> Stages Of Life
>  by TheEquestrianWing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite growing up in an extremely safe and secure environment, the Prince Bronze Star was no stranger to hardship. His mother, Princess Celestia, would have loved to have sheltered him from all the difficulties of everyday life, but she always knew she could not. To convince him that life was free of troubles would have been irresponsible and impractical. Aside from that, just as she was her country's past and present, Bronze Star was its future. As the heir to the throne, he was expected to understand the trials and tribulations of the common ponies of Equestria. Otherwise he would never make a good leader.

As such, Celestia had played a very active part in her son's rearing. She wished to ensure that he understood that while ponies were meant to enjoy life, it was not supposed to be easy, not even for the privileged few of the Canterlot Royalty.

At an early age, he was taught that the well-being of others needed to be placed about his own well-being. He had been a little slow to understand and accept that lesson, but once he got a firm grasp of it, his mother began educating Bronze Star on what was expected of him.

She started by having him read elaborated records of Equestria's history. Anytime he came across a dark or tragic period – few though there had been during his mother's relatively peaceful reign – she asked him what he would have done to fix it. Initially, he gave inadequate or unideal answers, but eventually, every one of his proposals was just what she had been hoping for. Sometimes, his solutions were even better than the ones she had envisioned.

That was only the first part of Celestia's plan to enlighten her son on the struggles in the world. Whenever a crisis emerged anywhere in the country, Celestia sought her son's counsel on how to approach and correct the fiasco. Whenever the Castle's servants were overworked or shorthoofed, she had him assist them with their duties. When he was old enough to wield a sword, she had him train in the ways of the military. When he was of age, she had him attend her meetings with the War Council.

She had frequently given him tasks that were often arduous, stressful, and occasionally even a little demeaning. Even so, Bronze Star never once complained. He loved his mother with all his heart, and he knew full well that she loved him just as much. Plus, he still grew up in luxury. Aside from that, he knew that these assignments were meant to make him a better pony.

Not only did this upbringing make him a strong, devout, and hardened stallion, but it also made him into a very humble, compassionate, and empathetic pony. Celestia could not have wished for a finer heir. So proud was she of Bronze Star that she genuinely believed that whenever she stepped down, he would be an even greater ruler than she was.

Although Bronze Star was now fully aware of all the problems faced by ordinary ponies, he was still relatively inexperienced in facing many of those problems himself. He had never yearned for anything. He had never been sick, he had never been hungry, he had never been thirsty, he had never been poor. Just about everypony he knew had always treated him with respect, adoration, dignity, and love.

He was by no means unacquainted with hurt, however. He did know what it meant to be in pain. He had plenty of experiences to prove it.

When he was three, his mother had told him that it was impossible to teleport out of the Castle. Within the Castle, yes, but in or out of it, no. Give his foalish nature, he had naively chosen to ignore his mother's caution. One morning, he had been flying around the throne room. At one point, he had flown at great speed towards one of the stained-glass windows. Unwilling to change his path, he had tried to teleport to the other side of the window. Instead, he sailed right through it.

His mother had been far more frustrated by how her son had blatantly ignored her warning than she had been by the broken window. All the same, she did not punish him; the injuries he had received from the shards of glass were chastisement enough. Plus, he learned his lesson; he never once tried teleporting in or out of the Castle ever again.

That was only the first of Bronze Star's many encounters with pain.

When he was five, he had tripped on a stairwell and fallen two stories to its base. Oddly enough, he was being given a lesson on proper poise and grace at the time of that mishap. When asked by his instructor why he fell, the prince could only claim that his mind had been elsewhere.

When he was eight, the Castle's chef Haute Cuisine made him one of his favorite treats, cherry and lemon tarts. Bronze Star helped himself to one fresh out of the oven. A little too fresh out; he had all but burnt his mouth when he bit into it. His tongue and gums were almost completely numb for three days afterwards.

When he was twelve, he had been flying with his mother in the open skies above Canterlot. Although Celestia was clearly the superior flyer, her son was determined to lap her. His efforts to overcome her seemed to be in vain, but he refused to yield. His persistence won over his rationale, and he ended up spraining one of his wings.

Ever since he was fifteen, he had received countless scrapes, bruises, bumps, minor cuts, and a few scars from his eleven years of military training. Of course, those were just as much his fault as his other injuries. At the prince's urging, his trainers had treated him the way they would treat any other recruit in the armed forces. So they never – not once – went easy on him.

So pain was a subject Bronze Star had a lot to talk about. Regardless, he had learned some invaluable lesson from each one of his injuries. Elegance, patience, tact, durability… pain had reaffirmed those qualities in him.

Plus, his trainers had told him "Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." That was definitely true. Overtime, he had developed an immunity to most physical forms of pain, and many things that would typically kill a normal pony would hardly even hurt him. One could very well argue that he was the strongest stallion in the whole of Equestria.

That was not to say he was impervious to pain altogether. He could still be wounded by certain means.

On a night almost a year ago, he had received a gash from a spiked club on his temple, just below his ear. That same night, he had been thrown roughly against a stone wall.

About a month after that, he had practically gotten his right front hoof cut open. Later on, he ended up regarding that as a rather humorous event, but his wound had hurt profoundly at the time.

Another month later, he had lost all feeling in his mouth and developed an unpleasant stutter for half a day. That turned out to be an even more humorous event, but it was still extremely unpleasant and somewhat degrading, as well.

All those damages were trivial compared to the one he had received just two months prior. On that occasion, Bronze Star had been stabbed directly in his chest. The blade that had done the deed was sharper than a razor and straighter than an arrow. Worse yet, he had been unable to get the injury treated or relieve himself of the pain afterwards. Had it not been for his extraordinary resilience and his Alicorn anatomy, he would have almost certainly died.

Although he eventually recovered from that wound, it had been the worst injury he had ever received in his life by far. He did find some comfort from it, however. He was confident that he would never be in that much pain ever again.

At the present, he was having second thoughts about that belief. Or rather, he would have had those thoughts, had his mind not been so preoccupied on the trauma his body was undergoing.

Bronze Star was currently in his bedchamber at Canterlot Castle.

He was lying flat on his back in the center of the room. His maroon mane was somewhat disheveled and soaked with sweat, and his silver irises were almost concealed by his twitching eyelids.

It was the night of the Grand Galloping Gala, in which ponies from all over the country came to pay homage to the Canterlot Royalty and partake in the hospitality of the capital city. Since he had been required to attend, Bronze Star had worn his regalia to the dance. He still wore it now.

His attire was simple but stately. He wore two pairs of soft shoes, a vest of velvet, a special cloak made by a friend, and a crown fit for a prince.

At this moment, his vest was in a sorry state; there were three holes in it. Those holes had been made by three projectiles of lead. The projectiles had sailed straight through his vest, but only partly through his torso. One had punctured a critical organ in his midsection. Another was caught in his abdomen, and the third was wedged in his upper chest.

Thick red blood was slowly pouring out of the three holes. His own blood. It spread over the prince's gold coat and onto the floor around him.

Standing over Bronze Star was an indigo stallion. This was Superintendent Haywood McCrank, a knighted senior member of the Intelligence Bureau, Equestria's primary resource of research and information. He was by the prince's left side.

His right side was occupied, too. On that side was a red mare. That was Lady Noble Edict, the steadfast chief of security of Equestria's most peaceful town, Ponyville.

The two of them were desperately trying to stabilize the wounded prince until help arrived. While Haywood McCrank struggled to get the bleeding to stop, Noble Edict spoke softly to him, in effort to get a verbal response out of him.

Bronze Star barely had the strength to talk. The most he could produce was a light groan of anguish. Even opening his mouth was a chore.

Moving proved to be equally laborious. With great difficulty, Bronze Star managed to turn his head to this left. He saw a light brown stallion lying on the ground nearby.

This stallion was wearing the trademark helmet and boots of the Royal Guard, but the breastplate that accompanied his suit of armor had been removed.

His chest was a dark red, completely soaked with blood that gushed from his own recently-inflicted wounds. A knife with a bloodied blade could be found near his body. He had been stabbed so many times that his chest was almost unrecognizable.

This was Lieutenant Commander Blade Bearer, a sworn protector of the Equestrian Royalty, one of the prince's closest affiliates… and the pony responsible for his current predicament.

His assassination attempt on Bronze Star's life would have succeeded, had it not been for the timely intervention of Sir Haywood McCrank. The indigo stallion had pulled the traitor away from the prince and wielded a knife over him. After nearly a hundred thrusts of Sir Haywood's knife, Blade Bearer and his treachery were put to a swift end.

While the threat against Bronze Star had been eradicated, plenty of damage had already been done. Haywood McCrank and Noble Edict were determined to undo that damage. They were not just Bronze Star's loyal subjects; they were dear friends of his, as well.

Both of them had come to the Gala in the company of the prince and three other ponies.

One of those other three – a copper stallion – was at the entrance of the bedchamber. He was Copper Hollow, Ponyville's Deputy Chief of security. A moment ago, Haywood McCrank had ordered him to go and find help.

Just as the copper stallion stepped out into the hallway, he was approached by two other ponies. They were a purple mare and an olive stallion. Those were the other two ponies that had accompanied Bronze Star to the Gala. They were his secretary Dapple Rhomb and her husband Rough Rider.

The two of them had originally been running to this place alongside Haywood McCrank, Copper Hollow, and Noble Edict. However, as the barely notable bump on Dapple Rhomb's abdomen indicated, she was almost three months pregnant. As such, she had fallen behind, and Rough Rider had been compelled to linger for his wife. That was why they had arrived later than the other three.

When they reached their destination, their eyes immediately went to two figures lying on the ground in front of the entrance. Both of them were clad in the standard light gold armor of the Royal Guard as well. One of them had a spear sticking out of his throat. The other had another spear protruding from his lower chest.

Their names were Stone Cracker and Hammer Shaft. They were two of the longest-serving active officers of the Castle Guard. Unlike the traitor Blade Bearer, the two of them had honored their oaths. They had paid for their loyalty with their lives. Blade Bearer had brutally murdered them when his hostile intentions had been revealed.

"What the Tartarus happened here?" Rough Rider muttered in astonishment.

"Well, I just got here a minute ago," Copper Hollow disclosed, "But from the look of things, Blade Bearer turned his coat. He did this."

"But why?" Dapple Rhomb asked in shock.

"Because any true officer of the Royal Guard would have willingly died defending a member of the Canterlot Royalty," Noble Edict perceived, looking towards the door.

Rough Rider raised an eyebrow and inquired "What does she mean?"

"Blade Bearer tried to kill the prince," Haywood McCrank called over his shoulder.

Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider seemed to pale at those words.

"Don't worry," Copper Hollow assured them with a note of malice, "He didn't succeed. Sir Haywood killed the bastard. Put a knife in his gut about six dozen times."

"Enough talk!" Haywood McCrank barked impatiently, "Copper, I thought I told you to get help!"

"Alright, alright!" the copper stallion coincided, holding up his left front hoof, "Who should I get?"

"Anypony you can find!" Haywood McCrank proclaimed.

"Ideally, a doctor and some of the Royal Guard!" Noble Edict clarified.

"Okay," Copper Hollow avowed, "I'll see if I can find Captain Shining Armor and the Surgeon General. I'll be back as soon as I do!"

With that, the copper stallion turned away from the double doors to Bronze Star's bedroom and galloped back in the direction he came.

As soon as Copper Hollow disappeared around the corner, Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb hastily entered the bedchamber. They tentatively approached Noble Edict and Haywood McCrank, who were still crouched by the sides of the wounded gold stallion.

Dapple Rhomb was horrified when she saw what had been done to Bronze Star, whereas Rough Rider could only frown in despair. Noble Edict seemed equally glum, but Haywood McCrank was determined not to lose faith.

"I think I can keep the prince conscious," the indigo stallion professed, gazing around at the companions, "I need you three to check out the others. Hopefully he left one of them alive."

By "others," he was referring to three more ponies that were in that room at that time.

A shamrock stallion was lying by the bed. He had a huge abrasion on his forehead, and his throat had a long, deep incision in the center of it.

A russet stallion was lying by the desk. He had two openings in his body. One was in the side of his neck; the other was much larger and in his chest.

A glaucous stallion was slouching against a table near the balcony. His right front hoof was lying on the top of the table. It had been impaled by a knife. The blade of said knife was wedged in the surface of the table.

Before Blade Bearer came in, Bronze Star had sparred with those three stallions. Their goal had been the same as Blade Bearer's, but their attempts had been far less successful. Their current conditions were the results of his victory over them.

Rough Rider went over to the russet stallion, Dapple Rhomb went over to the shamrock stallion, and Noble Edict went over to the glaucous stallion. They proceeded to examine them for pulses, heartbeats, or signs of breathing.

"Billow Health is dead," Rough Rider announced.

"So is Cashew Lane," Dapple Rhomb declared.

Noble Edict lifted up the glaucous stallion's head and opened one of his eyes. Then she placed her ear against his chest and listened closely. A moment later, she revealed to the others "Sir Verse A. Till is still alive."

"Good," Haywood McCrank murmured, "Make sure he stays that way. We're going to need him for interrogation later on."

"I'll do what I can," Noble Edict stated, turning her attention to the knife in the glaucous stallion's hoof, "He's lost a lot of blood, though."

"I don't care," Haywood McCrank sharply retorted, "Until he's been questioned, his survival is of paramount importance."

"I understand, Sir Haywood," Noble Edict asserted, "Rough, Dapple, give me a hoof with this."

As the olive stallion and the purple mare assisted the red mare with the passed out Verse A. Till, Haywood McCrank kept doing what he could to keep Bronze Star conscious.

He slowly lifted the gold stallion's head and held him up by the back of it with his right front hoof. With his left front hoof, he gently rubbed Bronze Star's temple. He knew full well that this gesture would only provide a trivial – almost insignificant – amount of relief to the prince, but it was all Sir Haywood could do to comfort him.

There were no lights on in Bronze Star's bedroom. Its only source of illumination was provided by the lamps and candles in the adjoining hallway. Some of that light had been cast upon Bronze Star and Haywood McCrank.

Right then, most of that light vanished when a shadow passed over the two stallions. Haywood McCrank promptly looked up and saw a tall palomino Pegasus stallion standing in the doorframe.

That was Lord Bellerophon, Canterlot Castle's chief of staff. He was well-known for being in total control of his mannerisms and actions. He was generally a very stoic individual, and he rarely became emotionally invested in anything. Basically, he was perhaps the one pony who could always remain calm and levelheaded in any dilemma.

So the expression of absolute shock and terror he presently wore on his face was not only irregular; it was downright unsettling.

"What…" he mumbled quietly. That was all he could say. After that, he just stared at Bronze Star, completely flabbergasted.

"My lord?" Haywood McCrank uttered softly in concern.

The palomino stallion did not respond. He was fixated by the sight of the injured prince. Bronze Star was the son of the mare he had sworn to serve. By extension, he had also sworn to serve the gold stallion, and he had never failed him before.

"My lord!" Haywood McCrank yelled.

That seemed to snap Bellerophon out of his reverie. He looked to the indigo stallion and said "Yes?"

"Are you with us, my lord?" Sir Haywood asked rhetocially, "We need you with us."

"I'm… with you, Sir Haywood," Lord Bellerophon remarked uneasily, "Princess Luna sent me. She claimed she felt some form of disturbance here."

"She told you true," Haywood disclosed, "Copper Hollow went for aid. He should be back at any time. We're just waiting for him to return."

"Alright," Bellerophon acknowledged, composing himself, "You continue waiting for him here. I must go now."

As the palomino Pegasus started to turn away, Noble Edict inquired curiously "Go where, my lord?"

"To find Princess Celestia," Lord Bellerophon grimly specified, "She needs to be informed that her son is now fighting for his life."
> Firm Belief
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although the Grand Galloping Gala had officially ended over an hour ago, many of the attendees had lingered in the Castle. They were not required to vacate until Princess Celestia raised the Sun that day, which would be at about 7:00 in the morning. Currently, it was only 2:45.

This particular Gala had been a rather unorthodox one. Due to the actions of some of the younger first-time guests, the ballroom was virtually in shambles.

A number of the guests had already departed, including the majority of the Canterlot Elite. That was hardly surprising, considering their uptight demeanors and rigid views on stability and order.

Some of them would regard this event as downright scandalous and disgraceful. Not Princess Celestia or her son; they thought it was a welcome change of pace. This Gala was far livelier than any previous one in the last century. Some would think of it as a disaster; others would think of it as a thrill.

Of course, there was only one specific thing that the morning after the Gala would be remembered for in the future, and it was not something anypony would ever wish to remember.

Presently, a number of attendees were gathered around the buffet table. Among them was Purple Heart, the Surgeon General and the Equestrian Royalty's personal physician.

Purple Heart was in his late sixties, but he was still just as capable and competent as he had been when he first acquired his medical license. He had been practicing his trade for over forty-five years, and he had been serving Princess Celestia for more than half of that time. In that timeframe, he was said to have performed wonders with medicine. He had even been the one who delivered Prince Bronze Star.

At that moment, Purple Heart was surrounded by a small group of medical students. In his left front hoof, he held a glass of champagne. It was only his second glass since the Gala began. He always drank responsibly, just in case his services were ever required.

He was telling the medical students a story from his early days as a combat medic. He recounted "This is how it happened. We were caught in the crosshairs of that violent skirmish between the loyalists and the insurgents. Saddle Arabia is not a very inviting country, believe me. Anyway, there was this explosion, and when the smoke lifted, the upper half of the Colonel's wing had been all but severed from the lower half. Any normal physician would have declared on the spot that he would never fly again. I made no such premature diagnosis. Right there, right in the middle of that battlefield, using only my first aid kit, I reattached the Colonel's wing. Not only was he able to fly; he went on to become a trainer for the Wonderbolts."

A couple of the medical students whistled in amazement. Several more nodded, impressed. One of the older students cocked her head and uttered skeptically "Did that really happen, sir?"

"Do you believe I would lie about my accomplishments, my dear?" Purple Heart countered.

"I'd like to think not," the mare rejoined, "But forgive me if I think your story sounds a little… implausible."

Purple Heart just smirked, looked further down the buffet table, and called out "Lord Vortex!"

A Pegasus even older than Purple Heart had been standing near the head of the table. When he heard his name, he stopped what he was doing, trotted over to the royal physician, and said "You called for me, Doctor?"

"Yes, my lord," Purple Heart affirmed, "How was your trip from Cloudsdale?"

"Well, my wife finally convinced me to take a carriage this year," Vortex replied, "Travelling by land isn't as exciting as by air, but it has its perks."

"While I have no experience in flying, I'm inclined to agree with your wife," Purple Heart observed, "That method of travel is better for your health."

"I won't argue with you," Vortex conceded, "You're the lifelong M.D., after all."

Purple Heart smiled and nodded his head. Then he muttered "At any rate, remember when we served together in Saddle Arabia?"

"How could I forget?" Lord Vortex debated, "We were instrumental in renewing the alliance between that country and ours. It was certainly a life-changing event. You could even say that we all left a part of ourselves back there."

"Almost literally in your case," Purple Heart wittily commented.

"True," Vortex concurred, "Thankfully, you were there."

"I just told these aspiring students that tale," Purple Heart disclosed, gesturing to the nearby ponies. He then gestured to the pony who had questioned him and stated "This mare doubts its credibility. Care to disprove her?"

"Gladly," the slightly elder stallion said through a grin. He turned so that his left side was facing the doctor and the students. He wore a tuxedo, but two holes had been cut for his wings to poke through. He extended his left wing and stepped closer to the other ponies. Looking closely, they could see a telltale incision mark halfway down the middle of the wing. That was where it had been surgically mended back together.

"You were saying?" Purple Heart wryly muttered, turning back to the skeptical student.

"My apologies, Doctor," the mare murmured hastily, gazing away in shame.

"You've done nothing that requires forgiveness, my dear," Purple Heart assured her, "You are right to keep an open mind. After all, everypony tends to exaggerate his or her abilities. But that does not change the fact that everypony – even doctors – can only do so much. We can cure disease, we can heal injuries, and we can achieve breakthroughs in anatomy and medicine, but we cannot save everypony. I repaired Lord Vortex's wing, but if things had been just a little different, I could have had to amputate it instead. I can perform wonders, but I cannot perform miracles. Even in this world of magic and science, miracles do no happen. Remember that, all of you."

The medical students solemnly nodded their heads and mumbled in compliance. Purple Heart could not help but beam in pride.

Just then, he heard a frantic voice shout "Out of the way! Move!"

Purple Heart, Lord Vortex, and the medical students turned in the direction of the disturbance. They saw a copper stallion heading down the corridor. He was galloping at a ceaselessly increasing pace, stopping for nopony. A few ponies yelped and dove aside as he made his way through the crowd.

Copper Hollow came to an abrupt halt when he was at the center of the buffet table. As he struggled to catch his breath, he looked around in all directions. When his eyes caught sight of Purple Heart, he staggered over to the legendary physician. He sputtered "Doctor…"

The medical students swiftly stepped aside so that Copper Hollow did not have to force his way through them. He stopped four feet from Purple Heart and said through labored breaths "Doc… doctor, I… I…"

He coughed violently into his shoulder. He tried to continue talking, but all he could do was gasp for air. Just by looking at the copper stallion, Purple Heart could tell that he was exhausted.

"Calm down, my boy," Purple Heart urged him, "Give yourself a moment. If you don't catch your breath, you're going to hyperventilate."

Copper Hollow lightly nodded his head and starting taking in some deep breaths. After a few seconds, his respiration became a little steadier.

"Somepony get him a glass of water," Lord Vortex proposed.

