Fortune Favors The Bold

by TheEquestrianWing

The Torment Of Knowledge

Spike had given up on the Grand Galloping Gala long before any of the others had. He had been able to spend some of the evening with Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, and Cashew Lane, but the three of them soon went off to mingle with Haywood McCrank.

After the three Ponyville security officers deprived him of their company, Spike browsed through the various rooms of the Gala, looking for somepony else to interact with. Sadly, the majority of his friends were preoccupied with their own affairs. The only ponies he knew that were available were some of the Canterlot Elite, and Spike had almost as little tolerance for them as Bronze Star.

Ultimately, the baby dragon decided to leave the Castle and retreat to a quieter location. He headed to his favorite Donut Shop, which was operated by a Unicorn stallion named Joe. Because of the Gala, hardly anypony else came in that night; Spike was Joe's only customer for hours. So at the very least, Spike got to spend most of the evening with one of his old friends. Granted, he was mostly just there for coffee and pastries.

At that time, Spike took a huge swig of his coffee, and he slammed his cup down on the counter, a large marshmallow floating in the center. He called out "Hey, Pony Joe. Another donut."

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Joe austerely perceived, as though Spike had spent the night consuming some alcoholic beverage instead of java and sweets.

"Another donut!" Spike demanded indifferently, "Extra sprinkles!"

As Joe went to fill the baby dragon's order, the shop's bell rang as the front door opened. Six mares silently filed inside. All of them were lightly-bruised and clad in wrinkled gowns.

Joe recognized one of them. He smirked at her and warmly stated "Twilight Sparkle! Ha, ha. Long time no see."

Spike turned to the Element Bearers and smiled. He hopped off his stool, walked over to them, and asked eagerly "Hey, how was the Gala? How was your best night ever?"

Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle all gathered around a table and bade the baby dragon to join them. They ordered some donuts of their own, and after Joe served them, the mares told Spike all about the many mishaps they had experienced in the past few hours.

At the end of the explanation, Spike noted "That sounds like the worst night ever!"

"It was!" the Element Bearers agreed, rather cheerfully. Then they all broke out into laughter.

When the sniggers subsided, Twilight glumly muttered "I just hope Princess Celestia isn't upset with us for ruining the Gala."

At that moment, Princess Celestia and Bronze Star entered the Donut Shop. They were still in very good spirits.

"That was the best Grand Galloping Gala ever!" the regal mare proclaimed as she and her son approached the six mares and Spike.

"Princess Celestia!" the seven of them exclaimed in unison, stunned.

"I've here, too, you know," Bronze Star sardonically commented as he stood between Applejack and Rarity.

"Pardon me, Princess, but tonight was just awful," Twilight pointed out as Celestia moved between her and Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, Twilight," Celestia amusingly remarked, "The Grand Galloping Gala is always awful."

That statement perplexed her apprentice and her friends. The lavender mare queried "It is?"

"Are you kidding?" Bronze Star retorted, "Formal gatherings are enjoyable in small crowds, but on the Gala's scale… they would only be useful as a prelude to a long, peaceful nap. That's how tedious and dreary the Gala usually is."

"That is why I was thrilled you were all attending," Celestia apprised the mares, "I was hoping you could liven things up a bit. And while the evening may not have gone as you planned, I'm sure you'll agree that in the end it didn't turn out so bad for this group of friends."

The six mares thought about the white Alicorn's observations, and they found they could not argue with anything she said.

"You're right, Princess," Twilight declared. Even though she had spent most of the night shaking hooves, she had managed to learn another lesson about friendship at the Gala. She presented it thusly: "Friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash conceded, "Hanging out with friends!"

"Talking!" Fluttershy softly added in.

"Laughing!" Pinkie Pie giddily muttered.

"You mean doing exactly what I wanted to do the whole time?" Spike dryly presumed.

"Yes, Spike," Twilight candidly admitted, "You were right."

"As horrible as our night was..." Applejack began.

"...being together here has made it all better." Rarity finished for her.

Pinkie Pie then perceived: "In fact, it's made it..."

Everyone except Celestia and Bronze Star announced as one "...the best night ever!"

Then they all erupted into another round of laughter, which the two Alicorns partook in.

"I don't know about 'best night ever,'" Bronze Star contended once the laughter died down, "This was easily the best Gala ever. But to me, the ideal best night ever wouldn't involve loss of profit, being profoundly ignored, discourteous treatment, disturbances of the peace, shaking hooves to the point of needing a cast, or… mental breakdowns."

He had looked at Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy respectively when he made those points. The yellow mare blushed when the gold stallion looked to her; she was hoping that nopony would bring up how she had nearly cast aside her sanity when she was out in the garden enclosure.

"I guess I was a little too determined to make friends with the Castle's animals," Fluttershy supposed, "I didn't try to be that forceful with them at first."

"Well, how did you approach them?" Bronze Star queried, "Did you trot or gallop?"

"As I recall… I galloped," Fluttershy disclosed, "I was pretty eager to meet them, you see."

"That's probably what chased them away," Bronze Star speculated, "Those animals have always been sheltered. Whenever somepony rushes towards them, they innately regard him or her as a threat."

"Oh," was all the timid Pegasus said in response. Wanting to change the subject, she looked to the gold stallion and asked "So, what was your favorite part of tonight, Bronze?"

"Hard to say; it was very eventful," Bronze Star professed, "However, the highlight of the evening was probably when Applejack and I spent some time together. Not the kind of time all of us could have spent together. If you know what I mean."

Applejack's cheeks tinted red, and she mumbled bluntly "I fancy they all know what you mean, Bronze."

Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity giggled, whereas Spike was too young to know what the prince meant. Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow and gave her son a suspicious glare.

When he saw the expression on Celestia's face, Bronze Star proclaimed "Relax, Mother; we didn't do anything too suggestive."

"Yeah, we kept our clothes on the entire time," Applejack asserted, "Ask Lord Bellerophon if you need assurances."

"No; your word is good enough," Celestia stated.

Applejack was visibly relieved to hear that. She sighed and remarked "Just wish I could have sold a few more of my products; my revenues weren't even enough to cover my expenses."

Bronze Star patted her on the back to comfort her and commented "I'm confident you'll recover from that loss."

Applejack seemed to share her coltfriend's optimism, and she brightened up at that.

Bronze Star then removed an object from the inner pocket of his cloak and placed it in front of Rarity. It was the glass slipper she had left behind at the Castle. It was whole again; the gold stallion had mended it with his magic. He told the fashionista "Rarity, I believe this belongs to you."

She smiled appreciatively and adorned the fragile shoe again. As she did that, Bronze Star murmured "I'm curious; why didn't you just put it back on?"

"I was in a hurry to get out of the Castle as soon as possible," Rarity explicated, "Putting the slipper back on would have taken more time than smashing it."

"Yeah, about one or two seconds more," Bronze Star sarcastically contended, "They're called 'slippers' for a reason. You just slip them on and viola; you're wearing them. It's not as though you had any laces or straps to deal with."

"Oh, well," Rarity uttered, shrugging, "Anyway, thanks for returning it to me, Bronze. Why can't Blueblood be more like you?"

"I've asked him that myself many times," Bronze Star remarked, "I probably should have warned you about Blueblood, though. He's not like the rest of the Equestria Royalty. He gives the rest of us a bad name."

"I believe that," Rarity muttered, "By the way, how exactly is he your cousin?"

"He's not related to me, my mother, or my aunt through blood," Bronze Star revealed, "He's a naturalized Royal, like my other cousin."

"Oh, alright," Rarity acknowledged.

There came a brief interval of silence, and then Rainbow Dash pronounced "Say, Bronze; a lot of the Wonderbolts attended the Gala, but I never saw General Walther there. Why is that?"

"The General is out on business tonight," Bronze Star apprised her.

"Doing what?" the cyan mare enquired.

"That's confidential," Bronze Star replied.

"Oh, right," Rainbow Dash avowed, recalling what Bronze Star told her about the Firebrand Regiment.

"I know you were wishing to mingle with the Wonderbolts, Rainbow," Bronze Star debated, "That may not have worked as you hoped, but if Walther was here tonight, he would have made some time for you. If we're lucky, he may return to Canterlot before we go back to Ponyville."

Rainbow Dash smirked and conjectured "Then I might still have something to look forward to later."

Bronze Star lightly nodded his head in affirmation. After that, he turned to Pinkie Pie and stated "Pinkie, there's something I should mention to you. While I know you were only trying to make the Gala a little more exciting, you may have gone a little overboard."

"What do you mean?" the pink mare enquired.

"You're accustomed to a more energetic form of fun," Bronze Star specified, "The Canterlot Elite and most of the other guests prefer a quieter, more refined form of fun. They're just as uncomfortable and displeased by your version as you are by theirs. That being said, you kind of made an ass of yourself in the ballroom tonight. To excuse your behavior, I had to tell the other attendees that you were drunk."

Everypony else chuckled at that, including Pinkie Pie. She shrugged and perceived "To be honest, I probably would have had a lot more fun if I actually WAS drunk."

"I know how you feel," Bronze Star claimed, "The Gala tends to have that effect on ponies who do not lead a monotonous lifestyle. More than once, I've been tempted to have a few drinks myself. But I know better than to become inebriated during such an event."

Princess Celestia was both proud and pleased to hear her son say that. In response, she gave him a firm nod of approval.

The eight ponies and the baby dragon continued talking for another ten minutes. Then the door to the Donut Shop opened again and Blade Bearer stepped inside. He approached the occupied table and bowed to the two Alicorns.

"Good evening, Commander Bearer," Celestia bade the Royal Guard.

"I hope I am not disturbing you," the light brown stallion remarked, "You should know; there is some business at the Castle that requires royal mediation."

"Very well," Celestia avowed, "I will come along as soon as-"

"My apologies, Your Highness, but these matters require your son's attention, not yours," Blade Bearer hastily interrupted, keeping his head tilted towards the white Alicorn.

"How so, Commander?" Bronze Star questioned in interest.

"Sirs Verse A. Till and Haywood McCrank both wish to speak with you, my prince," Blade Bearer notified him, "They both expressed a certain amount of urgency. If you desire, I can tell them to wait on you for a while."

"No, I know they wouldn't waste my time with trivial issues," Bronze Star thought aloud, "I may as well see to their needs now."

Bronze Star moved away from the table and joined the light brown stallion. After that, he looked to Celestia, Spike, and the Element Bearers. He told them "Depending on how long I'm busy, I may see you either here or back in the Castle. In any case, I'll see you all again sometime before sunrise."

His mother and friends acknowledged that statement. The eight of them went back to conversing soon after the gold stallion and the light brown stallion left the Donut Shop.

It was already after midnight. Although the streets of Canterlot had been overflowing with ponies for most of the previous morning and afternoon, there was not a single person to be seen outdoors that night. It was as though the prince and the Royal Guard had the whole city to themselves. In a way, Bronze Star did.

When they reached the castle, they were immediately allowed entrance by the officers on duty. Although the Gala was over, most of the guests had chosen to linger after-hours. The ballroom was virtually in ruins, but the garden enclosure, the courtyard, the VIP section, and the other reserved rooms were still relatively intact. The majority of the guests were gathered inside the building.

"Who would you like to see first?" Blade Bearer asked Bronze Star, "Sir Verse or Sir Haywood?"

Bronze Star thought for a few seconds, and then he said inquisitively "Who would you recommend?"

"Well, Sir Verse came to me first, but Sir Haywood sounded more pressing," Blade Bearer disclosed, "I won't tell you whom to pick; it's your choice, Your Highness."

"Let's go to Sir Haywood first," Bronze Star decided.

"Alright," Blade Bearer conceded, "Last time I saw him, he was near the buffet table."

"Was he alone?" the gold Alicorn enquired.

"No, most of the ponies who accompanied you from Ponyville were with him," the light brown Unicorn revealed, "On a separate note, are you going to mention that thing I told you about Sir Haywood earlier?"

"I suppose so," Bronze Star alleged, "Truthfully, I'm just as interested in getting an answer from him as you are."

Soon the two stallions arrived in the room with the buffet. Most of the food was gone, but many of the guests were gathered around the table. Some were talking in groups; some were standing alone.

Bronze Star spotted Haywood McCrank at the head of the table. In his company were Copper Hollow, Cashew Lane, Rough Rider, Noble Edict, and Dapple Rhomb.

Rough Rider was the first one to notice Bronze Star approaching them. He pointed the younger stallion out to the others, and they all gave him a polite nod or grin in acknowledgement.

"Hey, everypony," Bronze Star casually greeted them, "Did you enjoy yourselves tonight?"

"Oh, very much, Bronze," Copper Hollow responded.

Noble Edict said in agreement "I had more fun tonight than I did on my birthday."

"Considering what happened after the party, that's saying quite a bit," Rough Rider perceived.

"Huh?" Cashew Lane uttered in bewilderment.

"Never mind, Cashew," Bronze Star murmured quickly, as he did not wish to mention what the task force had done to the Vermane who had snuck into Noble Edict's house. He turned to Haywood McCrank and presumed "You requested an audience with me, Sir Haywood?"

The indigo stallion solemnly nodded his head. Then he gestured over his shoulder and pronounced "If you look directly behind me, Your Highness, you'll notice that the CEOs' representatives are standing right over there."

Bronze Star peered around Sir Haywood, and sure enough, he saw all six of the staffers that had been selected to speak for the Manehattan-based and Canterlot-based conglomerates at their merger. They were Mr. Rivers from Uptown Mystique, Mr. Fowler from Radical Innovation, Mr. Beach from Fabian, Mr. Shepherd from Landslide, Mr. Potter from MonuMarent, and Mr. Clay from GrandiHorse. They were off to the side of the room, talking amongst themselves.

The sight of that was rather remarkable. Two months ago, three of those stallions would have refused to even be in the same building as the other three and vice versa. Now, they appeared to be as close as a group of lifelong friends. Furthermore, they were secluded from the rest of the guests. Based on how they inched away from anypony who came within a certain distance of them, that was deliberate on their part.

Bronze Star asked Cashew Lane and Blade Bearer to give him a few minutes with the other ponies. After the shamrock stallion and the light brown stallion went off to the side, Bronze Star inquired "Any developments on the staffers?"

"Not officially," Haywood McCrank apprised him, "They've spent the majority of the evening by themselves. For almost all of that time, they've been talking. I cannot guess as to what the subject or subjects may be, but every time I've looked over at them, at least one of them was moving his mouth."

"Maybe they're eager to begin discussing the merger," the gold stallion theorized.

"They could be," Haywood McCrank professed, "When the CEOs left Ponyville, all they would speak about was the merger. But we have reason to believe the staffers may have other interests in mind."

"Explain," Bronze Star bade him.

"An hour ago, we concluded that simply observing the staffers from afar was inadequate," Noble Edict told him, "So we decided to have one of us go over to them and attempt to engage them in conversation."

"Copper Hollow volunteered for that job," Dapple Rhomb revealed.

Bronze Star looked to the copper Earth Pony, and the latter stallion elucidated "Although they have been unwilling to interact with anypony else tonight, when I approached the staffers, they welcomed me into their discussion almost straightaway."

"What did you talk about?" Bronze Star enquired.

