//------------------------------//
// The Boundaries 
// Story: Stages Of Life 
// by TheEquestrianWing 
//------------------------------//

Within an hour after Princess Celestia received that explanation from Sir Haywood McCrank, Lord Ambit Dexter regained consciousness. Celestia was somewhat surprised to see the Commodore in the capital city. Earlier on, Bronze Star had told his mother that Lord Ambit had been in Ponyville for the past few weeks, and that he would probably remain there for a while longer.

The first part was true; both Ambit Dexter and Verse A. Till had been staying with Bronze Star at Ponyville's embassy. However, the Commodore did not plan to be in Ponyville after that night. So the second part of that claim was not entirely truthful.

Nor was the reason Bronze Star had given Celestia for why the two stallions had gone to Ponyville in the first place.

The prince had claimed that Ambit Dexter and Verse A. Till had travelled to Ponyville to assess the town's defensive capabilities. In actuality, they had been collaborating with Bronze Star on a certain matter of business; the same matter of business that had led the Firebrand Regiment to Chicacolt that night. Like the Regiment, they had played a major role in purging the threat posed by those dangerous radicals.

The only other ponies who knew about that conspiracy were Lord Bellerophon, Lady Noble Edict, and Applejack. Bronze Star had been hoping to avoid telling anypony else about that conspiracy. Especially his mother, as she had been the conspirators' ultimate target.

As such, Bronze Star had sworn everypony else who knew about the conspiracy to total secrecy. Of course, he had intended to keep the matter of the Vermane a private affair, as well. Yet Sir Haywood McCrank had been forced to abolish its confidentiality.

Given everything that had occurred thus far, it seemed as though the conspiracy would run the risk of exposure, too. The Commodore's sudden unexpected return to the capital city might have increased the chances of that.

Fortunately, Celestia was not very interested in what Ambit Dexter had been up to that night or any other night in the last month. She was far more interested in his counsel.

As the Chairpony of the War Council, Lord Ambit was charged with advising Celestia on all forms of conflict. These included – but were not limited to – international crises, diplomatic negotiations, menaces to the country's safety, civil unrest, and the possibility of invasion.

The current situation definitely qualified as at least one of the aforementioned issues.

Shortly after he woke up, Lord Ambit Dexter was brought up to speed on the topic the Vermane. He was as shocked as everypony else when he learned that Bronze Star had nearly died that morning. He was straight-up outraged when he found out that Verse A. Till had been one of the assailants. The moccasin stallion had trusted the glaucous stallion with assisting and protecting him for the past decade. After all these years of loyal service, he had ended his career by violating the oath he had sworn to an even higher power.

As angry as Lord Ambit had been by Sir Verse's betrayal, he was much more bothered by the Vermane. Like Celestia, he had quickly surmised that Bronze Star was not out of danger. As long as he was still breathing, the Vermane would just keep coming after him.

With that in mind, Lord Ambit knew they would have to react harshly to the attempt on Bronze Star's life, and they would have to react soon. The Commodore spent over an hour thoroughly assessing their current predicament.

In the end, he determined that the most ideal course of action would be to implement a state of national emergency, as well as to declare martial law.

Of course, before they did that, they would have to provide a reason to the public. If the Military Enforcement Corps started patrolling the streets without explanation, there would be speculation, worry, and fear in every city of Equestria.

Lord Ambit analyzed every possible approach to this dilemma, and he deduced that the only thing that would satisfy the common people was the truth. He was aware that there would be countrywide panic if it became known that a member of the Canterlot Royalty had almost been murdered. Regardless, Ambit Dexter contended that this was the only way to (hopefully) prevent any more of the Vermane from coming to the capital city, and the only way to control their movements.

So after contemplating their options, Celestia agreed to accept Ambit Dexter's proposal. Subsequently, the Commodore summoned the chiefs of the armed forces to the Council Chambers, and he held an emergency session of the War Council. There he notified them that effective immediately, he was declaring marital law.

His decree was implemented straightaway. The various units of the Constabulary Contingent were assembled in the Castle. Mauser's team (and a few others) would remain in Canterlot. The other platoons would receive their assignments in order of priority.