One of the Unicorn medical students used her magic to summon a tall glass of iced water from the buffet table. She levitated it over to Copper Hollow, who gladly accepted it. He drained half the glass in one gulp. Thirty seconds later, he had regained his breath enough so that he could speak clearly.

"Hey, weren't you with the prince earlier?" Another of the medical students enquired.

"Yes," Copper Hollow confirmed, "I came with him."

"Came with him?" Lord Vortex noted, "Wasn't he already here when you arrived?"

Copper Hollow quickly remembered that nopony was supposed to know that Bronze Star had actually been living in Ponyville for the last eleven months. Only ponies the prince had chosen to trust with that information could know the truth.

"I meant I came by his invitation," the copper stallion quickly corrected himself. He then vigorously shook his head and shouted "That's not important!"

That sudden outburst stunned everypony there. Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard had just entered the room. When he heard Copper Hollow shout, he trotted over to him and asked nopony in particular "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine, Captain," Lord Vortex contended.

"No, it's not," Copper Hollow sternly countered. He was grateful that Shining Armor had arrived when he did. He had saved the copper stallion from having to run around again to find him, as well.

Copper Hollow looked from Shining Armor to Purple Heart and told them "Doctor, Captain, I need you to go upstairs to Bronze Star's bedchamber straightaway."

"What for?" Purple Heart

"He was just shot," Copper Hollow straightforwardly informed them.

Shining Armor, Purple Heart, and everypony else would have been taken aback by the bluntness in the copper stallion's voice, had it not been for the content of that statement. Almost all of them looked as though they thought or wished that they had misheard him.

"That's impossible," Shining Armor softly muttered.

"Is it?" Copper Hollow irately countered, "Then would you care to explain to me why he's now lying on the ground of his bedroom and bleeding from three spots in his body?"

"My Celestia…" Lord Vortex muttered quietly, "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course, I'm serious!" Copper Hollow impatiently shrieked, "What kind of sick son of a bitch would joke about a thing like this?!"

"Son, if you keep yelling at the top of your voice like this, you're definitely going to hyperventilate," Purple Heart warned him.

"I'm sorry," Copper Hollow asserted, easing down, "But you shouldn't worry too much about me, Doctor. Prince Bronze Star is the one who needs you. He could be dying!"

Purple Heart nodded his head in agreement. He set his unfinished champagne glass on the buffet table and firmly said "Lead the way."

Copper Hollow then started making his way back to Bronze Star's bedroom. Purple Heart and Shining Armor trotted alongside him. Lord Vortex and all of the medical students decided to follow, as well.

Before they were even out of the room, Copper Hollow looked back at them and remarked "While I'm sure Bronze Star would appreciate your concern, I'm pretty sure he would not wish to be seen by so many people in his present state. So please don't feel compelled to join us."

"No, let them come," Purple Heart suggested, "I gave most of my staff the night off, and aside from that, nearly all of them are probably asleep at this hour. I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"Okay, as you say, Doctor," Copper Hollow conceded.

The group trotted in silence for a little while, and then Shining Armor inquired "How bad was the prince doing when you last saw him?"

"I can't really say," Copper Hollow glumly admitted, "I only got a glimpse of him before I came to find you. Sir Haywood McCrank was tending to him when I left."

After a short pause, he added "In any case, we're going to need some body bags for when we get there."

Shining Armor sharply turned to the copper stallion and demanded "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that the people who attacked Bronze Star have already paid for it," Copper Hollow proclaimed, "There are at least three corpses up there. Could be as many as six."

"Six?" Shining Armor uttered in surprise and frustration, "And where were the Royal Guard who were supposed to be protecting him?"

Copper Hollow anxiously gazed off to the side, and then he murmured "I should probably wait until we get there to answer that."

…

Princess Celestia had been out in the city since midnight. Most of that time, she had been in the company of six young mares and a baby dragon.

The young mares were known by their friends and neighbors as Applejack the apple farmer, Fluttershy the veterinarian, Pinkie Pie the party planner, Rainbow Dash the weather maker, Rarity the fashion designer, and Twilight Sparkle the magic student. The baby dragon was Spike, Twilight's assistant.

Although the six mares were very different from each other, they formed a close-knit circle of friends. As it happened, Prince Bronze Star was part of that circle. In fact, he was much more than just friends with one of those mares.

For the past two and a-half hours, Celestia had been socializing with Spike and the six mares in one of Canterlot's donut shops. They had talked about a variety of topics, primarily everything that had transpired at the Gala. The evening had started out a grave disappointment to all of them, but in the long run, it had been the most fun and excitement any of them had had in the past year. That was saying something, considering how eventful their lives had been since the last Summer Sun Celebration.

They had even gone so far as to call it the Best Night Ever. Of course, they had made that assessment before the night had actually ended. So they still had time to change it.

At around 2:15, Celestia proposed that they head back to the Castle. Twilight Sparkle and her friends were initially concerned that the other party-goers would still be cross with them for virtually wrecking the ballroom. However, Princess Celestia encouraged her apprentice and her companions that it was safe for them to go back.

At 2:30, the group of seven ponies and one baby dragon arrived at the main entrance of the Castle. The instant they passed through the massive double doors, Pinkie Pie clutched her midsection and let out a light groan. The others noticed and turned to her.

"You doin' okay, Pinkie?" Applejack asked her friend in worry.

"I… I think so," the pink mare stated apprehensively.

Twilight Sparkle knew what was going on. Pinkie Pie had a unique sixth sense known as Pinkie Sense. It involved her ability to predict the future through twitches on her body. Basically, whenever her body spontaneously convulsed in a certain way, it signified that something special was about to occur.

Pinkie Sense may have sounded absurd to some. Twilight Sparkle herself had vehemently tried to disprove its existence. But even she had been unable to deny its validity in the end.

Most of the time, the twitches were relatively harmless and gentle, and often, they forecasted inconsequential or unimportant things. However, every now and then, Pinkie's sense could actually hurt her and predict an imminent tragedy.

This was one of those times. She had felt a sharp stinging sensation in her chest, right where her heart was. That was by far her least favorite twitch. Not only did it bring her the most pain, but it also signified that at that same time, somepony somewhere was in tremendous agony or despair.

She had only explained this specific twitch to two other ponies. One of them was Twilight Sparkle. The other was the very pony whose anguish she was sensing.

Twilight Sparkle hastily approached the pink mare and asked her "What's going on? Do you know what's about to happen? Who's in trouble?"

The last time Pinkie felt that heartache twitch, hundreds of ponies had been involved in a terrible accident. However, that accident had happened in a city that was hundreds of miles from Ponyville. This time, from what Pinkie could tell, her twitch was focused on just one individual, but the origin was extremely close.

"Whoever it is…" Pinkie Pie nervously revealed, "It has to be somepony in this building."

"I believe she is correct," Princess Celestia contended, staring straight in front of her, "I just felt a tremor."

"A what?" Rainbow Dash queried in confusion.

"That's the only way to describe it," Celestia professed, "The stable and peaceful nature of Equestria can be compared to a flat plain. Whenever anything is done that could deeply upset that stability and peace, it is as though an earthquake has struck that otherwise tranquil meadow. As the ruler of Equestria, I can sense the state of this country at all times. Right now… the balance has been disturbed."

"By what?" Fluttershy nervously enquired

"Yes, whatever could have caused that?" Rarity murmured curiously.

Before anypony had a chance to present a hypothesis, Lord Bellerophon appeared before them. He swiftly approached the group of eight and stood directly in front of Princess Celestia. He was evidently shaken by something, but despite his unsettled mindset, he managed to say "Your Highness, I come with… what I can only describe as the worst possible news I will ever have to present to you."

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike were deeply unsettled by that statement. Despite the palomino Pegasus' ominous presentation, Princess Celestia managed to retain her composure and avoid appearing anxious. She calmly asked her chief of staff "What has happened, my lord?"

"It's Prince Bronze Star," Bellerophon apprised her, "He was just attacked."

The six young mares and the baby dragon all reacted differently to that bit of information. Spike fainted, Pinkie Pie loudly gasped, Rainbow Dash covered her mouth, Rarity stared forlornly off to the side, Fluttershy whimpered in fright, Twilight Sparkle whispered "No," and Applejack stumbled a bit.

This time, even Princess Celestia reacted unpleasantly. Celestia's emotional rigidity failed her. Her eyes widened exponentially, her jaw gradually dropped, and she hardly moved as much as an inch for the next minute. It was as though she was in shock.

Bellerophon could only imagine what was going through her mind at that time. The concept of losing one's child would be enough to devastate any loving parent. Even so, he had a job to do, and his duty required him to keep her focused. He uttered softly "Your Highness?"

That seemed to bring her back. Over the next minute, Celestia's facial features returned, and she once again bore her usual tranquil countenance. She said in a hauntingly calm voice "That is not the worst possible news you could ever give me, my lord."

"It's not?" Bellerophon muttered in astonishment.

"No, the absolute worst would be if you were to tell me I no longer have a son," Celestia softly yet emotionlessly debated. She took two steps closer to the palomino Pegasus and asked him worriedly "Do I?"

Bellerophon gently nodded and told her reassuringly "You do."

"Then take me to him," Celestia decisively demanded, "Now."

"Of course, Your Highness," her chief of staff conceded.

Before they went anywhere, Princess Celestia turned to the six mares and the baby dragon and told them "You should all come with us. Bronze Star would want all of you beside him."

They all nodded their heads in agreement. She then focused on one of the mares and added in "Especially you."

That particular mare was surprised to have been singled out in such a way, but she was not about to say anything against the Princess. Especially since she could not deny that claim. If anything, she was honored to have received that distinction.

"Take us to Bronze Star, my lord," Celestia bade Bellerophon, "Take me to my son."

The palomino Pegasus swiftly escorted the eight of them back upstairs. As they trotted, several of them started to think that they had prematurely judged this Gala, and they were reconsidering their stance on it in the overall scheme of things.

Best Night Ever? Perhaps not.

…

Meanwhile, Copper Hollow had just returned to Bronze Star's bedchamber with Purple Heart, Shining Armor, Vortex, and the herd of medical students. To avoid overcrowding, the medical students were instructed to remain out in the corridor.

Shining Armor was alarmed when he saw the bodies of Stone Cracker and Hammer Shaft. When he saw Blade Bearer's corpse, he was outraged. He angrily snapped "Who would dare do this to a member of the Royal Guard?"

"That'd be me," Haywood McCrank nonchalantly replied. He was still cradling Bronze Star in his front legs. The prince was as unresponsive and motionless as he had been fifteen minutes ago, but he was still conscious. Purple Heart trotted over to Bronze Star and knelt next to him to examine him. Sir Haywood released his grip on the gold stallion and backed up a bit so the Surgeon General could work, but he stayed close by.

"Explain yourself, Sir Haywood," Shining Armor sharply commanded him.

Copper Hollow quickly came to the indigo stallion's defense. He stood between Haywood McCrank and Shining Armor, and he proclaimed "You should be thanking Sir Haywood, Captain. He did your job for you."

"What?" Shining Armor queried in perplexity.

"Blade Bearer was a traitor," Copper Hollow elaborated, "For that, he met a traitor's death."

"You mean he's the one who did this?" Vortex presumed.

"If by 'this,' you mean what happened to Stone Cracker, Hammer Shaft, and Bronze Star, then yes, Lord Vortex," Noble Edict professed, "He didn't do anything on this side of the room, though."

She, Dapple Rhomb, and Rough Rider had just managed to extract the knife that was pinning Verse A. Till's right front hoof to the table near the balcony. The glaucous stallion had already lost enough blood that he would remain unconscious for at least the next few hours. However, from what they could tell, there was nothing to indicate that he would die in the near future. At least that was what they hoped.

"And who's to blame for that?" Lord Vortex asked, gesturing to the bodies of Cashew Lane, Billow Health, and Verse A. Till.

"That would be Bronze Star himself," Rough Rider revealed, "These three came for him right before Blade Bearer."

"Luckily, he managed to hold them off," Dapple Rhomb explicated.

"Are they all dead, too?" Shining Armor queried.

"This one isn't," Noble Edict declared, gesturing to the stallion she and the two spouses were supporting.

"Isn't that Sir Verse A. Till?" Lord Vortex noted in interest.

"Yes," Copper Hollow drily affirmed, "Somehow, he's involved in this fiasco, as well."

Purple Heart had not spoken a word since he had entered the room. He had inspected Bronze Star's wounds in total silence. He was about to make a prognosis, but there was one more thing he needed to check first.

"Your Highness, can you hear me?" the Surgeon General asked the prince. He gazed into his eyes and spoke softly "Blink twice if you can understand."

Although Bronze Star was struggling just to stay awake, he managed to close his eyelids two times in rapid succession. Purple Heart let out a sigh of relief and announced "He's still all there. But we have to work quickly. He's suffered a number of internal injuries."

He looked over at the medical students crowded by the door, and he enquired "How many of you know how to prepare a surgical unit?"

About a third of the students raised one of their front hooves. That was fewer than the Surgeon General had expected, but it was still plenty.

"Okay," Purple Heart acknowledged, "Those of you who raised your hooves, I need you to go to the hospital wing and get one ready. The rest of you, go there anyway and bring back seven gurneys."

"We'll do as you ask, Doctor," the skeptical mare from earlier pronounced, "But there is a… complication. None of us has ever been to the hospital wing."

"Lord Vortex knows the way," Purple Heart muttered. He turned to the elderly Pegasus and requested "Can you lead them there, my lord?"

"Absolutely," the ex-Colonel responded. He trotted back out into the hall and beckoned the medical students to follow him, saying "Come this way."

As the sounds of the group's hoofsteps faded down the hallway, Purple Heart looked back down at Bronze Star. He leaned down to his ear and whispered to him "Hang in there, Your Highness. You're in good hooves."

Normally, Bronze Star would have taken Purple Heart's word without question. However, he had just been double-crossed by four ponies he had believed to be his allies. So he was not in a very trusting mood. Even so, he still wanted to believe the Surgeon General's words. Purple Heart had brought him into this world, after all. The prince hoped he could rely on him to keep him in it, as well.
> Reacting Quickly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time the larger group of medical students returned with the gurneys, Bronze Star was starting to space out. He vaguely gave any notice to being lifted up off the ground by Purple Heart and three of the students. Nor did he give any reaction to being set gently down on a stretcher and getting strapped down to it. The straps were not tight, thankfully. The last thing the gold stallion's chest needed at that time was for additional pressure to be put on it.

As soon as Bronze Star was secure, Purple Heart and those same three students rolled him out of the room. The rest of the students stayed behind to load the other bodies onto the other six gurneys. Blade Bearer, Billow Health, Cashew Lane, Hammer Shaft, and Stone Cracker were strapped down to their stretchers, even though they would only get off those gurneys if somepony pushed them. Verse A Till was the only other one who was alive; he was strapped and shackled to his stretcher.

Shining Armor, Haywood McCrank, and Vortex accompanied the Surgeon General to the hospital wing. Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, Rough Rider, and Dapple Rhomb stayed behind in Bronze Star's bedchamber for when Lord Bellerophon returned with Princess Celestia.

It only took five minutes for Bronze Star to be transported from his room to the hospital wing. The surgical unit had been prepared by the other medical students. Bronze Star was wheeled over to it, and he was transferred from the gurney to the operating table. His regalia was swiftly removed, but only his crown and his soft shoes could be salvaged. His already-ruined vest had to be cut off with scissors, and his cloak was too drenched in blood to ever be worn again.

After Bronze Star was hooked up to life support, Purple Heart had all the medical students gather around him in a semi-circle. Then he announced "Listen up. The prince has taken three projectiles to three of his internal organs. All three have sustained massive damage. I'm going to have to conduct an extensive vascular and arterial surgical procedure. This operation will take at least four hours. It could be as many as eight or nine. However, I won't have access to my staff for another five."

"Wait; why not, Doctor?" Haywood McCrank cut in.

"Because they're all asleep," Purple Heart revealed.

"So, get them out of bed," Haywood bluntly recommended.

"It would take too long to rouse them," the Surgeon General debated, "My staff will check in at about eight o'clock. Until then, I'll have to make do with this bunch. But don't worry; they are fully qualified. Aside from that, I would always choose a wide-awake novice over a half-asleep professional."

"But they don't even have their licenses yet," Vortex pointed out.

"Actually, Lord Vortex, we're just about to finish up our last year of medical school," one of the students revealed.

"That's true," another of them validated, "We're scheduled to take our exams next week."

"So they're pretty much doctors already in everything but name?" Shining Armor assumed.

"Yes, and they have more than mere potential to offer," Purple Heart professed, "These students are among the top one percent of the country's graduating medical classes for this year. That's why they were invited to the Gala; to celebrate their achievements."

"Their impending achievements," Haywood McCrank disputed, "All questions of competence aside, Mr. Surgeon General, I'm certain I do not have to remind you that practicing medicine without a license is a felony."

"Then I would like to point out to you, Sir Haywood, that none of these ponies will actually be practicing medicine tonight," Purple Heart contended, "All they'll be doing is handling it under my supervision. There are no statutes against that, are there?"

"No, there are not," the indigo stallion confirmed. He let out a deep sigh and muttered "Alright, then. I'll trust your judgment, Doctor. But once your staff report in, I would feel a lot more comfortable if you alternated between them and the students."

"Of course I will," Purple Heart declared, "I understand your apprehension, Superintendent. However, I would ask you to have a little faith in these mares and stallions. They are young, but they have the potential and the ability to match this experience. Someday, one of them could be my successor."

"You give us too much praise, Mr. Surgeon General," one of the more modest students muttered gratefully.

"That remains to be seen," Purple Heart contended. He turned to face the entire group, and then he announced "Now, before we begin, I must make a few points. Firstly, you must never speak of your involvement in this operation to anypony else. If word got out, you could be expelled from medical school or denied your medical license. Furthermore, the health records of the Canterlot Royalty are to be kept top secret in every way. So I'm afraid that you won't even be able to include this on your résumés. All the same, once this operation is over, you can all list me as one of your references.

"Secondly, I do not want any of you to do more than you are actually capable of," the Surgeon General continued, "If I require assistance in a certain task, I only want ponies who are truly qualified to volunteer for it. Because if you claim you know how to do something you don't and you make a mistake… losing your career as a doctor will be the least of your worries. I cannot emphasize that enough.

"Lastly, I need all of you to be fully alert and fully aware," Purple Heart went on, "Most – if not all – of you have been awake for more than twenty hours. Some of you have had more than few drinks during the Gala. So if at any time you start to feel fatigued or tipsy, do what you must to stay awake. Drink coffee, splash water on your face, or go sit down for a few minutes. I just want to make one thing clear: I will not have anypony nodding off in here. Is that understood?"

A few of the medical students seemed a little uneasy by one or more of those strict guidelines, but ultimately, they all agreed to obey and abide by the Surgeon General's rules.

"Alright," Purple Heart remarked, clapping his front hooves together, "Now, who among you has studied Alicorn anatomy?"

There were fifty medical students there, but only nine of them raised one of their hooves. Evidently, Alicorn anatomy was not a very widely-studied topic. Given how few Alicorns there were in Equestria, that was hardly surprising.

"All of you, stand over there," Purple Heart commanded them, gesturing to a closet at the end of the room. As those nine students proceeded to that spot, the Surgeon General faced the other forty-one and queried "Anypony here an anesthesiologist-in-training?"

"I am," one of them responded.

"Me, too," stated another one.

"So am I," a third commented.

"Okay," the Surgeon General avowed, "You three go ahead and prepare the proper anesthesia for this type of trauma operation."

Over the next couple minutes, Purple Heart divided the remaining thirty-eight medical students up into various groups. He gave all of them tasks which they deemed themselves suitable for. Five were assigned to blood transfusions. Six were assigned to X-rays. Four were assigned to handle the necessary tools, gear, and equipment. Four were assigned to treat and bandage Sir Verse A. Till's injured hoof. The remaining nineteen would take turns serving as nurses for the duration of the operation. They would alternate every couple hours or so.

Shortly after Purple Heart finished distributing assignments to the medical students, the hospital wing became even more crowded. Princess Celestia, Lord Bellerophon, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Spike had finally arrived.

Lord Vortex and Sir Haywood McCrank were standing closest to the entrance of the hospital wing when the regal mare and her company entered. They promptly bowed their heads to her. Celestia paid them little mind; she trotted straight past them.

Each of the medical students bowed to her, as well, but she did not pay any attention to any of them, either. She saw that only one of the operating tables was occupied, but the curtains had been drawn. She could see Bronze Star's outline through the translucent coverings. Just the sight of his silhouette disheartened Celestia.

Near the end of the hospital wing, Purple Heart and about fifteen of the medical students were putting scrubs on over their Gala apparel. Celestia quickly made her way over to them; her chief of staff, her apprentice, and her apprentice's friends followed close behind.

Purple Heart noticed the tall white mare when she was less twenty feet away from him. He bowed to her as she approached, and when she was within reaching distance, he uttered in acknowledgement "Your Highness."

"How is he, Doctor?" Celestia asked anxiously.

"Trot with me, please," Purple Heart bade her. Celestia accompanied him over to Bronze Star's chart, where his X-rays and vital signs had already been posted. He used those as visual aids as he apprised her "He took three projectiles to his midsection, his upper chest, and his abdomen. The one in his upper chest punctured his lung, causing a slight blockage in his lower respiratory tract. The one in his abdomen struck his large intestine, so his digestive system has been similarly compromised. Now, I am not especially worried about either of those two; the damage inflicted from both of those injuries is still relatively minor. However…"

Celestia did not like that "however" one bit. She glanced down at the Surgeon General and repeated in an unsettled voice "However?"

"The projectile in his midsection… ruptured his Refresher Box," Purple Heart tentatively finished.

