Hello again, everypony. Sorry for the delay, I've been going through a lot of shit lately.

Well my friends, today's the day. The first 2 episode of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic Season 4 airs today! I'm so looking forward to it, especially since Discord's coming back again :D

BTW, thanks for the Happy Birthday messages on your reviews for the last chapter, I loved them all.

So this is where we enter the 50th chapter of the story. Honestly, I thought this story would be reaching its end by now.

I guess we still have a long way to go before the grand finale. But know this, I won't stop writing until I reach it. No matter how long it'll take, I won't stop.

I just want to know if you'll all still read it, even if this story goes so far as to reach its 100th chapter. Please tell your opinion in your reviews.

Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 50: The investigation continues

Yesterday was just terrible. Not only did an unknown thief steal the Element of Laugher, but he also got away with it as well.

I couldn't deny I felt bad about it. I mean, was the last pony to see the thief. He was right in front of me, I couldn't caught him then and there. But he tricked me and escaped with the Element.

But this investigation wasn't over yet. After examining the clues Jeff and I found, Celestia told us to go to Luna's castle and search the place. I think she's hoping we find more clues there.

So the next morning, Twilight and I packed all the equipment we needed and headed out to Luna's castle to continue the investigation.

Luna's castle

After arriving at the castle, we told one of Luna's guards that we needed to see her and he escorted us to the throne room.

Along the way, I decided to start of conversation with Twilight, which eventually led to me mentioning that I saw Princess Cadence yesterday.

Surprised by hearing her old foal-sitter's name, Twilight told me everything about her. How she was once her foal-sitter, how she was a close friend to the family, everything. From what Twilight told me, Princess Cadence sounded like a very nice pony.

We both kept talking as we approached the throne room doors. "So you actually saw Princess Cadence?" Twilight asked with a large smile on her face.

I nodded. "Yeah, she seemed like a very nice girl." I said.

"I can believe that. She's kind, caring, humours. She's like the big sister I never had but always wanted." Twilight said before she grew a wondering look. "Huh, I wonder where she's been lately." She said.

"Yeah, feels like ages since we've seen her." Spike said while sitting on Twilight's back.

Before we left the Library, Jeff stated that he didn't want to be part of the investigation this time, so we brought Spike along instead.

"She said she went away on royal business for a while. She also said that was the reason why she didn't come to our wedding." I explained.

"I can understand that. Cadence may be the best pony ever, but she's still a Princess and has to stay committed to her royal duties. Like Shining Armor with his role as Captain of the Guard." Twilight said with an understanding smile.

"I guess that makes scene." I said.

We all then stopped talking and kept following the guard.

A minute or so later, we finally reached the throne room doors and stopped in front of them. The guard who escorted us then opened the doors with his magic before we walked into the large room.

As we walked across the throne room, we saw Luna upheld talking to Night Thunder and Brave Star. "Explain to me again why Dusk has not attended his training sessions this week?" Luna asked.

"He's still suffering from strong headaches, your highness." Night stated.

"Still? He has had these headaches for nearly three weeks. How did he get them in the first place?" Luna asked in a frustrated tone.

"We don't know. It's like they came out of nowhere." Brave Star said.

Luna sighed. "Fine, where is Dusk now?" she asked.

"He's resting up in the Guard Quarters. After all the sleepless nights he had lately, I'd say he needs it." Brave Star stated.

"Then rest he shall receive. But know this, he cannot stay in his bed forever. You two need to find a way to cure him and get him back on his hooves." Luna said in a serious tone.

Brave Star and Night Thunder then nodded to say they would do as she requested.

Just then, Luna noticed me and Twilight being escorted by a guard towards her. She looked at Brave and Night with a calmer look. "Thank you both for you time, but you'll excuse me, I have a matter to attend to." she said.

Brave and Night bowed their heads slightly. "As you wish, your highness." Night said before they both made their way towards the exit behind us.

Brave and Night walked past us as we approached Luna.

Once we reached Luna, the guard who escorted us stepped aside to let her see us. "Your highness, these ponies request to see you, they say it's urgent." He said.

"Thank you, guard. You may return to your post." Luna said.

The guard gave her a small nod before he turned around and made his way back towards the exit; leaving me, Twilight, Spike, and Luna alone in the throne room.

Once we were alone, Luna looked at us. "I assume this is about the investigation." She said with a raised eye brow.

Twilight nodded. "Yes, did Princess Celestia tell you we were coming?" she asked.

"Indeed, she informed me that one of the Elements of Harmony was stolen by a shadowed thief in the night. Now you are all here to search my castle for any further clues." Luna said.

"Yeah, that pretty much covers it." I said, slightly impressed by how much Luna knows about this.

"Before you begin your investigation, let me ask you something. You do not believe someone here is the culprit, do you? Everyone in this castle is loyal and would never to anything to disturb the peace." Luna said, hoping she right.

I gave her an honest look. "We don't know, Luna. We found a piece of Ebony at the crime scene. Celestia told us Ebony was metal used to make armour for your guards and your guards only."

Luna then looked at me with a bit of firm in her eyes. "So in other words, you do believe it was someone here." she said.

"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying we can't cross anything out just yet." I argued.

Twilight then stepped forward. "What Matt's trying to say is, we don't have enough leads to confirm anything yet. The Ebony we found is the only next step we have. That's why we're asking for your permission to search around the castle." She explained.

Luna sighed. "…Yes, of course. You may begin your investigation when you feel ready." She said.

Twilight and I then nodded before we turned around and made our way back towards the exit. But after walking half-way across the room, I stopped and looked back at Luna to see her with her ears down. I couldn't help but think that I may have upset her in some way.

While Twilight and Spike left the room, I went back and stopped In front of Luna. "Luna, listen…I…I'm sorry if I upset you in any way. It's just…I'm going through a tough time right now…you know, with everything that's happening recently." I said.

"I understand, Matthew, and I do not blame you. These are indeed troubling times. But the best thing you can do is continue your investigation and discover where the thief is hiding. I know you and Twilight Sparkle can do this, I have full faith in you." Luna said with a sweet smile.

