At twelve-thirty in the afternoon the next day, the entire task force was gathered at the train depot. The train currently stationed there was scheduled to depart for Detrot within the hour.
Half of the task force was leaving on that train, and the other half was there to see them off. A few other ponies had shown up to say good-bye to certain ponies in the former group, as well.
Almond Wheeler had shown up with her cousin, Cashew Lane. Recently, he had also become her lover, much to his delight, and hers, incidentally. He had been trying to win her over for months, and a couple weeks ago, she had finally given in to his advances. The only thing that had been holding her back was the fact that they were cousins, albeit first cousins once-removed. After a while, she had ultimately decided that it did not matter how they were related; she just wanted to be with him.
Copper Hollow's parents, Iron Hollow and Tin Hollow, had also shown up. The copper stallion had long ago moved out of his parents' house and gotten his own place in Ponyville. He did not do that because he was eager to get away from them or anything of the sort. Instead, he had done it because he wanted to be capable of supporting himself. His parents missed having him under their roof, but their son was a grown stallion, and they had to respect his decisions. Aside from that, Copper Hollow remained on excellent terms with his father and mother. He was their only child, after all.
Cashew Lane and the Hollows had been told by his cousin and their son respectively that the two of them were leaving town to go on a vacation. Despite the fact that Detrot seemed like the least likely place to go on holiday, they did not question their motivations for going.
Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb gave each other a fairly modest farewell. They were clearly reluctant to part ways, but one might have thought it strange that they were not more broken up about being separated from each other like this. Haywood McCrank conjectured that perhaps the olive stallion and purple mare had already said good-bye the previous night, and that they had used more "sensuous" means to express their feelings.
Initially, Bronze Star assumed that Sir Haywood was simply jumping to conclusions again. However, he soon noticed certain things that suggested that perhaps the indigo stallion had not assessed the situation prematurely. For instance, Dapple Rhomb seemed to have a little difficulty with trotting straight, and her hind legs were a little strained. She also mentioned to her husband that when he got back, she would welcome him in the same way she had said good-bye. In response, Rough Rider jokily told his wife that he hoped he would have the energy to keep up with her.
It appeared as though the two of them had had quite a bit of fun the previous night. Bronze Star guessed that Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider must have gone at least two rounds. They actually had gone three: two in bed… and one on the kitchen table. Evidently, they were really going to miss each other.
None of Dread Naught or Shakedown's loved ones were in Ponyville, so nopony was there to personally see them off. Neither the brownish-tan stallion nor the greenish-blue stallion had any complaints, though. They were not very big on sorrowful good-byes. Aside from that, they preferred to keep things professional. So all they did was shake hooves with the five members of the task force who were staying in Ponyville.
At a quarter to one o'clock, Almond Wheeler, Copper Hollow, Dread Naught, Rough Rider, and Shakedown boarded the train. Ten minutes later, the conductor shouted "All aboard for Detrot!" and stepped onto the train, as well.
Five minutes later, the train was finally underway. The train's whistle blew and the wheels began to turn. Several of the passengers leaned out of windows and waved at the ponies on the platform. Many of those ponies waved back, as well. Rough Rider called out to his wife and waved his front leg vigorously in her direction. Dapple Rhomb grinned and returned the gesture happily.
The whistle blew again and the train gradually started picking up speed. Before long, its whistle was faintly louder than a wisp of wind, and even the caboose could barely be made out in the distance.
Once the train was out of sight and out of earshot, the ponies at the station dispersed. Bronze Star, Dapple Rhomb, Haywood McCrank, Noble Edict, and Rollin Fields departed the vicinity together. They did not know what was going to happen next. At this point, all they could do was wonder. The course of the task force's investigation was in the hooves of the five members who just left for Detrot. Until they returned, the five members in Ponyville could do nothing but wait.
Luckily for them, with the investigation on hold, they were able to focus on other matters. Namely, Princess Celestia's impending stopover and the business conference.
Bronze Star spent a lot of that week with Mayor Mare and City Council. He instructed them on a number of ways to make Celestia feel welcome. Her visit was meant to be an amiable, casual get-together. The Mayor proposed that they hold the event at Sugarcube Corner. Considering his mother's fondness for cake, Bronze Star strongly advocated that suggestion.
Once Sugarcube Corner was confirmed as the location for the gathering, Bronze Star and Twilight Sparkle busied themselves with the preparations. They sought out the help of Pinkie Pie and the Cakes. The pink mare quickly adorned the sweetshop with many partly formal and partly informal decorations. As for Carrot Cake and Cup Cake, they drew up a list of confectionaries and set to work baking them throughout the week. Their store saw more activity that week than it had in the past couple months combined.
Bronze Star frequently stopped by Sugarcube Corner to check up on the Cakes' progress. Everything they made looked quite appetizing. At one point, the gold stallion noted that Cup Cake seemed a little disoriented. Initially, he assumed that she was overworked or exhausted. In actuality, there was a much more pleasant reason for her apparent discomfort. In addition to all the goods she and Carrot Cake had in the sweetshop's ovens, it turned out Cup Cake had one in the oven herself. Just a couple weeks earlier, she had found out she was pregnant.
Although Bronze Star was elated for her and Carrot Cake, he was a little worried that all this work might compromise her well-being. Cup Cake was grateful for his concern, but she assured him that she would be alright.
Four days before Celestia was due to arrive, three officers of the Royal Guard showed up in town. Bronze Star knew all three of them very well.
They were a Pegasus named Swiftdrive, a Unicorn named Blade Bearer, and a Unicorn named Comet Frost.
Swiftdrive was the oldest and highest-ranking of the three. She had a dark grey coat, a light blue mane, olive green eyes, and a pair of crossed swords for a cutie mark. She was one of the longest-serving active officers of the Royal Guard, and whenever Shining Armor stepped down, she would probably be their next captain, as well.
Blade Bearer was the next-eldest. He had a light brown coat, a magenta mane, scarlet eyes, and a spear piercing through a shield for a cutie mark. On a personal level, Bronze Star knew him the best of the three. He and Blade Bearer used to interact with each other often when the latter was off-duty. If they had time to spare, he was hoping to do that again sometime this week.
