//------------------------------//
// Sprawling Boundaries 
// Story: Fortune Favors The Bold 
// by TheEquestrianWing 
//------------------------------//

Soon after this, Bronze Star and Applejack got to Sweet Apple Acres. Just as the orange mare had said, the barn was a wreck. Big McIntosh and Granny Smith had already salvaged what they could from the ruins. Apple Bloom was helping them sort out their possessions and storing them in the barn.

Despite the dreary mood of the scenario, the three ponies managed to greet Applejack and Bronze Star when they arrived. Bronze Star took a moment to survey the debris, and while he was no architect, he could tell easily enough that it would indeed be impossible to reconstruct the house using only the remaining lumber.

Big McIntosh mentioned that he planned to order a shipment of lumber to rebuild the house. However, he knew it would take at least four or five days for the shipment to arrive. Since the Apples had no place to stay, Bronze Star presented his offer for them to stay with him at the embassy. After a minute of thinking, Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith happily accepted his offer, much to the delight of Applejack.

Bronze Star gave the Apples some time to gather together any essentials they would need. Applejack, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom were ready within a few minutes. Granny Smith needed a little more time, as she wanted to make sure that all the photographs of the Apple Family were accounted for.

Once she assembled all the photographs, she put them all away into some boxes. She muttered the names of her family members aloud as she stored their respective photographs. This was the fourth time in the past two days that Bronze Star had heard the list of the entire Apple Family. Alicorns had excellent memory, especially young Alicorns. By this point in time, Bronze Star practically knew the list of the Apple Family almost as well as Granny did.

Once Granny Smith was finished storing the photographs, she left the barn. After Big McIntosh locked it up, the five ponies departed from the plantation and made their way to the embassy.

As soon as they got there, Bronze Star showed the Apples to the guest bedrooms. Up until now, Bronze Star had been the only pony living at the embassy. Even if one excluded the rooms that Princess Luna and the other guests had stayed in, there was more than enough space for the Apples.

It did not take the four ponies long to pick which rooms they would stay in. Unsurprisingly, Applejack chose the room that adjoined Bronze Star's room.

After the ponies got settled, they headed back outside to help their fellow citizens clean up Ponyville. A lot of the residents were disappointed that Princess Celestia rescheduled her visit, but they took comfort in the fact that she did not see the town in its current condition.

By the early evening, Ponyville had been more or less returned to its original status. There were still some buildings that needed a bit of repairing, but the residents felt those could wait until tomorrow.

At the embassy that night, Bronze Star made dinner. He planned to prepare the entire meal by himself, but Applejack insisted that he let her help him. He gladly accepted her offer. As he prepared the meal, Bronze Star could not help but scoff at the irony in this situation. Last night, the Apple Family had HIM over for dinner. Now their places were reversed; HE was the host and THEY were the guests.

During dinner, Bronze Star informed the Apples that he was leaving for Canterlot first thing in the morning. He explained that there was some business in Canterlot that he needed to accomplish. When they asked what, he simply yet apologetically told them that it was confidential. They respected his privacy, so they let the matter go. While Granny Smith, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom were a little stunned that Bronze Star was going away on such short notice, they were relieved to know that he planned to return to Ponyville the day after tomorrow. He asked them to look after the embassy and make themselves at home until he got back. Naturally, they were more than willing to do this.

After dinner, Bronze Star went up to his room and proceeded to pack up. Since he would only be in Canterlot for twenty-four hours, he packed rather lightly. All he really needed were some documents, his government credentials, and some money for the train fare. He made sure to take the files on Material Study and Lavender Dazzle, as well. Those folders contained information vital to government security; Bronze Star would not dare leave town without them.

Bronze Star decided to bring Arthur, too. He wanted his pet hawk to accompany him for a variety of reasons, primarily that they enjoyed each other's company.

Excluding Arthur, Bronze Star managed to fit everything he was going to bring into his knapsack. He was pleased to discover this. As much as he enjoyed exercising, he was not particularly fond of lugging around bulging, heavy suitcases without magic.

The next morning, Bronze Star got up at seven o'clock like he usually did. After showering, he headed downstairs for breakfast. When he got to the kitchen, he found Applejack, Big McIntosh, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom already there. Initially, he was surprised that the four of them were up before him. Then it occurred to him that his guests belonged to a clan that was renowned for manual labor, long hours of work, and agricultural productivity. In other words, the only people who woke up earlier than politicians and soldiers were farmers.

As soon as breakfast was over, Bronze Star went upstairs to retrieve his knapsack and Arthur. Then he made his way to the train depot. The Apples wanted to see him off, so they went with him.

They arrived at the depot five minutes before the eight-thirty train was scheduled to depart. That gave the gold stallion enough time to give a proper good-bye to his four acquaintances.

"You all have a nice day," the gold stallion bade them.

"You, too, Mr. Streak," Granny Smith rejoined, "It's still a pity ya have to leave so suddenly, but as they say in the capital city, duty calls."

"Precisely, Granny Smith," Bronze Star coincided.

"Well, hope ya have fun anyway," Apple Bloom said excitedly, "By the way, are you going to see the Princess?"

"There's a huge possibility that I will," Bronze Star replied, "Most of my business takes place at the castle. My work there could take the better part of the day, so it's likely that I'll have an audience with Celestia sometime today. Still, I'll have a whole lot going on, so I may not be able to see her."

"You plannin' to be busy all day?" Big McIntosh presumed.

"Probably," Bronze Star responded, "But if I have enough free time, I think I'll stop by my mother's place, too."

"Oh, that's lovely," Granny Smith commented, "I can respect that; family is the most important thing in everyday life."

"Sure is," Apple Bloom agreed.

"Eeyup," said Big McIntosh.

Applejack then approached the gold stallion and queried expectantly "You going to tell her about us?"

"I just might do that," he stated half-teasingly and half-seriously.

"Well, in any case, tell your mother we said 'Hello,'" Granny Smith requested.

"Yeah, and if you see Princess Celestia, could you tell her we said 'hello,' too?" Apple Bloom added in.

"Yes, I shall on both accounts," Bronze Star assured them, smirking. The smirk was attributed to the fact that the elderly mare and the filly were unaware that his mother and Princess Celestia were the same pony.

"All aboard!" the conductor announced.

Bronze Star took that as his cue to get on the train. He slung his knapsack over his shoulder and trotted over to the nearest car. Once he stepped inside of it, he turned back to the Apples and waved at them as he called out "I'll see you when I get back!"

"We'll be waitin' here for ya!" Applejack happily declared as she, her siblings, and her grandmother waved back.

The young prince and the farmers waved at each other until the doors slid shut. Bronze Star then stepped away from the doors and looked around for an empty seat. Just as he found one and sat down, the train started moving.

Believe it or not, Bronze Star had never been on a train in his entire life. However, he had no complaints about riding in this one. It rolled very smoothly, the crew were friendly, and he had plenty of personal space.

He spent most of the trip reading and looking over his papers. Every now and then, he glanced out the window to catch a glimpse of the scenery. Although the train was travelling quickly, it was not moving so fast that it blurred the scenery. Whenever he looked to his left, Bronze Star was rewarded with the sight of the impressive landscape.

The same could not quite be said for whenever he looked to his right. That is not to say Bronze Star was disturbed or annoyed by anything. The activity going on inside the car was just as peaceful and serene as what was going on outside of it. Everypony was minding their own business and speaking with their inside voices.

However, there was something peculiar about the mare seated across from Bronze Star. Every time he turned towards her, she was looking in a different direction. She gazed out the window, behind her seat, towards the security guard at the head of the train, and just about everywhere else. Except towards Bronze Star.

Normally, the gold stallion would not have minded this. However, the mare appeared to be purposely avoiding looking at Bronze Star. That struck him as odd.

The way Bronze Star saw it, there were only two reasons why a person would try to avoid looking at somepony by looking at everything else around them. Either the first pony was going to great length to ignore the other individual, or the first pony wanted the other party to think they were ignoring them.

Bronze Star could not imagine of why anypony would try so hard to ignore him. After all, nopony on the train knew his true identity. He recognized some of the train's other passengers as his neighbors from Ponyville. However, all of those ponies only knew him as the town's ambassador, and he was on fair terms with all of them.

