Fortune Favors The Bold

by TheEquestrianWing

Nothing Goes Unnoticed

Bronze Star processed the deduction that Noble Edict had just presented about their missing suspect. Then he stated "Alright, Noble. If you believe we should call off the search, I'm in agreement. But keep your officers on high alert. Just because that mare is gone, that doesn't mean we've seen the last of her."

"I understand what you mean, sir," the chief of security acknowledged. She returned the plastic bag containing the cloak to her saddle bag, closed it up, and remarked "Although we've lost that mare, we may still learn something from her dead colleagues. We should get to the morgue."

After traversing through two more hallways, Bronze Star and Noble Edict arrived at the morgue. There were six ponies inside this room. Four of them were lying down on steel tables with white sheets draped over them. The other two were medical examiners.

One of the examiners was a male Earth Pony with a magenta coat, an olive mane, and sky blue irises. The other was a female Pegasus with a russet coat, a plum mane, and brown irises. Both of them were clad in scrubs.

When the red mare and the gold stallion entered the room, the two examiners approached them.

"Good Day, Mr. Ambassador," the male physician greeted, holding out his right front hoof. As Bronze Star shook hooves with him, the physician informed him "I am Dr. Curt Tread. This is my colleague, Dr. Gale Torrent."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," the female physician commented as she too shook hooves with Bronze Star.

The young prince nodded his head in salutation. Then he thought aloud "Noble Edict tells me you need my authorization before you began dissecting the cultists."

"That is correct," Dr. Tread confirmed, "We've had their bodies on ice for the past four days, but we would prefer not to delay for much longer."

"By all means, start at your leisure," Bronze Star conceded, "Had I known that you were waiting until I gave the word, I would have come by sooner. Believe me; I'm just as interested as you are in acquiring new evidence."

"In that case, would you like to stay for the autopsies?" Dr. Torrent offered.

Bronze Star had planned to get some lunch after he left the hospital, and the sight of corpses did not quite appeal to his appetite. However, he was just as curious as Noble Edict and her security detail were about these cultists. After thinking for a moment, he answered with "I don't think I'll stay for all four, but I suppose I could stay for one. Which of them was the one stabbed SIG Sauer?"

"That would be this stallion over here," Dr. Tread replied, gesturing to the second bed from the left, "His name is Dense Miasma."

"Could you start with him?" Bronze Star requested.

"Any particular reason why?" queried Dr. Torrent.

"While that hooded mare was calling the shots, I'm inclined to believe Dense Miasma may have been the second-in-command," Bronze Star explicated, "If so, he may have the greatest likelihood of yielding some useful information."

Dr. Tread and Dr. Torrent found this to be a logical pretext, and they agreed to start with Dense Miasma.

Unbeknownst to them, Bronze Star had another reason for choosing to begin with Dense Miasma. This reason was not as empirical; it was much more personal. SIG Sauer was his teacher and his friend. Because of that, Bronze Star wished to look into the eyes of the filth who put SIG in this hospital.

Dr. Torrent rolled a table of forensics equipment over to the left side of Dense Miasma's bed. Then she slowly pulled the white sheet off his body, all the way down to his tail. Dense Miasma's body had become pale and stiff, but his face was still recognizable.

Dr. Tread approached the right side of Dense Miasma's bed. He held a recording device in his right front hoof. Before he commenced the autopsy, he had to catalogue everything he could determine through simple visual examination.

He held down the button on top of the recording device and uttered into the small mic: "Case file #0393, Dense Miasma. Subject is a 27-year-old male Unicorn. Cerulean coat, grey mane, black eyes. Cutie mark: a colorless mass of fog. Cause of death: severe brain trauma triggered by a switchblade to the back of the cranium."

Dr. Tread spent about twenty minutes using this approach as he studied the exterior of Dense Miasma's body. Every five minutes, he and Dr. Torrent gave the corpse a quarter rotation on the bed, and he continued chronicling their findings. As Dr. Tread spoke into his recording device, Dr. Torrent took pictures of Dense Miasma from different angles with a digital camera.

When Dense Miasma was lying flat on his back again, Dr. Tread noticed a faint inconsistency in the deceased stallion's coat. The area along his hindquarters appeared to be slightly lighter in hue than the rest of his hide. It was also much smoother and tidier.

Dr. Tread raised an eyebrow and muttered into his recording device "Fur along subject's flank appears to be flattened out, as if groomed several times over. This same patch of fur contains a mild discoloration, as if bleached with lye."

Dr. Tread thought his nose detected an aroma other than the smell of rotting corpses and additives. He leaned forward and sniffed Dense Miasma's lower region once. He also realized that the edges of the discoloration were quite flaky. He continued with "The scent of the patch of fur is… bittersweet. Bears an odd resemblance to a mixture of starch and tree sap. The skin surrounding the patch seems to be peeling, like a sunburn."

Dr. Tread focused on the patch of fur for about ten seconds. Then he lifted his free front hoof up to Dense Miasma's flank and rubbed it against the left edge of the discoloration. After a few seconds, the side of the patch came loose.

When that happened, Dr. Tread gazed up at his assistant and ordered her "Gale, hand me a No. 18 scalpel."

"Coming right up, Curt," Dr. Torrent affirmed. She turned to the table of tools, picked up the instrument her colleague had asked for, and passed it over to him.