"Mostly me, actually," Copper Hollow disclosed, "For whatever reason, they were quite fascinated in learning about my life. They asked me about my personal life, my career as a security officer, my hobbies, my skills, and a lot of other subjects. As perplexed as I was by their questions, I decided to oblige them with answers."

"Could it be they were merely interested in knowing you?" "I mean, even though we interacted with all sixty of the ponies on the companies' boards of directors in Ponyville, the CEOs were the only ones we really spoke to at length."

"That is a plausible theory, Bronze," Copper Hollow muttered, "However, what Sir Haywood said is true. We know the CEOs of the companies are ecstatic about this merger. The staffers, not so much, apparently. When I was around them, they hardly spoke a word about the merger. I brought it up once, but they disregarded the topic fairly quickly. In addition to that, I picked up a general feeling of uneasiness when I was with them. They seemed very restless and very edgy. It was almost as though they are bothered or afraid of something."

Bronze Star rubbed his temple to think for a minute. Then he uttered "Remarkable. Anything else, Copper?"

"Yes," Copper Hollow expounded, "Just before I left them, the staffers told me that they were interested in meeting my friends, too. Especially Noble Edict. They expressed a particular desire to become acquainted with her."

Now Bronze Star was intrigued. He turned to the federal investigator and queried "What do you make of that, Sir Haywood?"

"Perchance it's only a request," Haywood McCrank supposed, "Then again, it could also be a ruse to lure us into a trap."

"If it is, it's not a very subtle one," Dapple Rhomb noted.

"So should we officially establish that the representatives are with the Vermane?" Copper Hollow asked.

"No, we can still neither confirm nor deny that yet," Haywood pronounced, "But we should probably follow up on this."

"I agree," Bronze Star coincided. He had already devised a strategy, and he presented it to the other five ponies: "The representatives claim that they wish to get to know all of you. We may as well indulge them. As such, I'd like the five of you to go over to them."

"And do what, Bronze?" Rough Rider inquired.

"Talk," Bronze Star explicated, "Discuss any topics they address. If their questions are reasonable, answer them. If the questions seem too prying or too personal, just dismiss them and change the subject. Also, try to find out why specifically they are so interested in becoming familiar with you. Determine if they have an underlying motive. Oh, and remember their colleagues who disappeared the day after the Vermane came to Noble Edict's house? Bring them up at one point. Monitor the representatives' reactions closely. It could very well be that Sir Haywood's theory has merit after all."

Copper Hollow, Dapple Rhomb, Noble Edict, Rough Rider, and Haywood McCrank agreed to this proposal.

"Refresh my memory; what were the names of the staffers who vanished?" Rough Rider stated inquisitively.

Noble Edict replied with "There was Mr. Bell from Uptown Mystique, Mr. Cook from Radical Innovation, Mr. Porter from Fabian, Mr. Hunt from Landslide, Mr. Fisher from MonuMarent, and Mr. Weaver from GrandiHorse."

"Got it," the olive stallion avowed.

"Anypony else wish to know anything else?" Bronze Star enquired.

"What if they ask about the merger?" Dapple Rhomb conjectured.

"Unlikely, given their lack of interest in it earlier," Copper Hollow supposed.

"Well, if they do bring the merger up, tell them it's still on my mind," Bronze Star recommended, "If they really aren't with the Vermane, I'll have it finalized by sunrise. Oh, and most importantly: if the representatives do anything indisputably indicative of involvement with the Vermane, you are all authorized to brandish your weapons and take them into custody."

"We hear you loud and clear, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank proclaimed.

"Hold up," Rough Rider muttered, "We can easily overpower the staffers, but there are five of us and six of them. One of them will still be able to shout for help, since he won't have a knife at his throat."

"I'll remedy that," Bronze Star commented. He gazed around the room until he spotted Comet Frost and Swiftdrive. He called the two of them over and briefly filled them in on the situation. He did not say anything about the Vermane; he just claimed that Sir Haywood and the others were cross-examining the staffers, and that this matter was related to the investigation they had done in Ponyville. The prince also apprised the two Royal Guard officers that he had allowed his five companions to carry weapons. He emphasized that there was a possibility that they would have to draw their weapons and threaten the representatives with them. If that was the case, Comet Frost and Swiftdrive were to reinforce Haywood McCrank. That way, the odds were seven to six in favor of Bronze Star's associates.

Once Bronze Star had given them thorough instructions on what they were to do, Haywood McCrank, Rough Rider, Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, and Dapple Rhomb were ready to "mingle" with Mr. Beach, Mr. Clay, Mr. Fowler, Mr. Potter, Mr. Rivers, and Mr. Shepherd. The olive stallion, the purple mare, the copper mare and the red mare headed over to the representatives. The indigo stallion would have joined them, but Bronze Star stepped up to him and remarked "Sir Haywood, before you go, I need to talk to you."

Sir Haywood McCrank agreed to give him a little more of his time. After that, Bronze Star had Blade Bearer come back over. He then looked over his shoulders and made a note of everypony in the area. Once he verified that the three of them could speak privately without being overheard, the prince turned to the superintendent. He took a minute to pick his words, and then he stated "Do you recall that night in Ponyville when we saved Spike from the green dragon?"

"I doubt I'd ever forget any night I encountered a dragon of that size," Haywood McCrank cheekily murmured, smirking. When Bronze Star did not chuckle, his smirk dropped.

The gold Alicorn candidly pronounced "As you may recall, shortly after we escaped from the dragon's cave, our group was forced to split up. Swiftdrive, Comet Frost, and I stayed behind to fend the dragon off whilst you, Blade Bearer, Owlowiscious, and Twilight Sparkle got Spike to safety."

"That's correct," Sir Haywood affirmed, "What about that event?"

"Blade Bearer tells me that was not the only point when the group became smaller," Bronze Star disclosed, "He claims that before you escaped from the Everfree Forest, you and he were separated from Twilight, her owl, and Spike. Is that true?"

"It is," Haywood McCrank admitted, "We nearly got lost in the Forest. In fact, he and I also lost each other at one point."

"He's told me that, too," Bronze Star professed, "The way he tells it, he searched the area extensively in effort to find you, and eventually, he did. To be more precise, you found him… and you came galloping towards him with your knife raised over your head. You managed to seize him by his shoulder and swing your knife within an inch of his head before you broke off your assault."

Haywood McCrank absorbed everything the gold stallion told him. He became visibly disturbed by those statements, but he made no effort to deny them. He merely sighed and declared "All that is true, as well."

Bronze Star's only reaction to that was a very slight nod. He calmly asked the indigo stallion "Why did you attack him?"

Haywood McCrank glanced downward and glumly stated "Before I tell you, please believe that I never intended to hurt the Lieutenant Commander."

"I'm not concerned that you meant me any harm, Sir," Blade Bearer assured him, "What really concerns me is what compelled you to react that way to my presence. I haven't forgotten your request that we never spoke on this issue again. I was willing to stay quiet for a while, but I feel Prince Bronze Star deserved to know eventually."

"I understand," Sir Haywood mumbled, "Truthfully, I was mostly only unwilling to address this topic whilst we were in Ponyville. Now that we're in Canterlot, I feel it is safe enough for us discuss it."

"Then enlighten us, if you would," Bronze Star bade him.

Haywood McCrank coincided to that. After some silence, he revealed "The reason I attacked the Lieutenant Commander was because… I mistook him for somepony else. You see, a couple minutes after he and I were separated, I was attacked, too."

Bronze Star and Blade Bearer were astounded to discover that. The prince asked in concern "By who?"

"All I saw of my assailant was his silhouette," Haywood McCrank recounted, "He managed to catch me unawares, as my mind was primarily on regrouping with Blade Bearer and the rest of our company. He overpowered me for a few seconds, and during that time, he frisked my suit jacket, as though he was looking for something. He was wielding a knife, but he didn't know I had one, as well. Once I drew it, I was able to throw him off and fight back. That was when he ran off. I chased after him, and even after I lost track of him, I tried to continue to pursue him. That was when I spotted Commander Bearer. It was very dark, and Commander Bearer was so alike in physique and stance to the assailant that I mistook him for the assailant. That was what led to that unpleasant encounter between me and him."

Bronze Star and Blade Bearer listened to the federal investigator. His story sounded quite credible, but there were a few minor details that the gold stallion was still unclear on.

"You say the assailant frisked you?" Bronze Star muttered. After Sir Haywood nodded his head, the prince inquired "What do you suppose he was looking for?"

"This," Haywood McCrank said in response, reaching into his jacket and removing the file the task force had taken from Detrot, "I was carrying those three pages that Twilight Sparkle restored after that ordeal with the dragon was resolved. The assailant clearly wasn't searching me for weapons, so they are the only other things he could have been after. He almost got away with them, but I showed him my knife just in time."

Bronze Star raised an eyebrow and presumed "So you believe the attacker was a member of…?"

"Correct," Sir Haywood McCrank confirmed, sliding the file back into his jacket, "I'm sure you're also wondering why I chose to withhold this information from you. I'll explain that as well, Your Highness. My reason is quite simple, actually: you had enough to worry about back then. I didn't wish to add my account of an assaulter to your list of troubles."

"I appreciate your concern, Sir Haywood," Bronze Star remarked gratefully, "But in the future, feel free to come to me and fill me in on anything of precedence at any time, regardless of how many other worries I may have then."

"Very well, Your Highness," the indigo stallion claimed. He quickly realized the full implications of that command, and he assumed "Does 'any time' include now?"

"It does," Bronze Star confirmed, "However, I plan to be in the upper levels of the Castle for the next hour or two, and you and the others will be down here, conversing with the staffers. I won't be readily available if you acquire any pertinent news that needed my attention. Then again, there are ways of establishing contact between ponies that don't involve being face-to-face."

"Such as your blackboard?" Sir Haywood exemplified.

"Yes, my blackboard is an excellent example," Bronze Star contended, "But written communiqués tend to be rather time-consuming and inefficient, especially when compared to verbal communiqués. Aside from that, SIG Sauer has the other blackboard, and he's out of town. Fortunately, the blackboard's not the only method of communication that I have at my disposal."

"What else do you have?" Haywood McCrank enquired curiously.

"I'll tell you in a minute," Bronze Star stated frankly. He then turned to the Royal Guard officer and muttered "Blade Bearer, I've probably kept Sir Verse A. Till waiting long enough. Could you go ahead and find him for me and bring him here?"

The light brown stallion solemnly saluted the gold stallion and marched out of the room. Once he was gone, Bronze Star opened up his cloak, reached his front hoof into one of its inner pockets, and extracted a small plastic bag. In that bag were six of the miniscule communicators the Firebrand Regiment used to remain in contact with each other, along with a small manual on how to use them.

"Like you, I like to be prepared for anything," Bronze Star pronounced, "I brought these along in case I was busy elsewhere tonight. Turns out I will be. Odds are I'll be back down here before you need to speak with me. Even so, it couldn't hurt for you to have the option to contact me directly. As such, if for any reason you direly need to get in touch with me, use these."

Bronze Star used his magic to open the bag and remove one of the communicators. Once he was holding that single communicator in his front hoof, he sealed the bag back up and hovered it in front of Sir Haywood McCrank. The indigo stallion extended his front leg to a position underneath the bag, and Bronze Star released the bag so it landed in Haywood's hoof.

"Instructions on how to use them are included," the prince informed him, "Keep one for yourself, and give one of the other four to each of the others. I'll put this one in my own ear. If any of you ever want to share anything with me, you can talk to me just as easily as you would if I was in the same room as you."

"Sounds like a fine arrangement," Sir Haywood perceived. There was a short interval of quiet, and then the superintendent asked "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss, Your Highness?"

"No, my mind is at ease for now, Sir Haywood," Bronze Star proclaimed, "I'm not pleased you kept silent about being attacked in the Everfree Forest, but I respect your reasons for doing so. I'll be speaking with Sir Verse, my Aunt Luna, and maybe a few others for the next couple hours. I should be back by three o'clock, if not earlier."

"If I manage to verify or nullify my hypothesis about the representatives' connection to the Vermane before then, I'll make sure to notify you," Sir Haywood asserted.

"Very good," Bronze Star said approvingly, "You have my leave to proceed."

Haywood McCrank bowed his head in veneration, and then he swiftly went to join Dapple Rhomb, Rough Rider, Copper Hollow, and Noble Edict. The five ponies read the instructions for handling the communicators carefully, and then they each inserted one of the communicators into one of their ears. Bronze Star simultaneously slid his own communicator into his own ear. After activating and testing the devices, he bade his five companions good luck in their assembly with the representatives.

Not long after the five ponies approached Mr. Beach, Mr. Clay, Mr. Fowler, Mr. Potters, Mr. Rivers, and Mr. Shepherd, Blade Bearer returned to the room with Verse A. Till. Lord Bellerophon was with them, as well.

Verse A. Till was carrying Bronze Star's strongbox on his back. It had been closed and locked, and the key was contained in a pocket of Sir Verse's jacket.

When the three older ponies approached him, Bronze Star remarked "Blade Bearer mentioned that you asked for me, Sir Verse."

"Yes, Your Highness," the glaucous stallion validated, "Not for anything particularly crucial; I simply wish to give you the summary report of the Firebrand Regiment's latest assignment."

"Do you think you can trot while you give me that report?" Bronze Star suggested.

"Certainly," Verse A. Till conceded, "Why? Do you have business in another part of the Castle?"

"I wouldn't call it business," Bronze Star debated, "More of a family call, really. I'm going up to the Astronomy Tower to see my aunt. It'll take a while to get up there, so I may as well pass that time proficiently. Plus, I'd enjoy some company."

"Would you enjoy a little more?" Cashew Lane stated from across the room. He had been standing at least five meters away from Bronze Star ever since the gold stallion had spoken to the members of the Ponyville task force in private. Up until then, he had been minding his own business. Now Bronze Star was speaking loudly enough for him to overhear, and the shamrock stallion was looking for something to do.

"Actually, I would, Cashew," Bronze Star murmured, "I did promise that we would have an opportunity to talk sometime tonight, after all. I suppose you'd like to see more of the Castle, as well."

"That would be nice," Cashew Lane proclaimed. As he approached the prince, his eyes lit up and he proposed "Say, how about we bring the doctor along, too? He's like the only other pony here I kinda know who isn't preoccupied with other matters."

Bronze Star shrugged his shoulders and uttered "No harm in that. Last time I saw Dr. Health, he was still conversing with the Surgeon General. But Purple Heart isn't a huge conversationalist, and they're bound to run out of subject matter eventually."

"We actually passed the physicians on our way here, Your Highness," Bellerophon disclosed, "We can safely assume they haven't moved since then."

"Let's find out," Bronze Star proclaimed. He, Blade Bearer, and Cashew Lane followed Lord Bellerophon and Sir Verse A. Till to the last place where they had seen Doctors Purple Heart and Billow Health. The two stallions were each carrying a glass of champagne in his right front hoof. They were still talking, but when then noticed Bronze Star approaching, they quieted down and grinned.

"Good morning, Your Highness," Purple Heart stated, raising his glass to the prince. Then he drained half of it in one gulp.

Bronze Star nodded in acknowledgment at his personal physician, and then he looked to the physician from Detrot and asked "Have you enjoyed the Gala so far, Dr. Health?"

"Oh, yes," the russet stallion answered, "This is much better than that Las Pegasus seminar."