If Princess Celestia's coat was not already white, she would have paled after hearing that sentence.

Alicorns had a number of anatomical differences from the three major pony races. The biggest one was that they had an extra organ. It had no proper or scientific name. If it ever did, it had been forgotten long ago. It was known only as a "Refresher Box."

Among other things, the Refresher Box was what gave Alicorns their heightened senses, their incredible strength, and their impenetrable immune system. It was even believed to be the very thing that made them immortal. Or supposedly immortal.

Contrary to popular belief, Alicorns were only mostly immortal. While they would never succumb to old age or disease, they could still be killed. The easiest way to kill an Alicorn was to inflict damage onto his or her Refresher Box. Then and only then would he or she be as vulnerable to harm as any Earth Pony, Unicorn, or Pegasus.

That was the true irony of the Refresher Box. It could heal or repair any damaged part of its host's body, but it could not heal or repair itself. Even so, the only way it would ever fail or malfunction would be if it was disturbed by a foreign object. Such as a projectile.

Luckily, the Refresher Box could be fixed through conventional medicinal techniques, but mending it was a very long and intricate process. Plus, the host would ideally have no other injuries during this operation. So it did not help Bronze Star in the slightest that he currently had additional problems in his lower respiratory tract and his digestive system.

Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, Purple Heart was not about to give up so easily.

"How bad is it?" Princess Celestia nervously inquired.

"I will not lie to you, Your Highness; it's bad," Purple Heart admitted, "Abysmal, in fact. But I will do everything in my power to save the prince."

"I know you will, Purple Heart," Celestia spoke with a little more firmness, "About how long will this take?"

"Anywhere between four and nine hours," Purple Heart estimated, "No sooner, no later. If you'd like, I could send you hourly reports of Bronze Star's status."

"Please do," Celestia beseeched him. She then gazed over at the operating table and queried "Is he still conscious?"

"Barely, but he is," Purple Heart disclosed, "Which, by itself, is impressive. Anypony else would have passed out long before now. It could be his unique metabolism that's to thank for that, but personally, I think it's the prince's resilience at work. He's strong. The fact that's holding in there gives me confidence that he'll get through this fiasco."

"That's good to know," Celestia murmured in relief, "When will you begin operating?"

"Almost straightaway," the Surgeon General, "We can only keep him on life support for so long. We'll start as soon as the preliminary results of his bloodwork are ready. That should be any minute now."

Celestia was gladdened to learn that. After a bit of silence, she looked to the veteran physician and questioned him hopefully "May I… speak with him first?"

"Of course," Purple Heart coincided, "But please talk softly."

Celestia nodded in agreement. She gradually approached the operating table, and a few of the medical students parted the curtains to allow her. There she saw Bronze Star lying on the surface of the operating table.

Bronze Star was flat on his back with his gaze fixated on the ceiling. He was connected to two IVs, a heartrate monitor, a pulse monitor, a blood pressure monitor, and several other devices. He appeared to be immobilized, even though there was nothing that bound him to the table.

Celestia felt her heart quiver painfully when she saw what had become of Bronze Star. The sight of her strong, energetic, loving son in this weakened state devastated her. She could feel a few tears already starting to rise to the top of their ducts.

Using every ounce of strength at her disposal, Celestia fought the tears back. She would not allow herself to cry. Not here. She had to appear strong for her son and her subjects. She would wait until she was behind closed doors to cry. Just as she had done when she last experienced loss a thousand years ago.

The white Alicorn slowly approached the left side of the operating table. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stood a couple meters behind her, appearing equally concerned for their friend.

When Princess Celestia reached his side, Bronze Star gradually turned his eyes towards his mother. The first thing he noticed was that she was not crying. But he knew why. If it was just the two of them, she would be sobbing without restraint. He could tell that she was only keeping her eyes dry now to give the other ponies present faith and hope.

"Bronze Star…" Celestia muttered quietly, placing her left front hoof on her son's.

The gold stallion weakly smiled up at his mother, and he tried his hardest to grasp his mother's hoof in return. The most he could manage was to turn his hoof towards her so that she could hold it in hers.

Celestia gazed down at her son's hoof in hers. When she looked back at his face, she realized that his lips were moving. She leaned closer and asked him gently "What is it?"

She had to place her ear a few inches away from his mouth to hear him. All he said was "AJ…"

Celestia immediately knew what he meant. She turned to the six mares, and she informed the orange one "Applejack, he's asking for you."

The farmer did not need any clarity. She just trotted to the right side of the operating table, stood near Bronze Star's head, placed her hoof on his shoulder, and whispered to him "I'm here, Bronze. I'm here."

The prince slowly rotated his head until his eyes were connected with Applejack's. Then he lightly gestured with his head for her to come nearer. Applejack slowly and steadily leaned closer to him.

When she was close enough, Bronze Star used all the energy he had left to lift his head and press his lips gently against Applejack's. She closed her eyes and returned the show of affection. She cherished that kiss as much as he did. For all they knew, it might have been the last one they ever shared.

Mere seconds after that kiss ended, Purple Heart approached the operating table with seven of the medical students. All of them were clad in scrubs. The Surgeon General pronounced "We're ready, Your Highness. Have you said everything you'd like to say?"

"I have," was all Celestia said in response. She and Applejack stepped aside so that Purple Heart and the seven medical students could gather around the operating table. Two more of the medical students pulled the curtains back around the table. Once more, all that could be seen from the outside were silhouettes. That marked the official beginning of the most important surgery of the era.

Princess Celestia forced herself to turn away from the operating table. She trotted back over to Sir Haywood McCrank and Lord Vortex, Lord Bellerophon, and Captain Shining Armor. The other six mares decided to linger near the operating table for a while. Spike stayed with them.

"I was told by Lady Noble Edict that Blade Bearer was the one responsible for this," Celestia stated, "Is that true?"

"It is, Your Highness," Bellerophon affirmed.

"Fortunately, Sir Haywood McCrank stopped him," Vortex revealed.

"Stopped him how?" Celestia asked in interest.

"I gave him a little 'convincing,'" Sir Haywood mumbled in a droll yet impassive voice, "With this."

At that, he held up his knife, which he had retrieved before he left Bronze Star's bedchamber. He had not cleaned it since its last use. Blade Bearer's spilt blood had nearly dried on the blade.

"I'm immensely grateful to you for saving Bronze Star's life, Sir Haywood," Princess Celestia asserted, "But I'm a little curious to know why you brought a knife to the Gala, anyway."

"I will explain in time, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank claimed, "For now, I believe there are a few other matters we should see to first."

"Such as what?" Lord Vortex queried

"Security, for starters," Haywood proposed, "Mainly the prince's."

"There, we can agree," Bellerophon muttered. He looked to the white stallion and enquired "Captain, how many of your officers do you trust completely?"

"Up until now, there were over a hundred," Shining Armor thought aloud, "But after this… I'd say fewer than a dozen."

"Whoever they are, they're the only ones who should guard my son while he's in surgery," Celestia decreed.

"Very well," Shining Armor avowed, "I will summon them here right away."

"Just a minute," Vortex hastily interjected, "I am not accusing Captain Armor of being a bad judge of character, but until this business with Blade Bearer is sorted out, maybe somepony else should protect the prince."

"I trust these particular officers with my life," Shining Armor snappily retorted, "I never trusted Blade Bearer like that."

"Alright, if you really think they can and will keep the prince safe, I won't dispute you," Vortex conceded, "All the same, we should probably rely on another force to protect the Castle."

"Lord Vortex is right," Haywood McCrank concurred, "Now would be an ideal time for the Military Enforcement Corps to be put to use."

Princess Celestia seemed pleased by that suggestion. She looked to her chief of staff and told him "Commander Hard Hull should still be downstairs. Find him and order him to bring every available officer of the Constabulary Contingent here. Deployment and dispersal of all the platoons will be decided by the Commander himself, Captain Shining Armor, and you, my lord."

"It will be done with all haste, my Princess," Lord Bellerophon assured her.

Celestia gave a nod of approval, and then she turned back to the Captain of the Guard. She declared "Shining Armor, I want you to put the Castle on lockdown. Nopony leaves without authorization, and only government or military officials will be allowed entrance."

"As you wish, Your Highness," the white Unicorn asserted.

After that, the white Alicorn looked to Vortex, and she said to the ex-Colonel "Lord Vortex, I'd like you to head back downstairs, as well. Locate all the Gala attendees that are still here and have them assemble in the ballroom. If they seem reluctant to obey, tell them that it is a direct command from the Princess. Tell them that they are to remain there until further notice. In time, I will tell them what has happened here, but not until I am ready to."

"You can rely on me, Your Highness," the former Wonderbolts trainer professed.

Lord Bellerophon, Captain Shining Armor, and Lord Vortex swiftly departed from the hospital wing and went to obey their orders. Sir Haywood McCrank was left alone with Princess Celestia for the moment.

"Have you any tasks to ask of me, Your Highness?" the indigo stallion inquired.

"As it happens, I do, Sir Haywood," Celestia replied, "I would like to know just what happened in my son's bedchamber, as well as why it happened. I believe you could provide me with some answers."

"As a federal investigator, that is my job," Sir Haywood commented.

"I know it's your job," Celestia uttered candidly, "But I feel as though you already knew at least a bit about the attempt on my son's life anyway. Why else would you have come armed to the Gala?"

"Excellent point, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank contended, "You are correct; I do have an explanation for the last hour's tragedy. Even so, I am not quite ready to give that explanation just yet. There are a few other matters I must see to first. Some ponies I must speak to; some pieces of information I must revisit. I beg of you to allow me to hold off on presenting my explanation for just a few more hours."

"Out of respect and appreciation for what you did for my son, I will grant your request," Celestia proclaimed, "But before he is out of surgery, you will have given me that explanation. I expect it to be both thorough and enlightening. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Sir Haywood McCrank guaranteed the regal mare.

"Thank you," Celestia told him gratefully. She then turned around and went to rejoin the six young mares and the baby dragon near the operating table.

Now Sir Haywood McCrank was left on his own. He could only sigh, run his front hooves through his mane, and reflect on the current predicament.

Sir Haywood had every intention of fulfilling his promise to Princess Celestia. He would tell her why her son had been attacked, as well as who was responsible and how they had managed to pull the attempt off. He would not hold back anything; he would share every detail with her.

Nevertheless, he was not looking forward to having that conversation with her. He was certain that by the end of it, she would be calling for somepony's head. He just hoped it would not be his.
> The Firebrand Regiment
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In his youth, Bronze Star had often felt a compulsion to reach out to the common ponies of Equestria. Of course, he could already do that by funding various social and political projects and establishing charity organizations. However, while such actions did enable him to impact everyday life, it did little to bring him closer to his subjects. He wished to give them a reason to love and praise him the way they loved and praised his mother.

He knew full well that he had to earn their love and praise before he received it. Ideally, he would have to demonstrate that he truly cared deeply for everypony in Equestria first. As such, he got the idea to form a personal bond with the citizens of Equestria. Since he rarely left the capital city, he needed ways of attaining that objective that did not involve him physically meeting his subjects face-to-face.

Fortunately, his position as a royal prince presented him with plenty of other options. He often gave speeches and announcements in public, mostly to deliver great or memorable news to the public. He also enacted a number of bills that were designed to help everypony in the country in some way. He was definitely appreciated for those acts of benevolence.

All the same, he found that his most popular and most effective technique for communicating with his subjects as a friend came in the form of the press.

Every week, Bronze Star would publish an article in all of the most notable newspapers and magazines. The article was called "To The People: The Musings and Disclosures of a Royal." The topic discussed in the article generally varied. Sometimes it covered proposals on ways to improve Equestria. Sometimes it paid homage to ponies who had distinguished themselves in a noteworthy fashion. Sometimes it announced the creation of a new type of occupation or the creation of many new jobs. At times, Bronze Star frequently included some personal information about himself (but never anything that would embarrass his family or compromise national security, obviously).

Whatever the subject of his article, every issue brought in quite a bit of revenue. Millions of ponies read Bronze Star's work every week. There were a few ponies in each city who bought a newspaper or a magazine solely for the article. Some ponies would even convene in groups to hold live public readings of it.

Bronze Star's most famous article had been released when he was eighteen years old. This particular article had been one of Bronze Star's more formal and informative ones.

That article was aptly labeled "The Top 10 Greatest Contemporary Equestrian Patriots." For this one, Bronze Star had compiled a list of whom he viewed as the ten most honorable, most loyal, and most inspirational military officers or government agents in Equestria. Unlike his previous articles, this one's creation had been announced months in advance, and it had also involved months of mediation and preparation. Bronze Star was determined not to publish it until he felt it was perfect.

When it was perfect, he sent it out. It sold out almost instantly. Apparently, everypony was eager to read about the most charismatic individuals serving in the armed forces or the régime. The military and the government in particular had been patiently waiting in great anticipation. The vast majority doubted they would make a spot in the list; they just wanted to know the prince's thoughts on the matter. His opinion carried a lot of merit, after all.

The article had been printed as such:

"It's finely here! Months in the making, and it is ready for public exposé. So sit back (or remain standing, if that is what you prefer), and enjoy the countdown of the top ten greatest contemporary Equestrian patriots.

Before I begin, I would like to establish a few criteria. When I say "Contemporary," I mean that everypony on this list must be currently working for a branch of the military, a branch of the government, or both. Therefore, no retired or deceased individuals will be included. Also, in addition to being employed by one or both of those entities, everypony must have provided their services consistently for the past five years, but they must belong to my generation or the previous one. In other words, all inactive or veteran individuals will be excluded, as well. Lastly, I originally intended to have a rule where only one pony per each division or the government or faction of the armed forces would be allowed. However, after many, many revisions, I found that when I finished putting my list together, all those organizations were fairly and equally represented without the need for that limitation. So do not be surprised that there is only one pony from each of the country's foremost foundations.

Now, without further delay, here are the ten ponies whom I believe have contributed the most to the Equestria of modern day.

(This marked the beginning of the list. It had been formatted in bullet points; one for each of the ten ponies. A picture of each pony was printed in color next to the respective bullet point.

The first pony was a 24-year-old Pegasus stallion with a brown coat, a beige mane, green irises, and a quarterstaff for a cutie mark. In his picture, he was standing on the top of a wide wall and holding a pair of binoculars in his front hooves. He appeared to be studying something way off in the distance.)

Number 10 – Inspector Heckler of the Border Patrol. Let us start off at the very top. The top of the country, I mean. The northern border between Equestria and Yakyakistan has been in a delicate state for the past eighty years. Although no yaks have been sighted since the treaty was first ratified, the border is a common place for creatures of unsavory repute to attempt to enter Equestria illegally. Fortunately, the Border Patrol valiantly stand their ground to prevent any unwanted parties from crossing over. The pride of the force is this young stallion. Originally from Las Pegasus, he left the comfort of his city home to partake in this admirable duty. He has only been serving for three years, but he has done what most could maybe do in thirty. He singlehoofedly drove back two packs of yeti, and he has turned away over forty irascible foreigners who sought to exploit our country's resources and hospitality. Recently, he conducted a wide-scale investigation that located the weak spots in the border, and as a result, he has enabled us to strengthen the Border Patrol as a whole.

(Next there was a 29-year-old Earth Pony stallion with a purple coat, a red mane, grey irises, and an anchor for a cutie mark. He was dressed in the garb of a high-ranking naval officer, and based on his surroundings in his picture, he was on the bridge of a warship. In it, he was examining a clipboard.)

Number 9 – Lieutenant Koch of the Navy. Now we can come a little closer. Since Equestria is surrounded by water on two sides, it would follow that we would have a strong fleet to complement it. Our most prominent naval base – located in Nanbucket – is home to a whole community of families who have served in the navy for generations. This stallion belongs to one of those families. Both of his parents were sailors, as were all four of his grandparents. However, he brings more to the table than your typical mariner. After attending college and earning a degree in both Biology and Biochemistry, he returned to his hometown to enlist in the navy. For the past decade, he has served on a multitude of vessels in the waters both east and west of our country. We have him to thank for the discovery of a few new species of fish, bacteria, and plant life, and he has helped to develop measures that ensure the fleet's safety from piracy. Also, his service record is not limited to the sea. He has occasionally lent his services to the airships that non-Pegasi officers use to patrol and guard the skies. In doing so, he proves that regardless of location, a sailor is still a sailor, so long as there's a deck beneath his hooves.

(Next there was a 27-year-old Unicorn stallion with a scarlet coat, a gold mane, black irises, and a syringe for a cutie mark. He was clad in a customery white buttoned-down coat of a physician, and he was in the midst in the midst of sewing up a wound on a patient in his picture.)

Number 8 – Major Peacemaker of the Army. Doctors have always belonged to a noble profession, irrespective of their field of study or their specialty and knowledge of medicine. The only thing more respectable than a pony who actively seeks to heal and treat other ponies is one who does so at their own personal risk. Imagine being in the middle of a battle whilst having to care for your wounded comrades, knowing that if you are not careful, you could be sharing their anguish soon. That is the mentality that every army doctor faces in the field. The honorable ones – such as this stallion from Manephis – never balk. Immediately after attaining his medical license, this formidable stallion entered the armed forces as a combat medic. He quickly went on to become one of the most renowned surgeons in the army. Throughout his tours, he has saved over ten score of his fellow soldiers, and he has a rare zero-percent loss rate. On one particular occasion, he operated on half a dozen injured combatants at the same time with little assistance. Two of them had been mortally wounded and seemed as though their deaths were inevitable. Miraculously, thanks to him, all six pulled through and are still living today.

(Next there was a 30-year-old Earth Pony stallion with a blue coat, a green mane, yellow irises, and a shield for a cutie mark. He was clad in the standard full-body armor of the Royal Guard. In the background of his picture, half a dozen additional officers were saluting him respectfully.)

Number 7 – Captain Glock of the Royal Guard. Somepony once said that the commanding officer of the Canterlot Royal Guard should always be either a Unicorn or a Pegasus. That same pony also said that an Earth Pony would be unsuitable for that position. I do not know who exactly said that, but I hope he or she is reading this article, so that he or she knows that I think he or she is a moron of phenomenal proportions and a bigot. This stallion is one of the few on this list that I have met in person, but my relationship with him has not impacted my judgement of his abilities. It simply enables me to observe firsthoof what he is capable of. About a decade ago, he moved from his hometown of Vanhoover to the capital city and enlisted in the Royal Guard. In less than five years, he was leading it. In the time since then, he was made the Castle safer than it has been since it was built. All without the use of flight or magic, I might add. Furthermore, near the start of his service, he discovered that some of the force had been taking bribes by some of the Castle's would-be trespassers. He could have looked the other way, but he valued his integrity over money. Because of him, we were able to stamp out corruption within the Royal Guard and return it to its former glory.

(Next there was a 26-year-old Unicorn mare with a tan coat, a brown mane, pink irises, and a scope for a cutie mark. In her picture, she held a loaded firing apparatus, and she was perched on a branch in a tall tree. She was peering through the apparatus's eyepiece, as though focused on a target on the ground.)

Number 6 – Sergeant Beretta of Special Forces. You didn't think this list was going to be all stallions, did you? Of course not. There are plenty of fine mares who are serving this country, as well. Many of them have even greater capacity and potential than their male counterparts. Take this young yet highly skilled marksmare of Neighwark as an example. She may be beautiful, but her eyes are what you should pay especial attention to. I say that because she has perhaps the best aim of anypony in her line of work. Special Forces are unique from the other armed forces in that they are deployed solely to resolve civil disputes such as hostage situations. When negotiation fails – and sadly, it does quite often – we bring in the cavalry. Their goal is to eliminate the threat and simultaneously avoid incurring civilian casualties. This mare has never failed in either respect. She is an adept sharpshooter; perhaps the most accurate in her field. Every time she fires a shot, she hits the target spot-on without fail. I would also like to mention that every pony on this list has been forced to kill at least one other pony in the line of duty. But it is worth noting that with over 150 confirmed kills, she is by far the deadliest pony on this list. Be that as it may, for every life she has taken, she has saved five more. Not only that, but she has also upheld law and order in the more sparsely-populated regions of Equestria.

(Next there was a 28-year-old Pegasus mare with a sky blue coat, a light blue mane, dark blue irises, and a tool chest for a cutie mark. She did not appear to be doing anything out of the ordinary in her picture. In fact, she just seemed to be sitting in front of a large mirror and putting on makeup.)

Number 5 – Special Agent Caracal of the Equestrian Threat Neutralizing Agency. Have you seen this mare before? Most of you would probably answer "no." However, some of you would be lying, albeit unintentionally. I say that because this mare is the closest thing we have to a chameleon. She was born and raised in Orlancolt, but she could fool you into thinking she was from outside of Equestria. She can become anypony, take on any appearance, assume any identity. She is the type of performer most serious actors aspire to be. But rather than employing her skills in the entertainment industry, she chose to use them for a more selfless and reputable purpose. Her undercover work alone has vastly improved Equestria for the better. She has successfully infiltrated over a dozen gangs, cartels, and other illegitimate organizations at great personal risk. Working unaided, she acquired sufficient evidence to bring all of those groups to justice. To avoid compromising her cover or the Agency's, I will not name any names. But I will say this: as long as she is out there, no organized crime syndicate is safe from justice.

(Next there was a 31-year-old Earth Pony mare with a taupe coat, an orange mane, red irises, and a cluster of wires for a cutie mark. In her picture, she was standing at a table. On that table was a large metallic capsule. She was wearing a pair of transparent goggles and observing the capsule closely.)

