//------------------------------//
// Breaking Barriers 
// Story: Fortune Favors The Bold 
// by TheEquestrianWing 
//------------------------------//

The next day, Applejack made arrangements for Bronze Star to join her and the others on the train to Appleoosa. She told him that she had some "special" accommodations planned for him. He was curious as to what she meant, but he did not ask; she wanted it to be a surprise.

The trip to Appleoosa would begin in exactly one week from that day. Bronze Star had a lot to do before then.

He started by going to Town Hall and notifying Mayor Mare and the City Council that he was going on vacation for about a week. They were alright with that, but the Mayor was a little concerned about the timing of his retreat. Princess Celestia's visit would be in three weeks, and the Mayor wanted to give her a royal welcome. She was hoping that the gold stallion would be able to help her and the Council with the preparations, but his departure complicated things.

Bronze Star told them not to worry about anything; he assured them that he could find somepony to temporarily fill in for him as the envoy to Ponyville.

The next day, the task force had another meeting at the embassy. Bronze Star told them he would soon be taking a leave of absence from the town. Unlike the City Council, he did not claim that this would be a vacation. Instead, he admitted to them that he was investigating another case that pertained to national security, but he emphasized that the details of the matter were restricted to a hoofful of ponies, so he could not afford to discuss it with them.

Noble Edict was the only pony there who belonged to that hoofful, so she knew what the prince was talking about. None of the others were very inquisitive, though. Shakedown, Dapple Rhomb, and Rough Rider had their minds focused solely on the situation with the Vermane, Dread Naught and Sir Haywood McCrank respected Bronze Star's wish for privacy, and Copper Hollow, Rollin Fields, and Almond Wheeler only cared about what went on in Ponyville.

Bronze Star requested that one or more of them assume his tasks as the ambassador to Ponyville while he was in Appleoosa. Of course, most of the other nine ponies had not been in Canterlot long enough to represent it, and some had never been there at all. Nevertheless, they managed to work something out.

Each one of them could handle part of Bronze Star's job as ambassador. Altogether, his everyday tasks as an emissary composed about seventy percent of his daily workload. The remaining thirty percent was comprised of everything related to the Nightmare Moon cult, the assassination conspiracy, and his royal duties. He would arrange for all that material to be delivered to Appleoosa while he was there.

The nine members of the task force assured Bronze Star that they could carry out his responsibilities and continue the investigation at the same time. He was grateful for their dedication, and he could trust them to do the work properly.

There was still one minor hindrance that Bronze Star needed to account for. He wanted to be kept up to date on the task force's progress, but the circumstances of his trip made that difficult.

Appleoosa was an isolated settlement. The only way one could communicate with the rest of the country was through the mail, and the mail was only transported to and from the town by train. The train typically arrived and departed at a specified time of day. Bronze Star did not know how busy he would be while he was in Appleoosa, and if he was unable to get to the station whenever the mail train got in, he would run the risk that somepony else might pick up something that was meant for him. It may have seemed like he was needlessly worried, but with all that had been happening lately, he could never be too sure.

Noble Edict came up with a solution. She proposed that another member of the task force accompany the young prince to Appleoosa. That way, if he was unavailable whenever the mail train arrived, that respective task force member could pick up his mail for him. Plus, by doing this, he would have some backup, in the event that any unexpected problems occurred.

Bronze Star agreed to this suggestion; he was certain he could convince Applejack to bring one more pony along. Now he just needed to decide who would go.

Noble Edict was the only one who was aware of Esopus Spitzenburg's activities. She would have gladly gone with him, but she had far too much work. In addition to her usual responsibilities as Ponyville's chief of security and a member of the task force, she also had to help the others fill in for Bronze Star while he was gone. There was also the matter of the conference that would take place during Princess Celestia's upcoming visit. She was charged with organizing security for both of those events, and it was supposed to be a laborious project. Now would have been one of the worst times for Noble Edict to be away from Ponyville. Somepony else would have to go in her stead.

After carefully considering all the others, Bronze Star ultimately selected Rollin Fields as his travelling companion. His decision surprised all of his colleagues, including Rollin Fields himself. However, nopony protested, and Bronze Star was convinced that all things considered, the lime green stallion was the perfect choice.

While Rollin Fields was almost two decades older than the second-eldest member of the task force, he had aged very gracefully. He had been involved in security work longer than any of the other nine ponies had been alive, and he was in excellent physical condition for a stallion half his age. In addition to that, he was an expert in hoof-to-hoof combat, martial arts, and wrestling.

In fact, ever since he moved to Ponyville, Bronze Star had been keeping up with his combat training. Before he revealed his identity to the entire task force, Noble Edict and Sir Haywood had been the only ones he could train with. But after he came forward to the task force, he was able to test his prowess with the other members, as well. Out of all of them, Rollin Fields made the best sparring partner. He had even taught Bronze Star a few complex moves of his own.

After the meeting, Bronze Star went back to Applejack and asked her if she could possibly make room for one more pony on the train to Appleoosa. As luck would have it, there was still room for one more pony to come. When she asked Bronze Star why he wished to bring Rollin Fields, he informed her that Noble Edict had assigned the elderly stallion to watch his back. That much was true, at least.

By the end of the week, the task force had examined approximately two-thirds of the train manifests, and they had begun to notice a definite pattern in the Vermane's movements. There was still not enough for them to draw any conclusions on the Vermane's headquarters, but they would continue looking until they had a surefire lead. Once they found something, they would inform Bronze Star straightaway.

The night before the trip, Bronze Star packed up. Since Appleoosa was in the middle of a desert, he figured he would not need to dress warmly, so he only brought a few items of clothing. He also brought his toiletries, his knapsack, his strongbox, and the Stetson Applejack had given him. He made sure to pack the three picture frames from the Firebrand Regiment, as well. All he needed now was a picture for the ordinary frame and one of the special ones.

Bronze Star was not taking Arthur with him this time. He asked Sir Haywood to open the window to his bedroom every morning so the hawk could go out to hunt and to close it whenever the hawk returned at night. That way, the Colonel would be able to provide for himself while his master was out of town. The indigo stallion agreed to do the gold stallion this favor.

The following day, Bronze Star arrived at the train station in mid-morning. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Rollin Fields were already there. Rollin Fields was saying good-bye to two young adult Earth Ponies who were both a few years older than Bronze Star. They were the youngest of his four children. His two older children and his ex-wife lived in other cities in the country.

At this time, four of the train's crew were helping Applejack move a live apple tree into the caboose. The tree was much too large to be squeezed through the narrow doorway, so they had to take down one of the car's walls in order to get it inside. After a lot of strenuous effort, they managed to set the tree in a canopy bed in the very back of the car. Once they were done, they lifted the wall of the car back up and nailed it back into place.

Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash arrived shortly after this. Rarity had brought about two dozen suitcases, which – in her case – was packing lightly. Fortunately, everypony else only had one, two, or three suitcases.

Once all their luggage was secured in the cargo car, the eight ponies and the dragon boarded the train's passenger car. When they were all aboard, the train departed from the depot and began making its long trek to the south.

This train was specifically designed for overnight travel, so it had bunks in place of seats. Most of the group had been assigned to a certain bunk, and they all seemed more or less content with the arrangements. It did not take long for them to get settled.

Bronze Star quickly noticed that none of the bunks had his name or Applejack's on them, and all the unoccupied bunks were marked as Reserved for Crew.

He hastily pointed this out to Applejack, and he asked her where the two of them would sleep. She just smirked and told him "You'll see."

The eight ponies and the baby dragon spent the rest of the morning mingling with each other. They discussed their plans for the week, swapped stories, and played some games. Interestingly, Rollin Fields had the most interesting stuff to talk about. Although he was old enough to be the grandfather of everypony else there, he was not behind on the times in any way. Bronze Star and the mares enjoyed listening to what he had to say.

A few hours after lunch, Applejack got a book out of her bag and announced to the others "I'm going to do a little readin' in the caboose."

Bronze Star noticed that the book she was carrying was meant for foals. While Applejack was not as much a bookworm as Twilight, he knew she had a fondness for adult literature. He was curious as to what she was doing with that foals' book.

"Mind if I join you?" Bronze Star requested.

"Course not, sugar cube," Applejack answered him happily.

The gold stallion and the orange mare retreated to the caboose, which turned out to be a private sleeper car. The tree Applejack had brought was tucked underneath the covers of a king-sized bed. Applejack called the tree "Bloomberg." She also referred to the tree as "he," not "it."

"Nice arrangements you've got here," Bronze Star commented.

"Thanks," Applejack stated gratefully, "Only the best for my trees."

"There are a few things that seem a little… odd, though," Bronze Star observed, "Shouldn't you have put Bloomberg on the train's exterior so he would have access to sunlight? And how would you give him water?"

"Bloomberg's one of my healthiest trees; he can go a day without sunlight," Applejack asserted, "Plus, we're going so fast that if we put him on the outside of the train, the wind resistance would blow off all his leaves and apples. As for the water, we've got his roots wrapped up in a sack of moist soil and fertilizer."

Bronze Star scoffed and muttered "I should have known better than to question your ability to safely transport a tree."

"It comes with the trade," Applejack declared.

The orange mare then proceeded to read the foals' book to Bloomberg. It was as though she was reading a bedtime story to her own foal. Of course, Applejack had no children of her own. However, Bronze Star thought of her as the most motherly of all his Ponyville friends. He thought she would make an excellent mother someday.

The book Applejack read from was about a robin who settled in a young tree, and how over the years, as she had grown alongside the tree. It was probably meant to be an analogy of how things constantly change alongside people. Bronze Star actually thought it was a somewhat touching story.

Applejack seemed just as engrossed in the story as he was. Ultimately, she ended it with: "And that's when the yellow birdie thought to himself, 'Hmm. My favorite little tree isn't such a little tree anymore.' So she sang her song, big and strong, and they all lived in that great, big tree happily ever after. The... end."

She then closed the book, set it aside, and smiled up at Bloomberg. Bronze Star trotted over to her and commented "That's a lovely story."

"I agree," Applejack coincided, "It's really good for the trees."

The two of them did not even hear the door to the sleeper car open a few seconds beforehand.

"Applejack!" Rarity called out, "Were you reading a bedtime story to... an apple tree?"

The orange mare and the gold stallion promptly turned around. Rarity and Rollin Fields had entered the sleeper car. Rarity seemed somewhat irritated and perplexed, but Rollin Fields was as sanguine as ever.

Applejack mumbled nervously "Heh... uh... Well, ya know, bein' replanted in a whole new place is very upsettin' for a tree... and Bloomberg here is one of my favorites."

"No fair, Applejack!" Rarity complained, "You've got a luxurious, private sleeper car for a tree, while I am crowded and cramped in the same car with all the other ponies. How am I supposed to get my beauty sleep?!"

"I can think of worse fates, Rarity," Rollin Fields sardonically uttered, "It's not like you're stuck with a herd of lowlife degenerates."

"He's right," Bronze Star murmured, "Besides, nopony forced you to come on this trip. You were invited like the rest of us."

"Yes, and I'm glad I came," Rarity insisted, "Still, I'm not exactly thrilled with these arrangements."

"But Bloomberg's the whole reason we're makin' this trip," Applejack pointed out, "He needs his rest so we can give him as a gift to my relatives in Appleloosa."

"Hmph!" Rarity spat heatedly, "You talk about it as if it's your baby or something."

"Who you callin' a baby?!" Applejack sharply refuted "Bloomberg's no baby!"

She then rushed over to the king-sized bed and wrapped her front hooves around Bloomberg. She cajoled him with "Don't wet widdle Rarity make you all saddy-waddy. Bloomberg's a big and strong apple tree. Yes, he is. A-coochie-coochie-coo-coo-coo!"

Bronze Star smirked in amusement, Rollin Fields scoffed, and Rarity sighed in annoyance. She said mockingly "It's widdle Rarity who's all 'saddy-waddy!' Urgh!"

She headed back into the passenger car, leaving the farmer, the prince, and the security officer by themselves.

Rollin Fields looked to Applejack and pronounced "You remind me of my ex-wife. She was always really protective of our children, almost to the point of mania. She probably would have content if they stayed as foals forever. It wasn't until they each moved out of the house that she treated them like adults."

"That must've been fun," Bronze Star drily contended, "What about you, Rollin?"

"I, on the other hoof, raised our children with more dignity," Rollin Fields disclosed, "I was always tough and strict on them, but I was also fair and affectionate. I never abused them or mistreated them. In fact, I think all four of them prefer me over their mother. Of course, they never told me that, nor would I ask them if it was the case."

"Well, I don't get this lovey-dovey very often," Applejack proclaimed, "I just get somewhat defensive of my trees. We Apples like to think of ourselves as patrons of the land, and since the trees are a product of the land, we're also patrons of them in a way."

"That makes sense," Bronze Star muttered in understanding, "Still, seeing you with Bloomberg like that… it makes me wonder how you'd do as an actual mother."

"I wonder that often, too," Applejack admitted.

Rollin Fields smirked and cheekily told Bronze Star "Maybe someday you could help her become one, Bronze."

The gold stallion and the orange mare flushed deeply at that proposal. It was so suggestive that they were unable to look at each other or at Rollin Fields for over a minute.

The lime green Earth Pony frowned and muttered apologetically "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay, Rollin," Bronze Star asserted, "We'll just pretend you didn't. Right, AJ?"

"Right, Bronze," Applejack concurred. After an awkward period of silence, the farmer asked the elderly stallion "How come you came back here, anyway?"

