Fortune Favors The Bold

by TheEquestrianWing

A Difficult Position

The following morning in Appleoosa, Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy woke up early and ate a light breakfast. After that, they went back to Silverstar's office to speak with the Sheriff about the fiasco from yesterday.

Last night, Silverstar had sent out two teams to spy on the buffalo camp, and they had returned a few hours beforehand. Both teams reported seeing three ponies and a small dragon in the company of the buffalo. The teams' descriptions of the four individuals matched the appearances of Rollin Fields, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. From a distance, they all appeared to be uninjured, but they were surrounded by buffalo, which entailed that they were being held against their will.

The team also spotted the sleeper car. It had been removed from the railway somehow. Bloomberg was nowhere to be seen, so he must have been inside the car.

At least now Bronze Star, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy knew where their friends were. Of course, although locating the others had been simple enough, they were now tasked with a more challenging part of the matter. Now they had to go after them.

Silverstar recommended that they put together another team; one larger and armed. Bronze Star strongly advised against that proposal. He argued that if they showed up at the buffalo camp as a large host equipped with weapons, the buffalo would view their arrival as a sign of hostility, and they may take swift action to defend themselves. If so, the lives of everyone involved would be at risk, buffalo and ponies alike.

Since the buffalo had not harmed Spike or the others, Bronze Star theorized that perhaps the buffalo were capable of listening to reason. As such, he proposed that they send about a half-dozen ponies to their camp under the claim of peace. He believed the buffalo would be much more willing to cooperate if they were visited by a small group of unarmed ponies.

Sheriff Silverstar had some reservations about the gold stallion's idea. For one, the buffalo had a tendency to be unpredictable at times. He also felt that if too few ponies went to the camp, there was a chance the buffalo might take them hostage as well.

Bronze Star was able to put the Sheriff's qualms to rest. He informed the dark amber stallion that he was an experienced diplomat, and he had resolved conflicts far more grave and delicate than this one. That was entirely true; as a member of the Canterlot Royalty, people had often looked to him to approve their contracts and mediate on their disputes. He was fairly certain that he could negotiate with the buffalo for the release of their friends and Bloomberg.

And even if the buffalo did try to seize him and the others anyway, Bronze Star was prepared to counter their force. He notified Silverstar that he had ten years of military training by a former Captain of the Royal Guard. That was also true; SIG Sauer had taught him extensively in every field of combat. He debated that if the buffalo used force, he would be able to fight them off. He still carried a knife in his knapsack, so as an extra precaution, he would bring that along, as well.

Ultimately, Bronze Star managed to convince Silverstar that his plan was the better one. It may have been riskier, but at the same time, it was safer, as well.

Since their friends were the ones who had been taken, Applejack, Bronze Star, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle volunteered to be in this group. Braeburn knew the most direct way to the buffalo camp, so he offered to go with them. Bronze Star decided that the six of them would be adequate.

Soon after, they gathered at the northern border of the town. They were about to set off; all they had to do before they did was finish packing up their supplies for the road ahead.

At this time, Applejack was helping Rarity with her saddlebags. Although she just wanted to ensure that the saddlebags were on properly, she seemed to be a little too rough on the white mare.

"Ow!" Rarity muttered in frustration. She groaned as Applejack tightened the saddlebags, and when the orange mare finally relented, she beseeched her "Gently, please!"

"Sorry, Rarity," Applejack told her sincerely, "But our friends are out there and we have ta' be ready for a long hike into buffalo territory if we're gonna save 'em!"

"Well, I'm ready when you are," Bronze Star pronounced. The others mumbled in agreement.

Applejack smiled, reared back on her hind legs, and declared "Let's go!"

After that, she and the other five ponies started galloping to the north. Bronze Star hoped that whenever they got to the buffalo camp, the others would be alright.

It turned out they did not have to go that far for him to get that reassurance.

The group of six had not gone a dozen steps before they stopped. Their path was blocked by a group of four. This group was composed of Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rollin Fields. All four of them were standing right in front of them, and they seemed to be doing well. Rainbow Dash had a bump on the top of her head, and Rollin Fields had a small bandage on his temple. Other than that, the three ponies and the dragon had no sign of injury whatsoever.

"Hi, guys!" Pinkie Pie greeted them happily, as if she seen them at breakfast that morning.

"Pinkie!" Fluttershy exclaimed cheerfully, lunging towards the pink mare. The yellow mare's sudden display of ecstasy alarmed everypony else, especially Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy managed to knock Pinkie Pie backwards, and both mares were on the ground a moment later. Fluttershy hugged Pinkie Pie warmly, and she proclaimed merrily "We're so glad you're safe."

Applejack, Bronze Star, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle shared the quiet Pegasus' joy. They approached Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Rollin Fields and expressed their happiness and relief, as well. However, they were also a little perplexed by this sudden turn of events.

Twilight Sparkle was the first one to address this issue. After everypony had a chance to exchange pleasantries, she said inquisitively "How did you escape from the buffalo?"

"We didn't!" Pinkie Pie revealed.

She and Rollin Fields gestured to a large rock a couple meters away. A young buffalo jumped out from behind it and stood where everypony could see her. She was the same buffalo that had detached the caboose from the rest of the train yesterday.

Applejack, Braeburn, and a couple of the others gasped in surprise. Bronze Star only raised an eyebrow in interest.

The buffalo gazed downwards and rubbed the ground with her front hoof, as if she was a little nervous.

"We promised the buffalo a chance to talk," Rainbow Dash remarked.

"Oh, yeah?" Applejack murmured suspiciously, "'Bout what?"

Rainbow Dash enlightened her with "We brought our new pal Little Strongheart here to explain to the Appleloosans why they should move the apple trees off buffalo land."

Braeburn stepped forward and stated openly "That information would be quite help–"

"That's weird," Applejack cut in, angrily, "'Cause my cousin Braeburn here wants to explain to the buffalo why they should let the apple trees stay."

Little Strongheart grinned and uttered "That would be a useful thing to–"

"The land is theirs!" Rainbow Dash interrupted her, more than a little cross, "You planted the trees not knowing that. Honest mistake. Now, you just gotta move 'em, that's all."

Everypony looked to Braeburn and Applejack for a response. The light gold stallion mumbled in apprehension "Well... heh..."

"They busted their rumps here!" Applejack furiously contended, "An' now they're supposed ta bust their rumps again, just 'cause some buffalo won't stampede someplace else?"

"Plant the trees somewhere else!" Rainbow Dash heatedly suggested.

"Where?!" Applejack snapped, gesturing to all the rough and uneven terrain in the vicinity, "It's the only flatland around these parts!"

"The BUFFALO had it FIRST!" Rainbow Dash yelled, getting up in the orange mare's face.

"The settler ponies need it to LIVE!" Applejack shouted, forcing the cyan mare to back off.

"Come ON, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash firmly demanded.

Right after this, the two mares each spoke one sentence at the same time:

Applejack: "You're bein' unreasonable!"

Rainbow Dash: "I put my hoof down!"

It was then that Twilight Sparkle and Bronze Star intervened. The lavender mare and the gold stallion stepped between the farmer and the weather maker.

"Look!" Twilight Sparkle pointed out, "Both the settlers and the buffalo have good reasons to use this land. There must be something we can do."

"If you want to negotiate, at least be more open-minded," Bronze Star proposed, "That goes for both of you."

"What would you recommend, sir?" Rollin Fields inquired

"I can't say just yet," Bronze Star muttered, "I'll need to hear the full story from both sides first."

Pinkie Pie thought for a few seconds, and then she announced "Hey! I've got an idea!"

Everypony turned to her expectantly, and Rarity queried "What might that be, Pinkie?"

The pink mare grinned and stated "Firstly, can anypony here play the piano?"

"I can," Spike disclosed, "A little bit, at least."

"Great," Pinkie Pie muttered in approval, "Spike, I'm going to need your help. Braeburn, can you ask around and see if anypony in town can dance?"

"Uh… sure," the light gold stallion remarked in confusion,

"Good," the energetic mare commented, "If you find anypony who can, please tell them to meet in the town square. The rest of you, have the rest of the townsfolk and the buffalo gather in town. We'll need as many of them as possible to come."

Nopony knew where Pinkie Pie was going with this, but they decided to give her idea a chance.

A few hours later, the Appleoosans and the buffalo were crowded around the town's outdoor theater. Spike was standing by a piano at the side of the stage, and four ponies – two mares and two stallions – were gathered there as dancers. Apparently, Pinkie Pie had everypony crowd there for a show or something similar.

Most of the buffalo and the ponies seemed peeved to be standing so close together, but a few individuals on both sides were more tolerant of the other side's presence.

While they waited for Pinkie Pie to implement her "idea," the audience chatted amongst themselves.

Bronze Star had just begun to have a conversation with Rollin Fields and Little Strongheart. He pointed out the bandage on the elderly stallion's forehead and asked "What happened there?"

"That's an interesting tale," the lime green Earth Pony recounted, smirking, "Yesterday, after I jumped onto one of the buffalo from the top of the train, I rode on his back for about three miles before he got me close enough to the sleeper car. Once I was within reaching distance, I lunged onto the roof of the car. I was unable to lower myself to the door, and the windows on the top were bolted. So I was as incapable of getting in as Spike was of getting out. Luckily, the glass was not soundproof. I had a plan for how we could escape the buffalo, and I was able to fill Spike in on it. I instructed him to look for the car's emergency brake. After a few minutes, he found it. I told him to wait for my signal, and then to pull it as hard as he could. About ten miles further down the railway, I spotted a sharp turn in the tracks. Just before we reached the turn, I had Spike pull the emergency brake. The sudden decrease in speed combined with the buffalo's constant acceleration caused the car to derail. Spike and I were a hundred meters off course before the buffalo realized what was going on."

"He took us quite by surprise," Little Strongheart conceded, scoffing, "We wouldn't have imagined that a stallion of his years would do something so daring."

"I quite agree," Bronze Star uttered, still looking at Rollin Fields, "That stunt you pulled… that's something I'd expect of a pony half your age."

"I may be old, but I sure as Tartarus am not weak or frail," Rollin Fields debated.

"Good thing for all of us," Bronze Star proclaimed,, "You still haven't explained the bandage, though."

"I'm getting to that," Rollin Fields disclosed. After a pause, he continued with "It turned out that sharp turn on the railway was positioned directly in front of a steep hill. So even though Spike hit the emergency brake hard, the sleeper car was quickly gaining velocity again. The car managed to travel an entire mile off the tracks before the buffalo reached us. We must have been going at least forty miles an hour downhill when two of the buffalo stepped right in front of the train and forced it to a complete stop. It was so abrupt that I was jettisoned from the roof of the sleeper car. I landed on the ground, rolled all the way to the bottom of the hill, and hit my head against a large rock at the bottom. It was then that I blacked out."

"Ouch," Bronze Star mumbled in displeasure, "So what happened next?"

"A few of my people wanted to leave him, but it was then that Spike came out of the car and ran to Mr. Fields' aid," Little Strongheart recalled, "We had no idea until that moment that he was even on the car. You see, long ago, dragons and buffalo were allies. Nowadays, we still hold each other in high esteem. We also respect our elders, so we were genuinely amazed by Mr. Fields' feat. When Spike told us that Rollin was his friend, we agreed to take him back to our camp so we could treat his injuries."

"I was more than a little astounded when I woke up several hours later," Rollin Fields revealed, "Luckily, Spike was able enlighten me on what was going on, along with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash."

"How'd the two of them come to be at the camp?" Bronze Star queried.

Rainbow Dash had been standing nearby all this time. She had overheard the conversation between the prince, the security officer, and the buffalo. She stepped up to them and elucidated "I can answer that. Thanks to Rollin Fields's trick with the emergency brake, he was able to delay the buffalo long enough for me to catch up to them. I was about to move in to save Spike and Rollin when Pinkie Pie appeared by my side. She must have given us away; not ten seconds later, we were surrounded by the buffalo."

"Fortunately, Spike spoke for them, too," Little Strongheart explicated, "We brought them all to our camp and had them stay there as guests instead of captives. Then we told them all about our feud with the Appleoosans and why we had taken that tree."

"So I see," Bronze Star murmured, rubbing his chin, "There's something about that whole affair that I still don't understand. How did your people know that the train would be carrying an apple tree in the first place?"

"The Chief was the one who arranged that raid," Little Strongheart apprised him, "He told the rest of the tribe all about the train and its cargo."

"How did the Chief himself know?" the gold stallion queried.

"I cannot say," the young buffalo professed, "The Chief never said where he got the information from, but he insisted that it was reliable."

"Indeed it was," Bronze Star muttered, looking off to the side. After that, he turned back to Little Strongheart and requested "Do you suppose I could speak with Chief Thunderhooves later?"