With that in mind, Bronze Star wondered if the mare across from him was actually spying on him. That was the only explanation he had for her strange behavior. If that was the case, that bid the question; what did she find so "interesting" about him? He had never seen her before in his life. Maybe she had seen him? In Canterlot?

If so, maybe she recognized him, even without his wings and horn.

Just the concept of this worried Bronze Star. Luckily, he was able to dismiss his concerns after a few minutes. SIG Sauer had trained him to be aware of everything going on around him, and to question what everypony he saw was thinking. That way he would remain vigilant and alert, and he would never be caught off guard. However, a side effect of this mentality was that holding on to it for too long could cause one to become overly suspicious or paranoid. Bronze Star theorized that perhaps he was just thinking this way. Perhaps it was produced by a combination of all the conflicting emotions he had in his mind, such as the delight of going home to Canterlot and the apprehension of what Bellerophon so urgently wanted to talk about.

At any rate, Bronze Star ultimately dropped the matter altogether. He quickly diverted his attention from the mare across from him and returned it to his papers. He continued reading until the train pulled into the station at the capital city.

Bronze Star was amongst the first ponies to disembark from the train when the cars' doors opened. He had patiently endured the long train ride, but he was very much looking forward to seeing a few certain ponies who lived in the capital city.

Bronze Star calmly made his way towards the castle. After trotting for a few blocks, he began getting strange looks from several ponies in the area. At first they were just glances in his direction. But soon it got to be that the further he travelled, the more numerous and lengthy the stares became.

At first, he assumed these people were being wary of Arthur. Hawks did have a reputation as violent, carnivorous hunters, after all. Then Bronze Star had a more practical thought. Before he moved to Ponyville, he often appeared in public to give a speech or something else. Because of that, many of the citizens of the capital city could recognize him on sight. If his wings and horn were not concealed at this time, he most certainly would have gotten much more than stares by now.

To avoid attracting any more attention, Bronze Star soon quickened his pace to a gallop. He reached the main entrance of the castle in less than ten minutes. When he got there, he eased down and steadily crossed the drawbridge. Then he got out his government clearance and presented it to the Royal Guard positioned at the massive front doors. Once his credentials were deemed to be in order, Bronze Star was allowed entrance to the castle.

Needless to say, the gold stallion was quite relieved once he was inside the walls of the gigantic fortress. Not only because nopony was staring at him anymore, but also because he was deeply comforted by the building's interiors.

Although the embassy in Ponyville had served as his home for the past two months, the castle had always been his real home. He had been born in it, raised in it, received his education in it, trained in it, and led the nation in it. When he first left Canterlot, he felt as though he had left behind a piece of himself. Other than his wings and horn, of course.

On that note, Bronze Star anticipated that he would have a full agenda for that day, and his first objective was to regain his original image. In order for that to happen, he would need his mother to disable the illusion spell on his back and forehead. With that he mind, he proceeded to navigate through the building's corridors until he reached the throne room.

There were two more Royal Guard stationed there; both Unicorns. As he reached for his knapsack, Bronze Star told them "Excuse me; I just need a moment to find my pass."

One of the guards just smiled and remarked "That won't be necessary, sir. We know it's you."

Bronze Star was a little stunned, but he almost immediately eased down. He let go of his knapsack and scoffed, saying "Oh, well. You probably would have figured it out when I came back out, anyway."

"Indeed," the other guard coincided, smiling lightly. He and his colleague then used their magic to open up the double doors to the throne room. Once they were all the way open, he genially said to the gold stallion "Welcome home, Your Highness."

Bronze Star lightly nodded in return and trotted into the throne room. Straightaway, he saw his mother across the room, seated in her throne. She was currently talking with an Earth Pony, a Unicorn, and a Pegasus. Bronze Star quickly recognized them as Noble Edict, SIG Sauer, and Lord Bellerophon respectively.

As Bronze Star approached the throne, the others heard his hoofsteps and turned in the direction of them. Bellerophon grinned at the gold stallion and told him "It's great to see you, Your Highness."

"Likewise, Lord Bellerophon," Bronze Star rejoined. He looked around at the four ponies and queried "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, we were just waiting for you to arrive," Bellerophon disclosed, "We decided to pass the time by talking. To be more precise, we were 'chatting.'"

"So I see," Bronze Star drily commented, "In any case, now that I'm here, I believe you have something else you'd like to 'chat' about?"

"Correct, sir," SIG Sauer replied, "Bellerophon and I are ready to bring you up to speed on current events at any time. When would you like to get started?"

"Just as soon as I touch up my image," Bronze Star declared. He turned his attention to Princess Celestia and thought aloud, "Right now, I appear to be out of uniform. In more ways than one. Mother, if you would…?"

"Of course, Bronze Star," the white Alicorn remarked, smiling. She promptly rose from her throne and climbed down the steps. Once she was standing level with her son, Celestia tilted her head towards him and pointed her horn towards his forehead.

Bronze Star looked over at the others and cautioned them "You may want to avert your gaze."

At that, Arthur, Noble Edict, SIG Sauer, Bellerophon, and the Royal Guard tightly shut their eyes. Bronze Star and Celestia closed their eyelids as well. Both of them stood perfectly still for about twenty seconds. Then a huge bright ball of light started forming on the tip of Celestia's horn. Over the next forty seconds, it gradually became larger and brighter. Once it was as large as a globe and as bright as the Sun, Celestia cast the ball of light forward. It gradually drifted towards Bronze Star. The moment it touched his forehead, the entire room was engulfed in a flash of blinding light.

A few seconds later, the light dissipated. Everypony kept their eyes closed for a little while, and they did not open them until they were certain it was safe to do so. Once they regained their vision, they saw that Bronze Star's wings and horn had returned to his back and forehead respectively.

The gold stallion smiled and stretched out his wings, saying in enjoyment "Ah, that's much better."

When Arthur discovered that his master had regained his original appearance, he rose off the gold stallion's shoulder and hovered in the air next to him, squawking in delight.

"The Colonel certainly seems pleased," SIG Sauer noted.

"He must've missed his flying buddy," Bronze Star conjectured, "That or he simply prefers my usual appearance."

"If so, he isn't the only one," Noble Edict interjected, "Although I'm the only person in this room who's seen you more in your disguised form than your true form, I've found that the latter suits you much better, Your Highness."

"Well, thank you, Noble," Bronze Star said appreciatively, "To tell you the truth, while I've enjoyed living life as an Earth Pony in Ponyville, I still haven't gotten used to being without my wings and horn. I still feel somewhat exposed without them. Aside from that, I haven't flown or used magic in almost two months. Any longer and I probably would have started forgetting how to do either."

"You don't regret your decision to go undercover, do you, sir?" SIG Sauer queried.

"No, I have no regrets, SIG," Bronze Star proclaimed," "All the same, I'm not particularly fond of having to choose between the option to live a private life and the things that make me an Alicorn. If only there was a way I could make my horn and wings disappear and reappear at will on my own."

"Actually, Bronze Star, there is such a way," Princess Celestia informed her son.

The gold stallion perked up at that statement. He gazed up at the white Alicorn and queried in interest "What might that be, Mother?"

"There's a certain spell I know that was made especially for this type of scenario," Celestia elucidated, "It's very similar to the illusion charm I've been using to conceal your horn and wings. In fact, it's virtually the exact same spell. The only difference is that you don't have to use your horn to cast it."

"You've already got my attention," Bronze Star commented, "Are you saying I don't even need magic to perform this spell?"

"That is precisely what I'm saying," Celestia affirmed, "You see, there are some spells that rely more on psychological thought and willpower than actual magic. These particular spells can only be performed by Alicorns. Typically, an Alicorn does not learn them until after he or she has undergone the surfacing phase. However, they can still be acquired before then."

"What types of spells are we talking about here?" Bronze Star inquired.

"There are many types for all kinds of magic," Celestia enlightened him, "Defense, tactics, illumination, and – most notably – illusion magic. That brings me to the part you've been waiting to hear. With the proper motivation and training, you can use one such spell to hide your wings and horn in both the visual sense and the physical sense. And if ever you want to bring them back, all you have to do is implement the counter-spell. Once the spell is mastered, using it is as easy as getting dressed."

"I'd very much like to learn that spell," Bronze Star stated eagerly.

"Well, I'd be happy to teach it to you," Celestia offered.