Number 4 – Specialist Ruger of the Defense Department. Technology has witnessed a major breakthrough in the past century. This can primarily be attributed to the rise of electricity. It has proven to be even more versatile and useful that magic in many cases. In fact, there is an adage: 'Magic can take you far, but electricity is what gets you there.' However, the truly ambitious pioneers are the ones who thought to combine the two sources of power, like this mare. A native of Santa Hay, she earned a Bachelor's in both electrical and mechanical engineering. After that, she began her career as a federal technician. She was on the teams that created the wireless earpiece communicator, the motion detector mainframe, the automated water heater/cooler, and several other practical contraptions. She also helped industrialize the cities of Hoovston, Manehattan, and Chicacolt. By herself, she has developed numerous weapons and safety devices that have been distributed throughout the country. Ever time she hosts a demonstration of her products, she always delivers.

(Next there was a 33-year-old Unicorn stallion with an aqua blue coat, a lime green mane, sherbet orange irises, and a flashlight for a cutie mark. He was standing at a chalkboard in his picture. He held a piece of chalk in his aura, and he was using it to compose what looked like a martial defensive tactic.)

Number 3 – Brigadier Carabine of the Military Enforcement Corps. While the Constabulary Contingent's leader, Commander Hard Hull, is a very fine officer, the one who really stands out is his second-in-command. Hailing from the proud town of Manever, he has been involved in peacekeeping work since he was seventeen. He started by serving an internship in a local smalltime security firm. From there, he frequently switched corporations and worked his way up in status until he was working directly under the president of the country's largest and most prestigious security firm. Wherever he was employed, nopony was ever afraid to wander the streets at night. Even when he got to the top, he was not content that he was doing enough for the safety of Equestria. That led to him joining the Corps, so he could protect the common folk, the officeholders, and the aristocrats alike. Through his guidance, the Corps has excelled like never before. Additionally, he has one of the most analytical and systematic minds in the country. He could devise an ideal solution and at least two backups for any possible crisis that could ever come about.

(Next there was a 40-year-old Pegasus stallion with a mahogany coat, a blue-gray mane, brass irises, and a lightning bolt on top of a clipboard for a cutie mark. He was clad from head to hoof in the standard uniform of the Wonderbolts. His picture must have been taking while he was flying, as he was in midair.)

Number 2 – General Walther of the Wonderbolts. Of course one of the Wonderbolts was going to make it onto the list! The only question was who. There are so many excellent flyers in recent history. Captain Spitfire, Lieutenant Soarin, Commander Wind Rider… I could go on. After careful deliberation, I found that I could only pick this living legend. I have never had the pleasure of meeting him, despite the fact that he grew up in Canterlot just as I did. All the same, it is hard not to have heard of his many accomplishments. He has broken at least eleven different flying records, and there is not another Pegasus alive that could travel great distances in the time he can. But he and his wings have much more to offer than speed. Nearly half of the Intelligence Bureau's information is provided by the Wonderbolts. Of that, this stallion has supplied no less than a third for the past several years. He can be relied on to pursue and investigate any lead. No matter how small it is, he can obtain significant amounts of useful data from it. That information has gone a long way to reinforcing the country's defensive and offensive capacities. It is also worth noting that his daughter, Fleetfoot, is another promising Wonderbolt. If she has even half the nobility and aptitude of her father, she could prove to be his equivalent, as well.

Now some of you – particularly the Wonderbolts' dedicated fanbase – are probably wondering 'Who could possibly top an iconic hero like Walther?' Well, the answer may surprise you. I'm fairly certain it will surprise the person who actually made the top spot. But rather than keeping you wondering, I shall carry on and give you the final entry to this list.

(The last was a 38-year-old Unicorn stallion with a pine green coat, an orange mare, teal eyes, and a golden shield with a pair of silver swords crossing over it for a cutie mark. His picture was relatively simple compared to all the others. In it, he was merely sitting at a desk, leaning on his left front hoof and staring off to the side, as though he was in deep thought.)

Number 1 – SIG Sauer. Topping this list is a stallion who has never given anything less than his all for his country. Like the General and myself, he was brought up in the capital city. He began working for his country at fifteen, when he entered the youth martial training program. Over the following two decades, he rotated between many of the previously mentioned organizations, including the Army, Special Forces, the Royal Guard, and the Equestrian Threat Neutralizing Agency. He has never remained with any one foundation for very long, but wherever he serves, he always carries out his assignment diligently and nobly. He has personally volunteered for over thirty top-profile assignments, knowing full well that each one posed a strong possibility that he would not return from it alive. Sadly, that has been the case with many of his associates, but very few ponies have ever died under his command. Furthermore, for the past five years, he has been the head trainer for the Royal Guard. He has even been my own personal coach in my military training for the last three. However, make no mistake; I am not allowing that factor to cause me to favor him subjectively or unfairly. I would say this even if he and I had never been in the same city: If there is one person whom all ponies – not just soldiers and officials – should look up to (other than the Canterlot Royalty), it would have to be this stallion. He is perhaps the epitome of everything that is righteous, decent, and benevolent in this questionably benign world.

And that is my list. I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed composing it, despite how time-consuming it turned out to be. If you were disappointed by it, you have my condolences, but remember; this is just my opinion. You do not have to let it impede on or affect yours."

It turned out Bronze Star's opinion held more sway with the people of Equestria than he originally thought. Critical reception to that article was overwhelmingly positive, with rarely a negative response. The prince was highly praised for his judgement and reasoning for his choices and why he had chosen them.

All ten ponies on that list had read the article, and they were just as surprised to see their names in it as their colleagues had been. None of them had been informed in advance that they would be featured in the article. Nor had any of them ever remembered posing for those pictures. Bronze Star must have had them taken in secrecy without them being aware of it.

Despite that, all ten of the ponies had been touched by Bronze Star's perspective of them. Although all of them had been greatly respected by their peers beforehand, the article had made them even more admired by their coworkers. Even their superiors treated them with the utmost courtesy. To express their gratitude, each of the ten ponies wrote Bronze Star a letter to thank him personally.

Three weeks after Bronze Star published that article, he invited all ten of those ponies to have dinner with him at the capital city. In the invitation, he claimed that the purpose of the dinner was to solidify his views of them as the best of the best in modern Equestria. In actuality, he had a much more practical reason for wanting them all in one place together.

All ten ponies accepted the prince's invitation. During the meal, he revealed his intentions for having them as his guests. He explained that for the past year, he had been contemplating the concept of putting together a Special Ops unit. He envisioned that unit to be composed of the most elite military and government officers in the country. The purpose of the unit would be to uphold national security and purge any and all dangers in Equestria.

That was Bronze Star's true motive for crafting and publishing that list. He planned for the unit to be composed of exactly ten ponies; no more or less. He wanted Heckler, Koch, Peacemaker, Glock, Beretta, Caracal, Ruger, Carabine, Walther, and SIG Sauer to be those ten.

Each of them had been extremely honored by the offer. By the time the meal was over, all ten of them had shaken the prince's hoof and accepted his proposal. Within the next month, they all officially relocated to Canterlot and swore an oath to serve the prince and nopony else. Any time he called upon them, they would be there for him.

The very last thing that was decided on was a name for the team. Bronze Star had chosen to call them the Firebrand Regiment. He knew full well that "firebrand" was a synonym for "revolutionary," which in turn referred to insurgents. However, he intended for the unit's existence to be a secret, and he was going to have all their activities conducted in absolute secrecy. Even his mother would be unaware of their operations. So the term applied appropriately.

Eight years had passed since then the Firebrand Regiment had been formed. They had eliminated no less than twenty-five major threats to Equestria's safety, several of which had originated from within the country. As a result, Equestria had become a much better and safer place to live in.

None of the Regiment's members had attended the Grand Galloping Gala. That was due to the fact that they had been out on assignment that night. Bronze Star had sent them to Chicacolt earlier that day to deal a group of dangerous radicals that had been scheming to overthrow his mother's reign.

The radicals were all dead now; they had been wiped out shortly before midnight. Bronze Star had been informed of the mission's success not long after. As usual, the prince had been pleased by their performance, and he told them that after they ascertained that they had covered their tracks, they were to return to Canterlot at their earliest opportunity.

They were on their way back right then. They were returning via the railroads.

Normally, the railways that went to and from Canterlot were shut down on the night of the Grand Galloping Gala. That was done to avoid overcrowding in the city, and so more security could be focused on the Castle.

However, certain privileged individuals were exempt. Since the Firebrand Regiment answered directly to Bronze Star, they carried his seal everywhere they went. Among other things, they enabled them to override the railway standstill to Canterlot.

The train they had boarded had left at about 12:15 in the morning. It was approximately a four-hour trip from Chicacolt to Canterlot. They were more than hallway there by this point.

Other than the conductor and the rest of the train's crew, there was only one other pony on board the train. That was a 79-year-old Pegasus stallion with a moccasin coat, a khaki mane, aquamarine irises, and a picture of Equestria's flag surrounded by half a dozen outward-pointing swords for a cutie mark.

That was Lord Ambit Dexter, the Chairpony of Princess Celestia's War Council and known by many as "The Commodore." He had gone to Chicacolt to assist the Firebrand Regiment with their last mission. In fact, he had shouldered most of the risk, but he had done so voluntarily.

Lord Ambit had not emerged unscathed from the mission; he was currently unconscious. He had suffered a blow to the head during the mission, and he had not woken up since then. Peacemaker had examined his injury and deemed it as a slight concussion. He assured the others that the Commodore would be awake by noontime, if not earlier.

While Peacemaker stood vigil over Ambit Dexter's unconscious form, the other members of the Regiment did their own tasks. Caracal, Glock, and Carabine were getting some rest (not sleeping). Beretta, Walther, and Koch were having something to eat. Heckler and Ruger were playing a friendly game.

As for SIG Sauer, he just sat at a window and gazed outside. He paid close attention to the landscape in the distance.

SIG Sauer enjoyed travelling by train at night. Especially when it was nearly empty. It provided him with a queer feeling of comfort and peace.

Despite the lateness of the hour and the fact that he had been awake for more than a day, he did not feel the least bit tired. After how well the last mission had gone, he felt as though he could have stayed up for another full day.

Even so, the first thing he planned to do when he got home was check in at the castle, and then he would settle down in his own bed in his own home. There was nothing quite like a long, well-deserved sleep right after completing a job.

The train pulled into Canterlot's main station at a little after four o'clock in the morning. It only took the Regiment five minutes to disembark and collect their equipment.

Lord Ambit Dexter was still out, so Glock and Koch both gave him a helping hoof. Peacemaker stood close-by, in case the Commodore came around. Beretta, Heckler, Ruger, and Carabine handled all the equipment.

Caracal, Walther, and SIG Sauer were the only ones who were unburdened at the time.

The eleven ponies swiftly made their way through the capital city. Since it was still very early, there nopony out on the streets. However, as the Firebrand Regiment traversed through the city, they all thought they heard a strange humming sound coming from somewhere.

As they got closer to the Castle, the sound became louder and more pronounced. Soon it became more discernable, as well. It sounded much more like hundreds of faint voices talking over each other than humming.

It did not take long for them to realize that the Castle was the source of that noise. All the voices were originating from within that massive fortress. That was rather odd. Even though the Grand Galloping Gala had been hosted there that night, most of the attendees would ideally have departed by this hour.

"Wasn't the Gala supposed to be over by now?" Walther thought aloud.

"Yeah, but apparently nopony told the guests," Caracal drily proclaimed.

"That, or maybe it was actually interesting this year," Glock japed.

"In any case, I can't help but feel as though there's something out of place here," SIG Sauer murmured, "Let's get inside straightaway."

The Firebrand Regiment approached the large double doors, and SIG Sauer knocked on them thrice. It was quickly answered. The pony on the other side was clad not in the armor of the Royal Guard, but in the uniform of the Military Enforcement Corps.

That was not a very assuring sight. Every member of the Firebrand Regiment knew full well that the Corps was only summoned when a national crisis occurred.

"May I see some identification, please?" the officer requested.

Five hours ago, the ten members of the Firebrand Regiment had been clad entirely in black clothing and gas masks. They had removed those outfits when their mission reached its ended, but they had all kept on the utility belts that accompanied those costumes.

SIG Sauer reached into his belt, pulled out his badge, and showed it to the officer from the Military Enforcement Corps. The young private nodded in acknowledgment, and then he glanced at the ten ponies gathered behind SIG Sauer. He inquired "Are all these ponies with you?"

"Yes," SIG Sauer confirmed.

The officer nodded again, and this time he smiled. He pulled open the door and warmly stated "Welcome back, Mr. Sauer."

The Firebrand Regiment swiftly passed through the front entrance of the Castle.

Once they were all inside, the private pushed it shut again. Then he announced "Please wait here for a minute. I need to inform my corporal of your arrival."

"Before you go, can you tell us what's going on?" Heckler requested.

"My corporal will fill you in," was all the private said in response. Then he galloped down the intersecting hallway and around the corner.

"What do you suppose happened here?" Beretta wondered.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say the Castle was in danger of besiegement or something," Koch hypothesized.

"If that was the case, they wouldn't have even let us in," Carabine debated.

"Guess we'll just have to wait until this corporal arrives," Ruger supposed.

The ten ponies stood by idly and waited for the private to come back with his corporal. After ten minutes of this, SIG Sauer sighed and turned around to face his colleagues. He muttered crossly "This is ridiculous. I'm not one to disobey orders, but we could have figured out what went on here by ourselves by now. Instead, we have to wait on a corporal to tell us. Just who is this corporal, anyway?"

"Well, he's right behind you, sir," a firm yet patient voice stated from behind the pine green stallion. SIG Sauer was alarmed, but not because he had been caught off guard. He was alarmed because he recognized that voice.

SIG Sauer turned around and came face-to-face with a 23-year-old Unicorn stallion. This stallion had a jasper coat, a lime green and charcoal stripped mane, melon irises, and a javelin for a cutie mark. Like the private, he was wearing the uniform of the Constabulary Contingent. The only difference was that he wore the rank insignia of a corporal.

The corporal had a stern countenance, but it held some warmth for SIG Sauer and his associates.

SIG Sauer took a moment to study the corporal, and then he uttered in amazement "Mauser?"

The jasper stallion simply smirked, lightly nodded his head, and said cordially "Hey, Dad."

He was SIG Sauer's grown son, Mauser Sauer.

Mauser had been serving in the armed forces for more than five and a-half years. He had been in the Army for most of that time, but he had been accepted into the Military Enforcement Corps about a year ago. SIG Sauer knew that he had been doing well in the Corps, but he thought Mauser still held the rank of private. Evidently, he must have been promoted recently.

SIG Sauer let out a long sigh and declared "I'm always happy to see you, Mauser, but please; can you tell us why the Corps is here?"

"Because most of the Royal Guard are being cross-examined right now," Mauser informed his father.

"Why is that?" Peacemaker queried.

"Less than two hours ago, one of them tried to murder Bronze Star," Mauser disclosed.

The members of the Firebrand Regiment would have been taken aback by the bluntness of that statement. But the content of it was what really unsettled them. They looked as though they were either shocked, appalled, or both.

"Who was it?" Glock demanded. As a former Captain of the Royal Guard, it would make sense that he would be the most outraged.

"Lieutenant Commander Blade Bearer," Mauser revealed.

"Where is he?" Walther mumbled angrily.

"Dead," Mauser responded, "Sir Haywood McCrank killed him."

"What about the prince?" Peacemaker enquired.

"He's still alive," Mauser tentatively remarked, "He's in the hospital wing right now. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are with him. Would you like me to take you to them?"

"Of course," SIG Sauer answered him, "We should all be with the prince in his darkest hour."

He spoke for everypony who was present when he said that.
> Counterbalance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mauser and the ten members of the Firebrand Regiment reached the hospital wing in a matter of minutes. There were two more officers of the Constabulary Contingent posted at the entrance. Mauser spoke to them for a minute, and then he and the Regiment were given clearance to enter.

The area was bustling with all sorts of activity. Bronze Star was obviously still in surgery, as the curtains were still drawn around the operating table. Purple Heart had been at work for a couple hours, and he had rotated his nurses twice already.

Princess Celestia was standing nearby. She was looking over the latest progress report on Bronze Star's condition, which she had received only minutes earlier. Princess Luna was right next to her. This time of night, she would typically be on the top of the Astronomy Tower, guarding the night. However, she had come down from her post when she learnt of the attempt on Bronze Star's life. She was there out of concern for both her nephew and her sister.

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash had remained in the hospital wing with the regal mare. They were still clad in their Gala ensembles, despite how unkempt their dresses became when they left the Castle earlier on. All of them were very worried for Bronze Star's well-being, Applejack most of all.

There were no other officers of the Military Enforcement Corps present in the hospital wing. There were, however, nine officers of the Royal Guard stationed around the room. They were nine of only eleven officers Shining Armor could still fully trust with Bronze Star's life. The other two were busy elsewhere, and all the other officers were being investigated by the Corps. Following the incident with Blade Bearer, they were taking no chances.

Lord Bellerophon was in the hospital wing, as well. When the Firebrand Regiment came into the room, they were quickly approached by the tall palomino Pegasus. When he was within earshot, he muttered quietly "Has everything been taken care of?"

"Affirmative," SIG Sauer told him, "Unfortunately, Catalyst-2 was lost. Other than that, no other hitches were encountered."

"And no trace was left behind?" Bellerophon presumed.

"Not one," the pine green Unicorn confirmed.

"Excellent," Bellerophon commented.

Mauser paid no mind to that exchange of dialogue. He was aware that his father's work was classified as top secret on a regular basis. He would not bother asking questions he knew he would get no answers to. Bellerophon, on the other hoof, was well-aware of the Firebrand Regiment's activities. He had just spoken with the pine green Unicorn in code to confirm the success of their last assignment.

SIG Sauer gazed over in the direction of the operating table. He queried uneasily "How's he doing?"

"He took three projectiles to the front of his torso," Bellerophon disclosed, "He's been in surgery for about an hour and a-half. The Surgeon General has given a rough estimate that another six hours will be required for the remainder of the operation. The prince's condition hasn't worsened any, but it hasn't improved very much, either."

"I suppose we should be thankful for that much," Walther thought aloud.

Bellerophon nodded in agreement. He then looked around at the other members of the Regiment. He noticed that Ambit Dexter was being held up by Koch and Glock, and that he was not moving. He inquired apprehensively "Is there something wrong with the Commodore?"

"He suffered a concussion," Peacemaker disclosed, "But he should be alright. We should probably lie him down before we do anything else, though."

"Here, I'll take him," a new voice offered.

Strangely enough, SIG Sauer recognized that voice, too. He looked over his shoulder and saw a 20-year-old Unicorn mare trotting towards them. She had a chartreuse coat, a cerise and jade stripped mane, peach irises, and an otoscope for a cutie mark. She went up to Glock and Koch, and they carefully transferred Lord Ambit from their front legs to hers.

As she moved the moccasin stallion to one of the beds, she realized that SIG Sauer was gazing at her. She looked to him and smiled sweetly.

After a moment, he smiled back and offered "Need any help, Alpine?"

"Nope, I got him, Dad," the chartreuse mare asserted as she gently set Ambit Dexter down on his back.

She was SIG Sauer's until-recently teenaged daughter, Alpine Sauer.

Alpine was a student at the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns. She had been going there ever since she was eleven. After she finished her compulsory education, she had chosen to continue studying at the School so that she could earn her college degree there. She had chosen to take the school's medical program, as her aspiration was to become a doctor.

Alpine was in the same year as Twilight Sparkle. They were about to complete their sophomore year of college. Naturally, Alpine had not been among the group of medical students that Purple Heart had accompanied Purple Heart to the hospital wing; she would not get her license for another two years. She had not even attended the Gala.

Both Alpine and her brother had been asleep at the time of the attempt on Bronze Star's life. Mauser had been in his bunk at the main base of Military Enforcement Corps, and Alpine had been in her dorm on the School for Gifted Unicorns campus.

Mauser's platoon had been the first one to be summoned to the Castle. Once they were assembled there, they were informed of the situation. Before reporting for duty, Mauser took steps to have his sister brought to the Castle, as well. He argued that she would be of tremendous help to Purple Heart. While that was true, Mauser's real motive for calling in this favor was to guarantee Alpine's safety. He had always been protective of his sister, especially since their mother died.

Normally, the staff of Canterlot castle did not grant favors such as this one so soon or so readily. However, there were a few advantages Mauser had on his side. Mainly, there was the fact that his father was Bronze Star's trainer, and both he and Alpine were close friends with the prince, as well.

Mauser had been unable to see Alpine when she was escorted to the Castle, but a half-hour ago, his lieutenant assured him that she had arrived safely. Now he was able to confirm that himself.

The last time SIG Sauer and both of his children had been together in a medical ward was ten months ago in Ponyville. On that occasion, it had been them and Bronze Star coming to see him. Now he and the gold stallion had switched places. But if he had the opportunity, SIG Sauer would switch them back without hesitation. Such was his dedication to Bronze Star.

"I hope you're not too tired," Bellerophon said to the officers of the Firebrand Regiment.

"Not after this, no," SIG Sauer declared. There came a few murmurs of agreement from behind him.

"That's good," the chief of state muttered, "With Purple Heart's staff currently indisposed and the Royal Guard under tight scrutiny, we're severely shorthoofed right now. We'll need every capable pony we have to pitch in."

"You can count on us," Walther decisively claimed. The others merely nodded in concurrence, and Bellerophon in acknowledgment.

"Shall we remain on standby and wait to receive our orders?" SIG Sauer presumed.

"No need for that; I already know where each of you will be of most use," Lord Bellerophon pronounced. He looked around at the group and professed "Major, Lieutenant, Dr. Purple Heart could use two extra pairs of front hooves. Sergeant, Inspector, Specialist, see if you can reinforce the building's defenses. Captain, Brigadier, take charge of the Royal Guard and the Constabulary Contingent. Special Agent, General, go around the Castle and keep your ears open; for all we know, there could be others here who mean the prince harm."