Once he had the scalpel, Dr. Tread returned his attention to Dense Miasma. He kept a firm grip on the handle, he slid the tip of the blade underneath the loose piece of skin on the dead stallion's flank. He spread it very slowly and carefully. As the scalpel was moved further and further inward, more and more of the discolored patch of fur was peeled off.

It only took Dr. Tread a minute to completely flay the discolored patch of fur. Dense Miasma's cutie mark was on this patch, but it was taken off as well. When the patch was removed from his flank, it was revealed that the mass of fog was not Dense Miasma's cutie mark after all.

Dr. Tread dropped the fake skin covering into a small metal basin. Then he said into his recording device "New development: subject had a false cutie mark imprinted on his flank. His true cutie mark is now visible."

Upon hearing this, Bronze Star and Noble Edict approached the right side of Dense Miasma's bed. At first glance, the new image on his flank was indiscernible. His actual cutie mark was quite different than a mass of fog.

Dense Miasma's cutie mark was composed of five interconnected shapes. Two of them were circles. One was yellow; the other was white. The yellow one was three times larger than the white one. The other three shapes were rectangular. Two of them were brown, curved, and at one end, they broke off into five smaller digits. The third one was silver and perfectly straight. The single ends of the three rectangular prisms were touching the white circle, and the silver prism and the ten digits of the brown prisms were touching the yellow circle.

"What do you make of that?" Noble Edict inquired.

"I've never seen anything like it," Dr. Tread perceived, "From what I've seen, most cutie marks are meant to resemble an everyday object. This cutie mark looks more like an insignia than anything else."

"And a most interesting insignia it is," Bronze Star commented, "Why do you suppose Dense Miasma was covering it up?"

"He must've had his reasons," Noble Edict conjectured. There was a brief interval of silence, and then the red mare looked around at the other beds and suggested "Take a look at the others."

Dr. Torrent turned around and partly lifted up the sheet on the adjoining bed. She saw a bouquet of flowers on this pony's flank; Petal Picker's cutie mark. However, her flank was pale and smelled of starch and tree sap. Dr. Tread raised the sheet on the bed furthest left. Sure enough, Soapstone's cutie mark of a clay sculpture was tinted as well. Bronze Star checked up on the bed furthest right. Tough Titan's cutie mark appeared to be a cannon, but it was clearly tarnished.

"They all have the same discoloration on their flanks," Noble Edict noted, "Their cutie marks have been fabricated."

"I know we decided to start with Dense Miasma's autopsy, but let's go ahead and take a look at the others' cutie marks," Bronze Star proposed.

Although this was a mild breach of protocol, Dr. Tread and Dr. Torrent agreed to the prince's suggestion. They removed the discolored patches of fur from Petal Picker, Soapstone, and Tough Titan. Subsequently, the examiners found that the four bodies all had the exact same symbol as a cutie mark.

"This is impossible," Bronze Star proclaimed, "Never in the history of Equestria have two ponies shared identical cutie marks."

"I wouldn't say they're entirely identical," Dr. Tread remarked, "Their shapes and configuration are the same, but they are minutely different in terms of size, colors, and positions."

"Still, they're similar enough to rouse suspicion," Noble Edict declared, "Take a picture of one of these cutie marks. I want to submit it to the research department."

Dr. Torrent switched out her digital camera for a film camera. Then she walked around Dense Miasma's bed and captured a shot of the cerulean Unicorn's cutie mark. When the photograph slid out of the slot, Dr. Torrent removed it and vigorously shook it to enhance the resolution. Once it had optimal quality, she gave it to the chief of security.

As Noble Edict examined the photograph, Bronze Star pronounced "Well, I think I've seen enough here. This is more than enough evidence to leave me content. I'm going to leave you two to your work."

"Shame," Dr. Tread said cheekily, "We were just getting to the good part."

Bronze Star scoffed and retorted with "I appreciate the offer, but I'd prefer not to have a firsthand lesson on equine anatomy."

"Suit yourself, Mr. Ambassador," Dr. Torrent remarked, "We'll keep you apprised of any other details that come to light."

Bronze Star accepted this proposition. Then he and Noble Edict stepped out of the morgue.

As the two equines made their way to the front entrance of the hospital, the gold stallion noticed that the red mare was still studying the photograph.

"If you want, Noble, I could send that to the Intelligence Bureau in Canterlot," Bronze Star offered, "Their archives are much broader than Ponyville's. They may have a greater chance of deciphering that symbol and finding a connection to it sooner."

"Well, personally, I'd prefer to keep this information private," Noble Edict divulged, "However, since you speak for the government, it's still your call. But first I'd like to file this with the research department. Once they've filed it, I'll bring you the photograph. Then you may do whatever you wish with it."

Bronze Star found this to be an acceptable arrangement.

When he and Noble Edict left the hospital, Bronze Star announced "Well, despite just coming out of a room full of corpses, I've managed to hold on to my appetite. I'm going to get some lunch. You want to come along?"

"I'll eat later," Noble replied, "Right now, I still have work to do. I'm off to the apartment complex."

"How come?" Bronze Star enquired.

"Petal Picker, Soapstone, and Dense Miasma were staying there when they lived in Ponyville," she enlightened him.

"Are you going to search their flat?" he presumed.

"No, we've already done that," Noble Edict apprised him, "That was the very first place I sent my crime scene investigation team. We've almost literally torn that place apart looking for clues. Unfortunately, the cultists did a marvelous job of covering their tracks. The cumulative information we acquired from their suite was trivial at best."