"Very well, Mother," Bronze Star conceded, "Currently, I've got some business with Lord Bellerophon and SIG Sauer that I must attend to. Once I've accomplished everything on our agenda, I'll come back here to learn that spell. Ideally, you can expect me sometime before dinner."

"Then I shall wait up for you," Princess Celestia pronounced.

"Thank you again, Mother," Bronze Star said appreciatively. After a brief period of silence, he looked over at the palomino Pegasus and the pine green Unicorn and beckoned them "Gentlestallions, shall we get to work?"

"Certainly, my Prince," Bellerophon replied.

SIG Sauer lightly nodded in agreement. The two elder stallions bowed once to Princess Celestia, and then the two of them and Bronze Star started trotting to the entrance of the throne room. Arthur flew in the air above his master's head. Noble Edict watched them depart in silence. When they were halfway to the entrance, she looked up at Princess Celestia and stated formally "Request permission to leave, Your Highness."

Princess Celestia smiled and remarked candidly "You do not have to ask permission, Noble. You may leave at your discretion."

"As you say, Your Highness," the red mare acknowledged. She bowed to the white Alicorn in respect and swiftly made her way out of the throne room. She moved at a slightly faster pace than the three stallions. By the time they reached the entrance of the throne room, she caught up to them.

"Hello, Noble," Bronze Star greeted her, "Where you off to?"

"Nowhere in particular," Noble Edict told him, "Would you mind if I trot with you for a while?"

"Not at all," Bronze Star responded. SIG Sauer and Bellerophon did not protest. Their trio quickly became a quartet. They trotted together for a while. After a bit, Bronze Star decided to give his wings a little workout. He had not used them in almost sixty days, and he did not want them to atrophy. He stretched his wings and levitated into the air. His flying patterns were a little rusty, but his wings were as strong and durable as ever.

Bronze Star and Arthur flew a few feet above Noble Edict, Bellerophon, and SIG Sauer as they trotted. As the four ponies and the hawk moved together through the corridors of the castle, Bronze Star announced "Before we go downstairs, let's stop by my room. Since I'll only be reassuming my duties as a member of the Canterlot Royalty for one day, I may as well dress like one to make it more official."

"Alright, Your Highness," SIG Sauer stated in agreement.

The group made a small detour from their original route. On the way to Bronze Star's quarters, SIG Sauer looked up at the prince and told him cheekily "We've got a lot of catching up to do. And I'm not just talking about work."

"Yes, we do," Bronze Star concurred. He turned to the red mare and proclaimed "For starters, I'd like to know what you think of this place, Noble Edict."

"Well so far, I've thoroughly enjoyed my stay here," the Earth Pony disclosed. After a moment, she wryly added in "Oh, and for your information, it's 'Lady Noble Edict' now."

Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and muttered in interest "So my mother really did daub you a Lady?"

"As a matter of fact, she did," SIG Sauer affirmed, "I was there when it happened."

"As was I," Lord Bellerophon interjected, "It was a fairly modest ceremony."

"'Modest?'" Noble Edict repeated in exasperation, "It lasted three days and at least half of the Canterlot elite attended it. If that's regarded as a modest ceremony here, I don't think I'd want to know what would qualify as an 'extravagant' one. I'm not saying I didn't appreciate the recognition; it's just… I'm astounded that so much effort was put into a single formal procedure."

"That's just the way it is here, Noble," Bronze Star revealed, "If you felt a little overwhelmed by the proceedings, I can hardly blame you. After all, Ponyville's a small town, and Canterlot's the heart of the nation. Things are done quite differently in both; nopony makes the transition from one to the other without struggling a bit."

"That's definitely true," Noble Edict coincided, "Believe me, Bronze; I'm not complaining about this city's different lifestyle. I'm extremely grateful for what your mother did for me. To be given that sort of recognition by the Equestrian Royalty… I consider it the highest honor an ordinary mare could ever achieve."

"Well, you're not alone, milady," Lord Bellerophon notified her, "The last time Princess Celestia held an event like that was sixteen years ago, when she made me a Lord. You see, it is rare that she makes a mare or a stallion a Lady or a Lord respectively. Because of that, it is arguably the most coveted privilege in all of Equestria."

"No argument there, Bellerophon," SIG Sauer declared, "From what I've seen, pretty much every member of the Canterlot Elite aspires to be one."

"That would explain why so many of them attended the ceremony," Noble Edict perceived, "As well as why some of them seemed resentful."

"What do you mean by 'resentful?'" Bronze Star inquired, flying a little closer to the ground.

Noble Edict enlightened him with "During your mother's first speech, she had me stand at the base of her throne. At the end of it, I turned to face the audience, and I got a good look at everypony. Most of them were gazing at me with respect and adoration, but I detected a hint of what appeared to be tension or aggravation in the eyes of a few of them."

"I wouldn't worry about that, Noble," Bronze Star assured her, "They were probably just envious that they were not standing in your horseshoes."

"That could be the case," the red mare admitted, "However, for all three days of the ceremony, I interacted with many of the guests. Some of them made some rather… derisive comments about my choice of occupation."

"Like what?" Bronze Star queried, intrigued.

"Well, none of the things they said we're particularly hurtful, but I don't wish to repeat any of them," Noble Edict recounted, "Basically, when Princess Celestia first introduced me to them, they probably thought I was somepony big, like a political consultant or an entrepreneur. When the Princess revealed that I'm a security officer, they seemed disappointed. They made their displeasure quite clear later on when I spoke to them. It was almost as though they thought having a job in security was beneath the dignity of somepony in my position."

"They probably DO believe that," Bronze Star theorized, "As somepony who's grown up surrounded by the Canterlot Elite, I know from experience that they can be extremely pompous and judgmental. I still haven't gotten used to their arrogant behavior or their snobbish ideals. All the more reason why life in Ponyville can be more desirable; there's not as much as a hint of social bigotry in that town. Still, don't let them get to you, Noble."

"I don't, Your Highness," Noble Edict asserted, "It'll take much more than a few dozen biased social climbers to dissuade me. I've never regretted my career in security. A security officer is all I ever wanted to be. ALL I ever wanted."

"Really?" Bronze Star stated in interest, flying backwards now so that he could face Noble Edict directly, "You never had any other ambitions?"

"Well, I might've had a couple when I was a filly," Noble Edict revealed, "But that's different; we all have dreams in foalhood. By the time I got my cutie mark, I was certain that I wanted to spend my life protecting other lives. If I was born here, I probably would have enlisted in the Royal Guard. But as a Ponyvillian, I couldn't bring myself to leave my hometown. So the most I could hope for was to become Ponyville's chief of security."

"Yet look at you now," SIG Sauer pointed out proudly, "You've managed to do just that. You've also become a Lady, as well as friends with Princess Celestia. All at such a young age. Most people don't accomplish that much in their entire lives, and you're not even thirty yet."

That last remark caught Bronze Star's attention. He gazed down at SIG Sauer and enquired in interest "She isn't?"

"No, 'she' isn't," Noble Edict replied, scoffing lightly.

"So how old ARE you, Noble?" Bronze Star asked her.

"Twenty-nine," the red mare informed him, "Why? Do I look older?"

"No, you don't," the gold Alicorn declared, "I just thought somepony with a job as imperative as yours would be a bit older."

"I get that a lot," Noble Edict professed, smirking, "To tell you the truth, Ponyville's chief of security is around ten years older than me on average. In fact, my predecessor was in his early forties. He held the position for thirteen years. I've had the job since his death."

"How long ago was that?" Bronze Star queried.

"Four years ago," she informed him, "I believe I was your age at the time."

"Yeah, you must've been twenty-five then, and I'm twenty-five now," Bronze Star observed. There was a brief interval of quietness, and then the gold stallion enquired "So, how much longer do you plan to be in Canterlot?"

"Oh, not long," Noble Edict disclosed, "I was planning on heading back to Ponyville sometime in the next few days."

"Well, Arthur and I will be going back first thing in the morning," Bronze Star apprised her, "How about you come with us?"

"Sure, that sounds like a great idea," Noble coincided, "I can be ready to go within an hour, but I'll pack up tonight, just to be on the safe side."

"Good to know," Bronze Star commented. He paused for a few seconds, and then he continued with "You looking forward to going home?"

"Oh, my, yes," Noble Edict stated, "Although I liked this visit to the capital city, I've been here for almost three weeks. I've never been away from home for that long. Plus, I'm a little concerned that if I remain here any longer, my staff might think that I'm neglecting my duties."