Peacemaker, Koch, Beretta, Heckler, Ruger, Glock, Carabine, Caracal, and Walther respectively accepted those commands and went to carry them out. Those of them that had been carrying some of the team's equipment set it down on the ground first.

SIG Sauer was the only one who had not been given any instructions. He was also the only member of the Firebrand Regiment who was never addressed by the rank he had held before he joined the Regiment. That was partly because he had had so many titles throughout his career, and partly because he had not been officially employed by any organization when Bronze Star recruited him.

"What would you have me do, my lord?" SIG Sauer enquired patiently.

"Actually, Sir Haywood McCrank requested to speak to you," Bellerophon apprised him.

"About what?" the pine green stallion muttered in interest.

"He just said the topic relates to some business he recently had in Ponyville," the palomino stallion revealed.

SIG Sauer was a little perplexed at first, but realization quickly dawned on him. He stated assumingly "You mean THAT business?"

"Correct," Bellerophon affirmed.

Sir Haywood McCrank had been living in Ponyville for the past nine months to conduct a top secret investigation. Neither SIG Sauer nor Bellerophon had been very heavily involved in his investigation, but they were both quite aware of what he was up against and what was at stake.

"Okay, where is he?" SIG Sauer inquired.

"Last time I saw him, he was in a private cell near the buffet table," Bellerophon thought aloud, "He had Commander Swiftdrive and Lieutenant Commander Comet Frost guarding half a dozen staffers from a number of companies. Truthfully, I think the two of them would be of better use here; they're both among the few officers that Captain Shining Armor can vouch for. At any rate, as I recall, Lady Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, Rough Rider, and Dapple Rhomb were with Sir Haywood, too."

"Guess I better go find them," SIG Sauer mumbled frankly.

"Actually, I could do that for you, Dad," Mauser proposed, "I just saw Sir Haywood about twenty minutes ago; I'm certain he's still in that cell. Plus, I have to get back to the ground floor, anyway. My lieutenant will not be pleased if he found out I left my post for too long."

"No, and Commander Hard Hull would be even less pleased," SIG Sauer contended.

"Very true," Mauser concurred, smiling cockily. As he started towards the door, he declared "Soon as I find Sir Haywood, I'll send him and his companions your way."

"Got it," SIG Sauer avowed.

After his son departed from the hospital wing, SIG Sauer turned back to his daughter.

Alpine was checking Lord Ambit Dexter's heart rate, pulse, and blood pressure. She was pleased to discover that they were all within normal parameters.

"Take care of the Commodore, Alpine," SIG Sauer beseeched her, "Odds are we'll be needing him before sunrise."

"He'll be in good hooves, Dad," Alpine assured her father, "I'll make sure he's awake before we decide to declare war on anypony."

She meant that as a joke, but SIG Sauer could not ignore the possibility that the War Council would probably have to convene before long. If and when they did, drastic measures would have to be taken to counter the attempted murder of Bronze Star and the threat it posed.

SIG Sauer knew it would be at least fifteen minutes before Haywood McCrank and the others got to the hospital wing. He decided to pass the time talking to other ponies. Lord Bellerophon and Alpine were preoccupied with other tasks, so he decided to seek somepony else out.

The pine green Unicorn trotted over to the eight mares and the baby dragon who were gathered near the operating table. None of them were shedding tears, but to say that Bronze Star's current state saddened them was an understatement.

Princess Celestia was so distraught that she looked almost unresponsive; Princess Luna had her hoof on her sister's shoulder as if to console her. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike were sick with worry. All of them had managed to retain some degree of composure; Rainbow Dash had the most, Rarity the least.

As for Applejack… her expression was almost unreadable. She sat on the edge of one of the nearby beds and stared almost fixatedly at the operating table. There was almost no emotion in any part of her countenance. If one did not know better, they may have assumed that Applejack was actually disinterested or indifferent to Bronze Star's ultimate fate. SIG Sauer, however, did know better. He was all too familiar with the expression on the orange mare's face. Nearly a decade ago, he had seen it every day for months. In his mirror.

Applejack was easily the toughest of the six mares, but every pony had a warm and tender side. SIG Sauer knew for a fact that the farmer was no exception. She had coaxed out a facet of Bronze Star that SIG Sauer had never seen before. He had spoken often of how she made him feel so… alive.

SIG Sauer decided to speak with her first. He stepped next to her and said softly "How you doing?"

She did not respond at first, but Applejack gradually turned to the pine green Unicorn and answered him quietly with "I'm doing okay."

She then turned back to the operating table and added in "Considerin'…"

SIG Sauer sighed, placed his front hoof on the orange mare's, and told her "If it makes you feel any better… I know how you feel."

That was quite true. Eight years ago, SIG Sauer had been the head of Field Operations for the Equestrian Threat Neutralizing Agency. One day, his wife Wysteria had been murdered by his then-partner. The pine green Unicorn had firmly placed the blame for her death on himself, even though nopony else did. Even Alpine and Mauser did not blame him for the loss of their mother.

Still, the pine green Unicorn had been a wreck after Wysteria died. He never turned to alcohol or drugs to ease the pain, but he had distanced himself from everypony he knew. He quit his job at the Agency, and he refused to work anywhere else for a while. In his efforts to cope with his pain, he had almost turned into a social outcast.

It was not until Bronze Star established the Firebrand Regiment that SIG Sauer felt a renewed sense of purpose and regained his will to go on. That was what prevented him from following Wysteria to an early grave. In a way, the prince had saved his life.

Applejack heard SIG Sauer's last statement, and she seemed to be reflecting on it or something of the sort. She remembered that Alpine had once told her about Wysteria's fate long ago. As an orphan, Applejack could imagine how hard it must have been on her and Mauser, but she not seen that lost from SIG Sauer's point of view until now. She commented "I know you do. But at least you didn't have to be kept in suspense for several hours before… it happened."

"Be thankful Bronze Star's still alive," SIG Sauer advised her, "My wife wasn't even given a chance to fight for her life."

"You're not the only one who's experienced loss, Mr. Sauer," Applejack snappily mumbled, "I watched both my parents die at the same time. So don't expect me to be glad that Bronze only might die."

SIG Sauer was alarmed by both the sharpness in Applejack's tone and the knowledge of her parents' whereabouts. He found himself somewhat speechless, and he was starting to wonder if he had made a mistake in trying to counsel her at that time.

"I'm sorry," Applejack abruptly stated apologetically, wrapping her front hoof around his, "I know you're just tryin' to comfort me. It's just…"

"It's alright," SIG Sauer assured her, smiling a bit, "Like I said, I know how you feel. If you need me for anything, you can come to me at any time. Trust me, it helps to have somepony who's been through this sort of thing once before to talk to."

Applejack could not help but grin slightly at the middle-aged stallion. He had known Bronze Star a lot longer than she had, and he was clearly just as upset by the gold stallion's predicament as she was, yet he was more concerned with her emotional well-being than his own. She could fully understand now why Bronze Star viewed SIG Sauer as the closest thing he had to a father.

Ten minutes later, the doors to the hospital wing were thrown up once more, and five ponies filed inside. They were Dapple Rhomb, Rough Rider, Copper Hollow, Noble Edict, and Sir Haywood McCrank. Lord Bellerophon had been standing close to the entrance when they came inside. He approached them, pointed out SIG Sauer to them, and together, they all swiftly trotted over to the pine green stallion.

SIG Sauer had remained with Applejack and her friends. He had talked with all of them, but he had not moved from the orange mare's side. When he noticed Bellerophon and the others, he bade the six mares "Excuse me."

When he intercepted the chief of staff and the new arrivals, Sir Haywood saluted him respectfully. SIG Sauer returned the friendly gesture, and he muttered "You wished to speak with me, Sir Haywood?"

"Yes, Mr. Sauer," the federal investigator affirmed, "Princess Celestia is demanding an explanation for what happened to her son. I can give her one, but I haven't yet."

"Why haven't you given it to her?" SIG Sauer queried, baffled.

"There were a few related issues I had to resolve first," Sir Haywood informed him, "I've been handling them for the last hour and forty minutes. I've reexamined some critical factors of the case, and I've consulted a number of ponies who have been involved in it. The princess has given me until Bronze Star is out of surgery to present my explanation. Fortunately, you're the last person I need to see before I'm ready."

"What do you need from me?" SIG Sauer asked him.

"Nothing special," Haywood McCrank replied, "I would simply prefer it if you were there when I gave my explanation."

"Why?" the pine green stallion muttered in interest.

"Two reasons," the indigo stallion elaborated, "Firstly, you are experienced in averting all types of crises, just as I am. After I give the entirety of my explanation, you may have a solution to remedy the mess we're in. Or at least assist me to think up one. Secondly… I am confident the princess will not react well to certain parts of my account of the events that led up to this moment. Since you are also well-versed in surviving hopeless scenarios, I'm hoping you can help me get through that conversation with her."

SIG Sauer could not tell if Sir Haywood was being serious or comical with that last statement. Either way, his remark was a strange one. Despite how well-known Sir Haywood was for being eccentric, he never made jokes in dire circumstances. So it was very unlikely that he was joking. However, it was equally uncharacteristic of him to make such a grim and pessimistic assumption as the one he had just made. He seemed to be implying that Celestia might become enraged by his explanation, and that if she did, she would take her wrath out on him or somepony else. While SIG Sauer himself had no desire to ever witness Celestia's wrath, he knew she would never vent her fury on a loyal subject.

At any rate, regardless of whether Sir Haywood was japing or not, SIG Sauer decided to humor him. He stated in reassurance "No matter what happens, I've got your back."

That seemed to set Haywood McCrank's mind at ease. He gestured for SIG Sauer and the others to remain where they were for a moment. Then he went over to Princess Celestia and pronounced "Your Highness, I'm prepared to give you a full explanation now."

Straightaway, Celestia turned towards the indigo stallion and commented "Very well, Sir Haywood. Begin at your leisure."

Haywood McCrank was a little stunned by how candid the white Alicorn sounded. "I was hoping we could go somewhere more private for this discussion. There are far too many ears in this room."

"I am not leaving my son, Sir Haywood," Celestia adamantly countered, "Besides, is your explanation likely to remain a secret after I've heard it?"

Haywood actually had not considered that. However, the regal mare raised an excellent point. If the parties responsible for this disaster were to be apprehended, many more ponies would have to be told of it sooner or later. Ultimately, Sir Haywood gave in and murmured "As you command, Your Highness."

He turned around and gestured for SIG Sauer, Bellerophon, Noble Edict, Copper Hollow, Rough Rider, and Dapple Rhomb to come forward. They approached thusly, as did Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Spike, and Princess Luna. Haywood McCrank found himself in the center of fourteen ponies and a baby dragon. He did not crave this attention, but his only choice was to deal with it.

Haywood McCrank proceeded to give a full account for everything that had happened that night, as well as everything that had precipitated it.

It all began nineteen years ago, when one of his colleagues at the Intelligence Bureau – Agent Dread Naught – had been investigating the death of a wealthy entrepreneur in San Franciscolt. Initially, the entrepreneur appeared to have died of a heart attack. However, there were certain factors about his death that Dread Naught found bewildering.

Namely, a trio of stallions had been seen prowling outside the entrepreneur's house less than a half-hour before he expired. The witness who saw those stallions was unable to give a specific description of them; only that they were wearing full-body jumpsuits, and they were an Earth Pony, a Unicorn, and a Pegasus.

In the end, the cause of the entrepreneur's death had been verified as a heart attack, and the investigation was called off. Even so, Dread Naught was unwilling to file the case away. The mysterious nature surrounding it had intrigued him.

When he returned to the Intelligence Bureau's headquarters in Canterlot, Dread Naught had gone to Sir Haywood McCrank and shared the file with him. After Sir Haywood looked over the details of the case thoroughly, he shared his colleague's suspicions that the case was not as simple as it appeared to be.

After a while, they put the case away, but they always kept it in the back of their minds.

A couple months later, Sir Haywood was tasked with investigating a death in Fillydelphia. This one was seemingly accidental, but the case bore an odd resemblance to the one from San Franciscolt. Shortly before the victim was found, three stallions in jumpsuits had been sighted in the area; one from each of the three major races.

From then on, Dread Naught and Haywood McCrank kept an eye out for any and all future cases that shared this feature. Of course, it was very unlikely that all of those cases would wind up on their desks, but since they knew what to look for, they were adequately prepared. To their surprise, a similar case occurred at least every two or three months.

At one point, they got the idea to dig through the Bureau's archives. That was when they discovered that the entrepreneur's case was far from the first one that took place under those specific circumstances. In actuality, these bizarre cases had already been going on for nearly two decades. None of them had ever been conclusively solved or explained, but they all mentioned a trio of shadowy figures near, around, or on the scene.

Only a few of those cases had been reported as a homicide, and even those that remained unsolved.

Before long, Dread Naught and Haywood McCrank came to the conclusion that all of the cases – including the suicides, the accidents, and even the natural causes – were actually murders, and that they were the work of organized crime.

Over a year had passed before they were able to find a motive for all of those murders. Sir Haywood found a series of bank accounts that had been set up by anonymous sources. Each time one of these special murders occurred, a huge sum of money was deposited into one of those accounts, and it was exchanged through several complimentary accounts; each one in a different bank. The money trails had no apparent beginnings or ends, but in each one, the money switched hooves so many times that even a few bits could become a small fortune by the time the trail finished circulating.

These banks were all over the country, and the money trails were completely untraceable. Furthermore, none of the victims had anything in common with the others. They varied in age, gender, race, status, social standing, location, and every other manner. In other words, the victims were totally random.

When Sir Haywood McCrank and Agent Dread Naught realized all this, they also realized just what they were up against. They were not dealing with a couple of greedy, ambitious thugs. Instead, a whole guild of professional, unprincipled assassins and bounty hunters was behind all of these murders.

It occurred to Dread Naught and Haywood McCrank that almost anypony could have been a member of this guild. For that reason, they had chosen to never share their information with another agent (or anypony else). Until they knew whom they could trust, they would limit the knowledge of the guild's existence to the two of them.

Of course, investigating the guild without any additional assistance proved to be quite trying. They were unable to identify any of the guild's members, or even draw up a list of suspects. They could not even learn the guild's name. All the same, they wanted to be able to call the guild something. One day, Sir Haywood referred to them as vermin (a fitting label, all things considered), which led to Dread Naught getting the idea to label the guild as the "Vermane." Sir Haywood hated puns, but he agreed to the suggestion, and the name stuck.

For seventeen years, they worked tirelessly to uncover and stop the Vermane. They never managed to get even close to succeeding. They managed to learn a few of the guild's planned assassinations in advance, but their efforts to prevent the murders were wasted. No matter what the two elite federal investigators did, the Vermane always beat them to the chase.

Haywood McCrank and Dread Naught could only devote so much of their time and resources to the Vermane. They had many other cases to attend to, plus they had to allow themselves some time for a personal and social life. Often, they were forced to put their investigation into the Vermane on indefinite hold.

Last year, however, they had a breakthrough.

At this point in Sir Haywood's explanation, some of the other present ponies began to contribute to the story. Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb were the first to do so.

They tentatively revealed that they were not just a salespony and a secretary by trade. They actually belonged to a covert organization that had devoted itself to protecting Equestria and all its inhabitants. This organization was not bound by any laws or guidelines, other than the ones it made for itself. Because of that, their organization was essentially a vigilante group.

Normally, Celestia would have been shocked to discover something like that. But this was hardly the most surprising revelation that had been addressed during the explanation. So other than raising an eyebrow, she gave no conspicuous reaction to the knowledge that Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider were vigilantes.

At any rate, the two spouses discussed how a year ago, their organization had acquired some very unsettling intelligence. They had discovered that a murder was going to occur very soon. The details they had were vague; there were only two things they were certain of. One, the victim was either living in Ponyville, or would be in Ponyville after the Summer Sun Celebration. Two, the murder would shake the very foundation of Equestria and yield terrible reprecussions for the entire nation.

When the vigilantes realized the gravitas of this impending threat, they had decided that they would be unable to prevent this crime without outside help. After very careful consideration, they decided to seek out somepony in the government.

As luck would have it, Bronze Star had moved to Ponyville the day before the Summer Sun Celebration. He had been posing as Canterlot's ambassador to the town, and he was passing himself off as a civilian. He had even used an illusion spell to hide his wings and his horn. Although nearly everypony else bought his act, the vigilante group was not convinced. They conducted a small test, and upon its completion, they confirmed their theory that Bronze Star had relocated from the capital city to a small town.

Consequently, the vigilante group had chosen to reach out to Bronze Star, as they knew how deeply he cared for his subjects, and that he would never turn away a plea for justice or aid. So they sent him a letter – which they went to great lengths to deliver – and begged him to ally with them. After he received that letter, he decided to accept their request almost right away.

That was when Haywood McCrank entered the scene. Bronze Star recruited him to assist in the investigation with the vigilantes. Other than the two stallions, the only other ponies who knew about the vigilantes' letter were Noble Edict, SIG Sauer, Bellerophon, Glock, and Captain Shining Armor. Of those five, the four stallions barely contributed anything more to this matter; they had their own affairs to see to in Canterlot.

Noble Edict, however, was instrumental in what happened next. When Sir Haywood moved to Ponyville to begin looking into the murder plot, he, Bronze Star, and Noble Edict decided to form a task force. That way, they could conduct a proper investigation.

Five more ponies from Ponyville's secret force were added to this task force. As Noble Edict's second-in-command, Copper Hollow joined straightaway. The other four were some of her deputies; their names were Paisley Branch, Cassia Sprig, Almond Wheeler, and Rollin Fields.

The first four or five months of the investigation were relatively fruitless. The task force and the vigilantes exchanged information and notes with each other frequently, but they never acquired any definite leads, clues, or suspects.

Haywood McCrank was certain to mention the day when they found their first major clue. Using a trio of dice, he had discovered the relevance of the number three in the investigation. That was when Sir Haywood officially began to suspect that this case might bare some similarity to a number of his previous cases.

In the meantime, one of Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb's coworkers – a stallion named Shakedown – made arrangements for the two of them to physically move to Ponyville. While Rough Rider was busy travelling throughout Equestria to make sales and gather more intelligence, Dapple Rhomb bought a house in Ponyville and got her job as Bronze Star's secretary.

The task force found their first hard evidence on the day of the Running of the Leaves. They had encountered three of the Vermane in Whitetail Woods, and while they had failed to capture them, they managed to get three distinctive objects off of them.

Haywood McCrank had an even stronger reason to believe in the validity of his theory then. He decided to mail those three objects to Dread Naught so he could catalogue them.

When Dread Naught sent those objects back with a comprehensive report, he was able to confirm Sir Haywood's theory. That was when Sir Haywood confirmed that this murder plot was indeed the work of the Vermane.

The investigation only became progressively more hazardous and risky from there. Also, Bronze Star had revealed his identity to everypony on the task force by this point in time. That brought them closer together, incidentally. Despite the increase of danger, the task force held together.

Soon after, Rough Rider finally came to Ponyville to reunite with his wife and assist her with the vigilante business. Not long after that, Bronze Star and Haywood McCrank unmasked them as members of the vigilante group. Once that happened, Bronze Star proposed a more open alliance between their two groups.

To everypony's astonishment (and delight), both factions were quite amenable to having this form of association between them. However, they began to receive some ominous warnings from the Vermane. These warnings came in the form of some photographs of the task force's loved ones.

Those photographs had been enough to dissuade Cassia Sprig and Paisley Branch from continuing to work on the task force. Everypony else stayed around.

A little while later, Agent Dread Naught decided to come to Ponyville and assist the task force directly. When Bronze Star asked the vigilantes for some additional aid, Shakedown was also sent to join them. Both stallions proved their worth several times over. In fact, Shakedown produced an invaluable lead that enabled the task force to track a few members of the Vermane all the way to Detrot.

When the task force made that discovery, they decided to divide their numbers in half. Five of them would go to Detrot and pursue this new lead; the other five would remain in Ponyville and continue the investigation from their base of operations.

Almond Wheeler, Copper Hollow, Dread Naught, Rough Rider and Shakedown were in the first group. Bronze Star, Dapple Rhomb, Haywood McCrank, Noble Edict, and Rollin Fields were in the second one.

While the first group was away, the second group made another startling discovery. They learned that all of the Vermane's victims were somehow connected to six companies in two large business conglomerates. The CEOs of those six companies – along with their boards of directors – happened to be in Ponyville to attend a conference at the time. Celestia had attended the conference, so she knew a bit about this part.

Sir Haywood had developed another theory that some of the staffers on the six companies' boards of directors may have been members of the Vermane. At that point, the others were unwilling to rule out anything, so they gave the Superintendent's hypothesis some serious consideration.

The half of the task force that had gone to Detrot had managed to get their best piece of evidence yet. But the collection of his evidence had come at a terrible price. They had been ambushed in their flight from the city. Shakedown was killed, and Dread Naught had to sacrifice himself so that the others could get away.

Almond Wheeler, Copper Hollow, and Rough Rider had gotten on a train to Ponyville safely, but three of the Vermane had snuck aboard. When they were about halfway to Ponyville, they launched an attack on the passengers of the train, which turned into a full-out massacre. Rough Rider, Almond Wheeler, and Copper Hollow each managed to kill one of the three members, but Rough Rider and Almond Wheeler sustained some critical injuries. Over half of the train's passengers had been wounded in some way, as well. Luckily, there was a surgeon on the train at the time; he was a surgeon from Detrot named Dr. Billow Health. He was able to sustain all of the wounded individuals until they reached Ponyville.