I smiled back. "Thanks Luan. And don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this." I said before I turned around and made my way towards the exit.

"I do not doubt that." Luna said under her breath as she watched me walk away.

Once I reached the doorway, I walked out of the throne room to follow Twilight and begin our investigation.

Meanwhile: Canterlot castle/throne room

Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne as she went through her recent mail. She was using her magic to hold letter by letter in front of her face.

Just then, *Knock, knock, knock*

Celestia immediately looked over to the large double-doors at the end of the room. "Come in!" she called as she placed her letters down on her throne's left-armrest.

One of the doors then opened and Shining Armor walked into the room, he was wearing his Captain armour. "You highness, may I have a quick word with you." he asked politely.

"Of course, Shining Armor." Celestia she before she got up off her throne and walked to the centre of the room. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

Shining Armor then closed the door behind him before he walked over to Celestia. Once he stopped in front of her, he reached his hoof up to his helmet and took it off. "It…It's about the brake-in, your highness." He said as he gently placed his helmet down on the floor.

"Oh Shining Armor, I thought we had settled this. It wasn't your fault. The thief was obviously a professional, no-one could've prevented what happened." Celestia stated in a calm tone.

Shining Armor shook his head. "No, it's not about that. It's something else." He said.

Celestia raised her eye-brow. "Oh? Then what is it?" she asked curiously.

Shining Armor remained silent as he looked around the room before he leaned his head closer to Celestia. "Princess…how much do you trust Discord?" he asked.

Celestia then gave him a confused look. "Discord? What do you-"

"Please, your highness, answer my question. I need to know." Shining Armor said with a slightly desperate voice.

Celestia stayed silent for a moment before she answered. "I trust him enough to be a close companion. Why do you ask?" she asked.

Shining Armor hesitated to answer at first, but then grew enough strength to speak his mind. "Your highness…I…I think we should keep an eye on him for a while. You know, until this whole 'missing Element' thing blows over." He said slightly nervous.

Celestia was still confused by what he was saying. But after thinking it through, she finally understood. "Oh…I see…you believe-"

"It was Discord?...Yes, I do." Shining Armor admitted before he sighed. "A while ago, Twilight told me what he did when she first met him, how he mysteriously broke into the vault and stole the Elements. Well, who's to say he didn't do it again?" he said.

Celestia's ears lowered slightly. "But…it couldn't have been him…Blaze Horn, Sunray, and Matthew all described the thief as a pony." She claimed.

"What if it was one of Discord's tricks? What if they saw what he wanted them to see? Maybe he's trying to get us to focus our attention on someone besides him? He has been known to play games with our minds." Shining Armor said.

"But…he's changed…he's nothing like what he used to be." Celestia said.

Shining Armor gave her a look of sorrow. "I know you trust him, Princess. But sometimes things just aren't what they seem." He stated.

Celestia didn't know what to think. She knew Discord could be mischievous if he wanted to, but lately, he hasn't caused any problems for anyone. Not wanting to rush to conclusions, she gave Shining a firm look. "Listen to my words, Shining Armor. I know you have your doubts about Discord, but unless you have some strong evidence to confirm his betrayal, I'm afraid I cannot count him as a suspect." She said.

Shining Armor raised his eye-brow. "Evidence? No offence, your highness, but this is Discord we're talking about, how much more evidence do we need?" he asked.

"Discord is innocent until proven guilty, am I understood, Captain?" Celestia said in a firmer tone.

Shining Armor was slightly surprised by Celestia's sudden snap. "…Yes, your highness…of course." He said quietly.

Celestia then calmed down a little. "Good, now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of letter to get back to." she stated before she turned around and went back to her throne.

Shining Armor felt it would be best if he didn't say anything else on the subject, so he turned around and made his way towards the room's exit.

As Shining Armor was about to leave the room, one of Celestia's best maids walked in. "Afternoon, Captain." She said politely.

Shining Armor kept walking towards the doorway as he looked at her. "Afternoon, Pearl Blossom." He said before he left the room.

Once he was gone, Pearl Blossom walked over to Celestia and stopped in front of her. "Your highness, I'm here to polish your-…" she then stopped once she saw Celestia with her back turned and her head hanging. "Your highness? Is everything ok?" she asked in concern.

Celestia turned her head around to look at her. "Oh…yes, I'm fine." She said with a weak smile.

Pearl easily noticed the troubled look on her face, she could see it through her obvious forced smile. "Princess, I've known you long enough to know when you're worried about something. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help." She said.

Celestia then turned the rest of her body around to face her better. "I appreciate your concern, Pearl Blossom, but I'm fine. It's just something the Captain said, that's all." She stated.

Pearl took a step closer to Celestia. "What did he say?" she asked curiously.

"It's not important." Celestia said before she decided to change the conversation. "Now, you said you were here for something?" she said.

Pearl still wondered why Celestia was upset, but she didn't want to argue with her, so she agreed to drop the conversation. "I'm here to polish your crown and jewellery, your highness. It's that time of week." She said.

"Oh yes, of course. Shall we do this in my quarters? It's quieter there and I feel like I really need to get out of this room." Celestia stated calmly.

Pearl smiled kindly. "Sure, your highness. Lead the way." She said.

With that, Celestia made her way towards the exit with Pearl following behind. Once they left the room, Celestia used her magic to close the double-doors behind them.

What they didn't know was Discord had been listening to every conversation that accrued in the room. He was in his stained-glass form on the window so no-one would notice him.

With a flash of light, he disappeared from the window and reappeared in the middle of the room back in his normal form. He stared at the closed doors with despair. "They…think it was me? B-But I've shown so much loyalty to the ponies, how can they suspect me?" Discord asked himself.

Discord then rubbed his chin with his lion hand as he thought back to when he was evil. "Well, I guess I do have history for…these things." he said before he stopped rubbing his chin. "But I've changed now, surely everypony knows that by now."

Just then, Discord thought of something. "Or maybe they haven't! Maybe I haven't proved myself enough." he said before I serious look came on his face. "Well I can change that. From this day fourth, I will be the best Discord I can be." He declared strongly as he pointed his talon finger high in the air.