The largest and most experienced detachments would be deployed first; they would be sent to the major cities. After that, the lesser and fresher squads would be dispatched to the small towns and the private settlements.

This whole process would take at least several days. Maybe weeks. It all depended on the cooperation of the civilians of Equestria.

There were several other changes that were enacted by martial law. A nationwide curfew was announced, the railway lines were virtually shut down, and the right to assembly was severely reduced. Additionally, everypony was subject to unannounced search-and-seizure. These changes would be enacted much more quickly.

In any case, none of them would be received with very much enthusiasm. Especially when considering the motive for their application.

Bronze Star's operation had been a long and arduous procedure; removing the three projectiles from his torso had been the easiest part. That alone had still taken almost an hour, as the projectiles had burrowed partway into his organs. It had taken another ninety minutes to stop the hemorrhaging, and forty-five more to reestablish proper blood flow in his vessels and arteries. The most difficult part of all had been to mend the Refresher Box. Nearly three hours were required to repair the damage that had been inflicted onto it.

Luckily, once the Refresher Box was fixed, it was able to assist the Surgeon General in the operation. By itself, the Refresher Box could have repaired Bronze Star's lung and small intestine without any outside aid. However, that would have been a very gradual process, so Purple Heat went ahead and patched both of those up.

Thanks in part to the assistance of Peacemaker and Koch, Purple Heart managed to finish Bronze Star's operation in slightly over seven hours. It was almost ten o'clock in the morning when the Surgeon General finished sewing up the gold stallion.

Purple Heart's staff had arrived in the hospital wing two hours ago. Even then, the medical students did not back out; they had consistently proven their abilities and their usefulness all throughout the operation. As a result, the prince was guaranteed to live.

Alas, even after Bronze Star got out of surgery, he remained unconscious. His body needed more time to heal itself. To conserve energy, it had gone into a comatose state. No drugs or treatment would bring him around before he was ready. So there was no way of knowing when he would wake up.

That aside, Princess Celestia was determined to be there when he did. She adamantly refused to leave her son's side for anything. He expected it would only be a matter of hours.

She soon discovered that she would have to wait a lot longer than she hoped for. Bronze Star did not wake up that day. Or the next day. Or any day that week.

Even so, Celestia could not be swayed to leave the hospital wing. She would not even depart to change night into day.

Consequentially, the task of raising and lowering both the Sun and the Moon fell on Princess Luna. Initially, some ponies were concerned that the blue Alicorn might have been unable to assume such a tremendous responsibility. Those qualms were swiftly put to rest the first morning after the Gala, when Luna deftly lowered the Moon and raised the Sun at eight o'clock sharp.

Despite being younger and less practiced, Luna demonstrated that she was wholly capable of watching over both the day and the night. Her sister had done it for centuries; if need be, she could certainly do it for at least a few months. All the same, she hoped it would not actually be months before her nephew recovered.

Eventually, all the Gala attendees were permitted to leave the Castle, but only after they had been questioned by Sir Haywood McCrank. The indigo stallion was able to verify that none of them had been working with the Vermane. In other words, there were no other assassins loose in the Castle. Still, that was only the beginning of Sir Haywood's plan to locate the Vermane.

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Spike, Copper Hollow, Noble Edict, Dapple Rhomb, and Rough Rider had meant to go back to Ponyville shortly after the Gala. They still had the option to do so, but out of concern for Bronze Star and Celestia, they had chosen to stay in Canterlot. They kept in contact with their loved ones back home via mail, but for security reasons, they were not allowed to tell them anything about Bronze Star's well-being. As far as the rest of the country knew, the gold stallion was still fighting for his life.

Rough Rider, Dapple Rhomb, Copper Hollow, and Noble Edict offered to assist Sir Haywood with his new investigation. He eagerly accepted their help. The four of them had been instrumental in his first investigation; the one that centered around preventing the murder plot against Bronze Star. Plus, he regarded them as some of the few ponies he could fully trust.

