Fortune Favors The Bold

by TheEquestrianWing

Working In Advance

Stillness. That was all there was. A long, uncomfortable, totally silent, totally uninterrupted interlude of stillness. The buzz of a fly would have seemed as loud and intrusive as a pair of cymbals striking together.

For a long while, all the members of the task force – excluding Sir Haywood – were motionless as statues. None of them dared to even move enough to breathe. It was as if they had been paralyzed with shock by the indigo stallion's revelation.

Ultimately, the other six ponies regained their senses. Rollin Fields was the first to speak: "You are certain of this, Sir Haywood?"

"Absolutely," the Superintendent promptly affirmed, pressing his front hoof against the restored papers, "Lady Noble went on vacation to Canterlot a few weeks after the Summer Celebration, and she won second place in the Running of the Leaves. That is irrefutable evidence to support my claim. There can be no mistake, I assure you."

"None at all?" Copper Hollow uttered hopefully.

"None," Haywood glumly murmured. He slowly looked over at the red mare and told her sympathetically "I'm so sorry, my Lady."

Noble Edict heard his words, but she gave no indication that she was listening. She was staring blankly at the pages on the surface of the table. She gradually tilted her heads upward and mumbled softly "I can't believe this. Me? Why me? How can it be me?"

"Well, it shouldn't come as a complete surprise," Rough Rider boldly remarked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Copper Hollow said crossly.

"From the beginning, we suspected that somepony important would be the target," Rough Rider disclosed, "That suspicion was what motivated our people to reach out to the rest of you."

"But we never once considered the possibility that Noble Edict would be the one," Dapple Rhomb insisted, "If we thought that was the case, we would have told you."

"I know you would have," Bronze Star pronounced, "Don't blame yourself; none of us were prepared for this discovery."

"At least not entirely," Haywood McCrank commented.

Bronze Star was perplexed by that. Then again, he had noticed that Haywood McCrank seemed much less astounded than everypony else in the room. One would have thought that was due to the fact that he had been the one to reach the conclusion that Noble Edict was the target. Bronze Star suspected there was another reason.

"Something on your mind, Sir Haywood?" the gold stallion asked rhetorically.

"I'd be lying if I said I always knew Lady Noble was the target," Haywood McCrank professed, "Even so, a part of me feels we should have seen this coming. I mean, in the long run, Lady Noble has more reasons for somepony to want her dead than anypony else in town."

To some degree, the other six ponies were stunned by that observation. Noble Edict most of all. She folded her front legs, glared at the middle-aged stallion, and muttered sarcastically "I was unaware you thought so highly of me, Sir Haywood."

"Allow me to rephrase that statement," Haywood McCrank stoically rejoined, "What I meant was that you have an impressive list of accomplishments, my Lady. You are Ponyville's chief of security. You protected a federal witness from four thugs. You tracked those same thugs to Fillydelphia with your predecessor. You brought them to justice and put their boss in prison. You saved SIG Sauer and helped rescue Princess Celestia from Nightmare Moon during the Summer Sun Celebration. You are a lady of Celestia's court. After myself and the prince, you are the leader of this task force. Above all, you're one of the most respected, most admired, and most loved ponies in this entire settlement."

By the end of that speech, Noble Edict's expression had brightened up quite a bit. She retained her grim facial expression and stated "I appreciate all that praise, Sir Haywood. At the risk of sounding vain, I admit everything you say is true. But who would want me dead for any of that?"

"Quite a few ponies, I'm afraid," Sir Haywood declared. "The remnants of that mob, that Nightmare Moon cult, enemies of the throne, enemies of the state, and the few wrongdoers in Ponyville. As well as anypony you have ever arrested or have ordered to be arrested. Every time you've righted a wrong, you've risen in status. Every time you've risen in status, you've become more exposed."

"Sir Haywood presents a good argument," Copper Hollow perceived, "Nopony rose to greatness without making some enemies along the way."

"True, but I never would have thought I'd make so many," Noble Edict candidly uttered, "Or that any of them would go so far to harm me."

"Well, it doesn't matter how far they'll go," Bronze Star asserted, "We won't allow the Vermane to succeed. Whenever they come for you, Noble, we'll stop them."

"Not just stop them," Copper Hollow adamantly proclaimed, "If they lay a hoof on her, I'll kill them with my bare hooves."

"You've certainly proven that you're capable of that, Copper," Rough Rider stated, recalling the end of the train massacre.

"We can discuss how we'll handle the Vermane later," Bronze Star announced. He turned back to Sir Haywood McCrank and commented "From the first two of the three pages Twilight restored, we've established that Noble Edict is their intended victim. You said that the third page contains the details of the crime?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Sir Haywood verified. It was then that he slid the third page forward and professed "This was also the very last page in the file. Fortunately, the entries on it are much less vague than the ones on the others. From them, I have already learned when, where, and how they plan to kill Lady Noble Edict. I have also determined how they intend to make a profit from her death."

"Go on, please," Noble Edict beseeched him.

"They will make their move in exactly nine days," Haywood McCrank expounded, "Which, unless I'm mistaken, happens to be your birthday."

"That's correct," the red mare affirmed with a nod.

Sir Haywood continued with "Based on these notes, the Vermane know that Pinkie Pie will be throwing a party for Lady Noble. Considering her fondness for such affairs, it should come as no shock that they arrived at that conclusion on their own."

"No kidding," Rollin Fields bluntly concurred.

The indigo stallion elucidated with "Anyway, the Vermane anticipate that after the party is over and after she is done celebrating with her peers, Lady Noble will eventually go home by herself."

"I already planned to do as much," Noble Edict avowed, "Tell us something I didn't already have scheduled, Sir Haywood."

"According to this, the Vermane will be lingering nearby until you've fallen asleep," Haywood McCrank elaborated, "Once the last light in your house has gone out, they will break into your bedroom and slit your throat."

"And if I keep my lights on all night?" Noble Edict speculated.

"Well, the entry says 'Strike at final light or midnight; whichever comes first,'" Haywood McCrank informed her, "In any case, they do not intend for you to live past your birthday, my Lady."

"I see," Noble Edict sardonically mumbled, "So how do they plan to get rich from this?"

"Once you're dead, they plan to clean up the scene of the crime and carry your body to the embassy," Sir Haywood explicated, "They expect that all its inhabitants to be asleep by then, but if not, they are willing to wait a while longer. Then they will sneak inside and deposit your body on the second floor. Come morning, they would have eight shocked stallions standing over a dead mare. That mare would be the renowned head of Ponyville's security. Those eight stallions would be an ambassador from Canterlot, a federal investigator, and the leaders of six huge corporations; all of them would be at each other's throats. A scandal would inevitably result from that fiasco, and all scandals produce fines, lawsuits, and court cases. All of which are ideal fodder for the Vermane to make a profit."

"Hold on a moment," Copper Hollow interjected, "How old is that entry, Sir Haywood?"

"This particular page doesn't have any dates for the entries," Haywood revealed, "Why do you ask?"

"We've known about this plot for at least nine months," Copper Hollow pointed out, "The CEOs didn't arrive in Ponyville until after we travelled to Detrot. There is no way the Vermane could have forecasted that the CEOs would come here when they began this plot."

"Well, it was no secret that Princess Celestia and the CEOs would be holding that conference," Rollin Fields recounted, "After all, its location and date were public knowledge since shortly after the Hoovston disaster, three or four months ago. That's plenty of time for the Vermane to update their file to account for the CEOs' presence."

"Yes, but it was Sir Haywood's idea for the CEOs to stay in town," Dapple Rhomb noted, "There is no way the Vermane could have anticipated that they would do that."

"She's right," Rough Rider agreed with his wife, "The Vermane must have incorporated that part into this file while we were in Detrot. For all we know, they could have made this addendum as late as the day before we found it."

"That's not good," Copper Hollow perceived, "If they were willing to modify their plan this close to its deadline, who's to say they won't alter it again?"

"If that was the case, they would not have gone to such trouble to destroy the file," Rollin Fields conjectured.

"My thoughts exactly," Haywood McCrank coincided, "The Vermane could have changed their plan if they wanted to, but if they chose that option, they would have simply let the file be. The information would have been totally useless to us then. Believe me; at this point, we can safely assume that the Vermane have all but finalized all the details of their plan."

There was a short pause, and Dapple Rhomb broke it by asking "So what are we are going to do?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Noble Edict drily muttered, "We prevent the Vermane from buckin' killing me."

"That's easy enough to do," Copper Hollow proclaimed, "The Vermane will be waiting for you to come home after your birthday party. All we have to do is catch them off their guard. Off the top of my head, I can think of a dozen ways to accomplish that."

"Such as?" Bronze Star enquired.

"We could have Pinkie Pie keep the party going until midnight," Copper Hollow suggested, "Noble Edict could spend the night at my house. A bunch of us could go home with her. We could even host the party at her house. Shall I continue?"

"If those are your best proposals, please do not," Sir Haywood commented frankly, "The Vermane are certain to notice any deviations in Lady Noble's routine, even last-minute ones. They will not react very pleasantly to such changes. Our best hope would be that they postpone their attempt on Lady Noble's life. But I fear that the most probable scenario is the worst one."

"What might that be?" stated Rollin Fields.

"The Vermane will try to achieve their goal through any means necessary," Haywood McCrank supposed, "They may attack anypony who stands between them and Lady Noble. The outcome of that catastrophe would make the train massacre seem like a trivial accident by comparison."

"Then what would you propose we do?" Rough Rider uttered demandingly, "Stand by and do nothing?"

"Of course not," Haywood McCrank asserted, "We just need to proceed cautiously. Every time we encountered the Vermane in the past, they beat us. Do you know why? Because they always caught us off our guard. The only way we can even hope to triumph over them is if the roles were reversed."

"You mean it's us who should catch them off-guard?" Dapple Rhomb presumed.

"Exactly," Haywood affirmed, "Someway, somehow, we need to lure them into a false sense of security, and we can only make a move when they least expect us to."

For the past few minutes, Noble Edict had been listening to the conversation, but her mind had been immersed in deep thought. She had been gazing aimlessly at the wall across from her, contemplating how to deal with the impending threat to her well-being.

Eventually, she sat up straight and announced "I may have an idea. It's pretty risky, but if done right, we'll all of us – myself included – emerge unscathed from this ordeal."

"We all trust your judgement, Noble," Rollin Fields observed, "It's only fitting that you should be allowed to offer a solution to this predicament. Still, it's your life on the line here. Are you sure that won't be a burden on your mind?"

"Don't worry; I have faith my idea," Noble Edict pronounced, "However, in order for it to work, I'm going to need all of you to listen very closely to everything I say. Failure is never an option, now especially. One misstep, and I might not be the only one who doesn't survive my next birthday."

The other six ponies completely understood the seriousness of the situation. It went without saying that Noble Edict had their full attention and support in this matter.

Since Noble Edict had essentially devised her strategy to counter the Vermane on the spot, she only presented her colleagues with a rough outline of it. Fortunately, nopony else seemed to have an issue or concern with any part of it. Her proposal was indeed quite risky, but they all felt that it had a reasonable chance of success.

Once Noble Edict finished describing the outline of her idea, the meeting gradually came to a close. After everything had been discussed, Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, and Rollin Fields headed back to the barracks, and Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb went home. Bronze Star and Haywood McCrank ate a late dinner, and then they retired to their bedrooms.

Although each member of the task force was still a little astonished by the fact that Noble Edict was the Vermane's target, all seven of them went to sleep that night with a feeling of great satisfaction and accomplishment. For the first time since the investigation began, they appeared to be one step ahead of the Vermane rather than one step behind them.

As per Sir Haywood's advice, the task force did nothing unusual over the next few days. Every other day, they spoke with the CEOs about the progress they had made on the investigation into their companies. During those meetings, the task force continued studying the staffers from the six companies. They still believed their theory that some of the staffers were members of the Vermane. Although they had managed to narrow their list of suspects down from sixty to eighteen, they were unable to narrow them down any more from there. Even so, they were almost entirely convinced that at least three of those staffers would be the ones who would invade Noble Edict's household on her next birthday.

After they spoke with the CEOs, the task force always had another private conversation between themselves. They spent most of that time discussing Noble Edict's idea to counter the Vermane. They only had four meetings – at most five – to go over the details, and they had no way to rehearse or demonstrate its execution. Needless to say, they could not risk any ambiguities or uncertainties. So they did not stop reviewing the red mare's idea until every aspect was absolutely clear to all of them.

