before Princess Celestia shows up. And in the unlikely event that we don't, do you really think she would be disappointed?"
Bronze Star had to admit that Applejack made an excellent point. He replied with "No, I suppose not. Inn actuality, I'm not worried about displeasing my mother. To tell you the truth, I've rarely ever seen her upset or frustrated. And most of the times when she was, she was not in a public place. What I'm really concerned about is whether or not this town will impress her. Sure, it's easy enough for me to impress her, but parents are expected to be fascinated with their children's deeds. However, it's not easy for most other people to impress her, but I want her to get the right kind of notion from this town."
"That actually makes perfect sense," Fluttershy perceived.
"Yeah, it does," Rainbow Dash coincided, "Still, I wouldn't worry too much Bronze. Princess Celestia seemed to enjoy being here during the Summer Sun Celebration."
"Yes, and that was an official holiday," Rarity pointed out, "Since today is meant to be a cordial get-together, I doubt Princess Celestia would expect anything more from us than she did at the Celebration."
"I suppose that's true," Bronze Star admitted. He let out a contented sigh and remarked "Guess I'm just overthinking this whole thing."
"No, you're just trying to be thorough, Bronze," Twilight hypothesized, "There's nothing wrong with that. The ability to analyze and organize your to-do list is a valuable asset."
Bronze Star merely nodded in agreement. After a short period of quietness, he proposed "If we ARE going to finish those arrangements, let's get back to town. We certainly won't accomplish anything by trotting and talking."
The five mares agreed to this suggestion. The group picked up their pace a little as they headed back to town. On the way, Twilight and Bronze went over their respective agendas and distributed assignments for the others to handle. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity were willing to accept everything that was asked of them. They were just as determined to get the town in order by the time Princess Celestia arrived in Ponyville.
Just before they got back to town, Applejack leaned over to Bronze Star and whispered "By the way, Bronze, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. When Princess Celestia gets here, should we tell her about… us?"
Bronze Star was caught off-guard by that question. He and Applejack had been seeing each other for weeks, and not once had he thought about when or if he would tell his mother about the nature of their relationship. Oddly enough, he had not even considered this issue until now. However, now that it had been brought up, he felt it should be addressed. He turned to Applejack and stated quietly "That depends. Do you WANT her to know about us?"
"Yes, I do," Applejack disclosed, "I'd like her to know very much. After all, my family already knows about us. Sooner or later, we're going to have to tell yours, too."
"I can't dispute that," Bronze Star candidly admitted, "My mother will be spending the majority of her time in public today. However, she's always found a way to make time for me. I could easily convince her to make some time to have a private audience with the two of us."
"That's great," Applejack commented, "It doesn't have to be long. All I'd need is five minutes."
Bronze Star lightly scoffed and remarked "Just five minutes? That's hardly enough time to get to know her."
"Yeah, but right now, my first concern is not becoming a personal acquaintance of Princess Celestia," Applejack informed him, "For the moment, all I'm curious to know is whether or not your mother would… approve of me."
Bronze Star was somewhat surprised to hear that. However, he could tell that Applejack was quite serious when she said that last statement. He merely smiled, patted her on the back, and told her in assurance "Oh, she will, Applejack. Believe me."
The orange mare gazed at the gold stallion and asked "You think so?"
"I know so," he responded, "She's an excellent judge of character, and I predict that she'll more than 'approve' of your character. In fact, I'm so sure of that that I'd bet my crown on it."
Applejack scoffed and thought aloud "In that case, I'm confident, too."
The group continued in silence for the rest of the way back to town. A couple minutes later, the six ponies reached Fluttershy's cottage. They were about to go their separate ways and handle their respective tasks. Alas, before they could do that, Fluttershy went to the front entrance of her house, opened the door… and thousands of parasprites soared out of it.
At first glance, it appeared that they had come out of nowhere. Then Fluttershy revealed that she had kept one of the parasprites from the first swarm. One single parasprite had produced thousands of companions in under fifteen minutes.
Bronze Star suggested rounding them up again, but Twilight Sparkle insisted that they did not have the time. They needed a faster strategy. Luckily, Rainbow Dash had one. She donned a pair of goggles and began rapidly flying in circles around the new swarm parasprites. She flew so fast that within fifteen seconds, she had generated an artificial twister. After she managed to lure every last parasprite into the vortex, she began carefully inching the twister towards the Everfree Forest.