"Glad to see you enjoying yourself, Billow," Bronze Star murmured. When Purple Heart took another sip of his beverage, the gold stallion queried "How many drinks have you had?"

"This is only my second one," the Surgeon General revealed, "I'll avoid consuming too much alcohol, just in case my services are needed sometime later. Given the current state of the ballroom, it's a wonder there haven't been any injuries yet."

"While I applaud you for drinking responsibly, you do not have to restrict yourself to two glasses of wine," Bronze Star said in assurance, "It'll take more than that concerned for inebriation to kick in."

"I know, Your Highness," Purple Heart commented, "Even so, I'd rather not risk it. I'd prefer to remain in control of my senses until the last guests leave."

"Suit yourself," Bronze Star coincided. He then turned to Billow Health and stated "In the meantime, would you care to see more of the Castle, Dr. Health? I'm about to show Cashew Lane around a bit, and he advised inviting you along, too."

The russet stallion smirked, raised his glass, and uttered "I'd love to see more of this place."

He then placed his glass on the tray of a passing waiter. Then he joined Bronze Star's company. After that, he told Purple Heart "I'll see you again sometime before I leave, Mr. Surgeon General."

The ex-military doctor nodded in acknowledgement and went off to the buffet table. Billow Health watched him as he trotted away, and then he rhetorically asked Bronze Star "So that's the pony who delivered you?"

"Yes," the gold stallion affirmed, "He was my mother's personal physician even before I was born. That wasn't long before he was appointed to the position of Surgeon General."

"After speaking with him for the past few hours, I can safely say that he's earned his station," Billow Health pronounced, "My meeting with him was exactly what I was hoping for; it wasn't disappointing in any way."

"I'm glad at least one of my companions' expectations were met," Bronze Star mumbled drily.

After some silence, Verse A. Till advised "Shall we pay our respects to Princess Luna?"

"Yes, let's head on up there," Bronze Star recommended.

"Hold up a moment," Bellerophon interjected, "If we're going around with a group this large, we should probably bring more of the Royal Guard with us."

"I wholeheartedly agree, my Lord," Blade Bearer conceded. He left the area for a few minutes and returned with Hammer Shaft and Stone Cracker. Bellerophon would have preferred to bring more of the Royal Guard, but was content with three officers.

Bronze Star and his company then began making their way upstairs. As they proceeded to the Astronomy Tower, Verse A. Till gave Bronze Star the summary report of the Firebrand Regiment's mission in Chicacolt. To avoid divulging pertinent information to the others, he spoke in vague, concise statements, and he referred to each member of the Regiment – along with Lord Ambit Dexter and Sir Raoul Jowl – by his or her codename. That way, only Bronze Star and Bellerophon knew what he was talking about. Luckily, Billow Health and Cashew Lane were far more interested in their surroundings than in what the glaucous stallion had to say, and the three Royal Guard did not make it their business to pry into the prince's affairs.

Bronze Star was greatly pleased by most of the summary report.

After Lord Ambit released the toxin in Esopus Spitzenburg's mansion, the Firebrand Regiment's primary goal had been to ensure that none of the conspirators escaped from the building for thirty minutes. That task had been simple enough to manage. Carabine's energy shield had prevented the conspirators from signaling for help or teleporting outside.

After that half-hour passed, Peacemaker, Ruger, SIG Sauer, Caracal, and Koch cautiously entered the building. Heckler, Beretta, Glock, and Walther remained outside to stand guard on the foundation, and Carabine kept his energy field up as a precaution. To protect themselves from the toxin, all ten of them wore gas masks.

Ruger and Koch went straight to the lounge on the second floor. They found Esopus Spitzenburg's tablet lying less than a meter away from his body. Spitzenburg had attempted to send out the signal for those prearranged terrorist attacks to take place. Carabine's energy shield had managed to intercept and block the transmission, but it would only be withheld for as long as the shield was in place.

Koch and Ruger were able to fix that problem thusly. By combining his scientific skills and resourcefulness with her electrical and mechanical engineering skills, they were able to deactivate the tablet and modify it so that the signal to launch the attacks would never be transmitted again. They were able to guarantee that the tablet would not be responsible for any deaths.

Peacemaker had gone from room to room to locate all of the conspirators. He checked them for pulses and heartbeats, and he pronounced each and every one of them D.O.A. All seventeen of the conspirators had died from prolonged exposure to the toxin.

They soon discovered that somepony else had met that fate, as well.

Caracal and SIG Sauer had headed directly to the bathroom in the northwest corner on the first floor. Clear Crest was outside the room, flat on her stomach. Inside the bathroom, they found Lord Ambit Dexter unconscious. His oxygen mask was still in place, and its supply had not run out.

They also found Raoul Jowl slumped against the wall. His eyes were slightly open, his mouth was agape, and he was totally motionless. There was no oxygen mask on his face, and his front hooves were covered with spit, as though he had been coughing nonstop into them.

Caracal took one look at the bruise on Clear Crest's head and another look at the broken oxygen mask on the floor. Then she put everything together and realized what had happened. Raoul Jowl had sacrificed himself to save Ambit Dexter from Clear Crest and the toxin.

Bronze Star had been dismayed to learn that Raoul Jowl had perished. However, he was touched to learn that he had given his life for the Commodore's. That mindset was shared by everypony in the Regiment. Twelve hours ago, Caracal would have been gratified by Raoul Jowl's death. Now, even she regarded his last act with great respect.

Bronze Star also found quite a bit of relief in the knowledge that Ambit Dexter would live. After he verified that all the conspirators were dead, Peacemaker had concentrated on aiding the moccasin stallion. His diagnosis was that the Commodore had suffered a head injury, but he would recover from it. He predicted that Lord Ambit would not regain consciousness until they left Chicacolt, but the Regiment would be able to transport him discretely.

After that, the Regiment had busied themselves with removing any indications that they were ever at Spitzenburg's retreat. Carabine retracted his energy shield, Glock and Heckler removed the clamps on the windows, and everypony else cleaned the mansion up a bit. They removed or modified any signs of struggle the conspirators had made in their attempts to flee the building.

Lastly, Peacemaker vented the remainder of the toxin from the mansion, and Koch punctured an opening in one of the mansion's natural gas lines. That way, whenever somepony visited the building and found the bodies, they would assume the deaths had been the result of a methane gas leak.

Once all that had been accomplished, the Firebran Regiment made their getaway. They patiently waited for Ruger to determine when another pocket would open in the retreat's motion detector system, and once she did, they used it to teleport out of the vicinity. The grounds' security guards never even noticed them leaving. The Regiment promptly went back to Chicacolt under cover of darkness.

Now they were just looking for a train to take them back to the capital city. Since Canterlot's train stations were still closed off due to the Gala, they would probably be waiting until dawn. Since she had time, Caracal had chosen to share a piece of unsettling information with Bronze Star. It involved something she had overheard during Lord Ambit's conversation with the conspirators.

SIG Sauer had included this bit of news in the summary report. Verse A. Till asked to speak with Bronze Star and Bellerophon alone when he got to this part. Bronze Star told Billow Health, Cashew Lane, and the three Royal Guard to trot ahead of them for a while. Once those five stallions were out of earshot, Verse A. Till went into detail about Caracal's revelations.

Bronze Star was astounded to learn that Clear Crest had been the one who orchestrated the entire conspiracy. All this time, he had thought that Esopus Spitzenburg had devised the entire scheme from day one. To learn that his former bodyguard had been the real mastermind behind it all… he was utterly speechless.

The prince was even more shocked to learn what had prompted Clear Crest to organize the conspiracy in the first place. Her motive pertained to her claim that she had not been the one who hired those two thugs to attack Shining Armor.

Clear Crest had made that same claim many times when she had been in the custody of the Military Enforcement Corps. Nopony believed her then; Bronze Star initially saw no reason to believe her at this time, either. Then he learned what precisely Clear Crest had said. Caracal was unable to provide the onyx mare's exact words, but she was able to convey their essence and the magnitude of their meaning.

When Verse A. Till finished sharing Caracal's data, he found that he himself was wondering if Clear Crest really had been innocent all along. If she was, then the rough treatment she had received whilst in custody had been entirely unreasonable and unwarranted. Furthermore, perhaps if she had been treated with more respect and integrity during her detention, she never would have escaped and gone into hiding. If that had been the case, the conspiracy would never have even existed.

That was more perturbing than almost anything Bronze Star had learned about the conspiracy since he first became aware of it. He wondered if Clear Crest really had been blameless for the attempt on Shining Armor's life, and if the conspiracy was somewhat the product of her desire for revenge. He could almost understand her thirst for blood. What really bothered him was the matter of Clear Crest's claim of innocence. If she had not hired those thugs to assault Shining Armor, then who did?

Bronze Star decided he would revisit this issue sometime later. At that time, he just wanted to concentrate on being a courteous host, a caring nephew, and a prince of Equestria.

After Verse A. Till finished giving SIG Sauer's summary report to Bronze Star, the two of them and Lord Bellerophon rejoined Billow Health, Cashew Lane, and the three Royal Guard. Not ten minutes after the eight stallions regrouped, they arrived at the door to the Astronomy Tower.

Before they went up the stairs, Bronze Star gave Billow Health and Cashew Lane some advice on how to approach and address Princess Luna. Their group was just small enough so she would not be compelled to use the Royal Canterlot Voice or the royal "we." The security officer and the physician assured the prince that they would not present themselves as too inquisitive or verbose to his Aunt. Even so, Bronze Star did not wish to overwhelm her by breaking her solitude with too much company. So he asked Blade Bearer, Hammer Shaft, and Stone Cracker to remain at the base of the Tower whilst the other five stallions went up to see her. The Royal Guard compliantly took up their posts outside the door.

When they got to the top of the Astronomy Tower, Princess Luna was out on the balcony, gazing thoughtfully up at the Moon. She did not react to the sounds of her visitors' hoofsteps, but as Bronze Star approached her, she slowly peered over her shoulder. She smiled at her nephew when he entered her line of sight.

"It's a pleasure to receive your company here tonight, Bronze Star," Luna proclaimed.

"I'm glad to see you, too, Aunt Luna," Bronze Star candidly but politely retorted.

As Lord Bellerophon and Sir Verse A. Till bowed to the blue Alicorn, Bronze Star gestured for Billow Health and Cashew Lane to come forward. He introduced the security officer and the physician to his aunt and vice versa. The shamrock stallion and the russet stallion expressed how honored they were to become acquainted with Luna, and she proclaimed that she was thrilled to meet them, as well.

Bronze Star managed to strike up a conversation between himself and the other five ponies. Even though Luna had only just met Cashew Lane and Billow Health, she found that they had a number of interesting things to say.

They never focused on any one specific issue for too long. Typically, they all spoke about one topic for a few minutes, and then their talk smoothly transitioned into another subject. With this system, everypony had an opportunity to address something that concerned or interested him or her. Aside from that, Luna preferred to keep her statements short.

All throughout the discussion, Bronze Star constantly looked over at his aunt. He detected what was probably a modicum of uneasiness in her countenance. Being the caring stallion that he was, he decided to investigate and determine the cause of her apprehension. So he asked to speak with Luna out on the balcony. She eagerly accepted his request.

Bronze Star suggested to the others that they stargaze while he and his aunt were outside. Billow Health and Cashew Lane chose to follow his idea; they had the perfect vantage point for observing the stars. Verse A. Till and Bellerophon simply leaned against the walls and waited for the two royals to return.

Once the gold Alicorn and the blue Alicorn were alone, the former asked the latter "Are you alright, Aunt Luna?"

"I'm quite fine, I assure you," Luna insisted, "It's just… well…"

"Yes?" Bronze Star said enquiringly.

Luna looked down at her nephew and apprised him "I'm not certain how to explain this, but all day… I've had this notion. A very strange, very quaint notion that before the Moon goes down, some form of travesty will occur."

Bronze Star took in his Aunt's statements and considered their meaning. He muttered "Peculiar. Noble Edict told me that same thing before we got here."

Princess Luna raised an eyebrow and enquired "She believes something terrible is going to happen, soon?"

"Indeed," Bronze Star grimly affirmed, "She was unable to explain why she thought so, but she was unable to ignore or disregard that feeling of dread."

"Did she at least have an idea about what 'something terrible' may be?" Princess Luna asked in interest.

"She had a theory, but not a very definite one," Bronze Star revealed, "What about you? Do you know why you're inclined to expect a calamity before sunrise?"

"Alas, I cannot venture a guess," Luna informed him, "For a while, I speculated that perhaps I was just being paranoid. But if Lady Noble Edict has the same feelings I do, then maybe my fears are not so irrational."

"Well, while we're speculating, do you at least have any theories about the cause of your unrest?" Bronze Star inquired.

Luna shrugged and hypothesized "Most likely, it's because the Summer Sun Celebration will soon be upon us, and the memories of what happened at the last one still weigh heavily on my mind."

Bronze Star found that to be an understandable and practical assumption. He submitted "Maybe you're subconsciously worried that the Nightmare Moon cult will resurface. If so, you can hardly be blamed. None of us wish to encounter them again."

"I could not agree with you more," Luna straightforwardly murmured, "I've actually managed to put them out of my mind ever since you and your friends saved me."

"So have I," Bronze Star claimed. That was not a lie. For the last nine months, Bronze Star had been so preoccupied with the assassination conspiracy and the murder plot that he had barely had any time at all to focus on the Nightmare Moon cult. In spite of that, he had neither forgiven nor forgotten them for their misdeeds.

Now that Esopus Spitzenburg and the rest of the conspirators had been annihilated and the Vermane's plot would be handled soon enough, he figured that he would be able to revisit the matter of the Nightmare Moon cult. He was actually somewhat curious about the progress that had been made by the authorities to apprehend Hazy Wisp and her associates.

"Any other ideas?" Bronze Star inquired.

"Not off the top of my head," Luna professed, "It could very well be that Noble Edict and I are simply making pessimistic assumptions about tonight. It's possible that I am needlessly fretting over a catastrophe that will never actually happen."

"That could be the case," Bronze Star stated, "Anyway, if anything grim does happen today, I'm confident we're adequately equipped to handle it. This is the capital city, after all. Almost nothing ever evades our notice."

"Let us hope tonight won't be one of the reasons why you say 'almost,'" Luna perceived.

"Let's hope," Bronze Star concurred.

The blue Alicorn and the gold Alicorn reentered the Astronomy Tower. Bellerophon, Billow Health, Cashew Lane, and Verse A. Till gave the two royals their attention. Luna smiled at the stallions and told them "Thank you for coming to see me. While I'm a mare who prizes her solitude, I relish in having some company up here from time to time."

"If you'd like, we could stay with you for a while longer, Aunt Luna," Bronze Star commented.

"No, that's alright, Bronze Star," Princess Luna assured her nephew, "You have much better things to do than linger up here with me all night."

Bronze Star was stunned by the bluntness of that remark. Based on his Aunt's tone, he did not know whether it was meant as a joke or if she was totally serious. Before he could say anything in response, Verse A. Till stepped forward and suggested "I wouldn't mind remaining with you, Princess Luna. I actually know quite a bit about the underrated wonders of nighttime, so we would at least have something to talk about."

