As the cockpit of Raven's armored car opened up, it revealed a whole multi-layered underground complex, fifty meters high, and thirty meters in diameter; there were probably five levels to the cylindrical shaft. She parked the car on a circular platform in the center of the lowest level. As Shadow Dancer and Blue Thistle hopped out and followed The Raven across a narrow bridge to another, larger platform, a huge robotic arm unfolded from the support pillar holding up the central platform, grabbing the car and placing on a storage level at the very bottom of the chasm. The platforms were finished with black chrome and the whole shaft was illuminated by lights which ran up the height of the complex; the top of the chasm was sealed shut by a thick, vault-like door. At the other end of the thin bridge was a series of giant monitors, around five of them. Four smaller screens were gathered around a larger central one, displaying numerous maps and files detailing multiple active criminals.

"Whoa..." Shadow Dancer remarked at the great machine that towered over her.

"This is The Nest's central computer, Constable. It has access to all criminal databases in Equestria." The Raven stated from her swiveling chair as she brought up Tamashī's file on the center screen, marking him as 'deceased'.

"Is it legal access...?" Shadow Dancer asked, though, she knew the answer to that question.

The Raven pulled up two other files out of a document labeled 'KNIGHTS'; they detailed the criminal records of Blue Thistle and Shadow Dancer. "No. But nopony is a saint."

Pictures of a young Blue Thistle popped up on the screen, displaying her in a battlefield fighting numerous robotic adversaries. Blue Thistle was not impressed. "Where did you get these pictures?!"

"Okay, lady, it's time you told us the truth!" Shadow Dancer put her hoof down as she watched her record stretch downwards down the monitor screen in the corner of her eye as she turned to The Raven. "Who the hell are you-?!"

"Mistress, here is your-..." A mare holding a silver platter in her hand trailed off as she stepped out of an elevator on the other side of the platform. "Ah, are these our guests?"

She was young, around the same age as Ditzy, and she wore a common, black maid's outfit. Her amaranth pink mane was long, done up in a neat bun at the back of her head. Her sapphire eyes were coupled well with her white complexion, and she was certainly easy on the eyes. She was short, yet she had this air of assiduousness about her that made her seem much larger in presence as she strode towards Raven.

"I'm Nurse Redheart. It's pleasure to meet you two," The maid bowed to both of them as she strolled over to The Raven with her silver tray holding a piping-hot tea kettle and two cups.

"Pink hair... light pink coat... I've seen it before..." Shadow Dancer thought to herself as she looked closely at the back of The Raven's head. "No, that can't-..."

The Raven stood up and prepared to take off her mask, but before she could, her maid grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Are you certain, Mistress?"

"Yes, it's fine." The Raven insisted as she removed her mask, revealing her face to Shadow Dancer and Blue Thistle.

"No... that's impossible. You're supposed to be dead!" Shadow Dancer's jaw dropped as she saw The Raven's true face. "I thought you were-..."

"I survived." Fleur De Lee said as she placed her mask on the desktop of her computer.

"Shadow Dancer, you know this mare?" Blue Thistle wondered.

"No, not personally. I know of her. She's a former supermodel— the wife of Fancy Pants, a wealthy Canterlot philanthropist. I thought he and his family were killed three years ago after they were kidnapped..." It looked as if Shadow Dancer was seeing a ghost. "What the hell happened to you?"

Fleur De Lee's face was not the same as the old billboards. She still retained most of her beauty, but her neck and cheeks were riddled with faint scrapes and burns, mementos of a horrid past forever embedded in her flesh. Shadow Dancer even saw a scar that could've only been left by a whip just above her left eye. Her elegant smile and graceful eyes had lost their luster— replaced by a slight scowl and a forlorn gaze. She was not the same mare Equestria once idolized.

"The Kage mob is what happened..." Fleur De Lee grunted as she removed her cape and armor, revealing more of her battered body. "Some pony had us abducted by Tamashī's gang all those years ago in the Upper West Side. I was the only one to live through it. Nurse Redheart luckily found me washed up on a pier the next day."

"I treated her wounds, brought her back to health, and we've been friends ever since," Nurse Redheart added as she set the tray of tea down next to Fleur's mask. "With Fancy Pant's inheritance, we built this place together."

