At the next task force meeting, Bronze Star and Sir Haywood McCrank apprised Noble Edict and her security officers of the latter's theory that somepony was spying on them. Like Bronze Star, they were all a little surprised to hear this theory, but none of them were ESPECIALLY surprised. After all, when they started this investigation, they had known very little about it in the first place. They were at the point where they would welcome any sort of discovery.
Aside from that, Bronze Star was able to provide some proof to validate Sir Haywood's hypothesis. He informed the others that he too had once seen somepony prowling through the Everfree Forest. This happened many months ago, on the day of the parasprite infestation. When he and the Element Bearers had driven the swarm into the Forest, he had spotted a figure lurking amongst the trees. The figure had appeared to be watching him and the mares, and even after it realized the gold stallion had been watching it, the figure did not run off.
Bronze Star had not told anypony else about this, as he did not wish to worry anypony. But given the present scenario, he was compelled to come forward. The members of the task force were grateful for that. Even though this was merely circumstantial evidence, it was more than enough to draw justifiable suspicion on the possible whereabouts of the vigilante group or the assassin.
Initially, Bronze Star advocated that they send somepony out to search the boundaries of the Everfree Forest straightaway. Copper Hollow, Almond Wheeler, and Rollin Fields agreed with this proposal; they wanted to pursue this new lead as quickly as possible before it disappeared. However, Sir Haywood McCrank suggested that they not be too hasty; he was concerned that if they rushed in so hastily, they would tip off whoever was watching the town. Noble Edict, Paisley Branch, and Cassia Sprig all concurred with this notion.
For a while, they were locked in a four-to-four vote on what to do next. Ultimately, they decided that they should hold off on exploring the Forest for a while, and instead, they should bring this up to the vigilante group before doing anything else. So they were certain to include this information in the next intelligence report they delivered to the vigilantes.
The following week, the vigilantes delivered their response in their own report. They claimed that they were not the ones Haywood McCrank or Bronze Star had seen. They revealed that they too had suspected that the assassin was using the Everfree Forest as a base of operation or a hideaway. However, he or she had always managed to evade the vigilantes' notice; they had never been able to confirm their hypothesis until now. Sir Haywood and Bronze Star had provided the testimony they needed to assure the vigilantes that the assassin was indeed using the Forest.
However, even with that established, the vigilantes advised the task force not to explore the Everfree Forest just yet. They wanted an opportunity to scout it first. Their reasoning was that they believed they were better at conducting a search without drawing attention to themselves. Although the security officers in the task force felt a little taken aback by this notion, they hardly found themselves in a position to dispute the claim. So they agreed to let the vigilantes take action first.
The next week was spent in anticipation. The eight members of the task force continued investigating within the confines of Ponyville. They still kept a wary eye on the Everfree Forest. They made certain to take note of anypony who appeared to go in or near the Forest; there was a possibility that any one of those ponies were one of the vigilantes, or even the assassin.
Although the investigation into the murder plot occupied a considerable part of the task force's day, each of its members did not spend every waking moment working on it. Sir Haywood McCrank was the only one who had the capacity to do so, but even he needed to rest every now and then. Whenever he was not working, he was usually reading or out visiting with the townspeople. He may have seemed unsociable, but he could be a very outgoing individual at times.
In addition to that, all the members of the task force from Ponyville still had their jobs as security officers. They needed to put in a certain number of hours every day at the barracks or around the town. Aside from that, they were not capable of working all the time, either. All of them had families of their own. Their work on the task force had made them busier than usual, but they still made time to uphold their normal social and familial obligations.
But they had it easy compared to Bronze Star; he was easily the busiest of them all. To him, the investigation into the murder plot occupied a very small part of his day. He also had his role as Canterlot's ambassador to Ponyville, the hunt for the Nightmare Moon cultists, the search for the assassination conspirators, the continuation of his military training, his social life with the residents of Ponyville, and his relationship with Applejack. He was balancing all of those things every single day.
He was used to having this much work to deal with; that was one of the few hardships he faced as a member of the Equestrian Royalty. But these current conditions were different from what he normally dealt with. At least in Canterlot, he would have had his own staff of advisors, legislators, and federal operatives to aid him. He also would have had direct contact with his mother and the Firebrand Regiment. Here in Ponyville, he had to do pretty much everything on his own.
The only people he could really confide in were Noble Edict and Sir Haywood McCrank. He still had the blackboard that enabled him to communicate with the Firebrand Regiment, but he only used it in emergencies or during a field operation. Other than that, his correspondence with them was limited to letters and the weekly updates he received from them and Lord Bellerophon.
Evidently, Ponyville was never meant to be a town where a Royal could perform his or her duties. But despite the obstacles and inconveniences he was faced with, Bronze Star was determined to make everything work. He had never once regretted coming to Ponyville. The time had had spent there had left him with many fond memories. He had been through some hardships, but he had gotten through them with the help of his friends. That was another great thing about Ponyville; Bronze Star had made more friends in the last six months than he had in the rest of his life. Best of all, for the first time ever, he had experienced genuine love. Not domestic love like the love he felt for his mother, or fraternal love like the love he felt for SIG Sauer and Lord Bellerophon, but pure romantic love.
For the past four months, Bronze Star and Applejack had been recognized by many as coltfriend and fillyfriend. In all that time, their feelings for each other had only gotten stronger. Bronze Star would not trade what he had with Applejack for anything. Of course, she was the first mare he had ever been with, just as Bronze Star was the first stallion Applejack had ever been with. All the same, there were some ponies whose first choice turned out to be the right one. Bronze Star still could not say for certain if that was how it would turn out for him and Applejack, but for as long as they were together, he planned to give their relationship his all.
After the meeting with the task force, Bronze Star went up to his room and donned the Stetson Applejack had given him for Hearth's Warming Day. He had made it a habit of wearing that hat whenever he went to visit her at Sweet Apple Acres. She had told him that it actually made him look attractive. Then she corrected herself by saying he looked MORE attractive with the hat on. Luckily, he knew what she meant it; they both got a good laugh out of that.
Once he had the hat on, Bronze Star headed out to Sweet Apple Acres. There he met up with Applejack. As usual, she was busy harvesting apples. Interestingly, the trees had only been planted about ten days ago, but they were already fully grown and producing fruit. That must have been the reason why the Apples were recognized as the greatest farmers in Equestria; their ability to grow and cultivate crops was unrivaled.
While Bronze Star helped Applejack in the orchards, they had a friendly conversation. At one point during it, she mentioned that Hearts and Hooves Day was coming up soon. Bronze Star realized she was correct, and he suggested that they do something special together. She just grinned and said that that was precisely what she had in mind.
Once they were finished in the fields, they took a couple hours to discuss what they would do for Hearts and Hooves Day. Bronze Star was compelled to make a draft and overview it a couple times, but Applejack reminded him that this was just a plan for a date, not a bill going through Canterlot's bureaucracy.
They were glad they had made this plan in advance; Hearts and Hooves Day was soon upon them.
Applejack and Bronze Star spent the whole day together. First, they woke up bright and early, and they had breakfast at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack made the meal herself; it was ready for consumption by the time Bronze Star arrived. After breakfast, they went trotting through the park. They took some time to admire the lovely weather and the peaceful setting. On the way, they greeted the other couples they came across, and the other couples greeted them in return.
After their walk, they went to see a film at the cinema. There were two films playing that day: a romantic comedy and a historical epic. Naturally, most of the ponies there chose to watch the romantic comedy. However, Bronze Star and Applejack preferred more serious material, so they chose the historical epic. They sat near the back where they could hold hooves, whisper, and make out without disturbing anypony or being overheard.
Once the movie was over, they had lunch at the embassy. Bronze Star made the meal this time, and it was just as pleasant as breakfast. They stayed in the building for a couple hours after that. They passed that time by chatting and looking through books on poetry. It may not have been their style, but they could appreciate it when they were in each other's company. After all, so far, they had been outside for most of the day. This was the first time they had some time alone together. They had told Sir Haywood McCrank about their plans; the indigo stallion had made certain to be away from the embassy in the afternoon. So Bronze Star and Applejack had the building all to themselves for a while.
After their time indoors, they went back to Sweet Apple Acres to do some applebucking. With Applejack, no day was complete without a bit of hard work and sweat. Not even a holiday. Bronze Star agreed with this sentiment. Plus, he had come to enjoy harvesting the apple trees. To him, it was the best exercise one could get in Ponyville.
They then went hunting near White-Tail Woods. They brought along Arthur D. Hawkins and Winona. The prince and his hawk proved to be excellent hunting partners with the farmer and her dog. They managed to catch a number of small animals, some of which were quite fierce. This might not have seemed romantic to some, but it gave Applejack and Bronze Star plenty of thrill and delight. After all, what better way to show somepony you care for them than fighting alongside them?
In the early evening, they had dinner at a restaurant, and they had dessert at Sugarcube Corner. They had made reservations well in advance, otherwise they would have had to wait in line for over an hour. Pinkie Pie was there to greet them when they arrived at the sweet shop. It turned out they were the one-hundredth couple to be served that day. Because of that, they got an extra cupcake for free.
The whole day had been wonderful and pleasurable for both Bronze Star and Applejack. But the best part came after dinner: they were going to watch the Sun go down together. From a bird's eye-view.
After they finished dessert, Bronze Star and Applejack left Sugarcube Corner. Then they headed out of town to the south, and they trotted through the plains outside of Ponyville. They went there because they did not wish to be seen.
Once they were certain they were alone, Bronze Star transformed back into his Alicorn form, and he invited Applejack to climb onto his back. She was a little hesitant at first, but she felt he knew what he was doing, and she trusted him completely. So she carefully climbed on top of the gold stallion. He was only slightly larger than her, but he had sufficient strength to balance her on his back.
Once Applejack had a firm grip on Bronze Star, the prince started rapidly flapping his wings and ascended into the air. He gradually rose higher and higher until they were about a thousand feet above the ground. Applejack felt a little queasy as they gained altitude, but she did not let her apprehension get in the way. She managed by continuously reminding herself not to look down.
When they were at one thousand feet, Bronze Star stopped rising and just hovered in midair. The two of them got a fantastic view of the Sun from that height. In the distance, they could see the Sun overlooking the landscape between Canterlot and Ponyville. It was in the process of going down slowly yet delicately.
Applejack marveled at the sight. She had to admit; it was far more amazing to watch the Sun go down at this height than from the ground. She thought it was so beautiful. Bronze Star felt the same way. In his mind, only his mother could make a natural event like a sunset look so astoundingly majestic.