Since they would be in Canterlot for an undisclosed amount of time, Noble Edict and Copper Hollow had to temporarily relinquish their positions as Chief and Deputy Chief of Security of Ponyville. They sent a communique to the Ponyville barracks, informing their fellow officers of this development. While they were away, the title of Chief of Security passed on to Rollin Fields, and a mare named Lime Sorbet assumed the role of Deputy Chief.

Since Haywood McCrank was allowed unlimited resources in his assignment to find the Vermane, he decided to ask Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider to contact their organization. That proved to be somewhat challenging to do, what with martial law being in effect. Even so, after about a week, the secretary and the salespony managed to communicate with their fellow vigilantes.

Obviously, the organization could not send any more of their members to Canterlot to assist Sir Haywood. Although their group's existence was no longer a secret to Celestia and Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb were now known members, the vigilantes did not wish to risk exposing themselves any further. Also, martial law had greatly hindered their intelligence network and their own abilities to accumulate information. Despite that, they assured Haywood McCrank and the others that if they found any data that could pertain to the Vermane – regardless of how seemingly trivial or minor it may have appeared to be – they would send it directly to the Castle.

Despite having so many resources at his disposal, Sir Haywood was still unwilling to consult with other officers from the Intelligence Bureau. Dread Naught had been the only agent he trusted entirely with the issue of the Vermane, and that was primarily because Dread Naught had discovered their existence in the first place. Now that he was dead, the Superintendent was the only pony from the Bureau who knew anything about the Vermane.

Sir Haywood was a very eccentric pony; that was undeniable. Be that as it may, he was not paranoid in any manner. Nor did he have an inherent inclination to distrust everypony he meant. He was simply averse to the concept of involving any more ponies in his new investigation than the ones he absolutely needed.

That was the same reason why the task force in Ponyville had been so small. A larger group would have attracted too much attention and suspicion. A smaller group was easier to monitor and oversee, as well.

Most of all, Haywood McCrank felt he could not safely discern who may or may not have been a member of the Vermane. Nopony could truly blame him for that. After all, nopony ever suspected Blade Bearer or Verse A. Till. Yet because of them, the Vermane had managed to infiltrate the Royal Guard and the staff of Canterlot Castle. For all anypony knew, the Vermane could have gained access to the Intelligence Bureau, as well. If that was the case, this investigation would probably never end.

While Haywood McCrank did not seek out aid from the Bureau, he was not opposed to taking on any additional aid whatsoever. On the first day of the investigation, the Firebrand Regiment offered their services to him.

The Regiment's assignments were confidential, but their reputation was well-known in Canterlot. All ten of them were still regarded as some of the most experienced and most patriotic ponies in modern day. They were unquestionably loyal to Bronze Star, they were incapable of being corrupted, they instilled peace and security all over Equestria, and they had played a pivotal role in removing many foreign and domestic hazards. Essentially, they were ideal allies to have in this sort of affair.

Sir Haywood would have been a fool to refuse the Firebrand Regiment's help. So when they first presented their offer, he accepted it straightaway.

Alas, even with the Regiment backing him, progress in the investigation came along slowly. That did not discourage them, though. If anything, it inspired Sir Haywood and everypony else to search harder and more extensively than before.

Of course, they did not rely solely on all the new information they acquired. They also reviewed all the data Sir Haywood already had on the Vermane. He had been gathering it for nineteen years, so there was quite a lot to sift through. Wanting to overlook nothing, they examined every bit of it meticulously. Their goal was to find a way to conclusively track the Vermane's movements. They were able to compose a model that could accurately predict where some of the Vermane could be. That was a notable achievement on their part. Unfortunately, this model could not predict when the Vermane would be at any of those locations.

Their most significant source of information was already in their possession; it had been since the start of the investigation.

The day after the Grand Galloping Gala, Sir Verse A. Till regained consciousness.

When he passed out, his right front hoof had been impaled by a dagger, which in turn had been wedged into the surface of a wooden table. As a result, his hoof had been pinned down, effectively reducing his range of motion and preventing him from going anywhere.

When he came to, the knife was gone, and his hoof had been bandaged. His hoof still stung, and he felt a twinge of pain on the top of his head. That must have been from the blow Bronze Star had dealt to knock him out.