Despite the urgency of this matter, the imminent encounter with the Vermane was not Bronze Star's foremost concern. Noble Edict was one of his greatest allies and closest friends, but she was still just one pony. As a prince of Equestria, he was obligated to ensure the well-being of everypony in the country. For that reason, his top priority was still his plan to end the assassination conspiracy.

Three days after the task force learned that Noble Edict was the target, Esopus Spitzenburg, Lord Ambit Dexter, and Sir Verse A. Till arrived in Ponyville. Since he already knew they would be coming, Bronze Star was at the train depot to greet all of them. Spitzenburg showed up on the late morning train from Chicacolt, and Lord Ambit and Sir Verse appeared on the early afternoon train from Canterlot.

All three of those stallions were fairly well-known in their hometowns and some of the major cities, but only a certain few in Ponyville would recognize any of them by sight. Bronze Star managed to escort them to the embassy before any of those individuals came around. It was imperative that all three of them kept a low profile for the duration of their stay in Ponyville. If possible, he would try to limit their activities to the embassy. Fortunately, there were enough rooms in that building to accommodate the three new guests and the other eight residents.

Applejack and Noble Edict were the only other ponies who knew in advance that those three stallions would be coming to Ponyville. This was attributed to the fact that they were also the only ones in Ponyville who were aware of the assassination conspiracy and Bronze Star's plan. Neither of them were required to do any laborious tasks for the next phase of Bronze Star's plan; they just needed to act as though he had their full support, as well as prevent other ponies from asking questions.

Applejack gave Bronze Star her words that she would not let Big McIntosh, Granny Smith, or Apple Bloom find out that Spitzenburg was in town. Noble Edict would also ensure that Lord Ambit and Sir Verse were not disturbed. Haywood McCrank and the three Canterlot-based CEOs were acquainted with Commodore Dexter. They were perplexed to see him there, but at Bronze Star's bidding, they did not pester the elderly stallion with questions. Instead, they gave him and his assistant plenty of space and privacy.

At any rate, once Esopus Spitzenburg, Ambit Dexter, and Verse A. Till were settled in the embassy, Bronze Star summoned all three of them to his bedchamber. That was when he initiated the fourth stage of his plan to stop the conspiracy. He felt this would probably be the most critical phase, as well as the most delicate one. It would be very easy to mess it up, but its success was paramount to the completion of the plan.

Bronze Star took a moment to ascertain that his quarters were secure, and then he began a conversation. Or rather, a continuation of an earlier conversation. Essentially, he picked it up from where they left off at the Compartment. To his delight, Esopus Spitzenburg was still under the impression that the prince had three-quarters of the Equestrian military in his pocket. He needed Spitzenburg and his colleagues to continue to believe that lie until their final moments.

"How long will it be until you will usurp the throne from Celestia, Your Highness?" Esopus Spitzenburg queried.

"It will take time to notify and assemble all the soldiers who are loyal to me," Bronze Star proclaimed, "The earliest I can have all of them ready for deployment would ideally be… the night of the Grand Galloping Gala."

"That's acceptable," Spitzenburg conceded, "However, I feel the need to ask; are you certain they will support your revolt?"

"They will follow him unconditionally," Verse A. Till asserted, "Every soldier in the armed forces is dedicated most adamantly to two individuals: the head of his or her branch, and his or her favorite member of the Royalty. With the Commodore, myself, and the rest of the War Council behind the prince, their allegiance to us is all but secured."

"Excellent," Spitzenburg uttered approvingly. He looked to the gold stallion and noted "You have certainly made good on your part of this arrangement, Your Highness."

"Indeed, I have," Bronze Star muttered in agreement. He then leaned forward and pronounced, "Now it's your turn to deliver."

"In what way?" the jade stallion asked curiously.

"You know that when the time comes, my people will do what is expected of them," Bronze Star disclosed, "What assurances do I have that yours will do so, as well?"

Esopus Spitzenburg scoffed and sardonically murmured "I don't suppose my word would suffice?"

"Only if you can speak for all of them without any bit of doubt," Bronze Star retorted.

Esopus Spitzenburg did not reply straightaway. Instead, he meditated for around a minute, and then he sighed and pronounced "I'm afraid I can't. Truth be told, I've known most of my associates for less than two years. Other than Raging Tempest and Sparker Blare, I've only seen each of them in person once. Our interactions with each other are typically limited to the discussions we have on our poster boards, and most of the time, the only ones I communicate with are Raging, Sparker, and Clear."

"I thought you were the undisputed leader of this conspiracy," Ambit Dexter remarked, slightly surprised.

"I am," Spitzenburg affirmed, "My subordinates fear me and respect me, but not so much that they would blindly obey any command I gave them. They operate by their own rules and trust in their own instincts."

"All I need to know is: will they work with me?" Bronze Star muttered.

"I would expect them to," Spitzenburg said hopefully, "But I cannot guarantee their full cooperation."

"And why is that?" Verse A. Till inquired.

"I've mentioned Prince Bronze Star's proposal to them, and most of them are quite skeptical about it," Spitzenburg disclosed, "Of course, I'm somewhat skeptical myself, but I'm more willing to take a chance than my associates."

"That's not good," Bronze Star proclaimed, "I'm not comfortable with the concept of fraternizing with your colleagues if their willingness to collaborate with me is questionable."

"They can be persuaded to follow you," Esopus Spitzenburg stated, "I'll get them to stand by your side, regardless of whether or not they wish to."

"I'm certain you can do that," Bronze Star pronounced, "Even so, their loyalty means little if you must coerce them to give it to me. I need to ensure that there will be no antagonism between our two groups."

"Then what do you want me to do?" Spitzenburg murmured irately.

Bronze Star chose his words very carefully here: "I want to arrange a gathering between our two parties."

Esopus Spitzenburg, Ambit Dexter, and Verse A. Till all appeared to be a little stunned. Spitzenburg was the only one who actually was; Bronze Star had notified Lord Ambit and Sir Verse earlier that this point was part of his plan. This was just part of the act for them.

The jade stallion raised an eyebrow and enquired "What good would that do?"

"It would give both companies the opportunity to become familiar with each other," Bronze Star explicated, "We would also be in a better position to discuss how my insurrection will be executed."

"That is a fair argument," Esopus Spitzenburg acknowledged. He lightly shrugged and remarked "Very well. Since all of my colleagues are currently in hiding, they should be readily available to contact. I could arrange for you to speak with each of them through my poster board."

"Insufficient," Bronze Star promptly rejoined, "These meetings need to be face-to-face. If we cannot even be in the same room as each other, I cannot rely on them for support, and my uprising will have no chance of succeeding."

"I see your point," Esopus Spitzenburg muttered, "Unfortunately, I lost track of my colleagues when they went dark. I do not know where they currently are. Even if I did, I would be unable to arrange sixteen meetings before the Grand Galloping Gala."

"Then just arrange one," Bronze Star frankly suggested.

Spitzenburg was a little astonished by that "Why only one?"

"It be more practical to speak with everypony in your group at the same time," Bronze Star contended, "Some of them may have similar concerns, similar questions, and similar ideas on the matter. By addressing all of them at once, it would save us significant time and resources. We do not need an individual meeting for each of them; all we need is a single meeting between all of your people and a representative of mine."

"'A representative?'" Spitzenburg mumbled, raising an eyebrow, "Not you?"

"Oh, I would much prefer to be the one who meets your peers in person," Bronze Star claimed, "Alas, I will be far too busy in the coming weeks. Between my royal duties, my charade as the ambassador to Ponyville, and various other responsibilities, I cannot afford to spare any time to attend the meeting, even if it took place here or in Canterlot."

"I understand," Esopus Spitzenburg asserted. He leaned back in his chair and asked in interest "So who would speak on your behalf?"

"Commodore Dexter," the gold stallion responded, looking to the moccasin stallion, "He's the Chairpony of the War Council and the best diplomat alive. He can verify your people's allegiance to me and ease any apprehensions they may have about my proposal at the same time."

Spitzenburg nodded in approval and disclosed "I like that idea. A few of my associates are former military; just the knowledge that Lord Ambit is their ally would be enough to assure their cooperation. As for the others, I'm certain they can be swayed through words."

"I will do everything I can to guarantee the endurance of our friendship, Mr. Spitzenburg," Ambit Dexter confidently declared.

"I'm certain you will," the jade stallion commented in agreement. There came a brief pause, and then Esopus Spitzenburg inquired "Where and when would this meeting take place?"

"I felt it best that we both have a say in that," Bronze Star replied, "We will let you decide where; we will decide when."

"All things considered, that would make more sense than the other way around," Esopus Spitzenburg observed, "After all, you're the one with the timetable, and my people are scattered all over the country. The meeting should be someplace that is accessible to all of them, and only I know of all such places."

"Precisely what I was thinking," Bronze Star remarked.

A short interval of quietness followed. It was interrupted when Spitzenburg announced "I will need at least a week to get ahold of my companions and convince them to go to meeting. Longer, perhaps, if they are stubborn."

"Take as long as you need," Bronze Star bade him, "Just make sure they know that this meeting can only happen if all sixteen of them attend it. Otherwise, this plan will fail before it begins."

"Alright, they'll get the message," Spitzenburg conceded, "What about Sir Raoul Jowl?"

"Sir Raoul will be there, too," the young prince expounded, "So will you."

"I assumed as much," Esopus Spitzenburg thought aloud. He said that last statement very quietly.

Ever since the beginning of this discussion, Bronze Star had detected a note of incredulity in the jade stallion's eyes. It had gradually become more conspicuous and obvious.

"Something on your mind, Esopus?" Bronze Star asked, sounding concerned.

"Let me see if I understand you correctly," Spitzenburg stated, "Of the original twenty ponies who were involved in my conspiracy, only Material Study and Livewire are dead. Other than me, the remaining eighteen are in hiding. That is what gives us the upper hoof. Yet sometime in the near future, you would have all eighteen of us together in the same place at the same moment."

"That is the general idea," Bronze Star calmly confirmed, "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"No, I'm merely pointing out that the meeting would be the perfect opportunity for anypony who wished to harm us," Esopus Spitzenburg revealed.

"That's true," Bronze Star uttered, seeming a little taken aback, "What are you implying?"

"Nothing, Your Highness," Spitzenburg claimed, easing down, "I was just making an observation. I'm not worried that anything will happen at the meeting, though. Do you know why?"

"Because Clear Crest vouched for me?" Bronze Star supposed.

"Well, that's one of the reasons," Esopus Spitzenburg answered him, "The lesser of two, actually. Would you like to know the greater one?"

"I assume you'd tell me even if I didn't," Bronze Star drily commented.

"Indeed," Spitzenburg affirmed, "I'd like to show you something, Your Highness."

The jade stallion had been wearing a saddlebag at the time. He reached back, opened the main compartment, and extracted a small, flat, square-shaped object. It appeared to be made of plywood, but it had the durability of steel. One side of it was covered with five rows of four small knobs. The other side was lined with just as many LED lights, all of which were inactive. Under the fifth row of lights, a tiny metallic bar was imbedded in the surface.

"What is that?" Verse A. Till inquired in interest.

"This, Sir Verse, is my insurance," Esopus Spitzenburg revealed, "Although my poster board enables me to converse with my companions directly, this contraption ensures that I can always remain in contact with them. It is immune to water, shock, fire, and it cannot be manipulated through magic."

He then turned the square object so that the side with the knobs was facing the other three stallions. He stated clearly "You see these knobs? Each one of them controls one of the LED lights on the opposite side. By pressing them, the lights turn four different colors. You press once for green, twice for yellow, thrice for blue, and four times for red."

"What does that accomplish?" Ambit Dexter queried.

"I'm getting to that, Lord Ambit," Spitzenburg pronounced, "You see, each of my colleagues has a similar device, though each of theirs can fit in a coat pocket, and theirs only contain one knob and light apiece. Each one of the lights on this pad is connected to the light on one of my associates' devices. In other words, if one of these lights becomes a certain color, the respective colleague's light becomes that same color within moments. And vice versa. That allows me to speak to my associates through a type of code. A very simplistic yet unambiguous code."

"How does the code work?" Bronze Star curiously uttered.

"Green means 'All is well,'" Spitzenburg illuminated, "Every day, I send them a green signal to inform them that I am still around. They expect me to check in by ten o'clock every morning. If I fail to report in or if they are in distress, they go to yellow, which means 'Keep your eyes open.' That is when they believe that they are beginning watched."