"Just wanted to report our progress," Rollin Fields explicated, "The conductor says we're a third of the way to Appleoosa. He also says we'll be stopping twice tonight to alternate our means of movement."

"What does he mean by that?" Bronze Star queried in perplexity.

"Right now, the train's not using any form of fuel to run," Rollin Fields revealed, "Instead, those four burly stallions we saw earlier are pulling it on the tracks. According to the conductor, when it gets late, he'll stop the train to bring the stallions inside. While they get their rest, he'll have the train run on fuel throughout the night. At the crack of dawn, he'll stop the train again and have the stallions take over again."

"Interesting," Bronze Star perceived, "Seems like a methodical system, but why we don't just use fuel the whole way?"

"Because the conductor wants to conserve it," Applejack expounded, "Coal is really hard to come by out here. There aren't any mines in the desert, and the only trees around are apple trees. So the only coal we have is what we took with us from Ponyville. We have just enough to make a one-way trip. That's why we're relying on those four stallions to get us there most of the way."

"They must be as strong as I am if they can pull the train over such a great distance for this long," Bronze Star conjectured.

"The train's lighter than you think," Applejack claimed.

"It must be," was all Bronze Star said in response.

Soon after, Bronze Star, Applejack, and Rollin Fields rejoined Spike and the mares in the passenger car. They spent the next few hours mingling. In the early evening, the train came to a complete stop and the four stallions at the front came inside. Once they were on board, the train started moving again.

The passengers and the crew all ate a light dinner together in the dining car. When it was over, the conductor returned to the engine room, the four stallions made their way to the baggage car, and everypony else went to the passenger car. Soon after, the four stallions returned to the front of the train for another couple hours to save a little more fuel.

Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rollin Fields, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash quickly got settled down for the night. They each climbed onto their respective bunks, and they passed the time by eating snacks and chatting some more. Applejack and Bronze Star still had no designated bunks, so they remained standing.

At ten o'clock, Applejack proposed that she and Bronze Star turn in for the night. She asked him to follow her to the sleeper car. Although he was a little bewildered, he went with her all the same.

At the front of the sleeper car, there was a large arch six feet from the door. Bronze Star had not noticed this earlier, but there was a curtain that hanged from the arch to the front wall of the car. Applejack pushed it aside and revealed a queen-sized bed.

Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and inquired "Has that been there this whole time?"

"Yup," Applejack affirmed, "Don't tell Rarity. Or any of the others, for that matter. We wouldn't them to get any ideas."

"'Ideas?'" Bronze Star repeated.

Applejack lightly nodded her head. She then hopped onto the bed and stretched her legs. After that, she scooted to the left side of the bed, turned to Bronze Star, patted the bed's empty right side, and beckoned him "Well, come on."

Bronze Star immediately realized what was going on. He muttered awkwardly "You want me to…"

"That's the general plan," she avowed, nodding her head.

"You sure it'd be a good idea?" Bronze Star enquired, "I mean, you and I just got back together."

"As far as everypony else knows, we were never apart," Applejack argued.

"Still, would it really be appropriate for us to sleep together?" Bronze Star asked rhetorically.

"The keyword there is 'sleep,'" Applejack declared, "Just sleep, nothing else. I assure you that I only have pure intentions here, Bronze."

Bronze Star had no reason to doubt Applejack's integrity. After all, she was not one to rush things, especially something as serious as their relationship. Still, this was the first time he ever shared a bed with her. He could not help but feel a little queasy at the prospect of that.

Even so, he felt he could trust himself and his fillyfriend to keep things tame between them. So in the end, he grinned and pronounced "Very well,"

He trotted to the right side of the bed and laid down next to the orange mare. She smiled at him happily.

A few minutes later, the two of them were both underneath the bed's covers. They had their front legs wrapped around each other's upper body. Applejack rested her head against her coltfriend's chest, and he cuddled her close to him, stroking her mane affectionately.

Although Bronze Star and Applejack had made amends a week earlier, they had been unable to have a lot of quality time. This was the first opportunity they had to be alone together.

They did not realize until that moment just how much they missed being this close to each other. The feeling of this current moment was absolutely wonderful.

Before they got too caught up in it, Bronze Star needed to address something. He gazed down at Applejack and enquired "So, are you ready?"

Applejack seemed mildly surprised by that question. She looked up at him and uttered in bafflement "I just said we were going to sleep in the same bed. That's all."

Evidently, she had misunderstood him. Since they were sharing a bed, he could not entirely blame her for that. Bronze Star lightly rolled his eyes and illuminated "I meant for our meeting with Esopus Spitzenburg,"

"Oh," Applejack commented, easing up a bit. She sat up a bit and pronounced "I'm more than ready for that."

"Want to go over the plan one more time?" Bronze Star offered.

"No, I think I've got it down," Applejack thought aloud, "After we meet up with him, I'll give him one of those special picture frames. I'll be sure to place it in his bedroom myself. I'll put it in a spot that gives it a full view of the entire room. Once I've done that, I'll activate the recording mechanism by adjusting the hinges on the back of the frame's casing. Then I'll leave it there, and you and I will monitor the room with the other special frame until Esopus speaks with the final conspirator on that poster board of his. Once we've done that, I'll sneak into his room and replace the first special frame with the ordinary one. Did I forget anything?"

"Nope, every factor is accounted for," Bronze Star affirmed, "Except, of course, for the pictures themselves. For obvious reasons, we can't give Spitzenburg empty frames. I assume you've got that covered?"

"Of course," Applejack remarked, "You remember that day a few months ago, when Granny Smith brought out that camera and took a lot of pictures for no apparent reason? Well, she took a rather good one of you and me in the ranch's orchards. I decided to use that one. I found it poetically fitting."

"How so?" Bronze Star inquired.

"You and I will be giving that picture in that special frame as a gift to my Great Uncle," Applejack clarified, "Unbeknownst to him, we'll be watching him through that frame. So we'll be there with him, yet we won't be there, yet we'll be snooping on him. Does that make sense?"

"Percent sense," Bronze Star proclaimed, smirking, "The Regiment believes that Spitzenburg is in Appleoosa so he can safely evade the government's notice. But he won't be able to evade the notice of you and me. Once we've seen the final conspirator, we just need to identify him or her. Then we'll be able to end this conspiracy once and for all."

Applejack smiled in approval at that. She rested her head against Bronze Star's chest again and told him "This is actually kinda exciting. All this underground work and spying stuff… plus I'm helping save the country."

"That's nothing you haven't already done before," Bronze Star noted, grinning as well, "Only this time, you're helping me, as well."

Applejack continued to smile, and she gazed up into her coltfriend's eyes. She proclaimed merrily "I'm always happy to help you."

Bronze Star pulled her close and nuzzled his head against hers. At the same time, she caressed the sides of his chest tenderly.

For a few seconds, Bronze Star enjoyed that show of affection. Then he winced and mumbled in pain "Ow."

Applejack promptly stopped caressing his lower body and looked up at him. She asked worriedly "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just…" Bronze Star began tentatively. He glimpsed down at the spot Applejack had touched him. She looked as well, and she saw a conspicuous scar on his lower chest. That was the place where he had gotten stabbed in the Diamond Dog mines.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Applejack hastily uttered, "Does it hurt?"

"Not as much as it did a couple weeks ago," Bronze Star apprised her, "It's more or less healed, but the spot is still tender to the touch."

Applejack lightly tapped her front hoof around that spot, and she commented "I feel really bad about this. It was my fault, after all."

"It was worth it to save your life," Bronze Star said in reassurance, "Aside from that, I'd have to share some of the blame. Not just because I threw myself in front of you before Brutus could attack you. If I had just kept my mouth shut when we escaped from the caverns, Brutus would never have singled you out as the one I loved."

"I guess that's true," Applejack candidly admitted, shrugging and staring at the wall of the train, "Still, to think that at the time, I was uncertain if you really did care about me that much."

"I thought you already knew the truth of Spitzenburg's role in the conspiracy by then," Bronze Star recalled.

"I did," Applejack confirmed, "However, even after I learned that you were telling the truth about Esopus, I was still uncertain if you really did love me or if you were just using me to spy on my Great Uncle. After what happened in the mines, I knew the truth straightaway. I felt like such a fool afterwards."

"How come?" Bronze Star queried in interest.

"When you took that blow for me, it erased any doubts I had about your feelings for me," Applejack explained, "I mean, there was no way you would have deliberately put yourself in danger like that for somepony you did not genuinely care for."

"You're right," Bronze Star professed, "Sure, had anypony else been in your place, I would have attempted to save that pony's life by blocking the attack or pushing them out of harm's way. But neither of those options was available when Brutus came at you with his sword; I had no choice but to throw myself between you and him. Believe me, I would not have done that for just anypony. Only somepony I truly loved."

"That's what I thought," Applejack stated, "When I saw how badly wounded you were, I felt so guilty. Guilty for how I treated you when we last spoke, and guilty for how you selflessly got hurt to save me despite our breakup. But guilt was not all I felt. At the time, I was also overcome with panic."

"I can understand that," Bronze Star told her, "If somepony I knew got hurt that badly, I would be panicking, too."

"No, that wasn't the only reason I was panicking," Applejack revealed, "I was also panicking because I was concerned that your injury might have been fatal."

"It wasn't," Bronze Star bluntly uttered.

"Well, I was almost certain it would be," Applejack pronounced, turning back to Bronze Star, "You see, I once had another experience like the one in the Diamond Dogs cavern."

"You did?" Bronze Star stated in fascination.

"Yeah, it was just as dangerous and scary," Applejack responded, "The only difference was that in the encounter with the Diamond Dogs, everypony survived."

That statement really caught Bronze Star's attention. He leaned closer to Applejack and enquired "What about the other experience? What happened then? When was it? How exactly does it relate to what we went through?"

Applejack did not answer any of his questions right away. Instead she gazed off to the side of the wall again, and then she sat up straight so that her eyes were level with Bronze Star's. She told him "Do you really want to know? It's very unpleasant."

"I can deal with 'unpleasant,'" Bronze Star proclaimed, "If something's troubling you, AJ, please tell me about it. I'm willing to listen."

"Okay, if you say so," Applejack coincided, albeit somewhat reluctantly. There was a long interval of silence as Applejack stared over to the side. After that, she gave a deep sigh, turned to Bronze Star, and pronounced "Let me tell you how I lost my parents."

Ever since Bronze Star had been together with Applejack, she had told him everything about her parents, except how they died. He had been wanting to hear this tale for a long time. All he knew about it so far was that their deaths were accidents. He leaned closer and commented "I'm listening."

Applejack lightly nodded her head and elucidated with:

"As you know, most of our group is not from Ponyville originally. You and Twilight Sparkle were raised in Canterlot, Pinkie Pie was brought up on a rock farm, and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash grew up in Cloudsdale. Rarity and I are the only ones who have lived in Ponyville for our entire lives. You see, she and I were best friends as fillies, despite the fact we had radically different hobbies and ambitions. We always liked to share in each other's interests, too. I attended her fashion shows and helped her collect gems; she played my sports and helped me farm my trees."

"That's nice of you both," Bronze Star remarked.

"Yeah, we always had fun with each other, even if we thought beforehand that we wouldn't," Applejack disclosed, "Anyway, one day, Rarity wanted to give me a makeover. Naturally, I was very against that idea, but she was quite persistent. She claimed that all the time I spent outside was bad for my complexion, and she wanted to 'preserve my appearance.' When I refused to yield, she made me a deal. If I allowed her to give me a makeover, she would participate in any activity I wanted to do afterwards. So I went through with her proposal. The makeover actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I still thought I looked fine before."

"Yeah, you don't need makeup to look beautiful," Bronze Star sincerely stated.

Applejack flushed slightly, but she was grateful for that compliment. She went on with "At any rate, the day after Rarity gave me that makeover, I had her repay her debt. As you can imagine, I was the more adventurous of the two, so I had something a little more exciting in mind for us."

"What might that be?" Bronze Star queried.

"There was this cave on a small mountain to the north of town," Applejack reminisced, "I had always wanted to explore it, but I didn't want to go alone. I thought Rarity would be the perfect partner. She wasn't thrilled when I suggested it, but she had to uphold her part of the bargain. So in the early morning, she and I set out to the mountain and went into the cave. It was really dark in there. Our flashlight didn't have a long battery life, and after it died on us, Rarity had to use her horn to light the way. She was worried that something was living in there, but I encouraged her to keep moving onward. The cave was much bigger than I thought it would be; we were able to continue trotting through the same passageway for a half-hour. After that, we came to a large cavern with a waterfall that trickled down into a creek. We stopped there for a drink and for Rarity to wash her hooves. After that, we looked around for another passage, and we found that there were half a dozen additional openings in the cavern. The first three were dead ends, the fourth one looped back into a fifth, but the sixth one… when we entered that one, we heard a soft groan, like an animal's growl. I had Rarity shine her aura further down that passage, and we found ourselves face-to-face with a goblin."

Bronze Star was alarmed by that last statement. "A goblin?"

"Yeah, and definitely not a friendly one," Applejack affirmed, "He came at me and Rarity with a stone-axe. We galloped as fast as we could back to the passage we had come from. He was gaining on us quickly; there was no way we would clear the cave before he caught up to us. Both Rarity and I realized this at once, and we struggled to think of a way to delay the goblin or stop him altogether. At first, I proposed that she run and I stay behind to fight him off. She refused to leave me, and she came up with an idea of her own. She stood near the end of the passage and fired a concentrated burst of energy at the top of it. That caused a part of the roof to collapse along the mouth of the cave. Rarity's strategy worked; she managed to separate the goblin from us. On the downside, her magical burst was a little too powerful. Just when we thought we were safe, another part of the roof collapsed. It came down in front of me, but behind Rarity."