Comet Frost had an aqua coat, a white mane with a grey streak down the center, and a snowflake for a cutie mark. His eyes were his most unique aspect; his right iris was red, and his left iris was blue. Only he knew why that was. He was the most similar to Bronze Star with regards to personality; he treated everypony with respect, including those whose social position was far below his. However, he was far from the most sociable officer of the Royal Guard. In fact, he was very secretive about his background. Nopony could ever get him to talk about it, not even the prince.
The three of them had come to Ponyville to supervise security arrangements for Celestia's visit and the business meeting. They required the full cooperation of Noble Edict and her staff, and they got it.
For the next couple days, the three Royal Guard officers and the security staff could frequently be found at either Sugarcube Corner or Town Hall. They discussed which of their colleagues would be assigned to certain posts, who would take which shifts, and how the positions would be rotated and how often. About twenty of their fellow officers would be coming with Celestia herself. They could have brought along plenty more, but Celestia did not wish to give the townspeople the impression that Ponyville was going to be under martial law.
That aside, the Royal Guard would be somewhat shorthoofed with only twenty-three units. Luckily, Noble Edict was able to supplement their numbers by offering a couple dozen of her own officers to join the Royal Guard. That was an ideal solution; the residents of Ponyville were much more familiar with the security staff, and they felt more comfortable around them.
Although Bronze Star was mostly focused on his mother's visit and the conference, he was still able to devote some of his time to the assassination conspiracy. He did take a bit of solace in the fact that none of the conspirators knew that Celestia was coming to Ponyville. So whenever they planned to eliminate her, it would not be this week.
At first, Bronze Star thought maybe the Firebrand Regiment would get lucky and they would manage to track down Clear Crest before anything else happened. It was not a very realistic goal, as Clear Crest had been in hiding for seven years and she had never been caught. Even so, Bronze Star was holding out hope that they would find her. Then they would be able to take out her and the other conspirators all at once.
Unfortunately, a complication had occurred. The day Swiftdrive, Blade Bearer, and Comet Frost arrived in Ponyville, Bronze Star received a letter from Lord Bellerophon. In the letter, the palomino Pegasus delivered a piece of very unsettling news: the majority of the remaining conspirators were now gone, too. They had disappeared almost overnight.
It was absolutely incredible. The Firebrand Regiment's field operatives had been keeping a very watchful eye on them. These were the greatest observers in the country, and yet even so, the conspirators had managed to slip away right under their muzzles. It was as though they had suddenly pulled off a collective vanishing act.
Esopus Spitzenburg was the only one who had not disappeared; he could still be found at either his estate or his company building. There was not so much as a trace of his co-conspirators to be found anywhere, though. So even if by some miracle the Regiment did manage to locate Clear Crest, fifteen of her colleagues would still be unaccounted for.
When Bronze Star received this news, he was overcome with dismay and apprehension. He honestly had no idea where they would go from here. Right then, the situation looked more hopeless than ever.
Even so, he was not about to give up. The lives of thousands of Equestrians – including his mother – were depending on Bronze Star and the Firebrand Regiment. Aside from persistence and obligation, that was what motivated them to keep going.
Bronze Star could not come up with any conventional means to handle the dilemma with conspirators, so he decided that they needed to improvise. Fortunately for him, he was great at coming up with new and brilliant plans on the spot.
He managed to come up with one just a couple hours after he read Lord Bellerophon's letter.
The arrival of the three officers of the Royal Guard was quite a convenience. Swiftdrive, Blade Bearer, and Comet Frost had all been active in the force at the same time as Clear Crest. In fact, Swiftdrive and Clear Crest had been very close, almost like sisters.
Bronze Star considered speaking to the three officers about Clear Crest. Maybe they knew something about their former colleague that could help the prince and the Regiment track her down. He was well-aware that that idea was a huge longshot, but at this point, he was willing to try anything to dig up a new lead.
However, between his role as ambassador, his involvement in the preparations, and his royal duties, Bronze Star was busier this week than he had ever been since he came to Ponyville. He barely even had enough time to get proper nutrition, exercise, and rest. Needless to say, he was unable to find ample time to sit down with the Royal Guard and talk about Clear Crest.
In spite of that, he was determined to find out whether or not they knew anything about the onyx mare. There was no reason why he had to be the pony who spoke to them about that issue. After all, there were two other ponies in town who knew about the assassination conspiracy, as well.
Noble Edict was just as preoccupied with other tasks as he was. As chief of security, she was always busy, and this week was no exception. Even though she spent a lot of time around the three officers of the Royal Guard, the majority of the conversations she had with them were about the security arrangements for the upcoming special events. So she was in no position to discuss personal matters.
On the plus side, Applejack was free. Moreover, she still wanted to assist Bronze Star in stopping the conspiracy any way she could. When the Royal Guard showed up in town, Bronze Star introduced her and the rest of his friends to them and vice versa.
Later that same day, Bronze Star met up with Applejack and asked her to meet up with the Royal Guard and ask them some questions about Clear Crest. When she asked for examples about what types of questions, he told her any types would do. What he really needed was something they could use to possibly determine Clear Crest's current location. Ideally, she should ask about Clear Crest's personal life. He was confident that they would get them somewhere. The Royal Guard were very tightly-knit, so Bronze Star believed they knew Clear Crest much better than he did.
Applejack assured her coltfriend that she would do everything she could to learn something useful about Clear Crest from the other Royal Guard.
The following day, Bronze Star was informed on the number of ponies who would be attending the conference. He stopped by Town Hall to update the Mayor. While he was there, Noble Edict showed up with Swiftdrive, Blade Bearer, and Comet Frost. Bronze Star had just enough time to exchange pleasantries with them. He asked if they would be able to join him for lunch, but they politely declined his offer. Comet Frost claimed that they had already made reservations at Savoir Fare's restaurant at noon.
That was all Bronze Star needed to know. He made a slight detour through the market, stopped at Applejack's apple stall, and passed that information on to her. After that, he went right back to the embassy. As for Applejack, she had a lunch date. With three ponies.
At a quarter to twelve, the orange mare closed her stall and trotted all the way to Savoir Fare's restaurant. She brought a bottle of her own fizzy apple cider with her.