They stayed in that position for nearly an hour. They did not move until the Sun had fully vanished beyond the horizon. Once it was gone, Bronze Star flew back down to the ground, and Applejack calmly climbed off of him. He had made certain to avoid flying anywhere near the town, lest he risk being spotted by the townsfolk. They had nothing to worry about.
They spent the last few hours of the day lying in the grass, stargazing. This was an activity both of them had always delighted in. Applejack greatly admired the stars, but Bronze Star practically reveled them. The stars meant as much to him as the Sun meant to his mother, and as the Moon meant to his Aunt. That was one of the reasons why his cutie mark was a cluster of stars.
When it was nearly midnight, the orange mare and the gold stallion finally called it a day. Bronze Star transformed back into his Earth Pony disguise, and he walked Applejack home to Sweet Apple Acres. When they reached the gate, he gave her a long, passionate kiss that lasted almost twenty seconds. Then he bade her good night and went back to the embassy.
Bronze Star and Applejack both went to bed satisfied and content that night. It had been a great day for both of them. They had been able to concentrate exclusively on each other without any worries, responsibilities, or deterrents to get in their way.
That made it all the more depressing when Hearts and Hooves Day ended. Because by sunrise the following day, they were back to their usual everyday lives of obligation and toil.
Bronze Star did not go to bed until about three o'clock in the morning. As a result, he had accidentally overslept. He did not wake up until well after nine. To make matters worse, he had another meeting with the task force that day. They were not meeting until ten o'clock, but Bronze Star still had to freshen up, eat breakfast, feed Arthur, and go over the latest messages from Canterlot before then.
He had to rush to get everything done on time. It was easy to shower, eat, and feed his pet hawk at a fast pace, but there was no real way to read the news from Canterlot quickly. Even just skimming through the report required at least twenty minutes.
Ultimately, Bronze Star decided to just go over the report after the meeting. He would somehow find time, even though he suspected he would be even busier that day. After all, he had taken the entire previous day off; he needed to compensate by doing two days' worth of work in one.
He predicted that this was going to be a long day. Of course, he was accustomed to long days, but he felt this one would be especially long.
After briefly overviewing the news from Canterlot, Bronze Star grabbed his knapsack and headed downstairs to the meeting chambers. He found that most of the task force was already assembled there. Paisley Branch was leaning back in her chair, resting her hind hooves on the table. Almond Wheeler was straightening out her mane. Rollin Fields was standing against the wall, adjusting his pocket watch. Copper Hollow and Noble Edict were idly talking with each other. Sir Haywood McCrank was sorting through his files with one hoof, and he was fiddling with three dice in his other hoof.
Cassia Sprig was the only one who was unaccounted for.
When Bronze Star entered the room, the others looked to him. He nodded in acknowledgment and said cordially "Morning."
"Good morning, Mr. Ambassador," Copper Hollow amiably rejoined. The others nodded back in a friendly manner.
"Sorry if I kept you waiting," Bronze Star stated as he sat down at his normal place at the front of the table.
"It's alright, sir," Haywood McCrank asserted, "We haven't begun yet."
"Oh, good," Bronze Star bluntly remarked, "I hate being late."
"Just for the record, if you were late, we would have waited for you, sir," Noble Edict proclaimed. The others muttered in agreement.
"Thank you," the gold stallion said gratefully, "I appreciate that."
The red mare merely smiled and nodded in affirmation. Then she asked curiously "So, how was your date with Applejack?"
"Oh, it was wonderful," Bronze Star disclosed, "She and I were together for the whole day yesterday."
"What all did you do?" Copper Hollow queried in interest.
"Well, we had all three meals together," Bronze Star recounted, "We also went hunting, applebucking, trotting through the park, stargazing, and we read some country-style poetry. Oh, and we watched the Sun go down. We also saw a movie at the cinema."
"Which one?" Rollin Fields inquired.
"The historical epic," Bronze Star replied, "Despite the fact that almost everypony else chose the romantic comedy."
"Don't worry; you didn't miss anything," Almond Wheeler proclaimed, "I saw it yesterday. Big waste of time, if you ask me."
Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and remarked "You were at the cinema yesterday, Almond?"
"Yes," the gray Earth Pony confirmed, "Does that surprise you?"
"No, but because yesterday was Hearts And Hooves Day, the theater had a 'couples only' policy," Bronze Star pointed out, "So tell me; who did you see it with?"
Almond Wheeler seemed hesitant to give an answer at first, but after about ten seconds of silence, she sighed and said "My cousin."
Bronze Star did not expect to hear that. He lightly scoffed and stated "Really?"
"Yeah, it was his idea," Almond Wheeler affirmed, blushing slightly, "He doesn't really have a big interest in that sort of thing. He must have thought I was, considering his behavior towards me as of late."
"What do you mean?" Copper Hollow enquired.
"My cousin and I have always been fond of each other," Almond Wheeler elucidated, "We grew up together, lived together, and went to school together. He even joined the town's security force, too. Recently, he's expressed a type of liking for me that goes beyond that of cousins. He started out being subtle, but he's become increasingly affectionate towards me. He's aware that I don't feel the same way about him, and he's trying so hard to convince me to change my mind."
"He's determined; I'll give him that," Rollin Fields perceived.
"How does that make you feel, Almond?" Noble Edict enquired.
"He's not obsessing over me, if that's what you're asking, Noble," the gray mare pronounced, "My cousin's a great guy. Sure, he can be weird, but I love him anyway. In fact, although his advances annoyed me at first, I'm starting to warm up to him."
"Awww, I think that's sweet," Paisley Branch commented adoringly, "Maybe you should indulge him. I think you do would make a nice pair."
"Speak for yourself, Paisley," Almond Wheeler drily countered, "Regardless of whether or not he actually loves me, we're still cousins. That may not seem too bad to some, but it still makes me feel awkward. I mean, imagine what it would be like if your little brother started flirting with you."
"Where did that come from, Almond?" Paisley Branch muttered in bewilderment and amusement, "Anyway, I wouldn't worry about that. Our situations are totally different. You and your cousin are roughly the same age; my brother is almost eight years younger than me. Aside from that, our parents split up before I was his age, and both of them have jobs that require them to travel a lot. So I practically raised my brother on my own. He looks up to me as a role model. So even if he wasn't my brother, how many people do you know who fall in love with their role models?"
"Okay, bad example," Almond Wheeler conceded, "Still, I'm very uncertain about pursuing any… intimate relationships with my cousin. I'll need time to think that through."
"Well, it's your decision, Official Wheeler," Sir Haywood McCrank proclaimed, "I'm not trying to influence your choice, but you should know I have a colleague at the Bureau who married his second cousin. They've been together for over twenty years, and they have three healthy children."
"I'll take that into account, Sir Haywood," Almond Wheeler avowed, smirking.
There was another brief interval of quietness, and then Paisley Branch looked over at Bronze Star. The cobalt blue Unicorn noticed the gold stallion seemed somewhat distressed. She raised an eyebrow and perceived "You did have a good time yesterday, right, Mr. Ambassador?
Bronze Star was mildly stunned to hear that. He candidly replied with "Oh my, yes, Paisley. I've been so preoccupied with work that I haven't had a decent break in a long while. I've been waiting for a pleasant distraction, and yesterday provided just the one I needed. For the first time in months, I had an entire day off from work. I had twenty-four whole hours to clear my head of all my troubles and pressures, and to relish in the joys of life. Better yet, I got to do that with somepony I care deeply about. What greater form of bliss is there than the type that can be shared jointly?"
"That's rather poetic, Mr. Ambassador," Copper Hollow remarked in amazement.
"Thanks, Copper," Bronze Star said, smiling lightly. He turned to Paisley Branch and queried in perplexity, "What made you think I didn't enjoy myself, anyway?"
"Nothing, sir," the cobalt blue mare proclaimed, "You just seem a little tense right now."
"Oh, I see," Bronze Star uttered in comprehension, "Well, to be honest, I am. But not because of anything that happened yesterday. In a way, it's because of something that did NOT happen yesterday."
"How so?" Noble Edict queried.
"My workload has piled up a bit," Bronze Star explicated, "The one downside to having a full day off is that I've fallen a little behind on work. Plus I didn't get to bed until three o'clock in the morning, so I'm still feeling a little tired. It could take me a while to catch up."
"I wouldn't worry about that, Mr. Ambassador," Almond Wheeler spoke frankly, "Some of our fellow officers fall behind in their quota all the time, but they always manage to make it up somehow."
"That's good for them," Bronze Star straightforwardly pronounced, "Unfortunately, it's not that simple for me. When you're in a position as important and pertinent as mine, even falling behind just a little can set you back considerably. If I'm lucky, I'll be caught up by the end of the day. If not… it could take me the better part of a week to get back on track. It's critical that that not happen, though; a lot of ponies depend on me to get my work done on time. If I'm unable to pull through for them, I could upset the balance of a whole bunch of things."
The members of the task force knew that Bronze Star's job involved more than just that of an emissary and a correspondent. He had told them that he was also part of an organization of highly-trained patriotic individuals from the military and government that upheld the safety of Equestria through certain extreme methods. That much was true; the Firebrand Regiment fit that description perfectly. But Bronze Star never brought up the Regiment specifically. He just told the task force that he was working with this "organization" on a daily basis.
To top it all off, Bronze Star was doing pretty much everything without any assistance whatsoever. He had been able to handle that at first, but even he had his limits. After nineteen straight weeks of juggling so much activity at once, he was borderline exhausted and overwhelmed.
This became obvious to Sir Haywood McCrank. The gold stallion may have proclaimed that he was just a little worn out, but the indigo stallion could tell he was in much worse condition than that. He rose from his chair and thought aloud "Sir, forgive me if I sound out of line, but I believe you are seriously overexerting yourself."
Bronze Star gazed at Haywood McCrank intently, as if he was analyzing that statement to determine its credibility. Ultimately, he just sighed and commented "If you said that four months ago, I would have strongly disagreed, Sir Haywood. But after everything we've been though, I guess I may as well admit it. I'm overworking myself too damn much."
"Indeed you are," Haywood McCrank concurred.
"Well, what would you suggest I do?" Bronze Star inquired.
"The way I see it, you have two options: decrease your workload, or find somepony to assist you," Haywood professed.
"I'm not willing to consider the first one," Bronze Star declared, "And I'm a little tentative about the second one. I mean, it's not as though I have my own staff."
"Not at the moment," Haywood McCrank noted, "Maybe you should consider hiring a secretary, sir."