"I could try to make that happen," Little Strongheart declared, "But I can't guarantee he'll agree to it. Chief Thunderhooves is normally unwilling to discuss anything with ponies. Even politicians such as you, Mr. Streak."

"All I ask is that you make an attempt," Bronze Star pronounced.

"I will," Little Strongheart asserted.

A couple minutes later, Spike donned a top hat, climbed onto the bench in front of the piano, and began playing it. The ponies and the buffalo quickly quieted down and turned their attention to the stage. Once the piano intro was done, the curtains pulled apart to reveal a fake giant clam.

The clam opened up to reveal Pinkie Pie lying inside. She was clad in an elaborate dress, and her mane had been done up in a beehive-type style. She almost looked like an authentic southern belle.

She sat up straight and began to sing:

"We may be divided

But of you all, I beg

To remember we're all hoofed

At the end of each leg"

After that lyric, one of her dancers appeared on either side of the pink mare, hoisted her out of the clam, and set her down on her hooves.

On the ground below, everyone was staring at Pinkie Pie as though she was berserk. Many of them had no idea what was going on. There were a couple who did, and they were highly unamused.

"We should have seen this coming," Rollin Fields muttered drily.

Pinkie Pie started bouncing around the stage as she continued singing:

"No matter what the issue

Come from wherever you please"

She then jumped off the stage and brushed up against the nearest buffalo while she sang:

"All this fighting gets you nothing

But hoof and mouth disease"

She then returned to the stage and lingered near the piano as she sang:

"Arguing's not the way

Hey, come out and play!

It's a shiny, new day

So, what do you say?"

As she sang these next few lyrics, she started doing high kicks with both of her hind legs:

"You gotta share

You gotta care

It's the right thing to do

You gotta share

You gotta care

And there'll always be a way through"

She then went back to the ground and stood between Little Strongheart and Sheriff Silverstar. She pulled out two apples and stuck on in each of their mouths as she continued with:

"Both our diets, I should mention

Are completely vegetarian

We all eat hay and oats

Why be at each other's throat?"

Then she got back onto the stage and got in a chorus line with all four of her dancers. As they did high kicks in unison, she caroled:

"You gotta share

You gotta care

It's the right thing to do"

The two male dancers then lifted her into the air as she finished the song with:

"And there'll always be a way

Throoooough!"

There was a long, uncomfortable silence as soon as Spike stopped playing the piano. The baby dragon turned around and applauded, cheering "All right, Pinkie Pie! That was FANTASTIC! What a great song! Yeah, right on!"

He was the only one there who gave any form of reaction. Everypony else just stared in disbelief.

Normally, Bronze Star would always stomp his hooves for a performance, even if nopony else did. However, in this scenario, he was too bewildered to even give a courtesy clap.

A minute later, a pair of front hooves could be heard stamping against the ground. Everypony turned and saw that Esopus Spitzenburg was the one doing it. He merely smirked and muttered emotionlessly "How quaint."

"What the buck did we just watch?" he mumbled in astonishment.

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer, sir," Rollin Fields whispered candidly.

A few meters away, Chief Thunderhooves and Sheriff Silverstar were gazing at each other, as though they were trying to determine what the other was thinking. After a few seconds, the large buffalo chief looked back at the stage and announced "It appears that Sheriff Silverstar and I have come to... an agreement."

"We have," Sheriff Silverstar concurred.

All the other ponies and buffalo leaned closer hopefully. Maybe some good had some out of Pinkie Pie's bizarre show after all.

Their hope was quickly shot down a moment later, when Thunderhooves straightforwardly remarked "That was the worst performance we've ever seen."

"Teh... Abso-tively!" Silverstar commented wryly.

So Pinkie Pie's song had accomplished nothing, much to the dismay of everyone there. Especially Pinkie Pie herself.

To make matters worse, the situation was continuing to deteriorate.

Chief Thunderhooves stepped forward and declared furiously "The time for action... Hmh... is upon us! Our stampede will start at high noon tomorrow. And if the orchard is still there, we'll flatten IT! AND the whole town!"

All the ponies gasped in shock. Several of the buffalo seemed stunned, as well.

"But, Chief!" Little Strongheart tried to protest, but the larger buffalo ignored he.

Sheriff Silverstar trotted up to Thunderhooves and firmly proclaimed "An' we Appleloosans say you'd better bring yer best, 'cause we'll be ready and waitin'."

"But, Sheriff..." Braeburn attempted to get the light amber stallion's attention, but he had about as much success as Little Strongheart did with the Chief.

The ponies and the buffalo quickly started to disperse. As they all exited the area, Pinkie Pie looked to Spike and mumbled sadly "Oh... That wasn't the message of my song at all..."

As soon as the buffalo vacated the town, the Appleoosans went to work with making preparations for the following day. They started by fortifying the buildings. They did this by clearing out most of the buildings and sealing the doors and windows of the few that would remain occupied. After all the defensive measure were accounted for, they proceeded to devise some armaments.

The Appleoosans had some very unconventional weapons. They harvested a large number of apples from their orchard and used them to bake scores of apple pies. Apparently, they planned to fling the pies at the buffalo when they charged towards the town.

While Bronze Star had to admit that was an original weapon, it was not very practical or impressive. It did not seem particularly useful, either. In this case, he would have advised that they use their ovens to forge steel rather than baked goods. However, he did not want to do anything that would increase the likelihood of bloodshed here. Tensions were already frayed enough as they were.

Applejack, Bronze Star, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle tried to persuade the Appleoosans to try using diplomacy once more, but the town's residents were beyond negotiation by this point. They did not give the advice from the prince or his companions any acknowledgement whatsoever. In fact, they almost completely disregarded them for the rest of the day.

The only one they were willing to talk to was Bronze Star. Sheriff Silverstar and a few of his deputies came to the gold stallion and asked for his assistance in the upcoming battle. He assumed that the light amber stallion wished to consult him for some tips on how to better defend the town. In actuality, he wanted him to take up arms against the buffalo with the townspeople.

Bronze Star gave the Sheriff and his deputies a very blunt reply: "I refuse to help you. This is not my fight."

"'Not your fight?'" the Sheriff spat angrily, "You sound as though you do not care what happens to your own kind."

"That's rich, coming from a stallion who wants this battle to happen," Bronze Star mockingly retorted.

"You have something none of us have," Silverstar debated, "You've been trained by the military. Your expertise could make all the difference tomorrow."

"I'm a politician first and a soldier second," Bronze Star illuminated, "I only use force when diplomacy has failed."

"It has failed," Silverstar claimed.

"It never fails until blood has been spilled," Bronze Star countered, "And this I can assure you: I will NEVER be the first one to spill it. You're on your own."

"Fine," Silverstar muttered crossly. As he and his deputies left the young prince, he gazed over his shoulder and stated angrily "Just think of this: whatever happens to my people tomorrow, it will be because of you."

"With all due respect, I was not the one who started this rivalry," Bronze Star scathingly rejoined.

That night at the buffalo camp, the buffalo were getting themselves ready, as well. They were marking their faces with faint, sharpening their horns, and practicing their charging.

Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Rollin Fields had gone to the camp to attempt to reason with the buffalo, but they had as little success there as their friends had in Ponyville.

Chief Thunderhooves tried to recruit Rollin Fields into their numbers. He and many of his tribemates were impressed by the elderly Earth Pony's prowess and agility. They felt he would make an excellent addition to their numbers.

While the lime green stallion sympathized with the buffalo's cause, he did not want any part of it. Like Bronze Star, he had a strict non-interference policy with. So he declined the Chief's offer as respectfully as possible. Chief Thunderhooves was displeased, but he reluctantly accepted Rollin Fields's refusal.

Bronze Star and Rollin Fields were so anxious that neither of them thought to stop by the post office to see if anything had arrived from Ponyville. That was an imprudent mistake, but not one that would produce irreparable consequences.

Interestingly, the one pony who did not seem distraught or preoccupied in any way was Esopus Spitzenburg. He simply strolled through the town and gazed at his surroundings. Every now and then, he gave a faint grin.

Applejack found her Great Uncle's indifference to the situation rather odd. When he was by himself, she went over to him and noted "You seem strangely calm, Uncle Esopus."

"Everything will work out, Jackie," he serenely proclaimed, "I'm certain of that."

"Why?" Applejack asked him.

"Just trust me," was all he said in response. After that, he went back to the inn and did not come back out for the rest of the day.

That night, Applejack told Bronze Star about that brief exchange of dialogue. He also found it perplexing that Esopus Spitzenburg did not seem to care that Appleoosa was faced with an imminent crisis. It was almost as though he was glad that it was happening.

Bronze Star and Applejack took a look at the picture frame in their room to check in on the one upstairs in Spitzenburg's suite. He still had not taken out large poster board yet, and he did not take it out anytime that night.

Although Bronze Star was annoyed that Spitzenburg had not contacted or been contacted by the final conspirator yet, he hoped one of those events would occur soon. He prayed it would at least happen before he and Applejack went back to Ponyville. If worse came to worst, Appleoosa would be reduced to a bunch of files of rubble by this time tomorrow. So tonight might have been their only chance.

The next morning, the townsfolk finished preparing Appleoosa for the forthcoming fight. By 11:45, they were all gathered near the town's northern border or in the center of the town. There they had set up barricades of wooden beams, barbed wire, and haystacks. They had piles and piles of apple pies stacked by them. Some ponies had taken shelter indoors, but they were ready to reinforce their neighbors at a moment's notice.

Ten minutes later, Chief Thunerhooves and his entire tribe appeared at the edge of the cliff that overlooked the town's northern border.

Bronze Star and Applejack were near the front line of the town's defenses. They looked around at their fellow ponies. They could see that they were nervous and fearful. That was understandable; the buffalo were stronger, larger, and they outnumbered the ponies by at least four-to-one.

They also discovered that Esopus Spitzenburg was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had run off to avoid the stampede. That was unlikely, but not impossible.

Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Rollin Fields had returned to the town several hours earlier. They were near the center of town with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight Sparkle at this time. They watched as two stallions rolled a cart of fresh-baked apple pies over to the Sheriff's office.

By now, Rainbow Dash was desperate for a solution to their problem. She tapped her front hoof against her forehead and uttered softly "Come on, THINK. Think, think, think, think, think, think, think!"

Right then, the clock struck twelve. That was the moment of true. Every time the bell rang, everyone seemed to get more and more restless. Every passing second felt like an eternity, and nopony could catch their breath. The buffalo remained totally motionless on the cliff, but that could change at any moment.

On the twelfth chime, Little Strongheart approached Chief Thunderhooes and gently placed her hoof on his face. He looked to the younger buffalo slowly. She did not say a word, but she seemed to be pleading with him to reconsider. That appeared to work, as the Chief turned back to the town, lowered his head, and sighed.

Rainbow Dash noticed this. She gasped and proclaimed giddily "He's not gonna do it!"

Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rollin Fields breathed out a sigh of relief. Applejack smiled gladly, and Bronze Star stated gratefully "Praise Celestia."

So the attack had been averted. Or it would have been. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Pinkie Pie showed up between the Appleoosans and the buffalo in her southern belle attire. She danced and sang loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear her:

"–whaddaya say?

You got to share

You got to care

It's the right thing to do

You got to share

You got to care…"

Chief Thunderhooves was so irritated by her reprise that he lost his temper and his composure, and he yelled at the top of his voice "CHAAARGE!"

Then all at once, he and his tribemates galloped down the cliff and towards the town.

Applejack slapped her forehead in frustration, and Bronze Star shouted intensely "DAMNIT, PINKIE PIE!"

Pinkie Pie quickly stopped singing when the buffalo reached the bottom of the cliff. She stared in terror as the buffalo got closer and closer. Once they were upon her, she was thrown off her hooves and through the air. She screamed "Wah-ahh! Woah-oo-oo-oo-ooah!"

The buffalo were coming in too fast for the ponies along the barricades to keep track of them. Those ponies got out of the way just in time. A few seconds later, the buffalo broke through the wooden beams and the barbed wire.

"Fall back!" Bronze Star ordered them, "Fall back quickly!"

Nopony needed to be told twice. The Appleoosans regrouped in the town square. Sheriff Silverstar and many of the others had picked up an apple pie. They waited patiently for the buffalo to get close enough, and then Silverstar announced "Ready... aim... fire!"

Dozens of pies were flung through the air. Most of them managed to splatter against a buffalo's face. Every time a buffalo was hit, he or she collapsed onto the ground. The volley of pies had not discouraged the buffalo from advancing, but they did succeed in throwing the herd into disarray. They went from galloping in ranks to galloping individually.

Before long, the ponies and the buffalo were fighting more directly. Some of the ponies managed to jump onto the buffalo and take control of them. Others fought hoof-to-hoof.

