The next morning, before the sun had fully risen above the skyline, a figure hurried down the street and bounded up to the doors of the Temple, knocking softly as if afraid of disrupting the quiet of the dawn.

The door opened and a pair of eyes peeped out. “Snake Eyes,” Flash grinned, opening the door wider to allow his friend inside. “Glad you came.”

“I was glad to get your call,” Snake Eyes smiled back. “You said you had something for me?”

“Sure do,” Flash said, handing his friend a large envelope.

“What’s this?” Snake asked, opening up the envelope. Inside were several cassette tapes, bundles of paper, and a number of photographs.

“The mother lode, buddy. Everything you need to take down the gangs in this city,” Flash replied.

Snake’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding, Flash.”

“Not at all,” Flash replied. “This should be enough to nail not just the thugs on the streets, but also the ones in the offices. Is there a group of City Guards and a few lawyers you can trust?”

“I don’t know,” Snake said, turning over the envelope in his hooves. “I mean...there’s a lot of guys like me who know what’s going on and want it to stop, but…”

“This is their chance, Snake,” Flash answered, putting his hoof on Snake’s shoulder. “Their chance to stand up for this city, to stand up for the ponies that they swore to protect. To do the right thing. I realize they’re probably scared and feel powerless, but they don’t have to feel that way anymore.” He looked at his friend’s cutie marks; a pair of die, both of them showing a one. “This is who you are, Snake. You take the long shot, and even if it doesn’t work, you roll again. I’m asking you: take this bet for me. For all of us.”

Snake looked up at Flash and slowly grinned. “Well, if you don’t roll the die, you’ll never win a bet.” He slapped Flash on the shoulder. “Thanks, bud! I’ll gather up the teams!” He hurried out of the Temple and took flight, soaring straight towards the closest precinct.

Flash watched him disappear into the horizon, then slowly closed the door. He then returned upstairs into the choir practice room. Anchor Point, Twilight, Spike, and Phillip were waiting for them there.

“Are you sure your friend can be trusted?” Anchor Point asked Flash, pacing around in a circle.

“Absolutely,” Flash nodded.

“If you trust him, then so do I,” Twilight assented. Phillip nodded in agreement.

Anchor Point sank into a chair and sighed. “I just want this to be over.”

“It will be soon,” Twilight reassured him.

Phillip glanced at his watch. “The Captain should be here in about half an hour.”

“You sure you want to talk to him?” Flash asked.

“I’m positive,” Phillip nodded, lifting up a photograph and studying it carefully, then setting it down and pulling out a deck of cards. Flash recognized them as the deck that he had given him last Hearth’s Warming. “Anypony up for a few rounds of I Doubt It?”

The group find the idea agreeable and gathered around the table as Phillip dealt the cards. Shouts of laughter soon filled the room as they played. To everypony’s surprise, Anchor Point proved to be a formidable opponent, and had quickly won a number of rounds. Time flew by and a half hour had passed almost before anypony realized.

The game was interrupted by a knocking at the door. “Phillip, Flash, Captain Cornerstone is waiting for you downstairs,” Joyful told them.

“Thank you, Pastor,” Phillip replied, gathering up the cards. “Anchor, you’d best hide.” Anchor Point nodded, blanching, and hid himself in the closet with the choir robes.

“Spike, stay up here,” Twilight instructed the little dragon, her face uncharacteristically grim. She turned and used her magic to lift up a plate with four glasses of iced water, the glasses and ice cubes clinking as they levitated.

Flash adjusted his armor and made sure his sword was tight at his side as he led the trio downstairs to the sanctuary. “I hope this plan works,” he muttered.

“It will,” Phillip reassured him.

They entered the sanctuary, which was bathed in the soft gray glow of the morning sun. Captain Cornerstone was waiting for them on the center aisle, adorned in full armor. His captain’s bars shone like jewels.