Those minor aches were the least of Verse A. Till's problems. He found himself trapped once again. This time he was in a much tighter fix than before. He was strapped down to a cold, metal table. There were restraints on his hooves, his neck, his torso, and even his tail. He tested the strength of the bonds, and he could hardly move as much as an inch. He was rendered almost completely immobilized.

He quickly got the idea to liberate himself with magic, but when he tried that, all he felt was another surge of pain in his head. He then noticed a small device was affixed to the tip of his horn. He tried to shake it off, but it was firmly attached. Whatever it was, it must have been inhibiting his magic aura from appearing.

Although his head was strapped down, he was able to tilt it up enough to get a look at his surroundings. He was clearly in a medical ward, but it was definitely not the hospital wing of Canterlot Castle. He was still in the Castle, though.

The Firebrand Regiment had their own base of operations in Canterlot Castle. They simply referred to it as the Compartment. They conducted the majority of their own operations from that area. Those included researching data, cataloguing their findings, and questioning suspects.

The Compartment was very well-stocked with food, bedding, medicine, and other supplies. If the situation called for it, all ten members of the Regiment could actually live there without having to leave for anything for over a year. They had not attempted to do so yet; that was more of a worst case scenario precaution.

Sir Verse A. Till had woken up in the Compartment's medical ward. When he examined his surroundings, he realized he was not alone. There were three other ponies in that room.

Two of them were Glock and Beretta. They were standing guard at the entrance of the ward.

The third pony was sitting in a stool at the foot of Verse A. Till's bed. He was glaring at the glaucous stallion in utter hatred. In spite of that, Sir Verse did not exhibit as much as a twinge of fear.

"Good morning," he slyly mumbled, "Or is it the afternoon? It's hard to tell, what with the lack of windows in here."

"I'll give you the time," Haywood McCrank drily muttered, "It's about bucking time you woke up."

"Have I kept you waiting very long?" Verse A. Till uttered mockingly "If so, I apologize."

"Oh, you have a lot more to atone for than that," Sir Haywood said sharply. He gradually rose from his stool and paced in front of the bed. He and the other knight were roughly the same age, height, and build. But almost anypony could look intimidating from one's perspective when one was lying flat on one's back. Had Sir Verse a fainter heart, he would have begun to sweat.

Verse A. Till took another look around the room, and he noted the conspicuous absence of a certain stallion. He stated candidly "I would have expected the prince to be here, as well. Yet he is not. Why is that? Is he preoccupied at the moment?"

Haywood McCrank did not answer him. The silence spoke for itself, though. Sir Verse smiled evilly and chided "Is he lying on his back, too?"

"He is," Sir Haywood affirmed, "But not for long. Blade Bearer thought he would succeed where you failed. He didn't. I saw to that."

"You?" Sir Verse remarked, scoffing, "You overpowered an officer of the Royal Guard? Unlikely."

"I have witnesses who can attest to it," Sir Haywood coolly proclaimed, "You're lucky you were unconscious when I caught Blade Bearer. After I pulled him off the prince, I decided to turn him into a pony-sized pincushion. I carved him up like a hunk of firewood. Now he's taking up space in the morgue."

Verse A. Till did not know what was more unsettling: the way Sir Haywood was making cunning metaphors about how he killed Blade Bearer, or the way his voice sounded so unemotionally stoic when he made them. Still, he did not let fear set in.

"If your hope is to frighten me, Sir Haywood, you're doing a dismal job," Sir Verse drily murmured.

"I'm not trying to frighten you, Sir Verse," Sir Haywood disclosed, "Not yet, that is. I'm trying to be diplomatic with you."

"I thought you didn't negotiate with terrorists," Verse A. Till recounted.

"I don't," Haywood McCrank proclaimed, "Not officially, at least. But this is not a negotiation. Nor is it officially on the record. As far as everypony else knows, this conversation never happened."

"That right?" the glaucous stallion snapped, "So, what shall we 'never' talk about?"

"Well, we could keep exchanging witticisms with each other," the indigo stallion conjectured, "But that'll accomplish nothing. So I'll cut right to the chase. You are going to help us find your colleagues and bring them to justice."