Several buffalo tried to dismantle the town's remaining defenses by knocking over the haystacks. However, some of the haystacks had an anvil hidden inside of them. Any buffalo that was unfortunate enough to ram one of those was rewarded with an unpleasant headache.

A large group of ponies were using the post office for cover. A number of the buffalo noticed this and charged the building. They managed to knock out two of its walls. Miraculously, the building did not crumble, but the ponies inside quickly vacated it.

At one point, another buffalo got hit by an apple pie, but he did not go down right away. Instead, he stumbled blindly through the streets until he ran straight into the clock tower. He hit it so hard that he caused the stone to crack and the tower to collapse. That sent the townspeople scattering in all directions.

Chief Thunderhooves jumped over the rubble and gazed around for a target. He spotted Sheriff Silverstar throwing apple pies from behind a haystack. The large buffalo focused on the lawstallion and charged towards him head-on.

Silverstar soon noticed Thunderhooves and he tossed his apple pies at him in rapid succession. Somehow, every shot missed the Chief. Soon, the Sheriff had exhausted his supply of pies. When he realized this, he gasped in alarm.

Thunderhooves was coming at him faster every second. The Sheriff did not have time to dodge him, nor would he. Rather than retreat, Silverstar closed his eyes, removed his hat, and placed it over his heart. It was as though he had accepted his fate.

When Chief Thunderhooves was within five meters of Sheriff Silverstar, the former lunged towards the latter with his front legs outspread. However, at that very instant, a rogue pie was flying perpendicular to the buffalo's path. The Chief noticed it and screeched "Nooo!"

The pie intercepted him just before he reached the Sheriff. It appeared to strike him fatally, because the next thing everyone knew, Chief Thunderhooves was lying sprawling out on the ground with apple pie smeared on his face, and he did not move or breathe.

Everyone abruptly stopped fighting. It was as though all the hostility had vanished in a split-second.

The nearest buffalo broke down sobbing at the sight of their fallen leader. Some of the ponies even tried to comfort them. Spike started crying into Little Strongheart's side, as well.

Bronze Star cautiously approached the downed buffalo with the helm of feathers, and he knelt by his side. He was able to find a pulse, and he gently shook the buffalo, saying urgently "Chief, are you alright?"

Chief Thunderhooves did not answer him. It was as though he was totally unresponsive. Then a delightful turn of events occurred.

A bit of the apple pie on his face slithered down his muzzle, and it landed on his outstretched tongue. The Chief brought his tongue back into his mouth, and it sounded as though he was swallowing. A second later, his eyes shot open, he rose back to his hooves, and he used his tongue to clean his face of the remainder of the apple pie. He thought aloud "Yum! Hey, I've got a much better idea!"

The buffalo were thrilled to see their leader unharmed, and the ponies seemed delighted that the fighting had stopped so suddenly.

"What you got in mind, Chief?" Sheriff Silverstar asked as he climbed off the haystack.

"I would speak with you, Sheriff," Chief Thunderhooves proposed.

"Just the two of us?" the light amber stallion assumed.

"Bring whoever's in charge of your apple orchard, and I'll bring a few of my people," the buffalo with the feathered helm suggested, "Oh, and please bring a couple pies, too."

"Okay," Silverstar coincided. He did not know where this was going, but if it meant avoiding further conflict, he was willing to play along.

Sheriff Silverstar, Chief Thunderhooves, Braeburn, Little Strongheart, and a few more ponies and buffalo went out of the town to converse in private. They took half a dozen apple pies with them.

The other ponies and buffalo waited anxiously while this discussion went on. Ten minutes later, the Sheriff and the Chief returned with their peoples. The pies were gone, but each of the buffalo appeared to have bits of apple juice and pie crust along their lips.

Chief Thunderhooves pronounced "We've arrived at a settlement. One that both our peoples will find acceptable."

Sheriff Silverstar nodded and professed "Alright, all; now let's start cooperatin' with each other. We've got work to do."

Over the next few days, the buffalo and the ponies concentrated on two separate objectives.

Firstly, they rebuilt the parts of Appleoosa that had been damaged during the battle. Luckily, only two buildings had been notably damaged. The clock tower could easily be reconstructed, as most of the bricks that had fallen from it could be reused. The real challenge was the post office. Since two of its walls were demolished, it had to be knocked down and rebuilt from scratch. As such, the townsfolk had to wait a while before they could receive their mail.

Once the town was repaired, the buffalo and the ponies got to work on their other goal. This one involved taking things down rather than putting things up.

Silverstar sent a number of lumberjacks out to the apple orchard. Initially, it looked as though they were actually going to take down all the trees after all, but it turned out they only chopped down about ten percent of the orchard. They only cut down the trees in the center of the longest part of the orchard. They cut them down in a straight line so that they left a straight path that ran all the way from one end of the orchard to the other. Then they uprooted all the stumps.

Once all that was done, Applejack gave a whistle. In response, Chief Thunderhooves and his people galloped down the new path towards the other side of the orchard. There Applejack and a few other ponies presented them with a batch of fresh-baked pies. Each buffalo stopped long enough for the ponies to toss one of the pies onto his or her back, and then they moved on gleefully.

Bronze Star, Chief Thunderhooves, Spike, Little Strongheart, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle were standing off to the side, watching the methodical procession.

Bronze Star leaned over to Thunderhooves and commented "So, this was your agreement, Chief?"

The large buffalo nodded his head and declared giddily "We... will allow the apple orchard to stay in exchange for a share of its fruit, heh... Those... delicious apple pies!"

"And you still get room for your stampeding ground," Bronze Star noted, "At the same time, the Appleoosans can keep the majority of their orchard. So things work out for everyone."

"That they do," Twilight Sparkle uttered.

"I'd rather eat turquoise any day of the week," Spike interjected. Just then, Little Strongheart presented him with a bowl of gemstones of said color. He took them and started to chomp them down happily.

The buffalo had also rolled back the sleeper car they had taken from the train. While they helped a few of the Appleoosans bring it to the rail yard, Applejack supervised Bloomberg's replanting process. Once the tree had taken up roots in the ground, Applejack embraced "him" and pronounced "Bloomberg, this is yer special day. Mama's so proud of you!"

Bronze Star just snickered as his fillyfriend's actions.

Once Applejack was finished mollycoddling the tree, Rainbow Dash and Little Strongheart asked her if she was interested in a little race. She gladly accepted the offer.

While the young buffalo, the orange mare, and the cyan mare headed off into the distance, Twilight Sparkle had Spike compose another lesson to Princess Celestia. This one went as follows:

"Dear Princess Celestia,

Friendship is a wondrous and powerful thing. Even the worst of enemies can become friends. You need understanding and compromise. You've got to share. You've got to care."

Just then, Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere and snapped "HEY! That's what I said!"

Bronze Star, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Chief Thunderhooves just stared at her in bafflement. Once the pink mare was gone, the large buffalo leaned over to the gold stallion and asked him "How do you understand her?"

"Honestly, I really don't," Bronze Star disclosed, "I gave up trying to a long time ago."

"I do not blame you," Chief Thunderhooves stated slyly, "But she may have had a point. If we had considered negotiation in the first place, our feud come have been avoided altogether."

"That's what I've been saying since I got here," Bronze Star contended, "Diplomacy should always come first, and aggression should only come when all else fails."

"Wise words, Mr. Streak," Thunderhooves uttered in approval, "Your people and mine would do well to live by them."

"Thank you, sir," Bronze Star commented appreciatively. There was a short period of pleasant silence, and then the prince turned to the buffalo in the feathered helm and said "Chief, before you and your people leave, may I have a word with you?"

"Certainly," Thunderhooves replied.

The two of them swiftly went to a deserted part of the orchard, and once they were alone, Bronze Star looked up at the buffalo and told him "First off, I'm sure I speak for both of us when I say that I am relieved that this conflict is behind us now,"

"You do, sir," Chief Thunderhooves affirmed, "I am very glad we were able to compromise."

"That said, there is one thing that baffles me," Bronze Star illuminated, "When your people raided the train that brought me and my friends to Appleoosa, how did you know we were bringing a tree?"

Chief Thunderhooves raised an eyebrow and inquired "What are you asking me?"

"Little Strongheart claims you're the first one who knew about Bloomberg in advance," Bronze Star explicated.

"She told you true," Chief Thunderhooves avowed. There was a brief pause, and then he looked down at the prince and pronounced "I will answer your question. Three days before you came here, a mare visited my camp at night. She came to my tent and informed me that on a certain date in the near future, another apple tree would be delivered to Appleoosa. We gave me all the details: the manner of transportation, the time of arrival, the number of ponies travelling with the tree, and even the tree's location. She made so suggestions as to what we should do with all that information; she just said that she thought we would find it useful. After that, she left without another word."

Bronze Star raised an eyebrow in fascination and presumed "So, somepony in town told you?"

"I do not believe it was somepony from Appleoosa," Chief Thunderhooves refuted, "I have been all over the town these past few days, and that mare is nowhere amongst the townsfolk."

"Have any of the other buffalo seen her?" Bronze Star conjectured.

"No, I was alone when she visited me," Chief Thunderhooves disclosed, "I believe she slipped right past my people, otherwise I would have informed the minute she came within sight of our lookouts. I do not know how she managed to enter and exit our territory undetected, but she must have been very good at avoiding attention."

"Did you ask her why she was helping you?" Bronze Star murmured.

"I did," Chief Thunderhooves elucidated, "All she said was that what she was doing was 'for the good of every sentient being in Equestria.'"

Bronze Star thought those words sounded strangely familiar. He rubbed his chin for a minute, and then he queried "What did she look like?"

"Since it was nighttime, I only got a glimpse of her," Chief Thunderhooves pronounced, "I'm not an expert on colors, but I'll try to describe her as best I can. I believe her body was purple, her hair and tail were red, and her eyes were orange. I'm afraid I was unable to make out her cutie mark; I'm sorry."

"That's quite alright," Bronze Star asserted. Even without knowing that mare's cutie mark, he had already figured out who she was. He grinned at the Chief and told him "That's all I wanted to know. Thank you again."

"Of course," Chief Thunderhooves reassured him, smiling back.

An hour later, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Little Strongheart got back from their race. Everyone said their good-byes, and Little Strongheart, Chief Thunderhooves, and the rest of the buffalo went back to their camp.

Shortly after, it was dinnertime at the inn. Everypony who was staying there was eating in the dining hall. Applejack, Bronze Star, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Rollin Fields, Spike, and Twilight Sparkle were all seated at the same table. Since it was their last full day in Appleoosa, they had been joined by Braeburn, Esopus Spitzenburg, and Sheriff Silverstar.

"It was really nice havin' y'all visit us," Braeburn mentioned during the meal, "You should come back sometime soon."

"Great idea, cousin," Applejack concurred, "Hopefully next time, there won't be so much… disorder."

"As long as we don't ruin our new friendship with the buffalo, we should be just fine," Sheriff Silverstar observed.

"Then make sure you don't ruin it," Pinkie Pie suggested cockily.

"I'll try not to, Miss Pie," Sheriff Silverstar cheerkily commented, "And I'm sure I won't, long as you don't perform here again."

At that, every single pony in the room burst out laughing, with one sole exception. The exception was not Pinkie Pie; she laughed harder than anypony. Instead, the exception was Esopus Spitzenburg. He did not so much as snicker.

In fact, Esopus Spitzenburg had seemed to be in a very somber mood ever since the buffalo and the ponies of Appleoosa had ended their rivalry. Esopus was the one person on either side who seemed less joyful after the truce had been declared than before.

Bronze Star and Applejack had noticed that. They had already developed a theory as to why the elderly stallion's demeanor was so grim, but they had not acquired any proof to validate this theory until Bronze Star had that conversation with Chief Thunderhooves earlier that day. He had told Applejack about that conversation, and she found it intriguing, as well.

After everypony finished laughing at Silverstar's jape, Applejack looked to Esopus Spitzenburg and asked rhetorically "Somethin' botherin' you, Great Uncle Esopus?"

The elderly stallion hastily turned to his great niece and remarked "Oh, no; Jackie. Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all."

He did not sound very convincing. Braeburn leaned forward and queried "You sure, Great Uncle Esopus? You've seemed a little on edge lately."

"Well, with everything that's been going on, who could blame me?" Spitzenburg debated, "Aside from that, I've been away from Chicacolt for weeks. I should be getting back there soon; I've got a company that needs to be run. My board of directors can only do so much in my absence."

"Then if you don't mind me asking, why did you come out here in the first place, sir?" Bronze Star inquired.

"To get away from it all," Esopus Spitzenburg proclaimed, "As you can imagine, a CEO has a lot of responsibilities, stress, and pressure put on him. I came out here hoping to have a break. But the dispute between our people and the buffalo got in the way of that. Some good came out of it, though. It reminded me that you cannot flee from your problems, and if you try to, all you'll do is find more."