“Captain, thank you for coming,” Flash said, shaking Cornerstone’s hoof.

“You said you had something for me,” Cornerstone stated, briefly shaking Flash’s hoof.

“We did,” Twilight said, lifting up a glass of iced water. He grasped it in his hoof and took a long sip.

“We were looking into Anchor Point’s murder,” Phillip explained. “We think he hid some information that the gangs are looking for.”

“What kind of information?” Cornerstone asked, handing the glass back to Twilight.

“Information on corrupt Guards,” Flash stated. “From what I understand, he worked as a negotiator between corrupt Guards and the gangs..”

While Cornerstone was distracted, Twilight took the glass and exited the sanctuary. Standing in the hallway, she levitated the glass into the air. Closing her eyes, she concentrated her magic onto the surface of the glass. A moment later, a clear hoofprint appeared, glowing lavender. With another spell, she created a duplicate image of the hoofprint that hovered in midair like a ghost, slowly revolving. She noted a long, thin scar running the length of the print.

Twilight then took a out a photograph—the same picture that Phillip had been studying earlier—and held it up. The picture was of the lamp from White Rose’s back window. Casting the same spell again, she created an enlarged duplicate image of the hoofprint that also hovered in midair. She studied the images carefully, noting the patterns of ridges, bifurcations, deltas, and the little dots that marked the pores on the skin, as well as a long, thin scar on the surface. If the textbook she had studied was true, then these patterns were unique to an individual pony; nopony else on the planet would have the same hoofprint. She adjusted both of the ghost images until they were the same size, then brought them together.

A green glow confirmed what she had suspected; the prints were an exact match. The scar tissue confirmed it. Relief and concern tumbled against one another in Twilight’s chest; she had hoped that their theory was correct, but now that she could see the proof before her eyes, she didn’t know what to think.

Placing the glass and the photograph down on a table, she re-entered the sanctuary. Flash and Cornerstone were still talking and had apparently not noticed her absence, but Phillip turned around as she entered. She gave him a nod. His face darkened and he nodded back, then muttered something into Flash’s ear. A scowl slowly grew across Flash’s face.

“What is it?” Cornerstone asked.

“As I mentioned, we were also looking into White Rose’s murder,” Phillip stated. “Have you heard of dactyloscopy?”

“Can’t say I have,” Cornerstone asked.

“It’s the study of the patterns of ridges in hoof marks,” Phillip explained. “According to studies, the patterns of a hoof mark are unique to an individual pony.

“When we went back over White Rose’s home, we found a set of hoof marks. Somepony else was there the night she was there,” Phillip stated.

“And those hoof marks match yours,” Twilight accused, stepping forward. “It proves that you were lying when you said that you weren’t with her that night.”

“You visited White Rose, signalled your hired shooter that it was all clear, then left, thinking it'd give you a perfect alibi,” Phillip stated, his eyes hard and cold. “You might not have shot her, but you killed her.”

Cornerstone’s eyes slowly flicked from one pony to another. Phillip and Twilight were both glaring at him, but Flash was trembling, his chest heaving with breath. After a moment, the Captain grunted.

“Nice story,” he said. “But I doubt you could confirm it in a court of law. I could easily claim that you forged my hoofprint on that lamp, and that you tricked me into giving mine. Sorry, but you have nothing to go on.” He nodded curtly. “Good day to you all.” He turned on his heels and started to leave.

“There’s just one thing,” Phillip interrupted, a smirk slowly crossing his face. “We never said anything about a lamp.”

Cornerstone stopped in his tracks, his posture stiffening as if he were slowly turning to stone. He turned to look over his shoulder, and there was something rewarding in his widening eyes.

“And by the way…” Twilight smirked, lighting up her horn. A moving image appeared on the wall, projected by her magic: a recording of herself using her spell to examine the hoofprints on the glass. “If I place that in a recording crystal, I’d say that’d be enough to secure a conviction.”