Other than the three members of the Vermane, Almond Wheeler was the only pony who did not survive the aftermath of the train massacre. Everypony on the task force and everypony on the town's security force had been devastated by her loss, but the one who had been hit hardest was Almond Wheeler's cousin, Cashew Lane.

On the bright side, Almond Wheeler, Dread Naught, and Shakedown's deaths were not in vain. From the information the task force picked up in Detrot, they were led to believe that Noble Edict would be the victim of the murder plot. Based on the content of a personnel file, the Vermane had planned to kill Noble Edict on her thirtieth birthday. Working together, the task force not only long prevented the Vermane from succeeding in their deplorable scheme; they also sent them away limping and hemorrhaging.

After that, it appeared as though the danger was over. However, Haywood McCrank was not about to have everypony lower their guard. Six of the staffers from the aforementioned companies had disappeared the day after the Vemane had moved against Noble Edict. That compelled the task force to believe that at least a few of the companies' staffers were members of the Vermane. Because each of the six aforementioned companies would be sending one of its staffers each to the Grand Galloping Gala, there was still plenty of cause for worry. Anything could happen at the Gala.

Bronze Star, Haywood McCrank, Dapple Rhomb, Rough Rider, Noble Edict, and Copper Hollow had already planned on going to the Gala. As a precaution, each of them had come to the party armed. They also wore very small communicators that could fit in their ears; they could converse with each other without being overheard and without even being in the same room.

The Gala itself did not present any threats to their safety. No immediate or significant ones, at any rate. However, two hours after the Gala ended, Sir Haywood discovered that Noble Edict was not the intended target after all; she was merely a decoy. When he confronted the staffers from the six companies, he realized that Bronze Star was the true target.

Unfortunately, Bronze Star had not been with the other five ponies when they made this discovery. The communicators enabled them to give him a warning, but they were too far away to reinforce or protect him. Even so, they had started galloping to his bedchambers as quickly as their legs could carry them.

It was Bronze Star who discovered that the three assassins sent after him were Cashew Lane, Billow Health, and Sir Verse A. Till. He had engaged the three of them in a swordfight. He managed to kill both Cashew Lane and Billow Health, but he kept Verse A. Till alive for questioning.

That was a very wise decision on his part. Sir Verse A. Till was the assistant to the Chairpony of the War Council. He had been working under Lord Ambit Dexter for many years. If persuaded to talk, he would be a much more valuable source of information than either Billow Health and Cashew Lane.

The real tragedy came about when Bronze Star prematurely assumed he was out of harm. That was when Blade Bearer thought it would be a good idea to commit treason. After eliminated Hammer Shaft and Stone Cracker, he had shot Bronze Star three times. He kept him alive after that only so that he would suffer. Blade Bearer intended to the conclude job by slitting the gold stallion's throat.

Haywood McCrank had arrived just in time to prevent that. He recalled that just before he, Blade Bearer had boasted about framing a former officer of the Royal Guard for a crime he had committed. Her name had been Clear Crest. SIG Sauer then interjected and claimed that he had recently acquired some evidence which suggested that that was in fact true. Be that as it may, that issue was of little consequence to Celestia at that time.

Haywood McCrank wrapped up the story by mentioning how he had reached Blade Bearer before he could finish what he started. After pulling the traitor away from the prince, Sir Haywood had stabbed Blade Bearer until his torso was a red ruin.

He left out one or two minor details. Thankfully, Noble Edict and Copper Hollow left them out, too. He went straight to the part where they had focused on getting help for the prince. Everything else they had done afterwards was already known.

Celestia had listened to Sir Haywood's explanation in relative silence, only stopping to ask a question or raise a point every now and then.

When he wrapped up his explanation, Celestia stood in meditative silence for about a minute. Then she murmured "This is all very remarkable, Sir Haywood. Tell me; how long have the Vermane been at large?"

"No less than thirty-seven years, Your Highness," the indigo stallion informed her.

"How long have you been pursuing them?" Celestia enquired.

"About nineteen years," Sir Haywood recalled.

"Why do you suppose you have not found them yet?" Celestia uttered.

"I have no excuse," Haywood McCrank told her, "Except that I have not tried hard enough."

"In a way, you are right," Celestia debated, "You are bound to protect the principles this country is founded on, and you are sworn to protect the innocent at the same time. Sometimes, it is not possible to do both. Having to choose between them would be an unenviable task. However, you could learn a lesson from these two."

At that, she turned to Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider, who seemed somewhat taken aback. Celestia bluntly continued with "There are times when thinking like a vigilante is more practical and useful than thinking like an officer. This is one of those times."

Sir Haywood cocked his head in interest and queried "What are you saying, Your Highness?"

Celestia turned back to the indigo stallion and stated in a very serious voice "What I'm saying is this: I want you to do whatever it takes to locate the Vermane as soon as possible. I mean, whatever it takes. Even if you have to violate every code of ethics and morality, I want the Vermane found. As long as they are allowed to roam free, Bronze Star will never be safe. Is that understood?"

Haywood McCrank stared at her in stunned silence for a minute, as did everypony else there. Even Princess Luna was alarmed by her sister's rigid command.

Nevertheless, Sir Haywood sternly proclaimed "You have my solemn vow, Your Highness. I will find the Vermane through any and every means necessary."

And he would. The sight of Bronze Star lying on his back had strengthened his resolve. Even if he had to do horrible things, abominable things, unforgiveable things, Sir Haywood McCrank of the Intelligence Bureau would not rest until all of the Vermane were brought to justice.
> The Boundaries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within an hour after Princess Celestia received that explanation from Sir Haywood McCrank, Lord Ambit Dexter regained consciousness. Celestia was somewhat surprised to see the Commodore in the capital city. Earlier on, Bronze Star had told his mother that Lord Ambit had been in Ponyville for the past few weeks, and that he would probably remain there for a while longer.

The first part was true; both Ambit Dexter and Verse A. Till had been staying with Bronze Star at Ponyville's embassy. However, the Commodore did not plan to be in Ponyville after that night. So the second part of that claim was not entirely truthful.

Nor was the reason Bronze Star had given Celestia for why the two stallions had gone to Ponyville in the first place.

The prince had claimed that Ambit Dexter and Verse A. Till had travelled to Ponyville to assess the town's defensive capabilities. In actuality, they had been collaborating with Bronze Star on a certain matter of business; the same matter of business that had led the Firebrand Regiment to Chicacolt that night. Like the Regiment, they had played a major role in purging the threat posed by those dangerous radicals.

The only other ponies who knew about that conspiracy were Lord Bellerophon, Lady Noble Edict, and Applejack. Bronze Star had been hoping to avoid telling anypony else about that conspiracy. Especially his mother, as she had been the conspirators' ultimate target.

As such, Bronze Star had sworn everypony else who knew about the conspiracy to total secrecy. Of course, he had intended to keep the matter of the Vermane a private affair, as well. Yet Sir Haywood McCrank had been forced to abolish its confidentiality.

Given everything that had occurred thus far, it seemed as though the conspiracy would run the risk of exposure, too. The Commodore's sudden unexpected return to the capital city might have increased the chances of that.

Fortunately, Celestia was not very interested in what Ambit Dexter had been up to that night or any other night in the last month. She was far more interested in his counsel.

As the Chairpony of the War Council, Lord Ambit was charged with advising Celestia on all forms of conflict. These included – but were not limited to – international crises, diplomatic negotiations, menaces to the country's safety, civil unrest, and the possibility of invasion.

The current situation definitely qualified as at least one of the aforementioned issues.

Shortly after he woke up, Lord Ambit Dexter was brought up to speed on the topic the Vermane. He was as shocked as everypony else when he learned that Bronze Star had nearly died that morning. He was straight-up outraged when he found out that Verse A. Till had been one of the assailants. The moccasin stallion had trusted the glaucous stallion with assisting and protecting him for the past decade. After all these years of loyal service, he had ended his career by violating the oath he had sworn to an even higher power.

As angry as Lord Ambit had been by Sir Verse's betrayal, he was much more bothered by the Vermane. Like Celestia, he had quickly surmised that Bronze Star was not out of danger. As long as he was still breathing, the Vermane would just keep coming after him.

With that in mind, Lord Ambit knew they would have to react harshly to the attempt on Bronze Star's life, and they would have to react soon. The Commodore spent over an hour thoroughly assessing their current predicament.

In the end, he determined that the most ideal course of action would be to implement a state of national emergency, as well as to declare martial law.

Of course, before they did that, they would have to provide a reason to the public. If the Military Enforcement Corps started patrolling the streets without explanation, there would be speculation, worry, and fear in every city of Equestria.

Lord Ambit analyzed every possible approach to this dilemma, and he deduced that the only thing that would satisfy the common people was the truth. He was aware that there would be countrywide panic if it became known that a member of the Canterlot Royalty had almost been murdered. Regardless, Ambit Dexter contended that this was the only way to (hopefully) prevent any more of the Vermane from coming to the capital city, and the only way to control their movements.

So after contemplating their options, Celestia agreed to accept Ambit Dexter's proposal. Subsequently, the Commodore summoned the chiefs of the armed forces to the Council Chambers, and he held an emergency session of the War Council. There he notified them that effective immediately, he was declaring marital law.

His decree was implemented straightaway. The various units of the Constabulary Contingent were assembled in the Castle. Mauser's team (and a few others) would remain in Canterlot. The other platoons would receive their assignments in order of priority.

The largest and most experienced detachments would be deployed first; they would be sent to the major cities. After that, the lesser and fresher squads would be dispatched to the small towns and the private settlements.

This whole process would take at least several days. Maybe weeks. It all depended on the cooperation of the civilians of Equestria.

There were several other changes that were enacted by martial law. A nationwide curfew was announced, the railway lines were virtually shut down, and the right to assembly was severely reduced. Additionally, everypony was subject to unannounced search-and-seizure. These changes would be enacted much more quickly.

In any case, none of them would be received with very much enthusiasm. Especially when considering the motive for their application.

Bronze Star's operation had been a long and arduous procedure; removing the three projectiles from his torso had been the easiest part. That alone had still taken almost an hour, as the projectiles had burrowed partway into his organs. It had taken another ninety minutes to stop the hemorrhaging, and forty-five more to reestablish proper blood flow in his vessels and arteries. The most difficult part of all had been to mend the Refresher Box. Nearly three hours were required to repair the damage that had been inflicted onto it.

Luckily, once the Refresher Box was fixed, it was able to assist the Surgeon General in the operation. By itself, the Refresher Box could have repaired Bronze Star's lung and small intestine without any outside aid. However, that would have been a very gradual process, so Purple Heat went ahead and patched both of those up.

Thanks in part to the assistance of Peacemaker and Koch, Purple Heart managed to finish Bronze Star's operation in slightly over seven hours. It was almost ten o'clock in the morning when the Surgeon General finished sewing up the gold stallion.

Purple Heart's staff had arrived in the hospital wing two hours ago. Even then, the medical students did not back out; they had consistently proven their abilities and their usefulness all throughout the operation. As a result, the prince was guaranteed to live.

Alas, even after Bronze Star got out of surgery, he remained unconscious. His body needed more time to heal itself. To conserve energy, it had gone into a comatose state. No drugs or treatment would bring him around before he was ready. So there was no way of knowing when he would wake up.

That aside, Princess Celestia was determined to be there when he did. She adamantly refused to leave her son's side for anything. He expected it would only be a matter of hours.

She soon discovered that she would have to wait a lot longer than she hoped for. Bronze Star did not wake up that day. Or the next day. Or any day that week.

Even so, Celestia could not be swayed to leave the hospital wing. She would not even depart to change night into day.

Consequentially, the task of raising and lowering both the Sun and the Moon fell on Princess Luna. Initially, some ponies were concerned that the blue Alicorn might have been unable to assume such a tremendous responsibility. Those qualms were swiftly put to rest the first morning after the Gala, when Luna deftly lowered the Moon and raised the Sun at eight o'clock sharp.

Despite being younger and less practiced, Luna demonstrated that she was wholly capable of watching over both the day and the night. Her sister had done it for centuries; if need be, she could certainly do it for at least a few months. All the same, she hoped it would not actually be months before her nephew recovered.

Eventually, all the Gala attendees were permitted to leave the Castle, but only after they had been questioned by Sir Haywood McCrank. The indigo stallion was able to verify that none of them had been working with the Vermane. In other words, there were no other assassins loose in the Castle. Still, that was only the beginning of Sir Haywood's plan to locate the Vermane.

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Spike, Copper Hollow, Noble Edict, Dapple Rhomb, and Rough Rider had meant to go back to Ponyville shortly after the Gala. They still had the option to do so, but out of concern for Bronze Star and Celestia, they had chosen to stay in Canterlot. They kept in contact with their loved ones back home via mail, but for security reasons, they were not allowed to tell them anything about Bronze Star's well-being. As far as the rest of the country knew, the gold stallion was still fighting for his life.

Rough Rider, Dapple Rhomb, Copper Hollow, and Noble Edict offered to assist Sir Haywood with his new investigation. He eagerly accepted their help. The four of them had been instrumental in his first investigation; the one that centered around preventing the murder plot against Bronze Star. Plus, he regarded them as some of the few ponies he could fully trust.

Since they would be in Canterlot for an undisclosed amount of time, Noble Edict and Copper Hollow had to temporarily relinquish their positions as Chief and Deputy Chief of Security of Ponyville. They sent a communique to the Ponyville barracks, informing their fellow officers of this development. While they were away, the title of Chief of Security passed on to Rollin Fields, and a mare named Lime Sorbet assumed the role of Deputy Chief.

Since Haywood McCrank was allowed unlimited resources in his assignment to find the Vermane, he decided to ask Dapple Rhomb and Rough Rider to contact their organization. That proved to be somewhat challenging to do, what with martial law being in effect. Even so, after about a week, the secretary and the salespony managed to communicate with their fellow vigilantes.

Obviously, the organization could not send any more of their members to Canterlot to assist Sir Haywood. Although their group's existence was no longer a secret to Celestia and Rough Rider and Dapple Rhomb were now known members, the vigilantes did not wish to risk exposing themselves any further. Also, martial law had greatly hindered their intelligence network and their own abilities to accumulate information. Despite that, they assured Haywood McCrank and the others that if they found any data that could pertain to the Vermane – regardless of how seemingly trivial or minor it may have appeared to be – they would send it directly to the Castle.

Despite having so many resources at his disposal, Sir Haywood was still unwilling to consult with other officers from the Intelligence Bureau. Dread Naught had been the only agent he trusted entirely with the issue of the Vermane, and that was primarily because Dread Naught had discovered their existence in the first place. Now that he was dead, the Superintendent was the only pony from the Bureau who knew anything about the Vermane.

Sir Haywood was a very eccentric pony; that was undeniable. Be that as it may, he was not paranoid in any manner. Nor did he have an inherent inclination to distrust everypony he meant. He was simply averse to the concept of involving any more ponies in his new investigation than the ones he absolutely needed.

That was the same reason why the task force in Ponyville had been so small. A larger group would have attracted too much attention and suspicion. A smaller group was easier to monitor and oversee, as well.

Most of all, Haywood McCrank felt he could not safely discern who may or may not have been a member of the Vermane. Nopony could truly blame him for that. After all, nopony ever suspected Blade Bearer or Verse A. Till. Yet because of them, the Vermane had managed to infiltrate the Royal Guard and the staff of Canterlot Castle. For all anypony knew, the Vermane could have gained access to the Intelligence Bureau, as well. If that was the case, this investigation would probably never end.

While Haywood McCrank did not seek out aid from the Bureau, he was not opposed to taking on any additional aid whatsoever. On the first day of the investigation, the Firebrand Regiment offered their services to him.

The Regiment's assignments were confidential, but their reputation was well-known in Canterlot. All ten of them were still regarded as some of the most experienced and most patriotic ponies in modern day. They were unquestionably loyal to Bronze Star, they were incapable of being corrupted, they instilled peace and security all over Equestria, and they had played a pivotal role in removing many foreign and domestic hazards. Essentially, they were ideal allies to have in this sort of affair.

Sir Haywood would have been a fool to refuse the Firebrand Regiment's help. So when they first presented their offer, he accepted it straightaway.

Alas, even with the Regiment backing him, progress in the investigation came along slowly. That did not discourage them, though. If anything, it inspired Sir Haywood and everypony else to search harder and more extensively than before.

Of course, they did not rely solely on all the new information they acquired. They also reviewed all the data Sir Haywood already had on the Vermane. He had been gathering it for nineteen years, so there was quite a lot to sift through. Wanting to overlook nothing, they examined every bit of it meticulously. Their goal was to find a way to conclusively track the Vermane's movements. They were able to compose a model that could accurately predict where some of the Vermane could be. That was a notable achievement on their part. Unfortunately, this model could not predict when the Vermane would be at any of those locations.

Their most significant source of information was already in their possession; it had been since the start of the investigation.

The day after the Grand Galloping Gala, Sir Verse A. Till regained consciousness.

When he passed out, his right front hoof had been impaled by a dagger, which in turn had been wedged into the surface of a wooden table. As a result, his hoof had been pinned down, effectively reducing his range of motion and preventing him from going anywhere.

When he came to, the knife was gone, and his hoof had been bandaged. His hoof still stung, and he felt a twinge of pain on the top of his head. That must have been from the blow Bronze Star had dealt to knock him out.

Those minor aches were the least of Verse A. Till's problems. He found himself trapped once again. This time he was in a much tighter fix than before. He was strapped down to a cold, metal table. There were restraints on his hooves, his neck, his torso, and even his tail. He tested the strength of the bonds, and he could hardly move as much as an inch. He was rendered almost completely immobilized.

He quickly got the idea to liberate himself with magic, but when he tried that, all he felt was another surge of pain in his head. He then noticed a small device was affixed to the tip of his horn. He tried to shake it off, but it was firmly attached. Whatever it was, it must have been inhibiting his magic aura from appearing.

Although his head was strapped down, he was able to tilt it up enough to get a look at his surroundings. He was clearly in a medical ward, but it was definitely not the hospital wing of Canterlot Castle. He was still in the Castle, though.

The Firebrand Regiment had their own base of operations in Canterlot Castle. They simply referred to it as the Compartment. They conducted the majority of their own operations from that area. Those included researching data, cataloguing their findings, and questioning suspects.

The Compartment was very well-stocked with food, bedding, medicine, and other supplies. If the situation called for it, all ten members of the Regiment could actually live there without having to leave for anything for over a year. They had not attempted to do so yet; that was more of a worst case scenario precaution.

Sir Verse A. Till had woken up in the Compartment's medical ward. When he examined his surroundings, he realized he was not alone. There were three other ponies in that room.

Two of them were Glock and Beretta. They were standing guard at the entrance of the ward.

The third pony was sitting in a stool at the foot of Verse A. Till's bed. He was glaring at the glaucous stallion in utter hatred. In spite of that, Sir Verse did not exhibit as much as a twinge of fear.

"Good morning," he slyly mumbled, "Or is it the afternoon? It's hard to tell, what with the lack of windows in here."

"I'll give you the time," Haywood McCrank drily muttered, "It's about bucking time you woke up."

"Have I kept you waiting very long?" Verse A. Till uttered mockingly "If so, I apologize."

"Oh, you have a lot more to atone for than that," Sir Haywood said sharply. He gradually rose from his stool and paced in front of the bed. He and the other knight were roughly the same age, height, and build. But almost anypony could look intimidating from one's perspective when one was lying flat on one's back. Had Sir Verse a fainter heart, he would have begun to sweat.

Verse A. Till took another look around the room, and he noted the conspicuous absence of a certain stallion. He stated candidly "I would have expected the prince to be here, as well. Yet he is not. Why is that? Is he preoccupied at the moment?"

Haywood McCrank did not answer him. The silence spoke for itself, though. Sir Verse smiled evilly and chided "Is he lying on his back, too?"

"He is," Sir Haywood affirmed, "But not for long. Blade Bearer thought he would succeed where you failed. He didn't. I saw to that."

"You?" Sir Verse remarked, scoffing, "You overpowered an officer of the Royal Guard? Unlikely."

"I have witnesses who can attest to it," Sir Haywood coolly proclaimed, "You're lucky you were unconscious when I caught Blade Bearer. After I pulled him off the prince, I decided to turn him into a pony-sized pincushion. I carved him up like a hunk of firewood. Now he's taking up space in the morgue."

Verse A. Till did not know what was more unsettling: the way Sir Haywood was making cunning metaphors about how he killed Blade Bearer, or the way his voice sounded so unemotionally stoic when he made them. Still, he did not let fear set in.

"If your hope is to frighten me, Sir Haywood, you're doing a dismal job," Sir Verse drily murmured.

"I'm not trying to frighten you, Sir Verse," Sir Haywood disclosed, "Not yet, that is. I'm trying to be diplomatic with you."

"I thought you didn't negotiate with terrorists," Verse A. Till recounted.

"I don't," Haywood McCrank proclaimed, "Not officially, at least. But this is not a negotiation. Nor is it officially on the record. As far as everypony else knows, this conversation never happened."

"That right?" the glaucous stallion snapped, "So, what shall we 'never' talk about?"

"Well, we could keep exchanging witticisms with each other," the indigo stallion conjectured, "But that'll accomplish nothing. So I'll cut right to the chase. You are going to help us find your colleagues and bring them to justice."

"And why would I do that?" Verse A. Till asked rhetorically.

"I'll give you plenty of reasons why," Haywood McCrank proclaimed, "To begin, you've only alive because the prince chose to spare you. He could have chosen Cashew Lane or Billow Health just as easily. I would not have discriminated, either. If it had been you who shot Bronze Star, I would have killed you as easily and readily as I killed Blade Bearer. You would be wise to cooperate with me. Otherwise…"

At that, he placed his left front hoof on the hilt of his knife. The gesture was subtle, but impossible to miss.