"I agree with that sentiment, Mr. Spitzenburg," Twilight Sparkle conceded.

"So do I," Bronze Star added in.

Everypony at that table raised a glass to Esopus Spitzenburg's last statement. After that round of drinks, Spitzenburg placed his napkin on the table, got out of his chair, and declared "Well, I'm going to turn in for the night."

"Now?" Rainbow Dash murmured in mild surprise, "It's not even seven o'clock."

"Well, I have a certain… task to attend to before I go to bed," Esopus Spitzenburg revealed.

"You mean like packing?" Rarity hypothesized.

"No, I'm already mostly packed," Spitzenburg explicated, "There's something business-related I must see to."

"What might that be?" Fluttershy queried curiously.

"I'd tell you, but it's confidential," Esopus candidly muttered, "It's also very pressing, so I cannot stay here any longer. So good night, and I'll see you all in the morning."

Everypony wished the old stallion a pleasant evening, although Bronze Star and Applejack only meant it halfheartedly. As soon as Spitzenburg was out of the room, Applejack nudged her coltfriend and whispered into his ear "I think this is it."

He did not ask for clarification; he already knew what he meant. He lightly nodded his head in agreement. After that, he and Applejack simultaneously set down their napkins and rose from their seats. The gold stallion announced "AJ and I will be in our room if you need us."

Everypony acknowledged that declaration and bade the gold stallion and the orange mare a good night, as well.

Applejack and Bronze Star quickly yet casually went to their room. When they got there, Applejack locked the door and covered the windows while Bronze Star got out the picture frame with the built-in surveillance system. He sat down on his bed and placed the picture frame on his lap. As soon as Applejack was sitting next to him, he brought the frame online.

This enabled them to see everything going on in Spitzenburg's suite through the picture frame's twin. By now, Spitzenburg was already in his bedroom. Similarly to them, he had locked his door and covered the curtains. At that moment, he was reaching underneath his bed. When he rose to his full height, he extracted a large piece of poster board.

"That's it," Applejack notified Bronze Star, "That's the same poster board he brought to Ponyville."

"Excellent," Bronze Star thought aloud, "Now let's see how he uses it."

After Spitzenburg had the poster board, he went over to the nightstand beside the bed, opened it up, and pulled out a small object. At first glance, it seemed to be an apple, but when Spitzenburg passed by the closed window, a wave of light went through the object, meaning it was translucent. So it could not be a legitimate apple; it must have been an ornament.

At any rate, once Esopus Spitzenburg had both the poster board and the fake apple, he got settled down. Bronze Star was hoping he would sit on his bed, at his desk, or in the recliner near the bathroom. Unfortunately, he ended up going to a stool in the corner. It was on the opposite side of the suite from the dresser, and from the way he sat, the side of his poster board was not visible to the picture frame.

"Oh, come on," Bronze Star mumbled angrily.

"Don't worry," Applejack said in reassurance, "Maybe he'll move sometime while he's using that thing."

"We can only hope," Bronze Star conceded.

Once Spitzenburg was seated in his chair, he held the poster board up at an angle on his lap. Then he took the fake apple and pressed down on its stem. The apple started glowing many different colors all at once, and it emanated a faint humming sound. Spitzenburg placed the apple on top of the poster board and kept it there for a few seconds. After that, the front of the poster board seemed to produce a bright light, as well. Applejack and Bronze Star could see the glare from it shining off the elderly stallion's face.

A moment later, they heard a voice say "Yes?"

It originated from the poster board. It was a feminine voice. The final conspirator was a mare!

Spitzenburg set the apple-shaped ornament aside, looked down at the poster board, and queried "Are you in a secure location?"

There was a heavy sigh, and then the mare on the poster board stated "Of course I am, sir. Do you really need to ask every time?"

"You can never be too cautious," Esopus proclaimed, "I ask only because you can never be too sure that nopony is watching or listening."

"How true," Bronze Star muttered under his breath.

"Well, that I can understand," the mare remarked, "But I can assure you that I'm in a private spot. If the authorities knew where I was, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Unlike me, you and the rest of our colleagues don't have a warrant out for your arrest."

"I'm aware of that," Esopus Spitzenburg commented bluntly, "Your ability to remain undetected is one of the primary reasons I brought you into this scheme."

"You don't have to remind me of those reasons, sir," the mare asserted, "You told me them when you first brought me on. I suppose you have the right to ask if I'm being monitored by the government. Let me put your qualms to rest by assuring you that I'm not."

"Good," Spitzenburg murmured in approval, "That's all I wanted to hear."

"But not all you wanted to say?" the mare assumed.

"Indeed not," Spitzenburg affirmed. He then sighed angrily, leaned back against the wall, and disclosed "Firstly, there's the situation in Appleoosa. It has been resolved, but not in the manner we hoped for."

"What happened?" the mare inquired.

"The settlers and the buffalo arrived at an understanding," the elderly stallion explicated, "Instead of wiping each other out, they have agreed to share the stampeding ground and the orchard's produce."

"I thought you said a destructive outcome was inevitable," the mare pronounced.

"At the time, it was," Esopus Spitzenburg professed, "There was even a fight in the town. However, during it, the Chief somehow developed a sudden fondness for apple pies. It was not long before that fondness was shared by the rest of his tribe. So unless we burn the stampeding ground, any hope we had of generating mayhem here is gone."

"Damn," the mare muttered in annoyance, "Oh, well. Guess we'll have to move on."

"You don't seem very displeased by this failure," Spitzenburg noted.

"To be honest, sir, I didn't have a great deal of faith in this plan to begin with," the mare revealed, "Some of the others don't quite understand what you were trying to accomplish in Appleoosa, either. What was the whole point of stirring up trouble between the buffalo and the settlers in the first place?"

"I told you before," Spitzenburg spoke a little impatiently, "Although the buffalo are natives of this region of Equestria, that did not stop ponies from inhabiting it, as well. Princess Celestia was the one who authorized our people's move out here. The idea was to take advantage of that."

"How so, sir?" the mare murmured in interest, "I mean, Appleoosa has been around for decades, and until recently, there were never any problems between the townsfolk and the natives."

"That's because the apple orchard was planted only this year," Spitzenburg disclosed, "Before then, the only apple-related thing the town had was its name. And since the apple orchard just happened to be planted on the buffalo's stampeding ground, relations between them and the Appleoosans went south. Or even further south, I should say."

"Oh, so they lit the fire; you just added fuel to it," the mare perceived.

"Correct," Esopus Spitzenburg confirmed, "That's why I had Lavender Dazzle tell Chief Thunderhooves about that train. I knew his people would want to launch a raid and take the tree before it reached Appleoosa. That one act was enough to produce a direct confrontation between the settlers and the buffalo. I was hoping for their rivalry to end with the town being razed to the ground. If that transpired, word would have spread over the country about how a group of settlers were brutally mascaraed by the savage natives. And do you know who would have been to blame for that? The one who allowed the settlers to come out here in the first place, of course. Princess Celestia herself."

"So this was yet another attempt to discredit her?" the mare assumed.

"Yes, and this one would have been more direct than most of the others," Esopus Spitzenburg, "But it didn't work, and now it never will. So we're out of luck."

Applejack was disgusted and astonished by everything she heard. She uttered through gritted teeth "So he was willing to let all the ponies in this town DIE for this insane 'cause' of his. Just when I thought my opinion of him couldn't get any lower…"

She then turned to Bronze Star. She noticed he was rubbing his chin and gazing intently at the picture frame. It was as though he was in deep meditation about something. She murmured inquisitively "Bronze? What is it?"

"That mare's voice…" Bronze Star thought aloud, "I think I recognize it from somewhere…"

Applejack raised an eyebrow and queried "Where?"

"I can't say for certain," Bronze Star expounded, "But I know I've heard it before. I never forget a voice."

"I thought you never forget anything," Applejack slyly uttered.

"I don't," Bronze Star claimed, "But that doesn't mean I can remember everything all at once. If only he'd turn the poster board towards us. I just need one glimpse of her face to refresh my memory."

"Let's just wait and see," Applejack advised.

The gold stallion and the orange mare watched on in silence.

After a bit of silence, the mare in the poster board stated "What now, sir?"

"We need to revise our timetable," Esopus Spitzenburg responded, "Too many of our prearranged schemes have failed. In fact, the only one that even partially succeeded was Livewire's. But his was supposed to kill thousands instead of hundreds."

"Maybe it's a sign," the mare theorized, "Perhaps our plot was doomed to fail from the start."

"Are you saying you no longer believe in our cause?" Spitzenburg inquired suspiciously.

"Not at all, sir," the mare reassured him, "I was merely speculating. I have as much faith in what we're doing as you do."

"Good," Spitzenburg uttered gladly, "All the same, I would ask that you don't share those speculations with the others. Is that understood, Commander?"

"Of course, sir" the mare conceded. She then added in a more sullen tone "And I asked you not to call me that, sir."

"Because you want nothing to do with your former occupation, or because 'Captain' is what you deserve?" Esopus Spitzenburg enquired.

"Neither," the mare informed him, "It's simply because I was stripped of that rank."

"Well, maybe when this is all over, you'll get it back," the elderly stallion suggested.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, sir," the mare advised him, "We've got a long way to go before we get there. A moment ago, you said something about revising our timetable. What sort of revisions do you have in mind?"

"For starters, we have to accelerate our ultimate goal," Spitzenburg declared, "Before I make any other alterations, there's something else I must address."

"What might that be?" the mare queried.

Spitzenburg did not reply straightaway. After a short period of silence, he looked back down at the poster board and stated "I told you about my great niece's paramour, did I not?"

That statement really caught Applejack and Bronze Star's attention. They did not know what was meant by it, but they had a very grim and unsettling idea.

"Yes, you did," the mare confirmed, "I've had some time to reflect on everything you told me, and I'm almost certain that your hypothesis about him is correct."

"What would you need to be completely certain?" Esopus Spitzenburg queried.

"Well, a physical description can only do so much," the mare pronounced, "Before I draw any conclusions, I'd need to actually see him first."

"You're that sure you'd be able to identify him on sight?" Spitzenburg asked rhetorically.

"Must I remind you that I worked at the Castle for years?" the mare debated, "Believe me, I'd know him when I saw him."

At that, Spitzenburg grinned and remarked "Well, my great niece happened to give me a picture of herself and her paramour when she arrived. Would you care to see it?"

"Yes, I would, sir," the mare responded.

Spitzenburg then got out of his stool and began trotting towards the dresser. As he got closer to it, Bronze Star thought about all the details of their discussion so far. He had been taking notes on everything that had been said about the mare. He mumbled softly "Warrant for her arrest… held the rank of Commander somewhere… used to work at Canterlot Castle…"

"Might know you, apparently," Applejack pointed out.

It was then that Bronze Star's eyes widened and he whispered "No… it can't be…"

A few seconds later, Esopus Spitzenburg reached the dresser, rotated the poster board, and held the illuminated side in front of the photograph. Bronze Star and Applejack found themselves face-to-face with a Pegasus mare. She was in her late thirties. She had an onyx coat, a midnight blue mane, and framboise irises. If one looked close enough, they could see her cutie mark was two spears crossing over a shield.

When Bronze Star saw the mare's face, his jaw dropped and he uttered in shock "Oh, my Mother…"

"What's wrong, Bronze?" Applejack said in concern "Do you know that mare?"

The prince did not give a verbal reply; he merely nodded his head in confirmation.

Applejack turned back to the picture frame and studied the onyx mare. She appeared to be studying them as well. Applejack mumbled anxiously "Can… can she see us?"

"No, the other frame is in Recording Mode," Bronze Star assured her, "The video feed is one-way. I think she's just studying the photograph in the frame."

"Well, since you and I are in that picture, she's still looking at you and me in a way," Applejack professed.

"Technically," Bronze Star contended, "But never mind that; let's just watch and listen."

Applejack nodded her head in agreement.

The onyx mare continued to study the photograph in the other frame for a few seconds, and then she announced "Okay, I've seen enough."

Spitzenburg then turned the poster board around so he could face the mare again. He asked her curiously "Well, is that him?"

"That is definitely the prince," the onyx mare declared, "Or most of him, at any rate."

Both Bronze Star and Applejack's hearts skipped a beat at that, but they did not panic.

"What do you suppose happened to his wings and horn?" Spitzenburg inquired.

"I'm pretty sure they weren't amputated," the onyx mare proclaimed, "It looks as though they were never there. But I know they were. I saw him fly and use magic many times when I was at the castle. The only explanation I can think of is that he must be using an illusion spell."

"Wouldn't an illusion spell only render them invisible to the eye?" Spitzenburg presumed.