Unfortunately, before she could get even close to the Forest, Pinkie Pie showed up with a pair of cymbals. The cymbals got caught by the suction from Rainbow Dash's twister, and they were pulled right into the eye of the vortex. Their sudden appearance broke Rainbow's concentration, and the cyan mare was thrown off balance. Seconds later, the twister faded away and the parasprites escaped.
While Rainbow Dash regained her coordination, Bronze Star and the other mares confronted Pinkie Pie on her interference. She was unfazed by her mistake, and she insisted that the cymbals were more important than the twister. She demanded a chance to explain herself, but the others were not in the mood to hear her out. They felt they had more pressing matters to attend to. The parasprites were now heading towards Ponyville. Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy hastily chased after them. Pinkie Pie was left alone to search for her missing cymbals.
As soon as they reached the town, the tiny creatures started consuming every edible substance in sight. Not just food, but flowers and herbs as well.
"What do we do?" Fluttershy queried anxiously, "They're eating all the food in town."
Applejack gasped and shouted "My apples!"
The orange mare galloped as fast as her legs could carry her to Sweet Apple Acres. Bronze Star would have gone with her, but the infestation had not spread to the apple plantation just yet. He was hoping to contain and stop the swarm before they reached Applejack's home.
"We've gotta do something," Twilight Sparkle declared. She thought for a moment, and then she gasped and announced "I got it! I'll cast a spell to make them stop eating all the food."
"Go for it," Bronze Star encouraged her.
Twilight closed her eyes, took a moment to focus, and cast the spell. She made sure to cast it over the entire town so that every single parasprite was struck by it.
The effect was immediate; the parasprites seemed to stop giving in to their gluttonous tendencies. They did not so much as touch a single morsel of food in town.
"What kind of spell is this?" Bronze Star enquired in interest.
"Its primary purpose is to alter one's food preferences," Twilight Sparkle apprised him, "It's most commonly used to help people with eating disorders adapt healthier eating habits. In the most extreme case, it can be used to force one to dislike anything even remotely edible altogether. That's precisely what I did here."
"Well, it seems to have worked," Brozne Star commented.
Just then, Pinkie Pie zipped into the area and called out "Look, tambourines! If you could all just..."
This time, the others did not even acknowledge her presence. She screamed in frustration and zoomed out of the area.
Twilight Sparkle thought they had finally caught a break. However, less than twenty seconds later, she was proven quite wrong. The parasprites started eating buckets, signs, lampposts, and several other things that were not meant to be ingested. However, they left everything that could be eaten untouched.
"Heh; hey, it worked," Rainbow Dash muttered in a very disdainful tone, "They're not eating the food anymore."
Rarity panicked when she realized what this would imply if the parasprites got into her store. She rushed towards Carousel Boutique to save her outfits. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy tried to push the parasprites out of Ponyville, but their efforts were in vain. Fluttershy naively tried negotiating with them again, and Rainbow Dash ended up getting chased by them once more.
Twilight Sparkle ran into the library. After surveying the damage, she grabbed the nearest parasprite and bolted back outside. She appeared to be heading in the direction of the Everfree Forest. Bronze Star galloped alongside her and inquired "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes, Zecora's place," she enlightened him, "Since she and the parasprites both live in the Everfree Forest, she might know how we can stop them."
"Well, good luck with that," Bronze Star remarked, "Keep your eyes open while you're in the Forest. Get back as soon as possible. I'll stay here and see what I can do on this end."
"Alright, I'll see you soon," Twilight Sparkle asserted.
As the lavender mare headed towards the Forest, the gold stallion made his way to the barracks. He notified Copper Hollow that they had a "situation." In response, the deputy swiftly mobilized the town's security forces.
Within minutes, every single security officer was out on the streets. They did everything they could to keep the parasprites at bay. Each and every one of them had been trained with weapons, combat, and defense. They managed to repel or eliminate a large percentage of the swarm. Unfortunately, despite being well-armed and well-trained, they were immeasurably outnumbered. Within ten minutes, the town's entire security force was overwhelmed.
Bronze Star was absolutely fed up with the parasprites by this point. He turned to the bird on his shoulder and ordered him "Show them no mercy, Arthur."
The hawk did not have to be told twice. He ascended into the air and put his talons to use. He slashed at every parasprite that came within his reach. Many of them immediately collapsed dead. A few were just wounded, and the rest were left totally unharmed. Bronze Star smiled at the sight. Maybe things were finally starting to look up.