"By who?" Sir Verse asked.

"The government or anypony who demonstrates suspicious behavior," Spitzenburg clarified, "They have nothing to worry about just yet; that is merely standby mode. When the lights turn blue, that is when they have reason to fret. You see, blue means 'Approaching danger.' That only comes about when other parties appear to get too close to discovering our intentions. They've rarely sent me a green light, and it's never stayed green for long. Which is good, because if anything happened that was too extreme even for green, I would have no choice but to go to red."

"And what does red mean?" Bronze Star asked in discomfort.

"'Execute,'" Esopus Spitzenburg revealed. He held the pad closer and pointed to one of the knobs in the upper-right corner. He pronounced "For example, if I pressed this knob, within minutes a wave of deadly fires could break out in Neighwark."

He then gestured to one of the knobs in the lower-left corner and uttered "Or, if I pressed this one, a power plant just outside of Manephis could go into meltdown and release hazardous radiation into the area."

He placed his hoof over one of the knobs near the center and remarked "Or, if I pressed this one, a deadly pathogen could be emitted in Baltimare, causing a fetal disease to spread all throughout the city."

Lastly, he pointed out the metal bar underneath the lights and declared "And if I hold down this bar, all the lights will become red. By this time tomorrow, half of the major cities in Equestria could be in ruins."

Bronze Star was by this point speechless. He was barely making any effort to appear stoic. Of course, he could hardly be blamed for that. After all, if one was just informed by a person sitting across from them that he or she had an object that could cause mass destruction, how could one possibly remain composed and indifferent?

"Now, I have no idea what would actually happen; my colleagues set up their attacks independently," Esopus Spitzenburg disclosed, "All I know – and all you need to know – is that if just one of these lights becomes red, a calamity five times worse than the Hoovston disaster will occur."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Bronze Star mumbled angrily, "I thought we had an understanding, Esopus; there will be no more killing."

"Yes, I coincided to that," Spitzenburg alleged, "This is merely a precaution, Your Highness. I would be a fool if I did not consider the possibility that this is all just an elaborate trap you set up to wipe out me and my companions."

At that, Bronze Star seemed to be shocked. He was not astounded because Spitzenburg had accurately guessed what was really going on. In fact, the young prince would have been surprised if Spitzenburg had NOT considered that possibility. He only appeared to be shocked because he knew Spitzenburg would expect him to be if the jade stallion's theory was incorrect.

"Is that what you think this is?" Bronze Star spat, feigning offense.

"No, but I like to be prepared for anything," Esopus Spitzenburg reassured him, "You must know that if anything happens to me or my companions, we will not go down quietly."

"I gathered as much long ago," Bronze Star bluntly stated, "But what good would all those LED lights do you at the meeting? If you're all there, there won't be anypony left to launch the attacks."

"Au contraire," Spitzenburg cheekily countered, "Like I said, I've prepared for everything. Sometime before the meeting, I will have each of my colleagues give his or her light to an unbiased third party. These third parties are all random, anonymous individuals. When my subordinates pass their lights on to them, they will give the third parties the same instructions I gave them. This will ensure that if they must, the attacks will occur, even if my people are unable to carry them out."

"What makes you think these 'unbiased' third parties will comply?" Ambit Dexter inquired.

"Because they're already been paid, Commodore," Esopus Spitzenburg answered him.

"'Paid?'" Verse A. Till repeated.

"Yes, Sir Verse," Spitzenburg affirmed, "A lot of these individuals were in debt when my associates approached them. In exchange for enough money to erase their worries and more, they signed a contract agreeing to do whatever was asked of them. Nopony likes to break a contract, seeing as the penalty is criminal prosecution. So they will not hesitate to follow our orders."

"They will willingly agree to be an accessory to genocide?" Bronze Star supposed, astounded.

"Actually, they are totally ignorant to what we are doing," Spitzenburg proclaimed.

Bronze Star was confused. "How could they be?"

"Simple; we have set everything up in a way that the third parties are unaware of our intentions," the jade stallion enlightened him.

"I'm not sure we follow," Bronze Star thought aloud, rubbing his temple.

"I'll give you an example," Spitzenburg pronounced, "Suppose you took somepony who had absolutely no experience in the culinary arts, and you told that pony to mix a box of baking soda with a bottle of vinegar. They would have no idea that the mixture would cause a chemical reaction."

"Yes, but that's a basic primary school experiment," Ambit Dexter murmured.

"Alright, here's a better example," Spitzenburg professed, "You take somepony who is a novice at chemistry and give them the idea to take a small block of fluorine and place it in a bowl of water. The novice would be unaware that the fluorine would immediately explode on contact. That same concept applies to the aforementioned third parties. To them, they'll just be doing a job for the money we've given them. At most, these jobs will seem like strange errands."

As annoyed as he felt at that time, Bronze Star had to admit that he was impressed. He commented candidly "You have thought of everything."

"Indeed," Esopus Spitzenburg conceded, "I may seem committed for these attacks to take place, but in actuality, I only wish for them to occur as a last resort. It's my hope that at the end of this affair, Equestria will be unblemished, and all those third parties will have earned some free money for a task they never had to do."

"That's my hope, as well," Bronze Star commented. After a lengthy period of quietness, the young prince announced "If there's nothing else, I believe we are finished here. How soon can you begin contacting your people, Esopus?"

"Straightaway, if you'd like," Spitzenburg suggested, "As I said, I will need about a week to get them all to agree to this meeting. In any case, I am certain that I will convince them to cooperate."

"Very well," Bronze Star acknowledged, "Good luck with that."

Esopus Spitzenburg then slipped his pad back into his saddlebag and exited the bedroom. Bronze Star was then left alone with Lord Ambit and Sir Verse. Presently, he was so frustrated that he felt a tremendous urge to shout.

The moccasin stallion and the glaucous stallion could tell that the gold stallion was under a lot of stress. Truthfully, they too were quite displeased that Esopus Spitzenburg had this edge over them. Even though he was cooperating with the prince, the jade stallion was still threatening to hold the entire country hostage.

Ambit Dexter and Verse A. Till managed to set Bronze Star's mind at ease; they assured him that they would find a solution to this hindrance. After all, the fate of Equestria was at stake here.

Bronze Star soon came to realize that this would only be a momentary setback; it was only one more thing he would have to account for. From the look of things, he had an entire week to come up with an answer. In his mind, that would be more than enough time.

At any rate, after Lord Ambit and Sir Verse left his room, Bronze Star took out his blackboard and contacted the Firebrand Regiment in Canterlot. He shared with them the progress he had just made in his plan. He put especial emphasis on the matter of Esopus Spitzenburg's new, unsettling leverage. He tasked them with devising a strategy to neutralize the danger posed by the jade stallion's square pad. SIG Sauer assured the prince that they would concentrate their best efforts on this task.

After he updated the Regiment on his blackboard, Bronze Star went to Sweet Apple Acres and apprised Applejack of the matter in person. They spoke out in the barn so they could converse without fear of being overheard. She seemed just as alarmed as he had been by Spitzenburg's indirect warning. She did become somewhat relieved when he mentioned that the Regiment was working diligently against Spitzenburg's threat, but like him, she still feared for the safety of everypony in Equestria.

Near the end of the conversation, she queried "Do you still think your plan will work?"

"I do," he asserted, "This is just an extra complication I have to compensate for. I'll let Spitzenburg believe he has the upper hoof for now. It may even make the rest of my plan go a little more smoothly."

"Excellent," Applejack commented in approval. She sounded pleased, but Bronze Star noticed she was still a little uneasy.

"You alright?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Applejack mumbled softly, "But I'll be glad once this whole mess is over an' done with."

"You and me both," Bronze Star coincided, "On that note… there's something else we should discuss."

"What might that be?" the orange mare queried.

"Currently, Granny Smith, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom know nothing about Esopus Spitzenburg's conspiracy," Bronze Star disclosed, "As long as he's alive, it should stay that way. But after he's dead, do you think we should tell them the truth?"

"No," Applejack quickly replied, "The only reason I know about all this was because I was being so damn nosy. While I'm glad you were honest with me, it doesn't make it easy to live with the fact that my Uncle is a traitor. I actually envy Granny Smith, Big McIntosh, and Apple Bloom; they have no idea what a monster he is, and they don't even have to know."

"I understand your logic," Bronze Star proclaimed, "Plus, not telling them technically would not be a lie, so you wouldn't have to violate your Element. But don't you think your family deserves to know why he died?"

"Well, that may depend," Applejack thought aloud, "How will he die?"

"I hadn't really thought about that," Bronze Star professed, scratching his forehead, "Spitzenburg and the other conspirators will all be dealt with at the same time. I don't want it to be a bloodbath like the train massacre; I'm hoping to find a more discreet and practical approach."

"Maybe you could make his death look like an accident," the farmer proposed, "Better yet, make all of their deaths seem accidental."

Bronze Star took a minute to consider that suggestion, and then he smirked and muttered "That's not a bad idea. Actually, it may be the best one. It would have the perfect amount of subtlety, and it would make cover-up less of a challenge. It would also avoid any unnecessary investigations by the authorities, and the aftermath would be far easier to control in the press."

He then turned to his fillyfriend and told her "I'll pass your idea along to the Firebrand Regiment. Knowing them, they'll be in full support of it. They may even ask me to thank you for suggesting it."

Applejack smiled back and giddily stated "Well, I'm glad I could help them. And you."

"So am I," Bronze Star declared. Applejack had done so much for him lately; Bronze Star was immensely grateful for her actions. He wished to show her just how grateful he was.

He slowly placed his right front hoof on the back of his fillyfriend's neck, gently pulled her close, and pressed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes and placed her front hooves on her coltfriend's shoulders.

At the moment, the two of them were sitting on top of a hay bale. That gave Bronze Star an idea; a less than innocent idea. He knew that the phrase "roll in the hay" was merely an expression, but he could imagine how that expression became so popular. He even considered the concept of partaking in that activity. Such a thought thrilled and appalled him at the same time.

Bronze Star's feelings for Applejack were then stronger than ever, but he was still uncertain about crossing that line with her yet. He did not wish to bring shame on her and her family. Of course, Spitzenburg had already accomplished that, but this was another matter entirely.

Their moment of bliss was eventually interrupted by a loud knocking on the barn door. The gold stallion and the orange mare hastily composed themselves, trotted to the entrance, and swung it open. They came face-to-face with Pinkie Pie and Gummy.

The baby alligator was standing idly by, exhibiting his usual level of indifference. His mistress, however, was much more active. She was wearing a harness that had two nozzles strapped to her back. He also had on a hat with another nozzle on top of it. Every time she arched her body, confetti shot out of the nozzles.

Before Applejack or Bronze Star could get in a single word, the pink mare began singing at a rapid pace:

"This is your singing telegram

I hope it finds you well

You're invited to a party

'Cause we think you're really swell

Gummy's turning one year old

So help us celebrate

The cake will be delicious

The festivities first-rate

There will be games and dancing

Bob for apples, cut a rug

And when the party's over

We'll gather 'round for a group hug

No need to bring a gift

Being there will be enough

Birthdays mean having fun with friends

Not getting lots of stuff

It won't be the same without you

So we hope that you say yes

So, please, oh please R.S.V.P.

And come, and be our guest!"

At the end of that jingle, Bronze Star and Applejack stared at Pinkie Pie in stunned silence for about twenty seconds. Then they both chuckled in amusement.

"Very nice, Pinkie," Applejack commented.

"Thanks," the pink mare said giddily, "I've never passed out party invitations to a birthday party before; I thought I'd give it a try."

"It's certainly… unique," Bronze Star proclaimed, "You else are you inviting?"

"I started with Twilight, and I just came from Rarity's," Pinkie Pie pronounced, "Then, of course, the two of you. The only ones left are Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I'm kinda glad you were here, Bronze. You saved me a trip to the embassy."

"Do you have a lot of work to do?" the prince assumed.

"No, I'm just starting to get tired," Pinkie Pie admitted, wiping her brow of sweat, "Anyway, can I expect you both to be there?"

"Well, when exactly will this party be?" Bronze Star queried.

"Eight days from today," Pinkie Pie disclosed.

"But isn't Noble Edict's birthday party in six days?" Applejack noted.