Once she got to the restaurant, she requested a table near the one that had been reserved by the Royal Guard. She also gave the waiter the bottle of cider and asked that he serve it to them. He was a little perplexed by this request, but he agreed to carry it out.
A few minutes after Applejack was seated, Swiftdrive, Blade Bearer, and Comet Frost arrived at the restaurant. At the present, they were out of uniform. Immediately, they were led to a private booth off to the side. That was the perfect place for ponies to talk without worry of being interrupted.
Before they were even given menus, Savoir Fare placed three glasses in front of them and filled them halfway with the fizzy apple cider.
Swiftdrive raised an eyebrow and muttered "Excuse me, sir. We didn't order any drinks."
The pale cream waiter smiled and gestured over his shoulder, saying "Courtesy of the lady."
The three officers looked in that direction, and they saw Applejack at an adjoining table. She seemed to be engrossed in her menu, but she occasionally peered over at the Royal Guard out of the corner of her eye.
Comet Frost, Blade Bearer, and Swiftdrive looked around at each other, and then they picked up their glasses and took a modest swig of the cider. Ten seconds later, all three of them had satisfied grins on their countenances. Blade Bearer leaned over to Savoir Fare and whispered something into his ear. The pale cream stallion nodded his head and trotted over to Applejack's table.
The orange mare gazed up at the waiter, and he apprised her "They would like to convey their appreciation, and they have extended an offer for you to join them."
Applejack smirked, got out of her chair, and pronounced "I'll gladly accept it."
The farmer then made her way to the guards' booth. It was the type of booth where three-quarters of the table were surrounded by a long, curved, cushioned seat. At the present, Blade Bearer was at the right end, Swiftdrive was at the left end, and Comet Frost was in-between them. Swiftdrive scooted over to make room for Applejack.
Once the orange mare was seated, she smiled again and queried "Like it?"
"Very much," Swiftdrive proclaimed, raising her glass.
"It's kind of lukewarm, though," Blade Bearer remarked.
"Yeah, it's been sitting outside all morning," Applejack uttered, "Sorry I didn't have time to refrigerate it."
"I'll fix that," Comet Frost declared. He took everypony's glasses and the bottle, and he placed them in front of him. Then he lowered his horn and produced a bluish aura. He cast the aura onto the glasses and the bottle, and it suddenly felt as though a gust of cold wind had passed through the building. He sat up straight, grinned, and proposed "Try them now."
Blade Bearer and Swiftdrive took up their glasses and drank again. Their second drink was twice as big as their first one.
Savoir Fare placed down a fourth glass and poured some cider for Applejack, too. She took a sip of it, and she was overcome with a pleasant surprise. The room temperature cider had suddenly become about thirty or forty degrees colder.
"Hoo-wee, it's chilly!" she stated in fascination, turning to Comet Frost, "That's amazin'."
"Well, my specialty is ice magic," the aqua stallion revealed, "In fact, before I enlisted in the Royal Guard, I worked at a company that manufactured air-conditioning units."
"Cool," Applejack mumbled.
"Exactly," Comet Frost muttered slyly.
The dark grey mare, the light brown stallion, and the orange mare chuckled at that. Savoir Fare then distributed the menus to the four ponies and trotted off.
Applejack was very pleased at the moment. She had offered the cider as a way to get on the officers' good side. Apparently, she had managed to do just that.
"I'd like to thank you for the cider," Comet Frost said gratefully.
"So would I," Blade Bearer commented, "This is much better than that processed swill they serve in the capital city."
"I'm not surprised," Applejack thought aloud, "Things are always better in their natural form, and everything is found in its natural form out here."
"So we noticed," Swiftdrive contended, "I've always wondered what it would be like to visit the countryside. This town makes me wish I had done it sooner."
"Ponyville certainly has that effect," Applejack coincided, "As I recall, Bronze took a liking it to almost straightaway."
"I can see why," Blade Bearer observed, "Don't know if I could ever try my hoof at a rural lifestyle. But the prince seems to have adapted fairly well to it."
"He must have," Swiftdrive murmured, "Otherwise he would've come home by now."
"If Bronze doesn't like it here, he does an excellent job of masking his disdain," Applejack wryly muttered.
"Ma'am, I can assure you that he really does enjoy living here," Comet Frost proclaimed, "I've never known the prince to hide his feelings and opinions on anything. He's always very eloquent and very straightforward."
"Something Bronze and I have in common," Applejack stated.
"I would imagine you two have a lot more in common than just that," Blade Bearer drily perceived, "I've noticed that you call him 'Bronze.' Only his closest friends call him that."
"She's his fillyfriend, in case you've forgotten," Swiftdrive sardonically professed.
"I haven't," Blade Bearer bluntly uttered. He then picked up his glass and pronounced "On that note, I think we should raise a glass to you, Applejack."
The orange mare was taken aback. "For what?"
"For doing what so many others could not," Blade Bearer ambiguously responded.
"Uh… okay," Applejack was baffled, but out of courtesy, she picked up her glass and raised it up. Comet Frost, Swiftdrive, and Blade Bearer clinked their glasses against hers, and they all emptied their glasses together. Luckily, Applejack had brought a very large bottle of cider. As she refilled the glasses, she looked over at the light brown stallion and asked him "Out of curiosity, what did I 'do,' Lieutenant Commander Bearer?"
"You reached Prince Bronze Star," Blade Bearer clarified, "Dozens of mares have tried to win over his affections, and none of them have gotten close to succeeding. He's turned down heiresses, countesses, duchesses, and even this one princess from a faraway country. You must be very special to him."
"I'd like to think so," Applejack stated, "He certainly means a lot to me. Of course, I'm no heiress or anything; I'm just a simple farmer."
"I disagree," Comet Frost countered, "You have something only six mares in this country have. You're one of the Element Bearers, right?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Commander Frost," Applejack affirmed, "Mine's honesty."
"Seems to suit you," Swiftdrive noted.
"Thank ya kindly," Applejack told her appreciatively, "I've always valued honesty very highly. I was raised to be an honest mare and earn an honest living."
"If only we had more ponies like you in the capital city," Blade Bearer conjectured.
