Inching Closer
Bronze Star, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash managed to depart from Whitetail Woods safely. The cyan mare was still bleeding pretty badly, and she was too weak to move independently of her friends. Her friends planned to get her some help straightaway.
The two mares assumed they would go to the hospital or one of the town's clinics. However, as soon as they reached Ponyville, Bronze Star announced that they were going to the embassy instead. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were quite confused and stunned by this proposal, but Bronze Star assured them that he had every intention of seeking out medical attention. So they agreed to go along with him.
The three ponies hastily made their way to the embassy. As they moved through the streets, they drew a lot of stares from the townsfolk. They realized they must have looked somewhat conspicuous, as Bronze Star and Applejack were still giving a helping hoof to the injured Rainbow Dash. They moved as quickly as possible to avoid attracting unwanted attention or having to answer any questions.
Soon, they arrived at the embassy. Applejack and Bronze Star immediately escorted Rainbow Dash to the study. Sir Haywood McCrank was in there, reading. It had been hours since the Running of the Leaves had ended, and the indigo stallion had already gotten cleaned up and dressed into one of his suits. He did not look as though he had just run a marathon, but he still had his fourth place medal to show for it.
At any rate, when the three younger ponies stepped into the study, Sir Haywood looked up at them, and right away, he noticed that Rainbow Dash was wounded. He set his book to the side, rose out of his chair, and civilly yet firmly requested to know what happened.
Bronze Star only told him that they were attacked. He would have gone into specifics, but Rainbow Dash's well-being needed their attention first. Until that had been resolved, the explanation could wait.
Bronze Star and Applejack brought Rainbow Dash over to the couch in the center of the room, and they carefully had her lie down on it. Sir Haywood McCrank briefly looked her over; it only took him a couple seconds to deduce that her injuries had been inflicted by a dagger. Still, he did not ask for more details about what happened. He knew that they would have to patch Rainbow up and report this to the authorities before they did anything else.
Sir Haywood proposed that Bronze Star and Applejack find a doctor and a security officer. While they were out, he would watch over Rainbow Dash and keep her company. They both found this to be a reasonable arrangement, even though Bronze Star was a little tentative about leaving Rainbow Dash alone with Sir Haywood. The indigo stallion did not exactly have an excellent bedside manner.
Before he went anywhere, Bronze Star removed his medal and his Stetson hat and placed both of them on a table. He made sure to place the hat in such a way that the spyglass, the piece of cloth, and the sliver of metal were concealed. He turned to Sir Haywood and wordlessly motioned to the hat. The indigo stallion quickly caught on to what this gesture meant.
After that, the orange mare and the gold stallion swiftly left the embassy. Applejack rapidly made her way to the hospital, and Bronze Star galloped to the barracks. Twenty minutes later, they returned to the embassy with Dr. Sharp Seams and Noble Edict respectively.
They got there just in time. Rainbow Dash's condition had not worsened, but Sir Haywood McCrank had not done very much to help her out. In effort to make her feel better, he had described events from his past when several of his colleagues at the Intelligence Bureau had suffered injuries much worse than the ones the cyan mare had. Instead of improving her morale, he had only ended up unsettling Rainbow Dash and boring her profusely.
Once everypony was gathered in the study, Sharp Seams went to examining the cyan mare's wounds at once. He was able to diagnose Rainbow Dash in a couple minutes. Luckily, the cuts on her face and torso were quite shallow; none of her veins had been damage too critically. Her injuries just needed to be cleaned, stitched, and bandaged.
Dr. Seams had brought a bag of medical supplies with him. All he needed from it was a bottle of peroxide, a small white towel, a needle, thread, gauze, and medical tape. He had not brought along morphine or any other type of antiseptic, though. Not that he planned to use any; based on Applejack's description, he had predicted this would be a relatively straightforward job. So Rainbow Dash had to remain fully conscious and without any pain relief throughout the entire process, much to her displeasure.
Dr. Seams started by soaking one end of the towel in the peroxide. Then he gently daubed it against Rainbow Dash's cheek and midsection. This did not hurt the cyan mare especially; the most she did was wince and grunt a bit. Dr. Seams kept patting her injuries until he had cauterized them.
After that, he took the thread and tied it to the eye of the needle. Before going on, he advised Rainbow Dash to either bite down on a tongue dispenser or squeeze somepony's hoof. She went for the latter option. Since Bronze Star was the strongest person there, he offered his hoof, and the cyan mare accepted it. Thankfully, Applejack did not mind that one of her best friends was holding her coltfriend's hoof. Considering the situation, it was totally excusable. Aside from that, the farmer was not one to get jealous easily.
Once Rainbow Dash had a firm grip on Bronze Star's hoof, Dr. Sharp Seams proceeded to sew her injuries up. This time, the cyan mare felt quite a bit of pain. Every time the needle punctured her skin and was pulled through it, she wanted to shout in agony. Luckily, she willed herself to remain as motionless as possible, and all she let out was a mild groan every few seconds. She was very grateful that Bronze Star had allowed her to hold his hoof; that actually did her a lot of good.
Rainbow Dash only needed twelve stitches in total; six in her cheek and six in her midsection. Once Dr. Seams was finished closing up her wounds, he used the gauze and the medical tape to wrap them up. By the time he was finished, Rainbow Dash's pain had subsided to an amount she could bear. She had also regained her strength; she was able to walk on her own again.
Dr. Seams then told Rainbow Dash that her wounds should be mostly healed in about four or five days. After that, she would be able to remove her stitches by herself. He advised her to take it easy until then. That meant doing little to no heavy lifting or flying. Naturally, Rainbow Dash was annoyed by that suggestion, but Sharp Seams knew what he was doing, so she agreed to follow the doctor's orders.
Since his work at the embassy was pretty much done, Dr. Sharp Seams' services were no longer needed there. He quickly gathered up his supplies and headed back to the hospital. Once the physician was gone, Bronze Star, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash enlightened Noble Edict and Sir Haywood McCrank on their hostile encounter at Whitetail Woods.
Since they already knew about the other two figures from earlier, neither the red mare nor the indigo stallion were surprised to learn that Bronze Star had come across a third figure in Whitetail Woods. However, they were quite alarmed when he informed them that the new apparition had attacked them with a dagger.
Noble Edict was used to dealing with assault in Ponyville, but assault with a deadly weapon did not occur in the town very often. The last such occasion was during the Summer Sun Celebration, when SIG Sauer had been ambushed by the Nightmare Moon cult. But this was different. In every way, the situation seemed more ominous and dangerous.
Sir Haywood McCrank was very interested in their recollection of the scuffle, primarily when they described the assailant's abilities. Bronze Star was a trained combatant, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the two most athletic ponies in Ponyville. Since this assailant had managed to take on all three of them at once, he was obviously a very skilled fighter. Then there was that warning he had given them just before he disappeared: "You'll get your answers." None of the five ponies liked the implications of that statement.
Once Bronze Star, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were finished filing their report, they looked to Noble Edict to decide what to do in response to this event. After careful consideration, the chief of security decreed that she would have Whitetail Woods quarantined for a while, and she would have her staff search the place until they found somepony or until they concluded that the Woods was deserted. Since all the trees in Whitetail Woods were bare now, that greatly limited its number of possible hiding places. With that in mind, it would only take a few days to search the entirety of Whitetail Woods. Noble Edict knew there was a strong possible that the figures were no longer in Whitetail Woods, but she wanted to be totally certain of that before she ruled the Woods out, and the only way to do that was to methodically explore the place.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed content with this arrangement. They trusted Noble Edict and the rest of the security staff to keep them and the rest of the town safe. However, even if they never saw that figure again, there was still one aspect of the whole affair that troubled them.
This aspect was the figure's reason for attacking them in the first place. Neither Applejack nor Rainbow Dash could venture a guess as to what it may have been. Bronze Star, Noble Edict, and Sir Haywood McCrank had a theory or two about the attacker's motive, but it related to the murder plot, and they had agreed not to discuss the plot with anypony in Ponyville. Other than the other five ponies on the task force, that is.
Fortunately, Haywood McCrank managed to invent a theory about the attacker's motive on the spot. He suggested that maybe the assailant was a highwaystallion or a thief. To back this claim up, he explained to the others that there were a number of homeless and unemployed ponies in Equestria who roamed the wilderness. They made a living by robbing unsuspecting travelers or city dwellers at every available opportunity. All of this was actually true, but these marauders rarely operated this close to the capital city. Aside from that, they were not nearly as stealthy or proficient in combat as the figure who had attacked Bronze Star, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Even so, it was a believable hypothesis, and the two mares seemed to buy it.