Bronze Star held his breath at that part, but he was still as captivated as ever. He urged her "Go on."

Applejack continued with "After that, Rarity was trapped on the other side of the rock pile. She was unable to lift them or push them out of the way with their magic, and I wasn't strong enough to shatter them or move them aside. My only option was to go back to Ponyville and get help. So I sprinted as fast as I could to Sweet Apple Acres and found my parents. I told them what happened, and they went back to the cave with me. Working together, we managed to clear away the rock piles and locate Rarity. Unfortunately, the goblin was an excellent digger, too. He got to Rarity at the same time as us. My mother and father quickly went to her aid. They had to physically fight the goblin off. The goblin managed to hit my Mom in the shoulder with his axe, but that left him vulnerable to my Dad. He grabbed the goblin by the throat, threw him onto the ground, and smashed his head in with a rock."

Bronze Star's eyes widened in surprise and he muttered "In front of you and Rarity?"

"Yeah, but we didn't care," Applejack pronounced, "That goblin attacked us first."

"But based on this account, it sounds as though he wasn't responsible for anypony's death," Bronze Star noted.

"Technically, he wasn't," Applejack revealed, "It turned out he wasn't living there by himself. After my Dad killed the goblin, we heard movement coming from the passage he had emerged from. Rarity used her horn, and we saw more goblins pouring out of that passage. Immediately, my parents ordered us to run as fast as we could. I didn't need to be told twice, but Rarity stayed behind again to fire another burst of energy at the roof. She was able to put a wall of gravel between us and the onslaught of goblins. However, this started a chain reaction that caused more and more of the passage to collapse. Rarity, my parents, and I ran as fast as our legs could carry us back to the entrance of the cave. All the while, huge chunks of stone were dropping onto the ground behind us. When we were more than halfway to the opening, the pain from the injury in my Mom's shoulder caught up to her, and she stumbled onto her knees. My Dad noticed this and went back to help her. I would have gone to, but he firmly ordered us to go on. So we did, and we never looked back until we reached the cave entrance."

Bronze Star felt his teeth clench and his hooves tighten as Applejack said all this. He was notably astonished by this point, but he was as attentive as ever.

Applejack needed a minute to prepare herself, and then she illuminated "That was when I realized that my parents weren't with us. I wanted to go back for them, but Rarity stopped me, saying it was too dangerous. So together, we went back to Ponyville and got more help. This time, we returned with members of the security staff, an excavation team, and some paramedics. The security officers kept an eye out for goblins while the excavation team cleared away the residue of the avalanche. Two hours later, they called in the paramedics. Initially, I was thrilled; I thought my parents had been recovered. But… but when the paramedics came out… they rolled out two stretchers, both of which were covered with white sheets. I was confused at first, but I slowly realized what was going on, and I... I damn near lost my mind."

Once again, Bronze Star found himself short of breath. He wrapped a front leg around his fillyfriend, which she welcomed thankfully. She then announced "I wanted to see the bodies; no, I demanded to see them. When the paramedics refused, I went hysterical. Three members of the security staff had to pull me away from the stretchers, and they took me home after that. Rarity went with us. By the time we got back to Sweet Apple Acres, I had stopped putting up a struggle, but I must have been in shock; I can barely remember being in control of my sense at the time. Rarity seemed just as miserable as me. She hugged me tightly and told me she was sorry about a hundred times. I heard her, but I didn't acknowledge her. I was just frozen in disbelief."

Bronze Star felt more than a few tears moistening his eyes.

"The funeral was a few days later," Applejack "I hardly remember that, either. In fact, for two whole weeks after my parents died, it was as though I was barely alive, myself. I didn't want to eat, sleep, go outside, or talk to anypony. In fact, at one point, I didn't even want to live."

Bronze Star could understand what Applejack was saying. SIG Sauer once went through a similar sensation when his wife Wysteria was killed. But even back then, SIG Sauer was an adult stallion who had already been acquainted with sacrifice and loss. When Applejack lost her parents, she was just a preteen filly living in a small peaceful town. Their deaths must have been much harder on her than Wysteria's had been on her husband.

Bronze Star muttered inquisitively "How did you come out of that trance?"

"Granny Smith and Big McIntosh did everything they could to comfort me and cheer me up," Applejack recalled, "But the one who really came through for me was Rarity. While I was in that fragile state, she rarely left my side. She made my well-being her personal goal or something. For that, I'm indebted to her. If it wasn't for her, I might never have recovered."

"Well, I'm very glad she was able to help you," Bronze Star proclaimed softly.

"Me, too," Applejack remarked straightforwardly, "Afterward, Rarity told me that she didn't do that just because I was her best friend. She also did it because she felt responsible for my parents, seeing as how she was the one who started that avalanche. I told her that the fault was mine, since I suggested going to that cave in the first place."

"I'd say the goblins were to blame," Bronze Star contended.

"For the longest time, I believed that, too," Applejack debated, "Now that I think about it, it isn't really that simple. Maybe we were intruding on them, and they were just defending their territory."

"Still, it was as much their fault as yours or Rarity's," Bronze Star insisted.

Applejack merely shrugged and uttered "Perhaps we were all were blameworthy in some way. But that wasn't the case with the Diamond Dogs."

Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and queried "What are you talking about?"

"During the incident with the Diamond Dogs, I thought the whole thing was happening all over again," Applejack elucidated, "The circumstances were strikingly similar. We were going into an unexplored subsurface dwelling, the inhabitants were reclusive, warrior-like creatures, and our ultimate goal was to save Rarity. All the while, I was concerned that at least one of us would not come out of that mine alive."

"Luckily, we all did," Bronze Star murmured reassuringly.

"Yeah, but just before we left the mines, you had that deadly encounter with Brutus," Applejack reminded him, "I was beyond terrified when he stabbed you right in front of me. Whatever happened to you would have been my fault, and don't try to deny it."

"Okay, I won't," Bronze Star claimed tranquilly, "Still, we survived that ordeal, and I recovered from that injury. Does what happened to me really matter?"

"Of course, it matters!" Applejack debated, "Bronze, if you died in that cave, your death would have been on my head. I was able to live with that guilt once. But a second time? No buckin' way. If you got killed in there because of me, I… I would've…"

"What?" he asked pressingly, "What would you have done?"

By now, Applejack had tears flooding her eyes. She gazed up at her coltfriend and declared "I would have killed myself."

Bronze Star was not just stunned when he heard that. He was taken aback, he was horrified, and he was even somewhat angered. He grasped Applejack by her shoulders and muttered crossly "Don't ever say that."

"It's true," Applejack firmly professed, "You would have died saving me. Worse yet, you would have died thinking that I hated you. How could you expect me to live with something like that?"

"Applejack, the only reason I did that was so that you could live," Bronze Star stated brusquely, "If I died from my wound and you killed yourself afterwards, both our deaths would have been meaningless. Is that what you would have wanted?"

Applejack's misery was quickly replaced by astonishment. She had never thought of that affair from that angle before. When she saw it from that perspective, she felt extremely foolish and ignorant.

She dried her eyes and gazed up at the gold stallion. She told him solemnly "You're right, Bronze. Suicide would have been the coward's way out, and it would have caused more grief for the ponies I loved. I can't believe how selfish I was."

"You weren't being selfish," Bronze Star insisted, "There are some ponies who can't live with that sort of thing at all. The fact that you were able to and that you realized the folly of it means that you are an even stronger pony than I thought. You should be proud of your ability to face and overcome that crisis."

"I guess I am," Applejack admitted. After a brief pause, she embraced the prince tightly and whispered "Bronze, I want you to promise me something."

"What?" he questioned.

"Promise me that'll never happen again," Applejack pleaded, "Promise me you'll never get hurt like that, even for my benefit. Promise me that you'll stay safe."

Bronze Star gently moved the orange mare's head to his and kissed her warmly on the lips. After that, he gazed into her eyes and told her sincerely "On my honor, I promise you I'll do all that. I won't do anything to compromise my well-being or yours. I'll do everything in my power to keep us both safe."

Applejack heard him, and she believed him. She smiled happily, placed her front hooves on his cheeks and kissed him again. He returned the kiss with just as much passion.

They did not stop there. Bronze Star wrapped his front legs around Applejack's upper body and lowered her and himself down onto the bed. When they were lying down, she removed her hooves from his face and gripped onto his shoulders. They pulled each other close, and then they were not just cuddling anymore.

Applejack brushed the tip of her tongue smoothly against Bronze Star's brow. While she did that, Bronze Star playfully nibbled the side of her neck. Then he lightly kissed her under her chin, eliciting a groan of pleasure from her.

She slid her front legs further down his body and rubbed the small of his back. She pushed down and over, as though she was folding his coat and skin onto itself. That was both stimulating and relaxing at the same time.

While Applejack was massaging him, Bronze Star got a devious idea on how to return the favor. He became a little bolder and slid one of his front legs down to the area between the orange mare's hind legs. He pressed his hoof against that spot, and she moaned in arousal.

He grinned sneakily and pushed down a little harder. He could feel that she was already a little moist, and he rubbed his hoof against her slit. She welcomed his touch openly. She was very turned on by this point, and so was he. He found himself hardening, and he wanted to go even further than this.

Bronze Star slowly turned Applejack so that she was lying flat on her back. She realized where this was going, but she put up no resistance. If anything, she encouraged his advances. Once she was in place, he moved to climb on top of her.

Bronze Star mounted Applejack, but before they could get into the proper positions for what they had in mind, they heard a voice blurt out "Guys, are you alright?"

They had been so focused on each other that they did not even hear the door to the sleeper car open a minute ago. They had been interrupted by Spike, who was dragging in a pillow behind him.

Luckily, Bronze Star and Applejack were still under the bed's covers, otherwise Spike would have seen them in a very compromising position. Still, they felt as though they had actually been caught in the act.

Without uttering a word, Bronze Star and Applejack hastily regained their composure, untangled themselves, and sat up in the bed. They forced a smile in the baby dragon's direction, and the orange mare stated in a friendly tone "Oh, hi, Spike. Everything alright?"

"I could ask you the same," Spike retorted candidly.

"We're doing just fine," Bronze Star claimed casually, "We were just trying to get comfortable."

"You sounded as though you were in pain," Spike noted.

"We weren't," Applejack asserted, "We were just looking for the best sleeping position."

"If you say so," Spike uttered in response.

After a brief pause, Bronze Star queried "What are you doing in here, anyway?"

"I'm trying to get some sleep, but the others won't shut up," Spike enlightened them, "And apparently, Fluttershy's a tree."

"Huh?" said Applejack, baffled.

"Don't ask," Spike proposed, "Anyway, could I stay in here with you guys?"

Bronze Star and Applejack looked to each other, and then they turned back to the dragon. The farmer shrugged and pronounced "Uh, sure. But we're a little tight on space her. Would you mind sharing with Bloomberg?"

"No, I don't mind," Spike assured them, "Beats the floor."

The gold stallion and the orange mare watched as the dragon approached the apple tree at the end of the sleeper car. As he crawled into bed with the tree, he whispered "Bloomberg..? Bloomberg? Sorry, but I tend to snore a bit. Good night."

He then gave a contented sigh, rested his head on his pillow, and quickly fell asleep.

Once he was out, Bronze Star turned to Applejack and muttered "That was too close."

"No kiddin'," she conceded, "Good thing he didn't come in thirty seconds later. That would have been even more awkward."

"Indeed," he murmured drily, "Still, I think it's a good thing that he stopped us. I don't think I would have been able to restrain myself if not for that interruption."

"I probably wouldn't have held back, either," Applejack muttered, "I have no idea what came over me just now. I just… wanted you. So badly."

"Even those with the strongest will can give in to temptation every now and then," Bronze Star debated, "That includes you and me. Guess we both got a little too lovesick."

"So you're saying that the two of us wantin' each other like that is a bad thing?" Applejack presumed, frowning.

"No, it isn't," he asserted, "Not entirely, at any rate. I'll be the first to say there's nothing wrong with desire. Even so, I don't want to give in to this kind of desire before you and I know we're ready."

"We seemed ready a minute ago," she pointed out.

"Yes, but that's not to say we were ready," he argued, "I read somewhere that couples are seventy percent more likely to stay together if they wait until after marriage to have sex. I wouldn't want to risk finding out the hard way that that statistic is accurate. Aside from that, it would be nearly impossible to hide that sort of relationship from our friends and family. Most of all…"

He paused for a second there, as if he was uncertain it would be wise to continue. Applejack asked him in interest "What?"

Bronze Star took a deep breath and apprised her "Well, I was the product of a free union. I would hate for my first child to born a bastard, as well."

Applejack scoffed and proclaimed "Who's to say you really were conceived out of wedlock? Aside from that, do you really think you'd get me pregnant the first time we go all the way?"

"It's certainly possible," Bronze Star professed, "The Alicorns did not decline because of sterility, after all. And I'm inclined to think that you are just as fertile and productive as your apple trees."

Applejack had to admit that that was a reasonable assumption. She even saw that last statement as a bit of a compliment. She thought aloud "Okay, Bronze. I don't want to rush things any more than you do. Besides, I gave you my word that we were just going to sleep together."

"Great," Bronze Star said in approval, smiling.

There was another period of silence, and then Applejack suggested "Shall we get some rest?"

"Yes, let's," Bronze Star responded.

The two of them laid back down side-by-side, and they kissed each other softly on the lips.