"Oh, you don't have to worry a thing about that," Bronze Star countered in assurance, "Quite the contrary; your entire staff deeply misses you. They're able to do their jobs very well on their own, but without you, they feel somewhat out of place. In fact, Copper Hollow refuses to go anywhere near your office, even though you gave him provisional command of the force. He feels as though that office is your space, and that he has no right to intrude on it."

Noble Edict chuckled softly and mumbled "Yeah, that sounds like Copper alright. He's always been a little apprehensive about shouldering authority. He generally prefers taking orders over giving them."

"Yet he's your head deputy," Bronze Star pointed out.

"Just because he doesn't envy my responsibilities, that doesn't mean he's incapable as a leader," Noble Edict debated, "Aside from that, in every other sense, he's a model officer. There's nopony else on my detail I'd trust more to look after Ponyville in my absence."

"Your faith in him is well-founded," Bronze Star pronounced, "He's managed to keep the town safe and secure. We've barely had any troubles there these past few weeks."

"That's good to know," Noble Edict remarked in relief, "So I haven't missed anything?"

"Not really," Bronze Star thought aloud. He rubbed his chin for a second, and then he proclaimed sardonically "Let's see… the town square almost got flooded, some of the residents and I were cursed, and just yesterday, many of the buildings were nearly eaten to the ground. Other than that, nothing much has been going on."

Noble Edict seemed somewhat stunned by this. "Really?"

Bronze Star nodded his head in confirmation. Then he briefly clarified what he meant by describing the massive thunderstorm, Zecora's fated visit to Ponyville, and the parasprite infestation respectively.

"The damage caused by the tempest and the poison joke was minimal," he wrapped up his recollection, "However, the parasprites were a touch more destructive. Especially the red ones; they were the worst. The townsfolk was still rebuilding the place when I left this morning. Hopefully, the town will be repaired by the time we get back. Except for Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple family will have to wait for a shipment of lumber to come in before they can rebuilt their house."

"So where are they staying until then?" SIG Sauer queried.

"At the embassy with me," Bronze Star answered, "Even though it's a little distance away from the orchards, the Apples seem content there."

"Even Applejack?" Noble Edict presumed.

"Especially Applejack," Bronze Star rejoined, "It's not the ranch, but she really likes it there. I must make her feel at home, seeing as how she's staying in the room next to mine."

Bellerophon grinned and speculated "Perhaps there's another reason why she chose that room, sir. Maybe she's not just trying to be a courteous houseguest."

Bronze Star knew what he was implying. He flapped his wings so that he was flying near the palomino Pegasus's head and stated bluntly "Normally, I would shoot down an accusation such as that, Bellerophon. But I won't this time. Because I'm fairly certain you're right. Between the three of you and me, Applejack and I have gotten very close ever since I moved to Ponyville."

"How close, sir?" SIG Sauer enquired.

"Close enough that I'm thinking of becoming much more than friends with her," Bronze Star replied.

"Is she thinking that, too?" Noble Edict questioned.

"I believe so," Bronze Star perceived expectantly.

"Well, good for you, Your Highness," Lord Bellerophon congratulated the young prince, "Does Princess Celestia know about this?"

"Not just yet," the gold Alicorn disclosed, "Later tonight, I'll talk to her about the nature of my relationship with Applejack. Hopefully, she'll approve of it."

"I don't see why she wouldn't," SIG Sauer commented, "You're free to make your own decisions, Your Highness."

"I know that," Bronze Star, "Still, I would appreciate it if the three of you didn't mention a word of this to my mother until I speak with her first."

"Of course, sir," Lord Bellerophon assured the gold stallion. Noble Edict and SIG Sauer agreed to this as well.

A minute later, they arrived at Bronze Star's chambers. As always, there were two Royal Guard standing outside it. They stood aside for the young Alicorn as he landed on the ground, retrieved his key from his knapsack, and unlocked the door. He wanted to get changed in privacy, so he asked the others to remain outside. After they agreed to this, Bronze Star stepped inside. He emerged a couple minutes later dressed in his soft shoes, vest, and crown.

Once he regrouped with his pet hawk and his three pony accomplices, Bronze Star proposed "Now that I'm properly outfitted, how about we get to work?"

"Very well, Your Highness," SIG Sauer accorded, "Bellerophon and I will fill you in on the way to the Compartment."

Bronze Star nodded in agreement. He decided to walk alongside the others this time. Wanting to stay close to his master, Arthur landed on Bronze Star's shoulder. As they headed downstairs, Bellerophon leaned close to the gold stallion and apprised him "We have three items of business that need your immediate attention. One of them concerns the Nightmare Moon cult, another has to do with the matter of Raoul Jowl and Material Study, and the third pertains to that break-in."

"Are those in order of precedence?" Bronze Star questioned.

"All things considered, yes," SIG Sauer supposed.

"Then I want to deal with them in that same order," Bronze Star decided.

"So be it," Bellerophon avowed.

One flight of stairs and several corridors later, the four ponies and the hawk arrived at a door labeled "Authorized Personnel Only." SIG Sauer removed a small ornament from his belt. He then approached the door and knocked on it in a certain pattern. A hidden slot in the center of the door slid open, and a familiar gruff voice said "Yes?"

SIG Sauer held the ornament up to the slot. After the person on the other side saw it, he closed the slot, and the sound of locks being unfastened was heard. A moment later, the door was opened wide. The person on the other side turned out to be General Walther. The mahogany Pegasus grinned when he saw Bronze Star, and he said cordially "Welcome back, Your Highness."

"It's a pleasure to BE back, General," the gold stallion returned as he, SIG Sauer, and Bellerophon passed through the doorway.

Noble Edict did not follow them. Bronze Star noticed this, and he queried in interest "Are you waiting for something, Noble?"

"The door says 'Authorized Personnel Only,'" Noble Edict pointed out, "I'm not certain that I qualify."

Bronze Star had to admit she was right. He leaned over to SIG Sauer and whispered something into his ear. The pine green stallion nodded in compliance. Then he trotted over to the red mare and held out his ornament to her, saying "You do now."

Noble Edict tentatively but thankfully accepted the ornament. As she examined it, she queried in perplexity "What is this?"

"It's the official marker of the Firebrand Regiment," Bronze Star explicated, "Everypony here has one; including myself and Lord Bellerophon. It's the only thing that'll get you through that door."

"Wait, then won't you need this, SIG?" Noble Edict presumed, holding up the ornament.

"Yeah, but you can have it, Noble," SIG Sauer averred, "I'll just get another one later."

"Okay, if you say so," the red mare stated in understanding

She then trotted into the room without another word. As soon as Noble Edict was inside, Walther shut the door behind her and locked it tight. Once it was sealed shut, the veteran Wonderbolt broadcasted to the others "Alright, now that everypony is here, we can get started. Where shall we begin?"

"The Prince has requested that we focus on the matter of the Nightmare Moon cult first," SIG Sauer notified his colleague.

The mahogany Pegasus nodded in acknowledgement and went over to a door on the other side of the room. He pulled it open and beckoned his accomplices "Come this way."

One-by-one, the mare and the three stallions trotted into the next room. Walther entered last, and he proceeded to lock up this door just like the first one.

While the previous room had been relatively empty, this one was anything but. There were lots of furniture and decorations along the walls and the center of the room. At first glance, it looked exactly like an ordinary living room. However, there were two notable deviations. The room was very dimly lit, and there were at least three other doors along each of the other three walls.

Noble Edict gazed around at their surroundings and queried "So, what exactly is this place?"

"We call it 'The Compartment,'" Bronze Star enlightened her, "The Firebrand Regiment uses it as their main base of operations. Nearly all of their work that doesn't take place in the field takes place here."

"Seems rather cozy, for the headquarters of a Special Ops unit," Noble Edict remarked.

"Well, the front room is just for show, Noble," SIG Sauer expounded, "This room's appearance is one of the many precautions we've taken to ensure the security of this place. In the unlikely but still possible event that somepony got past the first two locked doors, we've set up this room for extra safety."

"How would furniture and decorations throw off intruders?" Noble enquired in confusion.

"They're part of an elaborate defense mainframe," Bellerophon informed her, "You see, everything in this room is rigged."

"In what way?" Noble asked in fascination.