"Then the politicians would be far less sleazy, and the Canterlot Elite would be more agreeable," Comet Frost supposed.
"And our jobs would be a lot less interesting," Swiftdrive cockily muttered.
Comet Frost snickered and uttered "Debatable."
There came a short interval of silence. Applejack remembered the reason she had come to speak with the officers in the first place. She needed to address the issue before they left the restaurant.
Savoir Fare came back a minute later and took their orders. Once he had them, he collected their menus and left them alone again. By then, Applejack knew where to take the conversation next.
She resumed it with "Bronze Star claims I'm the first mare he's ever been involved with on a romantic level. I know he wouldn't lie to me about that, but for the longest time, I found it hard to believe."
"Can't blame you, ma'am," Comet Frost pronounced, "I bet a lot of mares would kill to be you. Maybe a few stallions, too."
"So I see," Applejack remarked, chuckling, "If you don't mind me asking, is there anypony else of my gender he's had strong feelings for?"
"Well, there have been other mares who have played a big role in his life," Blade Bearer disclosed.
"I would have been surprised if there weren't," Applejack frankly remarked, "Any that got almost as close to him as me?"
"Depends on your definition of 'close,'" Comet Frost contended.
"Was there anypony he trusted with his life or loved as a sister?" Applejack elaborated.
"Yeah, there have been three mares like that," Swiftdrive revealed, "One of them isn't even around anymore."
"How do you mean, Commander Swiftdrive?" Applejack queried eagerly.
She presumed that the dark grey mare was referring to Clear Crest. The orange mare quickly found out that she was not. Instead, she was referring to somepony else. Despite that, Applejack found what Swiftdrive told her next very interesting.
"Ten years ago, there was this mare named Sunset Shimmer who lived at the castle," Swiftdrive recalled, "At the time, she was Princess Celestia's apprentice. I never saw a greater pair of friends than Sunset Shimmer and Prince Bronze Star. They did everything together. She taught him magic spells; he taught her self-defense."
"Best friends?" Applejack assumed.
"The very best," Blade Bearer confirmed, "Even his mother thought they might end up together."
"Alas, they did not," Swiftdrive added in.
"What happened to her?" Applejack enquired.
"It's a very long story, my dear," Swiftdrive revealed, "To make it short, she went away."
"To where?" the farmer asked.
"Somewhere other than Equestria," Blade Bearer elucidated, "That's an even longer story, and there's no way to make it short and keep it coherent at the same time."
"If you say so," Applejack coincided. After another pause, she went on with "So, what about those other two mares you mentioned? The other ones that meant a lot to Bronze Star."
"Well, one of them, you know well," Comet Frost professed, "She took up Sunset Shimmer's place as Princess Celestia's apprentice."
"You mean Twilight Sparkle?" Applejack muttered in surprise.
"Yes, indeed," Swiftdrive remarked, "She never got as close to him as Sunset Shimmer did, but as they grew up, they were always looking out for each other. She was like the sister he never had."
"Well, that's sweet," Applejack uttered in adoration, "It would also explain why he gets protective of her so often."
"Twilight used to be as unsociable as me," Comet Frost illuminated, "Luckily, like me, she eventually gave friendship a chance and came to appreciate the benefits that come with it. To some degree, both of us have Bronze Star to thank for that. Though I owe him a lot more than she does."
"He'd be thrilled to know that," Applejack claimed.
Savoir Fare returned with their food a minute later. He delicately set the plates down in front of the farmer and the three officers and bade that they enjoy their meal.
For the next five minutes, the four ponies ate in relative silence. Then Applejack wiped her mouth and murmured inquisitively "And the third mare? What of her?"
This time, the three officers seemed somewhat hesitant to continue this discussion. However, after about a minute of unpleasant silence, Swiftdrive disclosed "Well… she used to be one of us."
That was what Applejack had been waiting for. She leaned forward and beckoned them "Go on."
"Her name was Clear Crest," Comet Frost expounded, "Don't suppose you've heard of her?"
"Bronze has mentioned her once or twice," Applejack claimed, "But he seems… reluctant to talk about her."
"For good reason," Blade Bearer mumbled, a look of disgust on his face, "She's an embarrassment to the Royal Guard."
"She only became an embarrassment when her ambition got the better of her," Swiftdrive argued, "Before that, she was an excellent officer."
"Nopony's denying that," Comet Frost pronounced, "But all her years of loyal service do not cross out what she tried to do to Captain Armor."
"So you've got some conflicting opinions on her," Applejack noted.
"I don't, my lady," Blade Bearer notified her, "Clear Crest is a disgrace, plain and simple."
"It's not as though you liked her all that much before that incident," Swiftdrive snappily retorted.
"That's my fault?" Blade Bearer spat back, "If I didn't get along with Clear Crest, it was because she was often extremely arrogant."
"Yeah, well, everypony's entitled to be a little arrogant sometimes," Swiftdrive debated, "Especially Clear Crest. I don't have to remind you that she once saved the lives of over a score of her fellow officers. One of which was mine."
"And mine, I know," Blade Bearer admitted, "Still, that was no reason for her to continuously remind us of the event afterwards. It was as though she took a personal pleasure in rubbing our faces in it."
"I doubt that was her intention," Comet Frost uttered, "Maybe she did it so all of you would learn something from that occasion. After all, if you had been a little more attentive and careful, that whole fiasco could have been avoided, and she wouldn't have had to rescue the lot of you."
"He's got a point," Swiftdrive contended.
"I guess he does," Blade Bearer said in agreement.
Applejack was intrigued to learn that Clear Crest had once saved a number of the Royal Guard. That implied that she used to care for them on a personal level. That in turn entailed that maybe she had gotten exceptionally close to somepony in particular during her time at Canterlot Castle.
"I'd like to know more about Clear Crest," Applejack requested politely, "How well did you know her?"
"Well, I had only been wearing the uniform for a little more than a year when she left," Comet Frost reminisced, "It wasn't until my third year that I really started to open up to my fellow officers. So I can't say I knew her very well, ma'am."
"I, on the other hoof, did know her well, my lady," Blade Bearer disclosed, "At least I did until she conspired to harm Captain Armor. That aside, I may not have spoken too kindly of her a minute ago, but I will not say she was not a fine officer. Believe me, she was. Probably better than most. There were times when I was honored to serve alongside her."