"And for the past six months I've been trying to solve my own murder," Fleur said as she removed her chest piece, exposing the rest of the black jumpsuit underneath. "So far I've turned up a few leads, but Tamashī was the only pony who could've tied it all together. Luckily one of my drones analyzed the crime scene before the police arrived." A bridge extended outwards from the platform to the other side of the chasm; a separate room attached the chasm wall. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be in the lab. Redheart, keep them company while I synthesize the results."

"Very well, Mistress," Redheart nodded as Fleur disappeared into the laboratory. With a sigh, she sat down on a stool near the edge of the computer desk, pouring herself a cup of tea.

"You built all of this in three years?" Shadow Dancer asked Redheart as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Yep, from the ground up," Redheart nodded as she too tilted her head back and looked up. "It cost a fortune, but luckily Fleur had that kind of money. Once Fancy Pants and his heirs died, his wealth was funneled into a private, untraceable account. He left everything to Fleur."

"Fleur... she had children?" Blue Thistle glanced over at a picture lying on the other end of the computer desk; it was a small, red colt, no older than three.

"Yes... that was Red Velvet," Redheart's expression turned melancholic as she held back tears. "He, um-... he was shot when Fleur tried to help him escape captivity."

"Sweet Celestia..." Shadow Dancer's heart sank as she looked over at the picture as well. "Poor Fleur..."

"She's-... she's not the same anymore since they passed. The whole world thinks she's dead, and I'm-... I'm her only friend down here." Redheart shook her head in disappointment as she took another sip of her tea. "She doesn't smile, she barely sleeps... she has night terrors too. I've put her on meds countless times but... she always quits them. She tells me, 'it dulls her focus'."

"Can she ever be fixed?" Shadow Dancer asked.

"With what she lost... I don't know. The only thing keeping her alive are just memories, fragments of herself lying around her hooves. I stayed with her all this time because... no matter how much it ate away at me to be here with her, no matter how much she pushed me to the breaking point, I knew she needed me." Redheart's voice seemed empty, cold and distant. "Perhaps I've become infected by her misery... who knows. All I care about at this point is Fleur."

"And you have been like this for three years?"Blue Thistle inquired.

"Back and forth, yes. I'd like to think we're both building each other back up as we move along," Redheart nodded as she stood up, smiling a little. "Please, I know she may seem obtuse at times, but she needs your help. She deserves justice."

As Redheart finished her tea, Fleur stepped out of her lab holding a file filled with papers regarding the drone's examination of the crime scene. "I've found some interesting information."

"Oh? What's that?" Shadow Dancer asked, waltzing over to take a peek at the file.

"Look here," Fleur loaded a flash drive onto her computer, and the central monitor displayed a three-dimensional map of Coffin. With the press of a button she started a simulation; it was of the shooting just a half hour prior to their arrival in The Nest. "Based on the angle, the bullet was fired from a four-story building. However, there was, in fact, a flash, we simply never saw it." The simulation drew three curved paths from the shooter to the points of impact.

"So these were guided rounds then, huh?" Shadow Dancer made an educated guess as she watched the simulation.

"Exactly, and these were fifty calibers as well. There's only one manufacturer that produces such bullets in this size, Rich Industries." Fleur concluded as she looked through the file.

"Spoiled Rich's firearms company?" Shadow Dancer said as she glanced at the picture of Spoiled Rich within the file.

"Do you think Spoiled Rich had a hand in Fancy Pants' untimely death?" Redheart caught on to the implication fast.

"I'm not certain yet, but I wouldn't doubt it," Fleur answered her as she sat down on her chair and began to delve deeper into the conspiracy. "Based on surveillance from the next building over, the shooter is dressed in high-end military gear. Perhaps part of a private army?" Fleur zoomed in on badge attached to the shoulder of the sniper, which simply had an odd symbol which looked like "Φ" on it.

"What the hell is that?" Shadow Dancer raised an eyebrow at the strange letter.

"This is a Greko symbol, an ancient, extinct language," Fleur stated as she got a closer look at it.

"Come to think of it, Blue... that terrorist who led the attack on the parliament building had the same badge on his shoulder too. I think I heard his henchmen call him... Chi?" Shadow Dancer pieced together the memory of her encounter with the late stallion.