"Yet you're going back there," Bronze Star noted.

"I still want to question the landlord, Mr. Lessee," Noble Edict expounded, "Nopony enters that lot without speaking to him first. He may have seen something that nopony else saw."

"Like what?" asked Bronze Star.

"Specifically, I couldn't say," Noble Edict admitted, "But when conducting an investigation of this scope, I have to be absolutely thorough. I don't wish to overlook anything."

"I understand that notion," Bronze Star professed, "If anything new pops up, be sure to fill me in."

"I shall," she guaranteed him.

Bronze Star and Noble Edict then went their separate ways. Noble headed northeast towards the apartment complex, and Bronze travelled northwest to the town square. When he got there, he looked around for a restaurant. In the midst of his search, he heard a voice shout "I CAN'T DECIDE!"

Bronze Star recognized the voice as Twilight Sparkle's and headed towards the source. He found her sitting outside a café with Spike. After the waiter took their order, Bronze Star approached his friends and stated cockily "Indecision is frustrating, isn't it?"

The lavender mare and the baby dragon turned to the gold stallion. Spike gave him a friendly smile. Twilight drearily sighed and responded with "No kidding. If anypony knows that, it's me."

"What's wrong?" Bronze Star asked in concern.

"Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity know about the tickets," Spike illuminated.

"They've all expressed interest in being invited, too," Twilight went on, "Now I have to choose between five candidates for the other ticket instead of two. Ugh, this is a hopeless mess I've gotten myself into."

"Perhaps I could help you pick," Bronze Star proposed. He sat down at the table with them and queried "Did the others give their reasons for wanting to attend the gala?"

"Yeah, and they're all good ones," Twilight informed him, "Fluttershy wants to see the castle's garden. Rarity wants to meet Prince Blueblood. Pinkie Pie wants to partake in the festivities."

Bronze Star had to admit that those reasons were slightly better than Rainbow Dash's reason, but his opinion on who had the best reason had not changed. He told the magic student "If you want my advice, I say you should give the ticket to Applejack. She asked for it first, and she has the only reason to go that isn't out of her own interests."

"Well, that's certainly true," Twilight concurred. There was quiet for a few seconds, and then Twilight questioned sardonically "Is there… another reason you're recommending her?"

Bronze Star blushed slightly at this remark. Apparently, Twilight had noticed how well he and Applejack had gotten along that morning. Twilight scoffed and told him "Relax, Bronze; I don't judge. Applejack seems like a nice mare."

"Yes, but I've only known her for a few days," he pointed out, "That's much too early to be thinking about… that stuff."

Twilight just nodded her head in agreement. Then her smirk faded and she disclosed "I'll take your suggestion into account, but I'll still need some time to think."

"Twilight, if the decision is bothering you that much, I may have an alternative," Bronze Star informed her, "I could speak to my mother. Maybe I could convince her to send you four more tickets. Sure, tickets to the gala are coveted, but they're not scarce. She could easily afford to spare half a dozen of them for you and the others."

"I'd certainly be grateful for that, Bronze," Twilight remarked, "But getting invited to the gala is both an honor and a privilege. It feels wrong to just ask for more tickets. I don't want Princess Celestia to speculate that I'm trying to take advantage of her hospitality."

"I'm quite positive she wouldn't get that idea," Bronze Star inferred, "But if you'd prefer to solve this in your own way, I'll let you."

Twilight Sparkle nodded her head in approval. After some more silence, she sighed again and muttered anxiously "How do I choose? And when I do choose, will the other four be mad at me? I mean, I could give up my ticket and give away two, but that would still leave three disappointed ponies. What if I—"

She was interrupted by the waiter, who had returned with a daffodil and daisy sandwich and a plate of hay fries. He placed them on the table and said "Ah, your food."

Spike started tucking in to the hay fries and Twilight eyed the sandwich hungrily. She told the waiter appreciatively "Oh thank you. This looks so good."

The waiter was about to go back inside, but he noticed a third patron had come to the table. He turned to Bronze Star and asked "Can I get you anything, sir?"

Bronze Star lightly shrugged his shoulders and inquired "What would you recommend?"

The waiter stated in his thick French accent "Ze special of ze day is eggplant steaks grilled with a side of sautéed asparagus and bruschetta."

"Alright, I guess I'll have that," Bronze Star decided.

"Certainly, sir," the waiter responded, "I'll have it out for you shortly."

"Thank you…" Bronze Star began. He leaned forward a little to read the waiter's nametag, and he added in "Savoir Fare."

The waiter nodded and headed back inside the café. Bronze Star turned to Spike and Twilight Sparkle. The baby dragon was still happily devouring his fries, but the lavender mare had not yet started on her sandwich.

"Go ahead and eat," Bronze Star beckoned her, "You don't have to wait for my meal to get here."

"Thanks," Twilight remarked. She used her magic to pick up her sandwich and figured "I'm sure everything will be much clearer once I eat."

She was about to take the first bite when the ponies at the other tables suddenly rose up and galloped towards the café. Savoir Fare held the front door open to allow them entry. Once they were all through, he gazed over Twilight's table and stated "Em, madam? Are you going to eat your food in ze rain?

"It's not raining," was Twilight's response.

Bronze Star looked around the table and countered her statement with "I beg to differ."

The area surrounding the table was dark, grey, and covered with rainclouds. For whatever reason, their table was the only dry and sunny spot in sight.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked in perplexity.