"A secretary?" Bronze Star asked rhetorically.
"Yes, you should seriously consider that," Haywood McCrank proposed, "Think about this. Every day, you are faced with piles and piles of information. You put it upon yourself to receive the information, sort it, act upon it, and reply to it. If you get a secretary, somepony else can handle the receiving and sorting process."
Bronze Star thought about this for about a minute, and then he shrugged lightly and turned to the indigo stallion. He grinned and stated in approval "That's actually a pretty good idea, Sir Haywood. I could definitely use a secretary."
Haywood McCrank grinned as well and commented "I'm glad to hear that, sir. I hate to see you under such tremendous stress. If you do this, I'm confident you'll be able to allot yourself some more breathing room. At the very least, you should be able to remove some of the weight from your shoulders."
Bronze Star nodded in acknowledgement. He seemed to become quite a bit more relaxed after that. He was now properly focused on the meeting, as well.
After two more minutes of silence, Bronze Star shifted in his seat, and then he asked "So, when are we going to get this thing started?"
"Just as soon as the information from the vigilantes arrives," Noble Edict informed him.
"Oh, yeah," Bronze Star acknowledged. After a short pause, his eyes widened and he murmured in perplexity "Wait, it's not here yet?"
"Nope, we're still waiting on it," Paisley Branch affirmed.
"Whose turn is it to pick up the report?" Haywood McCrank inquired.
"Cassia's," Copper Hollow reminded him, "That's probably why she's not here."
"I hope it is," Noble Edict mumbled in mild unease, "She's never been this late before."
"You did tell her the location of the new drop site, right, sir?" Rollin Fields presumed.
"Of course I did, Rollin," Bronze Star insisted, "But it's near the northern part of town. That puts a considerable amount of space between the drop site and the embassy. Maybe she misjudged the distance."
"No, I know Cassia Sprig," Noble Edict debated, "She would have gotten to the drop site early to ensure that she got here on time."
"Well, in any case, let's wait a little longer," Bronze Star proposed, "If she's not here within the next twenty minutes, one of us can go to the drop site and investigate."
The others agreed to this arrangement. They sat in virtual silence for about five more minutes. After that, Cassia Sprig arrived at the embassy. Sure enough, she had the vigilantes' packet with her.
As she got settled in her usual spot, she hastily told the others "I'm so sorry I'm late."
"It's quite alright, Deputy Sprig," Haywood McCrank asserted, "I assume you have a good reason."
"I do," Cassia Sprig disclosed, "My daughter got sick. I had to take her to the pediatric clinic."
"Oh, goodness, is she alright?" Noble Edict asked in concern.
"Yeah, she should be fine, Noble," the periwinkle Pegasus reassured her, "The doctor said she just has a slight fever. I was concerned it was something worse, since she developed a violent cough last night. I probably should have had her checked out sooner."
"Couldn't your husband have taken her?" Paisley Branch inquired.
"He would have, but he got called in for work early," Cassia Sprig revealed, "His construction team is building an extension to the apartment complex, and the forestallion wants to get ahead of schedule. So my husband left the house two hours before he normally does."
"So you had a last-minute setback that needed your immediate attention," Bronze Star conjectured.
"In a nutshell, that's pretty much it, Mr. Ambassador," Cassia Sprig affirmed, "Even so, I had no intention of bypassing this meeting or overlooking the drop site. Not with the seven of you counting on me. I hope you understand that."
"Of course we do," Noble Edict pronounced.
"You don't have to explain yourself," Almond Wheeler asserted.
"Yeah, you weren't overreacting, Cassia," Rollin Fields guaranteed, "As a fellow parent, I know how you must've felt. I've been through that same scenario many times. There's nothing more unsettling than discovering that one of your own children is sick. That's just one of the many tests of parenthood. With luck, I managed to pass that test every time I was faced with it. Now I've successfully raised four children of my own. Two of which are older than anypony else in this room. Other than Sir Haywood, that is."
"That's good to know, Rollin," Cassia Sprig told the lime green Earth Pony, "I still only have one child, and she just had her second birthday a month ago. I can still cradle her in my front legs. My husband and I are thinking about having another one, but we decided to hold off on that for a while. You see, he wants to wait until the extension to the apartment complex had been completed, and I wanted to wait until this murder plot has been averted."
"Glad to see you have your priorities in order," Haywood McCrank observed. After some more silence, he held out his front hoof and requested "On the subject, could you show me the latest report from the vigilantes?"
"Sure, Sir Haywood," Cassia Sprig complied, holding out the packet, "It was right where the Ambassador said it would be. I made sure to leave the copy of our own recent findings there in return, too."
"Excellent," Haywood commented as he received the packet from the periwinkle Pegasus. He opened it up and started removing the papers. He neatly placed them side-by-side on the surface of the table. This was rather abnormal. Typically, he would pass the papers around the room so that the other members of the task force could study them. It made no sense for him to just spread them out in such a way.
However, as questionable as Sir Haywood's actions were, the task force had come to accept that he did everything for a reason. There was always a method to his madness.
Before long, the packet had been emptied. Nearly half of the table was covered by the papers. Haywood McCrank then picked up the dice that he had been holding earlier on. He told the others "Before we review any of the information, there is something I wish to try."
"Oh, I was going to ask you what was up with the dice," Bronze Star thought aloud.
"They're for a little experiment I want to test out," Haywood McCrank apprised him, "I have a notion that by rolling these dice in a certain manner over these papers, we may yield another clue about the investigation."
"Explain, please," Copper Hollow bade the indigo stallion.
Haywood McCrank had already prepared a full explanation of what he planned to do. He looked around at the seven other members of the task force, and he illuminated: "Throughout the duration of my career as a federal investigator, I have come to accept many interesting truths. One of them applies here. It's simple, but logical: every mystery can be interpreted as a mathematical equation. It has a formula, variables, a varying degree of difficulty, and a solution. And unless it's a conceptual question or a question involving proofs, the solution always involves a numerical value. This numerical value can play a major role in the mystery, as well. Because of that, I've found that if one can determine that specific numerical value, they can go a long way in furthering the investigation into the mystery. Do you all comprehend what I'm saying?"
Sir Haywood was somewhat cryptic and difficult to follow, but the other seven ponies managed to keep up with him. So they all nodded in compliance.
"How exactly does that tie-in to what you're doing?" Rollin Fields queried.
"In the majority of the cases I've solved, the numerical value has been relatively small," Haywood McCrank expounded, "Most of the time, it's an integer between one and eighteen. So I have three dice here. My hope is that if I roll these dice over the papers we received from the vigilantes, they will produce a number that serves some meaningful purpose in this plot."
"That sounds like a longshot, Sir Haywood," Noble Edict declared, "Then again, a lot of the methods you've used have been longshots, and they've always yielded something useful."
"I expect this one will, as well, Lady Noble," Haywood McCrank asserted, "Shall I proceed with the experiment?"
"Go right ahead," the red mare beckoned him.
Haywood McCrank nodded and looked down at the papers on the surface of the table. He placed two of the dice aside, and he kept the third one in his hoof. He shook his front hoof for a few seconds, and then he dropped the die on top of the papers. The die rolled across the surface of the table for a few seconds, and then it stopped. The number on top was three.
"Three," Bronze Star stated.
"Everypony make a note of that," Haywood McCrank instructed.
Haywood McCrank picked the die up again, and after shaking it, he rolled it over the papers a second time. It landed on three this time, too. Sir Haywood picked it up and rolled it over and over and over again. Every single time, it landed on three.
After the first die produced ten occurrences of three, Haywood McCrank repeated the same process with the other two die separately. They all produced the number three for ten straight rolls.
Sir Haywood then decided to roll two dice. The first time he did that, one of them landed on one, and the other landed on two. He rolled them onto the papers a second time, and they produced one and two respectively again. He went through this routine with all three of the dice in different pairs. Regardless of which pair he used, they always landed on one and two. In other words, they added up to three.
Finally, Sir Haywood rolled all three dice at once. They all landed on one. They produced triple snake-eyes, or in simpler terms, three. He kept on rolling them over the papers. All three of them landed on one every time.
Bronze Star and the security officers were astonished by this. A couple of them were skeptical; they theorized that perhaps Sir Haywood was somehow controlling the dice on his own. However, the indigo stallion had given each of them a chance to roll the dice by themselves. So all seven of them had an opportunity to roll one die, two dice, and three dice over the papers. No matter who rolled them or how many dice were rolled, the subsequent value always came out as three.
In order to ascertain this, Sir Haywood rolled the dice on the clear part of the table and the floor a few times. Only then did the dice produce erratic results. They only occasionally landed on three then. However, once Sir Haywood started rolling the dice on the papers again, they went back to yielding a cumulative sum of three.
When this was all over, Sir Haywood sat down in his chair and announced "We've rolled these dice over these papers over a hundred times. Every single time, we get a total of three."
"What do you think it means?" Cassia Sprig queried.
"It could mean anything," Haywood McCrank perceived, "But as of right now, it's safe to say that something about this murder plot revolves around the number three. Maybe it represents how long the vigilantes have been aware of it. Maybe it refers to how long the assassin will take to kill the victim. Maybe it symbolizes how many groups of people are looking into this matter. The possibilities are limitless."
"Does knowing that really get us anywhere?" Paisley Branch enquired.
"Yes, this is steering us in a definite direction," Haywood insisted, "In the future, we should keep an eye out for everything that's centered on the number three. And I mean EVERYTHING. Ponies who schedule appointments at three o'clock, ponies who have three children, ponies who work three jobs… everything. Given the vagueness of this clue, we cannot afford to rule anything out."
"If you say so, Sir Haywood," Noble Edict coincided.
Bronze Star and the security officers accepted this proposal, too. Of course, none of them could deny that it would be difficult to keep a record of every occurrence of the number three in Ponyville. All the same, they were determined to try.
After the experiment with the dice, the task force resumed their normal investigation. They looked over the latest update from the vigilante group, and they went over their own recent findings. It turned out the vigilantes had been unable to locate anypony in the Everfree Forest. They had come close on a few occasions, but the assassin had managed to evade their notice every time. However, they had been able to provide the task force with one very relevant piece of information: whoever the assassin was, he or she seemed to alternate between hiding in the Everfree Forest and White Tail Woods every other day. They made certain to check the Woods out sometime in the future.
After another hour, the meeting ended. This had been one of their most productive meetings to date. As Noble Edict and the other security officers gathered up their materials, Haywood McCrank reminded them to be mindful of the number three. They assured the indigo stallion that they would keep an eye out.