"Whereas in my case, I was always honored," Swiftdrive revealed, "Clear Crest was more than just a fellow officer to me. She was also my best friend."
"That so?" Applejack asked rhetorically, raising an eyebrow.
"Indeed, my dear," Swiftdrive enlightened her, "She and I were born and raised on the naval base in Nanbucket together, we moved to Canterlot together, we enlisted in the Royal Guard together, and we were assigned to most of our posts together, as well. There was rarely an instance when she and I could not be found in the same place. Naturally, when she disappeared, I was questioned more thoroughly and extensively than anypony else. It was as though the Military Enforcement Corps was convinced I knew where she went."
"But you didn't?" Applejack supposed.
"Nope," Swiftdrive affirmed, "I can assure you that if I did know, I would have come forward. Clear Crest meant a lot to me, but I'm an officer first and a friend second. My job requires that I always keep those priorities in that order. No exceptions."
"Sounds tough," Applejack observed, "Don't think I could ever do that."
"Not everypony can," Comet Frost avowed, "I've never had any problems with it, though."
"Neither have I," Blade Bearer claimed.
Applejack nodded in acknowledgement. Then she looked back to Swiftdrive and told her "So you and Clear Crest did everything together?'
"Yeah, but sometimes we did things differently," Swiftdrive recounted, "Both of us were often tasked with guarding Prince Bronze Star during his pre-teen years. Although I kept my relationship with him professional, Clear Crest went out of her way to befriend him. He became somewhat attached to her after a while."
"Was there anything going on between them?" Applejack curiously queried.
"They cared for each other, and that's about it," Swiftdrive apprised her, "Keep in mind, both Clear Crest and I are more than ten years older than the prince. I'm quite certain he's not very attracted to older mares. Especially when those mares make a living by protecting him and his family."
"Besides, both of them knew better than to get involved with each other," Blade Bearer commented, "Every job has one rule in common. Technically, it's an unwritten rule, but it's also the most important rule of all. You know what that rule is, my lady? It's 'Don't sleep with the Boss.'"
Applejack did not know whether to laugh or wince at that observation. In the end, she just scoffed, leaned back, and cheekily stated "Sounds like profound words of wisdom. But I don't know if every job has that rule. I mean, I'm self-employed. So how would the rule apply to me?"
"Simple; don't do that thing ponies do when they're alone," Blade Bearer deviously replied.
Comet Frost burst out laughing at that, and Applejack giggled a bit, too. Swiftdrive, however, rolled her eyes and murmured impatiently "You're disgusting, Blade."
"And you have no sense of humor, Swift," Blade Bearer slyly remarked, "Anyway, I didn't say anything that wasn't true. Everypony does that 'thing.'"
"I don't," the dark grey mare proclaimed.
"Then try it sometime," Comet Frost cockily advised, "Maybe it'll improve your mood."
Blade Bearer laughed again and patted Comet Frost on the back. Swiftdrive sighed and told the aqua stallion "Comet, I think you've been spending too much time around Blade lately. His 'charm' is starting to rub off on you."
"Well, we could all use a little of his 'charm,' Swift," Comet Frost debated, "It makes things more amusing."
"I'll bet it does," Applejack interjected, "But do we have to talk about that while we're eating?"
"Oh, right, right, sorry," Blade Bearer uttered apologetically, "Now, where were we?"
"We were talking about Clear Crest's… hobbies," Applejack reminded him, "From what I understand, she was a good friend to Bronze Star, but never anything more than a friend. That about right?"
"That's exactly right," Blade Bearer conceded, "That's not to say she was never anything more than a friend to all of us, though."
"What are you saying?" Applejack inquired, "She was involved with somepony else at the castle?"
"That's correct, my dear," Swiftdrive explained, "Not many ponies know this, but during her later years at Canterlot Castle, Clear Crest had an affair with somepony else who worked there."
"Another of the Royal Guard?" Applejack guessed.
"Tartarus, no," Comet Frost refuted, "The Royal Guard are prohibited from fraternizing with each other like that. That's the easiest way to get dishonorably discharged from the force."
"That actually makes sense," Applejack perceived, "So who was she seeing?"
"One of the policymakers in Princess Celestia's administration," Blade Bearer explicated, "You may have heard of him: Sir Raoul Jowl."
Applejack had not expected to hear that. But she managed to avoid looking alarmed or stunned. She thought perhaps she could use this information to her advantage. She lightly shrugged and frankly declared "Sure, I've heard of him. He was one of the most influential ponies in Celestia's cabinet, wasn't he?"
"Yes, he was," Comet Frost confirmed, "I'd like to think he still has quite a bit of sway on the public, as well. Of course, it'd be hard to find out. After he resigned his position and left the castle, nopony ever heard from him again. So we never knew what became of him."
"How quaint," Applejack commented, smirking. She was smirking because she was one of the few who knew of Sir Raoul Jowl's current whereabouts. She leaned forward again and disclosed "From what I heard, Sir Raoul Jowl was a fairly popular guy. That said, it must have been very difficult for him to have an affair with one of the Royal Guard and keep it a secret."
"It wasn't a secret, per se," Blade Bearer expounded, "About a quarter of the force knew Clear Crest was sleeping with Raoul Jowl. But nopony ever ratted on her. Not even me."
"Why not?" Applejack inquired.
"Because she was one of us, and we don't hang our own out to dry," Swiftdrive remarked, "If Captain Glock ever found out, he would have had her demoted, reprimanded, or worse."
"So even Glock didn't know?" Applejack assumed.
"No, and it was probably the one thing going on in the castle that he wasn't aware of," Blade Bearer contended.
"Then how did you find out?" Applejack enquired.
"We first suspected something was up when Clear Crest started showing up late for her duty shifts," Comet Frost recalled, "At first, we never paid her tardiness any mind."
"Then after she was late five days in a row, a group of the Royal Guard confronted her," Swiftdrive went on, "The three of us were in that group. We just had to apply a little pressure, and she admitted that she had been sharing a bed with Sir Raoul."
"How did you take that news?" Applejack inquired.