"Let's say I agreed to cooperate," Verse A. Till speculated, "What happens once I outlive my usefulness?"

"You should think more on what could happen before that," Sir Haywood McCrank advised him, "You know, only a few ponies know that you were involved in the attempt on Bronze Star's life. Your betrayal is not yet common knowledge. Of course, that's much more for Celestia's sake than for yours. She already suffered enough embarrassment when Blade Bearer sullied the reputation of the Royal Guard. The last thing the government needs is for the fact that the assistant to the Chairpony of the War Council is a turncoat and an assassin to be made public, too.

"In addition to that, if your participation in the murder attempt became widely-known, your survival would, as well," Sir Haywood continued, "That would not bode well for any of us, least of all you. I'm willing to wager that if your associates learn that one of their number has been apprehended, they will concentrate all of their resources on rescuing you or killing you. Given their callous nature, I'd lean towards the latter.

"Lastly, you were not the one who attacked Bronze Star," Haywood McCrank professed, "That was Blade Bearer's doing, and he has already paid for his treason. You, however, did not give the prince a scratch. You still have the chance to compensate for your crimes. You should take that chance while it's available."

Verse A. Till gazed inquisitively at the other knighted stallion, as though he was actually considering the idea of cooperating with him. Ultimately, he just grimaced furiously and spat heatedly "Go to Tartarus."

Haywood McCrank raised an eyebrow and spoke bluntly "Nothing to say, huh? Very well…"

He gradually trotted around the right side of Verse A. Till's bed, and he stopped when he was standing directly in front of the other stallion's right front leg. He stared down at Sir Verse in total silence for a bit.

Then he drew his knife and pressed the tip of it against the bandage on the glaucous stallion's front hoof. Verse A. Till instantly felt a rush of pain in his leg, and he lightly groaned in distress.

"One way or another, you're going to talk, Sir Verse," Haywood McCrank softly commented as he applied more pressure to the bandage with his knife, "You may be determined to keep your mouth shut now, but I can 'persuade' you to change your mind. Nopony's resolve is indestructible."

From that moment on, Sir Haywood McCrank spent nearly half of his investigation time with Sir Verse A. Till. The indigo stallion had the glaucous stallion interrogated lengthily for hours every day. The Firebrand Regiment was more than happy to assist with the questioning process.

Verse A. Till proved to be even tougher than he looked. No matter how hard they pressed him, they could not even get him to admit his middle name.

After the first week, Sir Haywood decided to employ some more extreme measure. He moved Sir Verse from an interrogation booth to a torture chamber. There he had Sir Verse subjected to all forms of torment. He was tortured physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually.

Verse A. Till did not react very well to the torture. After just a few days, he was evidently in tremendous agony. All the same, he would not loosen his tongue.

One day, Sir Haywood tried something completely different. He went to Sir Verse and claimed that if he chose to cooperate, Celestia would grant him a full royal pardon for all his crimes. He would be allowed to live in peace and freedom for the rest of his life after he helped bring the other Vermane to justice.

Sir Haywood had not run that proposal past Princess Celestia yet, mostly because he did not wish to pester her with what she called trivial matters. He doubted she would have approved it, anyway. At this point, he was just desperate to finally get somewhere.

Unfortunately, Sir Verse saw straight through his act. He felt a strange sense of triumph when he noticed Sir Haywood's desperation. He flat-out refused the royal pardon, and he cheekily observed "It looks as though your resolve might break before mine, Sir Haywood."

The worst part was that Sir Haywood could not refute that statement.

Three weeks after the Grand Galloping Gala was Bronze Star's twenty-sixth birthday. Unfortunately, he did not emerge from his coma on that day. Even so, Pinkie Pie threw a party for him in the hospital wing. The party was just as much for the gold stallion's friends as it was for him. It was a refreshing escape from all the tension that had encompassed the Castle lately.

The party had a fairly decent turnout. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rough Rider, Dapple Rhomb, Copper Hollow, Noble Edict, all ten members of the Firebrand Regiment, and most of the Castle's staff showed up for it. Several of them only came out of respect for Bronze Star. Others came just to provide moral support for Princess Celestia, who still had yet to leave her son's side. Regardless of their intentions, everypony who appeared at the party was welcomed.

Only one of the invitees did not attend. That was Sir Haywood McCrank.

Ever since Celestia tasked him with locating the Vermane, he had literally spent every waking moment working towards that objective. Although he had an office at the Intelligence Bureau HQ, he had taken to using a desk in the Compartment instead. He had developed quite an attachment to that desk in the past month. He had left the Compartment almost as seldom as Celestia had left the hospital wing.

Sir Haywood McCrank loved his job, and he was sometimes known as a workaholic, but this new mindset was unprecedented in him. He had become borderline obsessive over this case. It seemed to consume every unburdened part of his mind.

Before long, the case began to affect his daily habits, as well. He only ate the bare minimum nourishment that was needed to sustain him. He drank nothing but a few glasses of water every day. He had no time for adequate exercise, and he often skipped showering.

Even sleep did not come easy to him. In fact, he barely slept at all. Whenever he did fall asleep, it was usually unintentional, and more often than not, it was at his desk instead of at his bed.

On the night of Bronze Star's twentieth-sixth birthday, Sir Haywood was sitting at his desk, going over a comprehensive outline of the Vermane's movements for what felt like the thousandth time. The threat of sleep was looming over him heavily.

Sir Haywood had to struggle to keep his eyes open, he was so tired. He could hardly even remember the last time he had gotten a good night's sleep. But he would not allow himself to rest; not until he finally produced a useful lead.

He did not know the precise moment when his eyes clamped shut or his head collapsed on the surface of his desk. But as soon as that happened, Sir Haywood's strength gave out, and he drifted into a much-needed slumber.

His respite only lasted for a few seconds. After that, Sir Haywood felt a large mass being dropped onto the surface of his desk. Despite his overwhelming exhaustion, he forced himself to sit up. When he saw what the large mass was, he screamed.

There was a body lying in the center of the desk. Although the room was immersed in total darkness, Sir Haywood could tell that the figure had a horn, a pair of wings, and a gold coat. There was a huge incision in his neckline where his throat had been cut open. His eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

"No… no…" Haywood McCrank whispered in shock and denial, reaching out to Bronze Star's lifeless form.

"That's one thing you and I have in common," a menacing voice announced from behind, "We always finish what we started."

Haywood McCrank whipped around and came face-to-face with Verse A. Till. Somehow, the glaucous stallion had gotten free and armed himself. He twirled a bloodstained dagger in his healed right front hoof.

Haywood McCrank had not felt such rage since he killed Blade Bearer. He jumped to his hooves, unsheathed his knife, and shouted "You… you… bastard!"

Sir Verse then turned and galloped down the corridor. Sir Haywood promptly chased after him. He chased him out of the Compartment and around half the Castle. When he finally caught up to him, he seized Verse A. Till by the shoulder and plunged the dagger into his throat.

But when Haywood McCrank stabbed Verse A. Till, the dagger seemed to phase right through him. He was perplexed at first, and he attempted to stab him again. The dagger passed through him once more.

Sir Haywood tried again and again, but the blade went harmlessly through the glaucous stallion's body. Verse A. Till began to laugh at the indigo stallion's futile attempts to harm him.

Just then, Sir Haywood's surroundings began to change. The walls were melting, the floor was opening up, the ceiling was shrinking, and the hallway was getting progressively brighter. All the while, Verse A. Till chortled in a maniacal fashion.

Haywood McCrank was so overwhelmed by all this surreal activity that he threw his front legs over his face and yelled in distress.

At that exact moment, he heard the sound of a window shattering. He peered upward and he spotted a large silhouette rapidly approaching him. Before he had time to move, the figure grabbed ahold of Sir Haywood's sides, picked him up off the ground, and took to the air.

The next thing Sir Haywood knew, he was standing on the balcony of the Astronomy Tower in Canterlot Castle. He was not alone; his rescuer was standing a couple meters away. It only took him a moment to recognize her.

"Princess Luna?" Haywood McCrank assumed in amazement.

The blue Alicorn smiled gently and stated "It's a pleasure to see you, Sir Haywood."

"Likewise, Your Highness," the indigo Earth Pony claimed, bowing to her. He gazed around the vicinity, and he queried "Am I… asleep?"

"Yes, good Sir," Luna confirmed, "You may think you are in the Astronomy Tower with me, but you are still sitting at your desk in the Compartment. Oh, and before you ask, yes; my nephew is alive and well."

"Thank goodness," Sir Haywood mumbled, returning his knife to his sheath. He spent the next minute studying his new surroundings. He uttered in astonishment "How is this possible?"

"Tis one of the many advantages of being the Princess of the Night," Luna apprised him.

"Indeed," Haywood conceded, gazing up at the stars, "Do you do this often?"

"Oh, yes," Luna revealed, "Most of the time, I just do it when I am bored. But I generally do not interfere directly with the dreamer. However, if I find somepony in distress, I reach out to them. Even then, their distress has to be genuine, dire, and it must reflect their real-life hardships."

"What drew you to me?" Haywood McCrank enquired curiously, turning back to the princess.

"I have witnessed your recent struggles," the regal mare notified him, "My sister has given you an unenviable job. It has occupied your mind for close to a month. However, the difficulty of the assignment is not what troubles you. What you truly fear is that you will fail her."

"You are absolutely right, Your Highness," Sir Haywood coincided, "Failure has always been my greatest fear. I came dangerously close to failing Prince Bronze Star when Blade Bearer put those projectiles in him. If I fail Princess Celestia in this matter, I don't think I'll be able to live with myself."

He gazed thoughtfully off to the side and released a deep sigh. Luna stepped closer and placed her front hoof on his shoulder. She declared, "Sir Haywood, I understand your qualms. It should come as no surprise to you that I know what it feels like to let Celestia down. When I was younger, all I wanted to do was make my parents and my sister proud of me. My parents were no challenge. Celestia was much harder to please. No matter how hard I tried, she rarely acknowledged my talents. I got the impression that nothing I did would be good enough for her. That was one of the things that drove me to madness."

"Your vanity turned you into Nightmare Moon?" Haywood McCrank conjectured.

"Not just my vanity," Luna clarified, "There were several other factors that led to that. Many of which were my fault. For the longest time, I still blamed Celestia for my transformation. But I was just denying responsibility for my actions. She was never any guiltier for what happened to me than I was. But when we were finally reunited, it did not matter who was guilty. We put our past disputes behind us and forgave each other everything."

Haywood McCrank nodded his head in acknowledgment. He pronounced "I'm glad you were able to make amends with your sister. Still, it could not have been entirely easy to reconnect with her. After all, how does one put aside one thousand years of estrangement?"

"As you can imagine, doing so is not simple," Luna professed, "Especially when you consider how different our situations were. I often wondered if Celestia enjoyed having control over both the Sun and the Moon. Now, ironically, I find myself in that very position. I find it's not as glamorous as I envisioned it to be. But I cannot and will not complain. My sister's reason for being unable to control either the Sun or the Moon is much worse than the one I had."

"How do you mean?" Sir Haywood inquired.

"I was stranded on the Moon for a millennium," Luna expounded, "My sister is stricken with worry over her son's well-being. I have no children of my own. Yet, that is. Even so, I can comprehend what my sister is going through. I would much rather be stranded in isolation indefinitely than fret over the possible loss of my only child."

"If I had children, I'm certain I would rather that, too," Haywood McCrank contended. He released another deep sigh and thought aloud "I just hope I'll be able to give Princess Celestia some reassurance before long. It's been three weeks, and we're still no closer to finding the Vermane."

"Give yourself some credit, Sir Haywood," Princess Luna debated, "The Vermane were killing ponies long before Bronze Star was even conceived. You've been pursuing them for almost two decades. You cannot be expected to find them in a few weeks."

"That is a good point," Haywood concurred, "Even so… I have nothing to show for my investigation thus far. Nothing, nothing, nothing."

"Perhaps not nothing," Luna countered casually, "I'd like to show you something."

Before the Superintendent could ask, their surroundings changed again. Haywood McCrank found himself and Princess Luna in the center of a busy street. There were tall buildings all around them. Many of those buildings had at least one neon light sign. Most of those buildings were hotels or casinos. Dozens of ponies were on the adjoining sidewalks, but none of them paid any mind to the federal investigator or the princess.

"This is Las Pegasus," Sir Haywood stated, astounded.

"What gave it away?" Luna slyly murmured.

"Whose dream is this?" Haywood McCrank queried.

Princess Luna turned him towards the west. Further down the street, a stallion with a familiar glaucous coat was trotting alone.

"Is that Sir Verse A. Till?" Haywood McCrank asked in interest.

"It is," Luna replied.

"Why would he be dreaming about this city?" Sir Haywood wondered.

"Whenever somepony is greatly troubled by an event in real life, they often dream about a certain place," Luna explicated, "That place could either be a haven for their worries, or the trigger for their worries. Which do you think?"

"Well, during our first investigation into the Vermane, we uncovered a lead that suggested that their main base might have been located in Las Pegasus," Haywood thought aloud, "But that was just a theory. Right now, I doubt they even have an HQ of any kind, and if they did, it should have been in Detrot."

"Could it be possible that Las Pegasus serves some other purpose to the Vermane's activities?" Luna hypothesized.

"That's certainly a possibility," Sir Haywood admitted. He glanced after Verse A. Till and proposed "Let's follow him."

The indigo stallion and the blue mare hastily trotted after the glaucous stallion. To avoid tipping him off, they kept their distance.

Eventually, he led them to a large bank in the center of the city. After looking over both his shoulders, he stepped inside.

"Can we go inside there?" Sir Haywood suggested.

Luna nodded again, and she switched their environment from the streets of Las Pegasus to the interior of the bank Verse A. Till just entered. They stood off to the side and watched as Sir Verse approached the counter and spoke with the teller.

"What could he be doing here?" Sir Haywood questioned.

"He's had this dream every night for the last five days," Luna informed him, "It's the exact same routine every time. From what I can gather, he has two different holdings in this bank. The first one is a regular bank account. For that one, he merely asks the teller if it is in order. The other one is a safety deposit box. That one, he has the teller get out so he can examine the contents."

Haywood McCrank rubbed his temple in deep thought, and then he muttered "How should we follow up on this?"

"Maybe we could sneak a peek at the safety deposit box," Luna recommended.

"This is a dream, Your Highness," Sir Haywood drily commented, "Why would it bother with such a minor detail as the contents of that box?"

"This is his dream," Luna debated, "So he must know what's inside. And if he knows what's supposed to be in there, it will be in there."

"What if his subconscious mind won't let us know that?" Haywood contended.

"The only way he could prevent us is if he knew we were here," Luna asserted, "Right now, he doesn't. I would suggest we take advantage of that."

"Okay, if you insist, Your Highness," Haywood McCrank conceded.

The two of them stood by and waited until Verse A. Till returned to the lobby of the bank and left the bank altogether. Then they entered the room with the safety deposit boxes. Luna directed Sir Haywood to the box that belonged to Sir Verse, and she used her magic to remove and unlock it.

Sir Haywood tentatively opened the box and peered inside. Within seconds, his eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth dropped open. After that, a smirk began to form on his face.

"Well?" Luna asked expectantly, eagerly awaiting the Earth Pony's response.

Sir Haywood McCrank held a wicked grin that spanned almost the length of his cheeks. He retained that grin as he looked up at the princess and wryly pronounced "I think we just found the key to making Sir Verse talk."
> Flux
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Haywood McCrank made his discovery, he spent two more weeks following up on it.

Incidentally, the Summer Sun Celebration was supposed to take place sometime during that interval. Alas, due to a variety of factors – which included the country being under martial law, Princess Celestia's refusal to leave her son's side, and the overall sullen mood of the common people – there was neither time nor willingness to prepare for an event of that magnitude. So the Celebration had to be called off for that year.

All the same, Sir Haywood did not waste those fourteen days. Princess Luna's new lead marked the beginning of a promising trail in his investigation, and at the end by those two weeks, he made his biggest breakthrough pertaining to the Vermane yet.

Soon after, he acted upon his findings in a very straightforward and decisive fashion.

Five weeks altogether had elapsed since the Grand Galloping Gala. For the first three, Verse A. Till had been tied down to a chair, a bed, or a table, and the Firebrand Regiment had routinely interrogated and tortured him for information.

While Sir Haywood looked into his new lead for the last two weeks, he had decided to let Sir Verse be. So the glaucous stallion was released from his restraints, and he was placed in solitary confinement.

He was kept in a holding cell and held under constant surveillance by two or more of the Regiment's members. They gave him all the comforts of home; he could wash himself, and he was provided with three meals each day. No one ever visited him, not that he expected them to. Still, he was somewhat curious as to why the Regiment had decided to give him a break after everything they had put him through.

Little did he suspect that at the end of this two-week respite, Sir Haywood McCrank would finally break him.

Two weeks and a day after Sir Haywood and Princess Luna spied on him in his dreams, Sir Verse was brought out of his holding cell and taken to one of the interrogation chambers. The room was dimly lit, and it was empty, save for a chair in the center of it. There was also a window on the wall that the chair was pointed towards. It connected into the adjoining interrogation chamber, which was completely dark.

After Beretta and Heckler bound Verse A. Till to the chair, Sir Haywood McCrank, Glock, Carabine, and Ruger entered the chamber.

Glock and Carabine stood guard at the door, Ruger positioned herself by the window, and Sir Haywood McCrank moved directly in front of Sir Verse.

The indigo stallion spent about a minute staring down intently at the glaucous stallion. The silence was as uncomfortable and menacing as the overall setting.

Ultimately, Sir Haywood ended the silence when he asked rhetorically "Do you have anything to say now, Sir Verse?"

"Not for you," Verse A. Till mumbled bluntly.

Sir Haywood sighed and perceived sardonically "So the last two weeks have not swayed your mind."

"No, my tongue is no more loose than it was a fortnight ago," Verse A. Till pronounced drily, "I welcomed the solitude, though. I was beginning to think that you'd lost interest in me,"

"As long as the prince's life is in danger, you're the most interesting thing around," Haywood McCrank claimed, "I have not forgotten the promise I made. I swore I would get you to talk."

"You haven't had much success in that pursuit so far," Verse A. Till scathingly noted.

"No, I have not," Haywood McCrank freely admitted. He then stepped forward, looked Sir Verse directly in the eye, and declared "But by the time this conversation is over, I won't be able to get you to shut up,"

Sir Verse merely raised an eyebrow and queried "Why is that?"

"Oh, you could call it a gamble," Haywood McCrank professed. He then backed up a few steps and started pacing in front of the chair. As he focused his gaze on Verse A. Till, he stated casually "On that subject, do you like to gamble?"

Despite the ostensible randomness and irrelevance of that question, Verse A. Till chose to answer it with "Not especially."

"Really?" Sir Haywood said, feigning surprise, "Then I'm guessing you don't spend a lot of time in Las Pegasus."

Again, Sir Verse was perplexed by that statement. Even so, he solemnly claimed "I've been to all of Equestria's major cities. That includes Las Pegasus. But how is that related to this?"

Rather than providing some clarity, Sir Haywood McCrank disclosed "I myself do not care much for gambling, either. At least not when the stakes are money. But when information is used as the incentive, I'm always willing to place a bet. In fact, I think I'll make such a wager right now."

After a brief pause, he continued with "I'm going to tell you what I've been up to these past two weeks. I will share with you all the new data I've acquired in my investigation. Once I'm done, you will trade me some of your own information. In other words, you will tell me how to find the other members of the Vermane. You may be determined to keep your mouth shut now, but soon enough, nopony – not even you – will stop you from telling me what I want to know."

Verse A. Till cocked his head and murmured "I am slightly curious as to why you are so confident that your new approach will work. Just for that, I'll play along with this charade."

"Oh, this is not a charade, I assure you," Haywood McCrank firmly contended.

The Superintendent then reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small slip of paper. He approached the former assistant to Lord Ambit Dexter and showed him the slip of paper. It was a photograph of an Earth Pony mare in her late twenties.

"Do you recognize this mare?" Sir Haywood demanded.

"She looks… a little familiar," Verse A. Till tentatively responded, suddenly less eager to speak.

"She should," Haywood McCrank debated, "You sat before her and took notes on everything she said for five days a week almost every week for nine months."

Verse A. Till smirked and noted cheekily "You seem to know quite a bit about her already."

"More than a bit," Sir Haywood avowed, "Her name is Risky Triumph. Like you, she is a native of Whinnypeg. You and she were born and raised in that town, though she was your elder by about ten years. She was also a lifelong professor of law and order. As it happens, she taught advanced criminal justice at the high school you attended. In your senior year, you took her class."

"Yes, it was a requirement for those of us who intended to get government-related jobs," Sir Verse conceded.

"I know; I myself took a similar class when I was in high school," Haywood McCrank elucidated. He then leaned closer and uttered softly "But a prerequisite was not all you got out of Risky Triumph's course."

Verse A. Till grimaced a little and muttered "What are you insinuating, Sir Haywood?"

"Only facts," the indigo stallion divulged, "According to your school's archives, you were rather fond of your criminal justice teacher. At your graduation ceremony, you asked her to sponsor you, and you named her as your favorite teacher in the yearbook. But you know what I find most intriguing? You often went to her house for tutoring."

He leaned even closer to the glaucous stallion and reprovingly added in "In spite of the fact that you were her best student."

"I'm sensing an accusation in those words," Verse A. Till murmured indifferently.