She, Bronze, and Spike looked up and noticed there was a small opening in the clouds. A moment later, Rainbow Dash appeared at the opening and called down "Hi there, best friend forever I've ever, ever had. Enjoying the sunny weather?"

Despite Rainbow's sociable tone, Twilight did not react with the same zeal. She asked shiftily "Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?"

"Whaddya you mean?" Rainbow pronounced, "I just saw the smartest, most generous pony about to get rained on, so I thought I'd kick a hole in the clouds to keep her dry so she could dine in peace, that's all."

"I wonder if she's even noticed you or me yet," Bronze Star muttered to Spike.

"Doesn't look like it," Spike drily observed as he finished the last of his hay fries.

Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes and stated "Rainbow, you're not trying to get extra consideration for the extra ticket by doing me extra special favors, are you?"

"Me?" Rainbow responded innocently, "No, no, no, of course not."

"Uh-huh," Twilight commented, clearly unconvinced.

"Seriously, I'd do it for anypony," Rainbow insisted.

"In that case, perhaps you'd like to help them out, Rainbow?" Bronze Star suggested, gesturing to a few ponies in the area who were running for shelter.

"Heh heh, eh," Rainbow chuckled guiltily.

Twilight Sparkle glared up at the cyan Pegasus and snapped "Rainbow, I am not comfortable accepting unwanted favors, so I'd appreciate it if you close up that rain cloud right now."

"Ugh, fine." Rainbow mumbled. She zipped up the raincloud, disappearing from sight and immersing the whole area in total darkness at the same time.

"That's better," Twilight called out gratefully. She was about to start eating her sandwich, but the rain reached the table before she could. Her sandwich became soaked, as did her mane. Twilight groaned in frustration, and Spike repressed the urge to laugh.

Bronze Star lightly scoffed and gazed off to the side. He noticed Rarity was standing under an umbrella a few meters away from the table. She announced to the magic student "Twilight, it's raining,"

"No, really?" the lavender mare scathingly retorted.

The grey Unicorn grabbed her from behind, pulled her away from the table, and urged her "Come with me before you catch a cold."

Bronze Star and Spike watched as Rarity escorted Twilight to a building which Bronze Star assumed to be Carousel Boutique. The dragon turned to the gold stallion and told him "I'm gonna follow them."

"Okay," Bronze Star acknowledged, "I'd tag along, but I'm still waiting on my food. I guess I'll just see you later."

Spike nodded, got up from his seat, and ran after the two Unicorns. For a few seconds, Bronze Star was left on his own in the rain. Not wanting to get drenched any more than he already was, he decided to go inside the café. Most of the tables were occupied, but he found a vacant booth near the entrance. When Savoir Fare approached him, Bronze Star informed the waiter that he would take his foot at the booth, and that he would also pay for Spike's hay fries and Twilight Sparkle's sandwich.

A few minutes later, Savoir Fare arrived with his food. The waiter placed the plate in front of the gold stallion and bid him "Bon appetit."

This was the first full meal Bronze Star had eaten outside the embassy while in Ponyville. While the service here was not as excellent as it was in Canterlot, it was much more than adequate. The eggplant steaks were juicy and succulent, the asparagus was cooked to perfection, and the bruschetta was as flavorful as it was fragrant.

Bronze Star ate his lunch in silence. However, he did not quite eat alone. Every now and then, he looked up from his plate. Whenever he did, at least two or three ponies were gazing in his direction. A few were not even trying to be discreet.

Bronze Star chose to ignore these stares. They were infrequent and brief, and he was used to them. Aside from that, nopony was really bothering him. After all, they were just looking towards him.

When he finished his meal, Bronze Star asked Savoir Fare for the check. Once he received the bill, he placed his knapsack on his lap and opened it up. As he searched for his money bag, he found the scroll he had received earlier from Bellerophon. He had not yet looked at it, but by no means had he forgotten about the thing. He decided to read it as soon as he got to a remote area.

Bronze Star soon found his money bag, opened it up, and removed some bits. He used them to pay for his meal, as well as Spike's fries and Twilight's sandwich. He made certain to leave a large tip for Savoir Fare as well. He placed the money next to his plate, closed up his knapsack, and left the café

By this point, the rain had subsided, much to Bronze Star's relief. He casually sauntered through the streets of Ponyville and looked around for a place where he could read his letter in private. He was hoping for a dark alley or an empty building.

Ultimately, he resorted to a bench in the park. While it was technically out in the open, the vicinity appeared to be totally deserted. After ascertaining that he was alone, Bronze Star sat down at the bench, opened his knapsack up again, and removed the scroll.

He slowly unraveled the scroll and examined it. He examined its contents quickly but thoroughly, taking notes as he read. He reread the letter twice to make certain he had not misinterpreted or overlooked anything. The letter was short, but it contained the information he was hoping to obtain.

Most of the message was about SIG Sauer. According to what Bellerophon had written, the three people Bronze Star had asked the palomino Pegasus to tell about SIG Sauer's hospitalization had indeed been informed of it. All three of them would be coming to Ponyville in three days to see both SIG and Bronze Star. They had also been made aware of the fact that Bronze Star had altered his appearance, and that he was living under a different identity.

The rest of the message was about him and Princess Luna. There were questions about how he had adjusted to life in Ponyville, how his aunt had adapted to it, and how the search for the hooded mare was faring. At the end, there was a note from Princess Celestia. In this note, she stated that Canterlot was prepared to give Princess Luna a royal welcome whenever she chose to come to the capital city. However, Celestia made it clear that Luna did not have to travel to Canterlot until she felt she was ready.