"Yeah, but that's not an issue," the pink mare asserted, "As you know, I'm almost always planning more than one party. Besides, the two upcoming ones are different types. Noble's party will be open to the public. Gummy's will be a small, private gathering between the seven of us. Assuming we'll all be there, that is."

"I can be there," the gold stallion declared.

"Me, too," the orange mare remarked,

"Great!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed elatedly. She picked up her baby alligator and held him close, saying "Gummy and I are so thrilled to know that!"

"Don't think I've ever seen him so excited," Applejack muttered in an only partially sarcastic voice.

"No kidding," Bronze Star drily concurred. After a short period of silence, he stated "So, you looking forward to the day after Gummy's birthday?"

"Why?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously "What happens then?"

Bronze Star was surprised by her reaction. "You don't have any plans nine days from now?"

"No, I haven't thought about that yet," Pinkie remarked, "As far as I know, nobody in Ponyville has a birthday the day after Gummy."

Now Applejack was astonished. "Seriously, Pinkie?"

"Did I sound like I was joking?" Pinkie replied in a naïve tone.

"No, ya didn't," the farmer cockily murmured.

Pinkie Pie happily grinned, turned around, and bounced towards the front gate, calling over her shoulder "See you around!"

Applejack and Bronze Star waved at her until she vanished from their line of sight. After that, Applejack looked to Bronze Star and muttered "Either Pinkie Pie is pulling our hind legs, or she's actually forgotten that her birthday is right after Gummy's."

"Seeing as how she's made it her goal to memorize the birthdays of everypony else in Ponyville, I think the latter is just as likely as the former," Bronze Star observed.

"That may make the surprise we have planned for her all the more a surprise," Applejack hypothesized.

"Oh, I agree," Bronze Star mumbled, snickering.

When Bronze Star got back to the embassy, he informed the Firebrand Regiment of Applejack's suggestion. As he expected, they found the concept of staging accidental deaths for all the conspirators ingenious. Koch and Peacemaker had a few strategies in mind. That was not the only good news. Already, Ruger and Carabine had begun to devise a tactic to counter Esopus Spitzenburg's new source of leverage. Their idea was in its infancy, but knowing them, it would be fully designed and composed before too long.

For the next six days, Bronze Star kept his focus on three different affairs: the fourth phase of his plan to stop the assassination conspiracy, preparations for Noble Edict's birthday party, and the aftermath of the latter. Sir Verse A. Till, Lord Ambit Dexter, and the Firebrand Regiment gave him quite a bit of aid with his plan. Esopus Spitzenburg spent almost all of his time in his quarters, conversing with his associates on his poster board. The jade stallion interacted with nopony other than the gold stallion, the moccasin stallion, and the glaucous stallion. Bronze Star was willing to wait until Spitzenburg was finished speaking to his companions. All the same, he was quite eager to continue his plan.

In any case, the two issues regarding Noble Edict occupied a greater part of his mind.

Noble Edict's idea to counter the Vermane was very methodical. At every task force meeting, she had managed to clarify and expand upon more factors and details than before. By the eve of her birthday, the rest of the task force had gotten a very firm grasp on what the red mare needed them to do to ensure that she survived.

Naturally, they shared nothing of this affair with the CEOs. However, they kept a watchful eye on the boards of directors. In the time since they learned Noble Edict was the intended victim, they had all but confirmed that some of the CEOs' staffers were members of the Vermane. Perhaps they were the very same members who would attempt to kill Noble Edict. They still could not guess which staffers those would be. Sir Haywood McCrank had a technique to determine which, but he would be unable to employ it until the Vermane made their move.

Finally, the day of Noble Edict's birthday arrived. By the time she had reported for work at the barracks, no fewer than forty ponies had wished her well. Even more did so throughout the morning and afternoon. She greatly appreciated all those simple courtesies; they gave her quite a bit of relief from all the stress she had recently been through.

Noble Edict's shift at the barracks ended at six o'clock sharp. After she clocked out, she, Copper Hollow, and a few of their coworkers headed straight to the home of her aunt Ova Yonder. For sentimental and familial reasons, Ova Yonder had convinced Pinkie Pie to host the party at her house.

The party had a fairly impressive turnout. Bronze Star, Spike, and all six of the Element Bearers were there. So were Sir Haywood McCrank and the rest of the task force, along with Mayor Mare, several of the City Council, many of the security staff, plenty of Noble Edict's friends. Also among the guests were the six CEOs, who had been invited by Noble Edict personally.

A hoofful of the CEOs' staffers were there, as well. The members of the task force kept an eye on them, whenever they could spare one.

The party was nothing short of extravagant. To be precise, it was extravagant even by Pinkie Pie's standards. It was Noble Edict's thirtieth birthday; Pinkie wanted it to be special. They had various activities, they had excellent food, they had alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, and they had just about every form of entertainment one could partake in.

Ova Yonder made certain that nopony had too much to drink in her house. Although Noble Edict knew she was just being a responsible hostess, she was grateful to her Aunt for limiting everypony's intake. She was hoping to prevent anypony from getting drunk, and not just because she wanted to have the night off from work. She wanted everypony there to keep a level head, especially the task force. After all, they would have to be sober, considering the trouble they would soon be faced with.

Even though Noble Edict had insisted on no gifts, nearly half of the party's attendees had brought her a present. There was nothing very elaborate or very expensive, but she appreciated all the things she received and expressed her appreciation to those who had given them.

The guests started to leave at around 9:30. After another hour, the only ponies left were Noble Edict, Ova Yonder, Copper Hollow, Pinkie Pie, and a few other ponies who had lingered to assist with cleanup. Once the house was as neat and tidy as it was before, Noble Edict kissed her Aunt Ova goodnight and headed home.

Some of Noble's friends helped her carry her presents to her own house. They accompanied her all the way to her front porch. There she thanked them for their aid and stepped inside by herself. After that, her friends departed from the vicinity and went home, as well.

When Noble Edict entered her house, she turned on the light to her porch and deposited all her gifts in the living room. She opted to wait until the following morning to organize them. She trotted upstairs and turned on the lights to her bedroom and bathroom.

At this time, it was about eleven o'clock at night. Noble Edict's house was the only one in the immediate area that had any lights on; all of her neighbors were already asleep. Despite the brightness emanating from the first and second floors, the red mare's house was totally surrounded by shadows.

Every now and then, one of those shadows moved. Those shadows were always surrounded by the darkness; they never approached the light. They often came perilously close to it, however.

There was one shadow that stood far apart from the others. This one carried a small, cylindrical object. Currently, the figure was gazing through the object and concentrating it on the window to Noble Edict's bedroom. She appeared to be in the process of settling down for the night. The figure closely monitored every visible move she made.

At 11:30, the light on Noble Edict's porch went out. Three minutes later, the lights in her bedroom and bathroom went out, as well. The figure with the cylindrical object lowered it and signaled for the others to proceed. At once, all the shadowy figures silently came nearer to her house. They prowled closer at a very slow and cautious pace.

They waited in absolute stillness for another fifteen minutes. Then one of the figures stepped up to the door, took out a small pick, and used it to fiddle with the lock. Once the deadbolt was unfastened, the figure noiselessly pushed open the door and slipped inside. Five more shadows followed behind in quick succession.

Once all six figures were inside, the last of them gently shut the door.

All of these half dozen individuals were clad from mane to tail in bodysuits made of a stretchable fabric. Around their waists, they wore belts which held short blades. One-by-one, they brandished these blades and slunk towards the staircase. They crept silently up the flight of steps. Within three minutes, they had all moved from the first floor to the second floor.

Most of the rooms on the second floor could be accessed through a single corridor. One of the figures gestured to the last door on the left side of the corridor. That was the door to Noble Edict's bedroom. Straightaway, the six apparitions slunk towards it with their daggers at the ready.

The door was slightly ajar. The figure at the head of the group slowly pushed it open. The door barely made a creak as it was moved. On the other side, they saw Noble Edict lying on her back in her queen-sized bed. She seemed to be in a deep sleep; the only noise to be heard was the sound of her inhaling and exhaling.

Three of the figures stepped into the bedroom. The leader gestured for the one of those two to cover the window. He gestured for the other one to approach the bed, and he swiped his free front hoof across his throat.

The second figure nodded and made his way over to the bed. He moved very delicately, and very slowly. A snail could have beaten him from the door to the bed. When the second figure was standing less than a foot away from Noble Edict, he stopped. Then he leaned forward to her until his head was directly over hers. He gradually moved his knife closer her neck.

Before he did anything else, the second figure felt a jolt of pain just above his right hind leg. As if by reflex, he gazed down and discovered the source of the pain. He had been stabbed in the thigh by a knife. More shockingly, the hoof that held the knife was sticking out from underneath Noble Edict's blanket.

The second figure noticed that he could no longer hear Noble Edict's deep breathing. He gazed back at her face and realized that she was not asleep after all. Her eyes were wide open, and she gave him a wicked grin.

"NOW!" she yelled, sitting up straight and gripping the second figure by the throat.

Immediately, Paisley Branch and Cassia Sprig sprang out of the room across the hall and jumped the two nearest figures who were still out there. At the same time, Haywood McCrank emerged from the bathroom and attacked the leader, and Copper Hollow emerged from the closet and rammed into figure by the window. Each one of them was armed with a knife, as well.

The last figure out in the hall considered the idea of turning and running. Before he was even halfway down the hallway, he was intercepted by Rollin Fields. The lime green stallion smirked, drew his knife, and thrust it into the figure's upper chest. The figure groaned and collapsed backwards against the wall. Rollin Fields seemed to be pleased by his agony. He mumbled softly "You should never have harmed my children."

Although the Vermane were still armed too, they were so unprepared that they had no time to react or defend themselves straightaway. That was good news for the task force. While the Vermane were disoriented, they attacked them using every opening they could spot. There was a multitude of hacking and slashing; the Vermane received far more blows than they delivered.

In under a minute, all six of the Vermane were sporting at least three notable injuries. The leader finally admitted the hopelessness of the situation. He managed to break free of Haywood McCrank, and he hastily ordered in a deep voice "Pull back!"

Although the members of the task force appeared to have no intention of breaking off their assault, they did ease down slightly. The two Pegasus members and the two Earth Pony members of the Vermane struggled to get within reaching distance of the two Unicorn members. Once they were near enough, the two Unicorns cast a teleportation spell on themselves and their four companions. There was a flash of light, and just like that, the six of them were gone.

Now Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, Haywood McCrank, Paisley Branch, Cassia Sprig, and Rollin Fields were all on their own. At least they were until a moment later, when Bronze Star crawled out from underneath the bed. His wings and horn were visible at the time, and he had his belt of assorted weapons around his waist.

The prince used his magic to illuminate the room. There was blood all over the floor and on some of the walls. Luckily, nopony on the task force appeared to be injured. Even so, Bronze Star was compelled to ask "How's everypony doing?"

"Pretty good, all things considered," Paisley Branch declared, smirking.

"Ho, yeah," Cassia Spring concurred, twirling her knife in her hoof, "I don't think that could have gone any better."

"Let's get a little more light in here," Copper Hollow proposed, turning on the switch by the door. As Bronze Star's aura dissipated, the lamps in the corners were activated. The members of the task force braced themselves just in time for the sudden influx of light. The artificial rays reflected off the glistening puddles of red below their hooves.

"Is anything out of place?" Haywood McCrank queried.

"Well, I see lots of blood," Copper Hollow observed, "None of it ours, though."

"Good; that's what's important," Bronze Star remarked, "So, how much damage did you all do?"

"At the very least, I gave my target a limp," Noble Edict professed.

"I damn near could out the eye of mine," Copper Hollow commented.

"Mine seemed to have two or more lacerations," Haywood McCrank murmured.

"I think I cut off part of one of the ears of mine," Cassia Sprig disclosed.

"I made mine bleed so much that it's a wonder he didn't collapse," Paisley Branch recalled.

"I'm almost certain I killed mine," Rollin Fields proclaimed, "If not, I must've mortally wounded him. He'll be dead soon enough."

"If we're lucky, he won't be the only one," Copper Hollow heatedly muttered, "I still don't understand why we didn't just kill them on the spot."

"It wouldn't have had the same effect," Noble Edict enlightened him, "Those were just six of the Vermane. If we killed them, it would have been a short-lived victory. We would have had to go through the tedious process of disposing of the bodies as if we were erasing all signs of a crime. Moreover, the other members of the Vermane would probably just assume that their colleagues had been unsuccessful."

