and

Cream Puff walks around the settlement, looking for Case Study.  The stallion had missed another meal, and she is not going to have a pony going hungry on her watch!  She carries a vegetable medley sammich on her wing as she searches for the stallion.

The pale blue pony in question was lying under a tree in the middle of their territory. His red eyes scanned a book about equine anatomy. There were plenty of crimson marks throughout its pages, accompanied with notes he had written in the past. Study had gotten caught up in medical literature again, focused to the point where he had practically lost all sense of time.

“Aha!” spouts Cream Puff as she spots her target, then she heads over to him to favor him with a glare.  “Case Study.”

For the first few moments, her words sounded like background noise. It was only when Puff’s shadow overcast the papers before him did the earth pony become aware of her presence. An ear twitched as he raised his angular muzzle in her direction, “Yes? Can I help you, ma’am?”

“Don’t you ‘ma’am’ me, buster!  You keep feeding that!” she points at his head.  “Instead of feeding that!!” she gestures to the rest of him.  “A doctor should know better!”

The stallion was a bit taken aback by the pegasus’ attitude, but he understood what she was trying to say. He raised an eyebrow, taking mental note of the sandwich she was carrying, “Time for a meal already? I do suppose it is later than I predicted.” Study placed the bookmark in its proper place and closed the cover, “My apologies, Ms. Puff, but I have a tendency to get ‘lost in the clouds’ when I read. Based on the nature of your opening statement, and the presence of food in your hoof, I predict that the reason you are here is self-evident?”

Sweet merciful Nirmek, can this pony talk.  She gives him a flat look and holds her wing for him to take the food.  “Yes.”

He stood up and stretched his back, feeling a bit surprised. The pony wasn’t used to others approaching him so directly, nor was it typical for them to bring him food unrequested. He accepted the edible offering, “Well, this is unexpected. I don’t recall sending for anything. This was your idea?”

She nods, softening her stance slightly as it seems the stallion might actually start eating soon.  “It was.  I don’t let ponies go hungry on my watch, even if they forget to eat.  I brought you a mixed vegetable sammich, nice and healthy and filling.”  She softens further as she talks a little about her job, her passion.

It was a nice thought, especially the healthy part. At least it wasn’t one of those questionable tomato juice and peanut butter sandwiches. He took a bite. It was rather pleasant, especially since he was hungrier than he originally believed he was. Case swallowed the piece, “That’s quite kind of you. I do appreciate your consideration. What might I owe you for your trouble?”

She smiles as he finally starts to eat.  “Nothing, Case.  It’s just what I do, you know?  If you really want to try to pay me back, just make sure Morning Dew will be alright.” she says with a dismissive wave of her wing.

“Huh, well that’s very nice. If you won’t accept money, then I suppose I’ll just owe you a favor in the future.” He consumes a second piece of the vegetable-and-bread concoction, “As far as Ms. Dew is concerned, she has a bit of an infection. I don’t expect it will get worse, but it will prolong her recovery time. I really need something more here than simple herbs to stave off illness.”

“Well, soap is just fat and lye, right?  If we can get the sunflowers grown soon enough, we’ll just need somepony to make some lye.”

“Indeed. Having that substance on hoof could really aid in my practice. A magical artifact that does the same thing would be welcomed as well...not that I’m likely to come across one.” Half the food had now disappeared down the hatch. “I suppose I’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for us in terms of medicinal resources, as we are still young on this land.”

She nods and sits next to him, enjoying the shade.  “So, what were you reading?  Must have been good to keep you from a meal.”

Peaking at the book out of the corners of his rhomboidal eyes, he explained, “I was near the end of chapter three of an anatomy book I had received as a gift some years ago. To be more specific, I was trying to get a better handle on the placement of blood vessels within pony legs. If any part of Ms. Dew’s flesh were to become gangrenous, it’s of the utmost importance that my cuts be precise and avoid puncturing any large veins.” The last mouthful was popped in, defying the unpleasant nature of the conversation.