"Normally, that would be the case," the onyx mare explicated, "But Alicorns have the ability to use illusion spells that prevent objects from being touched, as well. That was how Princess Celestia was able to keep her pregnancy a secret."

"So I see," Esopus Spitzenburg avowed. He thought for a minute, and then he proposed "Maybe we could make this work to our advantage."

"In what way, sir?" the onyx mare enquired.

"Prince Bronze Star is courting my great niece," the elderly stallion illuminated, "We could use his relationship with Applejack to bring him into our cause."

"That's an extremely unwise idea, sir," the onyx mare advised him, "You don't know Prince Bronze Star like I do. He takes his role as a leader of Equestria very seriously, and every pony in this country is precious to him. He would never allow us to murder so many of his people."

"If he joins us, we might not need to kill anypony else," Esopus debated, "All we'd need is for him to convince his mother to remove herself from the throne. Once he's named the supreme ruler of Equestria in her stead, we could manipulate him to implement the changes we want for this country."

"Prince Bronze Star can be very persuasive and reasonable, but he has never allowed anypony to use him as a puppet," the onyx mare proclaimed, "Aside from that, you overestimate his influence over his mother. Once Princess Celestia's mind is made up, even her son's chances of swaying her are rare."

"Then he could take the throne by force," Spitzenburg suggested, "He's widely respected by all the branches of the military, and most active soldiers are as loyal to him as they are to his mother, if not more so. He is also on good terms with the bigget politicians in Canterlot and every other major city. They could give him the support he'd need. Altogether, he would have ample means to usurp his mother's rule."

"He might have the capacity to overthrow Celestia," the onyx mare admitted, "But there is still one crucial thing he lacks."

"What?" Spitzenburg queried.

"The willingness to do so," she apprised him, "Bronze Star loves and cares for his mother very deeply. He would never do anything to openly defy her. She's as much his leader as she is everypony else's."

"Then he must realize that if things don't change, she always will be," Esopus Spitzenburg contended, "Bronze Star has to know that as long as his mother sits the throne at Canterlot Castle, he will never be the ruler of Equestria. All his deeds and actions will always be overshadowed by hers, and nopony will ever shout his name the way they've shouted hers. He'd be nothing more than one of the many mistakes his mother made."

"With all due respect, sir; Prince Bronze Star is not a mistake," the onyx mare sharply uttered.

"Well, most bastards are," Spitzenburg countered, "Think about that. His mother did not even have the decency to be wed at the time of his conception."

"Be that as it may, Prince Bronze Star has done many good things for this country," the onyx mare asserted.

"And he could do better things if he was on the throne in place of his mother," Esopus Spitzenburg contended.

"I don't think you get the message, sir," the onyx mare muttered, "Let me give it to you straight. Prince Bronze Star is not so ambitious that he would seize power by force. He has too much honor and civility to accomplish such a thing. Truth be told, even if his mother offered him the throne, I don't think he would take it. He seems perfectly content with everything he already has."

Esopus Spitzenburg thought on all of that, and eventually, he sighed and stated grimly "Very well. If you're that certain Bronze Star wouldn't cooperate with us, then I won't involve him in our plot. Even so, somepony will have to sit the throne after we have dealt with his mother."

"I agree," the onyx mare informed him, "But we can worry about that later. For now, just leave Bronze Star alone. Let him continue to live his private life in Ponyville."

"Okay, I shall," Spitzenburg remarked. There was another brief interval of quietness, and then the elderly stallion professed "With all that aside, we should not completely ignore this new development. Let's talk about those alterations I'd like to make to our agenda. We need to invoke a contingency plan."

"Which one?" the onyx mare inquired.

"The vanishing act," Esopus explicated, "As soon as we're finished here, I want you to contact Raging and Sparker. Tell them to gather what they need and go into hiding. Same goes for everypony else. All of them need to go dark immediately."

"May I ask why, sir?" the onyx mare enquired.

"So many of our plans have gone wrong recently that I'm beginning to wonder if the government's starting to catch on to what we're doing," Esopus Spitzenburg revealed, "Then there's the fact that our target's son has gotten intimate with my great niece. For all we know, she might be aware of his true identity, as well. Furthermore, if he ever catches on to what we're doing, he may try to turn Applejack against us. She might know enough about me to tell him if I have any personal weaknesses. At this point, we cannot afford to take any chances. So until further notice, all of you have to disappear."

"What about you?" the onyx mare said in interest.

"I'll stay out in the open," Spitzenburg declared, "I'm not concerned that the government will learn of my involvement; I'm too-high profile to warrant suspicion. But if anything happens to me – say, I wind up in a police station, a hospital, or a morgue – you still have orders to launch your attacks against the cities."

"I'll be sure to tell them that, sir," the onyx mare avowed, "Is there anything else you need?"

"Yes," Esopus Spitzenburg answered, "I need you to start drafting our final assault."

"The assassination itself?" the onyx mare assumed.

"Correct," the elderly stallion affirmed, "You know the Castle better than any of us. Who better than you to plan our attack?"

"Sir Raoul might know it a bit better, sir," the onyx mare debated, "But since he's already gone dark, I can't rely on him too much."

"Well, if you need any assistance, feel free to try to locate him," Spitzenburg offered, "I'm afraid the rest of us cannot help you find him, though. Even I don't know where he is."

"Not to worry, sir," the onyx mare asserted, "I'm confident I can get by without him."

"Great," Spitzenburg acknowledged. After another short pause, he stated "Once you've finished composing the plan for the assassination, contact me again. If I don't approve of it, I'm sure I can trust you to make the proper adjustments. If I do approve of it, we'll show it to the others. Then all we have to do is wait for the right opportunity to employ it."

"Understood, sir," the onyx mare declared, "You can expect to hear from me in a few weeks."

"I'll count the days," Spitzenburg slyly murmured, "Oh, and one more thing. This discovery we've made about Prince Bronze Star… for the present at least, I would prefer it if we kept it between you and me. It's not something the others need to know just yet."

"Very well, sir," the onyx mare coincided.

Esopus Spitzenburg then went over to the corner with the stool, picked up the glowing apple-shaped ornament, and pressed down on its stem again. Straightaway, the fake apple stopped glowing, and the mare's face and the bright light vanished from the poster board, as well. Now it just looked like an ordinary poster board once more.

Spitzenburg swiftly went over to his bed and slid the poster board underneath it. After he returned the apple-shaped ornament to the drawer of his nightstand, he pulled out a novel from that same drawer. Then he trotted over to his desk, sat down at it, and began to read.

Bronze Star and Applejack were still staring at him in profound disbelief. After a minute of silence, Bronze Star deactivated the picture frame in his hooves and set it off to the side. Then he commented "It's amazing how he can talk about committing genocide and treason and then just go about his day as if it was nothing to sweat about."

"Yeah, I never woulda thought he could be so nonchalant," Applejack thought aloud, "But that's nothin' to sweat about at all compared to what he just found out. What are we gonna do, Bronze? He knows who you are now."

"I won't deny that that's a really bad thing," Bronze Star professed, "All the same, don't let it trouble you, Applejack. It's hardly something to fret about. I mean, what would he possibly do with that information? He would gain nothing by going public with it, and even if he did try to expose me, he's got no hard proof. He wouldn't be able to explain himself. Plus, based on that conversation, I doubt he would wish to share my secret with the public anytime soon, anyway. He doesn't even want the other conspirators to know it."

"I s'pose that is a good thing," Applejack muttered, "Still, when you consider everything else he's done, it's kinda strange that he would do decided to do that"

"No stranger than the fact that he actually believed I might help him launch a rebellion against my mother," Bronze Star contended.

"Ya got me there," Applejack conceded, staring at the wall in front of her, "It's amazin' that he could even think that you'd ever stoop that low. I can say with absolute certainty that you would never do anything to harm Princess Celestia."

"You're quite right," Bronze Star conceded, placing his left front leg around her shoulders, "No more than you'd turn against your own kin. Excluding Esopus Spitzenburg, of course."

"Thanks," the orange mare stated appreciatively. After another brief pause, she looked to her coltfriend and asked "So, what now?"

"Now, I report this to the Firebrand Regiment," Bronze Star announced, "I imagine they'll be both pleased and displeased at the same time. I certainly am."

"Why's that?" Applejack inquired.

"I'm pleased because I've finally uncovered the identity of the last conspirator," the gold stallion elaborated, "I'm displeased because now that I know who she is, I know that this investigation is still far from over."

"How come?" Applejack uttered enquiringly "Who was that mare?"

Bronze Star did not answer her right away. Instead, he gazed off to the side and reflected on this most recent development in the investigation of the assassination conspiracy. After a minute of tense silence, he turned back to his fillyfriend and informed her "She goes by the name Clear Crest. As to how I know her… she used to be an officer of the Canterlot Royal Guard."

Applejack found that intriguing. She commented "I thought only stallions could serve in the Royal Guard."

"That's a common misconception," Bronze Star disclosed, "There actually are quite a few female officers in their ranks, but there's such a small ratio of mares to stallions that everypony thinks you have to… well, have a 'member' to be a member. If you know what I mean."

Applejack chuckled and remarked "That's a very unique observation."

"Yeah, me and my depraved mind," Bronze Star muttered sarcastically, smirking.

"So, how well do you know Clear Crest?" Applejack asked him.

"When she worked at the Castle, I knew her very well," Bronze Star elucidated, "Or I thought I did. She belongs to a family with a huge background in the Equestrian military. In fact, she grew up on the naval base in Nanbucket. She came to Canterlot and started serving in the Royal Guard when I was nine. At the time, she was one of the best in the force. For a few years, she was even my personal bodyguard."

"She was?" Applejack stated in astonishment.

"Yep," Bronze Star confirmed, "My mother assigned her to me. I guess she wanted me to have more female characters as I grew up."

"That was wise of her, seein' as how most of your friends in Ponyville are mares," Applejack perceived.

"Right," Bronze Star muttered in agreement, "Anyway, during her time in the Royal Guard, Clear Crest was a model officer. She was devout, upright, fearless, and a source of inspiration to her fellow officers, especially the mares. She never got a single blemish on her service record, and she became a Commander before I became a teenager. With that in mind, you'd think she'd hit the rank of Captain before I hit twenty."

"Did she?" Applejack said inquiringly.

"No, but she certainly tried to," Bronze Star responded, "That was what ultimately brought about her downfall."

Applejack was really drawn in by this point. She scooted closer and beckoned her coltfriend "Tell me more."

Bronze Star nodded and illuminated: "As you know, I formed the Firebrand Regiment when I was eighteen. One of its members – Glock – was the Captain of the Royal Guard when I recruited him. In my opinion, he was one of the greatest captains in the history of the Royal Guard. However, as long as he worked for me, he could not continue working for them. So a month in advance, Glock announced that he would be standing down as Captain of the Royal Guard."

"Why a whole month?" Applejack queried.

"So the other officers would have time to choose his successor," Bronze Star expounded, "While my mother is the only one with the authority to appoint the Captain of the Royal Guard, the factor that primarily influences her decision is the opinions of the officers. When the position for Captain opens, several officers put their names forth for the ballot. They usually start with over a dozen possibilities. Every day after that, each officer casts a vote, and the votes are counted at the end of the day. Whoever has the least amount of votes is removed from the ballot the next day. When they were trying to determine Glock's successor, they got down to two candidates: Clear Crest and the current Captain, Shining Armor."

"I take it Shining Armor won the ballot that day?" Applejack supposed.

"No, when there are only two candidates left, there's no voting," Bronze Star revealed, "Instead, my mother chooses between the two of them. From what I recall, that was a very difficult decision to make. Clear Crest had been in the force longer, and she was more experienced. However, Shining Armor was more sociable and committed. He had the support of many of the Royal Guard, as well as most of my mother's cabinet. All things considered, it seemed like the position of Captain's was as good as his. But Clear Crest wasn't about to give up; she was too ambitious."

Applejack did not like the sound of that. She questioned anxiously "What happened next?"

"A week before Captain Glock was scheduled to retire from the Royal Guard, Shining Armor went out into the city to take some personal time," Bronze Star recounted, "While he was out there, he was ambushed by a couple of thugs. He managed to neutralize both of them singlehoofedly, but not before he suffered an injury in his shoulder. Normally, those thugs would have been taken to the police. But since the victim was an officer of the Royal Guard, the Military Enforcement Corps was charged with holding them. After hours of intense interrogation, Commander Hard Hull managed to get the thugs to admit that they had been hired to attack Shining Armor. When I learned that, I had Sir Haywood McCrank do some investigating. He discovered that those ponies were not just ordinary thugs after all; they were hitstallions. They did not know who their employer was; they had acquired their 'assignment' anonymously. Even so, Sir Haywood managed to find a private bank account that belonged to the hitstallions. According to the bank's records, the day before the hitstallions attacked Shining Armor, a large sum of money had been deposited into their account. Sir Haywood did some further research, and he was able to trace the money trail all the way back to the Castle. Before long, he narrowed its origin all the way back to one particular pony."