The blue mare scoffed and observed "Swords, military, mysteries, counsel, the darkness… you are experienced in an impressive number of fields. You're quite versatile, Sir Verse A. Till."

Sir Verse softly chuckled at that remark. Nopony noticed him doing that except Bronze Star. In response, the gold stallion's eyes expanded widely, and a wicked grin spread across his face.

He quickly wiped the grin away and announced "Actually, Sir Verse, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. I'd prefer it we discussed it downstairs, though."

"As you say, Your Highness," Verse A. Till avowed. He turned to Luna and suggested "Maybe I can join you up here some other time, Princess."

"Alright, Sir Verse," Luna acknowledged. She seemed a little disheartened that the glaucous stallion would not be staying in the tower with her. Bronze Star suddenly felt guilty for depriving his Aunt of a potential companion. Luckily, Sir Verse was able to fix that problem.

He whispered something into Bronze Star's ear, and in turn, the gold stallion leaned up to Lord Bellerophon and whispered something into his ear, as well. The palomino Pegasus gave a light smile and nodded in response.

He turned to Luna and offered "If you still wish to have a companion, I could remain here with you, Your Highness."

Luna cheered up considerably at that, and she proclaimed "I would be delighted, my Lord."

Soon after Princess Celestia's chief of staff decided to keep her sister company, Bronze Star, Cashew Lane, Billow Health, and Verse A. Till departed from the Astronomy Tower. When they reached the bottom of the winding staircase, they rejoined Stone Cracker, Hammer Shaft, and Blade Bearer.

"Where to now, Your Highness?" Blade Bearer enquired.

Almost simultaneously, Verse A. Till asked "What did you want to talk to me about, Your Highness?"

"My quarters," Bronze Star answered the light brown stallion's question first. He then replied to the glaucous stallion's question with "Two things, actually. One I'll discuss on the way. The other, when we get there."

The seven stallions then made their way through the castle's corridors. Since most of the on-duty officers of the Royal Guard were downstairs monitoring the Gala guests, the upper levels were practically deserted. They were able to move unbothered by anypony, and there was utter quietness all around.

The silence did not last. When the group reached the top of a staircase and began to descend, Bronze Star said to Verse A. Till "Earlier on, when we spoke to my mother in the receiving line, she claimed that it was partly because of you that I ever went to Ponyville. Do you recall that?"

"I do," Verse A. Till confirmed.

"I'd like it very much if you could give me some clarity, Sir Verse," Bronze Star beckoned him, "What did she mean?"

Verse A. Till smiled at the prince and illuminated "I've served your mother for a very long time, Your Highness. But before I ever began working for her – even before I first came to Canterlot – I was in the National Guard. The National Guard gets deployed across the country more than any other division in all five branches of the military. I was able to travel to dozens – perhaps scores – of cities on my many assignments. I loved everything about the National Guard, but the thing I appreciated the most was how often I was able to visit a new part of Equestria."

"That's great, Sir Verse," Bronze Star frankly mumbled, "But how does that relate to what my mother said earlier?"

"I was once young, too, Your Highness," Verse A. Till explicated, "My love for adventure was once just as ardent as anypony else's. Countless ponies are born with a desire to go out and see new places; discover what's out there. I was one of the few who was able to live that ambition. The experiences were everything you'd imagine them to be. It was magnificent; I don't think anything else can compare."

"Then why did you give it up?" Bronze Star inquired. Now he was genuinely fascinated by Verse A. Till's tale.

"I always knew I would have to, eventually," Verse A. Till professed, "Over the course of my fourteen years in the National Guard, I had all the adventure I ever wanted. In the later years of my service, I came to value the purpose of my traveling over the thrill it brought me. I do miss it, but being the assistant to Lord Ambit is just as fulfilling."

"Yeah, some might say that standing by the Commodore's side is an adventure in itself," Bronze Star debated, "Plus, you still get to carry a sword."

"True, and true," Sir Verse remarked, "Anyway, here's the part where I provide you an answer to your question."

"Go on," Bronze Star permitted.

Verse A. Till started his actual explanation with "As you know, I was appointed to the position of assistant to the Chairpony of the War Council shortly before your fifteenth birthday. Not long after that, you began your military training with Stalwart Inkling Graham Sauer."

Bronze Star snickered a bit at the mention of SIG Sauer's full name, and then the glaucous stallion went on: "I watched as you received the best combat instruction in the country. After ten years of vigorous routines and exercises, you were practically the definition of an ideal soldier. However, I could tell that you weren't entirely pleased with your station. I was not the only one; your mother and Lord Bellerophon noticed that, as well. Princess Celestia once mentioned that her happiness is more important to her than anything. So when you became depressed for no apparent reason, she became very concerned for you. So much so that she started consulting members of her inner circle for possible solutions. Most of them were unable to come up with anything. I, however, was able; I knew precisely what was going on."

Bronze Star had always loved his mother, and he had never doubted that she loved him, but he was quite touched to learn that she had gone to such lengths to make him happy. This time last year, he actually had been going through a phase of despair. He never thought that anypony else realized that, but he should have known better than to underestimate Princess Celestia's capacity as a mother. She could always tell when her son was troubled.

The prince was eager for Sir Verse to continue. He uttered questioningly "So what was going on with me?"

"You were unsatisfied with your lifestyle at the time," Verse A. Till contended, "You never once complained about it, but I knew that that was the reason. It's quite understandable when you put it in perspective. You are loved and adored by the entirety of Equestria, but back then, the only part of it you personally knew was Canterlot. For the first twenty-five years of your life, you had never been more than ten miles away from the capital city. That was attributed to the fact that you were sheltered by your mother. While there are some who are content with spending their lives indoors, there are some who are not. Some ponies just need to get out and see what's out there. I was one of those ponies. I realized that you were another, and it would not do to keep you here forever."

"That's quite perceptive of you, Sir Verse," Billow Health noted.

"I agree," Cashew Lane commented, "Did you ever take psychology in college?"

"No," Verse A. Till replied, "Then again, I never went to college."

Bronze Star interceded and said to the glaucous stallion "Getting back on track, what did you do when you discovered I shared your desire for adventure?"

"A month before the last Summer Sun Celebration, Canterlot's last ambassador to Ponyville retired," Sir Verse apprised him, "Before his position could be refilled, I went to your mother and suggested that you could take his place. I debated that you were the perfect candidate. You had all the qualifications, you make friends easily, and it would be a good opportunity for you to see more of the country. She gave my proposal some serious consideration, and in the end, she decided it was worth trying out. You know the rest."

Bronze Star was rather amazed by everything he had just learned. He never knew that somepony other than his mother had come up with the idea for him to temporarily move to Ponyville. Then again, she had never really explained what inspired the idea; she merely claimed that she assumed he would enjoy a chance to travel.

Ultimately, Bronze Star simply grinned at Verse A. Till and pronounced "It appears I have you to thank for a whole lot of things, Sir Verse. Particularly my relationship with Applejack."

"You're very much welcome for that and everything else, Your Highness," Sir Verse asserted, patting the prince on the back.

A couple minutes later, the seven stallions arrived at Bronze Star's bedchambers. Two officers of the Royal Guard had been outside the large double doors. Bronze Star dismissed them from their posts, and Hammer Shaft and Stone Cracker replaced them. Blade Bearer was assigned to remain outside the chamber, as well. If anypony else came by, he was to notify the prince. Otherwise, all he had to do was patrol the corridor until the prince and the others came back out.

Bronze Star got out the key to his bedroom and swiftly unlocked the entrance. Then he pushed the doors open and beckoned Sir Verse A. Till, Billow Health, and Cashew Lane to go inside. The glaucous stallion, the russet stallion, and the shamrock stallion promptly trotted into the chamber. Once all three of them were in, Bronze Star entered and shut the doors behind him.

He allowed Cashew Lane and Billow Health a couple minutes to gaze around the room. The two of them were clearly in awe. That tended to be the reaction of most ponies when they saw a royal bedchamber for the first time.

Verse A. Till was still holding Bronze Star's strongbox on his back. The prince trotted over to the glaucous stallion and gripped the strongbox by the handle, saying "I'll take that, Sir Verse."

Sir Verse A. Till nodded and allowed the prince to reclaim his property. He did not say anything, but he was glad to be relieved of that burden. It had started to feel quite heavy.

As Bronze Star carried his strongbox over to his desk, he asked the other two stallions "Like what you see?"

"I certainly do," Billow Health responded, "This is a very nice room. Very large yet very organized."

"Thank you, Doctor," Bronze Star said appreciatively.

Cashew Lane cheekily muttered "Normally, I'd be skeptical if a stallion invited me into his bedroom. Especially at this hour. But I'm mostly sure that that's not the reason you brought us here."

Bronze Star and Billow Health chuckled at the shamrock stallion's jape.

Verse A. Till smirked and cockily proclaimed "If you saw what he and Applejack were doing in the courtyard a couple hours ago, you'd be entirely sure of that, Mr. Lane."

Billow Health and Cashew Lane burst out laughing at that. Bronze Star's cheeks became a little red, but he snickered a bit, as well. After all, he could not deny Sir Verse's allegation.

When the laughter ended, Bronze Star set his strongbox down on his desk. Then he opened it up and took out a certain cloak.

"What's that, Your Highness?" Billow Health questioned.

"The Shroud of Valor," the gold stallion told him.

"The what?" the russet stallion murmured in perplexity.

"It was instrumental in averting Nightmare Moon's return at the last Summer Sun Celebration," Verse A. Till enlightened Billow Health.

"Oh, alright," the physician acknowledged. He watched as Bronze Star went over to a closet on the wall left of the entrance, and then he asked "What did it do?"

"It protected the bearers of the Elements of Harmony when they defeated Nightmare Moon," Bronze Star responded as he stepped inside the closet. He emerged a few seconds later with a pony-shaped mannequin. It was similar to the mannequins Rarity used at Carousel Boutique. But this mannequin was meant for displaying armor and weapons instead of tuxedos and dresses.

"I remember that thing," Cashew Lane recounted, referring to the Shroud of Valor, "You were wearing it when you and the others returned from the Everfree Forest. Don't think I've seen it since then, though."

"Well, I've been keeping it in my bedroom at the embassy for the past eleven months," Bronze Star disclosed as he brought the mannequin to a spot next to his bookcase.

As he set it down, Billow Health stated inquiringly "If you've had it there this whole time, then why'd you bring it here now?"

"I've thought things over, and I decided it would be wiser to keep the Shroud of Valor in Canterlot," Bronze Star expounded, "My Mother has been keeping the Elements of Harmony here, and the Shroud should ideally be found close to the Elements. That way, if they're ever needed again, the Shroud will be nearby to reinforce them."

"That is a good reason, sir," Cashew Lane perceived, "Plus, if anything, it seems much more fitting for the Shroud of Valor to be kept here rather than at the embassy."

"I strongly agree with the sentiment," Billow Health declared, "While the role of Canterlot's ambassador to Ponyville is a meaningful and prestigious one, such an individual is hardly worthy of possessing a relic like the Shroud. A prince of Equestria, on the other hoof, should be deemed innately worthy of holding onto it."

"Those are excellent points," Bronze Star uttered in approval. He then gazed around the chamber and announced "Look around again, if you would. Everything in this room has some significance or some explicit purpose. Nothing that I own is meaningless or devoid of value. All of my belongings must be useful or relevant in some way."

"You must be very particular with how you decorate your room," Billow Health conjectured.

"You could say that, Doctor," Bronze Star casually admitted.

Cashew Lane went around the room and studied several of Bronze Star's possessions up close. He thought aloud "I'd be interested in learning the backstories of some of this stuff."

"I'd be happy to provide you with some," Bronze Star proclaimed, "Believe it or not, most of the items in this chamber bear some amount of relevance to the history of the Castle or my family."

"I suppose you can indulge us with a tale or two," Billow Health wryly commented.

"Okay," Bronze Star coincided, "Pick out any object you want and I'll explain its importance and past as best I can."

"Just a moment, Your Highness," Verse A. Till interjected, "When we left the Astronomy Tower, you mentioned that there were two topics that you wanted to speak to me about. One of them – the one that pertained to how I influenced your mother to let you go to Ponyville – you addressed straightaway. You wanted to wait until we got here before you brought up the other one. Now that we're here, may I ask what the second topic is?"

"I'll get to that soon enough, Sir Verse," Bronze Star asserted, "For now, just enjoy the impromptu lectures I'm about to give on my personal property."

Verse A. Till humorously rolled his eyes and said in response "As you wish, sir."

Bronze Star then proceeded to tell the three stallions all about many of the objects in his room. Those included – but were not limited to – his desk, some of his books, a number of trinkets, and even his bed. Cashew Lane, Billow Health, and Verse A. Till listened to everything he said in deep fascination. If they ever had any questions, he always gave them answers that satisfied their inquisitiveness.

While this was going on, another discussion was taking place several floors below the prince's bedroom.

There were two private cells adjoining the room with the buffet table. For the past hour, Copper Hollow, Dapple Rhomb, Haywood McCrank, Noble Edict, and Rough Rider had been conversing with the representatives of the six companies of the Manehattan-based and Canterlot-based conglomerates. All the while, Comet Frost and Swiftdrive stood guard at the entrances to the cell, as per Bronze Star's order.

Shortly before the conversation began, Haywood McCrank had distributed the communicators to his four companions, and after briefly reading the instruction manual, they had adorned the communicators thusly. So far, they had not needed to contact Bronze Star, but they kept in mind that they always had the option to do so.

The majority of the conversation had pertained to the personal and professional lives of Sir Haywood and his associates. They still found it rather bewildering how the staffers had developed such a profound interest in them. Even so, they were under orders to investigate the staffers and determine their true intentions for being so inquisitive. So they gave what answers they could afford to give, but they never released any classified or restricted information.

Every now and then, Sir Haywood or one of his colleagues had brought up the merger or the representatives' missing colleagues. Every time they did that, one or more of the staffers became notably edgy. Even after they managed to change the subject, the edginess did not entirely disappear. It was as though the representatives were inwardly struggling to retain their composure. That just made Sir Haywood more suspicious, and the others had started to believe his hypothesis about the staffers' possible impure intentions.

Copper Hollow had gotten the idea that one or more of them could attempt to excuse themselves from the conversation, and then they could study the subsequent reactions of the staffers. When he shared this proposal with his companions, they agreed to test it out.

Fifteen minutes after the conversation began, Dapple Rhomb said that she needed to get something from the buffet table, claiming that her cravings had returned. In response to that, Mr. Fowler beckoned her to stay and tell them about her upbringing.

Another twelve minutes later, Copper Hollow proclaimed that he felt like going on a walk. Mr. Beach immediately insisted that he could go on a walk anytime; he would probably only have the rest of that night to speak with them.

Sixteen more minutes passed, and Sir Haywood McCrank mentioned that he had to find Iron Claymore and tell him about the newest case he had been assigned. Mr. Shepherd interceded there and pointed out that that he had been with the Bureau's Director for most of the Gala; he could wait until later to see him again.

Eleven minutes later, Rough Rider declared that he needed to seek out some of the local entrepreneurs and draft out a type of service arrangement with them. Mr. Potter countered by saying that although business should come before pleasure, it was the other way around at the Gala.

Thirteen more minutes went by, and then Noble Edict commented that she suddenly remembered that Princess Celestia wished to show her more of the Castle. Mr. Clay promptly halted her and remarked that the Castle would still be around once their conversation was over.