Bronze Star looked through his own documents. There were quite a lot of them, and the gold stallion could tell that it would take a while to organize them properly. He sighed and thought aloud "Well, I better start looking for a secretary."
"I'd suggest you go to Town Hall, sir," Noble Edict suggested, "If you tell the Mayor that you have a job opening, she can have flyers made for you."
"Alright, I like that idea," Bronze Star muttered in approval, "Thanks, Noble."
"Anytime," was all the red Earth Pony said in response.
The six security officers then returned to the barracks. Sir Haywood McCrank stayed in the embassy to file the report from the vigilantes. Bronze Star headed to Town Hall. Like him, the Mayor was a characteristically busy person, but he was able to see her without setting an appointment. When he told her that he was hoping to hire a secretary, she offered to have some flyers set up for him around town, just as Noble Edict had said she would. Bronze Star was extremely grateful for this offer. The alternative was that he would have had to create and hang up all the flyers by himself, and his time was already limited enough as it was. Naturally, he accepted the Mayor's offer.
When he asked how long it would take to have the flyers posted, Mayor Mare informed him that they would take a couple hours to print, and another couple hours to have them hanged up around town. She estimated that they would be all over Ponyville by three o'clock in the afternoon. Remembering what Sir Haywood had advised, Bronze Star made a note of that.
He gave the Mayor a thorough description of the how he wanted the flyer to look. After he worked out the specifics of the job opening with her, Bronze Star headed back to the embassy. He spent the rest of the morning and the early afternoon catching up on his work. He paused only once to eat a light lunch and to let Arthur outside to fly. Shortly before three o'clock, he decided to take a short break.
It was another beautiful day, so Bronze Star chose to go outside for a while. Straightaway, he noticed that the flyers had already been put up all over the town. Several ponies seemed to convey a bit of interest in them. On every street, he saw at least three or four ponies studying one of the flyers. Bronze Star had asked the Mayor to include a note about how people could schedule an interview with him, and she had left such a notice at the bottom of the page. Everypony who was considering the job would sign up at Town Hall, and Bronze Star would go there at the end of the day to pick up the list of prospects. He brought it upon himself to decide when each appointment would be.
As he trotted through the town, Bronze Star soon encountered the market. Applejack was at her own booth, selling her most recent harvest from Sweet Apple Acres. Normally, she did this job by herself. But this time, Apple Bloom was with her. They were both wearing aprons, and the yellow filly seemed quite excited to be there.
"Get your delicious nutritious apples here!" Applejack called out.
Apple Bloom stepped in front of her sister and enthusiastically shouted "Delicious and nutritious, and so many uses!"
She picked up one of the apples and took a large bite out of it. Then she said "You can eat 'em."
After swallowing the apple, she picked up another one and added in "Play with 'em."
She then tossed the apple above her head and bucked it with one of her legs. She hit it so hard that it caused her to groan a little.
Bronze Star did not see where the apple landed, but he heard somepony yell angrily "Hey, watch it!"
Apple Bloom ignored that and picked up another apple. She continued with "Create fine art for your home with 'em."
She bucked that apple at an easel a few meters away, and it splattered all over the blank page, much to the annoyance of the painter it belonged to.
Apple Bloom casually approached the painter and cheerfully declared "You have to be crazy not to get a bushel of your very own."
Applejack hastily grabbed her sister and pulled her back to the booth. She noticed that the two of them were getting a lot of unwanted stares. The orange mare nervously remarked "Heh... she's so creative, heh."
"Not to mention eager," Bronze Star commented from the sidelines.
Applejack had not noticed the gold stallion until then. When she heard that, she turned to him and smiled. He smiled back and trotted over to her.
"Hey there, sugar cube," she greeted him giddily.
"Hello, my love," he cheekily rejoined.
Applejack blushed a little, but she secretly enjoyed it when he teased her like that. Bronze Star leaned in for a kiss, and she happily accepted it. After a few seconds, he brought his right front hoof up to her mane and gentled stroked it. In return, she softly placed her own right front hoof on his cheek. Both of them wanted to savor the moment. Apple Bloom did not seem amused by this display; she gradually inched away from them.
"Get a room, you two," she stated irritably.
Applejack pulled her lips away from Bronze's and advised her sister "Mind your own business, Apple Bloom."
"I am minding my business," Apple Bloom contended, "I'm trying to help our family's business by selling these apples. On that note, I better get back to work."
At this time, an Earth Pony stallion with an hourglass for a cutie mark was passing through the area. Bronze Star recognized him as Dr. Whooves. Nopony really knew whether his title was medical or scientific; he had demonstrated skills in both fields. Bronze Star was not that certain that the Doctor was a permanent resident of Ponyville. The young prince only saw him every now and then. It was also worth noting that whenever Dr. Whooves was around, he was usually in the company of Derpy Hooves and her daughter, Dinky. Presently, he was walking through the market by himself.
Apple Bloom sauntered over to the stallion and proposed "You, sir, care t' buy some apples?"
"No thanks," the Doctor said in response.
"Why not?" the yellow filly asked curiously.
"I have plenty at home," Dr. Whooves proclaimed, seeming a little perturbed.
"Are you sure?" Apple Bloom pressed him.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure I..." the stallion began anxiously
"You're pretty sure," Apple Bloom interrupted him as she blocked his path and forced him to back up a bit, "but you're not absolutely positively completely super-duper sure, are you?"
Dr. Whooves was notably uncomfortable at this time. He mumbled nervously "Y...ah... If I buy some apples, will you please leave me alone?"
"Aaal-right!" Apple Bloom agreed joyfully.
She led the Doctor over to the booth, and Applejack gave him a basket of ripe apples. Dr. Whooves took the basket, gave her a large pile of bits, and bolted out of the area.
"You forgot your change!" the orange mare called out to him. Unfortunately, Dr. Whooves was already well out of earshot.
Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and whispered to his fillyfriend "What's up with her?"
"If you want the full, rushed version, ask her," Applejack quietly responded, "But basically, she really wants to get a cutie mark, and she's trying to get one as soon as possible. She's fairly certain her special talent has to do with apples. Mostly because it's the family enterprise."
"Oh, alright then," Bronze Star avowed, "She's rather pragmatic, isn't she?"
"More like besotted, if you ask me," Applejack observed.
Bronze Star smiled at that. Apparently, Applejack had been around him for so long that she was starting to pick up some of the high-level vocabulary words he used.
"Woo-hoo! That's how you sell s'm apples and get a cutie mark!" Apple Bloom yelled cheerfully. She looked over her shoulder and gazed at her flank. She started spinning around in circles and said eagerly "So, what does my cutie mark look like? A shoppin' bag full of apples? A satisfied customer eating an apple?"
Much to her disappointment, her flank was still bare. She scowled and rubbed her chin, saying "Hmm... maybe I gotta increase my sales figures first."
At this time, Berry Punch had approached the stand. She was examining another basket of apples very closely. Her muzzle was almost touching the apple on top. This gave Apple Bloom an idea. She shot forward and shouted "YOU TOUCH IT, YOU BUY IT."
In response, Berry Punch recoiled in shock and fear. Bronze Star tried not to laugh when he saw the expression on her face.
Apple Bloom leaned on the basket and added in calmly "We take cash or credit."
Berry Punch did not respond verbally. Apple Bloom had straight-up startled her breathless. Applejack hastily approached her and told her apologetically "I'm sorry, ma'am."
Berry Punch galloped away from the booth in alarm. Applejack called out "Ma'am! Aww..."
She turned to her sister and crossly remarked "Now Apple Bloom, you can't just..."
Right then, Bon Bon was passing by the stand. She was carrying two saddlebags on her back. The one on her right side was open. Apple Bloom took a basket of apples and emptied them into the open bag. Then she pronounced "That'll be four bits."
Bon Bon glared at her and snapped in a raspy tone "I didn't put those in my bag."
Bronze Star winced at the sound of her voice. Last time he heard her speak, she had used a much smoother tone.
"Likely story." Apple Bloom uttered scathingly, "Four bits, lady!"
"Apple Bloom!" Applejack interceding, placing her front hoof over the yellow filly's mouth. She turned her attention to Bon Bon and told her "I am really really sorry about that. She's new."
Bon Bon did not seem very forgiving about this matter. Applejack had to give her the entire supply of apples she had on-hoof to make amends with her. The beige mare was overloaded, but she seemed content with this arrangement. As she stumbled away, Applejack called out neighborly "Y'all come back now, y'hear?"
Once Bon Bon was out of the market, Bronze Star turned to Applejack and stated "What was up with her voice?"
"What do you mean?" Applejack asked her coltfriend.
"It's different from last time," Bronze Star pointed out, "It seems like every time she talks, her voice changes."
"There's a reason for that," the orange mare disclosed, "She's a voice actress."
"She is?" Bronze Star said in interest.
"Yeah," Applejack affirmed, "She's one of the best in the business, actually. Whenever she's not making sweets here in Ponyville, she goes to either Las Pegasus or Vanhoover to record her voicework."
"That doesn't explain why she speaks in different voices in real life," Bronze Star noted.
"Well, in order to get in enough practice, she tries speaking in a different voice every day," Applejack enlightened him. She lightly scoffed and stated humorously "I can't believe you didn't know that after living here for six months."
"I guess I just never considered the possibility that Bon Bon was a voice actress," Bronze Star pronounced, "Now that I know, it does explain a few things about her. There's still a lot about this town I don't know all about."
"Well, if you have any questions about anything else, feel free to come to me," Applejack offered.
Bronze Star nodded in understanding. Applejack was always a good consultant for answers. That must have been why Apple Bloom was seeking her sister's help to get a cutie mark.
On that note, Applejack was still somewhat upset with Apple Bloom's marketing methods. She glared down at her little sister. Apple Bloom just asked in bafflement "What?"
Applejack took her little sister by her back and removed her apron. As she did this, she muttered angrily "Sorry little sis, but your apple-sellin' days are over."
As she set the filly back on the ground, Apple Bloom muttered in distress "What? But how else am I gonna get my cutie mark?"
Applejack gestured to the west and sternly ordered "Home. Now."
Apple Bloom's head sunk and she groaned "Hm."
Applejack could tell that her sister was in great sorrow. So she tried to console her with "Ugh. Listen, sugarcube, I know it's hard to wait for your very own cutie mark, but, you just can't force it. Besides, you're not that grown-up just yet. Ain't there other fillies in your class without one?"