Cornerstone stood stunned for a second more, then slowly turned around, his eyes narrowing and focusing on Flash. “You don’t know what it was like,” he growled. “When I took the position as Captain of the City Guard, I had to make sacrifices. Negotiating with the criminals of this city was unpleasant, but if it wasn’t for our control, they would take over the entire city. And besides, they weren’t the real problem: it was the poor. The weak, the stupid, the useless ponies who bog down the system because they can’t be bothered to get a job and support themselves! They’re the ones who are the real problem in Fillydelphia, and they’re the ones that we needed to get rid of if we were to become strong again; cut out the weeds to let the garden grow!”

At his word, Flash drew his sword and stormed forward, holding the blade up to Cornerstone’s neck. “My mother was one of those weeds. I was one of those weeds!” he snarled. “And I suppose the money you made off of their blood was just a bonus?!”

“Flash!” Twilight shouted. She started forward to stop him, but Phillip held her back, his face expressionless as he watched Flash.

Flash’s sword shook in his hoof, a sign of his boiling anger. He glared up at Cornerstone, who silently dared him to draw the blade across his throat. Flash drew in a slow, shuddering breath, and spoke.

“You are under arrest for the murder of White Rose and for corruption. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say—”

“Get on with it,” Cornerstone grunted in a bored tone.

Sighing in relief, Twilight conjured a set of shackles around Cornerstone’s hooves. “Let’s bring him to the precinct,” she declared.

Flash sheathed his sword, his posture slumping and his breath slowing as he relaxed. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around his shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze. “Proud of you,” Phillip said quietly, a small but genuine smile splayed across his features. Flash grinned back and bumped his flank against his as they exited the sanctuary, Cornerstone slowly marching behind them.

The next three days passed in a blur of activity. The evidence that the friends had passed over to Snake Eyes was like a spark on a line of gunpowder, setting off a trail of fire and brimstone. One arrest led to another, and before long, the Fillydelphia jails were fit to bursting with gang leaders, organized crime figures and corrupt Guards. Every newspaper in Fillydelphia either praised the Guards for this sudden display of competence or wondered what they were planning next.

That morning, Twilight, Flash, Phillip and Spike entered the main precinct where their adventure had started so long ago, shaking off the rain that had drenched them on the way there.

“You know, you don’t have to stay to help with the opening of the food shelf,” Twilight told Phillip as she used a heat spell to quickly dry them all off. Spike quickly glanced into a waterproof bag that he had been carrying over his shoulder and sighed softly in relief.

“I know,” Phillip replied, shaking his head to get his mane out of his eyes. “But I want to.”

They entered the foyer, passing by a pair of City Guards, both of whom nodded respectfully; the friends noted that much of the Guards’ armor had been removed and their visors were lifted up to show their faces.

The same Sergeant from before was waiting at the desk, speaking to an older mare. Upon seeing them approaching, the Sergeant briefly excused himself. “The Captain’s waiting for you inside,” he told them, gesturing to the doors behind him.

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Twilight nodded as they pushed through the double doors. They walked down the carpeted hallway and into the main office floor. It was just as busy as they remembered; ponies dashed from one desk to another, passing files and shouting to one another across the room, their calls mingling with the ringing of telephones. However, as the group passed through the room, all the Guards stopped what they were doing and started applauding and cheering them.

“No need to thank us,” Flash grinned, waving at everypony as they walked past. “Just doing our jobs!”

“You planning on staying and signing autographs?” Phillip grunted, although he was unable to keep a small grin off his face.

“Uh…” Spike stammered. Twilight, Flash and Phil glanced back to see him scribbling his name in a Guard’s notepad. Spike stared at them for a moment, then hid the notepad behind his back, grinning in embarassment. The ponies chuckled and shook their heads.

They proceeded past the group of admirers and towards the Captain’s office in the back of the room. Flash knocked at the frosted glass door. “Come in!” called a voice from inside. Flash opened the door and the friends filed in.