"And why would I do that?" Verse A. Till asked rhetorically.

"I'll give you plenty of reasons why," Haywood McCrank proclaimed, "To begin, you've only alive because the prince chose to spare you. He could have chosen Cashew Lane or Billow Health just as easily. I would not have discriminated, either. If it had been you who shot Bronze Star, I would have killed you as easily and readily as I killed Blade Bearer. You would be wise to cooperate with me. Otherwise…"

At that, he placed his left front hoof on the hilt of his knife. The gesture was subtle, but impossible to miss.

"Let's say I agreed to cooperate," Verse A. Till speculated, "What happens once I outlive my usefulness?"

"You should think more on what could happen before that," Sir Haywood McCrank advised him, "You know, only a few ponies know that you were involved in the attempt on Bronze Star's life. Your betrayal is not yet common knowledge. Of course, that's much more for Celestia's sake than for yours. She already suffered enough embarrassment when Blade Bearer sullied the reputation of the Royal Guard. The last thing the government needs is for the fact that the assistant to the Chairpony of the War Council is a turncoat and an assassin to be made public, too.

"In addition to that, if your participation in the murder attempt became widely-known, your survival would, as well," Sir Haywood continued, "That would not bode well for any of us, least of all you. I'm willing to wager that if your associates learn that one of their number has been apprehended, they will concentrate all of their resources on rescuing you or killing you. Given their callous nature, I'd lean towards the latter.

"Lastly, you were not the one who attacked Bronze Star," Haywood McCrank professed, "That was Blade Bearer's doing, and he has already paid for his treason. You, however, did not give the prince a scratch. You still have the chance to compensate for your crimes. You should take that chance while it's available."

Verse A. Till gazed inquisitively at the other knighted stallion, as though he was actually considering the idea of cooperating with him. Ultimately, he just grimaced furiously and spat heatedly "Go to Tartarus."

Haywood McCrank raised an eyebrow and spoke bluntly "Nothing to say, huh? Very well…"

He gradually trotted around the right side of Verse A. Till's bed, and he stopped when he was standing directly in front of the other stallion's right front leg. He stared down at Sir Verse in total silence for a bit.

Then he drew his knife and pressed the tip of it against the bandage on the glaucous stallion's front hoof. Verse A. Till instantly felt a rush of pain in his leg, and he lightly groaned in distress.

"One way or another, you're going to talk, Sir Verse," Haywood McCrank softly commented as he applied more pressure to the bandage with his knife, "You may be determined to keep your mouth shut now, but I can 'persuade' you to change your mind. Nopony's resolve is indestructible."

From that moment on, Sir Haywood McCrank spent nearly half of his investigation time with Sir Verse A. Till. The indigo stallion had the glaucous stallion interrogated lengthily for hours every day. The Firebrand Regiment was more than happy to assist with the questioning process.

Verse A. Till proved to be even tougher than he looked. No matter how hard they pressed him, they could not even get him to admit his middle name.

After the first week, Sir Haywood decided to employ some more extreme measure. He moved Sir Verse from an interrogation booth to a torture chamber. There he had Sir Verse subjected to all forms of torment. He was tortured physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually.

Verse A. Till did not react very well to the torture. After just a few days, he was evidently in tremendous agony. All the same, he would not loosen his tongue.

One day, Sir Haywood tried something completely different. He went to Sir Verse and claimed that if he chose to cooperate, Celestia would grant him a full royal pardon for all his crimes. He would be allowed to live in peace and freedom for the rest of his life after he helped bring the other Vermane to justice.

Sir Haywood had not run that proposal past Princess Celestia yet, mostly because he did not wish to pester her with what she called trivial matters. He doubted she would have approved it, anyway. At this point, he was just desperate to finally get somewhere.

Unfortunately, Sir Verse saw straight through his act. He felt a strange sense of triumph when he noticed Sir Haywood's desperation. He flat-out refused the royal pardon, and he cheekily observed "It looks as though your resolve might break before mine, Sir Haywood."

The worst part was that Sir Haywood could not refute that statement.