Apple Bloom thought for a moment, and then she disclosed "Well... Twist doesn't have hers yet."
"Do you think you'd feel better if you went to the party with her?" Her elder sister suggested.
"Mmm-hmm," Apple Bloom said in response, grinning slightly.
"Well, there you go," Apple Bloom propounded, "Bet you and Twist would have a great time together. Now run along and find your friend."
This idea rather appealing to Apple Bloom. Before she went anywhere, she offered "You're sure you don't want me to stick around 'till the end of th' market?"
Before Applejack had a chance to respond, somepony in the area shout furiously "Hey! Who's been using my racket?"
Bronze Star, Applejack, and Apple Bloom turned in the direction of the shout, and they saw Ace holding his tennis racket out. The strings were heavily stained with chunks of apple.
"Yeah," Applejack bluntly answered, "I'm sure."
Apple Bloom solemnly nodded in acceptance, and she departed from the area. Bronze Star and Applejack were left by themselves then.
Bronze Star checked the time, and he revealed "I'd better get going, too. I'm seeking out some help of my own."
"So I've heard," Applejack commented, "Somepony came through here a while ago and put up a bunch of flyers for a job opening at the embassy."
"Yeah, they're all over town," Bronze Star apprised her, "I've been buried in so much paperwork lately that I've barely been able to enjoy any leisure time. My workload never gets any smaller; it just continues to get larger every week. Keeping up with it has proven to be a real challenge. It also didn't help that I got absolutely no work done yesterday."
When she heard that last statement, Applejack appeared concerned and she asked in worry "That isn't my fault, is it?"
"Oh, no; not at all," Bronze Star hastily assured her "I don't regret taking a day off. Yesterday was just what I needed to relax. I had a lot of fun."
"So did I," Applejack remarked, smiling.
Bronze Star smiled back. After some more silence, he went on with "At any rate, I've decided to hire a secretary. It would be really beneficial to have somepony around to organize my paperwork for me. Another two pairs of hooves could make a lot of difference."
Applejack raised an eyebrow and cockily leered "So I'm not enough for you, huh?"
That remark greatly startled Bronze Star. He hastily shook his front hooves and averred "No, no, no; it's nothing like that, I swear! I never even said my secretary would have to be a mare!"
Applejack laughed heartily at his reaction, and she told him assuredly "Calm down, I'm just kidding. You know I trust you."
"Good," Bronze Star muttered in relief. He needed a moment to calm himself, and once he was serene, he informed Applejack "You'll probably be seeing a little less of me over the next few days. I'll be conducting a lot of interviews at the embassy. Depending on how many there are and how they go, it could take me a while to make my selection."
"I understand," Applejack asserted, "If getting a secretary is a surefire way to help you lighten your workload and ease your stress levels, then take as long as you need."
"Thanks," Bronze Star said appreciatively.
The young prince then left the marketplace. He made his way back to Town Hall to check in with the Mayor. A dozen ponies had already signed up for the job opening at the embassy. Once Bronze Star had a copy of the list, he left the building and headed back to the embassy.
On his way there, he came across Apple Bloom again. She was sitting in the center of the road, and she seemed severely disheartened. Concerned for her emotional well-being, Bronze Star trotted over to her and queried "Apple Bloom, are you alright?"
The yellow filly gradually looked up at the gold stallion. She told him in a sad tone of voice "Oh, hi, Mr. Ambassador. I'm fine. Actually… no, I'm not."
"What's wrong?" he asked in worry.
"I thought my friend Twist didn't have her cutie mark," Apple Bloom answered him, "Up until an hour ago, she didn't. Now she's got a peppermint stick on her flank. Now I'm like the only one in my class who's still a blank flank."
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey," Bronze Star stated. He tried to comfort her by patting her gently on the shoulder.
"That's not even the worst part," Apple Bloom proclaimed, "One of my classmates, Diamond Tiara, is havin' a cute-ceañera this weekend. If I show up with my flank bare, I'll be completely humiliated."
"If I were you, Apple Bloom, I wouldn't worry about that," Bronze Star muttered wryly, "I've never really seen the point of a cute-ceañera. I remember a time when ponies just got their cutie marks and that was the end of it. There's no point in celebrating a natural part of life."
"Not unless your goal is to rub it in everypony else's face," Apple Bloom countered, "That's pretty much Diamond Tiara's special talent."
"Wow, that's rough," Bronze Star perceived. After a brief pause, he presumed "Is that the only other reason why you're so desperate to get your cutie mark? Because you don't want to show up to that party without it?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Apple Bloom avowed, "An' accordin' to Applejack, I'm not cut out to be an apple merchant. At least not yet. So I have no idea what my special talent could be."
"Perhaps you should try something other than your family's trade," Bronze Star suggested.
"Like what?" Apple Bloom inquired.
"Well…" Bronze Star began uncertainly. He rubbed his temple with his front hoof and tried to think of a field that was up the yellow filly's alley.
In his other front hoof, he was holding the list of the people who had signed up for the position at the embassy. Apple Bloom noticed it, and she stated in interest "Hey, what's that you got there?"
"Oh, this?" Bronze Star retorted, holding up the piece of paper, "Well, you know those flyers around town?"
"Yeah, what about 'em?" Apple Bloom inquired.
"I had them put up to inform the public of a job opening," Bronze Star expounded, "You see, I've had a lot on my to-do list recently. So much, in fact, that if I continue doing everything by myself, I may be unable to function properly. To make sure that doesn't happen, I'm looking for a secretary to help me with my work at the embassy."
"What sort of work would the secretary do?" Apple Bloom enquired.
"Most of it would just involve taking messages and arranging files," Bronze Star replied, "It may not sound like much, but those activities makes up more than thirty percent of my general workday."
"I see…" Apple Bloom uttered softly. She gazed off to the side and stared into the distance, as if she was deep in thought.
"Something on your mind?" Bronze Star questioned.
Apple Bloom did not answer straightaway. A few seconds later, she turned to Bronze Star, looked him in the eye, and proposed "I don't suppose… maybe I could take a shot at bein' your secretary?"
Bronze Star did not expect to hear that. More to the point, he did not know how to respond to it. He rubbed the back of his head and uttered tentatively "I'm not so sure about that…"
"It's like you said; I should try gettin' my special talent in somethin' other than apples," Apple Bloom declared, "Maybe I could try my hoof at office work, or whatever it is you do."
"I appreciate the offer and your eagerness to help me," Bronze Star disclosed in assurance, "But my secretary cannot be just anypony. There are certain qualifications each candidate would have to meet."
"Like what?" Apple Bloom asked.
"For starters, my secretary has to be somepony who's available for most of the day, and preferably somepony who has already received a full education," Bronze Star elucidated, "The fact that you're still in school excludes you in both matters. I also receive huge amounts of information every day. All of which must be organized in a very specific and precise manner. Most of all, my secretary must be very patient. Based on how keen you are about getting your cutie mark, I do not believe patience is your strong suite."
Apple Bloom seemed a little hurt to hear that last remark. She gazed gloomily at the ground, and she looked as if she was going to start tearing up.
Bronze Star was confused by this at first, but he thought about what he just said, and he realized that it was hardly a polite comment. He knelt down to Apple Bloom's level and gently hugged the filly, telling her "Apple Bloom, I'm so sorry. I… I can't believe I just said that."
"No, you're right," Apple Bloom admitted, looking up at the gold stallion, "I'm anything but patient. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to hire me in the first place. I just want a chance to try doing what you do. After all, while it keeps you very busy, you seem to enjoy it. And although it's different from my family's business, that doesn't stop my sister from warmin' up to you. That make sense?"
Bronze Star thought about this. Apple Bloom was sensible enough to understand that she had no chance of actually becoming his secretary, but she was still determined to see if she had potential to be one someday. He admired her initiative, and he knew she could deal with disappointment. Plus, she was his fillyfriend's younger sister. He had gotten to know her over the past few months, and she seemed to look up to him.
Ultimately, Bronze Star lightly shrugged, stood up straight again, and slyly pronounced "Oh, why not? Come on."
Apple Bloom looked somewhat elated by that response. She followed the gold stallion back to the embassy, and once they got there, Bronze Star brought her to his office on the first floor. The afternoon news updates from Canterlot had arrived a couple hours beforehand. They were piled on top of his desk, along with the morning news updates. The evening news updates would be along in a few hours. Bronze Star was hoping that by then, he would have everything else sorted out.
He took a few moments to explain everything to Apple Bloom. He told her that all of his information needed to be organized in a very particular fashion. Anything from Princess Celestia took top priority. Anything from Lord Bellerophon or SIG Sauer was next in line. After that came anything from the Intelligence Bureau or the Equestrian Threat Neutralizing Agency. All military-related documents and files pertaining to federal security followed that up. All junk mail – regardless of the production company – went straight to the trash can. Everything else went to the bottom of the list.
Apple Bloom did her best to remember all of this. When Bronze Star finished explaining the order to her, he removed a few documents from each of the files. Then he tasked Apple Bloom with organizing the documents properly. He timed her to test her efficiency. It took her about ten minutes in total. She was sufficiently quick, but a couple of the papers had been overlooked by mistake.
This was the first of several tests that Bronze Star put Apple Bloom through. Altogether, these tests took about an hour to complete. As she did them, he took notes on her performance. At the end of each test, Apple Bloom looked down at her flank to see if a symbol had appeared. To her dismay, nothing ever did. Once all the tests were finished, Bronze Star looked over his notes, and he arrived at a conclusion.
He informed Apple Bloom "Well, you do have aptitude. You did make a couple mistakes in each of the tests, but nothing that stands out as abysmal. Overall, your performance was… adequate. Maybe it can be exemplary if you familiarized yourself with this stuff. That's something to think about."
"Still no cutie mark, though," Apple Bloom drearily pointed out.
"Yeah, sorry for that," Bronze Star told her apologetically, "But don't let that get to you. I started getting involved in politics when I was just a few years older than you. However, I only entered that field when I was certain that it was what I wanted to do in my life. You shouldn't make a career out of something unless you are absolutely sure of yourself."
"I get what you're sayin'," the yellow filly remarked, "Right now, I'm don't think my special talent is in politics. I've never really thought much about politics, anyway. They're one of those things that I'd rather leave up to other ponies."
"A lot of ponies feel that way," the gold stallion asserted, "It can be difficult to do well in politics. It involves much more than cataloguing reports, filling out paperwork, and sending messages. It also involves making tough decisions and appealing to the people you work with. It's usually impossible to satisfy everypony, and it is very easy to make a mistake. Even the smallest mistake can result in a huge disaster. Luckily, after struggling long and hard, I've managed to become one of those 'other ponies.'"