"Night, Bronze," the farmer uttered quietly

"Night, AJ," the prince returned.

Soon after, they swiftly fell asleep in each other's front legs.

…

The next morning in Ponyville, the task force gathered at the embassy. Despite being short two members, the remaining eight worked as diligently as ever.

By now, they had gone through nine of the twelve crates of manifests, and they were halfway through the tenth one. They always kept their eyes open for the exact same thing: a black E, a black U, and a black P side-by-side-by-side in any order in the same row. Every time they found that permutation, they made a note of the manifest's date, as well as the respective train's arrival time, departure time, previous destination, and final destination.

That had found a number of interesting consistencies in their findings. Namely, the Vermane appeared to travel to each city no more than thirty-six hours before they moved in on their target, and they always left less than twenty-four hours after committing the crime. This was the case in nearly every city where they killed their victims.

There was only one discrepancy. Copper Hollow had been the first to notice it. He decided to address it at this meeting.

While his colleagues examined the manifests from the tenth crate, Copper Hollow studied the records they had made of all the other manifests so far. He compared those notes to the record Sir Haywood McCrank and Agent Dread Naught had made of the Vermane's murders. He had already found the discrepancy; now he was double-checking to ensure that he had not misinterpreted it. After he confirmed that it was valid, he informed the others "I think I've got something."

The other seven ponies gave the copper stallion their attention. He stood up and placed the task force's notes and the investigators' records side-by-side. He announced "Based on the information Sir Haywood McCrank and Agent Dread Naught have accumulated over the years, the Vermane have killed at least one pony in each of the major cities. According to the manifests, there is surefire proof that the Vermane have used the trains to travel to the city of each murder beforehand and leave it afterwards. That's how they've done it in every city. Except Las Pegasus."

That point captured everypony else's interests. Dread Naught learned forward and enquired "What makes you say that, Deputy Chief?"

Copper Hollow pressed his hooves down on the task force's notes and professed "For all the murders in Las Pegasus, not once did we locate a black E, a black U, and a black P in the same row on any of the trains that arrived before the crime or departed after it. That implies that the Vermane were never on those trains. Why do you suppose that is?"

The seven ponies thought on this development, and several of them came up with their own interpretations of it.

"Maybe the Vermane's headquarters in located in Las Pegasus," Almond Wheeler theorized.

"Could be," Shakedown contended, "Then again, it could be possible that they simply have some members who already live there."

"Perhaps it's where they get new recruits," Dapple Rhomb hypothesized.

"Or maybe it's not an error at all," Noble Edict proposed, "Sir Haywood, Agent Dread Naught, are you certain the Las Pegasus murders were done by the Vermane?"

"Completely," Sir Haywood confirmed, "They match the criteria of the other murders in every other aspect. I believe Deputy Chief Hollow is on to something."

"I concur," Dread Naught pronounced, "Whatever the reason for this incongruity, we can safely conclude that the Vermane must have a special interest in Las Pegasus. Right now, there's no way of telling what it is, but it definitely exists."

"I quite agree," Rough Rider stated. After another period of silence, the olive stallion stood up and disclosed "While we're on the subject of hidden leads, I believe I might have found something, too. Some of you may have already noticed this one, but for those who haven't, I'll go ahead and discuss it."

"We're listening," Dapple Rhomb informed her husband.

Rough Rider turned to Copper Hollow, held out his front hoof, and requested "Copper, the notes?"

The copper stallion picked up the task force's notes and passed them along to the olive stallion, saying "Here you go, Rough."

Rough Rider shuffled through the papers until he found a page that covered the manifests that belonged to the trains that transported the Vermane to their targets. He placed his hoof on the column of the trains' original destinations, and he revealed "Whenever the Vermane go after their targets, the city that their train departs from typically varies."

He then flipped through the papers until he got to a page that covered the manifests that belonged to the trains that the Vermane fled on. He placed his front hoof on the column of the trains' intended destinations, and he went on with "However, more often than not, whenever the Vermane take flight, they usually escape to one particular city: Detrot."

The other seven ponies found that fairly interesting. Almond Wheeler asked rhetorically "Is that right?"

Rough Rider nodded his head and expounded "About seventy percent of the Vermane's getaway trains go straight to Detrot. If it was fifty percent or less, I wouldn't think anything of it. But Detrot accounts for almost three-quarters of their retreats."

"What about the murders that take place IN Detrot?" Shakedown inquired.

"Hang on a moment," Rough Rider commented as he started searching through the papers again. When he found what he was looking for, he muttered "Detrot seems to be the city where they commit the most murders. Like everywhere else, the Vermane get there from various cities. But after they're killed their target, the Vermane do not seem to travel to any specific location. However, about half the time, they travel to… Las Pegasus."

His companions found that to be quite intriguing.

"Truth be told, I did notice that Detrot was used rather frequently by the Vermane as a retreat," Sir Haywood proclaimed, "At first, I merely assumed they used it as a type of insurance policy. After all, if you're trying to evade the law, Detrot is the most ideal place to hide. But now that we've made this connection with Las Pegasus… we're getting closer to them. Much closer. I'm certain of that."

"So the Vermane are garrisoned in either Detrot or Las Pegasus?" Dapple Rhomb presumed.

"While it's still too early to say, I'm inclined to believe that that might be the case," Sir Haywood contended, "It would make a great deal of sense. After all, Detrot has more violent crime than any other city in Equestria, and while Manehatten is the country's largest city in terms of population, Las Pegasus is the largest city in terms of size. There are countless places one could set up a base there without drawing unwanted attention."

"Either city would make an ideal hiding place," Shakedown thought aloud, rubbing his chin, "Maybe that's precisely what the Vermane want us to think."

"What do you mean?" Copper Hollow inquired.

"There could be another reason as to why they never use the trains whenever they strike Las Pegasus, and why they so frequently retreat to Detrot after most of their other crimes," Shakedown conjectured.

"What reason would that be?" Noble Edict enquired.

"They could be masking their trails," Shakedown speculated, "Case in point, they may want to make their movements a little erratic so that they can throw off anypony who could be attempting to track them. For all we know, the Vermane are deliberately trying to seem unpredictable so that they can avoid being pursued."

"That's a bit of a stretch, Shakedown," Dread Naught refuted, "The Vermane are extremely cautious, but they can't always be one step ahead of us everywhere. There is no way they could have known we were going to use the train manifests to track them. If they did, they would have travelled separately rather than in trios."

"Aside from that, we never would have been considered consulting the manifests if you had not suggested doing so," Sir Haywood pointed out.

"Yes, that is true," Shakedown admitted, "But why would they only go back to Detrot for every two out of three murders, rather than for three out of three? Furthermore, what interests could they have invested in Las Pegasus. There are just so many factors that conflict with each other. I was certain that my strategy would work, and I still am, but how do we know that we'll be able to use the manifests to point us in the right direction in time? The Vermane are so sporadic, that I'm inclined to wonder if we'll be able to find them before they hit Ponyville."

"Now that, we do not have an answer for," Almond Wheeler remarked, "There are a lot of things about the Vermane that do not add up. And there are probably some things that never will. I mean, can you ever really understand a group of ponies who would willingly and knowingly murder so many innocents just to make themselves rich? Even if they tried to explain or justify their actions, would you ever be convinced that what they do is not evil?"

"No, I could never bring myself to comprehend that," Shakedown confessed.

"None of us could," Almond Wheeler contended, placing her front hoof on his shoulder, "Do you know why? Because we're better than them, Shakedown. Because each of us feels an obligation to protect our neighbors and our loved ones. While we may have different ideas on how to do our jobs, our goal is fundamentally the same: to bring the guilty to justice. That's why all of us have been able to work together to stop Vermane. Not because anypony told us to, because we need to, or even because we want to, but because we all know that it must be done. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we're above committing this sort of atrocity. And that is precisely why we can and will bring them down."

There was an elongated interval of silence after that. Everypony seemed impressed by Almond Wheeler's sudden short speech. Even Shakedown was a little amazed by it. He gradually turned to the grey Earth Pony, and he grinned at her. That was the third time he had smiled ever since he had arrived in Ponyville. But whenever he did smile, at least it was a pleasant one.

He commented cordially "That was quite motivating, Official Wheeler."

Almond Wheeler smiled back at the greenish-blue Pegasus and declared "I just didn't want you to get discouraged."

"I wasn't getting discouraged," Shakedown assured her, "I was simply voicing my concerns."

"Nothing wrong with that," Copper Hollow pronounced, "We've all got concerns about this investigation."

"Indeed, we do," Dread Naught conceded, "But believe me; we will get the Vermane this time. Every time in the past, they've eluded managed to elude me and Sir Haywood. This time… they won't succeed. They won't get away this time. I don't just think that; I know we'll triumph over them. I don't know why I'm so certain of that; it's… it's just a strong feeling I have."

"Like a hunch?" Noble Edict assumed.

"Yes, you could call it a hunch, Lady Noble," Dread Naught affirmed.

Noble Edict smirked and revealed "Well, Pinkie Pie has hunches all the time. Most of the time, they turn out to be correct down to the last detail. Because of her, I've learned to take hunches seriously. So if you have a hunch that tells you the Vermane will fail, then I'm that much more confident that we'll stop them."

"I'm glad you share my faith," was all Dread Naught said in response.

The eight ponies soon got back to work. They sorted through the remaining contents of the tenth crate of manifests. From there, they were able to find additional proof to back up Copper Hollow's discovery about Las Pegasus and Rough Rider's discovery about Detrot.

When they were done examining the manifests from this crate, they decided to end the meeting. Recently, the task force's meetings had all been between two or three hours long. This meeting had been just slightly over an hour long. The reason for that was because with everything else that was going on at the time or would be going on in the near future, all their schedules were busier than ever. So until Bronze Star and Rollin Fields got back, the other eight members of the task force could only afford to spend a limited amount of time on the investigation.

Noble Edict got out of her chair and stretched her back and legs. After that, she pronounced "Well, I'd better get back to the embassy. Oh, boy; these next few weeks are going to be Tartarus."

"Why's that, Noble?" Dapple Rhomb queried.

"If we had a visit by royalty, I'd need my whole staff to handle security," Noble Edict explicated, "If we hosted a seminar, they'd be just as busy. Now we're expected to have both at the same time in less than two weeks."

"Sounds like you've got a full plate but have been offered seconds," Rough Rider observed.

"That's as fitting an analogy as any," Noble Edict professed, rubbing her eyes, "Between Princess Celestia's impending stopover and the conference for those two conglomerates, we're in for a rough time. Most of my staff is probably going to have to pull double or even triple shifts that week. As for me… I don't think I'll be getting a lot of sleep this month."

"Sleep whenever you want, Lady Noble," Haywood McCrank cheekily proposed. "As long as it's not during the task force meetings."

"Fine, Sir Haywood; but I'm not making any promises," Noble Edict sardonically muttered, yawning.

"You alright, Noble?" Copper Hollow queried in concern.

"Yeah, Copper," the red Earth Pony asserted, "But it's at times like this that I despise being the boss."

"That's a paradox I've encountered many a time," Sir Haywood disclosed, "Everypony wants to be the boss… except the boss."

"What about you, Sir Haywood?" Almond Wheeler countered.

"Excuse me?" Haywood McCrank stated in perplexity.

"Since Bronze is out of town, you're officially in charge of the investigation until he gets back," Almond Wheeler clarified, "Technically, you're the boss of the task force."

"Yes, and it's a position I cherish, but I would gladly relinquish it if somepony more qualified came along," the indigo stallion claimed, "Oftentimes I prefer to leave the role of leader to another pony. Even somepony younger and less experienced than me, such as the prince."

"Well, Prince Bronze Star IS a natural-born leader," Dread Naught perceived, "He typically does more work in a year than most other ponies do in a decade."

"How true," Sir Haywood concurred, looking over at Noble Edict, "Look on the bright side, Lady Noble. You only have a town to look after. Prince Bronze Star has a country. Spend a day in his horseshoes, and you'll never complain about the difficulties of your job again."

"I'll take your word for it, Sir Haywood," Noble Edict commented drily, "No need to put your theory to the test. I don't think I'd ever want to exchange my badge for a tiara. I'm content with maintaining security in Ponyville. Just because I may complain about my job once in a while, that doesn't mean I don't love it."

"Nopony claimed you didn't, Noble," Copper Hollow pronounced, "Besides, after all you've been through, I think you've earned the right to complain."

"Thanks, Copper," the red mare stated gratefully.

After this, the eight ponies gathered up their belongings and went their own separate ways. Dapple Rhomb headed over to her office. Although Bronze Star was away at this time, she still had to continue functioning as his secretary. Of course, that entailed that she had to assume a larger portion of his workload. Although he intended to do all the work that pertained to his royal duties while he was in Appleoosa, that only comprised about a third of his general workday.

Fortunately for Dapple, Rough Rider still had nothing going on, and Bronze Star had often discussed his royal duties with Sir Haywood McCrank. Neither stallion was a politician by any means, but they had the availability, perseverance, and skills to assist Dapple Rhomb with her job. So the olive stallion and the indigo stallion joined the purple mare in her office.

Shakedown decided to continue cross-examining the data they had already amassed from the train manifests. Since Copper Hollow and Rough Rider had both noticed a useful lead in the information, the greenish-blue Pegasus was compelled to think that they might be overlooking something else. So he planned to spend the next several hours going over the material from the manifests a second time. There was a lot of material, so Dread Naught offered to aid Shakedown.

Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, and Almond Wheeler were the only ones who left the embassy right after the meeting ended. Once they signed out at the front, the three security officers headed to the barracks.