Applejack's eyes widened in alarm, and she alleged "Clear Crest hired them?"

"That was certainly how it looked," Bronze Star pronounced, "My mother ordered Clear Crest to be detained and questioned. She denied the accusation, of course, but she offered nothing to prove her innocence. She could provide no alibi or witnesses, and Sir Haywood soon uncovered more evidence that pointed to Clear Crest as the culprit. The biggest indicator of her guilt was her motive: she was the only pony in the Castle who had any reason to want to harm Shining Armor."

"So she was out of the running?" Applejack pronounced drily.

"Not only that, but she was also facing some serious charges," Bronze Star recalled, "Princess Celestia ordered for a tribunal to be held to decide Clear Crest's fate. If she was found guilty, she would have been dishonorably discharged and sent to prison. Even if she was found innocent, she would not have been able to keep her job."

"So what was the verdict?" Applejack queried in intrigue.

"There was no verdict, because there was no tribunal," Bronze Star revealed, "Shortly before it was set to take place, Clear Crest escaped from the custody of the Military Enforcement Corps. The officers who were guarding her were found beaten and unconscious outside her holding cell. By the time we locked down the castle, she had already gotten out. The Intelligence Bureau and the Corps searched everywhere for her, but they never found a trace of her. Not one hoofprint or hair from her tail. It was like she had physically disappeared from existence."

"And she never reappeared after that?" the orange mare guessed.

"Correct," the gold stallion confirmed, "She's been missing ever since she escaped. The authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest. They've even offered a reward for her capture. But nopony has ever reported seeing her. Needless to say, she's very determined to remain hidden."

"Well, my Uncle and the other conspirators managed to find her," Applejack pointed out.

"Yes, they did…" Bronze Star murmured, "Isn't that odd? A group of political insurgents managed to pull off what the federal government could not. I'd like to know how they pulled THAT off."

"Well, if they can do it, so can you," Applejack stated in encouragement.

"I'd like to think so," Bronze Star remarked, "But that's no easy task. Clear Crest has been in hiding for almost seven years. She won't be revealing herself to the public any time soon. To make matters worse, Spitzenburg just ordered the other conspirators to go into hiding, as well. If they managed to disappear as well as Clear Crest, it will be nearly impossible to stop the conspirators before they try to assassinate my mother."

"Don't talk like that, Bronze," Applejack told her coltfriend, leaning closer to him, "Just because you've been unable to find Clear Crest before, that doesn't mean you never will. You haven't come this far just to accept defeat. You NEED to see this thing through. So many ponies depend on you, especially Princess Celestia. I KNOW you'll stop those conspirators before they harm anypony else. Do you know how I know that? Because I know you, and I believe in you and your ability. If there's one pony capable of stopping my Uncle and his colleagues, it's you."

The two ponies sat in silence for a long time after that. Ultimately, Bronze Star slowly turned to his fillyfriend and looked into her eyes. A small grin gradually appeared on his face. When she saw that, Applejack smiled back.

The prince kissed the farmer and told her "I'm really glad to have you by my side, Applejack."

"I'm glad to be by your side," she proclaimed, "And let me tell you; you can count on me to be there as often as you need me to be."

"I'll hold you to that," Bronze Star asserted.

After this conversation, Bronze Star got out his strongbox and used his blackboard to contact the Firebrand Regiment. He brought them up to date on this latest development in their investigation. They seemed just as surprised as he was that Clear Crest turned out to be the final conspirator. Bronze Star ordered them to have the field operatives keep a very careful eye on all the other conspirators. Although Spitzenburg had told them to go into hiding, Bronze Star was not about to let them slip away that easily.

The Regiment was alarmed when he told them that Clear Crest and Esopus Spitzenburg knew the real identity of "Ambassador Gold Streak," but he assured them that the information was not in danger of falling into other hooves.

Bronze Star was not certain on how to proceed just yet, so he simply told the Firebrand Regiment to await further instructions from him, and he assured them that he would get back to them soon.

After that, the gold stallion and the orange mare spent the rest of the evening together. They passed the time by chatting and playing cards. They also took some time to pack their suitcases. Applejack had brought along a copy of the photograph she had placed in the special picture frame she had given Esopus Spitzenburg. She made sure to take the copy of the photograph and place it in the ordinary picture frame in the exact same position. The ordinary picture frame looked totally like the two special ones, but it did not have a built-in surveillance system.

The next morning, while Esopus Spitzenburg was downstairs eating breakfast, Applejack snuck up to his suite and replaced the special picture frame with the ordinary one. She quickly went back to her room and gave it to Bronze Star. Once he hid both of the special frames in his suitcase, their little sting operation was officially over.

After breakfast, Applejack, Bronze Star, and their friends headed out to the train station. Braeburn, Sheriff Silverstar, and many of the townsfolk saw them off. Unsurprisingly, Esopus Spitzenburg was nowhere to be seen. Bronze Star and Applejack had no problem with that. For all they cared, this could be the last time they ever saw him.

Just as Bronze Star boarded the train, a pony who worked at the post office hastily approached him and presented him with an envelope. According to the return address, it was from Ponyville, and it had been sent out a few days ago. The postal pony apologized for taking so long to get the letter to him. He claimed that since the post office had been demolished and reconstructed that week, it was taking a while to sort all the mail.

All that week, Bronze Star had still been able to do everything that pertained to his royal duties. Every day, he had received some material from Canterlot Castle. Anything sent to or from the Castle had been marked with the royal seal, which was fairly easy to distinguish. The letter from Ponyville, on the other hoof, had no discernable marker whatsoever, so it had been buried with all the regular mail.

Although the postal pony was genuinely apologetic for that inconvenience, Bronze Star assured him that everything was alright. What really mattered was that he had gotten the letter before he left Appleoosa.

The train was soon underway. Applejack, Bronze Star, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Rollin Fields, Spike, and Twilight Sparkle all leaned out of opened windows so that they could wave at the townsfolk, who eagerly waved back at them. Once the train cleared the town, everypony except Pinkie stopped waving. She did not stop until Appleoosa was completely out of sight.

An hour or two after the train departed from Appleoosa, Bronze Star had Rollin Fields go with him to an empty car. There he showed the lime green stallion the letter from Ponyville. Although the letter's envelope contained no mention of who sent it, Bronze Star could tell without opening it that it must have been from somepony on the task force. They were the only ones who knew that he had gone to Appleoosa that week. He did tell the mayor and City Council that he was going on vacation, but he never told them where.

Since this was the only letter the task force had sent, Bronze Star and Rollin Fields assumed that it was merely a progress report on the investigation. Then they actually opened the envelope and read the letter. That was when they realized it was much more than a progress report.

By the time they were finished reading, they were overcome with worry and uneasiness. So much so that Bronze Star went all the way up to the engine room and asked the conductor if the train could go any faster.

As luck would have it, they could. All the trees that had been taken down to make the path in the Appleoosa orchard had been chopped down instead of uprooted. For that reason, they could not be replanted, and they had to be used for other means. Some of the trees had been set aside for supplemental train fuel. The conductor informed Bronze Star that they now had enough fuel to get them all the way back to Ponyville in one uninterrupted trip. They would not have to stop to have the crew pull the train at all. The vehicle could run at full speed for the entire ride. At that rate, it would reach its destination within twelve hours.

Sure enough, at nine o'clock at night, the train pulled into the depot at Ponyville. Once the nine passengers had their luggage and disembarked, they bade each other a pleasant evening and all went their separate ways.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike went to Golden Oaks Library, Fluttershy went to her cottage, Rarity went to Carousel Boutique, Rainbow Dash went to her cloudiminium, Pinkie Pie went to Sugarcube Corner, and Applejack went to Sweet Apple Acres.

Bronze Star and Rollin Fields were the only two who went to more than one building. The two stallions were not ready to call it a day just yet.

As soon as they took their leave of the others, Rollin Fields told Bronze Star that he would be stopping by his house to check up on his daughter, Sweepin. After that, they would visit his son, Buddin, at the hospital. Bronze Star asked the elderly stallion to say "hello" to his children for him.

Bronze Star mentioned to Rollin Fields that he was going to swing by the barracks. As far as he knew, Almond Wheeler, Copper Hollow, and Noble Edict were still on-duty there. After that, he would stop by Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb's house. In one hour, he was going to hold a last-minute task force meeting. Rollin Fields assured him that he would get to the meeting on-time.

One full hour later, all ten members of the task force were gathered in the meeting chambers at the embassy. Bronze Star and Rollin Fields were quickly brought up to date on everything that had happened since they left the town. The other eight members had finished going over the contents of all twelve crates of manifests. They had noted that for all the Vermane's Las Pegasus murders, the killers had not taken the train to get to the city or leave it. In addition to that, in roughly eighty percent of the other murders, the Vermane's getaway train had gone straight to Detrot.

Their most significant development had actually occurred earlier that week in Ponyville. Buddin Fields and Sweepin Fields had been attacked by three masked stallions, and one of them had broken Buddin's front leg. Almond Wheeler, Dread Naught, and Shakedown had been close-by at the time, and they had been able to investigate it straightaway. Dread Naught had quickly concluded that the perpetrators were the Vermane.

He did not judge the situation hastily or prematurely. Sir Haywood McCrank went over the details of the crime, and he confirmed that the assailants' actions matched the Vermane's style. They did not try to rob or beat Buddin and Sweepin; all they did was terrorize them and ask them to relay a "message." What further indicated this instance as an act of the Vermane was the fact that the victims were Rollin Fields' children. Ever since the Vermane sent them those photographs of their loved ones, the task force had been worried that something like this might happen. Now that it had, Sir Haywood McCrank cautioned the others that this was just a warning. The next time the Vermane tried to harm one of their loved ones, they would do something far worse than break one of their limbs.

Despite this, none of the members of the task force were discouraged from continuing the investigation. Especially not Rollin Fields. For him, this case was personal now.

At any rate, when the task force had been unable to locate the stallions who attacked Buddin Fields and Sweepin Fields, Sir Haywood McCrank advised that they call off the search. Since the Vermane had already made their move and fled the scene, he knew the task force would be unable to find them directly. That was not to say they had lost all signs of the Vermane altogether. Shakedown advised that they stop by the train depot and acquire its most recent manifests. While Dread Naught saw to that task, Shakedown, Almond Wheeler, and Rough Rider took turns lingering around the station to keep an eye out for three stallions travelling together; one from each race. For the first couple days, none of the manifests had come up with a black E, a black U, and black P all in one row, and Rough Rider, Almond Wheeler, and Shakedown had not seen three stallions moving together.

However, not three days ago, Dread Naught had come across one manifest with the letters P, E, and U written in black ink in one row. It belong to a train that had departed in the late afternoon. Almond Wheeler and the two vigilantes claimed they did not see any trio of stallions that day. Sir Haywood McCrank quickly came up with an explanation. The three stallions must have noticed Almond Wheeler, Shakedown, or Rough Rider, and as a precaution, they boarded the train separately. Of course, once they were on the train and out of the view of the station's platform, they were no longer worried about being seen together.

When Dread Naught showed the manifest to that particular train to the rest of the task force, he shared with them an interesting bit of information: that train's final destination was Detrot. Almond Wheeler, Copper Hollow, Dapple Rhomb, Haywood McCrank, Noble Edict, Rough Rider, and Shakedown were astonished to discover this. They had time to discuss their options on what to do next.

Now that Rollin Fields and Bronze Star had been brought up to speed, they could participate in the current discussions on how to proceed.

"We can't verify that Detrot is where the Vermane are," Copper Hollow pointed out, "All we can say is that we know where they could be."

"At this point, we can't be certain of anything," Sir Haywood contended, "The Vermane might or might not be in Detrot. Personally, I think they are. For now, at least."

"Regardless, this is the best lead we've gotten to date," Shakedown disclosed, "We should follow up on it while we still can."

"Follow up how?" Bronze Star queried.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shakedown bluntly muttered, "The only way to stop the Vermane is to chase them down. We have to go to Detrot."

Several of the others seemed surprised by that suggestion.

"While I admire your determination to catch the Vermane, that idea sounds a little too impulsive, Mr. Shakedown," Rollin Fields professed.

"I'm not being hasty," Shakedown insisted, "I'm being quick to respond. There's a difference. We have a window of opportunity to catch the Vermane. We need to reach that window before it closes."