"I see where you are going with this, Lady Noble," Haywood McCrank uttered, "We've turned the tables on the attackers, and we've inflicted a great deal of punishment on all of them. Now they'll have to go back to the rest of their organization. Then all of the Vermane will know what we are capable of now."

"Precisely, Sir Haywood," the red mare affirmed, "They'll think twice about antagonizing us again."

"Well, then let's hope a couple of the Vermane we just encountered won't succumb to their wounds before they return to their base of operations," Rollin Fields thought aloud.

"Even if they don't die, their injuries are too conspicuous to be left unattended," Cassia Sprig pointed out, "There's no way they'd be able to survive out there without medical treatment."

"She's right," Paisley Branch coincided, "That could be a telltale sign to mark who in town is one of the Vermane. If tomorrow we see anypony in town with a really bad wound, it will be easy to tell where they got it."

"Then we should look out for anypony of that sort," Bronze Star advised.

There came several mutters of agreement, and then the gold stallion rubbed his front hooves together, gazed around the bedroom, and suggested "We better clean this place up."

It took about an hour for the seven of them to wipe the walls and the floors clean of blood. Noble Edict's bedsheets were ruined, but she could afford to replace them. She would worry about that later, as she did not plan to spend the remainder of the night in that house.

Once the second floor was more or less in its original condition, Bronze Star had the others gather around him. Then he teleported all seven of them across town to the living room of Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb's house. The olive stallion and the purple mare were relieved to seek that their friends were alright.

The ambush had been Noble Edict's idea, but Bronze Star had been the one who orchestrated it. He and the others had left her party a half-hour early to see to the preparations. They had all gathered at Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider's house. There, Bronze Star transformed into his Alicorn form and briefed them on how everything would go down.

Earlier that week, he had measured the distance between Noble Edict's house and the vigilantes' house. That way, he knew exactly how far he would have to teleport himself and at least five other ponies. It was critical that they all reappear inside the building, otherwise they would tip off the Vermane to their presence.

Due to Dapple Rhomb's pregnancy, Bronze Star was unwilling to have her teleported anywhere. It was decided that she would stay home. Rough Rider refused to leave his wife alone, and he still had the scars from his last encounter with the Vermane, so he remained behind, as well.

Haywood McCrank had addressed the possibility that the Vermane would send two trios after Noble Edict instead of one. If that was the case, he debated that they would need some reinforcements, as it would essentially be five against six.

As such, Bronze Star had decided to accept Paisley Branch and Cassia Sprig's requests to be readmitted back into the task force. He knew they were both very good with a knife. Plus, they had proven their dedication in the past, and he felt they were still totally faithful and true to their cause.

At any rate, once the whole of the task force – save for Noble Edict – had gathered at Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider's house, Bronze Star had transported himself, Copper Hollow, Rollin Fields, Paisley Branch, Cassia Sprig, and Haywood McCrank to Noble Edict's bedroom. There they had gotten into their respective hiding places and waited until Noble Edict returned home.

Even after Noble Edict got in, the others did not come out. She knew where they were; she did not want to risk exposing them to anypony who may have been watching her.

Her idea could not have gone any more smoothly. The Vermane had trotted right into the trap, and all of them had been critically injured. From the looks of things, the Vermane would not been harassing them again anytime soon.

All the same, as an additional precaution, it had been decided that Noble Edict would spent the night at Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider's house for her protection. Sir Haywood suggested that perhaps she should stay at a friend's house every night until they could confirm that she was no longer in danger. She was more than willing to go along with this arrangement.

Once Noble Edict was settled, Bronze Star switched back to his Earth Pony disguise. Then he, Rollin Fields, Cassia Sprig, Paisley Branch, Copper Hollow, and Haywood McCrank went home. They all slept quite peacefully that night.

The next day at the embassy, the task force assembled with the six CEOs. This time, Paisley Branch and Cassia Sprig accompanied them.

During that meeting, they made an interesting discovery. Mr. Lessee – the stern landlord of the apartment complex – had arrived at the embassy to speak with the CEOs. He revealed that six of his tenants had mysteriously disappeared. All six of them had been one of the staffers from each of the CEOs' boards of directors. There was no trace of them at the apartment complex or anywhere else in town.

At first, the CEOs were bewildered by this news, as they had not permitted any of their staffers to leave. That was when Sir Haywood McCrank offered a very credible hypothesis. He contended that those six staffers were the ones who arranged all the foul play in the companies. He reasoned that since they had gotten so close to determining the source of the foul play, the six staffers had panicked and decided to flee town to avoid exposure.

Of course, each member of the task force knew the real reason for their flight: those six staffers must have gotten grievously injured last night and were unwilling to stay around for anypony else to find out how. In other words, they were the same six stallions who broke into Noble Edict's house.

Haywood McCrank debated that the danger was not entirely over, but the threat had subsided significantly. As a result, he was going to close the case and end the investigation. Nopony on the task force or the CEOs protested this decision. Although the Vermane were not officially gone, the people of Equestria would be safe from them for a long while.

Bronze Star decided to end the lockdown on the train depot. Everypony who had been present during the Vermane's most recent attack was free to go anywhere they pleased. They were still sworn to silence about the massacre, but they were no longer confined to Ponyville.

The CEOs and the rest of their staffers would plan to leave soon, as well. They had not forgotten Bronze Star's idea of a merger between their conglomerates. They each still planned to send a representative to the Grand Galloping Gala to discuss that issue. None of them had decided on who they would send yet, but they would make their selections before they left town.

In any case, Bronze Star was going to put the Vermane out of his mind for a while. He had to switch his focus back to the assassination conspiracy for the present.

After the last meeting with the CEOs, Bronze Star checked up on Esopus Spitzenburg. The jade stallion had spent most of the past several days in his room, sitting in front of his poster board. He had convinced all but three of his companions to attend the meeting with Lord Ambit Dexter. He was confident that he would get those three to agree to be there. Bronze Star just left the elderly stallion alone and let him work.

The next day, Bronze Star had another meeting with Mayor Mare and City Council. This was just a standard weekly update that he had become quite accustomed to. The mayor and her cabinet seemed quite relieved that the peril from the train massacre was no longer a concern, and that they were safe from further harm of that sort.

After that meeting, Bronze Star worked with Dapple Rhomb in her office for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon. At one point, the prince asked his secretary to bring her husband to work the following day. He claimed he had something important to discuss with both of them. He did not specify what, but the purple mare agreed to this request.

At around mid-afternoon, Bronze Star went to Sugarcube Corner to attend the party Pinkie Pie had arranged for Gummy. It was not nearly as spectacular as Noble Edict's party, but all of Pinkie's parties had a certain special form of appeal, so Bronze Star still enjoyed himself.

He observed Applejack and Rainbow Dash as they took turns bobbing for apples. Applejack managed to snatch one in her teeth. She tossed it into the air, caught it in her mouth, and ate it in one bite.

"Nice one!" Rainbow Dash commented, "Now, let me show you how it's really done."

She opened her mouth as wide as she could, but before she could plunge her head into the water, Pinkie Pie sauntered by and told them "Hey, girls!"

"Hey, Pinkie Pie!" the cyan mare returned.

"Howdy!" Applejack greeted her.

Pinkie Pie squealed giddily and remarked "Just wanted to tell you how happy I am that you could make it to Gummy's party."

"Are you kiddin'?" Applejack muttered, "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Me neither," Rainbow Dash conceded, "When Pinkie Pie throws a party, I am there!"

She then lowered her head into the large bucket of water and came back up a moment later with an apple in her teeth. "Ta-da!"

"Aw!" Pinkie Pie murmured, "It's just a boring old apple. Don't worry, there are plenty of other surprises in there."

Rainbow Dash spat out the apple. As it ricocheted off of Applejack's face and fell back into the bucket, she asked eagerly "What kind of surprises?"

"I can't tell you that, silly," Pinkie Pie slyly said in response, "Then it wouldn't be a surprise."

As the pink mare trotted to another part of the room, Applejack and Rainbow Dash gazed down at the bucket. They both thrust their heads into the water at the same time.

Applejack came up first. She had another apple in her mouth, but this one was attached to a spring. The orange mare struggled to extract it, but the spring pulled her back into the water until her entire head was submerged. When Rainbow Dash came back up, she brought Gummy with her. The baby alligator's jaws were locked around her face. Based on his position, his tongue must have been directly under her muzzle.

Applejack and Bronze Star chuckled in amusement. Rainbow Dash jerked her head to the side and flung Gummy across the room. She wiped away the alligator's saliva and winced in embarrassment.

"Congratulations on your first kiss, Rainbow," Bronze Star cheekily proclaimed.

The cyan mare blushed heavily at that; the orange mare just laughed harder than before.

At the refreshments table, Rarity was helping herself to some punch. After she finished her glass, Pinkie Pie promptly refilled it with a ladle.

"This punch is simply divine," the white mare professed, "Is this the same recipe you used for your 'Spring Has Sprung' party?"

As the fashionista took another swig of punch, Pinkie Pie answered her with "Nope! Something new."

She then turned towards the punch bowl. Gummy had landed in it when Rainbow Dash had thrown him. Rarity was in the midst of a long sip when she noticed this. In response, she expelled all the contents of her mouth. Pinkie Pie was standing directly in front of her, so Rarity ended up spitting in her face.

However, the pink mare did not seem to mind this. She did not even blink. All she did was declare "It's Gummy's favorite."

Bronze Star snickered at the sight and whispered into Applejack's ear "Reminds me of when I first admitted my feelings for you."

Applejack flushed at the memory of that event. It had been incredibly awkward at the time, but luckily, it had not ended badly.

Rarity realized that Twilight Sparkle was staring at her uncomfortably. Rarity could tell that she was beckoning her to pretend that she still liked the punch, in spite of the fact that it was tainted.

The white mare gulped and reluctantly continued to drink the punch that Gummy had swam in.

Fortunately for her, she did not have to do this for very long. A certain beat soon started playing on the gramophone. Pinkie Pie shrieked joyfully "Ooh, this is my jam!"

As the pink mare made her way to the dance floor, Rarity turned to a potted plant and spewed the punch into the soil. Bronze Star could not blame her; he would not want to drink any of that Essence of Gummy if he did not have to.

Fluttershy and Twilight were already grooving on the dance floor. Pinkie Pie joined them and queried "Having fun?"

"A blast!" Twilight asserted.

"You always throw the best parties, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy pronounced.

"They're always the best parties 'cause my best friends are always there!" Pinkie Pie claimed happily.

"Can't argue with that," Bronze Star concurred.

For a few seconds, the three mares were dancing together. Then Pinkie Pie became a little too rambunctious and accidentally sent the lavender mare and the yellow mare flying towards opposite walls. Strangely, the pink mare did not even seem to notice that. She was too preoccupied with her own movements.

"C'mon, everypony!" Pinkie Pie urged her friends, "Gummy wants to dance!"

Bronze Star helped Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy out of the walls. Funnily enough, there were two pony-shaped holes where they had struck. Knowing Pinkie, she would have those fixed before long.

Once the two mares had regained her senses, they went back to the dance floor. Applejack, Bronze Star, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash joined them. Gummy was standing in the center of the group, still as a statue. As the ponies danced, Pinkie cheered him with "Go, Gummy! It's your birthday! Go, Gummy! It's your birthday!"

If Gummy was delighted, he did a masterful job of hiding his glee.

The party lasted until well into the evening. That was when the guests decided to leave.

Pinkie Pie watched from the window of the dome on top of Sugarcube Corner as her friends trotted out the sweetshop's main entrance.

"Hoo-wee!" Applejack tiredly stated, "I am beat! I haven't danced that much since... Well, since your last party. Thanks again for the invite!"

"Always a pleasure!" Bronze Star shouted.

"See ya later, birthday alligator!" Rainbow Dash yelled back.

"Bravo for hosting yet another delightful soiree," Rarity commended.

"It's been lovely," Fluttershy disclosed.

Twilight Sparkle was the last to leave. Pinkie Pie called out to her "You sure you don't wanna stay? There's still some cake left."

"Uh, I think I'm gonna pass," Twilight told her, "Great party though. We should do this again soon."

As the gold stallion and the five mares trotted away, they heard Pinkie Pie gasp and declare in agreement "We should do this again soon!"

"Yeah, like tomorrow," Bronze Star mumbled under his breath, smirking.

"Shh, don't give her any ideas," Fluttershy advised him.