When he was finished reading, Bronze Star rolled the scroll up and returned it to his knapsack. He wanted to write a response to this letter straightaway. However, he did not have any quills, ink, or parchment with him at the time. So he had some shopping to do.

Bronze Star headed back into town and made his way to the general store. There he bought everything he needed to write a letter. Once he had all these materials, he went back to the park and wrote a letter of his own. In it, he acknowledged everything in Bellerophon's message, and he declared that he would be ready to greet the three aforementioned individuals. He answered the questions about himself, Luna, and the hooded mare as best he could. He also said he would inform Luna about her welcome party.

Once he finished the letter, Bronze Star wrapped it up with the royal seal and placed it in his knapsack. He planned to send it to Canterlot before the day was out. He could have mailed it from the post office, but he felt this would not have been fast or direct enough. He believed Spike still possessed the most expedient method of delivery. So he decided that whenever he next encountered the baby dragon, he would give him the letter.

Bronze Star had no other plans for the rest of the day. He thought about going back to the embassy, but he had already spent plenty of the past three days in that building. Aside from that, he figured Luna was still preoccupied with her reading. If so, she probably would not want to be disturbed.

With this in mind, Bronze Star decided to spend a few more hours outside before he went back to the embassy. As he reentered the town, he contemplated what he could do there for the rest of the afternoon. He thought about looking for the girls and seeing if they were available. But he quickly recalled that Rainbow Dash had tried to bribe Twilight Sparkle for her extra ticket to the gala. Because of that, he found it logical to hypothesize that Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie may have been endeavoring to reach this same goal. If that was the case, the five mares would probably be much too busy getting Twilight's attention to hang out. As for Twilight, Bronze Star suspected she would be too busy avoiding the other mares.

Since all his friends were preoccupied at present, Bronze Star decided to just spend the next few hours wandering around Ponyville. He found various ways to pass the time.

He visited different stores and browsed through their inventories. Occasionally, he conversed with the vendors and the other customers. Many of them had some very interesting things to talk about.

Later on, he stopped by the market to do some grocery shopping. While there was plenty of food stockpiled at the embassy, there were a few special ingredients it did not carry. Bronze Star needed these special ingredients for later that night. He was planning to make a certain dish from Canterlot for dinner. It was one of his favorites, and he was hoping that Luna would enjoy it, too.

Bronze Star managed to make a few more friends that day. One of them was the grey, blonde, cross-eyed Pegasus he had seen at the library and the town square. This was the third time he had encountered her, and this time he finally learned her name. She was known as "Derpy." He was not certain if that was her actual name or a nickname; she did not say. Although she tended to be a little accident-prone, she seemed like a nice mare.

Bronze Star chatted with Derpy for almost an entire hour. Or to be more precise, she chatted with him. Derpy ended up doing most of the talking. She was rather verbose. Fortunately, Bronze Star did not mind. He knew he could not tell her anything about his own personal life, and he had yet to make one up. So he let Derpy make the conversation mostly about her.

Their conversation lasted until the early evening. When the Sun started to set, they were approached by Noble Edict. The red mare addressed them both with "Hello, Gold. Good evening, Derpy,"

Bronze Star nodded in acknowledgment and Derpy stated "Hey, Noble. What's up?"

"Not much," Noble Edict replied. She looked the grey Pegasus in the eyes – which was a little difficult, seeing as how her pupils were pointed in the opposite directions – and told her "If you don't mind, I would like to speak to the ambassador alone."

Derpy seemed a little surprised, but not by the request itself. She turned to Bronze Star and asked in fascination "You're our ambassador?"

"Yes, I am" Bronze Star confirmed. He lightly scoffed and added in "That's about the only thing I've said about myself since this conversation began."

"Oh, okay," Derpy remarked, "Sorry, must have slipped my mind."

"No worries," the gold stallion assured her.

There was a brief period of silence, and then Derpy broke it with "I'll let you guys be so you can talk. I should be getting back to the post office, anyway. We should talk again some other time, Gold."

"Sounds good, Derpy," Bronze Star affirmed, "I'll see you around."

The grey Pegasus bid her friends farewell and left the town square. The gold Alicorn and the red Earth Pony watched her as she disappeared from sight.

When they were alone, Noble Edict turned to Bronze Star and stated frankly "I see you've met our mailmare."

"She seems like a really pleasant individual," Bronze Star perceived, "But I'm curious; how did she get cross-eyed?"

"Nopony knows, really," Noble Edict answered, "Her eyes have been like that ever since she was a filly. Some think she was born that way; others say she was in an accident. But whatever the reason, Derpy doesn't let her eyesight bother her. She doesn't even consider it a disability."

"That's fortunate," Bronze Star commented. There was another short interval of silence, which ended when Bronze Star said "So, what did you want to speak to me about?"

"Some new information about the cultists has turned up," she enlightened him. Currently, Noble was carrying a saddle bag. This one was thinner and sturdier than the one she had at the hospital. She opened it up, removed a folder, and explained "As you may recall, when we parted ways at the hospital, I mentioned my plan to investigate the apartment complex."

"Yeah, I remember you said that," Bronze Star asserted, "Was the landlord helpful?"