Three weeks after the Grand Galloping Gala was Bronze Star's twenty-sixth birthday. Unfortunately, he did not emerge from his coma on that day. Even so, Pinkie Pie threw a party for him in the hospital wing. The party was just as much for the gold stallion's friends as it was for him. It was a refreshing escape from all the tension that had encompassed the Castle lately.

The party had a fairly decent turnout. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rough Rider, Dapple Rhomb, Copper Hollow, Noble Edict, all ten members of the Firebrand Regiment, and most of the Castle's staff showed up for it. Several of them only came out of respect for Bronze Star. Others came just to provide moral support for Princess Celestia, who still had yet to leave her son's side. Regardless of their intentions, everypony who appeared at the party was welcomed.

Only one of the invitees did not attend. That was Sir Haywood McCrank.

Ever since Celestia tasked him with locating the Vermane, he had literally spent every waking moment working towards that objective. Although he had an office at the Intelligence Bureau HQ, he had taken to using a desk in the Compartment instead. He had developed quite an attachment to that desk in the past month. He had left the Compartment almost as seldom as Celestia had left the hospital wing.

Sir Haywood McCrank loved his job, and he was sometimes known as a workaholic, but this new mindset was unprecedented in him. He had become borderline obsessive over this case. It seemed to consume every unburdened part of his mind.

Before long, the case began to affect his daily habits, as well. He only ate the bare minimum nourishment that was needed to sustain him. He drank nothing but a few glasses of water every day. He had no time for adequate exercise, and he often skipped showering.

Even sleep did not come easy to him. In fact, he barely slept at all. Whenever he did fall asleep, it was usually unintentional, and more often than not, it was at his desk instead of at his bed.

On the night of Bronze Star's twentieth-sixth birthday, Sir Haywood was sitting at his desk, going over a comprehensive outline of the Vermane's movements for what felt like the thousandth time. The threat of sleep was looming over him heavily.

Sir Haywood had to struggle to keep his eyes open, he was so tired. He could hardly even remember the last time he had gotten a good night's sleep. But he would not allow himself to rest; not until he finally produced a useful lead.

He did not know the precise moment when his eyes clamped shut or his head collapsed on the surface of his desk. But as soon as that happened, Sir Haywood's strength gave out, and he drifted into a much-needed slumber.

His respite only lasted for a few seconds. After that, Sir Haywood felt a large mass being dropped onto the surface of his desk. Despite his overwhelming exhaustion, he forced himself to sit up. When he saw what the large mass was, he screamed.

There was a body lying in the center of the desk. Although the room was immersed in total darkness, Sir Haywood could tell that the figure had a horn, a pair of wings, and a gold coat. There was a huge incision in his neckline where his throat had been cut open. His eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

"No… no…" Haywood McCrank whispered in shock and denial, reaching out to Bronze Star's lifeless form.

"That's one thing you and I have in common," a menacing voice announced from behind, "We always finish what we started."

Haywood McCrank whipped around and came face-to-face with Verse A. Till. Somehow, the glaucous stallion had gotten free and armed himself. He twirled a bloodstained dagger in his healed right front hoof.

Haywood McCrank had not felt such rage since he killed Blade Bearer. He jumped to his hooves, unsheathed his knife, and shouted "You… you… bastard!"

Sir Verse then turned and galloped down the corridor. Sir Haywood promptly chased after him. He chased him out of the Compartment and around half the Castle. When he finally caught up to him, he seized Verse A. Till by the shoulder and plunged the dagger into his throat.

But when Haywood McCrank stabbed Verse A. Till, the dagger seemed to phase right through him. He was perplexed at first, and he attempted to stab him again. The dagger passed through him once more.

Sir Haywood tried again and again, but the blade went harmlessly through the glaucous stallion's body. Verse A. Till began to laugh at the indigo stallion's futile attempts to harm him.

Just then, Sir Haywood's surroundings began to change. The walls were melting, the floor was opening up, the ceiling was shrinking, and the hallway was getting progressively brighter. All the while, Verse A. Till chortled in a maniacal fashion.