Meanwhile: Luna's castle/Guard Quarters

While Twilight was asking Luna some questions in the lobby, Spike and I decided to go up to the Guard Quarters and investigate. We had searched high and low, but couldn't find anything.

I was now searching through their armour. "Hmm…doesn't look like there's anything on their armour. I've searched every set at least three times now and nothing." I said out-loud before I turned my head around to look at Spike. "Find anything interesting on your end, Spike?" I asked.

Spike was going from bed to bed searching through every guard's chest. Right now, he was in Bleak's chest. "No…well, if you count Bleak's diary as interesting. It has a lot dirt on her." He said as he picked up Bleak's diary.

"Spike, put that back. We're here to search for clues, not read about every guard's personal life." I said before I went back to what I was doing.

But curiosity was too strong for Spike and he opened Bleak's diary. He read through a page until he let out a small laugh. "Haha. Well, well, looks like somepony has an irresistible urge for stage singing." He said to himself before he put the diary back and went on to the next bed.

As he approached the next chest at the end of the next bed, he noticed something on the lid. It was a small metal golden label with two letters carved into it, they most likely initials for the chest's owner. They read B.S.

Spike found this interesting because he remembered the lockpick I showed him and how it had the same letters carved into it. He thought maybe, just maybe, the lockpick belonged to the same guy who owns this chest.

Spike looked over to me. "Hey Matt, I think you should come look at this." He said.

I then stopped what I was doing and walked over to Spike. "What is it, bro?" I asked as I stopped beside him.

"Do these letters seem familiar to you?" Spike asked as he pointed down at the metal label.

I then down looked at the label on the chest and saw the two letters carved into it. Indeed, they did look familiar. They were the same letters carved into the lockpick I found in Canterlot yesterday. "'B.S.'…Those are the same letters carved into the lockpick Jeff and I found yesterday." I said.

"So yesterday you found a piece of Shadow Armour and a lockpick with the same letters carved into it as this chest label. Too much of a coincidence if you ask me." Spike stated.

I turned my head to face him. "You may be on to something there, Spike. I think we should find out who owns this chest and ask them some questions." I said.

"But how do we do that? Do we even know anyone with the initials B.S. in their name?" Spike asked.

With that question troubling my mind as-well, we both started thinking about every guard we knew in Luna's army. After a few minutes, we finally remembered someone whose name matched. "Brave Star!" we both said at the same time to each other.

Suddenly, we heard the door open and we looked to see Dusk walk in with an agitated look on his face. "Would you keep it down in here? My headache's bad enough as it is!" he said as he held his forehead in pain.

Spike and I looked at each other before we looked at him again. "Sorry…umm…are you ok? You don't look well." I said.

Dusk then walked further into the room and stopped near us. "No, I'm not ok. My head's pounding like a drum and I have a weird craving for ice-water." he said before he took a closer look at me. "Say…do I know you?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm Matthew, we met when you and your team joined Luna's army." I said.

Dusk then remembered. "Oh yeah, now I remember you. Let me guess, you're because of the missing Element thing. Well you're not going to find much in here I'm afraid." He said.

"How did you know about that?" I asked with a raised eye-brow.

"Dah, everyone's heard about it. I mean, c'mon, an Element of Harmony was stolen, who wouldn't have heard about that?" Dusk asked.

Spike and I then looked at each other before we looked at Dusk again. "Ok, so why wouldn't we find anything in here?" I asked.

"Because a few investigators were in here earlier and they didn't find anything." Dusk stated.

"Well we did and we may also have a lead, but first we need to find Brave Star. Have you seen him today?" Spike asked.

Dusk looked down at him. "Brave Star? Yeah, he'd down in the library. Why? Is he in trouble?" he asked.

"Well…*HFF*" Spike said hummed as I covered his mouth with my hoof.

"No, no he's not. We just need to talk to him, ask him about…urr…what he might know about the case. If he has important information to tell, it's best that we know it as-well." I said before in laughed nervously.

Dusk raised his eye-brow in confusion. "Ok…whatever." He said before he groaned in pain. "Ooh…I'm gonna get more water, this headache is killing me." he said before he turned around and walked out of the room.

Once he was gone, Spike and I looked at each other. "Alright Spike, let's get down to the library and find Brave Star before he leaves." I said.

Spike nodded in agreement before we walked out of the Guard Quarters and closed the door behind us.

Luna's library

After searching for a full 20 minutes and asking 2 guards for directions, we finally found the Luna's library on the second floor of the castle.

It was just as big as Celestia's library back in Canterlot, with loads of bookcases both standing in the rows around the room and built into the walls.

Spike and I stood in the entrance as we examined the room. "*Impressed whistle* Too bad Twilight isn't with us, she'd love this part." I said out-loud.

"Yeah, but we can tell her about it later, right now we have to find Brave Star." Spike said.

I then looked down at him. "Dusk said he was in here somewhere, let's look around for him." I said.

With that, we walked into the library together and started looking around for Brave Star, but there wasn't any sign of him. Either he was in some other part of the library, or he's already left.

As I searched for Brave Star, I decided to look around the big round table in the centre of the room. I approached it hoping he'd be sat next to it reading a book, unfortunately he wasn't.

"*Sigh* This is getting tiresome, we better find him soon." I said to myself I decided go look somewhere else.

But as I was about to walk away, I suddenly noticed a black book on the table.

Spike & I didn't put it there, and if someone was reading it we would've seen them by now. The only explanation is that it was an unattended book left on the table instead of being put back in its shelf.

After living with Twilight for many months, I learned that unattended library books shouldn't be left lying around, so I decided to be useful and put it back myself.

I walked around to where the book was on the table and read its title. "Legend of the Green Moon" it read.

At that moment, curiosity got the better of me. "Sounds interesting, but I really need to find Brave Star." I said to myself before a small smirk grew on my face. "well, I guess he can wait a few minutes."

With that, I sat down in front of the table and picked up the book in my hooves. I then opened it to the first page and started reading it.

"Ponies have told many tales of the legendary Green Moon. Some say it's just a saying like 'Once in a Blue Moon', some say it's to symbolise the anniversary of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's victory of Discord, and others say it involves something else, something mysterious.