"Relax; I don't think she heard me," Bronze Star assured her. After a bit of quietness, he looked around at the mares and uttered "Seriously though; is everything be ready?"

Twilight Sparkle rubbed her chin and thought aloud "Cake's being baked, decorations have been ordered, music's been arranged, presents have been wrapped, barn's being allocated for space. We're all set."

"Very good," Bronze Star said approvingly.

"I must say; Pinkie seems surprisingly mellow, even though it's the eve of her own birthday," Rarity observed.

"Maybe my theory that she actually forgot wasn't so outlandish, after all," Applejack supposed.

"If she did forget, then it'll just be an even greater surprise!" Rainbow Dash contended.

"Regardless of that, do you think she'll like what we have planned?" Bronze Star queried.

"Oh, absolutely," Fluttershy proclaimed. The others gave murmurs of agreement.

"Good," Bronze Star uttered, giving a light smile, "That's what's really important."

The five mares and the stallion each went their separate ways after that.

When Bronze Star arrived at the embassy, he found that it was bustling with activity. That was quite unusual, considering the lateness of the hour. Despite that, Bronze Star knew what was going on.

Now that the source of the foul play in the corporations had been located and purged, there was no reason for the CEOs and their subordinates to remain in Ponyville any longer. As such, they were preparing to leave town within the next twenty-four hours.

However, before Red Burner, Cleave Cobs, and Cycle Geyser returned to Manehattan, and before Lore N. Budget, Till Dates, and Ronald Grump returned to Canterlot, they had to address the issue of their merger. Each CEO needed to determine who would represent him at the Grand Galloping Gala. They also had a lot of paperwork that needed to be filled out; most of it regarded the "traitors" that had disappeared the previous night.

All fifty-four of the remaining ponies on the CEOs' boards of directors were at the embassy. The staffers were in the process of receiving orders from their superiors and hurrying to accomplish them. Many of them had to accept an additional amount of responsibility to compensate for their missing colleagues.

This was the CEOs' method of determining who would speak for them at the Gala. They would each give the role to the staffer who worked the hardest and produced the best results the most quickly. So far, none of them had singled out anypony in particular, but the night was still young, and much work remained to be done.

Commander Swiftdrive, Lieutenant Commander Blade Bearer, and Lieutenant Commander Comet Frost were standing guard at various spots inside the embassy. Despite all the activity, the three of them did not have to intercede anywhere.

Oddly enough, Haywood McCrank was the only pony there who was not busy. The indigo stallion had spent most of the past nine months focusing on the murder plot, and from the look of things, he had prevented it from occurring. Now he was treating himself to a well-deserved rest.

Before he went to his bedroom, Bronze Star stopped by Esopus Spitzenburg and checked up on his progress. The jade stallion revealed that only one of his companions had not yet agreed to be at the meeting with Lord Ambit Dexter. He had expected her to be the most unwilling to yield, but he was confident that he could convince her to be at the meeting. Bronze Star decided to hold Spitzenburg to his word.

Lord Ambit Dexter and Sir Verse A. Till were going over some reports on national security. In times of peace, reviewing and following up on those reports constituted the majority of the two stallions' busywork. They may not have been in Canterlot, but like Bronze Star, they would continue doing their jobs, regardless of their whereabouts.

By sunrise the next morning, all the staffers had left the embassy. The six CEOs were away from there, as well. Bronze Star later found out that they had spent most of that day at the apartment complex.

At any rate, when Bronze Star woke up that morning, he, Esopus Spitzenburg, Swiftdrive, Comet Frost, Blade Bearer, Ambit Dexter, Verse A. Till, and Haywood McCrank were the only ponies in the building. By the time he had showered, eaten breakfast, and fed his pet hawk, Dapple Rhomb had shown up for work. As her employer requested, she had brought Rough Rider with her.

Neither the olive stallion nor his wife had any idea why the gold stallion wanted him there. Fortunately, he did not keep them wondering for long. After they arrived, he led them into Dapple Rhomb's office and closed the door. The purple mare sat at her desk and her husband took the chair on the other side of it.

Bronze Star remained standing. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his front legs. Then he gazed at the two spouses and announced "You two have been with me for less time than the others on the task force, and unlike the others, you aren't officially authorized to uphold the law. Even so, you've been with me long enough to prove that you are capable of maintaining peace and justice, and I have come to think of you as more than just allies."

"We feel the same way, Bronze," Rough Rider proclaimed.

Dapple Rhomb nodded and muttered "It's actually a bit of a shame that the investigation is over now. We enjoyed working with you."

"Hey, just because the task force has been disbanded, that does not mean our relationship is at an end, too," Bronze Star debated, "We can continue to function as partners… and as friends."

That seemed to capture Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider's interest. The latter queried "How so?"

Bronze Star unfolded his front legs and leaned a little closer to the married couple. He inquired "Are you two qualified to speak for your organization?"

"Indeed we are," Rough Rider replied, "We've been speaking for them ever since you got us to confess our involvement with them."

"That's what I thought," Bronze Star drily muttered, "Tell me; would your people be interested in establishing a more… 'perpetual' relationship?"

"That would probably depend on the circumstances of the relationship," Dapple Rhomb professed.

"For now, I just need to know: would they be willing to at least consider it?" Bronze Star questioned.

After some careful thinking, Rough Rider said candidly "Yes… yes, they would."

"Good," the gold stallion avowed, smiling "Then what say we discuss the possibility of a lasting affiliation in the near future?"

"How near?" Dapple Rhomb queried.

"The day of the Grand Galloping Gala," Bronze Star clarified, "Or rather, the night of it."

The purple mare and the olive stallion were stunned by that statement. The former asked rhetorically "Won't you be in Canterlot that night, Bronze?"

"Of course I will," Bronze Star affirmed, "You two don't have anything going on that night, do you?"

"Nope, not really," Rough Rider disclosed.

"Then why don't you attend the Gala?" Bronze Star proposed.

The secretary and the salespony were perplexed by that proposition, even though they had partially seen it coming.

"We appreciate the offer, Bronze, but we don't have tickets," Rough Rider proclaimed.

"That can easily be remedied," the prince asserted, "Later today, I could write a letter to my mother. She'd be happy to send me a couple extra tickets. She won't even bother to ask who they're for."

"Well, that's convenient," Dapple Rhomb commented, grinning.

"So, will you accept the tickets?" Bronze Star enquired hopefully.

Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb looked at each other, as though they were having a silent conversation on this topic.

Ultimately, they turned back to the gold stallion, and the olive stallion declared "You bet."

Bronze Star remained grinning as he clapped his front hooves together. "You won't regret it."

"Just a moment," Dapple Rhomb bade him, "There's one thing about this that's not totally clear to me. I understand your reasons for wanting this partnership. But I don't understand why you want to form it during the Grand Galloping Gala."

"For multiple reasons," Bronze Star explicated, "Firstly, the merger between the Manehattan-based and the Canterlot-based conglomerates will take place during the Gala. There's no reason why a secret merger between me and your people can't be drafted there, as well. Secondly, we have a little saying in the capital city: 'if it's done in a castle, there should be no hassle.' In other words, if we form this partnership in Canterlot Castle, it will be recognized by all its participants as authentic and pure. Lastly, like the rest of us, the two of you need a break from all the tension you've been through in the last few months. You've already been to the Castle before, and from what you've told me, you enjoyed being there. So why not go there for the most anticipated event of the year? After all, the Gala may be one of your last opportunities to seize the day before you receive your greatest blessing."

When he said that last statement, he gazed at Dapple Rhomb's abdomen. Straightaway, she and Rough Rider realized that he was referring to the tiny lifeform growing inside her. The purple mare gazed down at her body and placed her front hoof on the area below her midsection. Dapple Rhomb was nearly three months pregnant; her foal bump was starting to become conspicuous.

Eventually, she turned back to her employer and admitted "Those are all good points."

"Are you always so poetic, Bronze?" Rough Rider wryly inquired.

"Only when it suits the setting, Rough," the prince cockily retorted.

The salespony chuckled at that. After a momentary pause, he added in "Well, in any case, looks like my wife and I are going to the Grand Galloping Gala."

"Fantastic," Bronze Star remarked. A thought then occurred to him. He asked the two older ponies "Out of curiosity, what will you wearing?"

"Oh… right," Rough Rider mumbled with a small grimace, "I have a few good suits, but I don't think I have anything worthy of a gala."

"Neither do I," Dapple Rhomb frankly disclosed, "Even though my dresses still fit me, they're not… well, 'dazzling' enough for this sort of event."

"I can offer a solution for that, too," Bronze Star pronounced, standing up straight, "Rarity would be delighted to design some outfits for you. Let's swing by Carousel Boutique."

"All of us?" Dapple Rhomb assumed in astonishment.

"Yeah," Bronze Star confirmed, "I'd like to pay for your costumes. And before you ask, yes, I insist. I hope you'll allow me to treat you."

"Oh, we'd never deny you something like that," Rough Rider conceded, "Still, you sure you don't mind joining us there? You don't have other stuff you'd need to do first?"

"No, for the first time in a long while, I don't have a lot going on at the present," Bronze Star revealed, "I was planning on going to the Boutique sometime today anyway."

"Then I guess we may as well go now," Dapple Rhomb proposed.

The olive stallion, the purple stallion, and the gold stallion then exited the office and headed to the front of the building. After they signed out, they approached the main entrance.

Rough Rider reached the door first. He pulled it wide open and stepped outside. Almost immediately, he shouted in alarm and recoiled.

A moment later, his wife and her boss discovered why he did that. Pinkie Pie had been standing just outside the entrance. Gummy was resting on her head. Since Rough Rider was about half a foot taller than the pink mare, he had been staring directly into the baby alligator's eyes when he exited the building.

"Oh, uh… hey, Pinkie," Bronze Star greeted his friend. He had not expected to see her until sometime in the afternoon.

"Morning, Bronze," Pinkie Pie giddily said in response, "I was wondering if you'd be able to come to Gummy's after-birthday party today."

You've got to be kidding me Bronze Star thought. He gazed off to the side nervously, and then he claimed "Uh, I'd love to, but… I'm busy,"

"I didn't even tell you when it is," Pinkie Pie pointed out in bafflement.

"That's just it," Bronze Star hastily uttered, "I'll be busy all day."

"You don't seem to be busy right now," Pinkie perceived.

"Actually, I'm afraid I am," the prince anxiously maintained, "I'm buried in paperwork at the moment."

"No, you're not," the hyperactive mare disputed, "The only thing you could possibly be buried in is air."

"It's an expression, Pinkie," Rough Rider sardonically pronounced.

Dapple Rhomb quickly came to Bronze Star's aid. She coolly declared "He's not exaggerating, Pinkie. There's so much paperwork inside this building that you could swim through it all. That's why we came out here; we needed some space to breathe."

Rough Rider appeared to be confused at first. Then he realized where his wife was going with this. He grinned slyly and commented "Can't tell you how relieved we are to be out here. It's a wonder we were able to navigate our way to the door, there's so much clutter in there."

Initially, Pinkie Pie seemed incredulous about that claim. She narrowed her eyes, as though she saw right through their lie. Then she loosened her countenance and grinned. It appeared as though she had swallowed that lie, much to Bronze Star's good fortune.

"I understand," the pink mare asserted, "Business before pleasure. Then again, for me, those two often go hoof-in-hoof."

"Sadly, they don't for us," Bronze Star pronounced. He then went back to the entrance and loudly remarked "Now, if you'll excuse us, it's time for us to dive back into that sea of paperwork. We gotta tackle it while it's tame."

"Good luck," Pinkie Pie bade him, "Hope you don't drown in it."

Bronze Star chuckled at that. Then he, Dapple Rhomb, and Rough Rider reentered the embassy. They did not go any further than the front door. Instead, they peered out the small windows on either side of the entrance. They waited until Pinkie Pie had departed from the premises. They scarcely made a move until she was out of sight.

"She's gone," Bronze Star announced. He pulled the door open again and slipped back outside, "Let's get going."

Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider already knew that Bronze Star and the Element Bearers would be holding a surprise birthday party for Pinkie Pie. So they did not question his false alibi for being unable to attend Gummy's after-birthday party.

They cautiously made their way through the streets, keeping a close eye out for Pinkie Pie. If they happened to encounter her out on the town, it would have been extremely awkward.