Behind the desk, Snake Eyes grinned up at all of them. “Thanks for stopping by, guys,” he said.

“Congrats on getting elected, Snake,” Flash said, grasping his friend’s hoof and pulling him into a hug. “If anypony deserved that position, it was you.”

“Yeah, who would’ve thought,” Snake smiled, subconsciously polishing the captain’s silver bars on the collar of his armor.

“You earned it,” Twilight nodded proudly.

“Thanks, guys,” Snake said, hoof-bumping Spike before settling himself behind his desk. “Now, about your statements. This shouldn’t take too long; we just need to get a clear account of your investigation and—”

He was interrupted by a knocking at the door. Before he could respond, the door opened and Quarter Deck looked inside, frowning at the entourage.

“What is it?” Snake Eyes asked.

Quarter Deck stepped back and Duke Blueblood entered, his face grim. Ignoring Flash and the others, he spoke directly to Snake Eyes. “Captain, congratulations on your promotion,” he stated, holding out his hoof.

“Sir,” Snake Eyes grunted, briefly shaking Blueblood’s hoof. “What can I do for you?”

“I have come to discuss the future of the Fillydelphia City Guard,” Blueblood stated, sitting in front of the desk.

“With respect, sir, you may be the elected head of this city, but you are not the head of the City Guard,” Snake Eyes replied, his voice stretched thin.

“I know that,” Blueblood answered. “However, I am in control of the city budget, and that includes additional funding for the City Guard and other services.”

Snake’s eyes flashed. Flash tensed up, but Twilight’s hoof on his arm stilled him.

“What were you thinking?” Snake Eyes asked softly.

“Obviously, because of a recent...loss of personnel, we need to take a more aggressive approach,” Blueblood stated. “I was willing to divert funds to pay for a new shipment of upgraded arms and vehicles—”

“Thank you, but no,” Snake Eyes interrupted. “We’re not doing things the same way we did them when Cornerstone was in charge.”

Blueblood frowned. “While I’ll concede that Cornerstone was corrupt and took advantage of his position, the tactics that we agreed upon were working. I—”

“Wait a minute, please,” Snake Eyes interrupted again, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead. He took a deep breath and spoke in a calm, measured tone. “First off, I will admit that you’re a lot better city head than Lord Hill was.”

“Damn right,” Flash muttered to his friends. “Hill used this city like his own personal piggy bank.”

“You actually care about this city. You care about keeping the civilians safe,” Snake Eyes continued. “However, the job of the City Guard is not just to fight the bad guys, it’s to care for the population. And because of our militaristic approach, we have destroyed the trust between the City Guard and the citizens of this city. That needs to change, and we cannot change it by buying more guns and armor.”

“No, you need these weapons, Captain,” Blueblood replied. “Our enemies are well-armed and dangerous; you cannot afford to worry about the civilian’s opinions. Right now, we are at war.”

As if this sentence was the starting gun at a race, Spike suddenly rose to his feet, reaching into his bag. “Were you at war with him?!” he shouted, pulling out a square piece of cardboard. Blueblood turned and looked down at the image before him: a charcoal sketch of Backhoe, smiling softly up at him in black and white.

“He had a daughter!” Spike shouted at Blueblood. “He was working an honest job to try to take care of her! But your Guards harassed him to no end, because of something he did in the past! Your Guards shot him and killed him, right outside your house!” Tears were running down Spike’s face as he glared defiantly up at Blueblood, who could only stare silently at the charcoal sketch. “And it’s not fair!” Spike screamed, flinging the cardboard at the Duke. The room sat in stunned silence for several moments, the only noise Spike’s sniffling.

Eventually, Twilight reached out and pulled Spike into her embrace, gently stroking his head as his tears gradually subsided. Blueblood reached down and picked up the cardboard, studying the reproduction of the dead pony’s face.