"Yes, Mr. Lessee gave us his full cooperation when we started asking questions," Noble Edict explicated, "Naturally, he denied the notion that he may have known anything about what the cultists were up to. He assured us that all he did know was that they were eager to get settled."

"So, what did he have to say?" Bronze Star queried.

"About the cultists, not much," Noble Edict continued, "According to him, Soapstone, Petal Picker, and Dense Miasma pretty much kept to themselves. They didn't share anything with Mr. Lessee other than their names and the claim that they were looking for work. We asked some of the other tenants, and none of them could tell us anything about the cultists either."

"They must've been too busy plotting to interact with the townsfolk," Bronze Star theorized, "Is that kind of behavior unusual for a small community?"

"Typically, yes," Noble Edict expounded, "However, everypony in the apartment complex is entitled to their privacy. Mr. Lessee says that he generally does not care what the occupants are up to, so long as they pay the rent and do not disturb the peace."

"Well, if we didn't learn anything new about the cultists, what did we learn?" Bronze Star queried.

"We learned that although they did not interact with their neighbors, they did not turn away everypony," Noble Edict expounded, "You see, anypony who wishes to enter the apartment complex must check in with Mr. Lessee at the front gate. In the two weeks that they lived in Ponyville, the cultists were visited by a mare. She was their only visitor, but she visited them no fewer than five times."

"What was she doing there?" Bronze Star asked in interest.

"Mr. Lessee said she claimed she was there to see the cultists about a business proposition," Noble Edict enlightened him, "She never gave her name or the name of the company she supposedly represented. But she showed Mr. Lessee her credentials, and he found them authentic."

"That doesn't really get us anywhere," Bronze Star pointed out, "Maybe she really was offering them an interview for a job. It was no secret that they were looking for work, after all."

"That is true," Noble Edict admitted, "However, the last time this mare came to the apartment complex, it was just a few hours before Nightmare Moon made her appearance. At that time, Dense Miasma, Soapstone, and Petal Picker were away in the Everfree Forest watching over the energy sphere. Mr. Lessee was aware that their flat was deserted, and when the mare showed up, he informed her that nopony was there. Even so, she insisted that he let her in. She was not there to see the cultists; she was there to retrieve something. Something she needed to recover before the Sun was up. Those were her own words."

Bronze Star was now convinced that Noble was on to something. He rubbed his chin and remarked "Do we know anything about this mare?"

"The last time anypony saw her was the morning of the Summer Sun Celebration," Noble Edict expounded, "As far as we can tell, Mr. Lessee is the only person she interacted with. Fortunately, he was able to give us a very detailed physical description of her. He was so thorough that our forensic sketch artist was able to create a drawing of her that almost perfectly matches her actual appearance."

"That's good news for us," Bronze Star pronounced, "May I see the sketch?"

"Of course," Noble Edict assured him. She opened up her folder, removed a sheet of paper, and passed it over to the gold stallion.

The paper contained a large illustration of a female Unicorn. She was in her early thirties. She had a black coat, an auburn mane, and ruby irises. At first glance, her cutie mark seemed to be an ocular lens. However, there was a small section of grey that surrounded her cutie mark. It oddly resembled the fake patches of fur that Curt Tread and Gale Torrent had found on the cultists' bodies.

"That discoloration on her flank looks oddly familiar, doesn't it?" Bronze Star asked rhetorically.

"Indeed," Noble Edict concurred, "There's one more thing you should know. Mr. Lessee said that whenever he saw the mare, she was wearing a necklace. It was silver, made of beads, and a strange, unusual accessory was hanging from it. He described the pendant as 'one circle reaching out to a larger circle with two trees and a rod.'"

Bronze Star thought about this description for a few seconds, and then he observed "That sounds an awful lot like…"

"This?" Noble Edict finished, holding up the photograph of Dense Miasma's real cutie mark.

"Yeah, like that," Bronze Star confirmed.

"That's what I thought too when I heard it from Mr. Lessee," Noble Edict revealed, "So I showed him this photograph, and he immediately identified it as the symbol on the mare's necklace."

"So her relationship with the cultists must have involved much more than a simple business proposition," Bronze Star drily concluded.

"My thoughts exactly," she asserted.

"Maybe this 'visitor' was actually the hooded mare," he supposed.

"That's certainly a possibility," Noble Edict freely admitted, "But even if that wasn't her, she must have been directly affiliated with the cultists. At any rate, we have another lead on this conspiracy."

"That's good," Bronze Star thought aloud. He gazed down at the picture and enquired "Do you have any idea who this mare is?"

"Not at present," she informed him, "We searched for her in our database, but we were unable to find her. We triple-checked to be certain. She wasn't a property-owner in Ponyville, and there was no record of her ever coming here before. So we are still without a means to identify her."

"Perhaps I can help you there," he proposed, "According to your discussion with Mr. Lessee, that mare had a valid license to hire people. She would have had to be registered with the labor department to carry that license. There must be a record somewhere of where, when, and how she came to acquire it. I am almost certain the Intelligence Bureau in Canterlot will have that record. We should consult them."

"I do like the sound of that idea," Noble Edict thought aloud, "I just want to know; are you certain it would be prudent to bring more people into this investigation?"

"Yes, I am," he answered sternly, "If you're worried about who can be trusted, I understand your concerns, Noble. However, there's somepony in the bureau that can be trusted. I've known him almost as long as I've known SIG Sauer. He's resourceful, he's loyal, and he's a patriot. I can vouch for him."