Once every six months, a bright green light shoots up from beyond the horizon and strikes to the moon, turning it completely green. The moon remains green for only five minutes before it returns to normal.

No-one knows what causes this or why, only that it has gone on for a thousand years and no damage has been brought to the moon or the Princess that cares for it."

"Excuse me." a male voice said behind me.

I instantly snapped back into reality and quickly turned my head around to see Brave Star was a curious look on his face. I exhaled in relief as I held my hoof against my chest. "Brave Star…you made me jump."

"Sorry about that, but what are you doing in her-…" Brave said before he recognized me. "Wait a minute…Matthew?...I haven't seen you since for a while, how are you doing?" he asked with a small smile.

"I'm doing fine, even with everything going on recently." I said.

Brave then gave me a confused look. "What do you mean? What's happened?" he asked.

"One of the Elements of Harmony was stolen the other night. Surly you know about it." I said, expecting him to have heard the news.

He had a slightly shocked look on his face. "One of the Elements of Harmony was stolen? Are you kidding me?" he asked a bit loud.

I was a bit confused by this. "Wait…you don't know? But I thought everyone knew about it." I said.

"The only one who'd know about things like that would be the Princess, the guards in this castle aren't usually allowed to know those kind of things, especially new recruits such as me and my team." Brave stated.

"But Dusk said-…" I said before I realized what had happened. "..Dusk…" I growled under my breath as I looked back at the doorway with a small glare in my eyes.

"What was that about Dusk?" Brave asked.

I then looked back up at Brave normally. "Nothing…hey listen, I need you to gather your team and meet me down in the throne room. Twilight and Princess Luna should be there, just tell them I sent you down and they should understand." I said.

Brave looked at me with slight confusion. "Is it important?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, in a way." I answered.

"Umm…ok then." Brave said before he walked past me and made his way towards library's exit.

Once he was gone, I grew a serious face and looked around for Spike. "Spike? Where are you, bro?" I called.

"Up here!" His voice called back.

I looked up and saw Spike looking down at me from the second floor, he was standing on the metal barriers so he could see me better. "Did you find Brave Star?!" Spike asked.

"Yeah, I found him. We're gonna talk to him later in the throne room, but first we need to find Dusk again, so get back down here fast! And be careful on those barriers, I don't want you to fall." I called.

"Ok, I'll just get back around to the stairs and-AHHH!" Spike yelled as he fell down from the barriers and landed hard in front of me.

"Oh my god! Are you alright?" I asked in strong concern.

Spike then peeled his face off the floor before he looked up at me in a daze. "Urr…fast enough?..." he asked before his head dropped back down.

I quickly started fanning Spike with my left-wing to help him regain consciousness.

A few minutes later: long hallway

When Spike finally regained consciousness, I told him the situation and we left the library to find Dusk again.

As we headed back to the Guard Quarters, I couldn't help but recall what Dusk said to me earlier. 'Dah, everyone's heard about it. I mean, c'mon, an Element of Harmony was stolen, who wouldn't have heard about that?'

But from what Brave Star said, no-one here knows about the brake-in except for Luna, so how come Dusk knows about it when no-one else does. It's all a bit suspicious to me.

"So why are we looking for Dusk again?" Spike asked as we walked down a hallway towards the stairs that led up to the next floor of the castle.

I looked down at him. "Because something doesn't feel right. Dusk said everyone knew about the brake-in, but Brave Star just told me the only one in this castle who knew about it was Luna. So how come Dusk knows when no-one else dose?" I asked.

At that moment, Spike got what I was saying. "That fibber lied to us, didn't he?!" he said with an displeased looked on his face.

"Looks like it." I said before I looked away from Spike and faced forward. "He must be trying to hide something, but we'll get some answers once we find him. Trust me on that." I said as we approached the stairway.

Once we reached the top of the stairs, we soon noticed someone sitting by the wall facing away from us. Even though we couldn't see his face, I recognized him as Dusk by the colours of his coat and mane.

We couldn't see what he was doing, but his arms were moving as if he was holding something in his hooves.

Spike and I looked at each other before we returned our attention to Dusk. "Dusk! What are you doing?!" I called.

Dusk stopped what he was doing and quickly spun his head around to see us. With a slightly frightened look on his face, he stood up and galloped away from us.

"Hey!" I yelled before I looked down at Spike. "Quick, get on!" I said as I lowered my body down to him.

Spike quickly climbed onto my back and I raised my body back up. I then galloped after Dusk to catch him and find out what was going on.

As I chased after Dusk through the hallways, he made sharp turns and knocked stuff over to slow me down, kind of like how the thief tried to lose me back in Canterlot. Not of this would look good for him if I catch him.

But luck was on my side this time as Dusk reached a dead-end in the hallway and skidded to a stop.

Dusk spun around to see me coming down the hallway. I breathed heavily with exhaustion as I approached the trapped Unicorn. "Dusk…just calm down, mate…don't make this harder than it has to be." I said, trying to reason with him.

Dusk remained silent as he tried to find a way to escape. He tried opening one of the doors on the left-side of the hallway, but they were locked, as was the doors on the right-side. He thought of rushing past me, but he knew I'd catch him easily. At this point, he was cornered.

With nowhere else to go, I felt like I had caught him. "This was easier than last time." I thought as I got closer to him.

But at that moment, Dusk grinned deviously and his horn glowed. He then disappeared in a bright flash and reappeared behind me before galloping away from us.

Filled with surprise, Spike and I quickly spun our heads around to see him gallop around the corner at the other end of the hallway. "I hate it when they do that!" I said in annoyance.

Spike turned his head back around and looked at my face. "Quick Matt, get after him!" he said.

I looked at him and nodded before I spun around and rushed after Dusk.

After a minute or two, I caught back up with Dusk and continued to chase him through the hallways. But it didn't last long as he burst through a large pair of double-doors that led to a long kitchen filled with chef ponies.

They all watched him with shock as he jumped up on the long wooden table in the centre of the room and ran along it. Once he reached the end of the table, he leaped off it and burst through the exit doors.

