Striker had been sitting on his haunches inside the Carousel Boutique for a solid twenty minutes. He had no intention of leaving until he had his trench coat. He wanted to rest his injured leg, and try to relax, get some of that rest he needed. He kept his focus to the ground, and tried not to eavesdrop anymore. He was able to distract himself for a while, it wasn't until he heard the store's door chime that he lifted his head enough to see who had entered, his focus setting on the events unfolding. Two more young fillies walked into the store. One a light cream color with a light red ribbon that perfectly matched her mane, which was a rosy scarlet. The second was orange with a shaggy purple mane.

“What did yer sister say?” The rose mane filly asked excitedly before sniffling loudly.

“Yeah! Is Operation LASNNTCMCG good to go?! Also we should consider changing the name of the plan.” the orange pegasus filly said in a rush.

Striker let out a grin, then set his gaze back to the floor.

“No... my sister wont watch us either. Looks like its an early bed time for us on Nightmare Night.” Sweetie Belle replied sadly. The two others replied with simular sad looks.

“Wait..”- the rose mane paused then let out what sounded like a wet sneeze. -“What's wrong with Operation LASNNTCMCG?”

“Applebloom you need to hurry up and get over that cold! If your sick then the plan is a bust anyway!” Sweetie told her just before the pegasus cut in.

“LASNNTCMCG is to long! Nopony wants even knows what it means! I don't even know what it means!”she told Applebloom loudly

Then in perfect unison the two other fillies responded “Operation Let's All Spend Nightmare Night Together Cutie Mark Crusader Go!” Their voices sounded like this was not the first time they had to remind the orange pegasus of that name. The little pegasus only grumbled in reply, turning around noticing Striker for the first time.

“Ahm fine, this cold'll be gone before tomorrow so we can still hang out for Nightmare Night.” Applebloom stated, but she didn't get a response. Instead she looked at a distracted pegasus.

“Hey... Sweetie Belle, who's that buck over there?” the pegasus asked

“Huh?” The two other stated again in unison, both noticing him for the first time as well.

“Oh that's the pony who saved Fluttershy from a rabid dog last night.” She replied coolly, as if it was the normal. While the other two seemed much more shocked.

“What happened to Fluttershy?”
“Yeah, is she ok? How this the first we've heard of this?”

“Oh, Twilight sent Rarity a letter this morning, and everypony is fine, well except for him. His leg is all messed up.” her voice was still very casual.

“Whoa...we should talk to him, see if it hurts... I wonder if he'll let us see under the bandage.” The pegasus replied excitedly. The two once again replied in unison, this time with an “Ewww.”

“Scoots! That's gross!” Sweetie exclaimed

“It'd be awesome!” Scoots' grin growing and growing on her face.

“If you think I'd be awesome, you can ask him yerself! If it's not super gross tell us to come see it.” Applebloom told her.

“What me? Like by myself? Nononono, one of you has to come with me.” Scoots' response sounded desperate.

“No way! You wanted to see his gross leg!” Sweetie shot back.

“I know but.. look at him! He's like super handsome, and probably super cool, I can't!” Scoots blathered quickly.

The two little fillies gave Scoots a devious grin. “Super handsome? He's super handsome? Not just handsome, he's super handsome?” Sweetie teased.

“Sounds like somepony has a crush..” Applebloom stated quite matter of factly.

“What? No way!”- Scoots tried to hid her reddening face -”He's not even that dreamy!” She immediately regretted those words. After a bit more teasing, Striker stopped listening. But he could still hear the louder bits, such as Scoots' various “Shut up!”s, Sweetie Belle's several “super dreamy”s, and Applebloom's laughes. He instead focused on Applebloom's voice. It had a similar southern drawl to Applejack's voice. He pondered if several other ponies in the town had that drawl, or if it had to do with “apples”. Then he wondered if Applebloom, and Applejack were related. He recalled something about Applejack's sister being sick. He quickly put two and two together, before his attention shifted again. This time to the little orange pegasus in front of him. However her face had decided it wanted to be red.

“Hi... I'm umm... I'm Scootaloo, it's ...ugh, very nice to umm meet you.” She had a hard time looking away from the ground.

Sliding his hat up, he grinned “Nice to meet you to Scootaloo. Something wrong?”

She looked up. Getting a good look at his face for the first time, she loved his flaming sapphire blue eyes.”N-no sir just umm introducing myself...”

“Well then it's my turn then isn't it? I'm Striker, what can I do for a cute little mare like yourself?”

“DIARRHEA!” She shouted her face a whole new shade of red. “I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM BECAUSE I HAVE DIARRHEA!!” She ran off to the bathroom as fast as her little legs would take her, even he nubby wings doing their best to push her forward.

The other two fillies were also much closer now as well. They were both laughing quite ecclesiastically.
“Hey I'm Sweetie Belle, sorry about Scootaloo. She doesn't actually have the Trots, she just has a big crush on you.” Sweetie stated with a grin, trying to hold in her laughs.