"That's good for you, Mr. Streak," Apple Bloom thought aloud, "But with all that said, there's one thing about you that I don't understand."
"What might that be?" Bronze Star inquired.
"If you're so excellent in politics, why is your cutie mark a cluster of stars?" Apple Bloom asked in intrigue.
Normally, Bronze Star would have been prepared for a question such as that. Not this time; the filly with the bow had caught him off-guard. Fortunately, he only needed a minute to put together an explanation. He explained to Apple Bloom "While I am a fine politician, I never said that my special talent is in politics. I'm actually recognized by many as a multitalented individual. I have been trained in the military, I frequently assist investigations, and I am very well-informed how to maintain security. I could go on, but I'd run the risk of sounding like a braggart."
"Please don't then; I get enough of that from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," Apple Bloom mumbled drily.
"Okay, I'm sure you get the idea," Bronze Star professed, "Anyway, as I was saying, stars are often viewed as objects that represent a pony's deeds, abilities, or options. Having a whole bunch of them together at once could represent the sum of a pony's nature. In my case, I believe the reason my cutie mark is a cluster of stars is because I have no one special talent; I'm just quite skillful in multiple fields."
"Wow, that's… that's really impressive," Apple Bloom stated in awe, "That would explain your cutie mark. However, there's one thing about it that's a little… unusual, I guess."
"How so?" Bronze Star queried.
"I've heard of people having stars as their cutie marks," Apple Bloom revealed, "But as far as I know, there's only ever been one pony in Equestrian history who has had an entire cluster of stars as a cutie mark."
"Who might that be?" the young prince enquired in interest.
"Prince Bronze Star," Apple Bloom plainly disclosed.
Bronze Star was somewhat taken aback. How could Apple Bloom have known that? Then it dawned on him: the first time he had dinner with the Apple family, she mentioned that she had seen photographs of him when he was still in his Alicorn form at Canterlot. One or two of those photographs may have included a side-view of his flank.
Once this thought occurred to him, Bronze Star came up with a clever response. He looked down at the filly, lightly grinned, and muttered "Well then, I guess there's only one rational explanation."
"What?" she queried.
The gold stallion stood up tall, raised his front hooves, and gaudily declared "I AM Prince Bronze Star."
The yellow filly seemed absolutely flabbergasted to hear that. She stared up at Bronze Star and mumbled quietly "W-W-W-What?"
Bronze Star then settled down, smirked, and casually proclaimed "Relax, sweetie; I'm joking."
Apple Bloom eased down and said with what sounded like disappointment "Really?"
"Yes, of course I'm not serious," the prince insisted, "If I was Prince Bronze Star, I wouldn't be searching for a secretary. I'd already have my own staff to assist me. Aside from that, if I WAS Prince Bronze Star, what would I be doing here in Ponyville in the first place?"
Apple Bloom lightly shrugged and pronounced "I don't know, but I'm sure you'd have a good reason. Maybe you'd try to live and work like an ordinary person for a while, just so you'd know what it's like."
She hit the nail right on the head. That was the very reason Bronze Star initially came to Ponyville. Of course, he now had several more reasons for staying in the town.
"You make a good case," Bronze Star disclosed, "But you shouldn't forget that Prince Bronze Star is an Alicorn. You don't see any wings or a horn on me, do you?"
"No, I don't," Apple Bloom candidly observed, "But other than that, I swear that you look exactly like him. Your coat, your mane, and your eyes are all the same colors as his. Also, you're how old? Twenty-five?"
"Yeah, I'll be turning twenty-six shortly before the next Summer Sun Celebration," Bronze Star admitted straightforwardly.
"Isn't that around the same time as Prince Bronze Star's twenty-sixth birthday?" Apple Bloom asked rhetorically.
"I believe so," Bronze Star steadily replied. Inwardly, he was not as calm. He could not believe he had so easily walked into that one.
He wondered what reason Apple Bloom had for bringing this affair up. He had already invented a story to eliminate any suspicion she might have had about who he really was. Then again, that was four months ago. Perhaps that story of how he was Prince Bronze Star's "body double" had lost its credibility. It could very well be possible that she was starting to catch on to his true identity.
If that was the case, he needed to take action to fix that problem. He would need to make up something else to sway Apple Bloom's mind. So he preoccupied himself with thinking of an appropriate response. He did not let his apprehension show; he did not want to risk giving himself away.
After a minute, he thought of another way to divert Apple Bloom's attention. He leaned down to her level again, and he told her"Look, Apple Bloom, I will admit I bear an uncanny resemblance to Prince Bronze Star, but please do not get it into your head that I AM him. You wouldn't be the first person who's confused me for him. The last time that happened, I turned a lot of heads everywhere I went. Before long, I attracted a great deal of unwanted attention. I would prefer not to go through that again. So please, do not go on thinking I'm somepony I'm not. And, please, do not share these observations of yours with anypony else. One small rumor about my identity is all it could take to wreck my image and my career."
Apple Bloom understood what the gold stallion was asking of her. She took a moment to process everything, and then she nodded in agreement, saying "I didn't mean to step out of line, Mr. Streak. I'm sorry if I seemed to be lettin' my mind wander."
"It's fine, sweetie," Bronze Star asserted, "You can always feel free to speak your mind to me."
"Alright, I'll remember that," Apple Bloom proclaimed, "Same goes for you."
"Huh?" Bronze Star uttered in slight confusion.
"I've noticed that a lot of the time, you seem like you're holding onto something," Apple Bloom exemplified, "Something that you need to get out, but don't want to. Kinda like a secret. If that's the case, I want you to know: if you ever need somepony to talk to, I'm always willing to listen."
"Well, I appreciate that, Apple Bloom," Bronze Star told the filly gratefully.
"No sweat, Gold," Apple Bloom reassured, "After all, I know that you and Applejack are just coltfriend and fillyfriend right now, but I'm already thinking of you as part of my family. With the possible exception of gettin' a cutie mark, there's nothin' more important to me than family. So feel free to speak your mind to me whenever you like."
"I'll keep that in mind," Bronze Star acknowledged. There was another lengthy period of silence, and then Bronze Star checked the clock on the wall. He gazed down at Apple Bloom and told her "It's getting late. I'll walk you home."
"Thanks," was her simple response.
Bronze Star and Apple Bloom left the building and headed to the west of town. When they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom bade the gold stallion good evening and trotted up the short dirt trail to her house.
Bronze Star found this situation a little ironic. For the past two nights, he had walked each of the Apple sisters home.
When he got back to the embassy, Bronze Star spend a few hours catching up on his work. He also thought about the conversation he had with Apple Bloom. He had to admit; she was rather wise for her age. The discussion also made him wonder about a few things. Most specifically, he was starting to have second thoughts about keeping his identity a complete secret. He was not considering revealing his true self to the entire town, but he was starting to feel as though there may have been a certain few ponies he could entrust with that secret.
However, this was one decision he was not prepared to make on his own. Aside from that, there were plenty of other things that needed his attention at this time. He wanted to get those items of business out of the way first.
He started with finding a secretary. Over the next two days, he met with twenty different ponies and interviewed each of them individually. He put them through the same tests he had given Apple Bloom. Many of them did fairly well, and they all seemed qualified to some degree. At first, he was unable to pick a favorite amongst any of them.
On the third day of the interviews, Bronze Star interviewed ten more candidates. The first two were alright, but the third one stood out to him. This prospect was a certain Earth Pony mare. She had a purple coat, a crimson mane, sky blue eyes, and a three-dimensional parallelogram for a cutie mark. Bronze Star recognized her from that party Pinkie Pie had thrown to welcome Alpine, Mauser, and General Walther to Ponyville. Her name was Dapple Rhomb.
When she appeared at the embassy, Bronze Star had been somewhat surprised to see her there. He had not encountered Dapple Rhomb once since that party. But he still remembered the injury she had inadvertently given him when she handed him that baton with the built-in knife.
This interview started out the same as all the others. Bronze Star asked Dapple Rhomb the same questions he had asked the other prospects. She answered all of them fully and to the best of her ability. When he asked her for her previous job experience, she mentioned that she had worked as a receptionist in Manehattan, an accountant in Fillydelphia, and a consultant in Baltimare. She was even able to provide the proper references to validate that.
When he administered the tests, Dapple Rhomb was able to accomplish each and every one of them in almost record time with nearly flawlessly attention to detail and accuracy. Bronze Star was actually a little fascinated by how well she handled the tasks. Part of him was inclined to question if this really was her first time applying for a job as a secretary. Dapple Rhomb insisted it was, but he was not certain if that was true.
That evening, he looked over the notes he had taken throughout all thirty of the interviews. Many of them were very promising, but ultimately, he chose Dapple Rhomb. She was the only one who provided sufficient answers to all the questions, and she had passed every test with outstanding results and the least amount of time. She was very handy with a typewriter, she was very flexible, she was capable of doing the work without asking too questions, and – most importantly – she was extremely patient.
The following morning, he visited Dapple Rhomb at her house and told her that she got the job. She was absolutely delighted to be given this news. Bronze Star instructed her to show up bright and early at the embassy tomorrow morning at seven o'clock on the dot. He had a meeting with the Mayor and City Council then, and he wanted Dapple Rhomb to be there to keep a record.
In response to that request, Dapple Rhomb saluted Bronze Star and told him "You got it… Boss."
Some people might have thought that to be a demeaning remark. However, Bronze Star could tell Dapple Rhomb meant it as a respectful gesture. He had been called many things, but never "Boss." Truthfully, he liked it.
By this point in time, Bronze Star had managed to catch up on his workload. Now that he had finally chosen a secretary, he was confident that his workday would soon start to get less stressful and strenuous. So he was in no rush to get back to the embassy just yet.
After speaking with Dapple Rhomb, Bronze Star headed to the town square and informed the Mayor that the job opening at the embassy had been filled. Mayor Mare acknowledged this and assured him that the flyers would be taken down right away. The gold stallion thanked her for that and left the town square.
He trotted through the town's streets for a while, thinking about all he had been through recently.
During his walk, a thought suddenly occurred to Bronze Star. Yesterday, Dapple Rhomb had been the third person he had spoken to. That was the third day of the interviews, no less. Now that he thought about it, her interview had ended at roughly three o'clock in the afternoon.
Three permutations of the number three had cropped up all at the same time. Bronze Star was fairly certain this was not a coincidence. He made a note to bring this up to Sir Haywood later on.