By this point, the purple mare, the copper stallion, the indigo stallion, the olive stallion, and the red mare were certain beyond a doubt that something was extremely aloof with the representatives. Every time they tried to leave the room, one of the staffers had prevented them from doing so.

Twelve minutes after Noble Edict was denied a chance to exit the room, Haywood McCrank announced that he and his four companions had to go and speak with Prince Bronze Star. This time, all the representatives began conspicuously disconcerted. Before Sir Haywood or the others could leave, Mr. Rivers stepped between them and the door and protested that they were depriving the staffers of their company too soon. Haywood politely dismissed that remark and debated that their conversation had lasted long enough.

For the first time, one of the staffers gave a somewhat violent reaction to his attempt to leave. Mr. Rivers gripped Haywood McCrank by his shirt collar and firmly pronounced that they must not go.

That was when Haywood McCrank finally decided that he had enough. He looked around at his affiliates and quietly murmured "Take them."

In the span of the next five seconds, each member of Ponyville's task force drew his or her knife, and Comet Frost and Swiftdrive moved in to assist them. Before any of the representatives could respond in any manner, they were each seized. Rough Rider grabbed Mr. Potter, Copper Hollow grabbed Mr. Beach, Noble Edict grabbed Mr. Clay, Dapple Rhomb grabbed Mr. Fowler, Swiftdrive grabbed Mr. Rivers, and Comet Frost grabbed Mr. Shepherd. A few of the staffers put up a struggle, but once they saw the knives, they did not dare resist anymore.

Once all six of the envoys were secured, Haywood McCrank had them brought before him in a semi-circle. He gazed around at the representatives accusingly, and then he remarked "Alright, you can drop the act now."

"What act?" Mr. Rivers asked, seemingly baffled.

"Playing the fool won't get you anywhere," Sir Haywood mumbled crossly, "We've known all along what you're up to."

"If you know, then why aren't you trying to help us?" Mr. Fowler snapped.

"Help you?" Sir Haywood uttered in astonishment, "You think we'd voluntarily aid you in your efforts to kill one of our own?"

All six of the envoys seemed to be more confused than shocked now. Mr. Beach raised an eyebrow and queried "What the Tartarus are you talking about?"

"You're not here to discuss the merger," Sir Haywood professed, "You're here to commit a murder."

The representatives stared at the indigo stallion as though he had just threatened to throw a baby pony off a building. Mr. Potter spat heatedly "Where did you get that absolutely ridiculous idea?"

"This is about the foul play that's been plaguing your conglomerates for the past few decades," Sir Haywood revealed, "All those deaths were prearranged from within your companies. Lady Noble Edict would have been your latest victim, had we not gotten one step ahead of you. Now we managed to be one step ahead of you yet again."

"Yes, but are we stepping in the same direction?" Mr. Clay sharply murmured, "We suspected that somepony in our companies was responsible for the foul play, but I assure you that we are not the guilty parties, Sir Haywood."

"Forgive me if I doubt you," Haywood McCrank mockingly stated, "You are supposed to be in Canterlot to finalize the merger between your two unions, yet you've barely spoken of that merger all night. Don't tell me you don't have another reason for being here tonight."

"We are certainly not here to kill anypony, least of all Lady Noble Edict," Mr. Shepherd sternly argued. Then he became a little anxious and added in "But we're not here for the merger, either. In fact, it wasn't really our choice to be here."

"Is that so?" Haywood sardonically commented, "I seem to recall that you six volunteered to represent your companies at this event."

"We were… coerced into volunteering," Mr. Shepherd nervously revealed.

Haywood McCrank now had his turn to be bewildered. "Coerced how?"

Mr. Shepherd did not answer him straightaway. None of the other five representatives spoke a word either, but Mr. Shepherd was still the center of attention.

"Tell him," Mr. Clay beckoned him, "That's the only way out of this."

Ultimately, Mr. Shepherd let out a heavy sigh and muttered softly "If you lift up my suit jacket, you'll find an envelope."

Comet Frost swiftly raised the bottom of Mr. Shepherd's jacket, and sure enough, there was an envelope between the waistline of his pants and his belt. Haywood McCrank took the envelope, held it up for all to see, and slowly opened it. He pulled out a photograph and a folded piece of paper.

Sir Haywood looked at the photograph first, and he instantly recoiled in terror.

"What is it, Sir Haywood?" Copper Hollow asked in concern.

The indigo stallion gradually looked up at everypony else and whispered hauntingly "A picture of a head… a decapitated head."

Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, Rough Rider, Dapple Rhomb, Comet Frost, and Swiftdrive were horrified by that revelation. Sir Haywood forced himself to look at the picture again, and then he realized "I know this stallion."

"You should," Mr. Shepherd contented, "He was my colleague, Mr. Hunt. The one who disappeared."

"Only he didn't exactly disappear," Mr. Beach contended.

"Nor did any of the others who vanished in Ponyville," Mr. Potter expounded.

"We all have envelopes with similar contents," Mr. Fowler murmured

"Check us, if you don't believe us," Mr. Rivers advised.

Subsequently, each of the other five representatives were searched, and they all had an envelope like the one Mr. Shepherd had. Inside each one was a folded piece of paper and a photograph of a decapitated head. Mr. Rivers had a picture of Mr. Bell's head, Mr. Beach had a picture of Mr. Porter's head, Mr. Potter had a picture of Mr. Fisher's head, Mr. Fowler had a picture of Mr. Cook's head, and Mr. Clay had a picture of Mr. Weaver's head.

Rough Rider studied the photographs, and he observed "These were taken with a Kojak Plus. The same type of camera that took those threatening pictures we received at that one task force meeting."

"In other words, the type of camera the Vermane use," Noble Edict noted.

"The what?" Mr. Shepherd said in confusion.

"Never mind that," Haywood said hastily. He then unfolded the piece of paper from Mr. Shepherd's envelope and read it. It only contained two short sentences: Come to the eastern border of town, just outside Everfree Forest tonight at eleven o'clock. Tell nopony about this letter.

Sir Haywood looked up from the paper and demanded "When did you receive these envelopes?"

"The day after our associates went missing," Mr. Shepherd explained, "We were compelled not to go to the Everfree Forest, but when you receive a picture of a coworker's head, you don't really have much choice. So the six of us headed out to Forest together and arrived there at exactly eleven o'clock. As soon as we got there, three figures clad in full-body jumpsuits came out of nowhere and held us at knifepoint. They told us that if we wanted to avoid incurring the fate as our friends, we would do everything they asked of us."

"What did they ask of you?" Haywood demanded.

"For starters, they told us to volunteer to be the ones who represented our bosses at the Grand Galloping Gala," Mr. Shepherd apprised him, "That was no easy task; we had to convince everypony else on our companies' boards of directors to relinquish that privilege. But we managed it, all the same. Next, we were to come here under the premise of overseeing the merger between our conglomerates. All of us actually are qualified for such an action, but that is not what brought us here. Those masked figures are what brought us here."

"Did they give you any further instructions?" Haywood enquired.

"Yes; just one more, Sir Haywood," Mr. Shepherd professed, "They put especial emphasis on this last one: after midnight, we were to somehow bring you, Lady Noble Edict, Dapple Rhomb, Rough Rider, and Copper Hollow into a conversation and make that conversation last as long as possible. They told us to use whatever means necessary to prolong the conversation."

"What purpose did that serve?" Sir Haywood inquired dubiously.

"They only gave us one reason," Mr. Shepherd pronounced, "They wanted us to keep the five of you away from Prince Bronze Star for about two and a-half hours after midnight."

Sir Haywood was baffled by that. "Why?"

"They never explained why," Mr. Shepherd insisted, "They simply told us to ensure that all of you left the prince alone until 2:30 in the morning, otherwise our heads would be the next to go. They also told us to carry these envelopes with us everywhere we went, so that they would be a reminder to us that they meant business."

Haywood McCrank did not know what to make of all this at first. For a few minutes, he paced back and forth and contemplated on the meaning of this newest development. From the looks of things, his theory about the representatives working for the Vermane had been inaccurate after all. Not only that, but the staffers had apparently been manipulated by the Vermane to do some dirty work for them. All the same, it did not add up. If Noble Edict was the one the Vermane were after, why did they tell the staffers to detain her and her affiliates? That was what confused him the most, particularly the fact that the Vermane wanted the five members of the Ponyville task force to stay away from Bronze Star. What possible motive could they have had for that?

Before too long, Sir Haywood McCrank managed to put all the pieces together. When he did, he looked absolutely flabbergasted. The terror he had felt when he saw Mr. Hunt's decapitated head was nothing compared to the tension he felt right then.

He firmly announced "Commander Frost, Commander Swiftdrive, keep an eye on these six gentlestallions. Dapple, Copper, Rough, Noble, I need a word with you in the next room."

The two Royal Guard compliantly remained in the cell to watch the representatives. Haywood McCrank led Dapple Rhomb, Copper Hollow, Rough Rider, and Noble Edict into the adjoining cell. They could not imagine what the indigo stallion had to tell them, but it must have been urgent and imperative. After all, that was the first time he had ever addressed Noble Edict without including her title of "Lady."

Once the five of them were alone in the next cell, they sheathed their knives, and Copper Hollow inquired "What's going on, Sir Haywood?"

The federal investigator did not reply to the copper stallion's question. Instead, he pressed his right front hoof against his right ear; the ear with his communicator. He softly uttered "Your Highness, are you there? Come in, please. Come in."

Back in Bronze Star's bedchamber, the prince was in the middle of explaining the backstory of a special sword on a table next to his desk. This sword had been forged centuries ago by Molten Lead, one of the greatest blacksmiths in Equestrian history. It was regarded by many as his finest work.

The sword had been a gift to Bronze Star by Lord Bellerophon on his sixteenth birthday, and the prince had cherished it ever since then. He kept it sharpened and cleaned constantly, and he used it often to practice his proficiency in melee combat. Its steel was firm and straight; its hilt was sturdy and elaborate. Even its garlanded sheath spoke volumes of its magnificence. It truly was a sword fit for a prince.

Billow Health was quite amazed by the sword, though he claimed that the sharpest thing he ever wished to use on another pony was a scalpel.

Cashew Lane asked if the sword had a name, and Bronze Star told him that its name was Last Stroke. It was called that because every pony who ever wielded the sword had emerged victorious from all their clashes with other ponies.

Verse A. Till was very vocal about how he appreciated Bronze Star's taste in blades. That was hardly surprising, given how he was a professional swordspony himself.

Just as Bronze Star wrapped up his detailed chronicle on Last Stroke, Sir Haywood contacted him on his communicator. The indigo stallion only spoke loud enough so Bronze Star could hear him. Even so, the gold stallion knew he could not reply just then; Cashew Lane, Billow Health, and Verse A. Till would think that he was talking to himself.

Fortunately, the prince was able to think fast. He trotted towards the bathroom and stated "Please pardon me for a little while. It's been a long night, and I need a few minutes to freshen up."

"Take as long as you need, Your Highness," Verse A. Till beckoned him. Cashew Lane and Billow Health mumbled in agreement.

After Bronze Star entered the bathroom, he shut and locked the door. Then he approached the sink and turned on the faucet to give the illusion that he was washing. Once the water was running quickly and loudly, Bronze Star moved away from the sink, placed his right front hoof against his ear, and whispered "What's up, Sir Haywood?"

"I've just made an abysmal discovery, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank dourly informed the prince.

"The representatives really are working for the Vermane?" Bronze Star presumed sadly.

"No, they're not," the superintendent responded, "But the Vermane are here, and they are going to strike before the night is over."

"So Noble Edict is still in danger?" Bronze Star assumed.

"No, she's safe," Sir Haywood disclosed, "That's the abysmal discovery I was referring to. Lady Noble Edict is not the target."

Copper Hollow, Dapple Rhomb, Noble Edict, and Rough Rider had activated their communicators as well so that they too could communicate with Bronze Star and listen in on his dialogue with Sir Haywood McCrank. After that last statement, they all seemed astounded.

"She's not?" Copper Hollow uttered, a bit of relief evident in his tone.

"Indeed not," Haywood McCrank affirmed, "She never was, in fact."

"How is that discovery 'abysmal?'" Rough Rider queried, perplexed.

"Because I know who the real target is," Sir Haywood revealed.

"Who?" Bronze Star asked.

The indigo stallion was almost reluctant to give a response, but duty and obligation motivated him to provide one. He dismally illuminated "It's you, Your Highness."

Water was still running from the faucet of Bronze Star's sink. But at that moment, his back was turned to the sink. If he had not been the one who activated the sink, he never would have known the water was running. Right then, no sound could reach his ears. No smell could reach his muzzle; no taste could reach his tongue. His eyes were staring ahead, but they did not really see anything. It was as though all his senses had been shot. That was how difficult it was for him to process what he had just heard.

Rough Rider, Noble Edict, Dapple Rhomb, and Copper Hollow were shocked, as well, but nowhere near as much as the prince.

Bronze Star eventually regained his composure and asked unsteadily "Are you certain?"

"Completely," Haywood McCrank said apologetically.

"How can you be sure?" Bronze Star practically demanded of him.

Haywood McCrank then apprised the prince of everything that had just taken place in the next room. The matter of the photographs with decapitated heads and the manner in which the representatives were pressured into stalling Bronze Star's companions were very compelling in ascertaining Sir Haywood's conclusion. Even so, it was not enough to convince Bronze Star that it was his blood that the Vermane were truly after.

"What happened just now is not my only evidence, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank proclaimed, "Recall the relevance of the number three. We have witnessed countless instances of three in the last five months, but most of the ones that pertained to the case were centered around you. For example, you were the third pony to finish the Running of the Leaves. During the race, the task force encountered a member of the Vermane three times. Each time, there was a trio of task force ponies present. You are the only pony who was in all three of those trios, and you found those three clues that led me to the discovery that the Vermane were behind the murder plot in the first place."

"That may be," Bronze Star murmured, "But don't forget that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and I were attacked. I thought you said that whenever the Vermane sent one of their 'warnings,' they never went after the victim."

"I never specifically said that," Sir Haywood debated, "I only said that the Vermane had never gone after a victim when they delivered a warning in any of their other murders. I could not say with absolute certainty that the victim would never be the one to receive the warning. That was just a theory, Your Highness. Theories can be wrong. Just like how my theory about the staffers was totally incorrect."

"What about what happened at Noble Edict's house on her birthday?" Dapple Rhomb contended, "Was that another warning?"

"It must have been," Sir Haywood remarked, "Maybe they never intended to kill her that night. Perhaps their goal was just to intimidate her or wound her."

"Well, whatever they did to me, it would not have been enough to motivate me to dissolve the task force," Noble Edict asserted, "It'll take more than a petty warning to discourage us."

"The Vermane seem to share that mentality with us," Copper Hollow noted, "You'd think that after what we did to them that night, they would know better than to continue to harass us. Unfortunately, that's not the case."

"Still, none of this explains why I'm the one the Vermane are after," Bronze Star interjected.

"Please don't take this the wrong way, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank beseeched. "But it's actually fairly easy to see why the Vermane targeted you. There are a lot of ponies who would benefit if anything happened to you."