While the experience had been rather nerve-wracking, it had not left Bronze Star, Applejack, or Rainbow Dash shaken or scared. They were handling themselves very well, despite having emerged from what could be classified as a near-death experience.
After everything about the attack had been addressed, Applejack and Rainbow Dash decided to head home. Before they left, Noble Edict took them aside and asked them not to tell anypony in town about what had happened in Whitetail Woods. They were somewhat bewildered by this request. In their opinion, if homicidal thugs were wandering around Ponyville, the rest of the Ponyville populace deserved to know.
Noble Edict understood this notion, but she had a good reason for wanting to keep this matter confidential. She claimed that she was concerned that if word got out that homicidal thugs were in the area, the townsfolk would be overcome with panic and fear, and civil unrest would emerge as a result. Aside from that, she was confident that her security staff had the situation under control.
When Applejack and Rainbow Dash saw the issue from the red mare's point of view, they could not deny that she made a fine argument. So they agreed to stay silent about the assailant.
Because of that arrangement, they still had a problem which Rainbow Dash pointed out: her bandages were very much noticeable, and she did not know what to say if somepony asked about her injuries. She was fairly certain that a number of ponies would be curious to learn how she got hurt, especially Scootaloo. She asked the other four ponies to help her come up with an explanation.
Bronze Star wittily suggested that Rainbow Dash claim that a tree had fallen on her. He had meant that as a joke, but Rainbow Dash was not amused in the slightest.
Despite this, Applejack felt her coltfriend was on to something. She suggested that Rainbow Dash claim that a tree had almost fallen on the farmer and the prince, but the weather maker had pushed them out of the way at the last moment. Although this story still involved her getting hit by a tree, at least it depicted Rainbow as a hero. Plus, Bronze Star and Applejack would be able to back her up in case anypony asked them. Rainbow Dash much preferred this suggestion to the first one, and she decided to go along with it. Soon after, the orange mare and the cyan mare left the embassy.
At that time, Bronze Star, Noble Edict, and Sir Haywood McCrank were the only ones who were still there. They spent another hour discussing the events that had taken place in Whitetail Woods in further detail. Since the three of them were on the task force, they were able to address the murder plot directly.
All three of them were confident that the figures had some involvement in the plot, especially Sir Haywood. The indigo stallion declared that there had been too many instances of the number three for them to write the day's events off as irrelevant to their investigation. For starters, they had encountered three different figures in Whitetail Woods on three separate occasions. Furthermore, on each occasion, a trio of witnesses had been present, and they had gained a total of three clues. These were just a few of the many times they had encountered the number three. All of these occurrences at once were enough to confirm Sir Haywood's suspicions.
Bronze Star proposed that they assemble the other members of the task force for an emergency meeting. That way, they could review all this new information together while it was still recently-acquired. While they admitted it was a good idea, both Noble Edict and Sir Haywood McCrank advised against it for different reasons.
Noble turned this suggestion down because she had already given the rest of the task force the day off from work, and she felt they were entitled to have half a day free from the stress of this investigation. Bronze Star could appreciate that sentiment. After all, as the town's chief of security, Noble Edict had a duty to take her officers' well-being into consideration, and she needed to ensure that they were not overworked.
Sir Haywood had a more practical reason for declining. He stated that he wanted to spend the next few days doing some research on the spyglass, the piece of cloth, and the sliver of metal from the dagger. He preferred to do this type of investigating by himself; he found that he could work faster that way. However, doing research solo could be a time-consuming process. As such, Sir Haywood wished to hold off on getting the task force together again until he had discovered something pertinent about the three objects, or until the vigilantes were scheduled to deliver another progress report to the task force. Regardless, he proposed that they not reassemble the task force until one of those things happened.
Bronze Star was a little perplexed by this plan. Knowing Sir Haywood, the gold stallion would have thought that the indigo stallion would want to put the task force together straightaway so they could work together and follow up on this new lead faster and more efficiently. Then again, Bronze Star also knew that Sir Haywood could be very unpredictable at times. In addition to that, he trusted the Superintendent's judgment, and he never questioned his techniques. After all, Sir Haywood's rate of success in solving cases was a solid one hundred percent.
Ultimately, Noble Edict and Sir Haywood McCrank convinced Bronze Star that they could afford to give the rest of the task force the week off. Sir Haywood still wanted everypony to be mindful of the number three, but for a while, they would put the meetings that took place every other day on hold. Noble Edict planned to apprise Copper Hollow and the others of this matter when she returned to the barracks later on.
Noble Edict reminded Bronze Star and Sir Haywood McCrank of the promise she had made to Applejack and Rainbow Dash earlier on, when she assured the two mares that Whitetail Woods would be thoroughly searched for any signs of the assailant. She informed the two stallions that she fully intended to follow through with that promise. Bronze Star and Sir Haywood McCrank had no objections. However, Sir Haywood recommended that she only use officers outside of the task force to investigate Whitetail Woods. His reasoning was simple but logical: during the Running of the Leaves, every other member of the task force – excluding Copper Hollow – had been seen on a distinct occasion by at least one of the three figures. If by some chance the three figures really were still out there, they might recognize the members of the task force, and as a result, they might realize that the task force was on to them. Sir Haywood did not want to risk tipping them off like that. Noble Edict understood this, and she agreed not to put Paisley Branch, Almond Wheeler, Cassia Sprig, Rollin Fields, or Copper Hollow in any of the search parties that would explore Whitetail Woods.
By four o'clock, Noble Edict had gone back to the barracks. Bronze Star and Sir Haywood McCrank remained in the embassy for the rest of the day. Both stallions spent most of their time doing their own things. Haywood McCrank did more reading in his room. Bronze Star ate a very late lunch, which was composed primarily of greens and water. He had been out running for several hours, and he had not had anything to drink since eight o'clock that morning. He may have been an Alicorn, but he was more than capable of becoming dehydrated.
Once he was refreshed, Bronze Star headed up to his room and looked over the latest reports from Canterlot. After that, he spent some time reading newspapers from Ponyville and the capital city. There was nothing especially interesting taking place locally in either town. However, the international section in the Canterlot paper revealed something rather intriguing.
Apparently, the city of Hoovston had been experiencing a number of electrical equipment malfunctions recently. Hoovston was the fourth most-populated city in Equestria after Manehattan, Las Pegasus, and Chicacolt. Also, it was arguably the most modernized city in the nation. For the past few decades, electricity had been installed in more and more buildings. Now almost every major building and structure was operated by generators.
When these technological upgrades were first applied to Hoovston, the city had encountered a few difficulties. However, it had been many years since any such setbacks had occurred. That fact that some were happening now troubled Bronze Star. The citizens of Hoovston had come to rely heavily on electricity. They could handle a few glitches, but if the power went out completely, there would be turmoil everywhere.
Bronze Star was confident that the situation would be resolved soon enough. Most of the best technicians and mechanics in the country worked in Hoovston. They worked around-the-clock to ensure that the power was always circulating steadily. With this in mind, Bronze Star saw no reason to worry that these malfunctions would go on for much longer.
Bronze Star continued reading until five minutes before eight o'clock. Then he locked the door to his bedroom and closed the curtains over the window. After that, he approached his bed, reached his front hoof underneath it, and pulled out a strongbox. He placed the strongbox on his bed, took the pillow at the head of it, and removed a key he had hidden in the pillowcase. He used the key to unlock the strongbox and opened it up. Inside were his crown, his vest, and his soft shoes. Five months ago, only his crown had been there. However, a few weeks after he and Applejack had begun their relationship, Bronze Star had written a letter to Lord Bellerophon and requested that he send him his vest and soft shoes in a sealed package, which turned out to be the strongbox. Bronze Star's reason for that was that he simply felt more comfortable if he had all of his regalia in the same place.
However, he was not interested in his royal attire at this moment. There was something else in the strongbox that he needed. He lifted his regal clothes up to reveal his special blackboard beneath them. He had not forgotten about the message Bellerophon had delivered to him through his mother. The gold stallion needed this blackboard to correspond with the Firebrand Regiment at a distance.
Bronze Star removed the blackboard and the marker and washcloth that came with it. After he got comfortable on his bed, he prepared to do some writing, as per Lord Bellerophon's instructions. He kept an eye on the clock in the room, waiting for it to read eight o'clock.
Once it did, he wrote on the blackboard This is Omicron-11 to HQ. Anypony there?
As soon as he stopped writing, the words faded away. He knew they would reappear on the blackboard that was kept in the Firebrand Regiment's possession in a matter of seconds. Once the pony on the other end received that message, Bronze Star could expect to get a response very soon.
A moment later, the following words appeared on his blackboard: Good evening, sir. This is Omicron-10.