Or at least, it would have. During Arthur's onslaught, one of his feathers had gotten plucked out of his right wing. One of the parasprites spotted it and ate it whole. It seemed to like the taste, so it attempted to eat Arthur's other feathers... while they were still attached to his wings. Soon several of the other parasprites tried to do the same thing.
Arthur quickly realized what was going on. Before he got bit by any of the tiny creatures, he flew back towards his master, shrieking in fright. The gold stallion opened up his knapsack and gestured for his hawk to fly into it. Arthur complied and landed in his master's bag. Once he was safely inside, the young prince closed the knapsack and secured it.
"Just stay in there, Arthur," Bronze Star whispered to his pet, "You'll be alright as long as they can't see you."
A minute later, Twilight Sparkle returned to Ponyville. Bronze Star trotted over to her and asked her desperately "Well, what did she say?"
"We're doomed," Twilight bluntly replied, "That's all she told me."
"Are you kidding me?!" he exclaimed restlessly.
"I wish I was," she anxiously rejoined, "The worst part is that that's not all."
She then pointed upwards over her shoulder. Bronze Star looked up in that direction and saw what she meant. In the sky, a golden chariot was being hauled by two Pegasi clad in the uniforms of the Royal Guard. A white Alicorn was sitting in the carriage. That carriage was his mother's carriage, and his mother was the passenger. If her chariot was visible from this distance, then she would reach Ponyville within a few minutes.
All around them, ponies were screaming and fleeing through the town. The parasprites continued feasting on the town. Twilight Sparkle looked around in worry. Then she grinned. But it was not a cheerful grin; it was the kind of grin that suggests an unsound mind. Twilight Sparkle shouted in a shaky, uneven voice "Okay, here's the plan. Rainbow Dash, you distract them."
Rainbow Dash was still being pursued by the parasprites. She zipped by the town square and shouted "YAAAA!"
Twilight Sparkle did not seem to mind. From her point of view, Rainbow Dash was creating an ideal diversion. She shiftily declared "Good. Everyone else, we need to build an exact copy of Ponyville right over there. We've got less than a minute."
Evidently, the lavender mare was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Bronze Star seized her by her shoulders, looked her in the eye, and shouted "Twilight, pull yourself together! Now's not the time to go berserk."
Twilight Sparkle stared at him in shock for a few seconds. Then she eased down and nodded in compliance. She muttered in defeat "Zecora was right, we're doomed."
Bronze Star would have said something to comfort his friend. Before he could get a single word out, the sound of polka music filled the air. When Twilight heard it, she pronounced "Oh no, the princess's procession is here. It's all over!"
She ducked down to the ground, as if she was expecting to be struck down by a higher power. Bronze Star looked around for the source of the music. He saw somepony trotting down the street. He raised an eyebrow, leaned down to the lavender mare, and told her "That's not her procession, Twilight. Look."
The lavender mare opened her eyes and rose to her full height. To her surprise, Pinkie Pie was the source of the music. She was carrying all the musical instruments she had spent the last day gathering. She had them attached to her so that she could play all of them at the same time, as though she was a one-mare band. Twilight Sparkle was flabbergasted by the sight. She muttered agitatedly "Pinkie? We're in the middle of a crisis here. This is no time for your... nonsense?"
She had muttered that last word in an intrigued tone of voice. She noticed that the music was having a peculiar effect on the parasprites. They ceased their relentless consuming of the town, and they turned their attention towards the pink mare. They seemed to be mesmerized by her music. Then one-by-one, they started following her. They hopped along the ground as she led them away from town.
"Look," Twilight announced to nopony in particular.
Currently, Bronze Star, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy were the only people in the area. The five of them and Twilight Sparkle followed Pinkie Pie and the trail of parasprites. They appeared to be heading towards the Everfree Forest.
A minute later, the other ponies discovered that that was indeed the case. When Pinkie Pie arrived at the edge of the Forest, she stopped trotting, but she continued playing her music. The parasprites bounced right past her and entered the Forest one at a time.
Bronze Star and the five mares stopped when they were about fifty feet away from the edge of the Forest. By now, Princess Celestia's chariot had changed course, and it was approaching the group of six. The two Royal Guards brought it in for a landing. Once the carriage was on the ground, its single passenger stood up straight and slowly climbed out. She smiled at the lavender mare and addressed her with "Twilight Sparkle, my prized pupil."
"Hello, princess," the magic student casually replied, bowing to the regal mare. The other four mares and the stallion bowed as well.
"So lovely to see you again, as well as your friends," Princess Celestia happily declared.