"Explain," Bronze Star commanded him.

"Well, think on this," Haywood McCrank offered, "If a member of the Canterlot Royalty was murdered, the country would be thrown into utter chaos. Most ponies would resort to extreme measures to protect themselves and their loved ones. A whole lot of companies could make a profit from all that fear and disarray. That would include the six companies in the Manehattan-based and Canterlot-based conglomerates."

Bronze Star pondered on all of that, and he found that Sir Haywood presented an irrefutable argument. He let out a deep breath and uttered "You're right, Sir Haywood. It's actually quite simple when you see the situation from that perspective. But there is one thing about all this that does not fit."

"What might that be?" the indigo stallion asked.

This time, Bronze Star spoke to the vigilantes: "Dapple, Rough, do you remember that letter you sent me the last time you visited the Castle?"

"Of course," his secretary replied.

"What about it, Bronze?" the salespony questioned.

"I explicitly remember reading that your organization became aware of the murder plot before the Summer Sun Celebration," Bronze Star reminisced.

"Well, we ourselves weren't the ones who acquired the information; our superiors picked it up," Rough Rider recounted, "But what you say is true; our people learned of the plot even before the Summer Sun Celebration."

"That's just it," Bronze Star explicated, "In the letter, you also told me that the murder would either take place in Ponyville, or the victim would be somepony who was living in Ponyville at the time I received the letter."

"That's true, as well," Dapple Rhomb confirmed, "We don't know how our superiors managed to learn that, but the intel was good and the information was legitimate."

"That aside, I didn't even know I was going to be in Ponyville until the day before the Summer Sun Celebration," Bronze Star professed, "The only way the Vermane could have planned for me to be the victim was if they somehow knew in advance that I would be staying in Ponyville after the Celebration. But…"

He abruptly cut himself off. He thought about everything he had learned over the past few hours, and a very unpleasant realization dawned on him. He was left speechless by his own deduction. This was almost as shocking to Bronze Star as the revelation that he was meant to be the Vermane's victim all along.

He was brought back to his senses when he heard Rough Rider ask "Bronze, you still with us?"

The gold stallion shook his head to clear it a bit, and then he steadfastly muttered "Sir Haywood, get out that file from Detrot."

The indigo stallion obeyed that command without question. He reached into his jacket, extracted said file, and stated "Done."

"Open it up," Bronze Star told him.

"To which page?" Haywood McCrank inquired.

"It doesn't matter," the prince stoically said in response.

"Alright," Sir Haywood affirmed. He opened the file to a random section, and then he asked "What now, Your Highness?"

"Concentrate on all the entries that talk about a 'vat,'" Bronze Star instructed him.

"Okay," Sir Haywood avowed. He spent the next minute flipping through several of the file's pages. Every time he spotted the term "vat," he made a note of it. At the end of that minute, he commented "There's a lot of them."

"I know," Bronze Star pronounced, "Now, look very closely, and tell me; does it say 'vat,' or does it say 'V.A.T.?'"

Haywood McCrank held the file closer to his eyes and squinted so he could better focus on the print. A few seconds later, he raised an eyebrow and declared "Actually, it does say 'V.A.T.'"

"So those entries are not referring to a container, a tool, or any other object," Bronze Star observed, "It's a code word. Or a codename. Or an actual name."

"What do you suppose it's short for?" Copper Hollow inquired.

"Isn't it obvious?" Bronze Star snippily muttered, "How many ponies do you know with those initials?"

Rough Rider, Dapple Rhomb, Haywood McCrank, Copper Hollow, and Noble Edict only needed about five seconds to realize what the prince was implying. When they did, they were almost as stunned as he had been.

"Sir Verse A. Till…" Copper Hollow tensely muttered.

"Exactly," Bronze Star bluntly confirmed.

"That's impossible," Dapple Rhomb disputed, "He's the assistant to the Chairpony of the War Council. He's worked for Princess Celestia for years. There's no way he could have gotten his job if he was an assassin. Surely his background check would have given him up."

"You mustn't underestimate the Vermane's capabilities, Dapple," Haywood McCrank cautioned her, "We already know they have managed to infiltrate six of the most prosperous companies in the country. Who's to say they cannot do the same at Canterlot Castle?"

"That is a fine point, Sir Haywood," Rough Rider admitted, "But all that aside, how can Verse A. Till be working for the Vermane? He's one of the most respected officials in Princess Celestia's administration."

"So were Clear Crest and Sir Raoul Jowl," Noble Edict candidly mumbled.

Haywood McCrank, Dapple Rhomb, Rough Rider, and Copper Hollow gazed at her in bewilderment. It was then that Noble Edict remembered that none of them were aware of Raoul Jowl's past involvement in the black market, and she instantly regretted saying that.

"Excuse me, Lady Noble?" Sir Haywood said inquisitively.

"Forget what she said; it's not important," Bronze Star swiftly claimed, "Regardless of Verse A. Till's standing in the eyes of the public, there is something you should all know. Less than an hour ago, I found out that he gave my mother the idea for me to be Canterlot's ambassador to Ponyville. He's the only pony apart from Princess Celestia who could have even conjectured that I would be moving to Ponyville after the Summer Sun Celebration. From the way he tells it, he went to great lengths to persuade her to let me travel there."

"How could he have known that you would accept the proposal?" Copper Hollow contended.

"Because he knows me," Bronze Star professed, "Much better than I know him, apparently. Furthermore, Sir Verse has been all over the country. He's also one of the best swordsponies in Equestria, and the Vermane's signature weapon is a dagger."

Everypony reflected on what the gold stallion had told them. In the end, Noble Edict morosely commented "I hate to admit this, but Bronze Star's right. All the signs point to Sir Verse being a member of the Vermane."

"Based on the file we brought back from Detrot, he must be one of the Vermane's most prominent and influential members," Rough Rider observed.

"Not just that; he must be the one who's supposed to kill me," Bronze Star perceived.

"Or one of them," Haywood McCrank speculated, "Remember; the Vermane always send out three assassins, not one."

"We know," Dapple Rhomb recalled, "Three stallions, one from each of the three major pony races."

"Well, Sir Verse would be the Unicorn," Copper Hollow noted, "Who do you suppose the Earth Pony and the Pegasus are?"

"Probably somepony Sir Verse has spent a lot of time with tonight," Rough Rider theorized.

"Well, he's been with me for almost every minute since we arrived in the city," Bronze Star revealed, "In fact, he's in the very next room right now."

"Is anypony else with you, Bronze?" Rough Rider enquired.

"Yes," Bronze Star replied, "Cashew Lane and Billow Health are here, too. They've been with me and Sir Verse for the past two hours."

"An Earth Pony and a Pegasus," Dapple Rhomb palpably pointed out.

Noble Edict narrowed her eyes at the purple mare and uttered "Are you honestly suggesting that one of my officers is working for the Vermane?"

"Would that be any harder to believe than the concept that the assistant to the Chairpony of the War Council is working for them?" Haywood McCrank countered.

The red mare thought for a few seconds, and then she mumbled "When you put it that way, no. It's actually quite believable by comparison."

"Still, Noble and I have known Cashew our whole lives," Copper Hollow professed, "He's been on Ponyville's security staff longer than either of us."

"That doesn't free him from suspicion, though," Rough Rider debated.

"He's right," Haywood McCrank coincided. He looked to Copper Hollow and Noble Edict, and he inquired "Do recall if Cashew Lane ever demonstrated any bizarre or questionable behavior in his youth?"

Noble Edict thought back a little, and then she recounted "Well, there was this one time over a decade ago when I remember he did something unusual."

"What did he do?" Dapple Rhomb queried.

"He went on vacation for the entire summer," the red mare professed, "He never said where he travelled to, but when he got back… he was different."

"Different how?" Sir Haywood queried.

"Before his trip, he was very brash and playful," Noble Edict recalled, "He never took anything seriously. But when he returned to Ponyville… he was a lot sterner. He still had his smug sense of humor, but he often set it aside in place of his newer, more somber mindset."

"I remember that," Copper Hollow conceded, "That was the year before Cashew applied for the security force."

"How old was he then?" Haywood McCrank queried.

"Well, Noble was fifteen, and I was twelve or thirteen," the copper stallion proclaimed, "So Cashew was seventeen at the time."

"Seventeen is still a rather impressionable age," Haywood muttered, "I don't know how the Vermane recruits its members, but maybe while Cashew Lane was on vacation, they picked him up and molded him into one of their number."

"Hold on; we still have verified if Cashew really is a member of the Vermane," Noble Edict protested.

"Aside from that, Cashew Lane is Almond Wheeler's cousin," Copper Hollow murmured, "He was also included in those threatening photographs the Vermane sent us."

"That would have been an excellent way to forestall suspicion on him," Rough Rider contended.

"I just thought of something," Dapple Rhomb remarked, "When did Cashew Lane first start becoming more affectionate towards Almond Wheeler?"

"About four or five months after the task force was formed," Copper Hollow disclosed, "Before then, he had only loved her as his cousin."

"Do you think it's at all possible that he was only trying to get closer to her so he could find out what progress the task force was making?" Dapple Rhomb speculated.

Noble Edict reflected on that hypothesis, and then she gave a nod of her head and uttered "That's not an unreasonable theory. I mean, Almond did mention that Cashew seemed deeply interested in the private work she was doing at the embassy. He seemed more interested in the work than the fact that she was involved in it."

"Then as of now, I think it's safe to say that we can account for two of the three Vermane that are here tonight," Haywood McCrank perceived.

"What about the Doctor?" Bronze Star enquired.

Haywood McCrank frankly muttered "Well, Your Highness, you and I have known Sir Verse A. Till for a long time, and Copper Hollow and Lady Noble Edict have known Cashew Lane for even longer. None of the six of us have been acquainted with Billow Health long enough to have known him. If anything, he's the easiest of the three to suspect."

"Plus, he's from Detrot," Copper Hollow debated, "Everypony knows that city is virtually a breeding ground for criminals. Rough and I can confirm that. Besides, physicians are just as capable of deceitfulness and murder as anypony else."

"Even so, don't forget everything Dr. Health did for the victims of the train massacre," Dapple Rhomb professed, "He saved at least two dozen patients, and he tried to save Almond Wheeler's life."

"Yet she died anyway," Noble Edict commented, "That was odd, seeing as how he claimed to have stabilized her without any difficulties. He was unable to explain why she went into cardiac arrest afterwards."

"Unable or unwilling?" Rough Rider stated doubtfully.

"Either way, a surgeon of his renown must have known what went wrong," Haywood pronounced.

"Something else just crossed my mind," Bronze Star interceded, "Copper, when you got back from Detrot, do you happen to remember who the very last person to get off the train was?"

Copper Hollow stood trying to reminisce for a minute, and then he revealed "Well, I was more focused on helping Almond Wheeler and Rough Rider out of the train; they were barely conscious. I was too busy with them to notice who the last person to leave the train was. However, I do recall that Dr. Health went back into the train after it was evacuated. He claimed it was to double-check for survivors. He was in there for quite a while, though."

"Long enough to locate the file and attempt to render it useless?" Bronze Star conjectured.

"If he knew where to look, then definitely," the copper stallion affirmed.

"Perhaps that was his actual reason for being on the train in the first place," Noble Edict supposed.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Bronze Star murmured, "I always thought his presence on the train was a little too coincidental. Still, his story about the seminar should be taken into account."

"What seminar?" Haywood asked in interest.

Bronze Star apprised them with "Dr. Health claimed he was planning on attending a seminar in Las Pegasus. After the train that ran from Detrot to Ponyville got in, he was going to catch a connecting train from Ponyville to Las Pegasus."

"Wait; is that the seminar that medical officials from all over the country partake in?" Rough Rider enquired.

"Yeah, that was what Dr. Health told me," Bronze Star disclosed.

"Bronze, that seminar took place months ago," Rough Rider proclaimed, "I would know; I was in Las Pegasus at the time."

"So he lied?" the gold stallion assumed. He sounded unsurprised.

"It would seem so," Copper Hollow mumbled through gritted teeth, "So that bastard killed Almond Wheeler."

"Cashew Lane could have done that, too," Noble Edict speculated, "He was posted outside Almond's suite in the I.C.U. As I recall, he specifically requested that assignment."

"There's more to indicate their guilt," Rough Rider professed, "Before we got here, Sir Verse A. Till was alone with Billow Health and Cashew Lane for several hours."

"That's right," Dapple Rhomb conferred, "He was the driver to our carriage, and they were the pullers. I recall that they volunteered for those tasks, too. Who knows what they could have been talking about in those six hours?"

"Also, did you notice that when we arrived, their clothes were totally clean?" Noble Edict recounted, "You'd think that after trotting for over fifty miles on a warm late spring day whilst fully clothed, their suits would have been sticking to their bodies. But they had hardly even broken a sweat."

"Well, the Vermane are in pristine physical condition," Bronze Star noted, "We know that from the Running of the Leaves."

"One more thing, Your Highness," Sir Haywood cut in, "When Verse A. Till, Cashew Lane, and Billow Health joined your company after midnight, did you ask them to join you, or did they ask you?"

Bronze Star replied with "Sir Verse came to speak with me after you did, Sir Haywood, and I offered for him to accompany me up to the Astronomy Tower to see my Aunt Luna. Cashew Lane invited himself and Billow Health along. They haven't been more than ten meters away from me since then."

"That's it then," Haywood McCrank decided, "We have our three assassins."

There came a short interval of silence, and then Copper Hollow broke it with "So what do we do now?"

"Well, we've established that the Vermane are going to make an attempt on my life sometime before sunrise," Bronze Star muttered, "Can you at least give me an idea of when I can expect it to come?"

"Mr. Shepherd claims that he and the other representatives were instructed to keep us away from you until 2:30 in the morning," Haywood McCrank revealed.

Copper Hollow gazed at a clock on the wall, and he announced "It's almost 2:20 right now."

"Ten minutes until they strike," Dapple Rhomb remarked.

"Where are you right now, Bronze?" Noble Edict inquired.

"My bedchamber," the gold stallion responded, "To be precise, the bathroom of my bedchamber. I came here to drop off the Shroud of Valor. After I put it on a display, I stayed around to show Billow Health, Cashew Lane, and Verse A. Till some of my antique possessions. They're still out in the main room right now. Where are you guys?"

"We're still in those cells that adjoin the room with the buffet table," Rough Rider informed him.

"That's not good," Bronze Star contended, "Even if you started now, it would take you more than ten minutes to gallop from there to here."

"Maybe you could escape from the chamber," Copper Hollow advised.

"How?" the prince tensely uttered, "The main entrance is blocked, the door to the balcony is locked, the windows are shatterproof, and the emergency exit is concealed. There are no other openings available."

"Why don't you just teleport?" Noble Edict suggested.

"I've told you; it's impossible for anypony to teleport in or out of the Castle," Bronze Star mumbled irately, "There's a special charm that prevents that. It's used as a safeguard to protect the Castle from intruders."

"What about within?" Sir Haywood proposed, "Can you teleport within the Castle?"

"Between certain rooms, yes," Bronze Star revealed, "But there are a few rooms that cannot be accessed via teleportation even from inside the Castle. I'm afraid my bedchamber is one of them."

The other five ponies were dismayed to hear that. The situation looked hopeless. It was as though Bronze Star had unknowingly been backed into a corner without any chance of getting out of it.