Luckily, they made it to Carousel Boutique without running into the pink mare. When they got inside, the doorbell rang, but they found the front room empty. However, they could hear the sound of water running from the bathroom.

"Be right there," a melodic voice called out.

Twenty seconds later, the running water stopped, and Rarity emerged from the bathroom. She was in the process of towel-drying her mane very thoroughly.

"A little late to be touching up your appearance, isn't it?" Bronze Star commented.

"Sorry, it took me a while to get the mud out of my mane," Rarity disclosed.

"Mud?" Bronze Star uttered in confusion. It was then that he noticed that one of Rarity's plants had been removed from its pot. The gold stallion soon ventured a guess as to what had happened. He presumed "Pinkie?"

"Mmm-hmm," the white mare verified, touching up her mane, "She caught me off guard. So I had to make up an excuse on the spot."

"You think she bought it?" Bronze Star queried.

"I hope so," Rarity remarked. She then hung the towel up on a rack just outside of the bathroom. Then she turned back to her visitors and inquired "What can I do for you?"

Bronze Star explained "I've invited Dapple and Rough to the Grand Galloping Gala. I was hoping you could design some formal attire for them."

The fashionista smiled and declared "I'd be happy to, Bronze. Twilight will be coming by soon, but I should have enough time right now to get started."

The white mare led the olive stallion and the purple mare to the podium. There she began taking their measurements. As she ran her tape measure along their bodies, she mentioned "This is quite remarkable, isn't it? Ten months ago, only eight of us would be going to the Gala. Now it looks as though fifteen people in town will be attending it."

"Fifteen?" Bronze Star mumbled in interest. In actuality, more than fifteen ponies in Ponyville would be at the Gala, but Rarity could not have known that Sir Verse A. Till and six of the CEOs' staffers would be there. He could not help but wonder who she was referring to. He rubbed his temple and thought aloud "There's you, me, Applejack, Sir Haywood McCrank, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Copper Hollow, Noble Edict, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash… and now Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider. Who am I missing?"

"Cashew Lane and Dr. Billow Health," Rarity responded.

"Really?" the gold stallion muttered, intrigued.

"Indeed," Rarity confirmed, "A few days ago, they came by and commissioned me to make them a pair of tuxedos. In fact, I just finished their suits last night. They're in the next room right now, trying them on."

"Well, that's nice," Bronze Star murmured.

At that moment, Rarity was measuring Dapple Rhomb's waist. She wanted to get a precise reading, even though she knew she would have to add an inch or two to compensate for how much larger the purple mare's foal bump would be in a few weeks.

As she did this, she gazed over at Bronze Star and requested "Would you mind checking up on them and seeing if they need anything? They've been in there for a while."

"Sure," the gold stallion conceded.

He then trotted into the back room. Cashew Lane and Dr. Billow Health were located at the opposite end. Both stallions were wearing a formal suit that could match Sir Haywood McCrank's in style and appearance.

Presently, Billow Health was standing in front of a large mirror, straightening his tie. Cashew Lane was standing behind him, helping him smooth out the sides of his jacket.

After a moment, the physician turned to face the security officer and asked him "What do you think?"

"Very suave," the shamrock stallion observed, smirking, "You're the sharpest dressed doctor I've ever seen."

"Why, thank you," the russet stallion uttered, grinning, "You're the sharpest dressed… peacekeeper I've ever seen, too."

"You're not big on Smalltalk, are you, Doctor?" Cashew Lane supposed.

"No, I just save it for my bedside manner," Billow Health illuminated.

It was then that they noticed the gold stallion's reflection in the mirror.

Billow Health turned to him and stated cordially "Good morning, Mr. Ambassador."

"Hello, Doctor," Bronze Star returned affably. He then looked to the security officer and proclaimed "I'm glad to see you in better spirits, Cashew."

"I'm still in mourning for Almond Wheeler, sir," Cashew Lane disclosed, "But I have taken some comfort in the knowledge that she's at peace and the citizens of Ponyville are safe now."

"Well, I'm glad you're doing better," Bronze Star commented. There came a brief interval of quietness, and then he pronounced "Rarity tells me that you and the Doctor will be going to the Gala."

"Not just that; we'll be going together," Billow Health apprised him, "As friends, of course."

"I'm curious to know how that worked out," Bronze Star mumbled in interest.

"Well, you see, I got the tickets long ago," Cashew Lane expounded, "I was going to surprise Almond with them, but she died before I could even mention them to her. For a while after her death, I didn't want to do anything but sulk. Eventually, I decided that I needed a distraction to cheer me up. I still had the tickets to the Gala, so I figured I may as well go. I just needed a plus-one."

"Which turned out to be me," Billow Health elaborated, "I was actually a little surprised when Mr. Lane approached me with the offer. He claimed it was his way of expressing his gratitude for how I helped his cousin, despite the fact that I was unable to save her.

"What matters is that you tried, Doctor," Cashew Lane asserted, "Aside from that, there are dozens of ponies who are still alive because of you."

"That's true, I suppose," Billow Health admitted, "At any rate, I chose to accept Mr. Lane's proposal. I may have been uncertain at first, but now, I'm looking forward to the Gala. Even more than I was looking forward to that seminar."

Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and enquired "What seminar?"

Cashew Lane seemed perplexed by that remark. "Don't you know why Dr. Health was on that train in the first place, sir?"

"Actually, I hadn't really thought about that," the gold stallion proclaimed, "But now that you mention it, I would like to know."

"Then I'll tell you," Billow Health elucidated, "There is a medical seminar in Las Pegasus. It's only held once every fifteen years. All the greatest scientific minds in the country participate in it. Ever since I was a medical intern, I've wanted to go to it. Its most recent date was scheduled for last week. I had been planning to attend that seminar for months. I set up reservations and everything well in advance. I saved up enough vacation time. I researched every issue that would be discussed, even the ones that were of little interest to me."

"Looks like you thought of everything," Bronze Star perceived.

"I certainly felt that way," Billow Health disclosed, "Just to be safe, I wanted to get to Las Pegasus early. So I decided to get there a week before the seminar began. On that day, there were no trains that went directly from Detrot to Las Pegasus. Apparently, the railway line that ran between those two cities was undergoing maintenance. Luckily, I found an arrangement that would only take a little extra travel time. I planned to ride one train that would take me from Detrot to Ponyville, and from here, I would catch a connecting train to Las Pegasus.

"My arrangement was going along very well… until that terrible tragedy occurred," the russet stallion continued, "While I am glad I was able to save many of the victims of the train massacre, I was disappointed by its repercussions. I knew I would be stuck in this town for a while afterwards. Unfortunately, I was here even longer than I expected to be. It's too late for me to attend the seminar; it's more than halfway over by now."

"I'm sorry you had to miss it, Doctor," Bronze Star murmured apologetically.

"It's not your fault, sir," Billow Health assured him, "Anyway, once I was finally permitted to leave Ponyville, I just considered going home. Then Mr. Lane came forward and waved that extra ticket to the Gala in front of my face. So I figured 'What the Tartarus?'"

"Well, I'm pleased that you got some benefit out of this ordeal," the gold stallion commented.

"So am I, sir," Billow Health declared.

"You've been there before, right, Mr. Ambassador?" Cashew Lane presumed.

"Oh, yes," Bronze Star confirmed, "I'll be at this one, too. Perhaps the three of us could meet up sometime during it."

"I have no objections," the shamrock stallion claimed. The physician nodded in agreement.

A couple minutes later, Bronze Star headed back out to the front room of Carousel Boutique. He apprised Rarity that Cashew Lane and Billow Health seemed perfectly content with their outfits. She was thrilled to hear that.

Rarity had already finished taking Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider's measurements. She was in the process of drawing up some sketches for how she envisioned their outfits would look. Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider were quite pleased by her designs.

The olive stallion and the purple mare were going to remain at the Boutique for a little while longer. Bronze Star, however, had an agenda to keep to. He notified Rarity "I'm going to meet up with Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres. She'll need a hoof getting everything set up."

"Very well," the white mare acknowledged, "I'll be there in about an hour."

The prince then exited Carousel Boutique through the front door. First he took a minute to ascertain that Pinkie Pie was nowhere in the vicinity, and then he galloped at a moderate pace to the western border of town.

When he arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, the doors to the barn were wide open. He stepped inside the building and spotted Applejack at once. The orange mare had already moved most of the contents of the barn up against the walls. Now she was hanging streamers on the loft. She stood on top of a ladder to access the hard-to-reach places.

"Need a hoof?" Bronze Star called out.

Applejack turned and saw her coltfriend standing on the ground below. She smiled and responded with "Yeah, or two."

The orange mare and the gold stallion spent the next forty-five minutes putting up decorations. They were all alone in that time.

After that, Twilight Sparkle showed up with some party supplies. She had confetti, party hats, favors, and some other materials.

Rarity arrived next; she had the gramophone. Fluttershy came soon after; she had the cake. Everypony had already brought their gifts; they had dropped them off at the ranch last night, shortly after Gummy's party.

Now they were only waiting on Rainbow Dash to bring the food.

The other ponies expected her to arrive almost immediately after Fluttershy, but that was not the case. Applejack decided to keep an eye out for her. She stepped outside and paced around the entrance of the barn.

After about five minutes of this, the cyan mare showed up very suddenly. She was not alone. She was flying as fast as she could towards the barn, and she was being pursued by a pink blur on the ground.

"Applejack!" Rainbow Dash shouted anxiously, "We have a problem!"

When Applejack realized that Pinkie Pie was chasing Rainbow Dash, she gasped and got out of the way. Once Rainbow passed into the barn, the orange mare galloped inside and slammed the door shut behind her.

Pinkie Pie halted immediately in front of the barn. Miraculously, Gummy had managed to hold on to her tail without getting whiplashed. His mistress bonked her head against the barn door half a dozen times and screamed "I know you're IN THERE!"

Applejack gestured for everypony to be quiet. Then she opened the door slightly and stated "Oh! Howdy, pardner!"

Pinkie Pie glared at her and muttered "Mind if I... take a look inside the barn?"

"No!" Applejack hastily retorted, "Uh, I mean, yes, I mean... you can't come in here!"

"Rainbow Dash just went in there," the pink mare noted.

Applejack began to sweat. She apprehensively claimed "Oh, well, she was just bringin' in some... supplies! Yup, supplies for the... renovation! Fixin' up the whole thing, top to bottom... uh, lots of construction goin' on in there right now."

"You heard her!" Rainbow Dash whispered, "Construction!"

She, Bronze Star, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity started mimicking the noises of various construction tools. Their impersonations were grossly unconvincing, but there was little else they could do to make their act more believable.

"Yup!" Applejack asserted, "Construction! That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it."

She gave a nervous laugh and gulped. She hated lying, especially when it was towards one of her friends. But at this instant, she had no choice but to resort to it. She just prayed Pinkie would believe her.

There was a very tense pause as the pink mare stared suspiciously at the orange mare. She obviously did not find it very plausible that the barn was under quarantine due to construction. She could tell that something else was going on. However, she did not want her friends to know that she was on to them. So she muttered irately "Okey... dokey... lokey."

As she backed away from the barn, Applejack let out a relieved sigh. Then almost immediately, Pinkie Pie rushed forward until their muzzles were touching. Applejack could only stare uncomfortably into the slightly younger mare's eyes.

Luckily, Pinkie Pie soon stepped away and left the plantation. Once she was gone, everypony else peered outside and sighed in relief, as well.

"Who would have thought it'd be so hard to keep a secret from Pinkie?" Rarity murmured.

"My thoughts exactly," Fluttershy professed.

"Yeah, it's been easier for me to keep my identity hidden from the rest of the town than it's been to prevent her from learning about this," Bronze Star contended.

"If ya ask me, this is almost more effort than it's worth," Applejack observed, "Almost, mind you."

"I'll just be glad if she appreciates this," Rainbow Dash commented.

"She will; trust me," Twilight avowed.

The seven ponies passed the next two hours by putting the rest of the party together. Once all the decorations were hung and the food and drinks were set out, they carefully wrapped up their gifts. All of them had gotten at least two presents for Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash had gotten her three, as they were best friends.

By noon, the party was totally ready. All it needed at that point was a birthday mare. Rainbow Dash volunteered to fetch Pinkie Pie. Once she left, the others excitedly waited for her to get back.

Through his experiences, Bronze Star had established that it took about forty minutes to travel by hoof from Sweet Apple Acres to the center of Ponyville and back. So he found it peculiar when he and the mares had to wait well over an hour for Rainbow Dash to return with Pinkie Pie.