Once the six ponies rose to their full height, Bronze Star trotted over the white mare. He wanted to speak openly with her, but he was not certain if that would be a good idea in front of the two Royal Guard. His mother noticed this and assured him "It's alright. They know."
Bronze Star smiled and stated "Good."
He then stepped forward and embraced his mother. She gladly returned the embrace and whispered "I've missed you dearly, Bronze Star."
"I've missed you, too, Mother," he quietly murmured "It's wonderful to see you."
They remained together for a moment, and then a crash of cymbals from Pinkie Pie cut that moment short.
Twilight Sparkle then stepped in and attempted to make Smalltalk. "So... how was the trip? Hit much traffic?"
Bronze Star glared at her in amazement, as if to say "Seriously?" But to be fair, she was not exactly an expert with Smalltalk.
Just then, one of the parasprites flew up to Princess Celestia. She seemed touched by it, and she remarked in admiration "Ah, what is this? Oh ho ho, these creatures are adorable."
"They're not that adorable," Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.
Princess Celestia turned her attention back to Twilight Sparkle and Bronze Star. She declared "I'm terribly honored that you and the good citizens of Ponyville have organized a parade in honor of my visit."
"Parade?" Twilight Sparkle asked in confusion. Bronze Star elbowed her in the side and wordlessly pointed out Pinkie Pie. The lavender mare quickly realized what Celestia meant, and she went with it. "Oh. Yes, the parade."
"Unfortunately, that visit is going to have to wait for another time," Princess Celestia revealed, "I'm afraid an emergency has come up in Fillydelphia. Apparently there's been some sort of infestation."
The stallion and the five mares were stunned by this news. Twilight Sparkle uttered in disbelief "An... infestation?"
"Yes, a swarm of incredibly bothersome creatures has invaded the poor town," Princess Celestia clarified, "I'm sorry, Bronze and Twilight, to have to put you all through so much trouble."
"Trouble?" Twilight asked rhetorically, "What trouble?"
"We understand, Mother," Bronze Star calmly assured the white Alicorn, "Go ahead and aid the people of Fillydelphia. We don't mind postponing; Ponyville will still be here after that crisis has been resolved."
Celestia was pleased to see that her son was as optimistic as ever. As she began to climb back into her carriage, she looked over at Twilight and stated "Before I have to go, would you care to give me your latest report on the magic of friendship in person?"
"My... report?" Twilight tentatively enquired.
"Haven't you learned anything about friendship?" Celestia queried in a somewhat dissatisfied tone.
Twilight Sparkle thought about this situation in perspective. She noticed Pinkie Pie near the edge of the Forest, and that gave her an idea. She proclaimed "Actually, I have. I've learned that sometimes the solution to your problems can come from where you least expect it. It's a good idea to stop and listen to your friends' opinions and perspectives..."
She was momentarily interrupted by a crash of cymbals. She then wrapped her statement up with "Even when they don't always seem to make sense."
Princess Celestia nodded in approval and avowed "I'm so proud of you, Twilight Sparkle, and I'm very impressed with your friends as well. It sounds like you're all learning so much from each other."
"Thank you, princess," Twilight replied appreciatively.
By now, Princess Celestia was sitting comfortably in her chariot. Before she gave her guards the order to take off, she turned to her son and informed him "Oh, by the way, Bronze Star. There is something you should know. Lord Bellerophon asked me to give you a message. A verbal message."
"Alright, Mother," the gold stallion acknowledged, stepping closer, "What might that be?"
"He claims that he needs to speak with you sometime in the near future," Celestia apprised him.
"About what?" enquired Bronze Star.
"He did not specify," Celestia disclosed, "All he said was that it 'concerned a very personal and delicate matter.'"
Bronze Star's eyes lit up at that. He asked his mother "Were those his exact words?"
"Yes, down to the last syllable," Celestia affirmed.
"Okay, I understand," Bronze Star asserted, "When you get back to the capital city, please tell him that I'll see him within the next solar cycle."
Celestia nodded her head in acknowledgement. Then she grinned at the gold stallion and declared "He'll be waiting. As will I."
After saying good-bye to her son and his friends, Princess Celestia departed from the town on her chariot. Pinkie Pie had been playing her instruments this entire time. The very last parasprite had gone into the Forest a few seconds beforehand.
The pink mare trotted over to her friends. When she noticed that the chariot was gone, she asked in concern "Hey, what happened to the princess?"