"Well, let's theorize for a moment that a trespasser successfully broke in here," SIG Sauer conjectured, "Even if they made it this far, they wouldn't be able to go any further. If they were to do something special – say, sit on a couch, straighten out a poster, search through a cabinet, or move an object even an inch out of place – they would trigger an alarm, and this place would immediately go into lockdown mode. Once this place is locked down, it remains that way until one of two things happens: either the intruder stands down, or somepony provides an override code. Prince Bronze Star, Lord Bellerophon, General Walther, and I are the only ones who know the code."

"Wouldn't that be a little problematic?" Noble Edict hypothesized, "I mean, what if another member of the Regiment accidentally set off the alarm?"

"I can why you might think that, Noble," Bronze Star proclaimed, "When we first installed the security network, we did encounter a few… 'setbacks' like that. However, once it was up and running at full efficiency, we never had any mishaps. Don't forget that the Regiment is composed of elite soldiers and skilled agents. To them, setting off the alarm in this room would be as foolish and clumsy a mistake as tripping over a visible land mine."

"Well, that makes sense," Noble Edict thought aloud. There was a short period of quietness, and then she slyly commented "If this entire room is designed as one huge trap, I'd better keep my hooves to myself. Otherwise, I'd probably become a liability to the rest of you."

"Oh, relax, Noble," Bronze Star assured her, "The network is offline right now. It's only activated when every member of the Regiment is preoccupied with something."

"Well, that's a relief," Noble Edict said in respite. After another short period of quietness, she scoffed and remarked in amazement "I have to admire how much effort you guys put into safekeeping. I bet I could learn a lot from you on the subject, and that's coming from a mare who's been a certified security officer for eleven years."

"Glad you approve of it, Noble," SIG Sauer commented, "We're very serious about keeping our affairs private. The best way to protect our information is to build an entire safety grid around it, to have it exchange hooves as few times as possible, and to only bring it out when the situation calls for it."

"I'd say this is one of those times," Walther interjected, "On that subject, we should get to the archives. Carabine is waiting for us."

The conversation abruptly ended there. Walther led the others over to the closest door on the right side of the room. Once again, he held the door open for the others and went through the doorway last. The five ponies trotted through a short, dimly lit corridor. Fifteen seconds later, they arrived at a door with a sign on it that said "Archives.

The five ponies and the hawk entered this room together. This particular room was packed with crates and cabinets. There were a few desks and blackboards along the walls. There were boxes loaded with heaps of intelligence and research everywhere. There was just enough clear space on the floor for a pony to walk straight.

In the center of the archives room, there was a large circular table surrounded by a dozen foldable chairs. A certain aqua blue Unicorn was seated in one of these chairs, looking over the contents of a file. When he heard the door open, he gazed upward to see who his visitors were.

As soon as Bronze Star entered the room, the aqua blue Unicorn smiled, rose to his hooves, and bowed lightly. When he came back up, he said brightly "So good to see you, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Carabine," the gold stallion returned appreciatively. He quickly navigated his way through the tightly clustered boxes on the ground. Once he reached the opposite side of the table, he faced the aqua blue stallion directly and told him "The General tells me you have some information that could help us bring down that cult of Nightmare Moon's."

"That is correct, sir," Carabine affirmed, sitting back down in his chair, "I've got everything you'd like to see right here. Take a seat and I'll fill you in on all the details."

Bronze Star nodded in agreement and sat down to the left of the aqua blue stallion. Carabine patiently waited for the others to get settled. Walther sat down in the other chair next to Bronze Star, and SIG Sauer pulled up a chair on the other side of the table. Bellerophon just stood against the wall, as he was too large to sit comfortably in any of the chairs. Aside from that, he preferred standing.

Noble Edict came into the room last. Carabine had been focused on his papers, but he stopped what he was doing when he heard her enter. He had been expecting four people to join him; all of them stallions. Now there was a fifth bunch of hoofsteps, and they sounded as though they belonged to a mare. He wondered who it could have been. The only female members of the Regiment were Beretta, Caracal, and Ruger, and the three of them were busy in other parts of the Compartment.

Of course, he was able to satisfy his curiosity simply by looking up. When he saw the red mare, he called out in astonishment, "Oh, Lady Noble!"

"Good morning, Brigadier Carabine," she politely greeted the aqua blue stallion.

Carabine gradually eased down and pronounced "This is a pleasant surprise. Albeit an unexpected one."

"It's alright, Carabine," Bronze Star guaranteed him, "She has the proper authorization. Show me, Noble."

At that, the red mare held up the ornament SIG Sauer had given her. Once Carabine saw it, he lightly shrugged and said "That's good enough for me. Make yourself at home, Lady Noble."

"I shall, Brigadier," Noble Edict pronounced, sitting down next to SIG Sauer, "Trust me; I'm just as interested as you are in eliminating the threat posed by that cult. After all, it was in MY town that they tried to help Nightmare Moon rise to power during the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Well, there's no denying that," Carabine coincided, "Add that to the fact that you helped SIG Sauer and Lord Bellerophon prevent that from happening, I'd say you're absolutely entitled to sit in on this debriefing."

Noble Edict nodded in comprehension. Everypony else was already prepared to hear what the aqua blue stallion had to say. Bronze Star beckoned him "Start whenever you're ready."

"I've been ready ever since we got back from Hoofington," Carabine claimed. He took a moment to organize his papers, and then he looked up at the palomino Pegasus and requested "Could you please shut the door, my Lord?"

"Certainly, Brigadier," the tall stallion replied. He reached over to the door and gently closed it. As soon as it was shut, Carabine commenced the debriefing.

Carabine spent most of the next two hours enlightening Bronze Star and Noble Edict on everything that had taken place in Hoofington after the Regiment had apprehended Material Study and Sir Raoul Jowl. Since Walther had been with Carabine the entire time, he was able to contribute a sizable amount to the discussion. SIG Sauer and Lord Bellerophon had already heard most of this recollection once before, but they were willing to hear it again. Plus, Carabine and Walther brought up a few additional bits of information that they had not mentioned the first time.

Even if one excluded the sting operation at the hotel, the Firebrand Regiment had witnessed a considerable amount of activity when they were in Hoofington. It is already known that after they took Raoul Jowl and Material Study into custody, Walther, Carabine, and Ruger had rendezvoused with Trixie at the municipal building. Trixie had admitted to meeting the mare who really vanquished the Ursa Major, and she had managed to identify the mare as Hazy Wisp.

When Walther asked Trixie to take him to the place where she first spoke to Hazy Wisp, she had initially been a little hesitant to accept this request. Now that she knew who Hazy Wisp was and what she was capable of, she felt that being anywhere near that fanatic would be a hazard to her well-being. Fortunately, Walther and Carabine had convinced her that they would be able to protect her if any danger cropped up.

Once she had this assurance, Trixie had been totally willing to cooperate with the stallions. They left the municipal building together, and she hastily led them into the Everfree Forest. It took her a while, but eventually, she managed to find the exact spot where she encountered Hazy Wisp. To their dismay, when they got there, there was nopony in the vicinity. Then again, none of them were particularly surprised to discover this. After all, the Everfree Forest was virtually uninhabitable, and It had been weeks since Trixie's first encounter with Hazy Wisp. In addition to that, they found it unlikely that Hazy Wisp would be one to linger anyway.

However, Walther and Carabine were not about to give up just yet. They never gave up on a lead until they were certain it would get them nowhere. They were determined to come up with some viable information about Hazy Wisp and her organization before they headed back into town. They were not certain where to look, so they kept their eyes open for anything that might have been indicative of a clue.

The first twenty minutes of their search yielded no results. After that, they stumbled upon their first hint. Quite literally, as a matter of fact; the discovery was made quite by accident.

On that day, the weather in the Everfree Forest had been rather hot and humid. Walther and Carabine had worked up quite a sweat in their search, and the latter had decided to take a short break to get a drink of water. He had trotted over to a very large tree and sat down at the base of it. Then he removed his canteen from his belt and took a long swig from it. Once he felt refreshed, he leaned backward to rest against the stump of the tree. Once his back struck the wood, he heard a faint echo.

That immediately captured his attention. Carabine got back up and faced the tree. He tapped his front hoof against the bark a few times, and more small echoes were produced. He quickly called Walther and Trixie over to the scene. They examined the tree on all sides, and everywhere they touched it, they got the same echo. This could only mean one thing: the interior of the tree was empty.