Bronze Star smirked at how quickly his opening remark had been answered. He erased the message with the washcloth, and then he wrote down this sentence: I understand that we have something of precedence to discuss.
This sentence disappeared as well, and shortly after, SIG Sauer sent him this: That is correct, sir. We have experienced a breakthrough in one of our primary investigations.
Their written conversation proceeded in this manner. Bronze Star asked most of the questions, and SIG Sauer did most of the explaining.
Bronze Star next requested: Is this about the Nightmare Moon cult or the assassination conspiracy?
SIG Sauer apprised him with: The latter.
Alright. So what progress has been made?
We have managed to identify two more of the conspirators.
Fantastic. What are their names?
Trace Amount and Alabaster Glaze.
What line of work are they involved in?
Trace Amount is an investment clerk in Neighwark, and Alabaster Glaze is a glass manufacturer in Whinnyeapolis. We are uncertain what motive either of them might have for partaking in this conspiracy, but we discovered a secret connection that personally links them to Raging Tempest and Sparker Blare respectively. That by itself more than confirms their involvement in this affair.
Alright, I want both Amount and Glaze to be kept under watch at all times.
Already done, sir. From the moment we learn their identities, we keep all the conspirators under constant surveillance. We have at least half a dozen of our field operatives monitoring each one of them.
Excellent. Just remember: there must be no direct interference in the conspirators' everyday lives. We cannot risk alerting them to our presence.
Of course, sir. We've specifically instructed the field operatives to keep a certain amount of distance between themselves and the suspects.
Good; that's what I was hoping for.
Bronze Star paused here to reflect on this matter. He was very pleased with how things were going in the investigation into the assassination conspiracy. Before today, they had managed to identify twelve of the twenty people who were involved in it. Now they knew the names of fourteen of the conspirators. Only six more remained. Once their names were discovered, the Firebrand Regiment would be able to apprehend all of them simultaneously. Then the threat against his mother would be purged completely.
After this pause, Bronze Star continued using his blackboard. He wrote the following question:
I'm thrilled to hear – er, read – that we've uncovered the names of two more of the conspirators. Was that the breakthrough you mentioned?
SIG Sauer promptly replied with this:
No, that was only part of it. There is something more we uncovered. Something much more unsettling.
Bronze Star found that statement by itself to be somewhat disturbing. All he wrote in response was:
Go on.
SIG Sauer informed him with:
As I said – I mean, wrote – before, once we manage to identify one of the conspirators, we assign a group of our field operatives to observe his or her everyday life. The operatives keep us apprised of anything noteworthy or relevant that happens over the course of their surveillance.
I am aware of that. Have they witnessed anything especially pertinent?
Yes, one of the teams has reported something very abnormal.
How so?
This particular team has been assigned to watch a conspirator named Livewire. As you may recall, we discovered his role in this matter about a month after you interrogated Sir Raoul. Livewire was living in Detrot when we first began monitoring him. However, less than a month ago, he moved to Hoovston.
At that, Bronze Star was reminded of the news article he had read about Hoovston earlier on. He wrote down:
Hoovston?
SIG Sauer confirmed this with:
Affirmative. I assume you've been reading the papers?
Of course I have. Does this have anything to do with all those equipment malfunctions?
It is not just equipment that is breaking down, sir. In the past few weeks, a string of power failures have been occurring in Hoovston. The media is passing them off as equipment malfunctions, but we've inspected the lapses closely, and Omicron-7 is certain that they're genuine power failures.
If she believes that, then so do I. What exactly is going on? Elaborate, please.
There has been one power failure every day for the past three weeks. They all occur at different times, and none of them last very long. The first one only effected one building, and it only lasted about twenty seconds. However, in the time since then, the failures have gotten wider in scale and longer in time. The most recent one encompassed four city blocks and lasted nearly fifteen minutes. The citizens of Hoovston are starting to become wary and tense.
Well, if these power failures are occurring at the rate of one per day, I feel it's safe to say that they are not coincidences. It must be sabotage.
We've come to that same conclusion.
How does Livewire tie in to this? Do you believe he's the saboteur?
Yes, there are several factors that implicate him. Firstly, there's his occupation. He's been an electrician for more than twenty years. There's also the matter of his history. According to his personnel file, he was part of the company that installed the major electrical upgrades that turned the city of Hoovston into the powerhouse it is today. Apparently, he was the one who suggested running the current of the generators in series rather than in parallel. That was the biggest reason why the upgrades were so successful. However, after they were installed, Livewire's superiors took all the credit for his proposal. He attempted to file suit in order to receive the recognition he deserved, but he ultimately failed due to lack of evidence. His efforts resulted in him being dismissed from the company. When all was said and done, Livewire ended up disgraced, ignored, and overshadowed.
Could that be his motive for joining the conspiracy? Perhaps he's seeking some type of retribution for what that company did to him.
That might be the case. It wouldn't surprise me. Plus, even without motive, he has ample opportunity.
What opportunity?
The power failures in Hoovston began on the exact same day that Livewire arrived in the city. In fact, the first one took place only two hours after he got in. In addition to that, every time one of the power failures occurs, Livewire is always at the site or very close to it. According to the field operatives' reports, during the power failures, everypony around Livewire seems shocked or concerned by the sudden outage, but Livewire himself appears to be totally indifferent. It is almost as though he doesn't notice or doesn't care about the loss of power.
I suppose all that together might be enough to label Livewire as the culprit. However, all this evidence is purely circumstantial.
I realize that, Your Highness. Normally, I wouldn't draw conclusions without hard evidence. All the same, we don't have any other suspects in this scenario. We are confident that Livewire is behind the power failures.
I'll take your word for it.
Bronze Star paused for a minute. Then he continued writing:
At any rate, how do you suppose Livewire is causing these power failures?
Omicron-7 believes that he has managed to find a way to literally siphon the electricity out of the buildings in Hoovston.
How could he possibly manage that?
It's fairly complicated; I'm not certain I could describe it as thoroughly as Omicron-7. I should probably let her handle the explanation.
Alright, give her the blackboard.
Right away.
Bronze Star leaned back on his bed and waited patiently. A minute later, the following words appeared on his blackboard:
This is Omicron-7 reporting in, sir.
This writing was a little neater than what he had been reading thus far. Bronze Star recognized it as Ruger's. He erased the statement and wrote this:
Tell me your theory, Specialist.
Ruger did just that. She wrote the following:
As you know, Your Highness, electricity is fairly new in Equestria. More ponies are studying it and getting jobs from it every year, and it has revolutionized the nation in terms of production and technology. Nowadays, more than a quarter of all Equestrian households use at least some electricity. In a typical modernized household, the electricity is channeled through a single generator. As long as the generator is kept clean and fully functional, it can keep a house warm and bright indefinitely. However, in a crowded city such as Hoovston, this type of generator is insufficient to power an entire building. There are also too many offices for each unit to have its own generator. Instead, all the town's electricity is routed through power stations. The generators at these power stations are much larger and more powerful than the generators you'd find in a household. Each one of them keeps electricity flowing through over a dozen city blocks for every minute of the day. Since the generators operate independently of each other, they form what can be classified as a network of electricity around the city.
A network?
Yes, Your Highness. This network was designed to continuously deliver electricity to every building in Hoovston at a steady pace. The network is totally secure and incapable of breaking down. It is virtually impossible for any technical difficulties to transpire. However, it is not entirely immune from equine intervention.
What are you saying, Specialist? Can the network actually be manipulated?
Unfortunately, that is indeed possible. If somepony had the right skills, tools, and knowledge of the electricity network, they could directly slice into the network. From there, they could do anything with the power. For a short time, they could even cut it off entirely.
And you believe that is what Livewire is doing?
That is precisely what I believe, Your Highness. While I have never actually met the stallion, I know that Livewire is very much qualified to accomplish such a thing. When I was in college, I studied his team's accomplishments extensively. He is indisputably one of the best electricians in the country. He's also one of only a hoofful of ponies who could pull this stunt off and get away with it.
So I see. You said he could cut the power off for "a short time." Is it possible to shut it off permanently?
No, the generators at the power station have a failsafe program. If any part of the network goes offline, the program automatically kicks in and the generator supplies additional power to that part of the network to compensate for the deficiency.
Wait, it "automatically" kicks in? Then how is it these power failures have been getting longer?
I'm assuming that Livewire has found a way to override the failsafe program, as well. However, the failsafe program is much harder to redirect than the network's regular grid. If Livewire diverted it for too long, the workers at the power stations would be able to trace the drainage to its original spot in the network and uncover the source of the problem. Livewire would risk exposing himself if he stayed in the network for too long.