"So what are we going to do, Your Highness?" Haywood McCrank enquired drearily.

Bronze Star had already determined the answer on his own. He breathed in deeply and declared "I cannot reason my way out of this, I cannot flee, and I cannot wait for you guys to reinforce me. That leaves me with only one possible course of action. I'll have to make the first move."

"You're going to engage them?" Copper Hollow assumed, astounded.

"That's correct," Bronze Star confirmed, "I don't intend to let them get away with this slight."

"Bronze, the odds are three to one in their favor," Rough Rider pointed out.

"Aside from that, you said that the member of the Vermane that ambushed you in Whitetail Woods was able to fend off you, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all at once," Noble Edict recounted.

"That was because he caught us off guard," Bronze Star debated, "Based on what happened at your house, Noble, we know that the Vermane can be taken off their guard, as well. I have that advantage on my side right now. Plus, I've been enhancing my skills with a blade ever since then."

"Your Highness, I beg of you," Haywood McCrank implored the prince, "Do not be so hasty."

"Do you have a better idea, Sir Haywood?" Bronze Star murmured snappily.

"Call the Royal Guard," the indigo stallion recommended, "They could improve your chances. They may even be able to prevent any conflict."

"No, I can't do that," Bronze Star refuted, "Verse A. Till, Billow Health, and Cashew Lane would probably cut them down before I even had a chance to give them the order to fight."

"Then let us aid you," Haywood proposed, "Maybe if we gallop fast enough, we can still reach your room in time."

"Even if you could, I wouldn't want you to," the gold stallion solemnly pronounced, "The Vermane are here for me. Me and nopony else. I won't allow any of my friends to put themselves at risk for my sake."

"Well, we'll still go ahead and make our way up to your room," Haywood McCrank firmly uttered, "If we arrive soon enough, we'll assist you in your skirmish."

"You'll do no such thing," Bronze Star flatly countered.

"Your Highness, I've always admire your selflessness," Haywood McCrank insisted, "But this is one instance when it could be your undoing."

"I'm sorry, Sir Haywood," the prince resolutely declared, "But I refuse to put anypony other myself in danger here."

"Forgive me, sir," Haywood beseeched him, "But you are being unreasonable."

"Am I?" Bronze Star sharply murmured, "Stay away from this area until I call you back. That's an order."

"But Your Highness-" Sir Haywood began.

Bronze Star did not even let the indigo stallion finish. At that moment, he swiftly removed his communicator from his ear and deactivated it. Then he slid it into the inner pocket of his cloak.

He did not know what time it was, but it had to be very close to 2:30. He did not have long to act.

The prince trotted over to the sink, which was still spouting water. He set his crown aside. Then he splashed some of the cold, clean liquid over his face, and he allowed his mane to soak for about twenty seconds. After that, he turned off the valves, and the stream of water ceased.

Bronze Star grabbed a towel and proceeded to dry his mane and face. Once his hair was relatively dry, he adorned his crown again, and he exited the bathroom.

Cashew Lane, Verse A. Till, and Billow Health had been standing in various parts of the room when the gold stallion rejoined them. Bronze Star continued to wipe his face as he trotted over to his desk. When he got there, he lowered the towel, managed an authentic grin, and proclaimed "Sorry if I kept you waiting for too long."

"No worries, Your Highness," Verse A. Till asserted. Billow Health and Cashew Lane mumbled in agreement.

They sounded courteous enough, but Bronze Star did not allow that to cancel out everything he had learned since he last saw those three stallions.

Bronze Star wondered how he would neutralize the three of them before they could do so to him. Ideally, he would have to disable at least one of them even before they realized he knew of their intentions. Out of all three, Verse A. Till posed the biggest threat. He had known the prince the longest, and he was the most efficient with melee weapons. If Bronze Star only had to fight two of those three stallions at once, he would much rather those two be Cashew Lane and Billow Health.

Bronze Star had already been planning on skirmishing with Verse A. Till. Of course, he originally intended for their fight to be friendly and competitive. If Sir Verse really intended to kill the prince in a clash of blades, he could certainly pull it off. He had already defeated Bronze Star in a duel twice before.

Fortunately, Bronze Star had an idea on how to incapacitate Sir Verse. He just had to be very careful and meticulous in executing his idea. Otherwise the results would be disastrous.

The gold stallion straightened out his mane, and then he announced "Sir Verse, now would be a good time to bring up the second topic I wished to discuss with you."

"What might that be, Your Highness?" the glaucous stallion enquired.

"Your middle name," Bronze Star answered him, "I've determined what it is."

"Is that so?" Verse A. Till cockily uttered, smirking deviously, "Then what is it?"

Bronze Star looked him in the eye and proclaimed "Your middle name… is simply the letter 'A.'"

At first, Verse A. Till did not give any reaction to that statement. After fifteen seconds of quietness, he casually inquired "What makes you think that?"

"When we were up in the Astronomy Tower, my Aunt Luna used the term 'versatile' to describe you," Bronze Star explained, "I've known that word and its meaning for a long time, but I never considered it may have had a connection to you. Then I heard it right next to your name. That was what led me to conclude that your middle name is just 'A.' Am I correct?"

Verse A. Till absorbed everything the gold stallion told him, and then he smiled and revealed "You are correct, Your Highness. Some ponies have speculated that the 'A' stands for nothing, or that I don't actually have a middle name, but you are the first one to submit that 'A' is my middle name. I must congratulate you on figuring it out."

"Thank you," Bronze Star murmured. There was a pause, and then he muttered "Now I believe you owe me a favor."

"Indeed," Verse A. Till coincided, "When would you like our third duel to be?"

"Now," Bronze Star promptly told him.

The glaucous stallion looked stunned. "Right now?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Bronze Star supposed.

"No," Verse A. Till insisted, "It's just that… it's almost 2:30 in the morning, and we're both clad in formal attire."

"Favors wait for nopony," Bronze Star debated, "Come on, Sir Verse. You can think of the time and our clothing as an extra challenge for both of us."

Sir Verse finally gave in and stated "Very well, Your Highness. We'll begin whenever you're ready."

Bronze Star nodded in approval. Then he trotted over to the table that displayed Last Stroke. As he got the sword down, he called over his shoulder "I know; let's make this a little more interesting. You tell me one of your weaknesses, and I'll tell you one of mine."

Verse A. Till found that to be an odd proposal, but he chose to oblige the prince. He thought for a minute, and then he professed "Well, occasionally, when I move in to deliver a blow, I am forced to leave my left shoulder undefended. By doing that, I can optimize the amount of damage I deal with my right front hoof."

"Interesting," Bronze Star commented. He made a note of that statement. If it was true, he would find out in a minute.

The prince then extended his wings and kept his back to Verse A. Till. As he focused on his sword, he pronounced "When my wings are expanded, they impair my field of vision. I cannot see anything directly behind me, or behind me and slightly to the right or left. If they're folded, I can see behind myself perfectly, but the option to take flight becomes unavailable. SIG Sauer has urged me to fix this weakness many times, but I've never been able to."

"Fascinating," Verse A. Till remarked. He sounded a little too intrigued. Bronze Star heard the sound of steel being drawn. He kept his head in front of him and acted as though he was still tending to his sword.

"So, you can't see me right now, Your Highness?" Verse A. Till assumed.

"Nope," Bronze Star drily claimed, "You could sneak up behind me right now, and I wouldn't notice until you reached me."

What he said was not entirely true. Bronze Star's wings actually had been a conditional blind spot to him once. In fact, his wings had been the reason SIG Sauer had managed to catch the prince during the combat drill they had on the day before the Summer Sun Celebration.

However, ever since Bronze Star began his romantic relationship with Applejack, he had managed to find time to concentrate on improving his fighting style. Sometimes he would sneak out to the Everfree Forest and practice in his Alicorn form when nopony was around. After many arduous attempts, he had finally managed to find a way to maximize his field of vision, even when his wings were protracted. He now had the perfect opportunity to test it.

At that moment, Bronze Star peered out of the corner of his left eye and parted the feathers in his left wing. Through the separated feathers, he spotted Verse A. Till approaching him from behind. In his right front hoof, he was holding a blade high over his head. But it was not his sword. It was a type of dagger. At a glance, Bronze Star recognized that brand of dagger. Only one organization carried it: the same organization that had targeted the prince for assassination that night.

Bronze Star moved very quickly. He reached for his towel, turned around, and tossed it in Verse A. Till's direction. The glaucous stallion stumbled as he continued moving forward. Before he had a chance to recover, Bronze Star grabbed him by his left shoulder and pulled him over to the table. Then he seized Sir Verse's right front leg and forced it onto the table. After that, Bronze Star drew his knife from his belt, raised it up high, and plunged it downwards.

Verse A. Till let out an agonizing scream as he dropped his dagger. Billow Health and Cashew Lane gasped in shock and terror. As for Bronze Star, he could only smirk.

He had used his dagger to pin Sir Verse's right front leg to the table. The blade had impaled the glaucous stallion's hoof, and it was wedged in the hard wooden surface of the table. Verse A. Till could barely move his leg without wincing in pain.

Bronze Star was quite pleased. He had effectively restrained Sir Verse A. Till and crippled his sword-wielding hoof simultaneously.

Of course, only one of the three threats to his safety had been nullified. Before he could relax, he had to handle the other two.

Bronze Star swiftly turned to Cashew Lane and Billow Health. He scathingly uttered "Do you two yield, or are you going to do something stupid?"

Both stallions appeared to be horrified. For a moment, they honestly looked as though they had no idea what had prompted Bronze Star to attack Verse A. Till.

But only for a moment. After that, Billow Health and Cashew Lane took action. Slowly, their countenances tightened and they glared at Bronze Star menacingly. They both reached into their suit jackets, and they each pulled out a dagger identical to Sir Verse's.

Bronze Star nonchalantly sighed and decisively declared "So be it."

He then took up his sword and drew it from its sheath. Last Stroke glittered brightly in the moonlight as the prince held it in the air. He lowered the weapon towards the physician and the security officer, and he muttered ominously "This sword hasn't tasted blood in decades. But I can guarantee you it still can."

A wiser person would have heeded Bronze Star's threat. Billow Health and Cashew Lane completely ignored him. Both of them raised their daggers and charged the prince at the same time.

For about two and a-half minutes, the three stallions fought. The sound of steel ringing filled the vicinity, and the shadowed outline of the feud were enlarged against the far wall. Even though Bronze Star had a longer blade and nearly eleven years of military training, Cashew Lane and Billow Health were surprisingly deft and skilled with their daggers. It took a great deal of the prince's abilities to counter both of them at the same time.

In the third minute of fighting, Bronze Star managed to knock Cashew Lane against the wall. While the shamrock stallion was on the ground, Bronze Star focused primarily on Billow Health. Although the doctor was at least ten years older than the security officer, he maneuvered with the precision of the surgeon he was.

After another minute, Bronze Star delivered a blow to the russet stallion's side, and Billow Health tripped. As he fell onto his back, Bronze Star moved in to finish him off. That was when Cashew Lane reentered the fray. He lunged towards Bronze Star, waving his dagger like a lunatic. The gold stallion intercepted him just in time, but both of them went rolling across the ground. They stopped when they reached the foot of Bronze Star's bed. When they stopped, the security officer was on top of the prince. He struck Bronze Star in the face with his free front hoof three times. His blows were strong, but Bronze Star was very resilient.

Bronze Star then struck Cashew Lane in his throat, causing the shamrock stallion to falter. Bronze Star then pushed him off, but he caught Cashew Lane before he collapsed. He gripped Cashew Lane by his shoulder and dragged him in front of the rail at the base of the bed.

Bronze Star slammed the shamrock stallion's head against the rail over and over. For the first three times, Cashew Lane yelled in anguish. After that, all he could do was lightly moan.

Eventually, Bronze Star relented. When he did, Cashew Lane offered no resistance. The prince then leaned down, picked up Last Stroke, and held the center of the blade near Cashew Lane's head. In one swift movement, he used the sword to slice through the shamrock stallion's neck.

Cashew Lane sputtered as the steel penetrated his skin. He gasped for air, but all he could taste was metal and iron. Blood slowly leaked from the thin opening in his neck. Soon enough, his head dropped and his front legs fell to his sides.

After a few seconds, Bronze Star extracted the sword and let Cashew Lane's body drop to the ground. He glared down at it and mumbled "That's for Shakedown."

Bronze Star swiftly returned his attention to Billow Health. He turned just in time to see the russet stallion rise from the ground. Bronze Star rushed over with his sword raised. He swung Last Stroke hard, but Billow Health blocked the blade just in time.

The two of them battled fiercely for another two minutes. They spent that entire time trying to gain the upper hoof over each other. Both of them proved to be a worthy adversary.

At the end of that interval, Billow Health was able to back Bronze Star into his desk. The gold stallion hit the desk so hard that many of its contents were knocked off. An inkwell shattered on the floor beside the desk; the quill pen that went with it landed nearby.

As Bronze Star tried to push Billow Health forward, the russet stallion rammed into the prince and knocked him onto his back. Bronze Star's grip on his sword loosened, but he managed to avoid dropping it. Before he could get back onto his hooves, Billow Health knelt over him and grabbed the gold stallion by his throat. He forced him to remain lying on the ground.

The russet stallion tried to hack at any part of Bronze Star that seemed to be open. Bronze Star somehow managed to parry all of his attacks, even from the ground.

At one point, Billow Health's dagger and Bronze Star's sword intercepted each other in their centers, and the two stallions were stuck with their blades locked in that position. At that point, they had an equally strong likelihood of gaining the upper hoof, but Billow Health had the more strategic position.

Bronze Star then spotted the quill pen that had fallen off his desk. It was just out of reach of the gold stallion. Billow Health's left front hoof was around the prince's throat, and he was gripping his dagger with his right front hoof. Bronze Star was using both of his front hooves to wield Last Stroke.

He realized that the russet stallion's attention was entirely on the sword. That gave him the opportunity to employ counterattack. He removed his right front hoof from the hilt of his sword, and he extended it towards the quill pen. After struggling for fifteen seconds, he was able to move the quill a little closer, and then he grabbed by its head.

Bronze Star swiftly turned his head back to Billow Health, and he swung his right leg firmly. He jammed the tip of the quill pen into the side of the russet stallion's throat.

Immediately, Billow Health released the gold stallion's throat and broke off his attack. He made a horrid gagging sound as he began hemorrhaging from the opening in his neck. Bronze Star stabbed him with the tip of the quill twice more, and then he shoved Billow Health off of him.

As Bronze Star rose to his hooves, he tossed the quill pen aside. Then he clutched Billow Health by the front of his tuxedo, pulled him closer, and held his sword perpendicular to the russet stallion's upper body. With one swift thrust, he plunged Last Stroke into the russet stallion's chest.

Billow Health's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and the gagging sound became louder. When the sound faded, he stopped moving. Bronze Star let go of his body then, and he mumbled "That's for Dread Naught."

Bronze Star stood in silence for a long while after that. He had never killed anypony before. He heard many people reacted differently to taking another pony's life for the very first time. Some experienced bloodlust. Some were horrified. Some were ashamed of themselves. Some were relatively indifferent at first, but they were never the same afterwards.