I entered the kitchen to follow him, but instead of running along the table like he did, I ran along beside it. "Sorry! 'Cuse me! Nothing to worry about, we handle this all the time!" I said while running past the chefs.

I then rushed out through the exit doors and looked back at the chefs. "You're doing a great job, by the way." I said before I continued to chase Dusk.

-2 minutes later-

After catching up with Dusk again, I tried to think of a way to end this quicker. "If we keep this up, someone might get hurt or worse. I need to finish this fast. Maybe if I get close to him, I can tackle him to the ground." I thought before I decided to do exactly that.

I then started using all my strength to gallop faster so I could get closer to Dusk. It worked and I eventually got close enough to perform the tackle.

But before I could do it, a hoof poked out from around the corner up-ahead and Dusk tripped over it; making him fall face-first onto the floor.

I quickly skidded to a stop and looked back at Dusk to see him lying on the floor. "Ooooh…" he groaned in pain with his eyes closed.

I then looked over to the pony who tripped him up to see Night Thunder with a small smirk on his fast. "What's the hurry, Dusk?" he asked while looking down at Dusk.

I gave him a slightly surprised look. "Night Thunder? What're you doing here?" I asked.

Night Thunder looked at me and smiled. "Your wife sent me to check on you, you've been up here for a while and she was getting worried." he said before he turned his head around and looked down at Dusk again. "And by the looks of it, I'd say you found something out." He said.

"Well kind of, but how did you know I was trying to catch him?" I asked with wonder.

Night Thunder turned his head back around to face me. "I heard you chasing him from the floor below us. Plus, I overheard some disturbed chefs talking about a green Pegasus chasing one of the new guards. Figured it would be you." he said.

I then rubbed the back of my neck with my hoof. "Oh yeah, the kitchen thing…urr…I'm sorry about that." I said with a sheepish smile.

"Don't worry about it, those chefs have witnessed worse." Night stated before he decided to ask me a question. "So…what's Dusk in for?" he asked.

"I don't really know yet, but he's hiding something, he wouldn't have run away from me if he wasn't." I said as I approached Dusk's body.

"That means an interrogation is in order, right? So where are we gonna do it? In the dungeons?" Night asked as he walked up beside me.

I turned my head to face him. "No, we'll take him down to the throne room, the rest of your team are going to be there." I said before I walked around Dusk's body and wrapped his left-arm around the back on my neck. "Can you help me lift him up?" I asked.

Night Thunder nodded before walked around to the other side of Dusk's body and wrapped his right-arm around the back of his neck.

"Also, Dusk isn't the only guard with questions to answer." Spike stated as he climbed off my back.

Night then looked at him with confusion. "What? You mean someone else is in trouble? Who is it?" he asked.

I turned my head to face him. "I'll explain along the way. Now come on, let's get Dusk down to the throne room and meet up with the others." I said before I started wondering where to go from here. "Urr…which way to we go?" I asked.

Night pointed his hoof down the hallway. "There's a stairway that leads all the way down to the lobby. I'll guide us there, it's just down this hall and to the left." He said.

"Thank." I said before we both started carrying Dusk through the hallway with Spike following beside me.

Night and I struggled to hold Dusk up due to his large size "This guy's heavy." Night said.

"Well maybe he'll wake up before we get there. Then he can walk for himself and give us a break." I said as we continued to carry Dusk down the hallway to find the stairway Night mentioned.

Later that evening: Luna's throne room

After returning to the throne room with Dusk, who had regained consciousness along the way, I explained the situation to everyone and they didn't really take it very well.

Dusk was pacing left and right with an outranged look on his face. "So let me get this straight…you think I stole one of the Elements of Harmony? You think I'm the thief? That's ridiculous!" he said to me.

"I never said anything like that, I just think it's weird that you knew about the break-in when no-one else did." I stated.

Luna then took a step forward towards Dusk. "That does raise a lot of questions, Dusk. How did this information come to you?" she asked with a curious look on her face.

Dusk at her before he looked down at the ground. "…I was in Canterlot the yesterday and I overheard one of Princess Celestia's guards talking about. I didn't think it was true until I heard that these two were investigating it." He said as he pointed his hoof at me and Twilight.

"I see, and may I ask why you were in Canterlot yesterday?" Luna asked with a raised eye-brow.

Dusk hesitated to answer, but he knew he wouldn't be allowed to leave unless he answered our questions. So with a deep breath, he answered truthfully. "I was buying…my grandmother a Peace Lilly for her birthday." He said.

Then after a moments silence, Brave Star and the rest of his team burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Are you serious?! Hahaha!" Bleak laughed hardly.

Dusk's cheeks went red as he shot them a firm look. "Hey, she's a very special part of my family, ok?! The last thing I want to do is upset her by not getting her a birthday gift!" he claimed strongly.

Brave Star kept laughing for a little more before he managed to calm himself down. "Ok, ok, sorry. It's just a funny image." He said with a small chuckle.

Dusk growled. "Oh really? Well I'll show you a funny image!" he said as he angrily stormed towards Brave.

Seeing this, I quickly took action by leaping in between them and spreading my wings out to keep them apart. "Hey, calm down! The last thing we need is a fight going on!" I said.

Dusk looked at me with the angry look still on his face. "Don't go thinking you can boss me around, kid! If it wasn't for you, this wouldn't be happening. You're the reason I'm in this mess!" he shouted before he grunted and held his head in pain. "Ahh!...You're making my headache worse than it already is!"

"Enough!" Luna shouted so loud that it echoed across the room.

We all looked over to her as she spoke. "I will not have such ruthless behaviour in my presence." Luna said before she looked at Dusk. "Dusk, you will take ten steps back away from them! Imminently!" she said firmly.

Dusk gave me and Brave a cold looked as he obeyed Luna's demand.

Once he took 10 steps back, I closed my wings and walked back over to Twilight. "That was too close. Are you alright?" Twilight whispered as I sat back down beside her.

I turned my head to face Twilight and gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I've had meaner things yelled at me before." I whispered before we returned our attention to Luna.