On their way there, Noble Edict trotted alongside Almond Wheeler and told her "Almond, are you doing anything today?"

"Other than my usual shift, nope," the grey Earth Pony replied, "Why do you ask, Noble?"

"If you're not too busy, I have an assignment for you," the red Earth Pony remarked.

"What sort of assignment?" Almond Wheeler queried.

"It relates to the investigation," Noble Edict informed her, "In a way, at least."

"Go on," Almond Wheeler bade her.

"Sometime after your shift, I want you to go back to the embassy," Noble Edict instructed, "I'd like you to spend some time with Agent Dread Naught and Shakedown."

Almond Wheeler found that to be an odd command. "How come?"

"Both stallions have been here for more than two weeks," Noble Edict disclosed, "While they're both undeniably committed to the task force, we barely know anything about them."

"Are you saying you don't trust them?" Almond Wheeler enquired.

"I want to trust them, but they hardly seem to trust us," Noble Edict perceived.

"Well, a lack of trust is a common characteristic for a vigilante or a federal investigator," Copper Hollow debated, "But Sir Haywood McCrank and Bronze Star vouch for Dread Naught, and Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb vouch for Shakedown. That's good enough for me."

"Normally, that'd be enough for me, too," Noble Edict claimed, "But these circumstances are hardly normal. In order for the task force to function at optimal efficiency, we all need to open up to each other on both a professional level and a personal level. We've got the professional part covered with everypony, but we have yet to establish a personal connection with Shakedown or Dread Naught."

"And you think I'm the one best suited for that?" Almond Wheeler presumed. "Why not you or Copper? You're both my superior officers."

"I know, but he and I are already overloaded with enough work as it is," Noble Edict pointed out, "We'll need to spend as much time as possible preparing for Princess Celestia's visit and that business conference."

"Aside from that, neither of us have gotten Shakedown to smile," Copper Hollow contended, "You, on the other hoof, have."

Almond Wheeler smirked at that. She stated "Alright, you've convinced me. I'll do it."

Noble Edict smiled back and patted the grey Earth Pony on the shoulder, saying "I knew you would."

Almond Wheeler remained smiling as they trotted on. After a short pause, she queried "What would you like me to do?"

"Do what you do best," Noble Edict proposed, "Talk to them."

Almond Wheeler thought for a moment, and then she announced "Okay, I got just the thing."

…

Hundreds of miles south of Ponyville, a train that departed from the town yesterday morning was still making its way to Appleoosa. So far, the train had stopped twice more; once to bring the four stallions pulling it on, and once to let them off so they could continue pulling it. There had been a six-hour time gap between those two instances so that the four stallions could get some rest.

At this time, the passengers were still sound asleep. Most of them, at any rate.

Rollin Fields was already awake. For the past thirty years, he had always gotten up at five o'clock in the morning on the dot. Even the Equestrian military did not rise that early.

Currently, Rollin Fields was eating breakfast by himself in the dining car. He enjoyed the relative peace and quiet of the morning. He also enjoyed the pleasantness of the train ride. He could not remember the last time he had gotten on a train, much less one so smooth and steady.

He had not left Ponyville ever since he divorced his wife eighteen years ago. Since then, she, their older son, and their older daughter had moved to other parts of Equestria, but he, his younger son, and his younger daughter were content to remain in Ponyville.

Even so, he found he was enjoying this trip so far. He knew that the purpose of it was to assist Bronze Star, not to go on vacation, but that did not mean he could not savor it. He was a stallion who cherished all the fine things in life, no matter how small they seemed.

The previous day had been fairly interesting. He had spent the night with five mares who were young enough to be his granddaughters. Despite that, they were a delight to be around, and they did not distance him from their group.

Late last night, Rollin Fields had stopped by the bathroom, which was located in the train in front of the caboose. While he was back there, he thought he heard noises coming from the sleeper car. Even though there were two walls and several space of air between the two cars, Rollin Fields could definitely make out what sounded like moans of pleasure. As a father of four, he was well-acquainted with those sounds. He decided to linger for a minute, in case things got "interesting."

The noises stopped shortly after Spike went into the sleeper car, and that was when Rollin Fields was certain that he had not misjudged them. Of course, he respected the privacy of others, so he was not going to say a word about that matter to anypony else.

As he ate, he wondered what Appleoosa would be like. It was a relatively young settlement, especially when compared to Ponyville. It was located out in the middle of a desert, where water and vegetation was scarce. So everyday life might difficult at first to new arrivals, but Rollin Fields was never one to turn down a challenge. He was also curious about what plans Bronze Star had in that town, but he did not make that his business to find out.

Rollin Fields finished his breakfast and deposited his plates and drinking class into the kitchen. After that, he stretched his legs and gazed outside the window. He took a moment to admire the scenery and the vastness of the landscape. He could see the Sun slowly rising over the horizon. It was quite a sight to behold, especially when moving on a train.

The lime green stallion could not help but smile. Whoever said "getting there is half the fun" had a point.

While he was watching the sunrise, Rollin Fields suddenly felt as though his hooves were twitching. A moment later, he quickly realized that it was not his hooves that were shaking, but the floor. In fact, the entire train seemed to be vibrating.

It was not a tremor; the vibrations were too tame to be naturally occurring. Something else was causing them.

Initially, Rollin Fields decided to ignore the shaking feeling and head back to the passenger car. But as he moved in that direction, the vibrations seemed to be getting stronger. That was when he realized that whatever was producing them, it was coming from the front of the train.

Rollin Fields soon quickened his pace from a trot to a gallop, and he rushed into the passenger car. When he got there, the vibrations were stronger than ever, and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were still asleep.

Out of nowhere, the train lurched, and Rainbow Dash was flung from her bunk. That quickly woke her and the other mares up. Rainbow Dash mumbled in surprise "Who gets what now, huh?"

The train had not staggered on his own; the disturbance came from something outside of it. Rollin Fields went to a window on the right side of the car to investigate. When he saw what was out there, he announced "You've got to see this."

The five mares crowded around the window with the elderly stallion, and they saw what had gotten his interest. A herd of buffalo was galloping alongside the train.

"A buffalo stampede!" Twilight Sparkle declared in fascination.

She and the other mares gaped in amazement at the sight, but Rollin Fields was a little more suspicious.

"I just love their accessories!" Rarity pronounced, referring to the eagle feathers on the buffalos' heads.

"They're getting awfully close to the train," Twilight Sparkle noted uneasily.

"Far too close, actually," Rollin Fields concurred. He backed away from the window and headed over to his bunk. He pulled out his belt, fastened it around his waist, and moved to the end of the car, saying over his shoulder "I'll get the others."

It turned out that the buffalo were not just passing through the area. They were there because of the train.

Some of the buffalo galloped so fast that they caught up to the stallions who were pulling the train. The buffalo at the head of the herd rammed against the leading stallion. At the same time, more of the buffalo thrust their weight against the train itself. It was as though they were trying to push the vehicle off its tracks.

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie were unceremoniously tossed around the area. Rollin Fields managed to stay ahoof, but only because he had time to brace for impact. The mares screamed in fright and alarm. Most of what they shouted was indistinct, but he could hear Rarity yell angrily "I want to speak to the manager!"

"Hang in there!" Rollin Fields called out.

The lime green stallion warily but hurriedly made his way through the train. He had did not realize until right then just how many cars it had. Every now and then, he had to grab ahold of something to avoid being knocked onto his flank by the buffalo's assault.

The buffalo were still trying to throw the train off course. Luckily, the ponies pulling the train were very resilient, especially the lead stallion. He was able to maintain his balance, and he butted his body against the buffalo who struck him.

That buffalo stumbled away from the train, disoriented. Once he regained his bearings, he signaled for the others to break off their attack. They tried a different approach then.

In the passenger car, the five mares composed themselves and peered outside as one buffalo jumped onto the back of another. The second buffalo continued to run without slackening his pace at all. After that, a smaller, younger buffalo hopped onto the back of the two buffalo. She turned towards the train and gracefully leapt onto the roof of the passenger car.

By now, Rollin Fields had managed to reach the back of the passenger car. He forced the door open and stepped inside. Spike was still asleep in bed with Bloomberg. Somehow he had not been woken up by any of the disturbances.

Bronze Star and Applejack were both awake and out of bed. However, the split-second before Rollin Fields entered the sleeper car, the train violently shook again. As a result, Applejack had accidentally slipped, and she collided into Bronze Star.

Now the gold stallion was lying flat on his back with the orange mare lying on top of him. Before even they knew what was going on, Rollin Fields opened the door and began "Sir, we-"

Then he saw Bronze Star and Applejack lying down on the floor. The two of them were staring at each other, as if they had not heard or noticed the elderly stallion enter. Then they slowly turned towards him, and they blushed deeply.

He just smirked in amusement. Then he stepped forward to help the two younger ponies back onto their hooves.

"It's not what you think Rollin," Applejack claimed as she got up.

"You don't have to explain yourself, AJ," Rollin Fields asserted, "I know it wasn't your fault. Anyway, that's not important right now."

"What the buck is going on?" Bronze Star queried worriedly.

"I'm not sure," Rollin Fields answered, "But we've got company."

"What kind of company?" Applejack asked.

"Buffalo," Rollin Fields explicated, "Come with me, quickly!"

"What about Spike?" Bronze Star remarked, gesturing to the sleeping dragon.

"He should be safe back here," Applejack contended, "But all this turbulence is bad for Bloomberg."

"Well, we can't move either of them," Rollin Fields observed, "We won't need to as long as we can hold off the buffalo."

"Okay, let's go!" Bronze Star muttered.

The three ponies left the sleeper car, and they made their way through the car in front of it. As they trotted, Bronze Star inquired "So what's the situation?"

"The buffalo just showed up out of nowhere about ten minutes ago," Rollin Fields apprise him, "Without warning, they started knocking against the train and the stallions who are pulling it."

"What the Tartarus are they trying to do; kill us?" Applejack snapped.

"No, they aren't attacking the train anymore," Rollin Fields disclosed, "I don't think they want to demolish it. Instead, they're trying to stop it."

"Could it be possible they mean to get on?" Bronze Star suggested.

"I don't think so," Rollin Fields refuted, "They're too big to board the train, and they can run fast enough to pass it by."

"Perhaps it's not the train itself they're interested in," Applejack conjectured.

"I agree," Rollin Fields uttered, "Maybe they're after someone or something that's on the train."

"Like what?" Bronze Star inquired.

"I don't know…" Rollin Fields stated softly.

A moment later, they heard a strange thumping sound. It was faint at first, but it gradually became louder and nearer. It appeared to originate from somewhere over their heads.

"Is somepony on the roof?" Bronze Star thought aloud.

"That or somebuffalo," Applejack debated.

Right then, the door at the front of the car opened up, and Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie entered.

Bronze Star was relieved to see they were alright, but his relief was short-lived when he noticed their numbers were one short. He asked "Where's Rainbow Dash?"

"She went outside," Twilight Sparkle disclosed, "One of the buffalo jumped onto the roof a couple minutes ago. She seems to be heading for the caboose."

"Told ya," Applejack mentioned to her coltfriend.

At that moment, the thumping sound had reached them, and it passed directly over their heads. Whoever was on top of the train must have been gotten all the way to the caboose. The ponies heard a sound like a huge iron clasp being unfastened, and the train suddenly felt a little lighter.

There came a sharp whistle, and right away, the vibrations gradually subsided.

"What's going on?" Fluttershy queried

"I think the buffalo are falling back," Bronze Star perceived.

"Just like that?" Pinkie Pie said dubiously.

"Wait a minute…" Applejack murmured. She made her way to the back of the car and pushed open the door. Immediately, she discovered that the buffalo had detached the caboose from the rest of the train. She gasped and proclaimed "They've got Bloomberg!"

The other ponies gathered behind her and could only stare in shock.

Right then, Spike appeared at one of the windows on the top of the caboose. He screamed "Heeeelp!"

"And Spike!" Twilight Sparkle shrieked.

"What do we do?" Rarity asked frantically.

Nopony there could give her an answer. Bronze Star struggled to think of something. A few seconds later, he turned to the lavender mare and remarked "Twilight, do you think you can teleport to the sleeper car from here?"

"No, I'm afraid not," she responded dismally, "I can only teleport if the place I'm standing on and the place I want to go to are both stationary. I haven't learned how to teleport off of and onto moving platforms yet."

Bronze Star groaned in frustration and annoyance. He turned back to the tracks, gave a heavy sigh, and pronounced "Then we've got no choice. I'll have to change into my Alicorn form."

"No, Bronze," Rollin Fields protested, placing his hoof on the prince's shoulder, "It's too risky,"

"Risky?" Bronze Star stated crossly, "The train's crew are all near the front of it, and there's nopony else to be seen for miles. I doubt the buffalo would know who I was, anyway. So I wouldn't be exposing myself."

"I'm not worried that you'd compromise your identity," Rollin Fields claimed, "I'm worried that you'll compromise your safety. If you go out there, you'd be outnumbered by a factor of at least thirty-to-one."

"He's right," Applejack coincided, standing on the other side of the gold stallion, "You wouldn't do us any good by gettin' yourself captured. If the buffalo overwhelm you, you could get seriously hurt. Or worse…"

It was then that Bronze Star recalled what he had told Applejack last night. He had assured her that he would not do anything to needlessly or recklessly put himself in harm's way. He was not about to break that promise less than twelve hours after he made it.

Reluctantly, he stood down and remarked "Alright, I'll stay here. But what about Spike? We can't just abandon him."

"I may have an idea," Rollin Fields declared.