She smirks at him.  “Yeah, that sounds like it would be bad.”

“Assuming one did not wish to bleed to death, yes. I’m not particularly concerned at the moment. The worst that will happen to her is probably nothing more than scarring, as well as the necessity for using crutches for a short while. I wouldn’t be surprised if some hairline fractures were initially present as well.”

“I just hope she pulls through alright.  I’m glad it sounds like she will.  A funeral would be pretty depressing this early in our time here.  Not to mention how Maize would probably react.”

Case Study knew of Maize bringing the injured mare in, but hadn’t known much of her. He tended to mind his own business until somepony else’s business became his, “The farmer...the tall one, correct? I hear she’s become something of a minor celebrity in Duskfields. Not that I know many of the details.”

Puff nods and puts on a smile.  Maize might be too modest to be proud of what she did, but Puff is perfectly happy to be proud for her.  “That’s her!  She brought Morning Dew in to see you before the dust could even settle on that fight.”

“Interesting,” he swished his gray-white tail, “So this Ms. Maize...what do you know of her? I suppose I should take the opportunity to be as well informed as the other ponies are about this farmer.”

Puff thinks for a few moments, deciding what Maize might not want a total stranger to know.  “Well, she’s timid and soft-spoken, and nice to a fault.  And she’s an amazing farmer.”

“That matches my first impressions of her. I’ve seen her alone in the fields often. Not that it’s any of my business what she likes to do in her spare time.”

Puff looks at him sideways, wondering what his bedside manner is like and if poor Morning Dew is bored out of her mind.  “Don’t you want to get to know the ponies who you might have to save?”

He paused for a moment, “Familiarity can be a double-edged sword, Ms. Puff. One may enjoy the cheerful company of another in pleasant times, but what of the times when that same pony is lying before you with a gaping wound that needs to be addressed with urgency? Emotions can cloud judgment. That, in turn, can lead to life-changing, nay, deadly mistakes. Knowing that one may be responsible for the termination of their friends life isn’t something I want to experience.”

Puff shrugs.  “I’d expect saving a friend’s life would be quite the motivation.  And losing one... well, I don’t stop using an oven just because I get burned.  I’d say the positives outweigh the negatives, myself.”

“An optimistic outlook. If you can manage that worldview, then by all means enjoy it. I’m simply a realist. I know there is good and bad in this world and that either one can come at the most unexpected of times. I prefer to distance myself emotionally so that the negatives affect me less. That makes it easier to pick up the pieces and move on with life.”

Cream Puff quirks an eyebrow at him.  “Having friends makes it easier.  But, if you want to throw out the foal with the bath-water, that’s your business.”

“I have no problem with friends in concept, Ms. Puff. I mean to say that I am not a social butterfly, looking for new acquaintances at every turn. I feel that those who will be important in my life will reveal themselves to me when the time is right. However, I do feel that one should not rely on others too much when the only one you can count on at the end of the day is yourself.” Case looks up at the clouds in the sky, “Such seems to have done me well so far, at least.”

She chuckles at him.  “Yeah?  Well, ‘yourself’ almost left you hungry today.”

He rubs his temple, “If my stomach were to fail in reminding me of that, my migraines certainly would not have. Low blood sugar is one of several things that can trigger them. Not to bore you with my personal problems, though.”

She gets up and gives him a cheeky smile.  “See?  I got you food and kept you from having a migraine!  Aren’t friends great?”

The doctor placed a hoof under his bony chin, “Yes, I suppose that’s true. For that, I thank you once more.” He looks at the position of the Sun, “I hope I haven’t kept you from any important business with my ramblings, Ms. Puff. If so, I apologize yet again.”

She shakes her head.  “It’s no problem, Case.  It’s what friends are for.  I’ll be giving you another earful if you forget lunch again, though.  Fair warning.” she says with a smile.