This really piqued Walther and Carabine's curiosity. The Everfree Forest was full of a lot of abnormal things, but as far as they knew, there were no hollow trees anywhere in it. They asked Trixie if she recognized this particular tree. She actually did; she revealed that this tree looked exactly the same as it did when she met Hazy Wisp. This was rather odd, as most of the surrounding plants looked a little different to her. Yet this particular tree had not changed even a bit according to her. Every leaf, every twig, every root was in the same place.

Carabine and Walther decided to investigate the tree a little more closely. Walther found some loose bark about two feet above the ground. He drew a knife from his belt and used it to pry off the bark. Once the first layer of bark was off, the mahogany Pegasus discovered that a familiar symbol had been carved into the second lair of the bark.

As soon as he found this symbol, Walther was convinced that this tree was the key to accelerating their exploration. He instructed Carabine and Trixie to search the tree for anything else that could be used as an opening. A few minutes later, Trixie noticed a large branch twenty feet in the air. It was dangling by a few slivers of wood, but the wind did not appear to have any effect on it. She found that rather perplexing, and she tried using her magic on the branch to see what would happen.

A response to this action was instantaneously generated. A strange rumbling sound began resonating from within the tree. A few seconds later, a huge section of its bark slid open. Trixie, Walther, and Carabine peered inside the opening to the tree, and they discovered that it was indeed totally hollow. Not only that, but there was almost no ground beneath it either. Instead, there was a lengthy spiral staircase.

It turned out this was not a real tree after all. It was merely an obstruction meant to conceal a secret passageway. Even with adequate sunlight, nopony on the surface could see where it led. Because of that, Carabine and Walther decided they would investigate it straightaway.

At first, they planned to go down there by themselves. However, Trixie requested to accompany them, as she did not feel safe wandering back to Hoofington or staying out in the open by herself. They felt she was entitled to join them. After all, it was thanks to her that they even found the passage.

Carabine stepped inside the tree first, Trixie followed him close behind, and Walther entered last. The three of them carefully and quietly descended down the spiral staircase. As a precaution, Carabine and Walther armed themselves with weapons from their belts. Walther offered Trixie a knife to defend herself, but she politely declined, claiming that sharp objects made her feel uncomfortable.

The staircase was very dark, very narrow, and it went on for quite a ways. It took them no less than fifteen minutes to reach the bottom. Once they got there, they had arrived at a door. Once they passed through this door, they came face-to-face with an extraordinary sight.

They had arrived in a large cavern. It appeared to be a natural structure, but there were signs that it had been inhabited recently. Plus, there was another door on the other side of the cave. Carabine, Walther, and Trixie had tentatively passed through the grotto towards that second door.

Before they could reach the door, they were ambushed. The first attack came in the form of a small projectile. It was fired directly at Trixie; it missed her head by less than three inches.

Walther and Carabine promptly focused their attention to the source of the bullet. On higher ground across from them, two figures were standing on a ledge. One was a Unicorn stallion; the other was an Earth Pony mare. The Unicorn was using a device to fire more projectiles at the three intruders; the Earth Pony joined in the assault by flinging other deadly objects their way.

Although Walther and Carabine were used to dealing with these types of dangers, Trixie certainly was not. While the mahogany Pegasus got the brilliant azure to safety, the aqua blue stallion busied himself with taking out this new threat. Carabine got to a safe vantage point and concentrated closely on the Unicorn. Then he raised his knife into the air and hurled it towards the assailant. The unnamed Unicorn did not even have a chance to react; the knife soon reached him and sank into his neck. He promptly dropped his firing device and tumbled off the ledge.

The Earth Pony seemed shocked when she saw how easily her partner had been slain. When she noticed that Carabine was about to draw another knife from his belt, she took that as her cue to run. The Earth Pony turned around and ducked under a large crevice on the ledge. The sounds of her galloping away reverberated off the walls of the grotto.

Walther had ordered Carabine to stay with Trixie and keep her safe while he went after the Earth Pony. Carabine would have protested, but Walther was his superior officer, so he obeyed this command. The veteran Wonderbolt was still a little sore from his scuffle with Maelstrom at the hotel, but he had enough strength left in his wings to fly up to the ledge on the other side of the room. As soon as he got up there, he sprinted after the assailant. At the same time, Carabine and Trixie went over to the other door in the room and passed through it. They were hoping that it would somehow put them on an intercept course.

When the chase began, the young mare was far ahead of the middle-aged stallion. The Earth Pony was very fast on her hooves, and she knew the layout of this place far better than any of the three intruders, but the mahogany Pegasus was very persistent and resilient. He was determined to catch up to her.

This pursuit lasted for about five minutes. It ended when the Earth Pony burst into a room. This particular room was full of cupboards, bookshelves, chests, and bureaus, much like the archives room in the Compartment. This room was an obvious dead end. However, escaping was not the Earth Pony's main goal at this time.

She approached the nearest cabinet and pulled out a flamethrower. She used it to spray everything in that room with fierce, blazing flames. By the time Walther reached her, all the objects in the room were covered in blazing flames.

Walther firmly demanded that the Earth Pony to surrender. In response, she turned to face him and aimed the flamethrower directly at him. Luckily, the Pegasus had pristine reflexes. He dodged the burst of fire and tossed his knife directly at the Earth Pony's upper body. His aim was absolutely flawless; the blade sank into her chest directly above her heart and punctured her aorta. She immediately dropped to the ground and laid still.

While the Earth Pony bled out, Walther frantically looked for a way to extinguish the fire. He was not concerned that the entire cavern would catch fire; the underground was not made of flammable minerals. However, he was fairly certain there was a practical reason why the Earth Pony wanted to incinerate the contents of this room. Maybe there was some information that would lead to the cult's downfall if the government got ahold of it. Walther certainly hoped so.

A few seconds later, Carabine and Trixie arrived at the burning room. It turned out their notion that their route would overlap with Walther's was correct. The veteran Wonderbolt beseeched them to help him extinguish the flames. Carabine knew basic fire control magic from his days in the Military Enforcement Corps, but he did not have the skills required to put out a fire of this magnitude.

Fortunately, it turned out that Trixie did. The brilliant azure mare hurriedly went to the center of the room, focused on her surroundings, and cast a chilling spell on everything around her. She kept the spell active until all the fires were extinguished.

The two stallions and the mare needed a minute to pull themselves together. Once they regained their composure, they got back to work. Carabine took some time to search the rest of the cavern to ensure that there were no more hostile residents. Thankfully, nopony else was there. Other than those two assailants, the place was deserted.

Throughout his search, Carabine came across countless pictures of that same ominous symbol from before. Evidently, this cavern was used by the Nightmare Moon cult. However, as Carabine continued searching it, he discovered that this place was more than just an outpost or a hideout. It had enough space and enough provisions to shelter scores of ponies.

While the aqua blue stallion searched the compound, Walther looked through the remnants of the torched room. He was determined to find out what was in this room. One would probably argue that his efforts were in vain, as many of the room's contents had been reduced to ashes. However, Walther was fairly certain that this room contained some pertinent information. After all, the Earth Pony had a chance to escape when he was chasing her, but instead of fleeing, she had chosen to stay and destroy one of the facility's rooms. She would not have done that unless there was something in that room that she did not want to fall into the government's hooves.

Walther did not know what to expect at first, but he quickly discovered that this room contained nothing but large, organized piles of papers. He managed to dig out a number of files and documents from a couple of the few undamaged cabinets. Nearly all of them were charred, and it was very easy for them to crumble at the touch.

The majority of the papers Walther managed to salvage were already damaged beyond hope of repair. However, a hoofful of booklets had been left practically untouched by the blaze. There were a few more leaflets that Walther would have written off as unsalvageable. Fortunately, Trixie knew an advanced quality enhancement spell. She felt obligated to contribute, so she offered her assistance to the mahogany Pegasus. He was more than willing to accept. Trixie was able to restore all of the documents that had been lightly damaged.

By the time Carabine completed his inspection of the compound, Walther and Trixie had managed to recover an entire cart's worth of papers. These findings were more than enough to appease the two stallions. They soon sealed the place up and headed back to Hoofington.