"Now Dusk, due to the fact that I saw you enter the castle with a Peace Lilly yesterday, you were telling the truth about your errand. But from what Matthew has told me, you were doing something else earlier today that you did not want anyone to know about, care to tell us what it was?" Luna asked with her eye-brow raised again.

Dusk shifted his eyes back and forth. "W-What? I don't know what you mean." He said.

I knew for a fact that he was lying, so I stepped forward to say it. "That's not true. If it was, how come you ran away?" I asked.

Dusk then looked over to me. "Because…urr…" he said as he tried to think of what to say. "…I thought you were someone else and I got spooked." He said.

"Oh come on, Dusk? You expect us to believe that? You never get spooked by anything." Sullen stated.

Dusk turned his head to face him. "Well, I…urr…"

"Dusk, may I remind you that you are not permitted to leave until this matter is solved. Now if you are indeed hiding something, I want you to tell us this instant. Your Princess demands it." Luna said in another firm voice.

Dusk looked at her face to see she wasn't in the mood for any of this. So with a hard sigh, he reached his hoof into his body armour. "I ran away because…I didn't want anyone to find…these." He said as he pulled out a necklace with objects hanging from it.

The objects were small and each one had a sharp point at the end of them. Some were white and some were black.

While the rest of us were looking at the necklace with wonder, Brave had a shocked look on his face. "Are those what I think they are?" he asked.

"What are they, Brave?" I asked without taking my eyes off the mysterious objects.

"Those are teeth and claws from dragons." Brave Star answered before he looked at Dusk with shame. "And each pair is from a different breed! I should know because I used to study dragons back in the academy." He said.

Twilight and I were slightly shocked by this. This meant Dusk had been hunting dragons and taking at least one tooth and claw from their corpses. Twilight and I quickly looked down at Spike to see his face was as pale as a sheet.

I stuck my left-wing out to block his sight. "Don't look, Spike!" I said slightly loud before I turned my head to face Twilight. "Twilight, I don't want him to see any more. Can you take him out and try to calm him down please?" I asked.

Twilight nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." she said before she stood and walked around to Spike. "Come on, Spike. You don't need to see this." she said as she lifted him onto her back with her magic.

With Spike on her back, Twilight quickly made her way towards the throne room's exit to take him out.

Once they were gone, I returned my attention to Luna and the guards. "But why does he have those? Has he been hunting dragons without us knowing?" Bleak asked.

"Looks that way, but I wouldn't be surprised. He's had a strong hatred towards dragons ever since his grandfather was killed by one. Isn't that right, Dusk?" Brave asked with a small glare in his eyes.

Dusk growled slightly before he looked at us. "I just felt like…they owed me! They killed my grandfather when I was just a colt! Dragons are the scum of the Earth and they deserve to be extinguished!" he said darkly.

I couldn't believe someone would have such a strong hatred towards dragons. I swear, if he came anywhere near Spike with harmful intensions, I'd break his arm.

"This doesn't look good or you, Dusk. Keeping secrets, lying about what you were doing, hunting dragons and stealing from their corpses! I used to think I knew you, but now I'm starting to think there's more about you I don't know. So answer me this…how can we believe anything else you say now?" Brave said coldly.

Dusk was about to argue before another strong pulse of pain when through his head. "Ahh…would you all stop this already?! My head's killing me!" he said loudly.

"And another thing, what is with the headache lately? Could it be a side-effect from using a large amount of magic? Mainly to, shall we say, open a strongly sealed vault!" Sullen said as he pointed his hoof at Dusk.

Dusk shot him a glare. "Shut up, that's ridiculous! I've had this headache for nearly three weeks and the Element was only stolen the other night!"

After hearing that, everyone was silent until Brave looked over to Sullen. "He's telling the truth, he has had this headache for a while." he said before he took a step closer to Dusk. "But that still doesn't prove anything." He said.

Dusk then looked at him suspiciously. "You're really determined to pin this all on me, but where were you on the night of the break-in? I didn't see you until the next morning. Care to explain that?!" he asked.

Brave shrugged. "Easy, I was in the training grounds while the rest of you were on your way to the Guard Quarters. I figured it was best to work-out for an extra hour. Maybe you should try it sometime, you'll gain more strength that way." He said.

While they were talking it out, I suddenly remembered something. The lock-pick with Brave Star's initials on it. I quickly took off my saddlebags and started searching through them until I found the lock-pick.

With the lock-pick in my hoof, I looked at it for a second before I looked over to Brave. "Hey Brave Star!" I called to get his attention.

Once he and everyone else looked over to me, I continued. "You said you were in the training grounds on the night of the break-in, right?" I asked.

Brave nodded. "Yeah, I was." he answered.

"So how come I found this at Canterlot Castle yesterday?" I said as I held out the lock-pick.

Everyone looked at it in confusion. "What is it?" Dusk asked as he eyed the lock-pick.

"It's a lock-pick I found at the scene of the crime. It has Brave's initials carved into it." I said.

The moment I said that, Brave's eyes grew wide. "Hey that's mine!" he said loudly; earning a gasp from everyone.

Once he realised what he said, he grew nervous and looked at everyone to see their suspecting faces. "Ok…I know what you're all thinking, and it's not true. I can explain this." Brave said, trying to remain calm.

"That's our proof! You're the thief! You just confessed it!" Dusk said with his face right in front of Brave's

Brave then pushed him away with his hoof. "No I'm not! You don't understand! That lock-pick was a gift from my brother, it went missing a while ago. I've been looking for it ever since." He explained.

"Yeah right, and you say I'm full of lies!" Dusk scoffed with a glare in his eyes.

Bleak then stepped forward. "No Dusk, it's true. He told me it was missing from his chest and he asked me to help him look for it." she stated.

Dusk turned his head around to face her. "Oh, so you mean to tell me someone broke into the Guard Quarters and stole Brave's lock-pick from his chest?" he asked with an unconvinced look.

Bleak nodded. "It looks that way. Trust me, Brave would never do anything like steal one of the Elements. He's innocent, I know he is." She said.

I was a little surprised and confused by this. "Wait…if what they're saying is true, that means the lock-pick wasn't any help at all. Someone just stole it from Brave's chest and used it to get into the vault room. Whoever the thief was, he was trying to make me think it was Brave Star. But why? Is he trying to throw me off his tracks by framing other ponies?" I thought as I rubbed my chin with my hoof.