At one point, Bronze Star passed by Sugarcube Corner. There appeared to be a lot of activity going on inside the building. Even though he was standing several meters away from the entrance, he could clearly see Pinkie Pie standing by the door. This led him to speculate that the pink mare was hosting yet another party.
His hypothesis was spot on. A couple minutes later, Applejack arrived on scene. She approached her coltfriend and told him "Mornin', sugar cube. Fancy seeing you here."
Bronze Star smiled at his fillyfriend and stated "Good morning to you, too, AJ."
Applejack looked around the area and commented "I noticed that all the flyers about the job opening at the embassy have been taken down."
"Yeah," Bronze Star affirmed, "Over the past few days, I held a total of thirty separate interview sessions, and I reviewed each of them last night. After carefully examining each case, I finally made my selection."
"Who did you pick?" Applejack queried in interest.
"Dapple Rhomb," Bronze Star informed her.
"Who?" she asked.
"The mare who accidentally cut my hoof open at that party," he recounted frankly.
"Oh," Applejack remarked in astonishment, "I'm guessin' you ain't harborin' any hard feelings towards her."
"Well, to her credit, that stunt with the baton wasn't her fault," Bronze Star pointed out, "Aside from that, Alpine was able to fully heal my injury a few days later."
"So everything's alright," Applejack perceived.
Bronze Star nodded in agreement. The two of them stood in silence for a while, and then the gold stallion looked over at Sugarcube Corner and asked "What's going on in there?"
"Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera," Applejack apprised him.
"Oh, joy," he sarcastically remarked.
"Not a fan of that sort of thing?" she presumed.
"I should say not," Bronze Star declared, "If you ask me, there is literally nothing more pointless than a cute-ceañera."
"That may be, but there are some ponies who feel differently," Applejack debated.
"Well, this doesn't strike me as something you would really enjoy, either," Bronze Star perceived.
"You're right; it's not," Applejack candidly affirmed, "I'm just here for Apple Bloom."
"Oh, right; she told me about this thing," Bronze Star recalled, "Has she had any luck in determining her special talent yet?"
"Not as far as I know," Applejack thought aloud, "She's certainly been tryin', though. She told me about how you gave her a shot at office work. On that note, I want to thank you for givin' her that opportunity."
"It was the least I could do for the sister of the mare I'm seeing," Bronze Star contended.
Applejack smiled at that. After a brief pause, she stated "Anyway, Rainbow Dash told me that she spent most of the morning trying to help Apple Bloom get her cutie mark. They tried over a dozen different activities, but nothing worked. Shortly after they called it quits, Pinkie Pie showed up and suggested that she try getting a cutie mark in cupcakes."
"A cutie mark in cupcakes?" Bronze Star repeated in puzzlement.
"Yeah, but keep in mind, this is Pinkie we're talkin' about," Applejack notified him, "I don't know if that venture actually worked, but I'm guessing Apple Bloom is still here. At least, I'm hopin' she is. I heard her friend Twist got her cutie mark very recently. That must've made her pretty upset."
"Upset enough to be impelled not to attend the party?" Bronze Star assumed.
"I hope not," Applejack said in response, "Otherwise, she'll miss out on a good chance to hang out with her classmates just because of her lack of a cutie mark. I don't want her to become socially inept."
"Good point," Bronze Star coincided. They stood in quietness for about twenty seconds, and then he turned to the sweet shop and proposed "Shall we go in?"
"May as well," Applejack remarked.
The orange mare and the gold stallion approached Sugarcube Corner and trotted through the entrance. Pinkie Pie was there to greet them. She tried to put a party hat on each of their heads, but they managed to dodge her. Applejack was not about to trade her Stetson for a cone, and Bronze Star found party hats degrading.
Most of the attendants were fillies and colts. There were a few adults, however. Berry Punch was there, most likely because her daughter Ruby Pinch had been invited. When she thought nopony was looking, the mare took a large swig from the punch bowl. Bronze Star was the only one who spotted this, and he decided to stay away from the punch bowl for the duration of the party.
He and Applejack encountered Apple Bloom almost immediately after this. Applejack approached her younger sister and pronounced cheerfully "Apple Bloom, you made it. After I heard about Twist, I was afraid you wouldn't show up. I sure am glad you came to your senses about this whole cutie mark thing. These things happen when these things are supposed to happen. Trying to rush 'em just drives you crazy."
Applejack had been said all that rather loudly. A bit too loudly, as her remarks had attracted the attention of two fillies. Bronze Star presumed them to be Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon; their cutie marks were those items respectively. For some reason, they seemed quite pleased by the yellow filly's presence. Based on the expression on Apple Bloom's face, the feelings were not mutual.
Applejack noticed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approaching, and she said to Apple Bloom "I'll let you be; looks like your friends want to talk to you."
The orange mare then trotted further into the room. Bronze Star went with her, but he kept an eye on the yellow filly. He watched as Apple Bloom hastily ducked behind the table, removed the pink table cloth, and wrapped it around her waist like a makeshift skirt. She made sure it concealed her flank on both sides. Needless to say, her flank was still blank.
"It probably wasn't such a good idea to say all that out loud," Bronze Star urgently whispered to his fillyfriend.
"Don't worry; I'm sure she'll be alright," Applejack assured her coltfriend. That comment sounded more like a speculation than a declaration.
Bronze Star watched as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon reached Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara cheekily stated "Well, well, well, look who's here."
"Nice outfit," Silver Spoon spat derisively.
"Just sumt'n I, uh, pulled together last minute," Apple Bloom remarked.
"It really shows off your cutie mark," Diamond Tiara said scathingly, "Oh wait, that's right, you don't have one."
"Uh, I have a cutie mark," Apple Bloom claimed.
"Eh, what?" Silver Spoon mumbled in bewilderment, "Since when?"
"Since... Um... Earlier today," Apple Bloom insisted.
"Oh, really?" Diamond Tiara countered skeptically, "Let's see it."
Apple Bloom could tell they were on to her. She quickly came up with a response: "I shouldn't. I couldn't. My cutie mark is so unbelievably amazing, I'm afraid that if I show it off, everyone will start paying attention to me instead of you. Outshined at your own cute-ceañera - can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?"
This was a rather effective tactic. Diamond Tiara backed away and told the yellow filly "Uh, forget it, I didn't really want to see it anyway."
Apple Bloom appeared to be relieved to hear that. She coolly told the rich filly "Okay, well, I'm gonna go mingle. Enjoy your party."
As Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon began moving away from her, Apple Bloom sighed in relief. Bronze Star had been watching the whole time. He smirked and muttered under his breath "She's even cleverer than I originally gave her credit for."
Unfortunately, Apple Bloom's cover story was quickly invalidated. As she trotted into the room, she accidentally collided with the gramophone in the center of the room. As the needle scratched the record, Apple Bloom's makeshift skirt got caught and ripped off. As a result, her bare flank was completely exposed.
Nearly everypony in the room gave a collective gasp at the sight.
"Oh no," Apple Bloom moaned worriedly.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were still standing very close to her. They seemed rather amused.
"Wow, that is an amazing cutie mark," Silver Spoon muttered mockingly.
"Nice try..." Diamond Tiara sardonically leered.
"Blank flank!" they both yelled at once. Apple Bloom just stared at the ground sadly.
Bronze Star felt a sudden rush of anger. Normally, he could excuse foals not being polite to each other. But he had no tolerance for foals who ridiculed other foals just because the latter did not have a cutie mark. He would not allow this mistreatment of Apple Bloom to go on.
Before he could intervene, he heard a voice called out "You got a problem with blank flanks?"
All the fillies in the room gasped at that outburst. Everypony turned to its source, and they saw two other fillies hiding under a table. One of them was a white Unicorn; the other was an orange Pegasus.
As they crawled out from under it, the Pegasus barked "I said, you got a problem with blank flanks?"
Silver Spoon retorted sharply "The problem is, I mean, she's like, totally not special."
"No, it means she's full of potential," the Unicorn countered.
"It means she could be great at anything," the Pegasus said in agreement, "The possibilities are, like, endless."
She had spoken those last two words in a voice that sounded hauntingly similar to Diamond Tiara's.
The Unicorn continued with "She could be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer. She could even be mayor of Ponyville someday."
"And she's not stuck being stuck-up like you two," the Pegasus cracked at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
Most of the ponies in the room laughed at that, including Bronze Star and Applejack.
Diamond Tiara scowled and mumbled heatedly "Hey, this is my party, why are you two on her side?"
The Unicorn and the Pegasus merely smiled, and the latter began with "Because..."
The two of them turned sideways to reveal that both of them had bare flanks.
Apple Bloom gasped and uttered in amazement "You don't have your cutie marks either? I thought I was the only one."
"We thought we were the only two," the Pegasus proclaimed.
At that moment, Twilight Sparkle stepped forward and perceived "I for one think you are three very lucky fillies."
"Lucky?" Diamond Tiara spat agitatedly, "How can they be lucky?"
Twilight Sparkle pointed out "They still get to experience the thrill of discovering who they are, and what they're meant to be."
Applejack interceded and added in "And they got all the time in the world to figure it out, not just an afternoon."
Bronze Star joined her side and announced "Most of all, who's to say they can only have ONE talent? In time, they may come to discover that they are gifted in more ways than one. Someday, they may do something great, something meaningful, or something worthy of remembrance."
All that supposition had gotten the other foals excited. They started chattering and gathered around Apple Bloom.
"Wow, Apple Bloom," Tornado Bolt commented, "I wish I could be a scientist."
"Do you really think you could be mayor?" Piña Colada asked.
"Maybe I got my cutie mark too soon," Coronet theorized.
The yellow filly smiled at all the positive attention she was now receiving from her peers. Diamond Tiara did not seem to be taking this shift in mood very well, though.
"Hey, what's everypony doing?" she barked angrily, "This is my party, everypony is supposed to be paying attention to me."
This complaining did not have any effect on the guests. Silver Spoon bluntly remarked "Whatever. We still think you're losers, right Diamond Tiara? Bump, bump, sugar... lump..."
"Not now, Silver Spoon," the rich filly interrupted her friend.
The other two blank flanks finally introduced themselves to Apple Bloom. The orange Pegasus stated "Name's Scootaloo."
"And I'm Sweetie Belle," the white Unicorn declared.
"Apple Bloom," the yellow Earth Pony illuminated.
They smiled around at each other. All of a sudden, the music resumed playing, and almost everypony stopped whatever they were doing to begin dance. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo started dancing together. An Earth Pony with glasses and a poofy red mane joined them. She muttered in a heavy lisp "This song is so super!"