"What?" Rarity queried.

The lime green stallion did not answer her. Instead, he stepped out the car's back down, climbed onto the rail, and jumped to grab onto the awning. Once he had a tight grip, he hoisted himself onto the roof. Then he studied his immediate surroundings.

Although most of the buffalo herd was gathered around the caboose, there were a few stragglers who surrounded the train to ensure that it did not stop or reverse its course. One of them was directly next to the last car. Rollin Fields crouched near the side of the roof and focused on that particular buffalo. Then he lunged toward him and landed right on his back.

The buffalo did not even notice Rollin Fields until that very moment. When he realized the lime green Earth Pony was on his back, he roared angrily and attempted to throw him off. The elderly stallion had a very firm clutch; he refused to release the buffalo.

Bronze Star and the mares stared at him in profound astonishment and disbelief.

"And you thought MY idea was risky?!" Bronze Star yelled.

Either Rollin Fields did not hear that or he did not acknowledge it. He gripped the buffalo by the back of his throat and his horns, and he forced him to gallop toward the caboose.

Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rarity just watched as Rollin Fields rode the buffalo alongside the tracks. From their point of view, he almost looked like a rustler. Or a rustler who should have retired years ago.

"He's crazy," Rarity commented bluntly.

"Either that or he's senile," Twilight Sparkle remarked.

"Nah, he seems to know what he's doing," Applejack observed, "He was doing things like this before we were born. He'll be fine."

"Let's hope so," Bronze Star muttered.

After some quietness, Fluttershy gazed around the area. Then she stated nervously "Guys… have you seen Pinkie?"

The other four ponies snapped to attention. Just as the yellow mare implied, the pink mare was nowhere to be seen. It was as though she had simply disappeared.

"Where is she?" Rarity enquired anxiously.

"She was right next to me a second ago," Applejack pronounced.

"She didn't go into the next car," Bronze Star debated, "We would have heard the other door slam shut."

"Look!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, pointing out the back door.

Everypony turned in that direction, and they saw a flash of cyan sailing through the sky towards the sleeper car.

"It's Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy perceived.

"She must be going after the buffalo," Rarity theorized.

"Maybe we should, too," Bronze Star suggested.

"No, we can't follow them without a plan of our own," Applejack sternly proclaimed, "As much as I'd hate to leave one of my own behind, Spike and the other will have to wait. We should get to Appleoosa first. There we can get help and plan a rescue."

Although Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy were very unwilling to abandon the others, they knew it would be foolish to just rush into this conflict without a plan. So they agreed to the orange mare's recommendation. They just stood by and watched as the sleeper car, the entire herd of buffalo, Rollin Fields, and Rainbow Dash all faded into the distance.

Within minutes, all those people were too far away to be seen from the train. The five ponies swiftly made their way to the engine room and notified the conductor about what happened. They were all a little shaken by what they had just witnessed, but they were far from traumatized. They had been through far worse than that, after all.

A couple restless hours later, the train finally reached its destination. Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy impatiently waited as the four stallions pulled it into the depot. Once it came to a complete stop, the five ponies rushed out through a door on the right side of the train.

The instant they stepped out onto the platform, they encountered an Earth Pony stallion. He had a light gold coat, a brilliant gamboge mane with brilliant amber highlights, and brilliant pistachio eyes. His cutie mark was a single red apple. He was wearing a brown ten-gallon hat and a brown vest, as well.

He smiled very widely and sauntered up to the prince and his companions. He told them cordially "Hey there! Welcome ta A-a-pplelooosa!"

Applejack knew who he was. She hastily uttered "Braeburn, listen–"

"Cousin Applejack, mind yer manners," the light gold Earth Pony interrupted her brightly, "You have yet ta introduce me to your compadres! Shame on you!"

He took a step back to give her some space, and the orange mare urgently stated "Braeburn, listen, somethin' terrible's happened–"

"Terrible is right, your train is full seven minutes late!" Braeburn cut in, stepping forward "That's seven minutes less for you to delight in the pleasures and wonders of... A-a-a-pplelooosa!"

Like the first time he said that, he reared back on his hind legs and waved his front ones when he made that declaration a second time. Just then, the train was moved from the depot to the rail yard. Once it was gone, Bronze Star and the four mares got a fantastic view of most of Appleoosa. It was composed entirely of simple wooden buildings, most of which were two stories tall. A single-story building had a three-story-tall clock tower attached to it. Many of the settlers were out and about, talking to each other or seeing to their everyday tasks. It was a rather serene sight.

Conveniently, Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rarity were standing in a straight line. Braeburn took advantage of their positions and used his head to push the five ponies off the platform and through the adjoining streets.

When they were in the town square, he stopped and allowed them to see this part of the settlement, as well. He proudly announced "Boggles the mind, we settler ponies built all this in just the past year, don't it?!"

The town square produced an even more impressive view than the depot. As Bronze Star and the four mares looked up at the giant clock tower, Braeburn continued with "And as you can see, we have all of the finest comforts. Like horse-drawn carriages!"

Further down the road, Black Stone was harnessed to a carriage that was three times his size, but he was able to pull it as easily as if it was a wagon. He then halted, looked over his shoulder and muttered "Okay, you pull now."

Noteworthy appeared at the window of the carriage and grumbled "Aww, we just switched."

Braeburn then led the group of new arrivals to a different part of the square, where a bunch of ponies were sketching Black Stone's carriage on large paper attached to easels. He declared "And those there are horse-drawn, horse-drawn carriages."

While that was an interesting spectacle, Applejack had not forgotten what she had been trying to say earlier. She turned to her cousin and told him "...Listen, Braeburn, I– Oof!"

She was cut off once more as the light gold stallion pushed her, Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rarity to another part of town. This time, he stopped in front of a saloon with a huge depiction of a salt shaker above its front entrance.

Braeburn informed them "And here's our local waterin' hole, the Salt Block."

Just then, the saloon's proprietor – Morton Saltworthy – kicked a stallion who appeared to have had too much salt out of the building and shouted "That's enough salt for you!"

When the stallion – named Ol' Salt – landed on the ground, he lifted himself up and dizzily asked "Can't I at least... get a glass of water?"

Morton Saltworthy just glared at Ol' Salt and went back inside his saloon.

After that, Braeburn brought the five guests to the next building, where a stallion with a grayish amber coat, a dark amber mane, a large black mustache, and very light azure eyes was lounging. He was wearing a black ten-gallon hat with a red sash, a blue vest, a red bandana and a silver star badge that matched his cutie mark.

"Over there's the office of Sheriff Silverstar," Braeburn revealed to the others.

Bronze Star grinned and commented "Finally, we get to law enforcement. Just what we needed to-"

Before he could say or do anything else, Braeburn forced him and the four mares to a clearing further down the street. There Caramel, Shoeshine, Noteworthy, Golden Harvest, Daisy, and Lucky Clover were dancing energetically together.

Braeburn disclosed "And here's where we have our wild west dances!"

Next he pushed them over to an area where five ponies were dancing calmly. Braeburn expounded "And here's where we have our mild west dances!"

Applejack turned to the light gold stallion and mumbled "But, Braeburn, we–"

Again, Braeburn would not let her finish. He effortlessly pushed Applejack, Bronze Star, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle out of the vicinity once more. This time he took them to the edge of a cliff. It overlooked a flat valley where hundreds of apple trees had been planted.

Braeburn apprised the five ponies "And here's the most wonderful sight in all of... A-a-a-pplelooosa! Our apple orchard."

By now, Applejack was becoming very impatient. She faced her cousin and uttered "Braeburn!"

"First harvest should be any day now," Braeburn observed.

Applejack stammered "Braebu–"

"Good thing too!" the light gold stallion added in.

"Brae–" Applejack hastily began.

"'Cause we need that grub to live on," Braeburn finished.

Now Applejack had had enough. She closed her eyes and shouted "BRAEBURN!"

Finally, Braeburn acknowledged his cousin's distress. He looked to her and asked "Uh, yes, cuz?"

Bronze Star smirked and considered that Applejack might do well with the Royal Canterlot Voice.

The orange mare promptly told her cousin "You have a very nice town an' all, but we have a HU-UGE problem! Some of our friends are missin'!"

The five ponies then swamped Braeburn with a string of interjections.

"A stampede of buffalo," Fluttershy elaborated.

"They took Spike!" Rarity pronounced.

"Rollin Fields tried to rescue him!" Bronze Star recounted.

"Rainbow Dash went after them!" Twilight Sparkle remarked.

"And we can't find Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy illuminated.

"And we had an apple tree with us for your orchard," Applejack disclosed, "But they took that too!"

"Did you say... buffalo?" Braeburn stated in surprise. He then sighed and commented angrily "Them buffalo, they want us settler ponies to take every single tree you see here off this land. They sure as hay don't want any new ones added in."

"But why?" Fluttershy queried.

"Beats me," Braeburn uttered frankly, "We put a lot of hard work into this land, so we can feed our town, our families, our foals! And now they're sayin' all these trees have to go? T'ain't fair..."

Applejack and Twilight Sparkle looked at each other apprehensively.

Bronze Star stepped next to Braeburn and contended "They must have a reason."

"Yeah, but I can't imagine what," Braeburn said in response.

"Have you tried reasoning with the buffalo?" Bronze Star advised.

"The thought occurred to us," Braeburn professed, "But how do you reason with a people who solve all their problems with a stampede?"

"Good point," Bronze Star admitted. There was a brief interval of quietness as the gold stallion rubbed his chin and gazed around at the apple trees on the ground below. Then he thought aloud "Something just doesn't seem right."

"What do you mean?" Rarity queried.

"The buffalo showed up just when the sun rose, they were able to surround the train easily, and they only took the car that the tree was in," Bronze Star reminisced, "This raid wasn't something they just decided to do on the spot. Everything about it speaks of strategy."

"Hey, you're right," Twilight Sparkle conceded, "It was like they were ready for us."

"Exactly," Bronze Star stated, "I think they knew we'd be there."

"That's not possible," Braeburn countered, "The only way they could have known the train schedule is if they looked it up at a station, and Appleoosa has the only depot for a hundred miles in any direction. If the buffalo came into town, we would have known."

"Then how do you explain their systematic method of attack?" Bronze Star muttered.

"I don't," Braeburn commented bluntly, "No more than I can explain why they attacked you."

"Well, they must have known about the train in advance somehow," Applejack insisted.

"Could somepony have told them?" Fluttershy suggested.

"No, absolutely not," Braeburn claimed, "The only ones who knew you guys were comin' were me, Sheriff Silverstar, and Great Uncle Esopus."

That revelation seemed to put Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle at ease, but Bronze Star and Applejack secretly looked at each other anxiously. They did not say anything, though.

"Oh, well," Bronze Star thought aloud, "We'll worry about how the buffalo found out about the train later. For now, we need to devise a plan on how to save the others."

"Alright, I'll be happy to help any way I can," Braeburn assured him, "Come on; let's go see the Sheriff."

Braeburn then led the other five ponies back to Sheriff Silverstar's office. The mustached stallion was still lounging at the front of the building. When he saw the light gold stallion approaching, he smiled cordially and murmured "Mornin', Braeburn. How you doin'?"

"Wish I could say I'm doin' good, Sheriff," Braeburn answered him, "But we've got a bit of a crisis on our hooves."

"A crisis?" The grayish amber stallion muttered in alarm, getting up onto his hooves.

"Yes, sir," Braeburn avowed. He placed his hoof on Applejack's shoulder and revealed "This here's my cousin Applejack."

"Hello there, ma'am," Silverstar greeted her warmly.

"Good day, sir," she returned kindly. She then introduced her companions with "These mares are my good friends Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy. And the stallion is Gold Streak."

"Her coltfriend," Bronze Star claimed, moving to the orange mare's other side.

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle giggled at that, Braeburn raised an eyebrow in interest, and Applejack grinned in amusement.

"That's nice," Silverstar drily uttered, "So, what's the situation?"

Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy proceeded to recount the entire ordeal they went through that morning. They covered everything from how the buffalo had appeared out of nowhere and attacked the train without any warning to how they had unfastened Bloomberg's sleeper car from the rest of the vehicle. They also mentioned that Spike had been with Bloomberg at the time, how Rough Rider had hitched a ride on the back of a buffalo to follow the herd, how Rainbow Dash had flown right after then, and how Pinkie Pie had just vanished.

When they were done with their recollection, Sheriff Silverstar announced "Have no worries; I won't let this go unanswered. It's bad enough that the buffalo have been harassin' our own people. I won't allow them to bother our town's guests like that, too."

"So what are we going to do?" Applejack inquired.

"Well, we know where the buffalo are, but we don't know how many of 'em there are," Silverstar proclaimed, "I'll need some time to put together a search party. They can get to the buffalo camp and scout it out. Once they get back, we'll know just what we're dealin' with."

"And if our friends are there, we'll go rescue them?" Rarity assumed.

"Sure, but not straight after," Silverstar declared, "By the time the search party gets back, it'll be gettin' dark. You don't want to be wanderin' the desert at night, trust me. We'll have to wait until morning to head out."

"Are you sure our friends will be alright until dawn?" Bronze Star enquired.

"Yeah, very sure," Braeburn uttered, "The buffalo are aggressive, but they're not killers. Also, it's a fact that they greatly respect dragons."

"So at least Spike will be alright," Twilight Sparkle noted in relief.

"But what about the others?" Fluttershy asked.

"Maybe if Spike speaks for them, the buffalo will treat them kindly," Silverstar hypothesized.

"Even if they don't, they should get by just fine," Applejack professed, "Rollin Fields and Rainbow Dash are fighters, and nothing can stop Pinkie Pie."