I was then snapped out of my thought by the sound of the guards arguing. "Well this still doesn't prove it was me! I mean, yeah, I'm not the most honest pony in Equestria, but that doesn't mean I'm a thief!" Dusk stated strongly.

Luna then sighed loudly before she looked at me with desperation in her eyes. "Matthew, surly you know something that will end this conflict once and for all." She said.

With that, everyone turned their attention to me and I gulped hard. "Well…I don't understand much of it myself. I mean, the pony that broke into the vault was obviously a Unicorn but…the hooded pony I chased in the castle was a Pegasus. So either there's more than one pony involved, or we're dealing with a young Alicorn." I said, giving them the best information I knew at this point.

"…That's it? That doesn't help at all! What kind of detective are you?!" Dusk said loudly with an annoyed look in his eyes.

Luna shot him a firm look. "That was highly unnecessary, Dusk. He may not be a proper detective, but he is doing a better job than anyone else who has investigated so far. Besides, what he just said does help. He just clarified that the thief is both a horn and a pair of wings. Therefore, we cannot deem you as the thief until more evidence is found." She said.

Dusk understood what she was saying and looked down at the floor. "…Oh…o-of course…thank you, your highness." He said.

Luna then put her hoof up. "However, it seems that you have been keeping secrets from both me and your team members for a while now. This type of action cannot go without consequences." She said before she placed her hoof back down on the floor. "Dusk, I hereby suspend you for the rest of the month. You will not be allowed to participate in any training exercises, instead you will assist the messengers and report all news to me at the end of each day. Am I clear?" she asked.

Dusk couldn't deny that he felt a little crushed by this news, but he knew this day would come eventually and accepted it. "Yes, you're highness…I understand." He said with his head hanging.

"Good, now dismiss, all of you." Luna ordered.

With that, Brave and his team turned around and made their way towards the room's exit. As they walked past me, Brave approached me. "Hey, do you mind if I take my lock-pick back? It means a lot to me." he said.

"Huh?...oh yeah, sure." I said before I handed his lock-pick over to him.

"Thanks." Brave said before he followed his team out of the throne room.

I was about to follow them until I was stopped by Luna. "Not you, Matthew. I want to speak to you." she said.

I didn't know what she wanted, but it was probably about my investigation. Maybe she upset that I caused a bit of a rouse between Dusk and the others.

Once the guards had left the room, I gave Luna a look of sorrow. "Luna, listen…I'm sorry if I caused a lot of trouble today, I was only trying to solve this case the best way I could. I didn't mean for it to go this badly." I said.

Luna gave me a friendly smile. "I know, Matthew. I just wanted to talk to you about the case." She said before he smile went away. "Now from what I have learned today, it looks as though the thief is obviously trying to make it look like someone else committed the crime." She said.

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm starting to think the same thing." I said.

"This could also mean that any clues you have found so far might be leading you down a false trail." Luna said before she gave me a concerned look. "You and your friends must be careful, Matthew. This thief is trying to fool with our minds." She said.

I then smiled comfortably at Luna. "Hey, don't worry, we will. The Elements are hidden and the thief probably doesn't even know they're gone yet. We will catch him, Luna, I promise you that." I said.

Luna then took a moment before she returned my smile. "Alright, Matthew. Thank you for coming today. I hope you and Twilight Sparkle have a safe journey back to Ponyville." She said kindly.

At that moment, I remembered Twilight and Spike were waiting for me outside the throne room. "Oh god, I better go see how Spike's doing, he didn't look very well before." I said before I turned around and made my way towards the exit. "See ya, Luna. I'll let you know if I find out anything else." I said.

Luna waved goodbye to me as she watched me leave. "Goodbye, Matthew. Maybe we'll see each other again soon." She said with the kind smile still on her face.

As I kept walking, I looked back at her and smiled. "Yeah, hopefully." I called before I stopped in front of the main double-doors that led into the castle's lobby.

I then opened one of them before I looked back at Luna and waved goodbye to her. After that, I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me.

Once I was out of the throne room, I saw Twilight and Spike sitting at the top of the stairs and I walked over to them. Twilight heard my hoof-steps and turned her head around to see me. "Matt, what happened in there? Is one of them the thief?" she asked as she stood up onto her hooves.

I shook my head. "No, it was all waste, Twilight. Turns out the lock-pick was stolen from Brave's chest a while ago and he's been looking for it ever since. That officially crosses him off the list." I said.

"And what about Dusk?" Spike asked as he turned his head around to face me.

I looked down at him. "He's not the thief ether. At least, I think he isn't. He has a dodgy behaviour, but there are a lot of things that don't add up to him being the thief. But that doesn't mean we won't be keeping a close eye on him." I said.

Spike stood up and turned around to face me. "And I should think so too. I mean, what kind of pony hunts dragons and treats their bodies with such disrespect? It makes me sick just thinking about it." he said with his arms crossed.

"I know, Spike, it's not right. But don't worry, he got what was coming to him. Princess Luna made sure of that." I stated.

"So what do we do now, Matt?" Twilight asked me.

I then returned my attention to her. "To be honest, I think it's time we call it a day and go home. Besides, we've done all we can here." I said.

Twilight and Spike then looked at each other and decided that I was right. There wasn't much more we could do at this point. Plus, they were getting a little tied. They looked at me again and Twilight nodded. "Ok Matt, let's go say goodbye to the Princess." She said.

I nodded in agreement before we walked up to the throne room doors and Twilight opened one of them with her magic. We then went back into the throne room to say goodbye to Luna one last time.

Later that day: Sugar Cube Corner

After saying out goodbyes to Luna and returning to Ponyville, the three of us decided to spend the rest of the day with our friends at Sugar Cube Corner.

We were all sitting around a large table as we talked amongst each other. "So how did the investigation go at Princess Luna's place?" Applejack asked.

I was drinking a bottle of soda with a straw as I looked over to her. I took the straw out of my mouth to answer her. "Well it could've gone better, I'll tell you that for free." I said before I went back to drinking my soda.