"I must agree with Shakedown," Noble Edict announced, "If we don't confront the Vermane, they'll just keep coming back. We need to show them that we will not tolerate these acts of senseless violence. Believe me; the best way to deal with an assailant is to take the fight to them instead of waiting for them to arrive with it."

"What makes you so certain of that, Lady Noble?" Sir Haywood queried.

"Because I know from experience that that approach works," Noble Edict proclaimed.

The other nine members of the task force all appeared to be at least mildly stunned by that statement.

"What are you talking about, Noble?" Dapple Rhomb enquired.

The red mare gave no answer right away. She looked around at everypony else one at a time, and then she solemnly proposed "Let me tell you all how I became this town's chief of security."

That was a tale that nopony really knew, not even the other security officers. All they did know was that Noble Edict had been made Ponyville's chief of security after the previous chief died. This scenario must have been serious business since she was finally coming forward with this story.

Needless to say, Noble Edict had everypony's undivided attention. She began her explanation with:

"Five years ago, a young mare in Fillydelphia witnessed a double homicide. She managed to get away before the killers even realized she was there. This mare was a typical fine, law-abiding citizen; she made an honest living as a clerk at a department store. Naturally, she went straight to the police to report the crime. She was even able to give them a description of the killers, and the police managed to identify one of them as an infamous mob kingpin that they had been trying to nail for years. With the mare's testimony, they would finally be able to put him away. So a date was set for the mare to testify against the kingpin. Until her day in court, she needed to be placed in witness protection. Five other ponies had been scheduled to testify against the kingpin in the past, but all of them had been killed before they could take the stand. The authorities did not want to risk that happening again, so they had the mare moved out of the city and to someplace more remote."

"Where?" Bronze Star inquired.

"Here," Noble Edict illuminated, "The mare was protected around the clock by a team of federal agents, but Ponyville's chief of security and I were tasked with making the arrangements and maintaining the mare's cover. Due to the delicate nature of her situation, we swore never to tell anypony else what was going on. For a few weeks, everything seemed to be going just fine. Somehow, the mob kingpin found out the mare was here, anyway. Less than a month before she was supposed to testify, he sent four of his subordinates to kill her."

"What happened?" Dread Naught asked anxiously.

"One day, the mobsters just showed up in town and went straight to the mare's house," Noble Edict recounted, "Then and there, they made their move. Before they got to the mare, they had to get through us, first. The mobsters were very adept fighters. Luckily, so were the federal agents, along with me and the chief. After a long and difficult skirmish, we managed to push the mobsters back. Amazingly, nopony got killed in that conflict. But we soon found out that the danger was far from over."

"How do you mean?" Rough Rider queried.

"Those four mobsters were believed to be the same ones who had killed the other five witnesses," Noble Edict elucidated, "Twice before, they had failed to kill the witness the first time, but they succeeded in their second attempt. There was no doubt; they would try to take out the mare sometime in the near future, and they would not stop until she was dead. The chief decided the only way to prevent the mobsters from coming back was to ensure that they would never come back."

"How'd you accomplish that?" Rollin Fields enquired curiously.

"After we reported the attack, more federal agents were dispatched to tighten security around the mare's house," the red mare explicated, "We soon found out that the four mobsters had gone back to Fillydelphia. The chief proposed that he and I go after them. Other than the federal agents, he and I were the only ones who could recognize the mobsters on sight, but the agents' priority was still the mare's safety. Our priority, on the other hoof, was the safety of Ponyville. I still believed that the best way to do that was to stay in town, but the chief felt it would be better if we went after the mobsters ourselves. Ultimately, he convinced me. So after we confirmed that the agents had the situation with the mare under control, the chief and I got on a train to Fillydelphia. Once we got there, we requested to look through the police's 'wanted' list. Since we had security credentials, they allowed us to see that list. Once we learned the identities of the four mobsters, we went after them."

"Wait a minute," Almond Wheeler interjected, "You didn't seek the police's aid?"

"Trust me, I wantedto," Noble Edict proclaimed, "But the chief persuaded me that we had to handle it ourselves. Since the Filly P.D. had brought the problem to Ponyville, he contended that it was our obligation to fix it. Plus, if we had the police force with us, the mobsters would have been able to see us coming. Since it was just him and me, we would have the elements of stealth and surprise on our side."

"That does make some sense," Shakedown debated, "So, what did you do next?"

Noble Edict hesitated for a minute. Finally, she took a deep breath and revealed "I would prefer not to go into too much detail about what happened next. It was a very… harrowing experience, believe me. I'll just tell you the important parts. The chief and I took on all four mobsters by ourselves. Between the two of us, we managed to bring down three of them… but one of those three took the chief with them."

She had to pause there to collect herself. The other ponies could not blame her for that. Based off what she just said alone, it MUST have been a very traumatic experience.

Noble Edict soon continued with: "At any rate, I managed to take the fourth mobster alive. Once I had him restrained, I went back to the police and told them what had happened. They were astounded that the chief and I had gone after the mobsters without them, but they were grateful that we had managed to stop them. They went back to the scene to arrest the surviving mobster and collect the bodies. After making a statement, I was allowed to bring the chief's body back to Ponyville."

"How did that whole affair end?" Sir Haywood enquired.

"It had a mostly positive ending," Noble Edict apprised the others, "The mobsters never made another move against the mare. She was able to testify less than a month later, and the mob kingpin is now sitting in a cell at a maximum security prison in Chicacolt. He won't be leaving it anytime soon. So some good came out of that ordeal. I still felt the price was too steep, though. The chief was a great stallion; he deserved better than to die at the hooves of some lowlife thugs. Still, I never told anypony else what happened in Fillydelphia; all I said was that he had died doing his job. After his funeral, I was promoted from the town's deputy chief of security to its full chief. They even gave me the Pony of Ponyville award for my 'heroics.' The rest… is history."

There came a long interval of tense silence after this. Most of the ponies seemed flabbergasted by what they had just heard. Several could hardly even believe it.

After a while, Bronze Star leaned back in his chair and commented "That's… quite a story, Noble."

"You have no idea, Bronze," the red mare uttered frankly, "Not a day goes by that I don't think about that day in Fillydelphia. But the chief and I knew the risks when we went there, and we were both willing to die for what was right. That said, there's a lesson to be learned from that experience. If you're faced with a threat, don't wait for it to come to you. Instead, you should confront it head-on. No matter the risks, it's always better if you are in control of the situation."

Everypony took a minute to absorb those words. After that, Rough Rider nodded his head and pronounced "She's right. If there's a chance that the Vermane are in Detrot – even a small chance – we should go after them."

"I concur," Dread Naught pronounced, "We cannot ignore this opportunity. The Vermane will not stop unless we move against them."

There were mumbles of agreement all around the room. The only pony who remained silent was Bronze Star. Sir Haywood McCrank looked to the gold stallion and asked him "What say you, Your Highness?"

Bronze Star just sat rubbing his chin for about a minute. Then he gazed around the room and declared "Let's put it to a vote. All in favor of pursuing this lead in Detrot, raise your right front hoof."

Immediately, Dread Naught, Rough Rider, and Noble Edict raised their right front hooves. A few seconds later, Sir Haywood McCrank, Almond Wheeler, and Shakedown raised their right front hooves, as well. Within the next thirty seconds, Copper Hollow, Dapple Rhomb, and Rollin Fields gradually raised their right front hooves, too.

Finally, Bronze Star raised his own right front hoof. The vote was unanimous.

"Very well," the prince pronounced as they lowered their front hooves, "So, how shall we do this?"

"The best approach would be if we distributed our numbers evenly," Sir Haywood McCrank advised, "Half of us should stay here. The other half should go to Detrot."

"Sounds good to me," Copper Hollow uttered in approval. Everypony else nodded in agreement.

"So which of us should stay, and which of us should remain?" Almond Wheeler enquired.

"Well, with my mother coming to Ponyville next week, I can't afford to leave the town again," Bronze Star thought aloud, "For a similar reason, Noble Edict must stay here, too. Ponyville can't be without its chief of security with that conference coming up."

"I understand," the red mare asserted.

"What about me, Bronze?" Copper Hollow contended, "Noble and I have already made all the security arrangements for next week's events. She should be able to handle security for Princess Celestia's visit and the conference without me."

Bronze Star thought about that for a minute, and then he declared "You've got a point there, Copper. Since Noble and I are staying behind, you're the best available prospect for a leader. Would you be willing to head the group that goes to Detrot?"

"I'm more than willing," the copper stallion decreed sincerely.

"Then you've got the role," Bronze Star professed.

"I'll carry it out to the best of my ability," Copper Hollow asserted.

"Excellent," Bronze Star muttered in approval, "I think another member of the security staff should go along, too. Since Rollin Fields just got back from Appleoosa and since his children were attacked by the Vermane, it would not be right to have him leave them so soon."

"Plus, I might stand out in the group, considering my age," the lime green stallion cheekily remarked.

"That, too," Bronze Star admitted, smirking. He then turned to Almond Wheeler and told her "Almond, I'd like you to go to Detrot, as well. Not just because you're the only other security officer who's left. With you on the team, I'd expect the group would be able to get more cooperation from the locals. Ideally, you'll be able to help them search faster and more efficiently."

"You can count on me, Bronze," the grey mare pronounced.

Bronze Star nodded in acknowledgement. He then sat pondering a little while on who else should be on the team that went to Detrot. Before long, he looked to the greenish-blue Pegasus and declared "Shakedown, it was your idea to track the Vermane through the train manifests in the first place. Tell me; are you equally good at tracking ponies on hoof?"

"I'd like to think so, sir," the ex-cop proudly professed, "I was hunting down criminals long before I joined the vigilante group. If I look hard enough, I can always get them."

"Then you'll be on the Detrot team, too," Bronze Star decided, "You'll be tasked with picking up any and all traces of the Vermane and tracking them down."

"It will be done, Your Highness," Shakedown assured him.

Bronze Star next focused on the two federal investigators. He knew at least one of them would have to go on his mission, but he preferred to keep one of them in town, in case something new cropped up in the investigation. He considered the two of them carefully. Sir Haywood McCrank had been with him since the start of this affair, and his powers of deduction were the greatest the prince had ever seen. However, Agent Dread Naught was the more resourceful of the two, and the one less likely to draw attention, as he was nowhere near as eccentric.

After due consideration, Bronze Star announced "Agent Dread Naught, you'll accompany the others to Detrot. Now's the time when I need you to devote all your expertise and connections to determine the whereabouts of the Vermane, as well as what their next intentions. Sir Haywood McCrank, you'll stay in Ponyville. If we make any more discoveries here while the others are away, I trust you will help the rest of us make sense of them."

"I will overlook nothing, Your Highness," Dread Naught guaranteed him.

"I'm all yours, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank proclaimed.

By now Bronze Star had assigned four members of the task force to the team that would be going to Detrot and four members to the team that would be staying in Ponyville. Only two members still needed to be assigned.

When he turned to them, it was at that very moment that he realized he probably should have assigned them a little earlier on.

Bronze Star looked back and forth between Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb. Both of them had ample qualifications to go to Detrot. They both had an excellent ability to blend in and mingle with people, they were both very crafty, and they both had agility and reflexes that could rival the prince's. However, regardless of who remained and who left, Bronze Star's choice would involve separating two spouses from each other.

Finally, he looked to Rough Rider and muttered "Rough Rider, in your career as a travelling salespony, have you ever visited Detrot?"

"Yes, Bronze," the olive stallion replied, "Quite a few times, actually. Each time, I was there for over a week. You'd be amazed by how popular ponies of my profession are in that city."

"How well do you know the city?" the gold stallion inquired.

"Almost as well as I know Ponyville," Rough Rider claimed, "I could tell you the most direct routes to any of the hotels, restaurants, and recreational centers. I could even tell you the exact location of this one interesting patch of graffiti on the side of City Hall."

"You've made your point," Bronze Star murmured, chuckling a bit, "I'm glad for it, too. The away team will need to have somepony who's familiar with the city. Based on what you told me, that somepony should be you."

"I'd be happy to assist any way I can," Rough Rider remarked straightforwardly.

"Good," Bronze Star avowed, "Then you will be the Detrot group's guide."

"Consider it done," Rough Rider affirmed.

Dapple Rhomb then placed her front hoof on her husband's shoulder and announced to Bronze Star "Just a moment, Bronze. Some of the times Rough went to Detrot, I was with him. I know the city pretty well, too."

"I'm sure you do, Dapple Rhomb," Bronze Star pronounced, "But I've already made up my mind. At least one of the vigilantes should stay behind, and Rough Rider and Shakedown have already consented. Besides, with everything else that's going on, I need you here. Now would be the worst possible time for me to lose my secretary."