That makes sense. Where do you suppose the most ideal place would be for him to slice into the electricity network?
Hypothetically, he should be able to do it from anywhere in the city. However, it would be easier if he was at the building or buildings that belonged to the specific section of the network that he intends to cut off.
That would explain why he's always close-by when the power failures occur. But there's one thing that confuses me. Based on everything you've told me, electricity cannot simply be contained in a stationary place in the network, nor can it been channeled back to the power stations. With that in mind, once a link to the network has been severed, wouldn't the surplus electricity have to go somewhere else?
That is correct, sir. However, deflecting the flow of electricity for a while is not too difficult a task for somepony like Livewire. I think he has set up an independent power coupling somewhere in the city. Every time he causes one of the power failures, he channels the excess power to the coupling. He is storing it there throughout the failures, and once he is finished, he either releases it back into the network or keeps it in storage.
Still, Hoovston encompasses an area of dozens of square miles. The electricity network in that city must be massive. Yet you seem to be implying that Livewire has found a way to temper with any part of it whenever he wants. Is it even possible to pull off such a feat?
If somepony had the proper blueprints of the network, yes. Livewire was part of the team that designed the power stations, so it would be easy for him to acquire a copy of the layout. If so, he has an unhindered level of access to the network. He may even have the whole thing committed to memory.
That's not good.
No, sir; it isn't.
What do you suppose he's trying to achieve by doing this, anyway?
Omicron-4 believes that this is one of those "attacks" that Sir Raoul mentioned when you interrogated him. When viewed in perspective, the rest of us are inclined to agree. This must be one of the conspirators' ploys to cause disorder and tension in Equestria.
I find it very interesting that they would resort to messing with electricity.
We do as well, Your Highness. I'd like to think Livewire's just trying to create some apprehension and a disturbance of the peace. But considering the conspiracy's ultimate goal, that is not very probable. Plus, I know all about the full capabilities of electricity. It can be a very dangerous substance when handled improperly. When handled properly, it can even be used as a weapon.
In that case, there is only one thing to do. Please give the blackboard back to Omicron-10.
Very well, sir.
Bronze Star waited for a minute so Ruger could return the blackboard to SIG Sauer. Soon after, he received this question from the pine green Unicorn:
What are your orders, sir?
I want you to get in touch with the field operatives who are monitoring Livewire's activities. Have them contact the head executives of the power stations and notify them of the situation. Tell them to only share the bare essentials of the matter. They don't need to know that a potential terrorist has gained control of the electricity network. They just need to know that they should be prepared to deal with any future power failures.
You want us to put an end to Livewire's operations in Hoovston?
Not exactly. I do not want you to arrest him or detain him. Anything that involves direct intervention is out of the question. We simply have to put a stop to these little stunts of his. If Livewire is allowed to go on breaking into the electricity network, he might ultimately find a way to leave all of Hoovston without power. If we are able to prevent him from causing any more power failures, we may also be able to dissuade him from executing whatever plans he has.
Alright, Your Highness. It will be done.
Very good. I'll be sure to keep reading the newspapers. I hope to read an article that describes how Hoovston's trend of power failures has abruptly ceased.
On the other end, SIG Sauer and the others were probably smirking at that last statement. Regardless of their reaction, the top officer of the Firebrand Regiment sent the young prince this statement:
We'll try not to disappoint, sir.
Bronze Star smiled and wrote one word to express his acknowledgement:
Excellent.
Bronze Star took a moment to reflect on all this new information. He thought about bringing up the matter of Esopus Spitzenburg to the Regiment. But it had been a long day, and he was feeling somewhat tired. Plus, it was already nine o'clock at night, and he had not eaten dinner yet. Aside from that, Esopus Spitzenburg was not scheduled to arrive in Ponyville for another month and a-half.
Ultimately, Bronze Star wrote down the next few sentences:
There is something else pertaining to the conspiracy that I wish to discuss. I am certain Lord Bellerophon has apprised you of it already. While it is very relevant to our investigation, it is not of immediate precedence. So we can put off talking about it for now. Contact me this time next week. We can discuss this matter and the status of our problem in Hoovston then.
Understood, Your Highness. Omicron-10 out.
After reading this final message and erasing it, Bronze Star returned his blackboard to the strongbox and locked it up tight. Then he went downstairs to have a late dinner.
In spite of all the craziness that had been observed that day, the next four days were relatively smooth, peaceful, and uneventful. That was just the way the townsfolk of Ponyville liked it.
Since Haywood McCrank had cancelled the task force's meetings for that week, Noble Edict and the other five officers were able to loosen up a bit. They did not put the investigation on hold altogether; they constantly kept an eye out for more instances of the number three.
Noble Edict had Whitetail Woods quarantined, and she had twenty of her security force search the Woods for any signs of the figures. Remembering Sir Haywood's request, she ensured that none of those officers were members of the task force. It only took them a couple days to explore the entirety of Whitetail Woods, and in the end, they determined that there was nopony there. Outside of the ponies on the task force, Noble Edict had not told anypony about the figures. So at one point, a few of her officers had gotten curious and asked Noble Edict why she had developed this sudden interest in Whitetail Woods. She simply told them that she had received a tip about a potential threat that was lurking in the Woods.
Haywood McCrank had spent most of those four days in the embassy, reviewing the notes on the murder plot. He was especially interested in the three pieces of evidence that had been dropped by the figures in Whitetail Woods. He was convinced that something about these objects might provide a turning point in their investigation.
There were only two people who saw a lot of Sir Haywood McCrank over the course of those four days. Naturally, Bronze Star was one of them. The other was Dapple Rhomb.
Although their first meeting had been mildly bizarre for the purple mare, she had come to admire the indigo stallion. Sir Haywood had come to enjoy Dapple Rhomb's presence, as well. Most of their interaction was limited to the occasions when both of them spoke to and worked with Bronze Star at the same time, but they still got along quite well.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash did not tell anypony about the incident at Whitetail Woods. Still, as the cyan mare predicted, a whole bunch of ponies noticed her injuries. She tried to shake them off her tail, but they proved to be stubbornly inquisitive. Ultimately, she gave in and presented them with that fake story about how a tree had almost fallen on Applejack and Bronze Star, but she had pushed them out of the way and gotten hit by the tree instead. Nearly everypony seemed to believe this tale, with the exception of Scootaloo. The orange Pegasus filly was fairly certain that something else was going on.
One good thing resulted from Rainbow Dash's wounds. Since she had been grounded until her injuries healed, she and Scootaloo were able to spend some time together. At first glance, one would think the two of them were sisters. They actually were not related, but Scootaloo certainly liked to think of the cyan mare as her older sister.
Four days after the Running of the Leaves, everything had pretty much returned to normal. Whitetail Woods had been deemed vacant of any possible dangers, Rainbow Dash had recovered from her wounds, and Haywood McCrank had finished his examination of the three clues. In the end, he had been unable to learn anything especially relevant from the objects. He had concluded that he would need an additional source in order to conduct a more thorough inspection.
Because there were no task force meetings that week, Bronze Star was able to take a longer break from work every other day. He spent a lot of this extra free time at Sweet Apple Acres. He found that he had spending quite a lot of time at the apple plantation lately. That was to be expected, considering that he was courting one of its owners.
Bronze Star still had not told Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, or Big McIntosh who he really was. He had not asked Applejack when Esopus Spitzenburg and her other relatives would arrive either. He fully intended to carry out both of those tasks, but he realized he was in no immediate rush to accomplish them. He decided that he could afford to worry about those two objectives later.
For now, he planned to just spend his extra leisure time with the mare whose presence he most enjoyed.
Bronze Star and Applejack passed the time in a variety of ways. In addition to their usual hobbies of applebucking, hunting, and exercising, they had started trying out some new activities.
On the fourth day after the Running of the Leaves, Applejack suggested that they have a wrestling match. Initially, Bronze Star assumed she was kidding, but he quickly realized that she was totally serious. He was a little reluctant to go along with that proposal. Not that he was concerned about losing or anything; he was worried that he might hurt the orange mare. He had made the unwise mistake of mentioning this to Applejack, and in response, she laughed it off and insisted to her coltfriend that she was qualified to skirmish with him.
Ultimately, Applejack won the argument. Bronze Star became convinced she could fight him, and she very much desired to; he felt he may as well indulge her.
The orange mare and the gold stallion headed to a deserted and relatively clear part of Sweet Apple Acres. They spent about ten minutes preparing themselves by stretching and working up some defensive and offensive moves.
Bronze Star was reasonably confident that he would win. After all, he was the one with a background in the military, and some of his exercises involved overpowering veteran officers of the Royal Guard. Still, Applejack was hardly incapable of putting up a struggle.