"Why? What happened?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

Twilight looked at her. "I wasn't with Matt most of the time, but he said Dusk was acting strange and it led him to think he was the thief." She told her.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie gasped in shock. "Dusk did it?! I knew it! Oh why did I fool myself into thinking he was innocent?!" she cried as she hid her face in her hooves.

"No Pinkie, he didn't do it. It was just a misunderstanding." Twilight clarified.

Pinkie then removed her hooves from her face and smiled simply. "Oh, well that's good to know." She said calmly as she rested her arms on the table.

We gave her a weird look before we shook it off. "Anyway, then Matt figured out something else. Remember that lock-pick he found when we were investigating in Canterlot yesterday?" Twilight asked.

"You mean that one he found at the crime scene with those engravings on it?" Rarity asked.

Twilight looked at her and nodded. "Matt found out who it belonged to. It belonged to Brave Star, Princess Luna's new Captain." She said.

Pinkie then gasped loudly again. "Brave Star?! No, not him. Anyone but him! Oh, I'm such a poor judge of character!" she cried as she hid her face in her hooves again.

"No Pinkie! It wasn't him either! The real thief sneaked into his room and stole his lock-pick to try and frame him." Twilight explained.

Pinkie then once again removed her hooves from her face and smiled simply. "Oh what a relief, I was scared for a moment there." she said as she rested her arms on the table again.

After shaking off the awkwardness again, Rainbow Dash looked at us. "Ok, so we can cross off the lock-pick thing, but what other leads do you guys have?" she asked.

I then removed the straw from my mouth again to answer her. "There's only two other clues we found. The piece of Ebony metal, which is the same metal used to make the armour for Luna's guards, and the golden mark on the vault room wall." I said.

"Do you know what made the mark?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eye-brow.

"Jeff and I investigated that and discovered that it was made by a guard helmet. From what Blaze Horn told me, he fought the thief on the night of the break-in and bashed his head against the wall. The thief must've been wearing the helmet and some of the metal scrapped off on the wall." I said.

Just then, Applejack gasped slightly. "wait a sec, Matt. I just figured somethin' out. There's a link between the two clues. They both involve royal guards. This might mean that the thief is a royal guard, how else would they've gotten access to the castle and everyone's things?" she said.

I thought about what she said and it did make scene. The clues did have a link and they each pointed to a guard. Also, a guard from Canterlot or Luna's castle would have no problem getting into any of the two castles, they'd just simply walk in unnoticed. "You could have a point there, Applejack." I said before I put the straw back into my mouth and continued my drink.

I then drank the last few drops of the soda before I took the straw out of my mouth again and held the bottle up in my hoof. "Empty." I said out-loud before I looked at the others. "I'll be back in a minute, I'm just gonna get another bottle." I said before I stood up and walked away from the table.

While I was getting another drink from the counter, Twilight quickly looked at Rarity. "Rarity, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" she asked.

Rarity nodded. "Of course, Twilight." she said before she and Twilight stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. "What's troubling you, dare?" she asked.

Twilight had a nervous look on her face as she looked over to me and then back to Rarity. "Well…you know Matt's birthday is only a few weeks away and…well…I need your help with something. It involves my gift to him." she said.

Rarity wondered why Twilight was so nervous, but she didn't ask and nodded to say she understood. "Alright, what is it you need from me?" she asked.

Twilight then brought her mouth to Rarity's ear and whispered her answer to her. Once she was done, Rarity gasped loudly and gave Twilight a shocked look. "Twilight Sparkle!" she said loudly.

Afraid of being too noticed, Twilight quickly covered Rarity's mouth with her hoof. "Shhh! I know it's shocking, but Matt's my husband and…well…I think he'll really like this." She said with a weak smile before she removed her hoof and placed it back down on the floor.

Rarity was still full of shock, but she took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Are you sure about this, Twilight?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "Positive." She said before she looked over to me talking to Mr Cake. "Trust me, he'll like it." she said with another weak smile.

When she returned her sight to Rarity, she saw the small smile on her face. "Alright Twilight, I'll do it for you." she said.

Twilight gave her a warm smile before they shared a small hug. "Thanks Rarity, this means a lot." She said.

They then separated and Rarity returned her smile. "Think nothing of it, Twilight. In fact, I always wondered what it would be like making that type of clothi-"

"Shhh! Not out-loud, Matt's right over there." Twilight said as she pointed her hoof at me.

Rarity looked over to me before she looked at Twilight again. "Of course." She whispered before they both quietly made their way back to the table to re-join the others.

Once Twilight and Rarity were back in their seats, I returned to the table with no knowledge of what they were talking about. "Sorry I took so long, Mr Cake was having a hard time finding my faverate kind. So, what were you guys talking about while I was gone." I asked.

"Nothing." Twilight and Rarity said at the same time before they went back to drinking their milkshakes.

I gave them both a look of suspicion. The only time someone says 'nothing' is usually means they're up to something. But I figured I've done too much of the detective thing today and just shrugged it off before I started drinking my soda through the straw.

But as things finally began to settle, I couldn't help but think about the thief and how cunning he is.

He's trying to throw us off his tracks by framing royal guards. And if he is a guard himself, which one is he?...And which Princess does he seemingly work for?

All I knew was that he was still out there and it probably wouldn't be long until I saw him again.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Pony News: Boy, where do I start. A lot of Season 4 news came out while I was on my break, too much for me to put on this one chapter.

Well, I guess the most important news I want to share is that Discord will get his very own song. Most likely in the Season 4 premiere titled 'Princess Twilight Sparkle' and yes, it's a 2-parter.

Also, I heard someone else (besides from Discord) will get a singing debut in S4. Hopefully Spike for once :P

New villains with issues will be introduced.

More Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stuff.

Loads of things! It's just so exciting :D

So be sure to get comfy on the couch, get a good drink, and watch the premiere in action. And for those who have to watch it on the computer (like myself), do the same, only on a chair in front of a desk XD

Anyway, please remember to review.

Next chapter will be up as soon as possible and I hope you enjoy the first two episodes of Season 4.