“I can hardly be blamed for the actions of two City Guards, can I?” Blueblood asked softly.

Flash sighed. “No,” he admitted. “No, you can’t.”

Blueblood stared at the sketch for another few moments. Nopony seemed to know what to say or do, so they settled for looking at one another and waiting for somepony to say something.

“This pony,” Blueblood finally said. “Was he a good father?”

Twilight and her friends all looked at each other. “He loved his daughter,” Twilight replied. “That’s as good as any father can do.”

“Indeed,” Blueblood nodded, slowly giving Spike the sketch back. He wiped his eyes and took it.

“I…” Blueblood started to say, then paused, licking his lips. “I had not considered that these...ponies would have families. I believed that they were...merely criminals.”

Flash blinked. “How...how could you not realize that?”

“You have to understand,” Blueblood protested. “I had such high hopes for this city, for these ponies, and when they didn’t come true…”

“You were desperate,” Phillip stated. “You felt that you needed to do something drastic, and you had to justify it to yourself. You felt like you needed to stop them because nopony else could.”

Blueblood nodded slowly. “Believe me, I understand that,” Phillip said.

“Blueblood, your intentions were good,” Twilight said. “You were trying to do the right thing, to protect the ponies of this city. Nopony can blame you for that. But you have to understand, justice is more than just putting criminals in jail. It’s…” She paused, reaching a hoof up to her chin as she thought. “What if it was your son living on the streets, dealing with a drug addiction?”

Blueblood blinked several times. For a moment, he looked incredulous, as though he thought such an idea was utterly ridiculous, but then his expression molded into a softer look of concern. “I’d...I’d want to help him,” he said. “To give him a better life…”

“Of course you would,” Twilight said. “But that’s what it’s like for so many of your ponies right now. You could do so much more for them than just punish them.”

Blueblood blinked up at her. “I know you’ve tried to do the right thing,” Twilight said, “but I think that sometimes we bring our hooves down to punish when we should reach down to help.”

Blueblood stared at the others in silence for several moments, blinking in bewilderment. Finally, he stood up and slowly exited without a word, closing the door behind him.

“I…” Snake Eyes stammered, then cleared his throat. “Right. As I was saying, I’ll be needing your statements for the record…”

The next morning was overcast, the sun struggling to peek through the cover of gray clouds. A low building with white walls sat in the middle of a city block, squatting down as if trying to avoid attention. Faded letters over the doorway declared, “Fillydelphia Food Shelf and Pantry.” Pedestrians and carriages moved right past it without a glance, as if the building wasn’t even there.

Joyful Sound unlocked the door and pushed it open. The hinges squeaked loudly, demanding a dose of oil. She reached out and flicked the light switch on the wall, but produced no response from the lights. “I’m going to have to speak to the power company about this,” she sighed.

“Here, let me,” Twilight offered, lighting up her horn as she, Flash, Spike and Phillip entered. Several balls of light, like miniature stars, blossomed from her horn and floated through the rooms, bathing the rooms in soft white light.

The rooms were coated in a layer of dust and the windows so dirty that they barely let any light through. Chairs and tables were scattered haphazardly around the main room. The incessant dripping of a leaky faucet could be heard from the kitchen. The shelves in the large pantry in the back were empty save for some old cans and empty boxes. A smell of decay and abandonment hung in the air.

“I hope we get enough volunteers,” Flash commented, running his hoof over a layer of dust on a table and leaving behind a long, visible streak. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“We did everything we could to attract as much attention as possible,” Twilight said. “It’s up to them to come.”

Spike walked over to a closet and opened it to reveal an assortment of brooms, mops, sponges, buckets, rags, and other cleaning supplies. He gave a quick glance over the inventory, then clasped his claws together and cracked his knuckles. “Let’s get to work.”