"Well, needless to say, we were all surprised," Swiftdrive recalled, "Some of the others tried to encourage her to end the affair. Nopony could have ordered her, though. At the time, Clear Crest outranked all of us, even me. She claimed she had no intention of ending the affair any time soon. A lot of us still owed her our lives, so we agreed to do her a favor and stay silent about the matter. I just urged her to be cautious."
"She must have taken Swiftdrive's advice," Blade Bearer supposed, "Clear Crest was never caught. She had a few close calls, but she managed to keep the affair quiet."
"That was probably thanks to Sir Raoul," Comet Frost theorized, "He was a very cautious stallion. He never took unnecessary risks, and he believed there was no such thing as being too prepared. In fact, I think the two of them only met when he deemed it safe to do so."
"Actually, that's exactly how their affair went," Swiftdrive recounted, "He never went to her; she always went to him. I would know; I had to cover for her a couple times. But at least I always knew when she would be gone in advance."
"What do you mean?" Applejack said probingly.
"There's a reason Clear Crest and Sir Raoul Jowl were able to keep their affair a secret," Swiftdrive expounded, "They always scheduled their rendezvouses beforehoof, and they did that without physically meeting with each other."
Applejack was a little perplexed by that. "How could they have arranged their meetings without even being in the same room?"
"They used a pair of gadgets known as flashers to communicate with each other," Blade Bearer apprised her.
"Flashers?" the farmer said in interest.
"Hoof-held devices shaped like batons," Swiftdrive disclosed, "The body of the device is translucent. It has a button on the side that causes the body to emanate a bright light. A short tap produces a momentary glow, and a long tap produces a sustained glow. It is possible to connect two of those devices together. That way, you can converse with another pony in Horse Code."
Applejack was astonished by that. These flashers certainly sounded like interesting contraptions. Maybe they would turn out to be the things she and Bronze Star needed to further the investigation. She pronounced "So the flashers were what enabled Clear Crest and Sir Raoul to keep their fling up?"
"Correct," Swiftdrive asserted, "From what I recall, Clear Crest and Raoul Jowl were rather smitten with each other. Clear and I shared a bunk, and her flasher went off at least every other day for the duration of their affair. Most of the time, she sent Sir Raoul a confirmation. The only times she had to decline were when she was giving a task that could not be delayed, postponed, or cancelled. I'd like to say she avoided clouding her better judgement. But if that was true, she would have ended the affair by her own accord."
"So what did end it?" Applejack queried.
"Her arrest," Blade Bearer candidly answered her, "Once Sir Haywood McCrank discovered Clear Crest had sent those thugs after Captain Armor, she was taken into custody by the Military Enforcement Corps immediately. All her possessions were confiscated, including her flasher. Only then did Sir Raoul Jowl keep his distance from her. He didn't even visit her during her confinement."
"Meaning once she was apprehended, it was officially over for them?" Applejack presumed.
"Over for him, perhaps," Comet Frost hypothesized, "As for Clear Crest, I'm not so sure. When she escaped custody, she raided the main storage unit before she made her getaway. We took inventory afterwards, and the only things that were missing were some provisions, some weapons, and her flasher."
"So she still cared for Sir Raoul?" Applejack guessed.
"She must have, otherwise she would have left it," Blade Bearer debated.
"There was an inquiry after Clear Crest fled," Swiftdrive recounted, "The Corps was determined to find her, and they thought her former colleagues might be able to provide them with a lead. They questioned most of us. We cooperated to the best of our ability, but we never said anything about her involvement with Sir Raoul."
"Why not?" Applejack queried in bewilderment.
"It was Swiftdrive's idea; she didn't want to give Clear Crest a worse reputation than she already had," Blade Bearer proclaimed, "We told the Corps everything else about Clear Crest, but we never breathed a word about her fling with Sir Raoul."
"Be that as it may, the three of us and a few others decided to confront Sir Raoul Jowl after we were all questioned," Comet Frost reminisced, "He adamantly insisted that he had no idea where she went. We would have pushed him harder, but that would have given him grounds to press charges against the Royal Guard. Aside from that, he had no reason to lie to us. But oddly enough, Sir Raoul held on to his flasher and refused to part with it. He even took it with him when he stopped working at the castle."
Applejack gazed off to the side and thought for a minute. Then she looked back to the officers and mentioned "Tell me; even after seven years of inactivity… do you suppose those flashers would still work?"
"There's nothing to suggest they couldn't, my lady," Blade Bearer contended, "Truth be told, the flashers are probably the only means a pony could use to communicate with Clear Crest."
"However, most of us have lost hope that she'll ever be found, ma'am," Comet Frost revealed, "She's been missing for seven years, and if she wanted to, she could remain missing for seventy more. If there's one thing I learned about her, it's that she's a survivalist."
"I can see that," Applejack muttered, "But let's pretend for a moment that Clear Crest still had her flasher and Sir Raoul Jowl had his. If he was willing to try to contact her on his, do you believe she would be inclined to respond?"
"Hard to say; she may have changed since she we last saw her," Blade Bearer mumbled.
"Personally… I think she would," Swiftdrive announced, "After seven years of isolation, who wouldn't like to reconnect with an old friend? Or an old flame?"
"Good argument, Commander Swiftdrive," Applejack coincided, grinning. She was smiling for two reasons: she agreed with the older mare's sentiment, and she know had something useful to share with Bronze Star. She proclaimed "I'm grateful for you tellin' me all this; it's really quite fascinating."
"It's no problem, my lady," Blade Bearer contended, "But I'd like you to tell us something in return. Why are you so interested in Clear Crest?"
Applejack had been prepared for a question like that. She straightforwardly professed "Because when Bronze Star mentions Clear Crest, he always seems dismayed or disturbed. He went so far as to call Clear Crest a traitor. I wanted to know what kind of mare would betray her leader and her country."
"I'm sure the prince would be grateful for your concern," Comet Frost alleged, "However, I wouldn't go so far as to say that about Clear Crest."
"Neither would I," Blade Bearer added in, "She IS a traitor, but she only betrayed her uniform and her fellow officers of the Royal Guard."
"As far as we know, she never did anything to betray Equestria or its rulers, my dear," Swiftdrive remarked.