“I see. I’ll attempt to be more prompt next time, assuming I don’t have my hooves full with some emergency.”

She chuckles.  “I suppose an emergency will get you off the hook, Doc.  Don’t be a stranger, alright?”

The lankey stallion nods, “Yes, I’ll be seeing you later. I wish you good luck with your cooking.” Although he never formed a true smile throughout the encounter, Case Study did feel a tinge of happiness in that somepony had actually paid him attention.

“Thanks!  Enjoy your book!”  She gives him a friendly wave, then heads back towards her improvised kitchen.  After all, she’d have to start preparing for dinner soon.

 and

Cream Puff busies herself with cleaning her makeshift kitchen; the lunch rush is mostly over, and she expects the few stragglers to be by soon for a meal.  She hums to herself as she finishes making some flatbread.

The militia commander, Flamberge, approaches the improvised kitchen, he has a beaming smile on his face, Cream Puff doesn't think she's ever seen him this happy. "Good evening Cream Puff," says the stallion, "I hope I'm not too late for some lunch."

She smiles at the stallion as he approaches.  “Heya ‘Berge!  You’re just in time for some fresh bread!  You want a sammich, or just something piecemeal?”

“Hmm, surprise me.” says Flamberge.

She thinks for a few moments before grinning at him and setting to work.  “So, having a good day, I take it?”

Flamberge nods, “Is it that obvious,” he says with a chuckle.

She chuckles and nods as she works on his food.  “Well?  Spill!”

Flamberge looks off to one side, “Well, I don’t know if I should. She might not want everypony to know.” he says intentionally saying too much.

Puff smirks at him.  “Don’t make me threaten you with no lunch, ‘Berge!” she says with a wink.

“You wouldn’t dare!” he says in a joking tone.

“Watch me!”

Flamberge and Cream Puff lock eyes and a mental tug of war takes place before Flamberge finally consents, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you, yesterday, I...told Crosshair... that I was in love with her, and she didn't turn me down. She acted surprised, but, she likes me too."

She rolls her eyes at him as she picks up his meal, then walks over to him.  “Well, duh!  She loves you, too!”

Flamberge leans back a bit, “Oh, I don’t think so. She never said she did at least. Someday I hope that’s true, but I don’t think it is yet.”

She gives him a ‘you can’t be that dense’ look, but doesn’t repeat herself.  “Well, you talked, so I guess you get your meal.  Viola!”  With a flourish, she reveals his meal: A peanut butter and tomato juice sammich with some sauteed veggies on the side.

“Tomato juice and peanut butter, my favorite, just like mother never made.” says Flamberge as he takes the food, “Thank you Cream Puff.”

She smiles, always happy to have somepony enjoy her food.  “Any time, ‘Berge.”  She turns to head back to her kitchen, then pauses and looks him in the eyes.  “And Flamberge?  Take good care of Crosshair.  She’s my best friend.  If you break her heart, I’ll serve you yours.”

Flamberge nods, “I promise, but don’t worry, she’s my markspony captain, and a hell of a shot,  if I did, she could shoot me in the back herself no problem.”

She smiles at him, glad he understands.  “Good!  Speaking of, how do you think her training’s going?”

Flamberge pauses, pops one of the veggies on his plate into his mouth, chews and swallows before responding. “It’s...okay. Her target practice is good and all, but I know it isn’t the same as shooting a moving target, and I’ve show her the basics of self-defense in melee, but she is still not comfortable in the armor, and she won’t last in close range against somepony who knows what they are doing.”

“Well, melee is your job, right?  You keep them away and she puts small holes in important bits of them?”

“On paper yeah,” responds Flamberge, “But it is just me, Praetorian, and that Redhat up there. Even a small group of discordian’s could overwhelm us, or just have some run past. I mean, the odds of them taking an interest in a town this size is slim, but if they do, I want all of us to be ready. If we had the metal to spare, I’d have forged a spear for everypony here by now, but we don’t have the material....I’m probably just being paranoid, forget I said anything.”