"Interesting. Then this terrorist cell is more organized than previously thought," Fleur scratched her chin at the picture of the masked sniper.

"Is there a way to get to this guy?" Redheart wondered, laying out all the evidence across the table.

"Find make and number of gun?" Blue Thistle suggested as she squinted at the rifle in the stallion's hands.

"Excellent idea," Fleur zoomed in on the weapon, deciphering the code on the side of the barrel. "Interesting..." Fleur looked into records detailing the weapon and manufacturing date. "This rifle was sold three weeks ago to Semper Fi, a former Equestrian marine who served in the invasion of Yakyakistan four years ago. He was dishonorably discharged after disobeying orders." Fleur dug deep into police archives. "Ah, look at this... according to police records, he went missing two years ago. He must've gone underground with this terrorist group around that time. The trail goes cold from here."

"So is there a way to find this guy?" Shadow Dancer asked.

"No, not until we've done some digging into Rich Industries..." Fleur revisited her last page detailing the history of Semper Fi's rifle. "According to this bill of sale, the rifle was sold to Semper via a private, online purchase made by an employee in the Sales Department, Fire Sale."

Blue Thistle nodded with satisfaction. "So then we find him..."

"We find Semper Fi..." Nurse Redheart chimed in.

"We find out Rich's dealings with the terrorists." Shadow Dancer said.

"Then we bring them all down, one by one," Fleur concluded as she got out of her chair, sorting the pieces of her armor strewn about the floor. "And we find out who killed my husband and son, and bring them to justice."

"Alright, I like the sound of this plan," Shadow Dancer said as she remembered Blueblood's firm instructions. "But first, Fleur, I need to know something..."

"What's this?" Fleur raised an eyebrow at Shadow Dancer as she reached into her pocket and handed her a small business card; it had the symbol of The Equestrian Knights printed on it.

"It's a request." Shadow Dancer replied as she crossed her arms. "As much as I want to help you out of the kindness of my heart, we came here for one mission... apprehending you. But now that apprehension is out of the picture, I want to offer you this. Consider it a 'get out of jail free card', courtesy of Prince Blueblood."

"I'll consider it..." Fleur answered her as she tucked the card into her jumpsuit, fastening her gauntlets onto each forearm as she did so. "Personally I'm not a fan of your organization, and I'm especially not a fan of that narcissistic scoundrel either."

"Believe me, I know the guy is a dickhead," Shadow Dancer began coaxing Fleur. "But if you want to continue your operations in Manehattan, I suggest you do it legally. Trust me, dispensing vigilante vengeance is no way to go about it-."

"This is not vengeance, Miss Shadow Dancer, this is justice, plain and pure," Fleur De Lee interrupted her. "And all of Manehattan shall have it."

"Fleur... she still has a point..." Nurse Redheart weighed in. "We can't keep going about this by dodging bullets from thugs and police, there's only so much Commissioner August can do."

"As I said before, I'll consider it. No promises," Fleur said as she put on her cape and mask. "I'm not so sure the public can trust your organization yet."

"Understood," Shadow Dancer nodded in agreement as she fastened her jacket. "So... don't mean to pry, but... do you have a suit in my size I can borrow?" Shadow Dancer wondered as she tapped on the gaiter of Fleur's suit. "No capes, though, I don't do capes."

"Yes, I may have one or two..." Fleur answered her as she activated a control panel on her computer desk, revealing an array of suits that popped up through trap doors nearby. "But for Celestia's sake do not toy with any of them! They each cost more than the yearly rent of a condo in central Manehattan."

"Yeah, yeah, no problem..." Shadow Dancer found herself drooling over the sleek combat suits. "Oh, wow, this is gonna be epic..."

"I assume you don't require a suit, correct? Seeing as how you're bullet proof and all that." Fleur asked Blue Thistle, who simply shrugged her shoulders and grunted. "I'll take that as a no."

"Please be careful, okay?" Nurse Redheart said to Fleur as she stepped back into the elevator.

"Don't worry, Redheart, They'll be fine. They're in good hands," Fleur reassured her as the elevator doors began to close.

"I wasn't worried about them..." Redheart muttered under her breath as the elevator doors shut in her face.

Author's Note

Info bomb, Incoming!

Who is this terrorist group? What are they planning? Find out in the next episode of Equestrian Knights!