"Emergency in Fillydelphia," Twilight Sparkle enlightened her.
"Some sort of infestation," Rainbow Dash simplified.
"Oh no!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "Have they got parasprites too? Well, have tuba, will travel."
She was about to start playing her instruments again, but Twilight Sparkle interceded and told the pink mare "I think the princess can handle it."
"So you knew what those critters were all along, huh Pinkie Pie?" Applejack presumed.
"Well, DUH!" Pinkie sarcastically retorted, "Why do you think I was so frantic to get my hooves on all these instruments? I tried to tell you."
"We know, Pinkie Pie," Twilight assured her, "And we're sorry we didn't listen."
"Yeah, it wasn't right of us to ignore you like that, Pinkie," Bronze Star conceded.
Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash simultaneously apologized to the pink mare as well. She accepted their apologies happily.
"You're a great friend, even if we don't always understand you," Twilight averred.
"Thanks, guys," Pinkie Pie expressed to her friends, "You're all great friends too, even when I don't understand me."
"Which is probably all the time," Bronze Star muttered jokingly.
All the mares got a good laugh at that. Pinkie laughed the loudest. To her, that remark was funny because it was true.
Once the laughter subsided, Twilight proclaimed. "You saved my reputation with Princess Celestia, and more importantly, you saved Ponyville."
"Umm… not to break your spirit, but you might want to take another look at the town," Bronze Star proposed.
Nopony said anything in response to that. The six mares started making their way back to Ponyville. Before he went anywhere, Bronze Star opened up his knapsack and let Arthur out. The hawk gazed around the area suspiciously, as if he was looking for any sign of the parasprites.
Bronze Star scoffed and assured his pet "Don't worry, Arthur. They're all gone. No one's going to try to eat your feathers anymore."
That was all the assurance the Colonel needed. He climbed out of the knapsack and returned to his master's shoulder. Bronze Star smiled and turned to his front. He was still facing the Everfree Forest at this time. Just before he turned away, he stopped.
He thought he saw movement somewhere amongst the trees. A few seconds later, he confirmed that something was moving in there. He squinted a little, and then he realized that the moving object was shaped like an equine. So somepony and not something was roaming through the Forest.
After slithering through the overgrown foliage for a few seconds, the shadowy figure turned directly towards the entrance of the Forest. It appeared to be staring straight back at Bronze Star. The gold stallion felt his blood run cold when the mysterious apparition noticed him. He was not necessarily intimidated by the figure; there was just something about it that made him feel profusely uncomfortable.
The figure remained motionless for nearly a minute. Then it turned around and sprinted deeper into the Forest.
Bronze Star considered pursuing it, but SIG Sauer had trained him to make decisions out of wise judgment, not out of impulse. So he chose to let the figure go. For now, that is. Something told him that this was not the last he would see of it.
"Bronze, are you coming?" Applejack called out.
"Yeah, I'll be right there," Bronze Star responded, looking over his shoulder.
He quickly turned back to the Forest to get one last glimpse of the figure, but it had already disappeared. The gold stallion sighed and went back to Ponyville with the six mares.
When they got there, the town's condition was less than stellar. Buildings were damaged, decorations were tattered, the streets were full of debris, and the people were still in shock.
Upon discovering the current state of Ponyville, Twilight finished her statement from earlier with "...Or not."
Pinkie Pie then appeared near the front of the town square and played a dismal melody on a trombone.
"Well, at least we preserved the town's image," Bronze Star pointed out.
"Not its physical image," Rarity debated.
"Perhaps not," Bronze Star coincided, "But what's better? To be rich in appearance and scorned, or to be humble in appearance and respected?"
"I don't think 'humble' quite describes the town right now, Bronze," Rainbow Dash proclaimed.
"I have to agree," Fluttershy concurred, "The town is a wreck."
"Then we'll just have to pick up the pieces and put them back together," Bronze Star proposed, "With luck, we'll be finished by the end of the day."
"That might be pushin' it a little," Applejack perceived.
"Maybe, but I'm still hoping we'll be done by then," Bronze Star pronounced, "Mostly because I'd hate to leave the town in this state, but if we're not finished by tomorrow, I'll have to."
"What are you talking about?" Twilight enquired.
"Tomorrow I won't be here," Bronze Star illuminated, "I have to go to Canterlot."
The six mares were alarmed to hear this news. Rarity asked him "Why didn't you mention this earlier?"