“Really? I thought she just really had to go.” Striker replied in a sarcastic tone.

“Yea, she aint normally like that at all. She usually has all the umm... bravado yeah. She has lots of bravado. Oh and ahm Applebloom.”

“Applejack's little sister?” he confirmed.

“Eeyup.” Her voice was a tad nasally, but the pride felt in her word, or her name that is was similar to Applejack's.

“And I'm Rarity's sister! Sweetie Belle!” she introduced herself

Scootaloo trotted back, once she saw how her friends were near, she stopped blushing so hard.
“Hey sorry about that.” she said with half a laugh.

Contrary to his hate of crowds and most random ponies, Striker actually liked children. He saw them as beacons of hope. Their tendencies to be optimistic and innocent were like burning lights to the world he mostly saw the darkest parts of. That and low levels of empathy often resulted in funny outcomes such as bullying and fighting for pretty much no reason. The two friend's teasing and mocking their third friend for having a crush being an ideal example.

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Rarity had finished her grand idea. The near black trench coat would better match his pale blue fur. The mahogany colored trim stood out just enough that it would make his sapphire eyes pop. The custom fit should allow good flow with out being to loose, and fit comfortably with out feeling clingy. She was quite proud of her creation. She stepped outside to hang it for when he returned, but was surprised to see him already at her store.

“Oh no! Curse you Knight Hoof Puncher! I am dead now!” Scootaloo reared, then spun on her hind legs. Dramatically placing a hoof on forehead, she stuck out her tongue. “Bleahhh” she then fell onto her back eye's closed tongue still out.

“Aha! I have triumphed over the evil king, Lord VonPoopinhiemer! Also I saved you Princess Pretty Face!” Striker picked up Sweetie Belle into the air with his forehooves. “Now let us escape VonPoopinhiemer's castle.” he ran around the shop Sweetie Belle on his back. The girls, even the dead Lord VonPoopinhiemer giggled as he made running sound effects with his mouth.

Applebloom quickly tied a scarf around her head, it quickly became an impromptu beard. “I am king Sticky Butt! Thank you brave knight for saving my daughter!” she stated in the deepest voice she could muster.

“Stinky Butt? That's worse then Pretty Face!” Striker laughed with the girls, falling down to his haunches. Rarity gave a grin then coughed loudly. Upon looking at her he immediately stood up.

“Hey... my order ready?”

“It's been ready, three whole princesses ago.” She teased

“It's been ready for a while now then.”Sweetie jumped in.

Rarity gave a teasing grin as her magic gave Striker his trench coat.

“Oh really? What Princess was that then?” Rarity asked her sister.

“Like number Seven!” Scootaloo sprang.

“How many did you see Miss?”Striker asked, pulling on his new coat.

“Just that one, well it's ending.”

“Then that was the first princess.” He stated tilting his hat up.

“No it wasn't” Applebloom said giving him a funny look.

“I know it's just less embarrassing for me this way.” he replied to Applebloom giving her a big grin, then turned back to Rarity “S'a good fit, you sure you aint gunna let me pay?”

“Absolutely. Now then go on, go play with your new friends.” She teased more.

“Sorry girls, but I gotta get going. Need to get a room at the motel.” Striker said to his small audience as he began sliding his belongings from the box into their place in his trench coat.

The general sound of reply was “Awwwwwww.”

Then Sweetie Belle jumped” Ooo! Ooo! I have an idea! Striker do you think you would want to help watch Ms. Cheeralie's class on Nightmare Night! Last time our friend Zecora did it, but we haven't heard from her yet!”

Scootaloo hopped on that idea as well. “Yeah! We could really use a second show-fur!”

“Chauffeur.”Applebloom corrected

“That's what I said, show-fur”

“And then after do you think you can watch the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”Sweetie Belle cut in.

“Well..umm...” He looked to the fillies, then to Rarity, who just lifted a single eyebrow. Then after a bit second of thought. “I can do that, if I'm able, I'm new to town, ponies may not want to leave their colts and fillies in the hooves of a stranger now.”

“But you're super cool!”

“I am, but ponies don't know that just by looking at me.”

After a bit more talking, Striker left the store. He had to get a room at the local motel. However before he did that, he took a long walk around town. He knew that he really shouldn't due to his bum leg, but he just stayed off of it as much as he cold. He wanted to take in the town, and the townsfolk. He wanted to get a layout down of the town. He, however, found that his walk was much more enjoyable then he thought it would be. He saw the townsfolk going about their normal routines. Shopkeepers in their shops. Families causally enjoying the late afternoon. Ponies just walking about enjoying the day, enjoying life. Ironic really, I spend my life preserving this... peace and yet I will never enjoy it for myself. His leg ached. His body was beginning to hurt. The new custom fitted trench coat was starting to get heavy with his belonging in their place. He looked at the sunset and gave a grin. The cool breeze of the dusk giving him a slight chill. Getting late, I should head to the motel now. He began trotting to the motel, he was thinking about the coming days, perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as he felt it was going to be. He pushed open the door to the motel.

“SUUUUUUUUUUURPRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISE”

Pinkie jumped out of a crowd of ponies. “Welcome to your “Welcome-to-town-thank-you-for-saving-our-friend-surprise-party! We all heard how you saved Fluttershy! So this party had to be super awesome! There is soda pop, chips, cake, tons of sweets, and music! It's all for you, hope you like it! Everypony is soooooooo excited to meet you!”

Striker spent the next large sum of time meeting everyone who wanted to meet him, which was the majority of the town. He gave greetings and smiles to the ponies who he met. Although he really hated doing so. A lot of ponies in a medium sized motel lobby was not the greatest thing in the world for him. He had planned to stay on watch during Nightmare Night, scouting and keeping tabs and as many ponies as he could, however that the no longer work, his excuse for not being able to attend Nightmare Night with the school fillies and colts was that he would not be trusted, but now almost the entire town saw him as a great hero who saved a mare in danger, that plan would no longer be valid. However he really didn't mind. If he can't protect as many ponies as he could, at least he would be protecting all the young fillies and colts in an entire class.

“So you're the Striker everypony's been talking about” Rainbow Dash stated looking him over with her eyes.

“Apparently so, it seems I have quite a name around here now.” He replied with a sigh.

“Well you should, Fluttershy isn't exactly the most... tough pony around. I'm real glad that you helped her. It's pretty cool that you would do that, even for somepony you didn't know.” She told him with a light hoof tap to the shoulder of his good leg.

“Hey now I didn't do anything special, anypony would've done what I did in the same situation. Just the right place, right time.”

“Well that's just it, others would've helped, but they would've jumped in danger like you did. Oh excuse me, jump in front of the danger like you did.” She told him hopping down into a combat pose.
“That's why everypony think they're hero.”

“Somepony needed help, and I helped 'em, that's all, I don't know why such a big deal.”

She gave him a grin, ”Stop being so modest, you can brag about this!” She laughed.

And that was roughly his entire evening. However, eventually his body started to catch up with him. He started to get aches and pain over his body, got a headache that pounded his skull, and began finding it very hard focus. At that, he decided he was done. When a walleyed pegasus nearly fell on an impromptu dance floor, he snuck out. Outside the lobby, the music still boomed. Taking his room key, he made his way across the motel, where he would finally get some rest. Before he could however, he locked eyes with a zebra.

“Aren't you the stallion of the hour, what are you doing outside, shouldn't you be in there, soaking up those ponies' glee in stride.”

“Not really my scene ma'am, I'm just heading head off to bed. If you wouldn't mind could you not tell anypony, that I left, at least not immediately.”

“From what I've heard, you fought quite a beast for what's best, every warrior deserved their rest.”

“Thank you ma'am, means a lot”- then just realizing it he asked -” are you... Rhyming?”

“What if I am, do you think it's some sham?” She asked perking an eyebrow

“Just a little... Different is all. I take it that its some zebra thing?”

“In some ways, you should go get some rest while it still today.” she told him.

He laughed, continuing on his way.”That one felt a little forced.” She didn't reply, at least not with words. She gave him a smile, then a nod, and went on her way.

Striker's room was cold. In the small room, twin size bed, one window, full bathroom, the nightstand was just a stool. There was just the single armoire for him to hold his belonging, he didn't need it. He laid on the chilled sheets. Took off his trench coat, pulled out his machete, and stuck it in the bed, with an effortless toss, he threw his coat on to his ”nightstand” before laying down fully, and closing his eyes. He thought about his day, and his coming days, it wasn't exactly clear what was going to happen. And he really didn't know how he really felt.

Overall he liked the town, liked the townsfolk too. And the children were nice, took a quick liking to him. Unfortunately as much as he wanted to enjoy that, he couldn't help but fear, that their affection for him to would get them hurt. It's generally against Seeker rules that one would stop, sit down someplace, and live there for a while, befriending the locals. It just never tended to end will. He knew it, but he did it anyway. He was in a situation where he almost had to, it is not like you could just deny helping the Princess. It was against his normal rational way of thinking to live in this town the way he was already starting to. Yet at the same time, he really enjoyed. The longer he dwelled on it, the less the party he just escaped felt like it needed to be escaped from. That group of friends, just treated him so nicely.

He looked to the new trench coat, which in custom tailored, that he received for free. He thought of the warm hospitality Applejack had given him when he first arrived. He thought of Fluttershy's warm smile. Of Twilight Sparkle's very real concern for his well-being, even though they really did not know each other that well. Of Pinkie's good intentions. Of Rainbow's trust, based almost entirely on the opinions of her friends. Of those three... Cutie Mark Crusaders. It all gave him a warm feeling in his chest, he wanted to like it, but his entire life he pushed feeling like this away. And for good reason. He didn't want anyone else getting hurt. The conflicting ideas worried him. And he was all out a whiskey.