Apparently, the pink mare had not come along willingly. Rainbow Dash practically had to drag her all the way from Sugarcube Corner to the barn. It was a strenuous task, but the cyan mare was determined to accomplish it.

When they finally reached the barn, Rainbow Dash grunted and panted "We're... here..."

As the weather maker caught her breath, Pinkie Pie forced herself to approach the barn door and slowly push it open. Inside she saw Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Bronze Star, Applejack, and Rarity standing in a line. The four mares were wearing party hats. Bronze Star bypassed a party hat, as he found them somewhat undignified.

Nevertheless, he joined the four mares in shouting in unison "Surprise!"

Pinkie Pie seemed astonished by the sight, but not in the pleasant way. Rainbow Dash pushed her further into the building. The pink mare dragged her hooves for the entire distance, as though she was resisting.

When Pinkie was within two meters of the other five ponies, Rainbow Dash stopped pushing her.

It was then that they realized that Pinkie's appearance had drastically changed. Her normally poofy mane and tail had gone flat and straight. Her coat had faded into a darker shade of pink. Most of all, there was a hostile and unreceptive glaze in her eyes, and an unwelcoming scowl across her face. The only consistent thing about her was that Gummy was riding on her back, being his usual unresponsive self. Bronze Star felt as though he was looking at a totally different mare.

"I really thought she'd be more excited," Fluttershy softly remarked.

That sparked a reaction out of Pinkie Pie. She shrieked furiously "Excited? EXCITED? Why would I be excited to attend my own farewell party?!"

The others were taken aback by that outburst.

"Farewell party?" Twilight asked, bewildered.

"Yes!" Pinkie yelled angrily, lunging away from them, "You don't like me anymore, so you decided to kick me out of the group and throw a great, big party to celebrate! A 'Farewell to Pinkie Pie' party!"

Nopony had any idea what she was talking about. They would have thought the pink mare was playing a joke, but she sounded uncharacteristically serious.

Applejack approached her and asked in concern "Why in the world would you think we didn't like you anymore, sugarcube?"

Pinkie Pie grimaced and stared down at the others as she screamed "Why? Why? WHY?! Because you've been lying to me and avoiding me all day, that's why!"

She was so frantic that when she delivered that last sentence, she managed to hover in midair simply by flailing her legs. Bronze Star mumbled under his breath "Maybe I'm not the only one who secretly has wings."

When she landed on the ground, Rainbow Dash smirked and muttered sardonically "Uh, yeah! Because we wanted your party to be a surprise."

Rarity then trotted up with a yellow balloon in her front hooves and professed "We'd been planning this party for such a long time, we had to make excuses for why we couldn't attend Gummy's party so that we could get everything ready for yours."

Twilight Sparkle then gestured to the table with the cake and pointed out "If this is a farewell party, why does the cake I picked up from Sugarcube Corner say 'Happy Birthday, Pinkie Pie?'"

Pinkie Pie did not know how to respond to that. She gazed at the large pile of presents on another table, then at the banner that hung from the loft, and lastly at the birthday cake. She struggled to put everything together, and she had an epiphany.

Out of nowhere, her mane and tail returned to their normal poofiness, her coat brightened up, her eyes became warm and inviting, and her lips spread into a wide smile. She squeaked elatedly "Because it's my birthday!"

Her front legs extended to unnatural lengths as she reached out for her friends. She grabbed Twilight, Rarity, and Bronze Star in her right hoof and Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash in her left hoof, and she pulled them all together into a tight hug.

She commented in happiness and in disbelief "Ooh, how could I have forgotten my own birthday?"

The others merely sighed in relief.

"Looks like you were right, AJ," Bronze Star slyly observed. His fillyfriend just scoffed.

Pinkie Pie then released her friends and bounced around the barn. She declared "And you like me so much you decided to throw me a surprise party!"

"That's what we've been trying to tell you, darling," Rarity affirmed.

Pinkie was so enthralled that she could barely stand still. She proclaimed "You girls are the best friends ever! So are you, Bronze!"

She then eased down and gazed guiltily at the ground. She remarked softly "How could I have ever doubted you?"

"It's okay, Pinkie Pie," Twilight reassured her, "It could have happened to any of us."

"Uh-huh!" Rainbow Dash conceded, "It sure would."

"Don't worry about it," Fluttershy bade the pink mare.

"I'm just glad I haven't been replaced by a bucket of turnips," Rainbow Dash stated cockily. At that, Pinkie Pie winced.

"Huh?" Twilight murmured in confusion.

"You don't wanna know," was all the cyan mare said in response. The pink mare quickly calmed down.

"Then we won't ask," Bronze Star pronounced.

"All right, girls!" Applejack interceded as she activated the gramophone, "Enough of this gab. Let's party!"

The music started playing loud and clear. Soon the party was underway, and the unpleasant experience between Pinkie and the others was all but forgotten.

Spike showed up ten minutes late. He claimed that he had to finish off a large plate of gems before he came to the party.

Twilight Sparkle had him compose another letter to Princess Celestia about the latest lesson she had learned pertaining to friendship. This had been one of her most valuable and meaningful lessons to date. Once the letter was written, sealed, and sent off, the eight friends enjoyed the party without any other hindrance.

At one point, they formed a conga line with Pinkie standing at the head. She looked back at the others and proposed "You guys wouldn't mind if we celebrated Gummy's after-birthday party too, would you? His party was cut short, and he's pretty upset about it."

Bronze Star doubted if Gummy really was upset at all. He was just standing off to the side with a balloon in his jaws. He was either gnawing or sucking on it. With him, it was hard to tell which.

"May as well," Bronze Star drily remarked, humoring the pink mare.

"Oh, definitely," Fluttershy stated.

"Aww, he was upset?" Rarity asked rhetorically.

"Uh-huh, sure!" Applejack affirmed.

"For Gummy, yeah!" Rainbow Dash called.

"Yeah, why not?" Twilight giggled, "Let's have a party for Gummy."

This party lasted nearly five whole hours. Although it did not have any of Pinkie Pie's trademark flamboyance, it was undeniably a pleasurable affair. The games and activities were captivating, the food was delectable, the drinks were refreshing, the decorations were mesmerizing, the music was upbeat, and Pinkie Pie loved all her gifts.

Including the time spent on cleanup, the party went on until nine o'clock. Bronze Star was the only one who left before then. He would have stayed until then, but he had a couple items of business that needed his attention before the day was over. Pinkie Pie was very understanding when he told her that he needed to leave early; she thanked him for his part in organizing the party like everypony else.

When Bronze Star got back to the embassy, it was even emptier than it had been that morning. Haywood McCrank informed him that the CEOs and their boards of directors had all gone back to either Manehattan or Canterlot in the early afternoon. The three officers of the Royal Guard had travelled back to the capital city, as well. That meant that including the prince and the federal investigator, only five ponies were staying at the embassy.

Bronze Star went up to Esopus Spitzenburg's room and checked up on his progress. The jade stallion was proud to report that Clear Crest had finally submitted to his demands, and that she would attend the meeting with all of the remaining conspirators.

Spitzenburg also told Bronze Star that he had decided on where the meeting would take place. In addition to his mansion and apple orchards on the border of Chicacolt, he owned a private retreat located several miles outside of the city. He had deemed the retreat the most ideal place to hold this meeting; it was secure, isolated, and kept under constant guard.

For those same reasons, Bronze Star approved of his choice. The Firebrand Regiment would be able to eliminate all the conspirators more easily if they were out in the middle of nowhere. There would be no witnesses, and they would not have to try so hard to make the deaths look accidental.

Bronze Star notified Spitzenburg that he had also decided on when the meeting would be: the night of the Grand Galloping Gala. He reasoned that it would be the perfect opportunity, as that would be the night when the most politicians would be gathered in Canterlot. He argued that if he mobilized the armed forces the very next day, they would be able to lockdown the capital city within a matter of hours, and they would have the bulk of the country's partisan influence gathered in one place.

Spitzenburg needed little convincing to agree to the date of the meeting.

After he left the jade stallion's room, Bronze Star visited Lord Ambit Dexter and Sir Verse A. Till in their rooms and apprised them on the situation. Both the moccasin stallion and the glaucous stallion took this newest development into account. They did not have to act upon it just yet; Bronze Star just needed them to stand by for the present.

The gold stallion then went to his bedroom, got out his blackboard, and notified the Firebrand Regiment that the meeting was going to happen. There was nothing they had to do right away, either; he needed them to wait for further instructions from him. They assured him that they would be ready for him at a moment's notice.

Bronze Star was pleased by the scenario. The fourth stage of his plan to end the conspiracy had been completed. It would not be long before he would implement the fifth and final stage. Then his mother and his country would finally be safe.

Shortly before Bronze Star went to bed, there was a knock on his bedroom door. When he answered it, he saw Haywood McCrank standing on the other side.

"What's up, Sir Haywood?" the prince casually asked.

"I'd like just a moment of your time, Your Highness," the indigo stallion requested.

"Certainly," Bronze Star coincided, letting the older stallion inside. After that, he closed the door and enquired "What's on your mind?"

Haywood McCrank reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. He held it out to the younger stallion and revealed "Shortly before Lord Ronald Grump and the other five CEOs left, he asked me to give you this."

Bronze Star took the paper and unfolded it. He discovered that it was a very short list. After taking a minute to study the list, he asked curiously "What are these?"

"Those are the names of the six ponies that the CEOs have selected to represent them at the Grand Galloping Gala," Haywood elaborated, "You know, for their merger."

"Yes, I understand," Bronze Star pronounced, "I assume Lord Ronald wanted me to have this list so I could use my status as an ambassador of Canterlot to relay it to somepony in the Equestrian Royalty?"

"Precisely," Sir Haywood affirmed, "But I want to draw your attention to a more… unsettling tidbit of information that pertains to this list."

"Go on," Bronze Star beckoned him.

Haywood McCrank took in a deep breath and elucidated "All six of the ponies on that list were frequently seen with each of the six staffers that went missing the day after we ambushed the Vermane at Lady Noble's house. From what I've gathered, the twelve of those stallions were very close for the duration of their stay in Ponyville. In fact, when the first six vanished, the other six seemed to be the hardest hit by their disappearances. They actually seemed to be distraught or shaken."

"And you think that signifies something?" Bronze Star supposed.

"Yes," Sir Haywood disclosed, "It's made me wonder. What if the danger is not over? What if the Vermane are going to make another move against us sooner than we expected?"

"Do you believe these six stallions are members of the Vermane, too?" Bronze Star queried.

"No, but there is a strong possibility that they are," Haywood McCrank contended, "If they are, that means very bad news for us. Nopony would expect a murder during an event such as the Grand Galloping Gala. Lady Noble Edict will be there as a special guest of the Princess herself. That's the best opportunity the Vermane could have to make another attempt on her life."

"If you're so concerned about these staffers' intentions, couldn't we just contact the CEOs and request that they all send somepony else to the Gala?" Bronze Star proposed.

"We could, but that still wouldn't solve the problem," Sir Haywood claimed, "If the Vermane really are going to move against Lady Noble at the Gala, they will just find a way to get some of their other members to attend it. At least with this arrangement, we'll know who to suspect."

"Well, how certain are you that these six staffers actually are working for the Vermane?" Bronze Star inquired.

"I only have about twenty percent certainty," Sir Haywood candidly professed, "But even with one percent, I believe my theory deserves some consideration."

Bronze Star shrugged and murmured "I'm not expecting any trouble at the Gala. But I have never doubted you before, so I'll take some time to reflect on your theory. Come back to me first thing in the morning. By then, I will have decided on how to proceed."

"As you wish, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank acknowledged.

The indigo stallion then left the bedroom, leaving Bronze Star on his own once again.

The prince gazed down at the list of names. He did not wish to believe that the Vermane were going to cause trouble at the Gala, but like Sir Haywood said, he could not ignore the chance that they would.

It was then that Bronze Star fully realized that he would soon be faced with a challenge even greater than any he had faced all year.

Within the course of a few hours, he would introduce most of his closest friends to the lifestyle of the capital city, oversee a merger between the two largest conglomerates in the country, wipe out the proponents of a deadly conspiracy against his mother, and risk another confrontation with a persistent guild of unscrupulous assassins.

One thing was for certain. The night of the Grand Galloping Gala would be one wildly eventful night indeed.