After all, he had seen how well Applejack handled herself when they were attacked in Whitetail Woods. She had excellent reflexes and masterful agility. Aside from that, with the possible exceptions of himself, Big McIntosh, and the local heavyweight Bulk Biceps, Bronze Star doubted that he had ever seen a pony as strong as his fillyfriend.
Once they were both warmed up, their wrestling competition soon commenced. They went for nine rounds. Bronze Star won the first three, but Applejack made a surprise comeback in the fourth one, emerging the victor in both it and the fifth one. Bronze Star triumphed in the sixth round, but Applejack came out on top in the following two.
Going into the ninth round, they were tied. Whoever won here would win it all.
They started out with their front hooves on each other's shoulders. They moved around very little as they tried to force each other onto the ground. After about a minute of unrelenting effort, Bronze Star spotted an opening. He gripped Applejack by her side and flipped her on to her back. Then he climbed on top of her to hold her down.
The orange mare put up a persistent struggle, but the gold stallion was determined to keep her pinned down. Just when it seemed as though the match was over, Applejack got an idea. She gazed over her shoulder and slyly commented "Took you long enough."
Bronze Star was primarily focused on holding her down, but he did pay attention to that statement. He asked in perplexity "What are you talking about?"
"I was wondering when you and I would end up in a position like this," Applejack elucidated.
This answer was rather vague, and Bronze Star was clueless as to what his fillyfriend was implying. Then he noted their current arrangement: he was lying on her back as if he had mounted her. His waist was positioned just a few inches above hers. To top it off, neither of them were wearing any clothing other than their hats.
If anypony stumbled across the two of them at this time, they probably would have assumed that they were doing something very different from wrestling.
Bronze Star blushed furiously when this occurred to him. However, he did not lower his guard or loosen his grip on Applejack; he knew that she was trying to distract him. It would take more than that to sidetrack him. The young prince just smirked, gazed down at the farmer, and wryly pronounced "Well, we can stay like this for as long as you'd like. I could keep it up until you collapse. Or until you surrender. Your choice."
"How about… neither," Applejack cockily rejoined.
During this exchange of words, she had found an opportunity to turn the situation in her favor. She abruptly locked her hind legs around Bronze Star's and shifted her weight sideways. Bronze Star lost his balance and fell off Applejack's back. Before he could recover, Applejack scurried to get behind him. Then she wrapped one of her front legs around his neck and used her other front leg to hold it in place. She effectively had him in a chokehold.
That was bad news for Bronze Star. Chokeholds were his biggest weakness; they always had been. The only person who knew that about him was SIG Sauer. That was the reason SIG Sauer had been able to catch Bronze Star during their stealth exercises. All he had to do was carefully sneak up behind the young prince and jump him. Then again, the main reason that ploy always worked was because Bronze Star's wings had produced some blind spots for him.
Ever since he came to Ponyville and started living as an Earth Pony, Bronze Star had thought he would be able to better prepare himself against chokeholds. Unfortunately, even without wings, he had been unable to counter them, much to his dismay. But on the bright side, nopony in town knew his weakness.
Until now, that is.
Bronze Star desperately tried to liberate himself from Applejack's grasp. But she had him in a very tight spot. No matter how much resistance he put up, she was able to counter it.
Eventually, Bronze Star eased down, sighed in frustration, and called out "Alright, alright, I fold! I fold!"
Applejack lightly smiled, gradually loosened her grip on her coltfriend, and said casually "There ya go."
Bronze Star needed a moment to compose himself. After he regained his breath, he sat up straight, turned to his fillyfriend, and told her "Congratulations. You beat me."
"Just barely," Applejack uttered modestly.
"Speak for yourself," Bronze Star stated sardonically, "Where'd you learn to wrestle like that?"
"I had a lot of free time on my hooves before I got my cutie mark," she replied, "Spent most of it learning new skills. Big Mac taught me how to fight."
"He must've been a great mentor," he conjectured.
She merely nodded in agreement.
Miraculously, both Applejack and Bronze Star had kept their hats on their heads throughout the entire duration of their wrestling match. However, somewhere during their bout, a hole had been punctured in Bronze Star's hat. He was not sure when or how it happened, but he was certain that the hole had not been there before their scuffle. When he took his hat off to wipe the sweat off his brow, he noticed the hole almost straightaway.
Although there was nothing to suggest that she was responsible, Applejack apologized for it. She knew how much that hat meant to her coltfriend. It was precious to Bronze Star, as Applejack had given it to him on Hearth's Warming Day.
Bronze Star assured her that everything was alright. The hole was not very large. It just needed to be patched up. He decided to take his hat to Rarity so that she could repair it. Since she had nothing else going on, Applejack offered to accompany him.
The gold stallion and the orange mare swiftly headed into town. On their way to Carousel Boutique, they encountered Twilight Sparkle. The lavender mare was carrying a saddlebag on her back. Bronze Star assumed the pack was full of books, but it appeared to be too light to even hold a manual. It turned out Twilight was heading to the same destination as Applejack and Bronze Star. So they trotted together.
A few minutes later, the three ponies arrived at the clothing emporium. Applejack approached the door and lightly knocked on it. At first, there was no answer. A few seconds later, Applejack pushed open the door and called out cordially "Howdy, Rarity!"
The white Unicorn was in the back of the room. She heard the orange Earth Pony's greeting, but she did not respond, as she was preoccupied with another task. Currently, Rarity was working at a sewing machine. She wore a pair of red clip-on glasses, and she used both her magic and hooves to move sheets of fabric through the machine. Her pet cat Opalescence appeared to be assisting her, albeit involuntarily.
As Bronze Star, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle entered the building, the lavender mare muttered softly "Shh... Can't you see Rarity is trying to concentrate?"
Rarity seemed mildly annoyed by this interruption, but she did not let her visitors bother her.
Applejack tried to gaze over the white mare's shoulder to see what she was doing. She inquisitively whispered to the others "What do you think she's makin'?"
Twilight Sparkle took a step closer to get a better look, and then she quietly observed "Looks like a dress."
"Well, that makes sense," Applejack cheekily commented, "Since this is a dressmaker's shop and all."
"I was about to say that," Bronze Star quietly pronounced.
Despite their attempts to be quiet and courteous, Rarity had heard every word they said. She was not fond of working around noise or when people were watching her. Because of that, she decided to put her work on hold for a moment. She turned to the three ponies and queried "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Oh, so very sorry to trouble you, Rarity, but I need a quick favor," Twilight Sparkle thought aloud. She opened up her saddlebag and removed a dress from it. It looked a size or two too small for the lavender mare, it looked a little outdated, and it was rather frilly. Most notably, one of its buttons was in jeopardy of falling off. The lavender mare placed the garment on the table in front of Rarity, and she requested "Could you please fix the button for me? It's my dress for the Grand Galloping Gala."
Rarity seemed astounded to hear that. She firmly declared "Oh, no, no, no! You can't wear this... old thing. You need a glamorous new outfit for the Gala and I'll make it for you. No problem at all. It will be my pleasure!"
Some may find it peculiar that Rarity would make such a selfless offer. However, Bronze Star, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle were not surprised to hear her make that proposal. After all, she was the Element of Generosity. Twilight Sparkle politely told her friend "Oh, that's really sweet of you to offer, Rarity, but I can't let you do that. It would be so much work. This dress is fine."
"Twilight Sparkle," Rarity said in mild exasperation, "I insist on making you a new dress."
"But..." the lavender mare began.
"Not another word!" Rarity sternly remarked, "I won't take no for an answer."
Twilight Sparkle could tell that the fashionista was adamant about this. She figured she may as well go along with her offer. She said gratefully "Well, in that case... Thank you for your generosity, Rarity. Knowing your handiwork, I'm sure it will be absolutely beautiful."
After a bit of silence, Rarity looked over at Applejack. She briefly looked over the orange mare, and then she drily mumbled "Let me guess, Applejack. You don't want a new gown either."
"Gown?" the farmer repeated in mild astonishment. She closed her eyes, smiled, and shamelessly disclosed "Shoot. I was just gonna wear my old work duds."
Rarity gasped in alarm at that. She sternly professed "You can't possibly be serious, Applejack! You absolutely must wear formal attire."
Applejack thought about that for a moment, and then she mumbled "Hm... Nah."
Rarity was not about to back down just yet. She was very good at compromising when it came to fashion. After thinking for a bit, she suggested "What if I just spruce up your... duds for you a little bit?"
"Okay, sure," Applejack coincided, nodding, "Why not? Since you're up for it and all. Just don't make them too... froufrou-y."
"Deal!" Rarity said brightly.