This was all the assurance Noble Edict needed. She gave Bronze Star the picture and the photograph. As he tucked them into the side pocket of his knapsack, Noble asked him "Can you estimate how long it will take to identify her?"

"Well, I can have this evidence in Canterlot by tonight," Bronze Star stated, "As soon as it reaches the Intelligence Bureau, my guy can start straightaway. It should take him about a day. Two at the most. He'll be coming to Ponyville in three days. So I'll ask him to bring along his findings."

"Alright," she coincided, "Whenever he gives you the results, could you share them with me?"

"Of course," he guaranteed her.

By this point, Noble Edict had told Bronze Star everything she needed to tell him. The sun was barely hanging over the horizon by now. Bronze Star and Noble Edict bade each other good night and parted ways again. Noble went back to her office at the barracks, and Bronze Star started heading to the embassy.

On his way there, he encountered Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and the other five mares. They were all giggling happily about something. Curious as to what it was, Bronze Star decided to investigate.

"Hey, girls," he saluted, "Hey, Spike. What's got you in such a good mood?"

In response, the six mares and the dragon showed the gold stallion that they each had a ticket to The Grand Galloping Gala.

Bronze Star smirked and asked in interest "How did you manage that?"

"Twilight couldn't decide between the five of us, so she returned both the tickets to the Princess," Pinkie Pie explained rapidly, "But Princess Celestia was just like 'you should have said so' and sent tickets for all six of us! Oh, and she sent one for Spike, too. Isn't that amazing?"

"Quite," Bronze Star remarked, scoffing.

"Looks like I should have taken your advice, Bronze," Twilight Sparkle observed, "This whole situation would have been resolved a lot sooner if I asked for more tickets."

"Maybe, but did you learn something from this event?" Bronze Star inquired.

"Actually, I did," Twilight Sparkle proudly disclosed, "Tonight I learned my first valuable lesson about friendship. It wasn't an easy one, but I'm glad I have it."

"That's good," Bronze Star perceived, "And I'm glad all of you will be going to the gala."

"As are we," Rarity announced. She gazed dreamily off to the side and remarked "I cannot even begin to imagine what it'll be like. It'll be so… incredible."

"I'd say that's an accurate label," Bronze Star commented. He paused to look around at the group, and he asked them "So, where are you all going?"

"Twilight hasn't eaten all day," Applejack elucidated, "We're takin' her to dinner to make up for puttin' her under so much distress."

"Would you like to join us?" Fluttershy propounded.

"I appreciate the offer, but I already have plans," Bronze Star responded, gesturing to the bags of groceries he was carrying on his back, "I'm going to make dinner for Luna tonight."

"Oh, alright then," Rainbow Dash said in response, "On that note, how is Princess Luna doing?"

"She's doing quite well," Bronze Star revealed, "She still inside the embassy. Won't be long before she'll be raising the Moon again."

"Give her our regards, won't you?" Twilight requested.

"I certainly will," Bronze Star stated. He then turned to the baby dragon and said "Spike, before I go, can I borrow you for a moment?"

"Sure, Bronze," Twilight's assistant agreed. He stepped up to the gold Alicorn and asked him "What can I do for you?"

Bronze Star opened up his knapsack and removed the letter he had written earlier, along with a quill and some ink. He quickly unrolled the scroll and added a short passage at the very bottom of the page. Then he took the picture and the photograph he had received from Noble Edict, placed them on the letter, and rolled it back up. After he reattached the royal seal, he handed the letter to Spike and told him "This is my response to the letter I received earlier today from Bellerophon. Could you please send it to Canterlot?"

"Sure," Spike replied. He held the scroll in the air, breathed in deeply, and exhaled a short stream of green fire on it. The scroll vanished in the flames, but Bronze Star knew it would soon rematerialize in his mother's study in Canterlot Castle.

"Thanks," he said appreciatively. As he closed up his knapsack, he told Spike and the mares "Well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow."

After bidding Spike and the mares good evening, Bronze Star continued traversing back towards the embassy. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the mares waving at him. Out of courtesy, he waved back.

It only took him five minutes to reach the embassy. Once he got there, he signed in and stepped inside.

He found Princess Luna in the library, her muzzle buried deep in some history book. She appeared to be engrossed, but she abruptly looked up when she heard somepony enter. However, she quickly realized it was just her nephew, and she smiled at him.

"Good evening, Bronze Star," she greeted him.

"Hello, Aunt Luna," he said in response, "How is your book?"

"Fairly interesting," the blue Alicorn replied, "It's amazing how much Equestria has changed in the last millennium."

"Well, a thousand years is a long time, even for us Alicorns," Bronze Star debated.

Luna lightly shrugged and stated "I suppose that's true."

She noticed the gold stallion was carrying more bags than when he left the embassy. She gestured to them and queried "What do you have there?"

"Oh, just some groceries," he apprised her, smirking, "I hope you haven't had eaten yet."

"I haven't," she disclosed.

"Good, 'cause I'm making dinner tonight," Bronze Star announced proudly.

"Oh?" Luna remarked, raising an eyebrow. When her nephew nodded his head, she smiled and asked in interest "So what are we having?"

"Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings in Broth," he replied, "It's a dish from Canterlot, and one of my personal favorites. I think you'll like it."

"It certainly sounds appetizing," Luna perceived.