Bronze Star and Applejack just grinned. Everything had worked out fine for Apple Bloom.
Bronze Star could have sworn he had seen the other two fillies somewhere before. Then he remembered; Sweetie Belle was Rarity's younger sister, and Scootaloo was Rainbow Dash's biggest admirer. He had seen them around town several times, but he had never asked for their names. Now he finally knew them.
Bronze Star and Applejack decided to partake in the festivities. They helped themselves to the buffet table and filled their plates. They stood by and watched the other guests dance as they ate lunch and chatted with each other.
After a little while, Bronze Star noticed a certain indigo stallion dressed in a suit was present, as well. He was standing in the back of the front room. He was not interacting with anypony; he was just observing everything from the sidelines. Bronze Star told Applejack he would be back in a moment. Then he trotted over to the stallion and greeted him with "Hello, Sir Haywood."
"Good day, Your Highness," Sir Haywood quietly responded. He had spoken quietly enough so that only the gold stallion could hear him. "How are you?"
"I'm doing well," Bronze Star observed, "I didn't expect to see you here. I would have thought you'd be adverse to this type of gathering."
"I am, sir," Haywood McCrank asserted, "I'm not here for the party itself. I have another reason for being here."
"Which is?" Bronze Star queried.
"These last few days, I have been all over Ponyville, and I have witnessed approximately 417 instances of the number three," Haywood McCrank expounded, "These instances have occurred more frequently at Sugarcube Corner than anywhere else in town. And that was when only the Cakes, Pinkie Pie, and a few customers were here. I'm inclined to believe that a large gathering such as this one might yield something bigger and more significant."
"Seems like a reasonable notion," Bronze Star commented, "So, have you come across anything like that?"
"There are a few things," Sir Haywood responded, "Most notably…"
He did not say anything more; instead, he focused his eyes on a certain area across the room. Bronze Star turned in the direction of his gaze, and he realized the indigo stallion was staring at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
Bronze Star was baffled at first, but it quickly dawned on him. He raised an eyebrow, turned to Sir Haywood, and muttered uneasily "Those three fillies… You're not seriously thinking that they might somehow be involved in this plot?"
"I'd like to think not, but it is certainly a possibility, sir," Haywood McCrank disclosed, "Think about this. Those three fillies have lived in Ponyville all their lives. Before today, Apple Bloom didn't even know Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo existed. Yet they became acquainted with each other in the midst of our investigation. Oddly enough, they became friends just a few days after we discovered the relevance of the number three."
Bronze Star had to admit that Sir Haywood made some good points. After pondering on them, he queried "Do you think they might be in danger?"
"It's still too early to say for certain," Haywood McCrank observed, "For all we know, they might not have any role in this plot whatsoever. At the present, I'm fairly certain they don't. I'm just following my own advice and considering everything."
"Well, I suppose there's no harm in speculating," Bronze Star professed. There was a bit of silence, and then the prince informed the older stallion "On that note, Sir Haywood, there is something you should know."
"What, sir?" the federal investigator queried.
"The vacancy for the job opening at the embassy has been filled up," Bronze Star apprised him, "I now have a secretary."
"That's excellent, sir," Sir Haywood remarked, "Who is it?"
"A mare named Dapple Rhomb," Bronze Star replied, "She is very capable and qualified for the position. However, there's one thing about her that stood out."
"What?" Haywood McCrank enquired.
"On day three of the interviews, Dapple Rhomb's appointment was the third one scheduled," Bronze Star enlightened him, "It ended at approximately three o'clock."
"Three, three, and three," Haywood McCrank noted, "Three of three."
"Do you think it means anything?" Bronze Star queried.
"It very well could," Sir Haywood admitted, "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. When does Dapple Rhomb start working at the embassy?"
"Tomorrow," Bronze Star stated, "Unless you think her working there might not be a good idea."
"No, go ahead and let her work there," Haywood McCrank proposed, "We have no real reason to suspect her of anything just yet. So for now, just treat Dapple Rhomb like a normal employee. It would help if you remained wary of her actions, but do not do anything to give her the impression that she is being monitored."
"You got it, Sir Haywood," Bronze Star avowed.
Their conversation ended there. The gold stallion soon rejoined the party. The indigo stallion stayed in the corner for the remainder of its duration.
At one point during the party, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo gathered together at a table. They had realized they had much more in common than just their lack of cutie marks and the fact that they did not get along with Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon. As a result, they got an idea to form their own private club. The club's basic purpose would be to help blank flanks such as themselves search for their special talents and get their cutie marks. All they needed was a name. After considering a few possible titles, they settled on "The Cutie Mark Crusaders."
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Bronze Star were pleased with what they saw. Apple Bloom was no longer brooding over her absence of a cutie mark. Instead, she, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were full of optimism for what the future might bring them.
Twilight Sparkle had learned yet another lesson about friendship from this. Because of that, she decided to send a letter about all this to Princess Celestia.
Bronze Star and Applejack stayed with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo for most of the party. The three fillies went to the kitchen to help themselves to some cookies. For a few minutes, the orange mare and the gold stallion had an opportunity to talk in private.
Applejack turned to her coltfriend and queried "So, are you enjoying yourself?"
"Yeah, never thought I'd say this about a cute-ceañera, but I'm actually having fun," Bronze Star responded, "It was pretty amusing to see the guest of honor get put in her place."
"Yeah, Diamond Tiara can get on everypony's nerves," Applejack concurred, "Silver Spoon, too."
"Those two remind me of my idiot cousin," Bronze Star thought aloud. He was referring to Prince Blueblood when he said that. The two of them had very little in common.
Applejack just scoffed at that statement.
The two of them stood together in silence for a while. At one point, Bronze Star looked around the area to see if anypony else was close-by. When he was confident that he and Applejack would not be overheard, he looked to his fillyfriend and said "Hey, Applejack, can I ask you something?"
"Of course," the farmer assured him, "Anything."
Bronze Star knew what he wanted to say, but he was not certain about how to word it. After thinking for a bit, he asked her "How do you feel about the current nature of our relationship?"
"I'm really glad we became more than 'just friends,' if that's what you're asking," Applejack informed him, a little perplexed, "That's a rather odd question to ask, Bronze."
"Perhaps I should rephrase it," Bronze Star muttered, rubbing the back of his head, "What I meant is this: is there anything about our relationship that bothers you because of how it might affect our other relationships with others? Say, for example, there's the fact that I'm hiding nothing about myself from you, but I'm hiding quite a lot from almost everypony else."
Applejack realized what he was asking. She thought for a moment, and then she professed "Well, to be honest, sometimes I feel a little guilty about maintainin' all this secrecy. I mean, I'm goin' out with the most famous stallion in the country. Yet only a few ponies even know it."
"That's my point," Bronze Star apprised her, "We've been together for four and a-half months. But nopony in your family knows who I really am. It hardly seems fair. That got me thinking; maybe that should change."
Applejack was surprised to hear that. "Why?"
"A few days ago, Apple Bloom came close to learning my real identity," Bronze Star explicated, "I managed to persuade her that I wasn't, but it felt so wrong to lie to her like that. She also told me that I could be honest with her, and I genuinely believed her. After all, her sister is the Element of Honesty. Aside from that, sooner or later, I am going to have to drop this charade. Perhaps it would be best if I did it in my own way. Maybe I could tell a few ponies at a time. If so, I may as well start with the family of the mare I'm closest to."
Applejack contemplated this reasoning. She had to admit; Bronze Star made several fine points. Eventually, she turned to him and asked "Have you already thought this through?"
"No, I wanted to consult a second opinion before I made a decision," Bronze Star disclosed, "After all, it's your family I'd be revealing myself to. Don't you think they have a right to know?"
"I suppose they do," Applejack coincided, "But who all would you tell?"
"Just Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Big McIntosh," Bronze Star informed her.
"Okay, that seems fine to me," Applejack commented, "But I don't want to rush something like this. We should probably take some time to think about it."
"That was my intent," Bronze Star illuminated, "I'm going to try to discuss this matter with my mother, as well. Her opinion is always very helpful."
"Good idea," Applejack remarked, "Just make sure you're able to talk with her sometime in the next two months."
"Why's that?" he asked in interest.
"Because a few of my relatives will be coming to visit us at the end of those two months," she explained to him, "I want us to have decided whether or not we'll tell Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom who you are before they get here."
"That makes sense," Bronze Star conceded, "Out of curiosity, how many of your relatives are coming?"
"Oh, close to a dozen," Applejack replied "Maybe more, depending on a few things."
"Well, I hope you'll introduce them to me," Bronze Star suggested.
"Oh, you bet I will," Applejack asserted, "Even though I'll just be presenting you as 'Mr. Ambassador.' I'm certain you'll like them. In fact, there's one stallion in particular that I want you to meet."
"Who might that be?" Bronze Star inquired.
"My Great Uncle, Esopus Spitzenburg," Applejack happily said in response.
A long period of silence followed that answer. Bronze Star had been wholly unprepared to hear that. But by utilizing self-restraint and maintaining his composure, he avoided giving a negative reaction to what Applejack told him. In the end, all he did was raise an eyebrow and say "Sounds like an interesting character. Tell me about him."
"Well, he's ambitious, he's productive, he's politically-active, and he looks out for his own," Applejack enlightened him, "That's why I think you'll like him. He's a lot like you."
"I look forward to meeting him," Bronze Star proclaimed.
That was definitely true. If one of the masterminds behind the assassination conspiracy was coming to Ponyville, he would certainly like to meet face-to-face with that pony. He just hoped he would be able to sit in a room with that pony for a prolonged period of time. It was not often that he interacted with the people on his watch list anywhere outside of the Compartment.
In fact, up until now, he had never done that before. Bronze Star had been in command of the Firebrand Regiment for nearly seven years. Ever since he put the unit together, he had made discovering and averting national crises their number one goal. Under his leadership, the Regiment had managed to prevent dozens of such disasters.
However, Bronze Star was accustomed to being the one who distributed the orders and left all the action up to other people. He rarely ever got directly involved in any of the Regiment's operations.
Now, it looked as though direct involvement on his part was inevitable. Sooner or later, he would be thrown into the center of two of these operations at the exact same time. One was the assassination conspiracy that targeted his mother; the other was the murder plot that was scheduled to take place in Ponyville. Soon it would probably be up to him to push the progress of both of the investigations forward. Bronze Star only hoped that whenever that happened, he would be ready and able.