Bronze Star grinned, patted Applejack on the back, and stated "At any rate, I look forward to seeing you in some fancy getup."
Applejack chuckled at that, even though she was less than thrilled at the concept of being seen at a public event in a dress.
Rarity looked to the gold stallion and queried "Is there anything you need, Bronze Star?"
"Actually, yes," Bronze Star answered her. He approached the white mare, removed his hat, and held it out to her. He informed her "Applejack and I were hanging out at Sweet Apple Acres. Somewhere along the line, my hat got a hole in it. I was wondering if you'd mind patching it up."
"Oh, of course," Rarity asserted. She examined the blemish on the hat, and she remarked "It should only take me about five minutes to repair."
"Thank you," Bronze Star said appreciatively. He knew he had come to the right pony. When Bronze Star started living in Ponyville, he had brought all his upper-body clothing to Rarity so that she could modify for an Earth Pony. She had sewn flaps over the holes in the back of all his shirts, jackets, and vests. With those flaps in place, his clothes looked as though they had been made specifically for an Earth Pony. He could still wear those clothes when he was in Alicorn form. All he had to do was unzip the flaps and his wings would fit perfectly.
Rarity used her magic to take the hat from the gold stallion and place it on the table. She then gazed over her shoulder and stated apprehensively "I just hope you aren't making any plans to wear this on a certain occasion in the near future."
"Oh, relax, Rarity," Bronze Star bluntly retorted, "I'm not going to wear my hat to the Gala."
"That's quite a relief," Rarity murmured frankly as she turned back to face her friends, "Out of curiosity, what are you wearing?"
"I don't need a dress, if that's what you're really asking," Bronze Star cleverly replied.
Applejack and Twilight Sparkle chortled at that blunt statement. Rarity could not help but giggle a bit as well. Bronze Star scoffed, as he found their reactions fairly amusing.
When everypony quieted down, Rarity looked to the prince and reiterated "Seriously though, what will you be wearing?"
"I normally just wear my regalia," Bronze Star apprised her, "It consists of two pairs of soft shoes, a vest, and – of course – my crown."
"That's all?" Rarity muttered in astonishment.
"That's all," Bronze Star affirmed.
"That hardly seems adequate for a prince," Rarity disclosed.
"Well, I've never had any problems with it," Bronze Star revealed, "My mother always wears her regalia as well, and hers is basically the same as mine. Besides, my regalia is a lot more meaningful to me than any suit or tuxedo could ever be."
"Still, I cannot help but think that you would be quite underdressed," Rarity perceived. After a short pause, she suggested "Perhaps I could make a slight addendum to your uniform."
"I suppose I'd be open to that," Bronze Star candidly remarked, "What do you have in mind?"
"Well…" Rarity muttered, rubbing her chin and contemplating the possibilities. A minute later, she proposed "I know; how about I make you a cloak to go with your regalia?"
"A cloak, huh?" Bronze Star muttered in interest, "Actually, I think a cloak might go well with a vest, soft shoes, and a crown. You sure you wouldn't mind making me one, though?"
"Absolutely," Rarity assured him, "I've always dreamed of designing clothing for the Equestrian Royalty. Now I have that very opportunity right now. There is no way I'd let this chance pass me by."
"When you put it that way, I would be a fool to refuse," Bronze Star reasoned, "As luck would have it, I have my regalia with me at the embassy. I could drop them off here later, if you'd like."
"I'd appreciate that," Rarity said in approval, "Knowing the measurements and color of your regalia could help me determine the most ideal dimensions for a suitably compatible cloak."
"Alright, I'll bring them to you sometime before dark," Bronze Star decided.
Rarity nodded in acceptance to that idea.
There was another short interval of quietness. It was abruptly broken by a shout of "Look out below!"
The sound appeared to originate from somewhere above the roof of the building. A moment later, Rainbow Dash crashed through the ceiling and collided with some of the equipment on the other side of the room. Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Rarity were alarmed by the cyan mare's sudden unexpected entrance, but they were more concerned in her well-being than her intrusion. Fortunately, she crawled out of the mess unharmed and said apologetically "Sorry. New trick. Didn't quite work."
"Really, Rainbow?" Bronze Star mumbled incredulously, "You JUST had your stitches removed. Isn't it a little early to be getting yourself hurt again?"
"Hey, I was grounded for almost four days because of my injuries," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "I need to make sure that my wings are still in shape. It won't do any good to slack off."
"I wouldn't worry about that," Bronze Star asserted, "I went the whole first two months of my stay here without flying, and my wings worked just fine when I finally got them back."
"I know, Bronze," Rainbow Dash pronounced, "But you voluntarily gave up control of your wings. I have no intention of doing that with mine. As long as I have them, I'm going to keep using them the way I want to."
Bronze Star just scoffed and admitted "Fine, fine; it's your choice. And your safety."
At this time, Rainbow Dash was still standing in the mess she had made. There was a bucket on her head and a red drape was wrapped around her upper body. It made her look both adorable and ridiculous at the same time. Rarity actually found the cyan mare's appearance somewhat intriguing.
"Hmm..." Rarity uttered softly. She then gasped and giddily announced "Idea! I'll make you an outfit for the Gala too, Rainbow Dash."
The cyan mare seemed a little bewildered by that statement. She raised an eyebrow and queried "Outfit for the what now?"
Nopony answered her. Rarity gazed around at her friends and declared "I'll make one for you and you and all of you. Oh! And of course Pinkie and Fluttershy too. And… and… is there anypony else in town who will be attending the Gala?"
"Sir Haywood, for sure," Bronze Star enlightened her, "Noble Edict will be there, too. And Copper Hollow should be going with her."
"Then I'll make an outfit for each of them, as well!" Rarity declared in excitement, "Oh, and when I'm done, we can hold our very own fashion show!"
Bronze Star did not expect that. Evidently, Rarity was really worked up about all this.
"What a great idea!" Twilight Sparkle yelled cheerfully, "If you're sure you can handle it."
"Oh, it'll be a little bit of work," Rarity straightforwardly professed, "But it will be a wonderful boost for my business. Plus, fun!"
"Oh, I love fun things!" Rainbow Dash squealed eagerly.
"Then it's settled," Rarity proclaimed, "We'll have a fashion show starring us."
The white Unicorn then returned her attention to the sewing machine and went back to creating her own ensemble for the Gala. After a few seconds, Applejack approached her friend and noted "So all you have to do is make a different, stunning, original, amazing outfit for one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... plus yourself, ten ponies? And lickety split?"
"Oh, Applejack," Rarity snickered in amusement, "You make it sound as if it's going to be hard. If I work around the clock, I should have all of them done by tomorrow."
"Damn, that's impressive," Rainbow Dash murmured in fascination.
"Well, I have been engaged in this business for a very long time," Rarity coolly insisted.
"Well, at any rate, good luck," Bronze Star bade the fashionista.
"Thank you," was all she said in response.
Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash left Carousel Boutique soon after. Determined to atone for her earlier mistake, Rainbow swung by the office of the construction team and informed the forestallion that the roof of Carousel Boutique had a hole that needed to be repaired. They planned to get right on that job.
Twilight Sparkle took her old dress back to the library. In a way, Bronze Star was glad she had decided not to wear that outfit. In his opinion, it looked much too childish for her.
Bronze Star and Applejack went their own ways, but they brought their regalia and duds respectively to Carousel Boutique an hour later. When they arrived, Rarity was in the midst of creating Twilight's dress. Interestingly, she was singing while she worked. Based on the content of the song, it must have been improvised, but Rarity made it sound beautiful and well-rehearsed.
After Bronze Star and Applejack brought their respective regalia and duds to Carousel Boutique, Rarity told them that she would get to work on modifying or added to them as soon as she was finished with Twilight's dress. She then asked them to tell the others to come to the building in the early morning. She wanted to present all nine of the outfits to their owners at the same time.
Bronze Star and Applejack agreed to do this. However, it posed a slight problem to the gold stallion. Copper Hollow still did not know Bronze Star's true identity. If he saw the gold stallion's regalia when Rarity presented them with his cloak, Copper Hollow would easily work everything out.
Bronze Star did not want Copper Hollow to discover the truth like that. He wanted to tell him the truth directly. After all he had done for the investigation and for his friends, that was the least he deserved.
Initially, Bronze Star considered asking Rarity not to show his cloak with the other eight ponies' outfits. Ultimately, he decided against that idea. While one might say he would be buying himself more time to properly plan how to tell Copper Hollow his secret, in actuality he would just be putting off the inevitable for a little while longer. He was going to have to tell the copper stallion sooner or later.