If only you knew what I knew Applejack thought.
A few minutes later, the four ponies finished eating lunch. Savoir Fare came back to collect their plates and leave the check. Applejack would have requested to be billed separately, but the officers insisted that they pay for her meal.
"I appreciate that, but you don't have to do it," Applejack told them.
"No, we got this, ma'am," Comet Frost declared, "We'd be happy to pay."
"It's our pleasure, my lady," Blade Bearer assured her.
Applejack ultimately gave in and agreed to let them handle it. She smirked and uttered "Alright, but I owe you one."
"You don't owe us anything, my dear," Swiftdrive claimed, "Think of it as our first service to you."
"'First?'" Applejack repeated in perplexity.
"It could be the first of many," Comet Frost elaborated, "If things work out between you and the prince, the Royal Guard will inevitably earn their living by protecting you, as well."
Applejack had not considered that possibility, but it certainly interested her. She merely shrugged and thought aloud "I guess that's true. I'm fine with how things are right now, but I have no opposition to change. I've always been capable of defending myself, so I doubt I would ever need protection. Even so, if you ever did become my own bodyguards, I'm confident you would do your jobs very well. For the present, though, I'd hoping I can call you my friends, instead."
"Of course you can," Swiftdrive asserted. Blade Bearer and Comet Frost nodded their heads in agreement.
After the meal was paid for, Applejack and the three officers of the Royal Guard parted ways. Comet Frost, Swiftdrive, and Blade Bearer headed over to the barracks to continue discussing security arrangements with Noble Edict and her staff.
Applejack went directly to the embassy. There she found Bronze Star working with Dapple Rhomb in her office. She asked to speak with him in private for a minute, and he agreed to do so straightaway. Once they were alone, she filled him in on what she had learned over lunch.
Bronze Star was notably astounded when Applejack informed him that Sir Raoul Jowl and Clear Crest had been having an affair. Even the Firebrand Regiment had been unaware of that.
His astonishment was quickly replaced by satisfaction when Applejack told him about how Raoul Jowl and Clear Crest kept their affair going. If they were lucky, the flashers could be the very thing that would enable them to turn the investigation back in their favor.
Ever since Bronze Star had interrogated him, Sir Raoul Jowl had been in the witness protection program. He had been staying in an isolated cabin just outside of Manephis. Three federal marshals were living there with them; they were watching and guarding him around the clock.
All of Raoul Jowl's belongings had been seized by the Regiment shortly after he was arrested. The majority of them, he had not been allowed to keep when he was moved to the countryside. Bronze Star was fairly certain that his flasher was amongst those items.
Later that day, he contacted the Firebrand Regiment through his blackboard. He told them everything Applejack had told him, and he gave them orders on how to proceed next. He instructed them to sort through Raoul Jowl's possessions and find the flasher. After that, he wanted them to travel out to Manephis and pay Sir Raoul an unannounced visit.
He told the Regiment that they were to question Sir Raoul on his involvement with Clear Crest. If their lover affair turned out to be real – and Bronze Star had no doubt it was – they were to persuade him to use his flasher to try to contact Clear Crest.
Bronze Star realized that this approach was hinging on a lot of maybes. Maybe Sir Raoul Jowl had not held on to his flasher after all. Maybe he had lost it or misplaced it. Maybe it had gotten broken. Maybe Clear Crest no longer possessed her flasher, either. Maybe one or both of the flashers had eroded after seven years of inactivity. Above all, maybe if both flashers were working and both of their owners had retained them, maybe Clear Crest would be unwilling to respond to Raoul Jowl.
Altogether, the chances that the Regiment would actually be able to reach Clear Crest through this method were not very promising. Alas, at that time, this method was their best bet, as well as their only hope. If it failed, their search for Clear Crest would hit another dead end, and they would be unable to further the investigation.
The Firebrand Regiment did not seem any more optimistic about this ploy than the prince was, but they assured him that they would do everything they could to get some results.
After that discussion ended, Bronze Star was relieved to put away his blackboard. He also decided to put everything else that pertained to the assassination conspiracy out of his mind for the remainder of the week. The Firebrand Regiment had the situation under control, and the gold stallion had other things to worry about. His mother would be coming in only four days, and there was still a lot that needed to be done before she arrived.
By the next day, nearly all of the physical preparations had been finished. However, the townsfolk knew next to nothing about the nature of the upcoming conference.
Bronze Star spent most of that day telling City Council and the security staff what he already knew of the subject. He informed them that the conference would be attended by two business conglomerates. The conglomerates had been longtime rivals with each other, and each was composed of three different companies. On one side there would be the banking firm GrandiHorse, the insurance corporation Landslide, and the ad agency Radical Innovation. On the other side would be the banking firm Fabian, the insurance corporation MonuMarent, and the ad agency Uptown Mystique. The former trio was based in Manehattan; the latter trio was based in Canterlot. Both conglomerates had a large holding in most of the country's major cities. Ponyville had been selected as the site of the conference for two reasons: Celestia herself had recommended it, and neither trio had done any business there, so it made for ideal neutral ground.
Bronze Star would have told them what would have been discussed at the conference, but even he did not entirely know that. The companies' executives had been unwilling to share any of those details until they were all gathered in one room with Princess Celestia. Until then, everypony else would be left in the dark.
Bronze Star had been informed that the CEOs of all six companies would be arriving in town the following day. Since they were all prestigious and high-status businessponies, they would be lodging at the embassy for the duration of their stay in Ponyville.
Since Shakedown and Dread Naught were out of town, Bronze Star and Haywood McCrank were the only ponies who were living at the embassy at that time. They easily had the means to accommodate the CEOs. Just to be safe, Bronze Star and Dapple Rhomb decided to assign the CEOs to rooms in advance. They made certain to put the Canterlot-based CEOs on one side of the corridor and the Manehattan-based CEOs on the other side. Given the longevity and magnitude of their rivalry, Bronze Star deemed it wise to keep some distance between them.
The next day, the CEOs of the six companies arrived in town. Each of them showed up at a different time of day, and all of them went straight to the embassy.