As soon as they returned to the town, Walther gave Trixie everything he had promised her for her cooperation. The brilliant azure mare was very pleased by these gifts, and she thanked Walther profusely for them. The mahogany Pegasus had humbly insisted that she had definitely earned them.

Trixie planned to put her new cart to use straightaway. Before she left Hoofington, Walther had asked her to keep her eyes open for any sign of Hazy Wisp or anypony else who bore that strange symbol, and that if she ever encountered anything like that, to report it to the authorities immediately. The brilliant azure mare assured the mahogany stallion that she would do just that. Then she bade him good-bye and headed out of town.

The Firebrand Regiment did not plan to linger in Hooftingon for much longer either. But before they left, they had to tie up some loose ends. They checked in at the Rosebud Hotel one more time, and neither the staff nor the guests had witnessed any part of their sting operation.

More pressingly, there was the matter of the cult's cavern in the Everfree Forest. The Firebrand Regiment did not have the means to shut down the compound and keep it under guard by themselves. Especially since they still had the matter of Material Study and Raoul Jowl to attend to, and that they were going back to Canterlot soon.

After careful consideration, they decided to notify the Hoofington Police Department about the cavern. As a precaution, they avoided mentioning anything about Nightmare Moon and her cult. They merely claimed that the cavern had been used as a center of operations by an illegal underground organization.

Once the Hoofington P.D. had been apprised, Carabine had taken a small group of them back to the facility so that they knew where it was. They quickly got the place photographed and catalogued. Carabine was willing to give them total control of the compound, but he informed them that he and his colleagues needed to take the recovered documents and the assailant's bodies to Canterlot as evidence.

The head of the police department was reluctant to agree to this at first, but his authority as a law enforcement agent was local, whereas Carabine was a federal officer. Because of that, he had to comply with the aqua blue stallion's orders.

It took several hours for the Firebrand Regiment to get their work done, but they managed to wrap everything up long before Princess Celestia lowered the Sun. By the time Princess Luna raised the Moon, the Firebrand Regiment was back in Canterlot.

All of this had happened three weeks ago. In the time since then, the Regiment had been busy with two main objectives: interrogating Material Study and Raoul Jowl, and studying the evidence they had acquired from the cavern.

The former action had yielded mixed results, but the latter had produced some very promising information.

Once the Brigadier and the veteran Wonderbolt concluded their recollection of their experiences in Hoofington, Bronze Star and Noble Edict took some time to process everything they had just been told. After a brief interval of silence, Bronze Star merely raised an eyebrow and candidly remarked "Sounds as though you two had quite an adventure in Hoofington."

"No kidding, Your Highness," Carabine flatly coincided.

"Have you been contacted by Trixie since you last saw her?" Noble Edict queried.

"No, we haven't," Walther disclosed, "At least not directly. I've heard tell that she's reopened her travelling show, but the routine's not going very well. The Ursa Minor incident in Ponyville seems to have hurt her credibility."

"That's a shame," SIG Sauer dismally commented, "Even though I just remember her as being very brash and conceited, we owe part of our success in this investigation to her."

"I agree," Bellerophon thought aloud, "We never would have gotten this far without her."

"Hopefully she'll come around at some point," Carabine conjectured.

"Oh, well," Noble Edict stated, "At any rate, what Trixie does in her time is the least of our worries."

"Noble's right," Bronze Star pronounced, "Right now, I'm much more interested in discussing our current findings. What all have we learned about this cult?"

"You'll be pleased to know we've amassed quite a large amount of information, Your Highness," Carabine expounded. He reached underneath the table and pulled out a large box loaded with papers. The majority of them were blackened in at least one place, and they smelt of fire residue. All the same, the words that were written on them made these papers invaluable.

Carabine set the box down on the table and removed a few certain documents. He set them down in front of Bronze Star, beckoning the gold stallion to take a look.

As the young prince examined these documents, Walther disclosed "First starters, we now know the organization's actual name. They call themselves 'The Surreptitious Social Order of Dusk Dwellers.'"

Bronze Star scoffed and muttered "That's certainly original, but it's quite a mouthful."

"Well, from what I've gathered, their label is not as meaningful or iconic to them as THIS is," Walther observed, pushing forward the picture of Dense Miasma's cutie mark, "On that note, we came across a type of brochure that thoroughly explains the meaning and context of this symbol."

"That's convenient," Noble Edict perceived, leaning forward in her chair, "Am I to assume we now know precisely what that symbol is supposed to represent?"

"Strictly speaking, only a couple of us know," Carabine stated, "Walther and I know. But I don't believe you, Lord Bellerophon, SIG Sauer, or Prince Bronze Star do, Lady Noble. So allow me and the General to enlighten the rest of you."

Everypony agreed to this proposal. Carabine removed a brochure from the box, unfolded it, and smoothed it out on the surface of the table. SIG Sauer, Noble Edict, and Lord Bellerophon moved a little closer to the aqua stallion so they could get a better look at the brochure. Once everypony was within whispering distance, Carabine informed them "As we already know, the symbol is composed of five shapes: Two circles, two curved jagged rectangles, and a thin rod. By themselves, they're just a bunch of random figures. But when put together, they have a rather ominous connotation."

"Go on, Brigadier," Bronze Star beckoned the older stallion, "We're all listening."

The aqua stallion nodded and proceeded with "While the brochure's exposition is vague at best, we've managed to piece together the purpose and relevance of each shape. The larger yellow circle signifies the Sun. The smaller white circle signifies the Moon. The two irregularly-shaped rectangles basically represent strength and power. Notice the way they are positioned in comparison to the two circles. They appear to be jettisoning out of the Moon and holding onto the Sun, almost as if seizing it. That accounts for the claw-like digits on the one end of the rectangles that touches the Sun. The rod represents the channeling of rule and a swift victory. Notice how it impales the Sun, but only touches the border of the Moon. That's meant to indicate that the Moon is triumphing over the Sun."

"All-in-all, we believe that the symbol is essentially a declaration of war by night against day," Walther proclaimed, "In a broader definition, the Moon is reaching out to the Sun, grasping it by force, and finishing it off with a single deadly blow."

"That seems rather extreme," Bronze Star commented in bewilderment, "But when you think about it, it actually makes a whole lot of sense."

"Well, can't really say I'm surprised," Noble Edict professed, "Now that I think about it like that, we should have suspected that this symbol had a meaning such as that. I mean, what better way to rally Nightmare Moon's most obsessive worshippers than to come up with an insignia that cuts off all friendly ties from the world of light?"

"That's exactly what they're going for, Lady Noble," Carabine affirmed.

"This would explain why every member of the cult we've encounter so far has had this symbol as their cutie mark," SIG Sauer pointed out.

"Yes, it does," Bronze Star concurred, "However, it doesn't really explain HOW all of them managed to acquire it. I find it very unlikely that all of them decided that hiding in shadows was their special talent. And even if they did, how exactly do scores of grown ponies come to join a fanatical organization such as this one?"

"That brings us to what I consider the most unsettling news, Your Highness," Walther replied, fishing out another booklet from the box of information. He placed it down in front of him and disclosed to the gold stallion "As far as we can tell, only a very small percentage of the cult's members are recruited into it. The rest are actually born into it."

"What do you mean, General?" Bronze Star inquired.

"This organization is more a clan than everything else, sir," Carabine clarified as Walther opened up the booklet and flipped through it. While Bronze Star examined it, the aqua blue stallion elucidated "According to this, nearly every member of this cult has had one or both parents as members, as well. From the moment they come into this world, they are forced to pledge themselves to Nightmare Moon and everything she stands for. They don't have any say in this matter. Anypony who refuses to embrace these ideals is exiled. Only a very small percentage of the members take that alternative; most of them voluntarily choose to follow this path when they come of age."

Bronze Star and the others were intrigued by this revealation. The gold stallion leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin, saying "So, this cult wasn't established recently?"

"No, sir," Walther confirmed, searching through the box once more and taking out a few more items, "We believe that this society has been around for a very long time. We've got plenty of evidence to back this theory up. Private journals with entries that go back several decades, records and logbooks that exchanged hooves for generations, news articles dated at least fifty years ago… the list goes on and on. Bottom line, these people have been around longer than any of us."

"It would certainly seem that way, General," Noble Edict remarked. After another short period of quietness, the red mare queried "So, about how big would you estimate this cult is, anyway?"