The friends began to clean up the area, sweeping the floors, rearranging the furniture and wiping down the windows. After about a half hour of work, there was a knocking at the door. A small group of ponies from the temple strode inside, many of them carrying donations of canned food, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, as well as furniture and cutlery. Canvas Glow and her mother were among the group, both of them looking nervous.

“Welcome, welcome!” Joyful Sound declared, smiling broadly at them all. “Thank you for coming! Please set those donations down in the pantry so we can start organizing them.”

Twilight instantly looked up at the word “organizing,” her eyes brightening. “I’ll take care of them!” she cried, eagerly bouncing over. “Let’s see...we’ll put the grains over there, and the ready-to-eat meals there...until we get the power turned on, we’ll have to do something to keep the refrigerated items cold. Did anypony bring some ice?”

Flash, Spike and Phillip all rolled their eyes, chuckling to themselves. Canvas Glow walked over to Spike, who was washing the windows, then picked up a rag, dunked it into a bucket of soapy water, and began to help him clean the glass off. Her mother soon joined her.

More volunteers began to arrive as the morning went on, some merely pausing long enough to drop off donations, others staying to help with the cleanup. Before long, the pile of donated food was twice the size of a pony, and growing larger by the minute. Joyful Sound began to sing hymns as they worked, with almost everypony joining in on the chorus. Old friends chatted with one another, new friends greeted each other, and foals and fillies played amongst the pantry shelves.

Around noon, there was a knocking at the door. Three City Guards entered, led by Quarter Deck, glancing around at the room and the ponies therein. A moment later, Duke Blueblood entered, his step uncharacteristically uncertain. His wife and son followed behind. The entry of the nobles caused a cessation in activity and noise, everypony staring as the head of the city approached Twilight and Flash. He paused in front of them, choosing to examine the floor at the hooves instead of their faces.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday,” he finally said. “And I think...perhaps it is time that I tried to take a different approach...that I took the time to actually learn and listen from my ponies instead of making decisions all on my own. And I thought...that perhaps this was a good place to start.” He swallowed and blinked up at Twilight.

Flash stared at the Duke in open-mouthed disbelief. Smiling, Twilight nudged him back to seriousness. “Well, I’m sure we’re all very glad you’re here,” she said to Blueblood, giving him a proud nod. This seemed to instill some courage into Blueblood, who stood up straighter and nodded back.

Canopus stepped forward, lifting up a bag from behind her back. “I made some of my three bean casserole to share,” she said, handing the bag to Pastor Sound.

“That’s wonderful, thank you,” Joyful said, accepting the gift.

Blueblood shuffled his hooves. “So...where would you like us to start?” he finally asked.

Joyful smiled and levitated a broom over to him. “You can start with the basement, dear.” Blueblood blinked, then nodded and walked off with one of his Guards in tow. Canopus walked into the kitchen and began to help cleaning and sorting the incoming cutlery. With the Duke and Duchess having been accepted into their midst, activity quickly resumed in the food shelf.

Canvas Glow walked up to Pelorus, who was watching his mother at work. “Hi!” she greeted him with a smile. “I’m Canvas. What’s your name?”

“Um…” Pelorus stammered, shifting to hide between his mother’s legs. Canopus looked down and quickly figured out the situation in a glance. “It’s all right, dear,” she chuckled, nudging her son towards the eager young filly. “She just wants to say hello.”

Pelorus hesitated for a moment longer, then approached Canvas. “Uh...hi. I’m Pelorus.”

“Puh-lore-us,” Canvas Glow pronounced laboriously, frowning slightly. “That’s a funny name.” She grinned. “I like it! Do you wanna play with us?”

“Okay,” Pelorus said after a moment. “What do you want to play?”

Canvas tapped her chin in thought. “Hmmm...how about…tag! You’re it!” she cried, tapping Pelorus on the shoulder and running off. Pelorus stared for a moment, then chased after her, giggling. Canopus watched them play, her face glowing with pride and happiness. Even Quarter Deck smiled briefly as the two foals ran between her legs.