Dapple Rhomb seemed a little frustrated and irritated, but she could tell that Bronze Star was not going to bend on this issue. She was worried for her husband because he and the other four would essentially be searching all alone for a group of unscrupulous bounty hunters in the most dangerous city in Equestria. It quickly occurred to her that her presence might actually do little to increase their odds of success or survival. If anything, her personal feelings for Rough Rider might compromise the mission. So in the end, she just solemnly nodded his head in understanding.

Rough Rider placed his front hoof on his wife's shoulder, and he stated serenely "Don't worry about me, Dapple. The others and I will all be watching my back, just as I'll be watching theirs. Everything will work out; I promise you."

Those words seemed to improve Dapple Rhomb's demeanor a bit. The purple mare turned to the olive stallion and hugged him tightly, saying "Thanks for saying that."

"Of course," was all Rough Rider said in response as he gently ran his front hoof through his wife's mane.

After this tender exchange, Bronze Star cleared his throat and announced "Okay. Here's the plan. Rough Rider, Dread Naught, Shakedown, Almond Wheeler, Copper Hollow, as soon as you wake up tomorrow morning, I want you to make arrangements to go to Detrot as soon as possible. Pack lightly; only bring the essentials. You'll be leaving on the first train that departs for Detrot in the afternoon. When you're in the city, start investigating right away. You must be casual and discreet, but observant and methodical at the same time. Never split up. Never go anywhere alone. Do whatever you can to look like a group of friends who are travelling together as tourists. Overlook nothing; eliminate possibilities only when you are certain of their irrelevance. Above all, do nothing to attract suspicion. You got all that?"

The olive stallion, the brownish-tan stallion, the greenish-blue stallion, the grey mare, and the copper stallion all nodded in confirmation.

"Great," Bronze Star stated in acceptance, "I'd like to bid all of you the best of luck. Dapple Rhomb, Sir Haywood McCrank, Rollin Fields, Noble Edict, and I will see you off at the station. Am I right?"

The purple mare, the indigo stallion, the lime green stallion, and the red mare firmly nodded their heads, as well. Bronze Star was pleased to see that.

"Okay, meeting adjourned," the gold stallion disclosed.

At that, the other nine ponies started gathering up whatever materials they had brought – if any – and began filing out of the room. Bronze Star remained seating in his chair at the very front of the table. He was leaning back with his front hooves pressed against each other.

At one point, Noble Edict passed him by. Without even turning to her, he requested "Noble, can I have a word?"

The red mare looked back in surprise, but she quickly answered the prince with "Sure, of course."

She waited until everypony else had left, and then she closed the door again. After that, she trotted over to the table and sat down next to Bronze Star. She gazed at him, as if she expected him to be the first one to talk.

When he said nothing, she broke the silence with a question: "So, how was Appleoosa?"

"It was quite… adventurous," Bronze Star candidly apprised her, "There isn't anything Rollin Fields couldn't tell you about it that I could. Except, of course, for one thing pertaining to Esopus Spitzenburg. We were able to determine the identity of the final conspirator."

"That's good," Noble Edict uttered in satisfaction, grinning, "Who is it?"

"Somepony I once knew," Bronze Star revealed, "Used to be an officer of the Royal Guard, in fact."

Noble Edict was a little sunned. "He did?"

"She did," Bronze Star corrected her.

"So the final conspirator is a mare?" Noble Edict uttered in astonishment.

"Yes," Bronze Star mumbled frankly, "Unfortunately, she's been in hiding for quite a while. So until she's located, this conspiracy will never end."

"Damn," Noble Edict muttered, a little crossly, "Well, I'm sorry for that."

"It's alright; we'll get her and the other conspirators somehow," Bronze Star asserted, "Anyway, that's not why I asked you to linger."

"Then why did you?" Noble Edict asked curiously.

"I was drawn to that tale of yours," the gold stallion enlightened her, "It was very compelling, very captivating, and definitely very inspiring. However, I was not pleased by the lack of description you gave to your final confrontation with the mobsters."

"Sir, I did not tell the task force that story to excite or entertain you all," Noble Edict commented, a little snappily, "I told it to motivate you all into going to Detrot."

"I realize that," Bronze Star disclosed, "But I'd still like to know the full account of how you and your predecessor dealt with those mobsters. Tell me exactly how it happened. And spare me no detail."

"Is that a request or an order?" Noble Edict inquired.

"If you'd like, you can consider it a request," Bronze Star coolly proposed, "If not, I could make it an order."

Noble Edict was surprise by how impassive the gold stallion was being at this time. Evidently, he was being very grave on this matter, and he was determined to learn the full story of what occurred that fateful day.

Ultimately, the red mare nodded her head and proclaimed "Alright, I'll tell you. Where would you like me to start?"

"The part right after you and the chief consulted the Fillydelphia police department," Bronze Star specified, "What did you do next?"

"That was when we started hunting for the mobsters," Noble Edict expounded, "We followed a trail of tips we got from the police. Eventually, they led us right to where the four mobsters were. We caught them off guard and attempted to arrest them on the spot. At first, they looked as though they were going to come along quietly. Then… well, everything happened so fast. One of them pulled out a large pipe and tried to attack the chief. The chief managed to dodge the blow, and he broke the mobster's neck. He was distracted just long enough for two of the other mobsters to jump him. I promised the chief I had his back, but before I could move in to aid him, one of the mobsters… he… he… he stuck a dagger in the chief's chest. Right in front of me."

Bronze Star's eyes expanded in alarm and shock. Even so, if he was not engrossed in this story the first time Noble Edict told it, he most certainly was now.

Noble Edict tentatively went on with:

"I was so shocked, I could not breathe or move. I didn't come back to my senses until another of the mobsters grabbed me. Once the other two confirmed the chief was dead, they focused on me. They seemed pleased that I was a mare, and they started saying things about what they would do to me. Both before and after they… put me down. One of them mentioned that he hoped I would put up as little a struggle as the chief did. Then he spat on the chief's corpse. That's when I… reacted."

"Go on, please," Bronze Star beseeched her.

"As soon as the spit hit the chief's chest, I kicked the stallion who spat on him between his hind legs," Noble Edict explicated, "Then I rammed my front leg against the stallion who was holding me. As he stumbled backwards, I drew my own knife and stabbed him in the throat. The last mobster – the one who killed the chief – rushed to attack me, but I quickly rebounded and slash him along his front legs. He collapsed onto the ground, but I wasn't done with him. I picked up the large pipe the first mobster had dropped, and I… I…"

"You don't need to continue," Bronze Star assured her, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

She seemed to appreciate that. She disclosed "By the time I was done with that stallion, his face was completely unrecognizable. All but one of the mobsters were dead by then. The stallion who spat on the chief was still alive. I stood over him, gripped him by the throat, and told him that if he or any of his colleagues showed up in Ponyville again, I would 'finish what the chief and I started.' Then I knocked him out and tied him up. After that, I went back to the police station and told them everything that happened. The rest you already know."

Bronze Star found himself undergoing quite a few different feelings at that moment, some of which were conflicting. On one hoof, he was somewhat appalled and shocked. On the other hoof, he was enthralled and amazed.

After a long pause, he sat up straight in his chair and asked the red mare "Do you ever regret that day?"

"If I do, it's only because the chief died," Noble Edict claimed, "I don't regret putting down those mobsters, though."

"What about the manner in which you put them down?" Bronze Star contended

She was a little confused by that statement. "What do you mean?"

"You don't strike me as a violent pony at all, Noble," he revealed, "Yet when you eliminated those two mobsters, you were anything but gentle with them."

"Mobsters themselves aren't gentle, so why should they get a gentle fate?" Noble Edict steadfastly argued.

"That's not my point," Bronze Star pronounced, "My point is that under the right circumstances, anypony can be driven to bloodlust. True or false?"

She thought for a moment, and then she shrugged and confessed "I suppose you're right, Bronze."

"I'm not trying to get you to feel guilty or anything, Noble," Bronze Star said in reassurance, "If the reason you were unwilling to tell that part of your story to the other members of the task force is because you were ashamed of your violent actions, don't be. Like I said, everypony can be led to experience a desire to draw blood. You're not alone."

"I appreciate you trying to cheer me up," Noble Edict disclosed, "You are right about one thing. While I'm glad I stopped those mobsters, I'm not proud of what I did to stop them. What you said is true; it's not in my nature to be violent."

"I didn't think so," Bronze Star avowed, "Yet at times, you must make an exception."

She nodded in concurrence at that point. She informed the prince "I have been a security officer for almost twelve years. In all that time, I've only had to kill three ponies. Two of which were those mobsters."

"And the third was Dense Miasma?" Bronze Star presumed.

"Yes," she confirmed, "But it was different with him. When I arrived at that spot in the Everfree Forest, Dense Miasma had his back to me. He was too preoccupied with attacking SIG Sauer to notice me. I could have easily grabbed him from behind and pulled him off of SIG. But when I got close, I was reminded of what happened to the chief. So instead, I drew my knife, snuck up behind Dense Miasma, and sank the blade into the back of his skull."

He leaned closer to her, placed his front hoof on her front leg, and professed "You made the right move."

"Are you certain?" she refuted, "At least with the mobsters, when I killed them, I didn't have any other choice. That wasn't the case with Dense Miasma. I could have captured him alive. Instead, I did to him what SIG Sauer did to those other three cultists. I can still recall the sound of metal splitting bone when my knife pierced through his brain. It was sickening; even more sickening than when I stabbed that one mobster in the throat or beat the other to death with that pipe. But I didn't even care; all I cared about was stopping Dense Miasma."

"What matters is that you did," Bronze Star insisted, "You accomplished so much with that one thrust of your knife. You saved SIG Sauer's life, and you guaranteed my mother's release from that energy sphere. Look at everything it got you. A ladyship, the respect of many of the Canterlot Elite, a place in my mother's court, and – most of all – my trust. A single act of violence brought you that far."

Noble Edict raised an eyebrow as if she was perplexed. Then she smirked and told the gold stallion "That's an interesting observation, Bronze. But strangely enough, it seems fitting,"

"Because it is," Bronze Star contended, "Now tell me honestly. Do you believe I made the right choices for the group that's going to Detrot?"

"Why are you asking me?" Noble Edict stated in bewilderment.

"Because you've done this sort of thing before," Bronze Star illuminated, "In your 'professional' opinion, do we have a good team?"

"Yes, we do," Noble Edict averred, "You were right to put Copper in charge; I know he'll do just a good a job as you or I would. Dread Naught easily has the means to keep everypony informed and supplied, and Shakedown should be able to dig up even the slightest trace of the Vermane. Almond Wheeler's diplomatic skills could practically rival yours, and Rough Rider seems to know that city better than any of us."

"Is there anything you would have done differently?" Bronze Star enquired.

"Nope, not a thing," the red mare replied straightforwardly, "I will admit; I was a little concerned about separating Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb at first. But I quickly realized it was better than keeping them together. If you send two spouses together on a thing like this, they are liable to allow their emotions cloud their judgement."

"That's precisely what I thought, too," the gold stallion apprised her, "At least they're willing to accept that arrangement. I don't know if I would have been able to do the same."

"Just hope you never have to," Noble Edict suggested.

"I shall," Bronze Star said frankly.

There came a long interval of quietness next. Bronze Star stared blankly at the wall to his right. Noble Edict glanced at his facial expression, and she noted he seemed to be a little uneasy.

"Something up, Bronze?" Noble Edict queried in concern.

"I don't know; it's just…" Bronze Star began tentatively. He took a deep breath and continued with "I know that everypony in the group is qualified and capable. But let's face it; they'll essentially be hunting for signs of a relentless, bloodthirsty guild of assassins in the most infamous and most treacherous city in the country. Think of how much of a risk they're taking just by going there. I mean… there's a huge possibility that not all of the group will be coming back from Detrot."

"That thought occurred to me, too," Noble Edict admitted, "After all, Detrot does have a greater violent crime rate than any other city in Equestria, and many of those crimes have gone unsolved. Still, there are limitations to even what the Vermane can do. As long as our people are cautious and orderly, I have confidence that they'll be able to pull through."

That seemed to set Bronze Star's mind at ease. He smiled at the chief of security and pronounced "You're right, Noble. They can survive out there as a group. I shouldn't just assume the worst because the situation seemed miserably against us."

"It's never wrong to assume the worst," Noble Edict assured him, "But it never hurts to keep your hopes high, either."

"I wholeheartedly agree," Bronze Star conceded.

The young prince had a very reasonable amount of faith in Almond Wheeler, Copper Hollow, Dread Naught, Rough Rider, and Shakedown. By working together, he had no doubt that the five of them would get by just fine in Detrot.

Alas, unbeknownst to him or anypony else, his hunch from earlier would ultimately turn out to be true: At least one of those five ponies would not be coming back to Ponyville.

Comments

[Cereal-Killer]

I am genuinely suprised that this fic isn't far more popular.