The first to arrive was the CEO of Uptown Mystique, a Unicorn named Till Dates. Ever since he was a colt, he had been recognized by his friends and family as an exceptionally creative pony. He was a graduate of two engineering universities, and he was an accomplished inventor. Till Dates had been one of the major leaders of Equestria's technological revolution from the last century. At first, he only sold his inventions to the ponies in his hometown of Stalliongton. Overtime, he expanded his sales all throughout the country. After a while, he formed his own advertisement agency so he could broadcast his own creations and the creations of others nationwide.
The second to arrive was the CEO of GrandiHorse, an Earth Pony named Red Burner. He was also a college graduate; his major had been in data analysis. He had not been a very ambitious stallion when he was younger. He would have been content to spend his entire life in his hometown of Oatlahoma City, working in a cubicle. However, after he received his diploma, he had been drafted into the army. At the time, he doubted he would even survive boot camp. But after he served a tour in Yakyakistan, he came back to Equestria as a war hero and a changed stallion. His experiences motivated him to seek out a means to avoid further conflict in the future, and in the end, he decided that the key to this was economics. In his mind, money could prevent most problems when placed in the right hooves. He believed his hooves were the right ones. Now in the present day, he ran his own banking enterprise.
The third to arrive was the CEO of MonuMarent, a Pegasus named Lore N. Budget. Rather than a normal university, he was a graduate of law school. He was a native of Chayenne, and like Red Burner, he was also once in the military. However, the circumstances of his career in the armed forces were quite different. He had not been drafted; he had voluntarily enlisted. He had been in Special Forces rather than the regular army. He had never been deployed on foreign soil; all his assignments had been in Equestria. Most of all, Red Burner had never gotten hurt. Lore N. Budget was not so lucky. He had suffered two projectiles in the chest during an emergency situation in Chicacolt. He received proper medical treatment in time, but his hospital bills were outrageous. Although he managed to pay them, he was very displeased. So after he was honorably discharged from the military, he made it his life's goal to lower the cost of healthcare and see to it that other ponies had the ability to provide for themselves and their loved ones. Before long, he managed to create an insurance enterprise of his own.
The fourth to arrive was the CEO of Radical Innovation, a Pegasus named Cleave Cobs. He was the only one of the six who had not made his entire fortune from scratch. He had been born into a high-class wealthy family in Mareami. Be that as it may, he had definitely earned his current position and status. After he graduated from college, he returned home to get a job in his father's furniture consortium. He enjoyed working there at first, but it was not very fulfilling, and he felt as though his talents could be better served elsewhere. In addition to that, he did not agree with some of his father's policies. One day, he decided to leave his father's company and form his own. Initially, his father was furious, but when he saw what his son was capable of, his anger turned to pride. Cleave Cobs had managed to establish an advertisement agency that promoted products from many other companies, including his father's.
The fifth to arrive was the CEO of Landslide, a Unicorn named Cycle Geyser. He was the only one of the three Manehattan-based CEOs who was actually from Manehattan originally, and he was the leader of their conglomerate. Of the six stallions, he had changed the most in the time since his college years. Back then, one would think he would spend his entire life in educational establishments, as his goal was to be a professor or teacher. He had been driven by an idealistic notion that it was his duty to help his fellow pony, and he believed the best way to do that would be to reach out to children and help them get the most out of their education. However, before he began studying for his P.H.D., he had a few experiences that caused him to reevaluate his views. Soon after, he realized that it would not be enough to aid foals. Instead, he had to do something that would account for well-being of the entire family. Thus began a very ambitious project that ended in Cycle Geyser forming a wide-scale insurance enterprise.
The sixth and last to arrive was the CEO of Fabian, an Earth Pony named Ronald Grump. Similarly to Cycle Gesyer, he was the only CEO of the Canterlot-based companies that had been born and raised in Canterlot, and he was the leader of that trio. He was also the only one of the six that Bronze Star had met before this day. Luckily, they had only met twice, and Ronald Grump did not know the prince well enough to recognize him on sight. There were two other characteristics that greatly distinguished him from the other five stallions: he was very politically active, and he used to occupy a prominent position in Princess Celestia's administration. He was also one of the Canterlot Elite. In Bronze Star's opinion, Ronald Grump was not as insufferable as most of the other Canterlot Elite, but he could still be as narrow-minded and haughty as any of them. That aside, he had one admirable feature that separated him from most of his fellow Elite: he had actually contributed something useful to society. He had used his influence and power to develop a banking enterprise whose doors were open to everypony in Equestria.
Till Dates, Red Burner, Lore N. Budget, and Cleave Cobs had all been knighted by Princess Celestia, and Cycle Geyser and Ronald Grump had both been lorded by her. To some degree, all six stallions were likeable and well-liked, just as they were respectable and highly-respected. All six of them had entered the world of business with noble intentions, and they still lived by those intentions. But more than anything, they were known to be fiercely competitive. Their competitive nature was what had chiefly started their rivalry in the first place.
Each company's board of directors had accompanied its CEO to Ponyville. However, the other executives had taken up residence in the apartment complex. Only the CEOs would be staying at the embassy. Bronze Star made it his personal objective to ensure that the six stallions were comfortable with the accommodations.
Luckily, the CEOs were not hard to please. They neither required nor requested special treatment; they preferred to be self-sufficient. They made all their own meals and woke up at their own times. They respected the privacy of Bronze Star and Sir Haywood McCrank, and they did not interfere with their daily tasks.
Every now and then, one or more of the CEOs stopped by Bronze Star's room to have a word with him about the conference. Normally it was just to apprise him on something new he needed to know about the affair. After all, as a representative of both Canterlot and Ponyville, he was expected to appear at the conference, even if he had no plans to contribute to its proceedings.
At one point, Cycle Geyser and Ronald Grump came by Sir Haywood McCrank's room at the same time. They visited him for the same reason: they wished to invite him to the conference, as well. When he asked why, all they said was that they might have need of his services. Sir Haywood could not venture a guess as to why a group of businessponies would require the aid of a federal investigator, but as a gesture of goodwill, he agreed to attend the conference.
Initially, he was somewhat reluctant to agree. However, he would soon discover that it had been a wise choice to attend the conference. As a result of that choice, the indigo stallion would end up saving a lot of lives.