Haywood McCrank was so overwhelmed by all this surreal activity that he threw his front legs over his face and yelled in distress.

At that exact moment, he heard the sound of a window shattering. He peered upward and he spotted a large silhouette rapidly approaching him. Before he had time to move, the figure grabbed ahold of Sir Haywood's sides, picked him up off the ground, and took to the air.

The next thing Sir Haywood knew, he was standing on the balcony of the Astronomy Tower in Canterlot Castle. He was not alone; his rescuer was standing a couple meters away. It only took him a moment to recognize her.

"Princess Luna?" Haywood McCrank assumed in amazement.

The blue Alicorn smiled gently and stated "It's a pleasure to see you, Sir Haywood."

"Likewise, Your Highness," the indigo Earth Pony claimed, bowing to her. He gazed around the vicinity, and he queried "Am I… asleep?"

"Yes, good Sir," Luna confirmed, "You may think you are in the Astronomy Tower with me, but you are still sitting at your desk in the Compartment. Oh, and before you ask, yes; my nephew is alive and well."

"Thank goodness," Sir Haywood mumbled, returning his knife to his sheath. He spent the next minute studying his new surroundings. He uttered in astonishment "How is this possible?"

"Tis one of the many advantages of being the Princess of the Night," Luna apprised him.

"Indeed," Haywood conceded, gazing up at the stars, "Do you do this often?"

"Oh, yes," Luna revealed, "Most of the time, I just do it when I am bored. But I generally do not interfere directly with the dreamer. However, if I find somepony in distress, I reach out to them. Even then, their distress has to be genuine, dire, and it must reflect their real-life hardships."

"What drew you to me?" Haywood McCrank enquired curiously, turning back to the princess.

"I have witnessed your recent struggles," the regal mare notified him, "My sister has given you an unenviable job. It has occupied your mind for close to a month. However, the difficulty of the assignment is not what troubles you. What you truly fear is that you will fail her."

"You are absolutely right, Your Highness," Sir Haywood coincided, "Failure has always been my greatest fear. I came dangerously close to failing Prince Bronze Star when Blade Bearer put those projectiles in him. If I fail Princess Celestia in this matter, I don't think I'll be able to live with myself."

He gazed thoughtfully off to the side and released a deep sigh. Luna stepped closer and placed her front hoof on his shoulder. She declared, "Sir Haywood, I understand your qualms. It should come as no surprise to you that I know what it feels like to let Celestia down. When I was younger, all I wanted to do was make my parents and my sister proud of me. My parents were no challenge. Celestia was much harder to please. No matter how hard I tried, she rarely acknowledged my talents. I got the impression that nothing I did would be good enough for her. That was one of the things that drove me to madness."

"Your vanity turned you into Nightmare Moon?" Haywood McCrank conjectured.

"Not just my vanity," Luna clarified, "There were several other factors that led to that. Many of which were my fault. For the longest time, I still blamed Celestia for my transformation. But I was just denying responsibility for my actions. She was never any guiltier for what happened to me than I was. But when we were finally reunited, it did not matter who was guilty. We put our past disputes behind us and forgave each other everything."

Haywood McCrank nodded his head in acknowledgment. He pronounced "I'm glad you were able to make amends with your sister. Still, it could not have been entirely easy to reconnect with her. After all, how does one put aside one thousand years of estrangement?"

"As you can imagine, doing so is not simple," Luna professed, "Especially when you consider how different our situations were. I often wondered if Celestia enjoyed having control over both the Sun and the Moon. Now, ironically, I find myself in that very position. I find it's not as glamorous as I envisioned it to be. But I cannot and will not complain. My sister's reason for being unable to control either the Sun or the Moon is much worse than the one I had."

"How do you mean?" Sir Haywood inquired.

"I was stranded on the Moon for a millennium," Luna expounded, "My sister is stricken with worry over her son's well-being. I have no children of my own. Yet, that is. Even so, I can comprehend what my sister is going through. I would much rather be stranded in isolation indefinitely than fret over the possible loss of my only child."

"If I had children, I'm certain I would rather that, too," Haywood McCrank contended. He released another deep sigh and thought aloud "I just hope I'll be able to give Princess Celestia some reassurance before long. It's been three weeks, and we're still no closer to finding the Vermane."