"Because I myself didn't find out until about ten minutes ago," Bronze Star expounded, "You remember when my mother said that Lord Bellerophon wanted to talk to me about something that 'concerned a very personal and delicate matter?'"
"Yes, we were there when she said it," Fluttershy replied.
"Well, you see, as the chief of staff of Canterlot Castle, Lord Bellerophon handles a lot of sensitive information," Bronze Star informed the mares, "A lot of it pertains to the military and various government agencies. Since I have a large footing in both of those fields, Lord Bellerophon comes directly to me whenever he picks up something of the sort. In order to keep the information confidential, we speak to each other through code."
Rainbow Dash whistled in fascination. "You must be serious if you have this much secrecy."
"Oh, I'm VERY serious," Bronze Star confirmed, "When Lord Bellerophon picks up something that 'concerns a very personal and delicate matter,' that means that something big has happened. Something so critical and pertinent that it requires my immediate attention."
"Is that why you need to go to Canterlot?" Pinkie Pie presumed.
"Correct," Bronze Star replied, "I plan to leave for the capital city sometime tomorrow morning. Under normal circumstances, I'd go there tonight or sometime sooner, but like I said, I'd hate to leave Ponyville in its current state. So I can afford to remain in town for another twenty-four hours."
"Well, that's good news for all of us," Rarity perceived.
"Yeah, we could use another couple pairs of hooves to help pick up the town," Applejack wryly commented.
A couple of the other mares glared at her. She just smirked and added in "But more importantly, Bronze will be able to stay with us for another whole day. Don't worry, girls; I've got my priorities straight."
The others stopped glaring at her and chuckled at Applejack's comment. Bronze Star gave a hearty chuckle, too.
Once they had their laugh, Twilight looked around the area and announced "At any rate, we've got a town to fix. We'll need all the help we can get to mend the wounds."
"No kiddin'," Applejack coincided, "Sweet Apple Acres probably got the worst of it. The parasprites ate my house to the ground."
"They did?" Bronze Star asked in astonishment.
"Yeah," Applejack sadly averred, "On the bright side, they didn't eat any of our valuables, family heirlooms, or anything else we couldn't afford to lose. Despite this, almost the entire house was demolished. All they didn't get was the framework."
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Applejack," Bronze Star told the orange mare apologetically, "Would you like me to help you rebuild your house?"
"I'd be very grateful for that, Bronze," Applejack disclosed, "However, at the moment, we don't have all the materials we'd need to raise another barn. It would probably be a couple days before we can get our hooves on enough lumber."
"I should be back in town by then," Bronze Star thought aloud, "I can help you raise the new barn then."
"Sounds good to me," Applejack replied. She paused for a moment, and then she commented "In the meantime, we'll need another place to lodge until the new barn is up."
"Well, you're welcome to stay at the embassy until then," the gold stallion proposed.
Applejack perked up greatly at that. She grinned and asked hopefully "You're serious?"
"Quite," Bronze Star confirmed, "You and your family need somepony to put a roof over your heads until the new barn is up. I'm more than willing to provide one."
At that, Applejack stepped up to the gold stallion and threw her front legs around him. He was a little surprised by this sudden action, but he quickly settled down and hugged her back. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie smiled at the sight.
"Thank you so much, Bronze," the orange mare stated appreciatively, "Don't know what I'd do without you."
He patted her on the back and told her "It's no trouble at all, AJ. You invited me into your home last night. Now I'd like to return the favor."
"I like the sound of that," Applejack confessed.
"Great," Bronze Star commented, "Now shall we go find Granny Smith, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom?"
"Sure," Applejack replied, "Big Mac and Granny should still be at the ranch, and I'm pretty sure Apple Bloom's back home by now."
"Then let's head on over there," Bronze Star recommended.
The farmer in the hat nodded in approval at this idea. Then she and the prince made their way towards Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight Sparkle and the other mares busied themselves with cleaning up the mess the town had made.
On their way to Sweet Apple Acres, Bronze Star turned to Applejack and told her "By the way, tomorrow when I see my mother, I'll be sure to bring us up to her."
"Alright, I'd appreciate that," Applejack informed him, "I'd just like to know one thing. Are you SURE she would approve of our relationship?"
"Absolutely," Bronze Star said in reassurance, "And even if she doesn't, I'm certain I can convince her to accept it."
"Okay," Applejack acknowledged, "But I wouldn't want to stir up a disagreement between you and you're your mother, so please don't go to too much trouble."
"It's no trouble," he assured her, "No trouble at all."