"From what I've seen, the most successful long-lasting underground organizations are the ones that are either very, very small, or very, very large," Carabine thought aloud, "Considering how methodical and resourceful these people are, I believe we're dealing with an extremely massive group. Just look at how much effort Hazy Wisp put into creating that messenger service of hers, as well as how far she and her colleagues were willing to carry out their plot during the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Any idea on where their headquarters might be?" Lord Bellerophon queried.

"Actually, Lord Bellerophon, an association such as this one generally wouldn't have a specific HQ," Walther proclaimed, "Instead, they would establish a network of hidden bases all over the country. Ideally, each one of these bases would be stocked with the same amount of provisions and material. That way, in the event that one of them is compromised, the residents can destroy it and move to another base without having to worry about losing anything of value. That way everything is totally replaceable, including the cultists themselves."

"The cavern you found in Hoofington would meet those criteria," Noble Edict noted, "However, this bids the question; how come that place was nearly deserted when you found it? I mean, if it was built to support scores of ponies, you'd think there'd be more than two cultists there."

"We have a theory for that, too," Carabine apprised the red mare, "I believe that the compound we found in Hoofington was one of their training facilities. We found a few rooms that looked like they were designed as sparring grounds, workout fields, and combat arenas. There were also some folders that pertained to the initiation and development of the cult's youngest members. Apparently, as soon as they get their cutie marks, the cultists are put through a series of vigorous tests and programs to hone their might and devotion. Generally, over a hundred hopefuls would be present, as well as about a dozen instructors and a high-ranking official who acts as supervisor. However, this only applies during one of their actual training sessions. Outside of training sessions, they tend to keep a minimum number of people around to watch over the facility."

"So that's why it was empty when you found it," SIG Sauer supposed, "I'm guessing those two cultists were either coaches or sentinels."

"They could have been," Walther admitted, "Whatever they were, we may never know. Because strangely, we were unable to identify them. Peacemaker and Beretta conducted a thorough autopsy on both bodies; it yielded nothing we didn't already know. So we also ran a search for hoofprints, mane and tail hair analysis, and every other type of test. Nothing we tried turned up a match in our databanks. That stallion and mare are still a complete mystery to us."

"Well, I would advise you not to worry too much about identifying those two," Bronze Star proposed, "I don't think they were very high in their organization's chain-of-command. If they really were anypony of importance, they would not have had been doing anything as mundane as watching over a training facility."

"He's got a valid point," Noble Edict coincided, "We should focus more on the live members of the organization, primarily Hazy Wisp and the ponies in her conglomerate."

"In that case, now would be a good opportunity to mention our most significant discovery," Carabine suggested. The aqua blue Unicorn reached all the way to the back of the box and removed a wrinkled scroll. He carefully unraveled it and set it down on the center of the table.

Bronze Star, Noble Edict, SIG Sauer, and Lord Bellerophon leaned in closer to get a better look at the contents of the scroll. They quickly realized it was a long list of names. As the four of them looked it over, Walther enlightened them "We picked this up in the every back of the torched room. It was very well hidden, and for good reason. It's a comprehensive record of all the ponies who were educated or stationed at that compound within the last ten years. We were able to use it to construct a partial manifest of the Society itself."

"How many names are on this list?" Noble Edict queried

"Exactly 825," Carabine disclosed, "We went ahead and looked all of them up. The vast majority of them are registered citizens of Equestria. Some of them even have influential spots in the government."

SIG Sauer smirked and declared smugly "This is precisely what we need to bring this cult down. We should make arrangements to apprehend these people straightaway."

"I don't know about that, SIG," Walther countered, "It would be hard to arrest this many people without drawing unwanted attention. If a number of the cult's members were abruptly taken into custody at once, the rest of them would probably catch on and go into hiding."

"I highly doubt that, General," Noble Edict remarked "There could be tens of thousands of ponies in this organization. If that many people just disappeared overnight, that would be just as much a giveaway of their involvement in this cult as having their names on this list."

"That is an excellent point, Lady Noble," Carabine coincided, "But keep in mind that these people are very good at remaining undetected. This cult been around for at LEAST fifty years, and we didn't even know of their existence until the Summer Sun Celebration. If they became aware that the government was hunting for them, that would just give them a greater incentive to remain hidden."

"What would you propose we do instead?" SIG Sauer demanded.

"Perhaps we should keep the people on this list under surveillance for the time being," Walther advocated.

"We don't have the means to keep tabs on hundreds of citizens, General," Lord Bellerophon pointed out, "We'd need the combined efforts of the Military Enforcement Corps, the Intelligence Bureau, and every police department out there to do such a thing."

"That may be easier said than done, but that's not to say it's impossible, my Lord," Walther pronounced, "It wouldn't be hard for me to draw adequate resources from the Bureau."

"And while I'm no longer in the Constabulary Contingent, SIG Sauer's son works for them," Carabine disclosed, "Since Commander Hard Hull only lends support from the Corps by recommendation from his active units, perhaps we could get help that way."

"Hold it right there, Carabine," SIG Sauer spoke to his colleague, "I appreciate your logic, but I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing Mauser into this conspiracy."

"Why not, SIG?" Walther said in bafflement, "From what I recall, he already knows about it. He was there when I first told you, Lady Noble, and the Prince about Hazy Wisp. So was Alpine."

"I know, but this cult is far more dangerous and expansive than we originally thought," SIG Sauer pointed out, "Aside from that, Mauser's job is to protect the people of Equestria, not hunt down political dissidents."

"Very well," Carabine acknowledging, sighing, "So, what should we do?"

At this, Lord Bellerophon turned to the gold stallion and proposed "Let the Prince decide."

Bronze Star was the only one who had not contributed to this part of the conversation. He did not expect to be placed on the spot like that. However, he soon had five pairs of eyes on him, looking to him for a solution.

"He's right," SIG Sauer conceded, "You should have the final say, Your Highness."

Bronze Star took a moment to think about their options. On the one hoof, if they went ahead and arrested every person on this list, they would be able to significantly weaken the Society. However, they would also risk alerting the rest of the Society that the government was on to them. On the other hoof, they could try to keep watch on the people on the list and observe their actions. This would give them a better chance to catch the Society off their guard in the future. However, it was possible that this inaction would allow the Society to get away with more covert criminal activities.

Ultimately, Bronze Star made his decision. He looked around at his companions and told them "I want to send a copy of this list out to every law enforcement entity in the country. Tell them that all 825 people on it are on our official watch list. But don't have them make any arrests just yet. For now, I just want them to keep a careful eye on these people. However, if the agencies witness these people exhibit any strange or unusual behavior, they are instructed to arrest them immediately. Be sure to mention that these orders come directly from the Canterlot Royalty. That way, we'll have to comply with them without asking any questions."

This arrangement was suitable for all five of the ponies in the room. It was subtle enough for Carabine and Walther, and direct enough for Noble Edict, SIG Sauer, and Lord Bellerophon.

"It shall be done, Your Highness," Carabine guaranteed the gold stallion, rolling the scroll back up and setting it off to the side, "By the time you and Lady Noble return to Ponyville, every law enforcement entity in Equestria will have received those orders."

"Good; very good," Bronze Star commented. There was another brief period of quietness, and then the gold stallion queried "Is there anything else that's worth mentioning about this matter?"

"No, I believe we've covered everything of precedence," Walther perceived, examining the contents of the box one last time. When he was finished, he stated "Yes, I do believe we can wrap up the matter of Nightmare Moon's cult. Now that we know about the Society, we can restrict their activities and keep them at bay."

"In that case, how about we move on to the next item of business?" Bronze Star proposed, leaning back in his chair, "I'm curious to know how the interrogation of Material Study and Sir Raoul Jowl has gone."

At that, the other four stallions seemed to become a little apprehensive. The gold stallion easily noticed this, and he enquired in worry "Is everything alright?"

"Well, Your Highness…" Bellerophon tentatively began. He then took in a deep breath and continued with "This is the main reason why I said it was so urgent for you to come back to Canterlot as soon as possible. Yesterday morning, something very unpleasant happened during the interrogation."

Bronze Star leaned closer to the tall palomino Pegasus and asked him worriedly "What? What happened?"

"It's about Material Study, sir," Bellerophon enlightened the young prince.

"What about him?" Bronze Star questioned restlessly.

"He's dead," was all Bellerophon said in response.