"Give yourself some credit, Sir Haywood," Princess Luna debated, "The Vermane were killing ponies long before Bronze Star was even conceived. You've been pursuing them for almost two decades. You cannot be expected to find them in a few weeks."

"That is a good point," Haywood concurred, "Even so… I have nothing to show for my investigation thus far. Nothing, nothing, nothing."

"Perhaps not nothing," Luna countered casually, "I'd like to show you something."

Before the Superintendent could ask, their surroundings changed again. Haywood McCrank found himself and Princess Luna in the center of a busy street. There were tall buildings all around them. Many of those buildings had at least one neon light sign. Most of those buildings were hotels or casinos. Dozens of ponies were on the adjoining sidewalks, but none of them paid any mind to the federal investigator or the princess.

"This is Las Pegasus," Sir Haywood stated, astounded.

"What gave it away?" Luna slyly murmured.

"Whose dream is this?" Haywood McCrank queried.

Princess Luna turned him towards the west. Further down the street, a stallion with a familiar glaucous coat was trotting alone.

"Is that Sir Verse A. Till?" Haywood McCrank asked in interest.

"It is," Luna replied.

"Why would he be dreaming about this city?" Sir Haywood wondered.

"Whenever somepony is greatly troubled by an event in real life, they often dream about a certain place," Luna explicated, "That place could either be a haven for their worries, or the trigger for their worries. Which do you think?"

"Well, during our first investigation into the Vermane, we uncovered a lead that suggested that their main base might have been located in Las Pegasus," Haywood thought aloud, "But that was just a theory. Right now, I doubt they even have an HQ of any kind, and if they did, it should have been in Detrot."

"Could it be possible that Las Pegasus serves some other purpose to the Vermane's activities?" Luna hypothesized.

"That's certainly a possibility," Sir Haywood admitted. He glanced after Verse A. Till and proposed "Let's follow him."

The indigo stallion and the blue mare hastily trotted after the glaucous stallion. To avoid tipping him off, they kept their distance.

Eventually, he led them to a large bank in the center of the city. After looking over both his shoulders, he stepped inside.

"Can we go inside there?" Sir Haywood suggested.

Luna nodded again, and she switched their environment from the streets of Las Pegasus to the interior of the bank Verse A. Till just entered. They stood off to the side and watched as Sir Verse approached the counter and spoke with the teller.

"What could he be doing here?" Sir Haywood questioned.

"He's had this dream every night for the last five days," Luna informed him, "It's the exact same routine every time. From what I can gather, he has two different holdings in this bank. The first one is a regular bank account. For that one, he merely asks the teller if it is in order. The other one is a safety deposit box. That one, he has the teller get out so he can examine the contents."

Haywood McCrank rubbed his temple in deep thought, and then he muttered "How should we follow up on this?"

"Maybe we could sneak a peek at the safety deposit box," Luna recommended.

"This is a dream, Your Highness," Sir Haywood drily commented, "Why would it bother with such a minor detail as the contents of that box?"

"This is his dream," Luna debated, "So he must know what's inside. And if he knows what's supposed to be in there, it will be in there."

"What if his subconscious mind won't let us know that?" Haywood contended.

"The only way he could prevent us is if he knew we were here," Luna asserted, "Right now, he doesn't. I would suggest we take advantage of that."

"Okay, if you insist, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank conceded.

The two of them stood by and waited until Verse A. Till returned to the lobby of the bank and left the bank altogether. Then they entered the room with the safety deposit boxes. Luna directed Sir Haywood to the box that belonged to Sir Verse, and she used her magic to remove and unlock it.

Sir Haywood tentatively opened the box and peered inside. Within seconds, his eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth dropped open. After that, a smirk began to form on his face.

"Well?" Luna asked expectantly, eagerly awaiting the Earth Pony's response.

Sir Haywood McCrank held a wicked grin that spanned almost the length of his cheeks. He retained that grin as he looked up at the princess and wryly pronounced "I think we just found the key to making Sir Verse talk."