Then he saw a way to make this scenario work to his advantage. Copper Hollow was one of six ponies that Bronze Star planned to reveal his identity to in the near future. Other than Scootaloo, he was the only one of the six that was not a family member of one of his closest friends. All things considered, it would probably be wisest if he started with Copper Hollow. He needed to see how a friend would react to knowing his secret. If Copper Hollow took it well, then Bronze Star would be certain he would have nothing to worry about for when he revealed his identity to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Apple Family.
After he left Carousel Boutique, Bronze Star made his way to the barracks. He quickly found Noble Edict and Copper Hollow, and he asked them to come with him to the embassy.
When they got there, Sir Haywood McCrank was in the study and Dapple Rhomb was in her office. Bronze Star checked in with his secretary and asked if anything had been delivered from the capital city since that morning. She informed him that they had not received any new progress reports from Canterlot Castle, but there was something in the international section of the Canterlot newspapers that she felt he would be interested in.
Bronze Star had already been reading the international sections every day to keep track of the power failures in Hoovston. Fortunately, they seemed to have stopped ever since he contacted the Firebrand Regiment. Apparently, they had found a way to counter Livewire's sabotage operations. However, that was the only thing Bronze Star had been looking for in the international section. He assumed Dapple Rhomb was referring to something different when she said there was some news that might interest him.
He planned to take another look at the international section later. For now, he had another item of business that needed his attention.
After speaking with his secretary, Bronze Star had Copper Hollow, Noble Edict, and Sir Haywood McCrank go with him to the meeting chambers. Then he locked the door and covered the windows. Once the room was secure, he approached the three older ponies.
"What's this all about, Mr. Ambassador?" Copper Hollow inquired.
Bronze Star did not answer straightaway. He stood in total silence for a few seconds, and then he sighed and answered with "Copper, there's something I'd like to show you. Please close your eyes for a moment."
The copper stallion would have complied, but before he could even move his eyelids, Haywood McCrank interjected with "'Close your eyes?' Wait, sir, you're not going to…?"
Bronze Star just nodded his head gently and confirmed "I'm going to tell him the truth."
"Are you sure about that, sir?" Noble Edict asked anxiously "Does it have to be now?"
"Yes, and yes," Bronze Star sternly replied, "He would have found out at the Gala, anyway. We needed to tell him sometime before then. We may as well tell him now."
Haywood McCrank and Noble Edict still seemed quite opposed to this stance, but they were hardly in a position to protest the gold stallion's decision. Ultimately, they just nodded their heads in acceptance of his choice.
Bronze Star turned back to Copper Hollow and stated "So, as I was saying…"
The copper stallion abruptly held up his front hoof to stop the gold stallion there. Bronze Star immediately quieted down. Copper Hollow then brusquely declared "Hold on a moment, I think I know what you're about to say. You're Prince Bronze Star, aren't you?"
That remark effectively took all three of the other ponies completely by surprise. Haywood McCrank and Noble Edict froze in place, and Bronze Star felt as though the color had drained from his face. Although he did not physically say anything, Copper Hollow had an expression across his countenance that plainly said "I thought so."
After a very long, very uncomfortable period of silence, Bronze Star composed himself and quietly uttered "How… how did you know?"
"Intuition, as well as a lot of circumstantial evidence," Copper Hollow illuminated calmly, "I wasn't one hundred percent certain until this very moment. Now I am."
At that, Bronze Star's demeanor went from shock to intrigue. Noble Edict and Haywood McCrank were rather bewildered, as well. The deputy chief of security could tell that they were confused.
"Let me explain," Copper Hollow professed, "I have often seen pictures of Prince Bronze Star in the newspapers. When the ambassador first came to Ponyville, I noted that he bore a heavy resemblance to those pictures. Initially, I did not try to make a connection; I just assumed he looked like Bronze Star and nothing more. Overtime, I did notice a few interesting details. I was mainly interested in the facts that he has ten years' worth of military training, that he's on good terms with Canterlot Castle's chief of staff, and that he's in Princess Celestia's inner circle. There was also how Princess Luna stayed here for the first five weeks after the Summer Sun Celebration, and the ambassador seemed to make her comfort and safety his personal objective.
"It wasn't until we learned about the murder plot that I really started to get suspicious," the copper stallion went on after a brief pause. Now he was speaking mainly to Bronze Star. "You see, Sir Haywood works for the Intelligence Bureau, and you've been passing yourself off as an emissary from the capital city. Sir Haywood made it clear that he would be in charge of this investigation. Yet he always seems to take orders and suggestions from you. I found it unlikely that a political representative would have such authority over a federal investigator, even if that politician answers directly to the Equestrian Royalty. Plus, when the investigation began, Sir Haywood informed us all that Prince Bronze Star was the one who commissioned the task force. However, ever since then, we've never sent any reports of the investigation to Canterlot. Not even one. It struck me as odd that we were carrying out Bronze Star's orders without keeping him updated on our operations. The way I saw it, there were only two possible explanations: Bronze Star was letting the task force work completely independently, or Bronze Star really was monitoring our progress somehow."
Bronze Star, Noble Edict, and Haywood McCrank could not deny that there was quite a bit of logic in those points.
Copper Hollow soon continued with "By itself, that theory would be totally absurd. But then there's the fact that you look exactly like a hornless, wingless version of Bronze Star. By taking that into account as well, my hypothesis did not seem too unreasonable. However, the thing that really solidified my notion was Princess Celestia's last visit."
"How do you mean?" Bronze Star queried.
"She seemed genuinely surprised that Sir Haywood was in Ponyville," Copper Hollow elaborated, "When Sir Haywood claimed that Prince Bronze Star had sent him here, I noticed she looked at you out of the corner of her eye. When Celestia mentioned her son, she was talking to Sir Haywood, but she was clearly focused on you. It was at that moment when I was almost entirely certain that my suspicions were correct."
Bronze Star, Noble Edict, and Sir Haywood McCrank took a moment to absorb everything the copper stallion told them. He made quite a few logical and thorough observations. He had also noticed some minor compromising details that the three of them had taken for granted.
After another minute of quietness, Bronze Star broke it by scoffing and bluntly stating "You are rather perceptive, Copper."
"Don't I know it… Your Highness," Copper Hollow said in response, lightly bowing to the gold stallion.
Bronze Star placed his front hoof on the copper stallion's shoulder and gestured for him to stand up straight. After that, he turned to Noble Edict and told her "Noble, I think I understand now why Copper Hollow was the only person on your security staff that you immediately decided to put on the task force. His powers of deduction are extraordinary."
Noble Edict smirked, nodded her head, and disclosed "That's one of the reasons why he's my second-in-command, too."
"I appreciate you both saying those things," Copper Hollow asserted, "I only wish my 'powers' could have been more useful to us in the actual investigation."
"Do not blame yourself, Copper," Haywood McCrank advised, "Intuition and deduction based solely on circumstantial evidence can only get you so far. There are times when things are too difficult for even the most astute mind to find answers all alone. I would say now is definitely one of those times."
"While we're on this subject, we should probably address the investigation," Noble Edict proposed.
"I concur," Bronze Star muttered drily. He turned to the indigo stallion and queried "How has your research on those objects been going?"
"It hasn't," Haywood McCrank confessed, "I have committed most of the past ninety-six hours studying that spyglass, piece of cloth, and sliver of metal. The cumulative information I've acquired from them is minimal at best. I've concluded that I'm going to need additional resources to conduct a more thorough examination."
"What resources?" Bronze Star enquired.
"I'd like to send the objects to the Intelligence Bureau," Haywood McCrank expounded, "One of my colleagues there may be able to use the facility's assets to dig up some useful information on them."
"But the vigilantes cautioned us against using more than one federal investigator to solve this plot," Noble Edict pointed out.
"Actually, the vigilantes only requested that we not bring more than one federal investigator HERE," Haywood McCrank reminded her, "They never said anything about telling anypony who's staying in Canterlot."
"That is true," Bronze Star conceded, "There are plenty of reliable mares and stallions who work at the Intelligence Bureau. I can think of several who could handle this job. How about we send the objects to General Walther? He's an expert at following up on leads in this manner."
"I know he is," the indigo stallion proclaimed, "The General has not been with the Bureau for that long, but he is very proficient at wide-scale research. However, he would not be my first choice here. I have already selected the most ideal pony for this task. This particular pony is even better at researching clues than either General Walther or myself. Aside from that, the General will probably be too busy to assist us."
"Why do you say that?" Bronze Star asked in perplexity.
Haywood McCrank just smirked and cockily responded with "Didn't you read the paper this morning, sir?"
"Yeah, I did," the gold stallion disclosed, "Apparently I didn't read it close enough. Dapple Rhomb was under the impression that there was something in the international section that I would like."