Bronze Star did not know how he felt at that time. Maybe the realization of what he had just done had not quite settled in just yet. It would eventually; he was certain of that.

At any rate, Bronze Star had other things to worry about. He gazed over at the table that had displayed Last Stroke. Verse A. Till's front leg was still pinned to the surface of the table by the gold stallion's dagger. The glaucous stallion had lost so much blood that he had been left in a severely weakened state.

Bronze Star gradually trotted over to the table. On his way over, Verse A. Till drew his sword with his left front hoof and pointed it towards the prince. He threatened "Even with one hoof rendered useless, I could still best you in a swordfight, Your Highness."

His voice was full of malice, but given how weak the glaucous stallion had become, Bronze Star could tell his threat was an empty one. He effortlessly raised his sword and swung it down on the hilt of Verse A. Till's. The impact of that single blow was sufficient to cause Sir Verse to drop his sword at once.

"Save your energy before you pass out from blood loss, Sir Verse," Bronze Star advised him, "I'm not going to kill you."

The glaucous stallion raised an eyebrow and remarked in perplexity "Why not?"

"I need you to tell me where the rest of your colleagues are," Bronze Star straightforwardly elucidated.

"Then you may as well kill me," Verse A. Till heatedly spat, "I will never talk."

"We'll see about that," was all Bronze Star said in response. Then he raised his sword again and struck Sir Verse on the head with the hilt, knocking him out. Almond Wheeler would be avenged soon enough, though.

Right then, Bronze Star was technically alone in his bedchamber. There were three bodies, of course, but one of them was unconscious; the other two were lifeless. The prince spent a couple minutes cleaning his sword. As he wiped Last Stroke's blade of blood, he savored his first true victory. After training in the ways of the military for almost eleven years, he finally had something to show for it.

Despite that, there was one aspect of this fiasco that puzzled him.

For the entirety of his struggle with Billow Health and Cashew Lane, the Royal Guard had never shown up. Bronze Star knew that the doors to his bedroom were not soundproof. The sounds of swords clashing, ponies yelling, and glass breaking would have been just as audible to anypony standing outside the room.

With that in mind, the Royal Guard were supposed to have entered the bedchamber the minute the fight began. Even before that, actually. Verse A. Till's shriek when Bronze Star stabbed him should have summoned them. Yet they never came through the door.

Bronze Star wondered if something was up. He decided to investigate.

After he finished cleaning Last Stroke, Bronze Star trotted over to the main entrance of the chamber. Then he slowly pulled the doors open.

When they were all the way open, he encountered a horrifying sight.

Hammer Shaft and Stone Cracker had been armed with spears when he last saw them. Now their spears had… changed position.

Hammer Shaft's spear was lodged in his throat, and Stone Cracker's spear was jettisoning from his lower body. Both stallions were lying on the ground with their eyes wide open. Not a trace of life was in either of them.

That was not the most disturbing part. The most disturbing part came when Bronze Star looked up.

Blade Bearer was standing across the hallway. He was holding a firing apparatus in his left front hoof, and he bore an evil smile on his face. He was aiming the apparatus directly at the door.

He fired once.

Bronze Star abruptly felt a sharp aching in his midsection. He gradually gazed down and saw a projectile had hit him in the middle right region of his torso. That was exactly where his Refresher Box was.

Blade Bearer set off the firing apparatus two more times, and two more projectiles hit Bronze Star in his abdomen and his upper chest. In response, the gold stallion tumbled backwards and landed on his back in the center of his bedchamber.

Bronze Star was overcome with pain and shock at the same time. It was hard to tell which was greater. The pain of being shot was unbearable, but the shock of who had shot him was enough to take his breath away. Between those two sensations, he felt it was a wonder that he was alive.

With great difficulty, Bronze Star tilted his head upwards and gazed back towards the doors. Blade Bearer calmly trotted into the room. He cast aside the firing apparatus and traded it for a dagger. He retained his wicked grin all the while.

When he reached the wounded prince, Blade Bearer knelt by his side and looked him over. Then he uttered "I'm sorry it came to this, Your Highness. I really am. I was hoping I would not have to be the one who delivered the killing blow. But I suppose I had too much faith in Sir Verse, Billow Health, and Cashew Lane."

Bronze Star's shock only increased at that. The revelations that Billow Health, Verse A. Till, and Cashew Lane had been members of the Vermane were difficult enough to fathom. But to discover that Blade Bearer – one of Bronze Star's dearest friends and most loyal bodyguards – had been involved with the Vermane… he was completely speechless.

Despite that, a lot of things suddenly made sense. Blade Bearer had been the one who ambushed Haywood McCrank in the Everfree Forest. He had only brought that up to Bronze Star to draw attention towards Sir Haywood instead of him. Blade Bearer had also been posted outside Almond Wheeler's suite when she was in surgery at the hospital. He was the one who actually killed her. Blade Bearer had also been present when half of the task force conducted an investigation with the six CEOs. When the other half of the task force had been in Detrot, Blade Bearer must have informed the Vermane that they were there.

Bronze Star could only imagine what else Blade Bearer had done to sabotage the task force's progress.

However, the next thing he learned shocked him more than anything.

Blade Bearer remained leaning next to Bronze Star, and he teasingly pronounced "Now that there are no secrets between us, there's something you should know. You know our old friend, Clear Crest? I hated her, but she was a fine officer. In every way. She only had one problem: she got in my way. Remember eight years ago, when Captain Glock relinquished his position, and we needed somepony to replace him? Of course you do; your mother oversaw the process. Eventually, we got down to two candidates: Shining Armor and Clear Crest. Had it not been for them, I probably would have become the next Captain of the Guards. I was not about to pass that opportunity up. So I took steps to try to make it happen. I found a couple of reliable hitstallions, and I hired them to go after Shining Armor. Then I went to an acquaintance of mine who was an expert at altering money trails. He modified the transaction so that it appeared to originate from Clear Crest's bank account instead of mine. Then I killed him so he wouldn't talk. My plan didn't work liked I hoped it would; the hitstallions failed to kill Shining Armor. Oh, well; at least it half-succeeded. I managed to get Clear Crest out of the picture. How about that, huh? Am I clever or am I clever?"

Bronze Star could not believe what he was hearing. Just a couple hours ago, he had been informed that there was a huge likelihood that Clear Crest had been framed for the attempt on Shining Armor's life. He had also been told that that was what drove her to begin the conspiracy against Princess Celestia.

Now this very stallion before him was confessing to having committed the crime Clear Crest had been accused of. That would have been unsettling enough if he had admitted to that any time before the Gala. But after learning what Clear Crest had done after she escaped from confinement… Blade Bearer was guilty of much more than assault, murder, and conspiracy.

He was also indirectly responsible for the entire assassination conspiracy. He was responsible for the incident in Hoofington. He was responsible for the Hoovston disaster. He was even responsible for the deaths of Esopus Spitzenburg, Clear Crest, Raoul Jowl, and the other seventeen conspirators.

Bronze Star was amazed that his sanity had nod collapsed from all the shocking discoveries he had made that night. Then again, he was in so much anguish that his sanity was apt to buckle, anyway.

Blade Bearer could tell that Bronze Star was hurting very badly. The light brown stallion was about to lessen the gold stallion's agony. Permanently.

"I think we've had enough surprises for one night," Blade Bearer contended. He took his dagger and slowly brought it up to Bronze Star's throat. He uttered in a disturbingly gentle voice "Just hold still, Your Highness, and it will be over very soon. There won't be any pain, I assure you."

Bronze Star was in no condition to resist whatever Blade Bearer did to him next. That did not mean he had accepted his fate. Even so, he had no say in it, either.

Despite that, Blade Bearer was not the only pony who had some control over the prince's fate at that time.

Right before Blade Bearer could cut Bronze Star's throat open, he was grabbed from behind, and he felt a sharp jab in his thigh. He yelled in discomfort and released his dagger. It landed harmlessly on the floor.

Blade Bearer was then roughly turned around and forced onto his back. Then he came face-to-face with Sir Haywood McCrank.

The countenance Sir Haywood bore at that moment was inexplicable. It conveyed such utter hatred, such utter rage, and such utter wrath… that one single glimpse of it would be enough to chill the blood of even the bravest of persons. It certainly had that effect on Blade Bearer; he was petrified.

"You're wrong," the indigo stallion spoke in an alarmingly calm tone that did not match his contorted face, "There will be unbearable pain."

He then grabbed the side of Blade Bearer's breastplate and tore it off with one swift movement of his left front leg. As a result, the light brown stallion's chest was left fully exposed. Haywood McCrank was holding his knife in his right front hoof, and he slowly raised it above his head.

"No… No, no!" Blade Bearer begged frantically, "No, please, NO! NO! Don't do it! Please!"

Haywood McCrank completely disregarded his pleas. When the knife was as high as his hoof could bring it, he brought it down.

Blade Bearer screamed as the blade penetrated his lower chest.

Haywood McCrank did not stop with one blow. He speedily withdrew his knife, lifted it again, and stabbed the light brown stallion in his abdomen. Once more, Blade Bearer shrieked in misery.

Sir Haywood continued to stab him repeatedly. He kept up his assault on the treacherous Royal Guard. The time in-between his blows rapidly decreased. The knife rose and fell, rose and fell, rose and fell… no less than twenty times. In half as many seconds.

Blade Bearer stopped struggled by the sixth blow, he stopped moaning by the eleventh blow, and he stopped moving by the eighteenth blow. Even then, Sir Haywood did not relent. He stabbed the light brown stallion over and over and over again.

When the number of knife openings in Blade Bearer's body was closer to one hundred than zero, Noble Edict and Copper Hollow finally arrived in the room.

Their eyes immediately went to the indigo stallion. They hastily approached him, and Copper Hollow yelled "Sir Haywood, what are you doing?!"

The federal investigator did not even acknowledge the copper stallion's remark. He just continued to stab Blade Bearer's ruined torso.

"Enough!" Noble Edict shouted, "You've got him; he's dead!"

Sir Haywood did not heed the red mare's words either. All he seemed capable of focusing on was inflicting as much damage as possible to Blade Bearer's already-mangled remains.

Finally, Noble Edict stepped forward, grabbed Haywood McCrank by his shoulders, and exclaimed "Stop this, now!"

In response to that, Sir Haywood whipped around, seized the red mare, and waved his knife through the air. He stopped it when it was just an inch away from Noble Edict's neck. Then he held it there.

Copper Hollow promptly drew his own knife. He moved forward, prepared to defend his fellow security officer.

"Stop!" Noble Edict sternly ordered him, "Stay back!"

Copper Hollow obeyed his chief's orders, though he was reluctant to comply. After he backed up five paces, Noble Edict turned her head back towards Haywood McCrank. He was still holding her close, and he was still holding his knife at her throat in a threatening manner.

Noble Edict's eyes were connected with his. When she looked into them, she saw so many powerful emotions at once. It was as though he was consumed by his primal instincts. If not, he was on the edge of madness.

The red mare knew that agitating Sir Haywood or struggling with him would produce very bad results. All she could do was try to calm him down and reason with him.

She spoke patiently and softly "Put the knife down, Sir Haywood. It's alright. I give you my word; everything will be alright."

This time, the indigo stallion heard her words. They had a soothing effect on him. His rage quickly drifted away.

It was then that he realized what he was doing to Noble Edict. He dropped his dagger and backed away from her, horrified with himself. He looked down at his front hooves, as though he could not believe they had just been on the verge of claiming the life of one of his best friends.

His guilt weighed heavily on his mind. However, it was quickly replaced by an even stronger feeling of angst. That was when he noticed Bronze Star was lying on the ground less than five feet away. His vest was soaked in three places with blood, and his eyes were barely open.

"Oh, my…" Haywood McCrank uttered in disbelief.

He rushed to the prince's side and knelt next to him. Right then, Bronze Star did not even have the strength to turn his gaze towards the indigo stallion.

Noble Edict came to Bronze Star's other side and took his front hoof in hers. She stated worriedly "Bronze? Bronze, talk to us! Please!"

He struggled to say something, but all that came out was a distorted grunt.

Haywood McCrank looked over at Copper Hollow and bellowed demandingly "Get help! NOW!"

The copper stallion nodded and turned around to leave the room. As he did, Haywood McCrank looked back down at Bronze Star and murmured softly "Your Highness? Stay with us, Your Highness. You're going to make it; I promise. We won't let you die."

His voice was strained with despair and grief, but he meant what he said.

Bronze Star would have told the indigo stallion that he believed him, but he was unable to speak even one coherent word. It was hard for him to even recognize on his own surroundings. Sounds became harder to hear, and the only thing he could smell was his own blood as it continued to leak from the wounds in his chest.

Before long, his eyesight started to become blurry as well. One moment he could clearly make out the faces of Haywood McCrank and Noble Edict above him. The next moment, all he could discern of them was a pair of indistinct shapes.

If he had looked outside right then, he would have seen that the stars in the nighttime sky were collectively becoming much dimmer. Even the shiniest of them began to reduce in brightness as the prince's vision started to fade. It was almost as if they could actually detect and share in the suffering of the Prince of Stars.

Author's Note:

Note: Well… that's it! Season 1 of my revision of the show is finally complete. My apologies to those of you who despise cliffhangers. Please understand that this is how I always intended this fanfic to end.

Now, I know I said I was going to plan to have this up on April 4th, but that was before I found out that Season 6 would premiere on March 26th. I decided it would be better if I had this story finished by then, instead. So I moved my deadline thusly.

By the way, I do plan to continue with this series. I'm not entirely certain when I will, though. Right now, I'm going to take a LONG break from fanfiction. It's gotten to be rather draining on my energy and time, and sometimes, it can be more of a chore than a hobby. I still enjoy though; believe me.

Anyway, I will continue, but don't expect my version of Season 2 to be posted for at least another month or two. I haven't even worked out a title for it yet. Whenever I do begin it, its chapters will be MUCH shorter than this one's, I assure you.

However, there is also a chance that I might not be able to find ample time for writing. But I don't intend to leave the series like this. Worst case scenario, I'll post an outline of what I planned to do for each subsequent season. That way, you'll at least know how Bronze Star and all my other OCs turn out.

All that said, I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read and review this story. Granted, I didn't get as many reviews as I was hoping for, but I suppose I should be grateful that I got ANY. And I am grateful, believe me. To those of you who took the time to write a review, please know that I greatly appreciate it.

Have a nice day, and good luck on your own fanfics, if you have any!

Comments

[Samellan]

Oh that cliffhanger! I Just hope he survives

Can't wait for start of your Season 2!

[sakuralovelight]

Hope to read the next season 2 soon

[Starlight Nova]

Did you mean to make this story so long?

[Samellan]

Hey, how's it going?

Any news on Season 2?

[ShadowLight96]

Bro. You are an outstanding author. Wether you will admit or not you are. All the twists and turns were done fantasticly and i did not see any of it coming!! I hope you can get out season 2 soon if you haven't started already. I look forward to reading it when it does or reading it right after this. Anyways. Great god damn story and i don't regret giving yoir story a chance.

[Kelvinnkat]

So why and how did Mauser's wife die? Also, what did Walther do to her daughter?

[damnaion]

The last around 10 chapters need at least a rewritten so this season can be is best because it was a hell to get through to read I ended up very lightly scimeing through it.