"Glad to hear that," Bronze Star stated, "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

He then trotted down the hallway and made his way to the kitchen. Once he got there, he removed his grocery bags and placed them on the counter. He removed a bottle of hoisin sauce, a bottle of sesame oil, and a head of Canterlot cabbage. These were the special ingredients he bought at the market. Everything else he needed for the recipe was already in the kitchen.

Bronze Star went to work gathering up the ingredients. He muttered under his breath "Let's see here. Firm tofu, carrots, Canterlot cabbage, red bell pepper, scallions, fresh ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, one egg, salt, black pepper, wonton wrappers, broth… looks like that's everything. Better get to work."

Bronze Star started with the vegetables. First, he grated the carrots. Then he shredded the Canterlot cabbage. After that, he finely chopped the red bell pepper, the scallions, and the cilantro.

He was in the middle of mincing the fresh ginger when Luna entered the room. When he noticed her, she asked him expectantly "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not really," he replied, "Unless you'd like to handle the tofu."

She smiled and told him "I'd be happy to. I love tofu."

"Alright, thanks," Bronze Star said appreciatively. He then instructed his aunt "All you have to do is cut the block in half and press the halves on some paper towels between two plates for twenty minutes. That way, excess moisture can be removed. Once the tofu has been dried, you need to cut it into quarter-inch cubes."

Luna followed his instructions to the last detail. She thought about using magic to speed up the process, but since her nephew was not using his magic, she figured she could get along without it as well.

Once the tofu was ready, Bronze Star deposited it into a glass bowl, along with the egg, the herbs, and the vegetables. Then he measured out and added the appropriate amounts of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper. After that, he used his hooves to mash the ingredients together.

When the mixture was ready, Bronze Star used a half-teaspoon to fill the wonton wrappers. Then he folded up the wrappers and set them aside. Once the mixture bowl was empty, Bronze Star transferred them to a stand of tin plates, and he moved the stand to a pot with half an inch of boiled water. He then set the timer for twelve minutes. As the wontons steamed, Bronze Star poured a gallon of broth into a pot and placed it over medium-high heat. By the time the wontons were done cooking, the broth was boiling.

The meal was now ready. Bronze Star got out two bowls from the cabinet and set them on the counter. He distributed half of the broth and half of the wontons into each bowl. He would have carried the bowls to the dining room, but he would have needed both his front hooves to do that. So Luna used her magic to accomplish this task; Bronze Star just got a pair of spoons and two glasses of water. Once the table was set, Bronze Star and Luna sat down to eat.

Bronze Star tucked in to his food straightaway, savoring the taste. He curiously watched Luna as she ate. Even after taking several bites, she appeared to be deciding whether or not she enjoyed it.

"What do you think?" he queried.

"This is delicious," Luna told him giddily, smiling "Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"The head chef at Canterlot Castle is a stallion named Haute Cuisine," Bronze Star enlightened her, "He's the finest chef in all of Equestria. He's given me a few culinary lessons over the years. This is one of his favorite recipes. Mine as well."

"I can see why," Luna remarked as she continued to eat, "It's well on the way to becoming one of my favorites, too."

"I'm pleased to hear that," Bronze Star thought aloud. After swallowing a mouthful of broth, he looked up at the blue mare and stated "You know, Aunt Luna, this is just a taste of what Canterlot has to offer. Whenever you go there, you'll be able to experience the full extent of Equestria's modern wonders."

Luna did not respond to this statement right away. But a smile slowly crept onto her face and she declared "That sounds… lovely. Very, very lovely indeed."

She then looked down at her nephew and said admiringly "Thank you, Bronze Star. Thank you for dinner and… for everything else."

Bronze Star was slightly perplexed by that last bit. "What do you mean?" he queried.

"A few days ago, I was very much against the idea of going to Canterlot," Luna clarified, "Primarily because I was afraid. Afraid of what the public's general reaction would be. Afraid that there were people who might not have forgiven me for what I did in the past. Afraid that they would still see me as the monster I once was. But living here with you at the embassy has made me rethink my stance. Because of you, I do not have to be afraid any longer. Because of you, I know that I can find amity, forgiveness, and hope. Through your actions, you have proven to me that goodness can be found anywhere in this world."

Bronze Star did not get emotional very often, but he could not help himself. He was so moved by his aunt's words that he got up from his chair, trotted over to her, and embraced her warmly. She did not reject his advances. Instead, she smiled tenderly and hugged him back. A single tear slid out of her eye and landed softly on her nephew's forehead. It landed right on the spot where his horn would have been.

Comments

[Sea_Swirl]

I love this story!!! are you going to try to make it up to season 4 I know that's ALOT but I can't help but wonder what bronzes reaction would be to "simple ways"

[TheEquestrianWing]

4564047 Thank you for the comment; I'm pleased to see you're enjoying this so far.
In answer to your question, yes, I plan to take this all the way to Season 4 (and beyond). Simple Ways is a long way away, but I do look forward to it with especial interest. You can expect that Bronze Star will be less than thrilled when he discovers who in Ponyville Trenderhoof is infatuated with. Heh heh heh...

[Sea_Swirl]

4566149 lol that's sooo cool!! taking it all the way to season 4 wow this story might be going to for a while then unless you cancel it but its a really good story and I love it so far!

[Mr_Moon]

aaaaaawwwww poor woona

[Truthseeker]

Two spelling errors in this chapter:

Which of them was the one stabbed SIG Sauer?"

*who*

The other was that our hero told Savoir Fare that he would take his foot at the booth and I think you meant food.