"I can understand why," Haywood McCrank professed, "There's a snippet about General Walther in that section. I have a feeling that that's what she was referring to."
"What's it about?" Bronze Star queried.
"Apparently, the General will be at Best Young Fliers Competition in Cloudsdale this year," Haywood revealed, "He's been invited to attend it as both a judge and as an honored guest."
"Really?" Bronze Star said in fascination.
"Yes, indeed," Haywood McCrank disclosed, "It's to celebrate his thirtieth year of service to the Wonderbolts. The press is making quite a big deal about it."
"You can hardly blame them," Bronze Star debated, "Walther hasn't made a public appearance as a Wonderbolt in almost seven years. Even back then, he was a modern-day legend in the force."
"How true," Haywood said in agreement, "You should really read the article on him later on."
"Alright, I will," Bronze Star pronounced, making a note to find his copy of the Canterlot newspaper later on and search the international section for any mention of Walther.
"Let's get back to the subject of bringing another investigator into this matter," Noble Edict suggested.
Nopony had any objections to that idea.
"Who do you have in mind, Sir Haywood?" Copper Hollow asked.
"Agent Dread Naught," Haywood McCrank replied, "He has outstanding experience, resolve, and capability. He's more than qualified to carry out this task by himself. He can also do his research without coming here and without asking questions about the investigation."
"Are you sure this is the only available option?" Bronze Star inquired.
"If there was an alternative, I would have taken it," Haywood McCrank pronounced, "Alas, this is our best bet for now."
"You don't seem very pleased with that, Sir Haywood," Noble Edict noted.
"I'm not, Lady Noble," Haywood affirmed, "You see, I have another reason for wanting to send the objects to Agent Dread Naught specifically."
"What might that be?" Bronze Star asked in interest.
"It has to do with one of his previous cases," Sir Haywood explicated, "Eighteen years ago, Dread Naught was investigating the death of a wealthy entrepreneur in San Franciscolt. At first glance, the cause of death appeared to be a heart attack. He had been alone and in his home when he died, so there was nopony who could confirm or deny that. However, Dread Naught managed to find somepony who had been nearby when the entrepreneur died. According to her testimony, she had been walking home from work when she passed by his house. She spotted three ponies approaching the entrepreneur's house from across the street. She had been unable to see their faces, as they were wearing jumpsuits that covered their entire bodies. They moved very quickly and very stealthily, and they were an Earth Pony, a Unicorn, and a Pegasus."
Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, and Bronze Star were stunned to learn this. After another period of quietness, the red mare uttered quietly "You don't suppose they're the ones we saw in Whitetail Woods?"
"I doubt it," Haywood McCrank countered, "This took place eighteen years ago. It's unlikely that they would be the same individuals. All the same… I believe I may know who we're dealing with."
"Who?" Bronze Star, Copper Hollow, and Noble Edict demanded in unison.
"I would rather not say just yet," Haywood McCrank stated, "It's only a theory, and my faith in this theory is less than ten percent. I would prefer to have some input from an additional source before I share it with anypony else. Trust me, we can afford to put off discussing it for a while. Because if it turns out my theory is right, you'll be GLAD I waited to tell you about it."
The gold stallion, the red mare, and the copper stallion were quite alarmed by the unsettling nature of that last statement. It almost sounded like a warning, based on how it was presented. It could very well have been one, seeing as how Sir Haywood was adamant about avoiding the topic.
"You almost sound as though you're hoping your theory is wrong, Sir Haywood," Copper Hollow observed.
"If you knew what it was, you would hope for that too, Copper," Haywood proclaimed, "If it's any consolation, I do not believe anypony in Ponyville is in any immediate danger. But even so, our troubles are far from over. And if Dread Naught is able to produce some proof that validates my theory, then nopony in Ponyville will be safe."
This declaration only disturbed Bronze Star, Noble Edict, and Copper Hollow even more. As eccentric as Sir Haywood was, he almost never exaggerated. Whenever he was working on one of his cases, everything he said was completely and absolutely serious. So when he told them that they could all be in danger, they had every reason to be worried.
Another long, unpleasant period of silence followed. Ultimately, Bronze Star broke it. He told the indigo stallion "Go ahead and send the objects to Dread Naught. But please make sure that he handles them with utmost care, and let him know that haste is of the essence."
"It shall be done, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank assured the prince, "In the meantime, I want to cancel all the task force's meetings for the next week. That includes the one we scheduled for tomorrow. Until I hear back from Dread Naught, we should avoid gathering everypony together. Our correspondence will be limited to observing activity in town and conversing in private locations."
"What about the vigilantes?" Copper Hollow inquired.
"We'll continue to deliver them weekly updates of our progress," Haywood McCrank proposed, "The day before each one is due, I'll speak with every member of the task force separately and acquire a full report of any new discoveries they made. After that, I'll deliver our collective findings to the drop sites and pick up the new updates from the vigilantes."
"That works for me," Noble Edict stated in approval.
Bronze Star and Copper Hollow agreed with the red mare. As always, Sir Haywood had thought of everything.
The conversation about the investigation into the murder plot pretty much ended there. However, nopony had forgotten the reason why they had come to the meeting chambers in the first place. After some more silence, Copper Hollow turned to Bronze Star and remarked "Earlier on, you asked me to close my eyes for something. Out of curiosity, why did you do that?"
"It was part of my plan to tell you my real identity," Bronze Star elucidated, "I have the ability to change my appearance at will. I just don't like to do it with people watching me. You see, my plan was to show you my Alicorn form, and then let you put the pieces together. Evidently, you didn't even need that piece to solve the puzzle."
"Nope," Copper Hollow bluntly commented, "Still, if it wasn't for this secret meeting, I probably never would have come forward with my hypothesis that you were who I thought you were. So that must count for something."
"I suppose so," Bronze Star coincided, "You haven't discussed these suspicions with anypony else, though, have you?"
"No, of course not," Copper Hollow reassured him, "It would have been unwise and discourteous to go around gossiping about somepony as esteemed and admired as you. At the time, I would have just been spreading rumors. Aside from that, I respect privacy very much. I am a little curious, though; what made you decide to tell me your secret?"
"Truthfully, I plan to tell everypony in town eventually," Bronze Star apprised him, "Originally, I did not intend to come forward to you so soon. Then Noble Edict invited you to the Grand Galloping Gala. Since you would have seen me there in my true form, I decided you needed to know sometime before then."
"That's understandable," Copper Hollow perceived, "But the Gala isn't for another four months or so, and Noble and I did not even know we were going until a few days ago. What compelled you to tell me so soon? You weren't exactly in any rush to let me know."
"Actually… I was," Bronze Star notified him, "That brings me to the reason why I wanted Noble Edict and Sir Haywood McCrank to be present when I told you."
"What do you mean, Bronze?" Noble Edict asked in interest.
"Rarity is making a special outfit for every person in Ponyville who is attending the Gala," Bronze Star informed the others, "That includes the four of us. She plans to have all of them finished by tomorrow morning, she wanted us all to see them at the same time, and my outfit utilizes my regalia. Get what I'm saying now?"
"You wanted me to know the truth before I saw your crown," Copper Hollow presumed.
"Precisely," Bronze Star affirmed.
Noble Edict and Sir Haywood McCrank seemed more interested in the content of Bronze Star's explanation.
The indigo stallion raised an eyebrow and muttered "So, Rarity intends to create an ensemble for each of us to wear at the Gala?"
"Yeah, she's in the process of making them as we speak," Bronze Star answered him.
"That's the first I'm hearing of this," the red mare commented.
"Makes sense," the gold stallion uttered frankly, "She only began working on them a few hours ago."
"In any case, I look forward to seeing what she comes up with," Copper Hollow thought aloud.
"Well, just make sure you show up at Carousel Boutique early tomorrow morning," Bronze Star advised, "Rarity is very enthusiastic about this project of hers."
"You got it," Copper Hollow acknowledged, "By the way, if Rarity's using your regalia for your outfit, that implies she knows your secret, too. So that makes me wonder; who else in town – other than the four of us – knows your real identity?"
"Just Spike and the Element Bearers," Bronze Star illuminated, "Altogether, there are eleven people in town who know the truth. I'd like to keep it that way for now."
"Then I won't tell a soul," Copper Hollow steadfastly declared, "You have my word on that."
"Thank you," the gold stallion said appreciatively.
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YES. WRITE MORE.
Ohmergersh It's Wednesday! That's all I could think of today, if it doesn't come out today then it's suuuuupppeeeerrr close!!! I NEED THE NEXT CHAPTER I LOVE THIS STORY SOOOOOOO MUCCCHHHH