"No denying any of that," Bronze Star coincided.

There was another short interval of silence, and then Braeburn announced "Well, now that we've got that covered, we may as well help you guys get settled in."

"We'd greatly appreciate that," Twilight Sparkle commented.

Braeburn then took the five ponies over to the rail yard. By then, the staff had unloaded the group's luggage off of the train they had arrived on. As they gathered up their suitcases, Rarity asked "Where are we staying, anyway?"

"I booked rooms for us at the inn," Applejack explicated, "They're a little short on vacancies, so each of us will have a roommate. Except Rollin Fields; he has his own suite. I'll discuss the arrangements when we get there."

Braeburn swiftly escorted his cousin, her coltfriend, and the other three mares to the inn. When they got there, they checked in at the front desk. Then they were all given the keys to their reserved rooms. Twilight Sparkle would be splitting a room with Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity would be sharing another room, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash would be roommates in a third room, and Applejack and Bronze Star would be staying together in a fourth one. To everypony's fortune, there were two beds in each room, as well. Of course, Bronze Star and Applejack would have been content with one.

Braeburn informed Applejack that Esopus Spitzenburg had taken put residence in the inn, as well. He was in a large, private suite on the third floor. The orange mare thanked her cousin for that information, and she claimed she would go up to say hello to her Great Uncle soon.

When they were alone, Applejack closed and locked the door to the room she and Bronze Star shared so they could speak in private.

"This trip isn't anything like I thought it would be," Applejack muttered wryly.

"No kidding," Bronze Star agreed, "We've only been here a couple hours, and we've already got at least two dilemmas on our hooves. One of which only came to light this morning."

"Yeah, and I still don't know what to make of that one," Applejack admitted.

"You don't suppose Spitzenburg actually told the buffalo about Bloomberg, do you?" Bronze Star pronounced.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did," Applejack thought aloud, "He's proven that he's not above anything. But what could he possibly gain from that?"

"I don't know," Bronze Star professed, "This is nothing like the affair with the cockatrice. Still, somepony must have tipped off the buffalo, and if not Spitzenburg, then who?"

"I have no idea," Applejack revealed, "We can find out tomorrow when we save Spike and the others. Right now, we should focus on that other problem."

"Right," Bronze Star avowed. He picked up his suitcase, opened it up, and pulled out the package containing the three picture frames. He removed one of the special ones, and then he asked "Got the picture?"

She reached into her own suitcase and pulled out a large photograph of her and Bronze Star. She held it up and declared "I'm ready when you are."

Bronze Star took the photograph and inserted it into the special frame. After making sure it was secure, he activated the frame's hidden surveillance system. Then he looked up at his fillyfriend and told her "Let's go."

The orange mare and the gold stallion went upstairs and made their way to Esopus Spitzenburg's private suite. After knocking on the door twice, the elderly stallion answered the door. He looked thrilled to see them. Bronze Star and Applejack did their best to appear glad, as well.

He invited them into his suite and asked them if they could stay a while to talk. They claimed they did not have time to chat for very long; they just wanted to swing by and say hello. He was fine with that.

When the moment was right, Applejack told her great uncle that she had brought him something to decorate his room, and she showed him the framed picture. He seemed to like it well enough; he said it captured their essence well enough.

Applejack offered to find a place to set the picture; Spitzenburg did not protest. She spent a couple minutes going around the room, searching for the most ideal spot. In the end, she decided to place it on the dresser. It was the tallest piece of furniture there, and one could see the entire suite from its position.

Applejack carefully stood the picture frame up on its support. While she moved it into place, she secretly twisted the hinges on the back of the frame so she could put it in "Recording Mode." Once she did that, she backed away from the dresser to get a good look at the picture. She grinned and said that it was perfect. Esopus Spitzenburg and Bronze Star had to agree.

Bronze Star and Applejack bade Esopus Spitzenburg a good day and left his suite. They hastily returned to their own room and locked the door again. Bronze Star got out of the other special frame and turned it on. He put it in "Observation Mode," and a moving image appeared on the glass.

He and Applejack received a fantastic view of Esopus Spitzenburg's suite. They were seeing everything that was going on up there. They would be able to monitor anything and everything he did in there from that point onward.

Now they all they had to do was wait for him to pull out a certain poster board and use it to contact the final conspirator.

…

"So, what exactly are we doing?" Shakedown asked.

"I've something to show you two," Almond Wheeler responded.

"Yes, you told us that already," Dread Naught noted, "Are you going to tell us what?"

"Of course I will," Almond Wheeler reassured them, "Just be patient for a little longer, please."

At this time, Almond Wheeler was escorting Dread Naught and Shakedown through the streets of Ponyville. The two stallions had no idea where the mare was taking them, but she insisted that it would be worth their time.

Right then, it was seven o'clock in the evening, so many of the townsfolk were indoors. There were still scores of ponies on the streets. Several of them smiled or waved at Almond Wheeler when they saw her. Whatever gesture they gave, she happily returned it.

Before long, the three ponies got as far as the park. There was an empty bench in the center of the vicinity. Almond Wheeler led Dread Naught and Shakedown over to the bench, and she bade them "Sit down."

Although Shakedown and Dread Naught had no idea where she was going with this, they quickly sat themselves down on the left and right sides of the bench respectively. Once they were settled, the grey Earth Pony sat down between the greenish-blue Pegasus and the brownish-tan Unicorn. She stretched her front and back legs, and let out a contented sigh.

"Comfortable?" Dread Naught uttered slyly.

"Ho, yeah," Almond Wheeler affirmed, resting her head on her front hooves, "This is my favorite place to be after work."

"Lovely," Shakedown mumbled bluntly, "What's this all about, Official Wheeler?"

"I'd like to ask that you call me 'Almond,' Shakedown," Almond Wheeler requested.

"Very well," Shakedown conceded, lightly rolling his eyes, "Now, if you would not mind, would you tell me why you insisted that Agent Dread Naught and I come here?"

"If I did anything less than insist, I wouldn't have convinced you two to leave the embassy," Almond Wheeler sardonically retorted.

"That wasn't what he meant," Dread Naught murmured, "I'd like to think you are not simply wasting our time."

"I'm not," Almond Wheeler asserted, "What I have to show you is very much worth your time. It's directly related to our inestigation."

"Then would you please tell us what it is?" Shakedown proposed, "More to the point, where is it?"

"It's right here," Almond Wheeler replied, holding her front legs out to the area in front of them, "Look around. What do you see?"

Dread Naught and Shakedown spent a few minutes studying their surroundings. They were not the only ponies in the park at that time.

Fillies and colts were playing together under the supervision of their parents. There were some foals who played with their parents instead. A couple families were having a picnic dinner. Some ponies were swimming in the creek or skipping stones on the surface of the water.

There were a number of young adults who were mingling with their friends. Some were talking, some were partaking in games and some were just lounging. A few other ponies were climbing trees or tossing coins into the fountain. Here and there, a couple could be seen making out.

There were even a few business ponies who had just come from work. They had loosened their shirt collars and unfastened their jackets so that they could let their upper bodies breathe. Despite the seriousness and sternness of their appearance, they carried the same pleasant demeanor that everypony else there exhibited, as well.

"All I see are other ponies," Dread Naught stated.

"Same here," Shakedown muttered. "Do you believe the victim is amongst those present?"

"No, not at all," Almond Wheeler proclaimed, "Tell me; what do all these ponies have in common?"

The two stallions looked around the vicinity again, and then Dread Naught tentatively declared "Well, they all seem… happy."

"Exactly," Almond Wheeler commented, "And do you know why they're happy?"

Dread Naught and Shakedown thought about that for a while, and ultimately, the latter conjectured "Because they have no reason not to be?"

"Correct," Almond Wheeler confirmed, "All these ponies have no fears, no worries, and no sorrows. Why do you suppose that is?"

The two stallions thought long and hard, but neither of them could come up with an answer this time. Dread Naught looked to Almond Wheeler and asked her "Why is it?"

"Because this village is virtually crime-free," Almond Wheeler spoke merrily, "How many cities in Equestria can make that claim? Tartarus, how many towns can make that claim?"

"Off the top of my head… none." Dread Naught stated straightforwardly.

"I got nothing, either," Shakedown uttered frankly. He turned to Almond Wheeler and told her "That is very impressive, Almond. It truly is. But how does it relate to the investigation?"

"I'll explain its relevance in a moment," Almond Wheeler asserted, "Before I do, I'm going to ask you both a question, and I'd appreciate it if you answered me truthfully."

The two stallions considered her request, and after that, Shakedown tentatively nodded his head while Dread Naught shrugged his head and commented "I suppose. Why not?"

Almond Wheeler briefly looked back and forth between the two stallions, and then she pronounced inquisitively "What inspired you to do what you do? And why do you continue to do it?"

"That's two questions, not one," Shakedown pointed out.

"I can count," Almond Wheeler snapped sarcastically, "If you don't want to answer either of them, then don't. Nopony's forcing you to."

"Well, I'll answer both of them," Dread Naught declared. He sat up straight, cleared his throat, and illuminated "I'll start with my inspiration. I was born and raised in Baltimare. Even at a young age, I was driven by a desire to do some good in the world. Although my hometown is known for being only marginally less dangerous than Detrot, I never let it corrupt me or my morals. In fact, it encouraged me to strive to right the wrongs of others. I found that the best way to fulfill that ambition was to do things that brought stability to the world. Once I graduated from college, I started looking for a job that would allow me to do just that. I considered getting employment as a detective, a rehabilitation aide, a parole officer, and several similar lines of work, but all those occupations would have only worked locally. That was grossly inadequate; I wanted to help bring order to the entire country, not just Baltimare. Then I thought about getting a job for the federal government. That was what ultimately led me to joining the Intelligence Bureau."

Almond Wheeler lightly nodded her head in acknowledgement. She found all that information quite fascinating. She remarked "That is all very understandable, Dread. I have to respect the path you've taken. I also admire how you were fueled by an innate wish to do good. That's an excellent source of inspiration."

"Quite so," Dread Naught uttered in agreement, "Now I suppose you'll want to know why I'm still with the Bureau. The reason is simple. I believe everypony has the ability to make a difference. By working at the Bureau with so many other great ponies, we could make this country a better place. But we all need to play a part in that endeavor. Imagine a world where we would not even need law enforcement. Of course, such a thing would be impractical, impossible, and unattainable during our lifetimes, but that does not mean we cannot try to create a better world for the generation that follows ours."

"You're right; that goal is a little far-reaching," Almond Wheeler pronounced, "But I don't think there's a pony alive who wouldn't want it."

"I'm inclined to agree," Shakedown thought aloud, "Your vision is certainly appealing, Dread Naught. How would you describe this ideal utopia of yours?"

"Try to visualize a world where everypony would be able to go outside without fear of falling victim to any form of wrongdoing," Dread Naught pronounced, "They would not have to retreat to their homes to feel out of danger. They would not have to be wary of strangers. They would not even have to lock their doors at night. Ideally, a mare would see her husband off when he goes to work in the morning, and she would know without a doubt that he would return to her in the evening of that same day."

Dread Naught paused for a moment, and then he sighed and added in "I know my own wife would appreciate that, at least."

Almond Wheeler raised an eyebrow and presumed "You're married?"

"I was," Dread Naught apprised her, "I'd rather not discuss that in detail; I'll just tell you the important bits. She was another Unicorn like me. I met her when I was about your age, and a few weeks later, I popped the question. A year after the wedding, we had twins; a colt and a filly. Not much else to say other than that."

"Don't like to talk about it?" Shakedown supposed.

"Not especially," Dread Naught affirmed, "It was a good marriage while it lasted, though. Most of the time, at least."

"What happened?" the grey Earth Pony queried "Did she… die?"

"No, she left me," the brownish-tan Unicorn revealed, "When she married me, she knew what she was getting into. She could accept the fact that her husband would work long hours, come home late often, and be unable to discuss his job with her. Overtime, she seemed to grow less accepting of those conditions. One day, she told me straight-out that she felt as though she had married a total stranger. That was when our relationship rapidly deteriorated."

"How long have you been apart from her?" Almond Wheeler enquired.

"Well, we separated two years ago," Dread Naught recounted, "However, the divorce was not finalized until after the twins celebrated their tenth birthday."

"How long ago was that?" said Almond Wheeler.

"Four months," Dread Naught informed her, "Not that long before Sir Haywood asked me to join this investigation. I haven't seen her or the twins since then. In spite of the fact that I have a more esteemed job and a higher standing in the community, she won full custody of our children."

"I'm sorry to hear that," the security officer told him sincerely, "That must be difficult for you."

"Yes, it is," the federal investigator confirmed, "Still, I haven't lost sight of my lifelong objective. I worked for the Bureau long before I met my wife, and I plan to keep working for it long after she left me. If not for my family, then for the hundreds of thousands of other families in this country."

Almond Wheeler nodded in approval and smiled. She remarked "Well, I hope you're able to leave a positive impact on all of us. We could use more ponies like you, Dread."

"I'm grateful for that, Almond," was all Dread Naught stated in response.

There was a period of relative silence. The only noise that could be heard were the sounds made by the other ponies in the park. A few of them had gone home; a few more had arrived within the past several minutes.

Almond Wheeler then turned to the older stallion on the bench and said probingly "So, Shakedown; what about you?"

Shakedown scoffed a bit and noted "You seem to have developed a big interest in us, Almond. A very sudden one, I might add."

"I'd just like to know who I'm working with," Almond Wheeler claimed, "Is that too much to ask?"