The day passed by quickly, and evening settled upon Fillydelphia, the clouds parting to reveal the stars. The food shelf had been fully cleaned from basement to ceiling, the dining area was perfectly organized, and the last of the donations had been sorted into the pantry shelves. Even the leaky faucet in the sink had been fixed!

Blueblood, Canopus and some of the volunteers were sitting around the tables, chatting over paper cups of coffee served by Pastor Sound. Pelorus was napping next to his mother, Canvas Glow curled up next to him. Spike was snoring contentedly in the corner. Twilight put a blanket that she had found in the basement over his sleeping form and nuzzled his head. He smiled in his sleep.

“Twilight,” Flash said softly, touching her shoulder. “Can I speak to you out back?”

“Sure,” Twilight smiled, following him towards the back. They passed by Phillip, who was leaning against the wall. He gave them a tired but proud nod as they walked past out the back door. They emerged into a small park, the leaves crunching beneath their hooves. Twilight shivered slightly in the sudden chill of the night, and Flash instinctively drew her close, draping a wing around her for warmth.

“I wanted to thank you for your help,” Flash said, giving the park a brief glance for any threats, then turning to look up at the sky. “It really means a lot to me that you came and helped me with this. None of this could’ve happened without your help.”

“Of course we came and helped,” Twilight responded, cuddling up against him. “Anything to help you, or these ponies.” She admired the stars dancing above them, twinkling in approval. “I’m sure your mother would be very proud of you.”

Flash blinked a couple times and reached up a wing to wipe at his eyes. “Thank you, Twilight. I know she would’ve loved to meet you.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Twilight.”

“I love you, too,” Twilight smiled. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back, running a hoof through her mane.

As they separated, Flash cleared his throat. “Um, Twilight...the reason I asked you out here was because...because I…”

“Yes?” Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Flash swallowed, tugging at the collar of his armor. “I...would you…?”

But his question was interrupted by a hoofstep and metallic clicking.

Meanwhile, inside, Phillip sleepily studied the other ponies in the room. Blueblood appeared to be in the middle of telling an amusing story, complete with grand gestures, which his companions seemed to be deeply fascinated by. Even Quarter Deck, who was standing a few feet behind Blueblood, seemed deeply interested in the tale.

Suddenly, Quarter Deck paused, reaching a hoof up to her earpiece. Her face instantly fell into serious lines. She leaned down towards Blueblood, apparently interrupting his punchline, and bent to whisper into his ear. The smile on his face disappeared immediately, turning into a look of shock.

Suddenly, a flash of icy cold rushed through Phillip’s body, his muscles tensing and his lungs stopping as though he’d been shoved into a tub of ice water. Instantly awake, he got to his hooves and hurried to the back door, shoulder ramming his way through.

“Flash, Twilight!” he called out. “Something’s happened—” He stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he saw the nightmare in front of him.

Flash and Twilight were lying facedown on the ground, surrounded by several ponies, all of them armed with carbines and knives. As soon as he appeared, the intruders turned and aimed their weapons at him. Phillip recognized them all as corrupt City Guards that had been arrested.

And there was no mistaking the large, stone gray earth pony in the back of the group, glaring imperiously at him. “How did you get out?” Phillip growled quietly.

“The evidence against me didn’t stick,” Cornerstone replied, his face and tone as impassive as stone. “Take them.”

Somepony grabbed Phillip from behind and pressed a damp, strong-smelling cloth over his mouth and nose. Two other kidnappers pinned Flash and Twilight down and pressed cloths over their faces. The ponies struggled, but the chloroform overwhelmed them; one by one, each of them passed out and went limp. The abductors gathered up their prisoners, hurried into a trio of waiting carriages, and disappeared into the night.

Author's Notes:

A nice long chapter, soaked in heartwarming fluff...

Only to end with a cliffhanger. I'm evil.