Haywood McCrank just carried on with: "As I'm sure you know, Risky Triumph had a husband named Mint Condition. She had already been married to him for four years when you began your senior year of high school. At that point in time, they still had no foals of their own. However, a few months before you graduated, she became pregnant. From what I've heard, Mint Condition was greatly looking forward to becoming a parent. Yet shortly after their son Deft Pawn was born, he left them. Why do you suppose that is?"

Ser Verse simply shrugged and hypothesized "Perhaps he could not handle the stress and pressure of parenthood."

"As probable as that pathetic excuse would be, I am certain it was not his motive for leaving," Sir Haywood debated, "No, he left his wife and her newborn colt for a much more personal reason."

"Which was…?" Verse A. Till uttered frankly.

"Risky Triumph and Mint Condition were both Earth Ponies," Haywood McCrank disclosed, "Their foal, however, was born with a horn."

At that, he reached into his jacket and pulled out two more photographs. One was of a Unicorn stallion, also in his late twenties. The other was of Sir Verse A. Till. While the photograph of Risky Triumph was about thirty years old, these two had been taken fairly recently. Sir Haywood held up the three pictures alongside each other so one could compare and contrast them.

"It's plainly obvious that Mint Condition was not Deft Pawn's father," Haywood McCrank perceived, "You were."

The glaucous Unicorn let out a deep sigh and murmured "No point in denying it. Yes, I sired that colt."

The indigo Earth Pony grinned sneakily and commented "See? I've already started to get a confession out of you."

"You've still got a long way to go until I tell you anything about my associates," Verse A. Till stoically countered.

"Give me time," was all Sir Haywood said in response.

The federal investigator slid the three photographs back into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. Then he proclaimed "Of course, you were never publicly acknowledged as the Deft Pawn's father. Doubtlessly because you were underage when he was conceived, and your affair with Risky Triumph would have generated a scandal. Even so, you must have figured out that he was yours, as you were frequently seen visiting Risky Triumph even after you finished your compulsory education. In fact, she almost never used a foalsitter; she just went to you."

"So I played an active role in my son's upbringing," Verse A. Till remarked, "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Haywood McCrank retorted, "If anything, it proves that you have a redeeming quality. That could be the one truly admirable thing you've done with your life."

"The only one?" Sir Verse mumbled irately, "Fourteen years in the National Guard. Twelve years as the assistant to the Chairpony of the War Council. Over twenty commendations for protecting the peoples of Equestria."

"For all I know, those deeds were just a means to an end," Sir Haywood contended, "The end being the attempt on Prince Bronze Star's life."

"You speak as though the plot to murder the prince began the moment he was born," Verse A. Till noted crossly.

"Did it?" Haywood presumed.

"No," Verse claimed, "I have been an assassin longer than Bronze Star's been alive, but the idea to kill him and make a profit from his death was not conceptualized until recently."

"Well, tell me one thing," Sir Haywood McCrank requested, "Your relationships with Princess Celestia, Lord Ambit Dexter, Prince Bronze Star, and everypony else in this building… Were they all lies? Was there anything real about them at all?"

"I did come to care for some of them," Verse A. Till contended, "But I always kept my distance, and I never let myself get emotionally attached to anypony. In my line of work – my role as a member of the 'Vermane,' as you call us – it is critical that you never get too close. There is always a chance that someday, you may have to kill somepony you know. That somepony could be anypony."

"That I can understand," Haywood McCrank disputed, "But on the subject of getting close… let's go back to the topic of your son."

"If you insist," Sir Verse murmured in apparent disinterest, "What about him?"

Haywood McCrank finally lowered the three photographs and professed "Although you were obligated to take care of Deft Pawn, you usually looked after him from afar. Evidently, you didn't want anypony discovering the true nature of your relationship with him. Still, that did not keep you from him. You made an effort to visit him three or more times every week during his foalhood. Visiting him got to be a little harder when you enlisted in the National Guard, but even then, you managed to spend time with him."

"I can see how you established the connection between myself and Deft Pawn," Verse A. Till stated, "All the same, there is one aspect about your deduction that perplexes me. How did you even manage to find the connection in the first place? I'm not listed anywhere in his next of kin, nor is he in mine. Mint Condition is still listed as his father on his birth certificate, and I wasn't in line to be his guardian when he was a colt. What else could have led you to uncover our relationship?"

Sir Haywood promptly reached into his pants pocket and extracted a large creased piece of paper. He unfolded it, smoothed it out flat, and showed it to the glaucous stallion. Simultaneously, he answered his question with "Maybe this."

Now, Verse A. Till started to look anxious. The piece of paper was a deed of inheritance. He furrowed his brow and snapped "Where did you get that?"

Grinning deviously, Haywood McCrank revealed "It was in a safety deposit box in Las Pegasus. The box was owned under a pseudonym, but I was able to trace it back to you. I also found a regular bank account signed under that same alias. According to the bank president, you only visited that particular bank once. On that occasion, you set up both the account and box. Then you deposited five million bits into the former. But this deed is all that you put into the latter."

Haywood paused for a few seconds, savoring the expression of astonishment on Verse A. Till's face. Then he went on with "As to how I discovered the connection between you and Deft Pawn, it was simple. The intended recipient of this deed lives at Deft Pawn's current address. After doing some research on that building and its occupants, there was little left to the imagination with regards to your relationship with Deft Pawn."

By now, Verse A. Till was beginning to perspire. His sweat was fairly easy to notice, given how he was sitting under the only source of light in that interrogation chamber.

"Five million bits is hardly a small fortune," Haywood McCrank contended, gazing down at the deed of inheritance, "Interestingly, the recipient of the fortune is not your child. It's his."

At that, he got out a fourth photograph and held it up high. This picture had been taken very recently. The pony in it was a ten-year-old Unicorn filly.

"As I'm sure you know, Deft Pawn is now a father himself," Haywood McCrank pronounced, "He has his own house in Whinnypeg where he lives with his wife Hula Plow and his daughter Velvety Touch. From what I've gathered, his wife thinks you're her father-in-law in name only. His daughter, on the other hoof, idolizes you. While she has only seen you a few times, she cherishes each and every one of those meetings. She loves you just as much as she loves her parents, if not more so. She feels honored to have a grandfather who works at Canterlot Castle, despite the fact that you have forbidden her from telling anypony about your profession."

Now Sir Verse A. Till felt mutually stunned and bewildered. "How could you possibly know all that?"

"Because I heard it all directly from Velvety Touch's mouth," Sir Haywood candidly revealed.

Sir Verse's eyes expanded in shock. He assumed anxiously "You visited her?"

"More like the other way around," Haywood McCrank slyly countered. He put the photograph of Velvety Touch away, and he declared "That brings us to our present scenario."

He turned to Ruger and waved his right front leg once. In response, the taupe mare approached a panel of knobs that was located next to the window in the interrogation chamber. She adjusted the settings of a few of the knobs. Straightaway, the lights in the adjoining interrogation chamber were activated, and the sound dampening field between the two rooms was lowered.

When Verse A. Till saw what was in the other interrogation chamber, his heart skipped a beat.

There were four chairs in that chamber, each one of them occupied. A middle-aged Earth Pony mare sat in one chair, a young adult Unicorn mare in another, a young adult Unicorn stallion in a third, and a Unicorn filly in the last. Sir Verse A. Till immediately identified them as Risky Triumph, Hula Plow, Deft Pawn, and Velvety Touch respectively.

All four of them were strapped to their chairs by their front legs, hind legs, torsos, and necks. They were also blindfolded. Koch, Caracal, and Peacemaker were in the room, as well. Peacemaker was standing next to a table which held a tray of medical instruments.

Sir Haywood McCrank positioned himself in a way that he did not block the glaucous stallion's view of the window, but he remained in Verse A. Till's field of vision.

He locked his gaze on the other knight and told him calmly "So this is how it's going to go, Sir Verse. Here and now, you will tell us how to find the Vermane. All of the Vermane. If you do not, you will watch your son, his wife, his mother, and your granddaughter die. And not in that order. I promise you this: their deaths will be neither quick nor merciful."

He had spoken loud enough so that everyone in both interrogation chambers could hear him. The eight members of the Firebrand Regiment could tell that Sir Haywood McCrank was not bluffing. Not even slightly. The prisoners in the next room had already been made quite afraid by their current predicament. Sir Haywood's threat had only frightened them further. They had not missed the name he had used when he last spoke, though.

"Dad?" Deft Pawn called out, "Are you out there?"

"Grandpa, is that you?" Velvety Touch asked hopefully.

The glaucous stallion did not reply. His voice was caught in his throat, and he stared in horror at the four seated ponies on the other side of the glass.

"Well?" Sir Haywood queried, eagerly awaiting Sir Verse's decision.

Ultimately, Verse A. Till gradually turned to the indigo stallion and uttered quietly "You can't do this."

"You're not in a position to dictate what I can and cannot do," Haywood McCrank said wryly.

"But you wouldn't do this," Sir Verse pointed out in desperation, "You're a federal officer. You swore an oath to protect the innocent citizens of Equestria."

"You swore an oath, too," Sir Haywood disputed rigidly, "An oath to serve the Canterlot Royalty. How did that work out?"

"There was no need to involve them!" the glaucous stallion argued, looking to the ponies in the next room, "They have nothing to do with my work!"

"You think I care?" the indigo stallion barked heatedly, "You should have thought of that before you committed treason!"

He then stepped forward, seized Verse A. Till by the throat, glared at him intently, and murmured through gritted teeth "Princess Celestia has ordered me to do whatever I must to stop the Vermane. I have no intention of disobeying her in this matter. I will not quit until I have completed my objective. I'm even willing to stoop to your level to accomplish it. If you stay silent, I'll prove it to you."

Sir Verse had nothing to say to that. He just gazed intensely into the other knight's eyes, as if staring at them would somehow get him and his loved ones out of this hopeless situation.

"Still won't talk?" Sir Haywood asked rhetorically. "Fine. I'll give you a little encouragement."

He peered over his shoulder and called out "Major… cut off the filly's horn."

"NO!" Verse A. Till, Hula Plow, and Risky Triumph shouted in unison.

Peacemaker merely nodded in acknowledgment, turned to his tray of medical instruments, and picked up a hacksaw. As he gradually trotted over to Velvety Touch, the other captives struggled against their restraints. Alas, they were totally secured to their chairs; their efforts were futile.

"Dad, for the love of Celestia, tell them what they want to know!" Deft Pawn pleaded.

"Are you going to let them mutilate your own granddaughter?!" Risky Triumph shot furiously at her former flame.

"What information could be more important to you than my daughter's life?!" Hula Plow hysterically shrieked.

"Grandpa, please…" Velvety Touch begged Sir Verse, "I'm scared...Stop them… Please…"

Haywood McCrank and the eight members of the Regiment were not proud of what they were doing. They were not even microscopically proud. Still, they all knew that this HAD to be done. They would go to any length to ensure Prince Bronze Star's survival.

This entire time, Sir Haywood McCrank had kept a sharpened pencil behind his left ear. As Peacemaker continued to approach Velvety Touch, Haywood reached for his pencil and twirled it around in his right front hoof. As he fiddled with it, he thought aloud "It's a terrible fate that awaits your granddaughter. She's still at the age when a Unicorn is just starting to discover her magical capabilities. Once she loses her horn, she'll never be able to use magic again. What's a Unicorn without magic? Some would argue that such a pony is useless. I personally would disagree with that mindset, but to lose something like that… it would be traumatizing. Even so, if the Major handles this procedure the way he would handle an amputation, Velvety Touch will still live. However…"

He leaned closer to Verse A. Till and scornfully speculated "Suppose it was not simply sawed off. Suppose the Major was to only slice the horn halfway. Say, he only cut deep enough to make a thick incision. Then if he was to just snap –" there he broke his pencil in half, causing Sir Verse to jump in alarm "– her horn off, like that… the results would be devastating. Having lost its buffer, all the magic in Velvety Touch's body will seek out a new outlet. Her magic will rapidly gather in her forehead, and it will continue to build up. Do you know what happens when the head receives such a powerful surge of magic? The pain is unbearable. Imagine the worst migraine headache you've ever had. Now increase it by a factor of ten. It feels endless, as though it lasts for a full five weeks. In actuality, it only takes five seconds. After that, death is almost instantaneous."

Verse A. Till had gone pale in the face by then. He had heard every word Sir Haywood just uttered. Even so, he looked no closer to speaking.

Haywood McCrank slid the two halves of his pencil into his pocket and muttered "In a strange way, I am almost inclined to label your dedication to your colleagues as commendable, Sir Verse. But how could it be honorable when you seek to protect those who have no honor? Especially when doing so endangers those who have done no wrong or those who truly deserve to live? You may have other reasons for remaining silent. Some of them might actually be good. But are they worth the knowledge that the only ponies you ever gave a buck about are about to die because of you?"

Sir Verse heard those statements, but he gave no discernable indication that he had acknowledged them. At a glance, he practically looked like a corpse himself.

"Time's up," Sir Haywood declared serenely. He turned back to the window and sternly uttered one word: "Begin."

Peacemaker was standing behind Velvety Touch at that moment. He gave a sullen nod in acknowledgment and bent down to her level. He placed his left front hoof on her shoulder to hold her in place, and with his right front hoof, he lowered his hacksaw towards her horn. The filly began to sob in fear.

Her mother had all but fainted, her father was viciously struggling against his bonds, and her grandmother glared in the direction of Verse A. Till, as though she could see him through her blindfold.

The instant before the serrated blade of the hacksaw came into contact with Velvety Touch's horn, Verse A. Till finally broke. He shot up and screamed "OKAY! OKAY! STOP THIS! STOP IT! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!"

Peacemaker promptly looked to Haywood McCrank, and the indigo stallion gestured for the scarlet stallion to stand down. The army doctor seemed relieved by that command. He backed away from Velvety Touch, but he kept his hacksaw in his hoof.

"Please, don't hurt her," Verse A. Till implored, "I'll do anything you want."

"There we go," Haywood McCrank commented in approval. He seemed very pleased with himself. It looked as though he had won his wager.

He then leaned close to Sir Verse A. Till and stated probingly "Now, how do we find the rest of the Vermane?"

Verse A. Till proceeded to tell him of a special technique that could be used to summon all the members of his organization to a single location. He claimed that only the highest-ranking members of the organization knew how to employ this technique, but all members understood it.

The technique was actually fairly straightforward. All they had to do was post an advertisement in all the settlements, towns, and major cities of Equestria which included the phrases "Come to Las Pegasus" and "You'll make your greatest score ever." That would send the Vermane flocking to a particular gathering point. Unsurprisingly, the gathering point would be in Las Pegasus.

Since the Vermane were scattered all over the country, it would have taken far too long for them to travel by hoof or by carriage. In other words, the railway lines had to be reestablished. In the midst of martial law, that process proved to be a bit of a challenge, even for the Canterlot Royalty. Luckily, Princess Luna had become influential enough that she convinced the Military Enforcement Corps to partially reinstate the national train network.

To avoid tipping off the Vermane, Sir Haywood waited until a few days after the revival of the railroads to launch that advertisement. Once the ad got out, it produced the intended outcome almost right away.

Over the next week, every member of the Vermane travelled to Las Pegasus. Most of the city's casinos had been closed down, again due to martial law. However, the Vermane were not there to place bets.

By the end of that week, every member of the Vermane had arrived in the city. There were over two hundred of them altogether. They congregated in a large empty office building near the edge of the city. There they patiently waited for further instructions.

The setting was quite ironic. The Vermane had successfully evaded the authorities ever since their group was founded. Yet not even one of them suspected that they were being set up right then.

The Vermane all remained vigilant and cautious during the day, and nothing happened. Then night came, and most of them went to bed. That was when everything fell apart for them.

Under cover of darkness, a dozen platoons of the Military Enforcement Corps surrounded the office building. After forming a tight perimeter, all twelve squads stormed the facility and engaged the Vermane in combat.

Then again, "combat" was probably an inaccurate term. In context, it usually implies two parties fighting. There was little to no fighting on the part of the Vermane. In fact, what happened to them was, for all intents and purposes, a massacre.

Princess Luna had been the one who ordered the assault, but Sir Haywood McCrank had commissioned them. He had given the Constabulary Contingent three short but totally clear directives:

No quarter. No mercy. Kill them all.

That was precisely what the Corps did. They slaughtered everypony they found in that building. Anypony who wore a full-body jumpsuit, anypony who brandished a strange knife, anypony who carried a bizarre spyglass, anypony who looked as though he had spilt blood in his life… nopony was spared. None of the Vermane had a chance to surrender, retreat, defend themselves, or even put up much of a fight. They were all cut down like the heartless thugs they were.

Just like that, the Vermane were totally eradicated overnight.

Well, not totally eradicated.

For a short while after his associates were exterminated, Verse A. Till still lived. But he was only kept alive long enough to ascertain that every last one of his colleagues had been eliminated.

Once Sir Verse helped them to verify that he was the only remaining member of the Vermane, he was dealt with, too.

Verse A. Till's execution was a private affair. It took place in the hospital wing of Canterlot Castle. Normally, it would have been conducted in the throne room or another secluded location. But Sir Haywood McCrank and a few others felt it would have been poetic justice for the last surviving member of the Vermane to lose his life in the same room where Bronze Star would regain his. Plus, it felt only right for Bronze Star to be present for the execution, even though he would not be conscious at the time. Additionally, Princess Celestia would have been able to attend as well, as she still had not left her son since he fell into his coma.

The only people who witnessed Sir Verse A. Till's execution were Princess Luna and everypony else who had known about the Vermane's existence. One end of a rope was tied to one of the ceiling fixture, and the other end was formed into a noose, which was tightened around Verse A. Till's neck.

Strange as it may seem, Verse A. Till did not seem particularly bothered by his own death. Seeing his granddaughter tortured and knowing that they would know he was a traitor to his country had rendered him a shell of his former self. That had already killed him in spirit. Even so, his physical death still needed to be carried out.

After Princess Luna gave a brief speech about the virtues of integrity and dedication, she sentenced Verse A. Till to death for the crimes of attempted regicide and conspiracy. Consequentially, SIG Sauer kicked the platform out from under the glaucous stallion, and he was left to hang until he was "dead, dead, dead." Three minutes later, Surgeon General Purple Heart pronounced him as such.

Right when Sir Verse A. Till's body was being moved to the morgue, Bronze Star's vitals started to fluctuate. Purple Heart took a minute to examine them, and he happily declared that the gold stallion was on the verge of regaining consciousness.

Less than ten minutes later, his predication came true. Bronze Star slowly began to stir, and his eyes gradually opened up. Applejack and Princess Celestia were standing on either side of him; they helped him to sit up.

The young prince needed a minute to regain his bearings. Once he did, he realized he was surrounded by twenty-six ponies (the ten members of the Firebrand Regiment, the six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the five members of the Ponyville task force, his aunt, his mother, his mother's chief of staff, Lord Ambit Dexter, and the Surgeon General) and Spike.

"How long was I out?" was Bronze Star's first question.

Applejack just smirked, sat on the side of her coltfriend's bed, and enlightened him with "Let's just say that when you last closed your eyes, you were still twenty-five."

"And now I'm not?" Bronze Star assumed.

"Nope," Applejack confirmed, resting her head against his chest, "I'm datin' a guy whose closer to thirty than twenty."

Bronze Star grinned, wrapped his front legs around his fillyfriend, and queried "How does that feel?"

"To be honest… pretty nice," the orange mare professed. Bronze Star was quite pleased by that reply.

"In any case, happy belated birthday, Bronze!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed giddily, blowing into a noisemaker.

If the gold stallion had not been fully awake before, he certainly was then. He shook his head a bit to clear it, and then he muttered "Thanks, Pinkie. Sorry you had to forgo the party this time, though."

"We didn't!" the pink mare revealed, "We threw one while you were unconscious."

"Don't know whether I should be flattered or offended by that," Bronze Star thought aloud, "But given how concerned you all must have been, I'm inclined to say the former would be the better choice."

"Well, if you want, Bronze, we could throw another party," Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Okay," the young prince conceded, "But I'd like to recover my strength first. So could you wait until I'm capable of getting out of this bed on my own?"

"Sure," Pinkie asserted. The others agreed to wait that long, as well.

At the request of the Surgeon General, most of the gold stallion's visitors exited the hospital wing so that he could recuperate. Applejack, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and Purple Heart were the only ones who stayed with Bronze Star.

Later that day, martial law was rescinded. Every unit of the Military Enforcement Corps was recalled to Canterlot, and everypony was allowed to return to their everyday lives.

Furthermore, Princess Celestia was ready to reassume her duties as the Princess of the Day. She was immensely grateful to Luna for handling that responsibility for the past five weeks. Now both sisters knew what it was like to be the guardian of both the Sun and the Moon.

For the moment, all seemed right with Equestria once again.

But that was just an illusion.

In the last month, Equestria had become more hectic than it had ever been in the past thousand years. Even the last Summer Sun Celebration had not been this disastrous.

Martial law had made the majority of all the citizens in Equestria nervous and disturbed.

The fact that Bronze Star had almost been murdered made most Equestrians fear for their own well-being.

Six massive business corporations were facing a multitude of financial troubles, as the Vermane had used them to make all their profits. All six companies had lost a tremendous amount of credibility and clientele as a result.

The swift extermination of the Vermane was a symbol of everything that was antithetical to Princess Celestia's peaceful and just reign.

An innocent filly had almost been made to suffer for her grandfather's crimes. A generally compassionate and empathic government officer had nearly been forced to cause that suffering.

All that together left Equestria in a very fragile state. So much disorder and so much conflict had been generated recently. It left the balance of Equestria in a very delicate state.

In fact, if just one more notable act of chaos was to occur… there was no telling how grim the consequences would be.