"No, not at all," Shakedown contended, "But tell me something. Are you asking about our personal lives because you really want to know, or because you were instructed to?"

The grey Earth Pony seemed somewhat surprised by that allegation. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I doubt this gathering was your idea," the greenish-blue Pegasus murmured, "I may have only been on the task force for a couple weeks, but I've already learned plenty about all its members, including you. For instance, I can safely say that you're somepony who works by the book, and you wouldn't pry into anypony else's business unless you were acting under orders. Is that about right?"

"Yeah, you could describe me that way," Almond Wheeler conceded, "I'll admit it; Noble Edict instructed me to find out more about you and Dread. But she specifically avoided using the term 'spying.' She was hoping I could establish a type of bond between you two and the rest of us."

"What sort of bond?" Dread Naught queried.

"One that goes beyond the task force," Almond Wheeler disclosed, "She doesn't want you to just think of us as your coworkers. She'd like for you to think of us as… well, as your friends, too."

"In my line of work, I tend to avoid making friends," Shakedown drily commented, "Because in most cases, friends equal liabilities. But you seem so determined that I'm willing to give you a chance. I could probably see us as friends. Could you?"

"Of course I can," Almond Wheeler insisted, "Sure, the idea was Noble's, but this rendezvous in the park was my idea. And I assure you, I am genuinely interested in learning more about you two. Like I said a moment ago, I want to know about the ponies I work with. The best way to do that is to open up to them and vice versa."

"That is a logical approach," Shakedown pronounced. There was a short pause, and then he took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and stated "I don't share the story of my life very often, but if you'd really like to hear it, I'll tell you. So here goes. I was brought up in the city of Manehattan. Similarly to Dread, I always dreamed of a better world. However, there's a huge difference between his idea of attaining such an objective and mine. While he believes in being part of the solution instead of the problem, I believe in preventing the problem altogether so that the solution is not even needed."

"Interesting policy," Almond Wheeler commented, "I'm not entirely sure what it means, though."

"It means that the best way to stop criminals is to get to them before they're able to become criminals," Shakedown expounded, "As you can imagine, that's much easier said than done. You'd need a lot of resources and tactics just to get started. You' also need irrefutable commitment and an uncompromising code of ethics. Luckily, I have all those things in my group."

"So you've always been with the vigilantes?" the grey Earth Pony assumed.

"Oh, no," the greenish-tan Pegasus disclosed, "I didn't join them until I was in my mid-twenties. Before then, I had to resort to other means to catch criminals. In a way, you could say those means were more… legitimate, I guess."

"Legitimate, huh?" Almond Wheeler muttered in interest, "What did you do before you became a vigilante?"

Shakedown did not reply immediately. He hesitated for a few seconds before he came forward and revealed "I was a cop."

"Really?" Almond Wheeler remarked, surprised, "You were a cop in Manehattan?"

"That's right," Shakedown confirmed, "I'll be the first to say it; Manehattan has the largest and greatest police force in the whole of Equestria. I was proud to serve in it alongside the thousands of other hardworking mares and stallions."

"Then why'd you stop?" Dread Naught questioned.

"It's… complicated," Shakedown tentatively told them, "I was in the force for about six years. For the first four years, I did my duty like everypony else. I conducted sting operations, averted robberies, arrested suspects, and even went undercover a couple times. But no matter how much I did, I felt I wasn't doing enough. After that, I started cracking down hard on crime. Say, whenever we conducted interrogations and employed the 'good cop, bad cop' approach, I often volunteered to be bad cop. Sometimes I got into the role a little too well. I usually succeeded in getting the suspect to break, but often I caused them to break down, too. From there, I became harsher and less lenient on all types of criminals. Some of my fellow officers even regarded me as the embodiment of the zero tolerance policy."

"When did you finally back down?" Almond Wheeler asked.

"The final straw was drawn a week before I quit," Shakedown explicated, "The mayor and his staff were taken hostage in City Hall by four smalltime mobsters. The police were ordered to stay away and let Special Forces solve the problem. I was unwilling to wait that long, so I went to save the hostage. I went against orders and without backup. Despite how foolish and thoughtless that may have been, I was able to catch the mobsters off their guard, and I killed three of them before they could try to stop me0. The fourth one surrendered… but I killed him anyway. Right in front of the mayor and his staff."

Dread Naught and Almond Wheeler winced a bit at that. Shakedown could not blame them for that.

He went on with: "On the plus side, none of the hostages were harmed. The mayor, his staff, and a lot of other ponies wanted to commend me for my 'heroics.' Whereas the chief of the Manehattan P.D. wanted to give me a disciplinary hearing for recklessness, insubordination, and excessive force. 'Excessive force' is what they called it, but even I knew it was murder."

"How'd you get out of that mess?" Almond Wheeler queried.

"The chief gave me a choice: my badge or my reputation," Shakedown expounded, "I had no desire to have a criminal record of my own, so I sacrificed my career to save my face. So I was out of the police force forever. Even so, I had every intention of reducing criminal activity in Equestria. Not long after that, I was approached by the vigilantes, and they recruited me into their collective."

"I guess the Manehattan P.D.'s loss was their gain," Dread Naught conjectured.

"You could say that," Shakedown murmured cheekily, "It was a gain for me, as well."

"So you greatly prefer the vigilantes over the police?" Almond Wheeler asked rhetorically.

"Indeed, I do," Shakedown conceded, gazing at the grey mare, "What distinguishes me from you and Dread Naught is that the two of you carry a badge, Almond. I once carried a badge of my own. I was proud of that badge; I wore it with honor. The badge is what labels you as a praiseworthy individual in the eyes of the public. That badge is also what gives you the authority to uphold the law. However, your badge also limits you. In the long run, due process can only get you so far. You must have standards, restrictions, the need to pace yourself. When you're a vigilante, you don't have anything of the sort to hinder you."

"That could certainly be a useful advantage," Almond Wheeler thought aloud, "I will admit that the limits of what we can do with criminals can be inconvenient at times. But keep in mind, Shakedown; those 'limits' are there for a reason. They're what make us better than the ponies we fight."

"I realize that," Shakedown assured her "Even so, sometimes the ethical course of action is not the moral course of action, and sometimes the moral course of action is not the ethical course of action."

"I get what you're saying," Almond Wheeler pronounced.

Again, the three ponies said in silence for about a minute. Then Shakedown mentioned to the grey mare "Well, Almond, Dread Naught and I have told you about what makes us tick. I'm hoping you'll return the favor."

"How so?" she asked him.

"I'm curious as to what motivates you to be a security officer," Dread Naught elaborated.

"I'd like to know that, too," Dread Naught commented in agreement, "Where do you get your inspiration, and why do you do your job?"

"The same thing," Almond Wheeler proclaimed. She gestured around the vicinity again and firmly stated "This."

"The park?" Shakedown assumed.

"The populace?" Dread Naught presumed.

"No, from the town itself," Almond Wheeler enlightened them, "Ponyville is a small, relatively underdeveloped town. Tt is not extremely prosperous or prominent, but it has a better reputation than any city in the country. There hasn't been a murder here in fifty years. Around here, the worst we typically have to deal with is petty theft. In fact, when I was a filly, I thought the whole country was just like Ponyville. I was honestly under the impression that everypony everywhere got along as friends and that nopony would ever try to do harm to another pony. Then I started learning about the history of Equestria and current events in other towns. That's when I stopped being so naïve and realized just how hostile and cruel the world can truly be. It occurred to me that the only reason Ponyville was not like everywhere else was because it was lucky; it had managed to avoid going down the path of darkness, but that did not mean it could avoid that path forever. I was compelled to ensure that it never declined. That's why I got a career in security. I love my job, and I plan on keeping it and this town secure for as long as I live."

Her explanation was short, but more than satisfactory for both the stallions. Unlike them, Almond Wheeler valued the well-being of her neighbors more than catching criminals. That was not too surprising, as there had been so few criminals in Ponyville lately. Based on what Dread Naught and Shakedown had seen in Ponyville so far, they were confident that Almond Wheeler and the rest of the security staff were excellent at their jobs.

"This is why I had the two of you come here," Almond Wheeler perceived, "There's a lesson to be learned from this conversation. The three of us have made it our lives' goal to snuff out crime. We each do it for a different reason. Dread Naught does it to enforce the law, Shakedown does it to bring the guilty to justice, and I do it to protect the innocent. But at the end of the day, by doing what we do, we all achieve another good deed: we maintain the peace, and we make Equestria a safer place to live in. For that alone, I believe we should stay close to each other. By working together – and only together – we can stop the Vermane from succeeding this time. I share Dread Naught's confidence and Shakedown's drive. I'm hoping you'll both share my willingness to trust, as well."

There was quietness for another minute as both stallions embraced the mare's speech and reflected on it. In the end, they both held out one of their front legs in front of her. In other words, they extended their front hooves to her in friendship. Almond Wheeler just grinned and shook their front legs vigorously.

After the hoofshakes, Shakedown declared "I'm glad to be working with you, Almond Wheeler."

"So am I," Dread Naught propounded, "And I hope this instant may mark the beginning of a wonderful friendship between us all."

Almond Wheeler continued to grin, and she remarked giddily "Thank you both. I'm very happy that you see this from my point of view, too."

By now, the Sun had almost completely set in the distance. The park was almost deserted by this point. The vast majority of the townspeople were indoors, and Almond Wheeler was about to propose that they head home, as well.

Before she could make that offer, a shrill scream resounded around the area. It was so loud, so long, and so sudden that it completely shattered the calm and soothing atmosphere of the park. Everypony who heard was absolutely alarmed and stunned.

The sound had come from behind Shakedown, Dread Naught, and Almond Wheeler. The three of them simultaneously looked over their shoulders towards the source of the noise.

"What the buck was that?" Shakedown spat heatedly.

"I have no idea," Dread Naught declared, "But it came from the town square!"

Almond Wheeler drew her knife from her belt, jumped to her hooves, and shouted "Come on!"

The greenish-blue Pegasus and the brownish-tan Unicorn hastily followed the grey Earth Pony back into Ponyville. The scream appeared to originate from the center of the town, so they headed there. When they got to the town square, they saw a number of ponies crowded around somepony else who was on the ground.

Almond Wheeler rushed toward the crowd and pushed her way through, saying "Make way, people Come on; make way!"

The ponies slowly dispersed to give Almond Wheeler and her two companions some room. When they reached the center of the crowd, they saw a young adult Earth Pony mare trying to help a young adult Earth Pony stallion. One might think them husband and wife at first glance, but anypony who lived in Ponyville would know better. They were actually brother and sister. In fact, they were Buddin Fields and Sweepin Fields, Rollin Fields' younger son and younger daughter.

Almond Wheeler knelt down by the two ponies and asked urgently "Buddin, Sweepin, what happened?"

"We were jumped," the mare – Sweepin – informed her, "They came out of nowhere and attacked us."

"I think my leg is broken," the stallion – Buddin – moaned, cradling his right front leg, which was bent in an unnatural angle.

"Okay, just stay calm; it'll be alright," Almond Wheeler assured them, "Now, tell me; who are 'they?'"

"We… we don't know," Sweepin confessed, "They were wearing masks."

"Okay; then how many were there?" Almond Wheeler queried.

"Three," Buddin and Sweepin answered in unison.

"Mares or stallions?" Almond Wheeler inquired.

"I'm pretty sure they were all stallions," Buddin claimed.

"One might have been a mare," Sweepin contended, "But I only say that because I didn't get a close enough look. The other two were definitely stallions, though."

"What exactly happened?" Almond Wheeler asked

"Sweepin and I were just at the cinema," Buddin recalled, "We were trottin' home mindin' our own business when those three characters appeared out of nowhere and surrounded us. One of them gripped Sweeping by her throat; another grabbed me by my front legs. The third one just looked back and forth between us; as if he was studying us."

"I was so afraid I wanted to scream," Sweepin continued for him, "But they threatened to kill Buddin first and then me if I so much as opened my mouth."

"I told them we had money, but they made it clear that they weren't going to rob us," Buddin explained, "The third one told us that all they wanted us to do was 'relay a message.'"

"What sort of my message?" Shakedown enquired, stepping next to Almond Wheeler.

"I'm guessing he meant this," Buddin murmured crossly, holding up his broken front leg, "He didn't say anything; he just snapped it out of place."

"Despite their warning, I screamed when I saw what they did to Buddin," Sweepin admitted, "But they let us go and disappeared right after that."

Almond Wheeler then turned to face the other ponies there and hastily questioned "Did anypony see where the assailants went? Anypony at all?"

Unfortunately, nopony stepped forward to give any useful information.

A thought occurred to Dread Naught. He stepped up to Buddin and Sweepin, leaned down to their level, and stated curiously "Could you tell which race or races they belonged to?"

Buddin and Sweepin were surprised that he would ask such a question like that, but they were able to. The one that grabbed Buddin had been conspicuously strong, the one that had seized Sweepin appeared to have a pair of wings on his back, and the one who talked and broke Buddin's leg definitely had a horn.

Once he had that answer, he told them gratefully "Thank you for your time. We'll get you help right away."

Before they sent anypony off to the hospital, Dread Naught pulled Almond Wheeler and Shakedown off to the side to have a word with them.

He muttered in an unsettled tone "This is it."

"What is it, Agent Dread Naught?" Shakedown queried.

"They're here," the brownish-tan Unicorn uttered apprehensively.

"Who's here?" Almond Wheeler asked in bewilderment.

"The Vermane," Dread Naught disclosed, "There's no doubt about it. They're in Ponyville right now."