“Nah, that paranoia is probably at least partially why you’re still alive in the army, yeah?  No spear for me, though.  A couple quality chef’s knives would be nice, though.” she says with a chuckle.

“Heh, Well, we’ll see what we can do, if I can ever get enough spare metal to work with.” replies Flamberge.

They engage in some more small talk as Flamberge eats, then he says his farewells to return to his duties.  Puff smiles at him as he goes, chuckling to herself about how dense stallions can be.

, , and

As the small caravan trundled into the place they were travelling to, Praetorian looked around, and spotting the buildings, began making his way over there. His orders had been clear. He was to meet with the current leader of the group, a Mr Temperance, and report to him. There was also another soldier or two here, but they could wait until afterwards. As he looked around the settlement, he tried to find the pony whose description he had been given.

Temperance was busying himself with the large stockpile in the center of what he liked to think was the start of the town, picking over everything and jotting down stock records.  They really needed to get this mess a bit more organized, soon.  He fails to notice anypony approaching him, consumed in his current task as he was.

Praetorian looked the pony up and down. “Mr Temperance?” he asked, taking out the little paired bronze tablets from his pack. The two tablets, affixed to each other by hinges, had seven seals keeping the opening shut.

Temperance looks up from his work.  “Hmm?  Oh,” he says, turning to face the pony.  He glances at the mass of ponies slightly behind Praetorian wandering into the settlement and quickly surmises what was going on.  “Ah, you... must be from Coupledye, right?”  He offers a hoof.  “You seem to know me already, Mr...”

“Praetorian. My diploma, Mr Temperance.” He hands over the sealed bronze tablets. “I’ve been...assigned here, sort of.”

Temperance’s eyes widen a bit as he realizes who he’s talking to.  “Oh, of course,” he says, glancing inside the tablets.  He wasn’t really sure what he was looking at, so he nods approvingly and returns them.  “It’s a pleasure to have you out here, having another soldier will definitely help.”  He hesitates.  “Although you sound a bit unsure of that?”

“If there’s anything out here, I don’t see it concertedly attacking such a small and probably weathless town. Maybe large animals or an occasional desperate bandit looking for food. Other than that... Well, I might be able to help there, but a good wall will keep them out anyway,” says the soldier.

Temperance smiles and makes a small chuckle.  “Yes, well, I certainly hope you’re right.  I suspect that you are.  Still, I know that there are some surprisingly crafty bandits that prey on these little settlements, so it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”  Hopefully Flamberge and the other soldiers wouldn’t end up becoming a glorified guard policing drunkards, but he wasn’t going to say anything of the sort.  He looks around for a moment searching for somepony.  “In any case, perhaps you’d like to meet commander Flamberge?  You’ll be working with him a lot.”

“Yes, that would be good,” agrees Praetorian. “Shall we?”

Temperance leads Praetorian back toward the “training grounds”, which are little more than two armor stands standing in the middle of the plains.  “This is where he and captain Crosshair have been training.  It’s not much, I know.”  Almost nothing, really.  But priorities were elsewhere.  “It’s a work in progress.  I’m not sure where Flamberge is right now...”

At those words Flamberge and Crosshair descend from the sky, in their armor. Crosshair sets off to the armor rack, while Flamberge greets Temperance and the new pony, “Hello, Temperance, sir, we just returned from patrol, saw some more boars up north, but they were heading toward the river, not this way. Nothing else to report.”

Temperance smiles at him.  “Good, good.”  He gestures at Praetorian.  “Commander, this is Praetorian, a new arrival in Duskfields and your new colleague.”

“Good day, commander,” says the new guy with a salute.

Flamberge returns the salute in kind. "Good day to you as well." Flamberge looks over Praetorian.

Praetorian is a brown-coated  unicorn with a black mane, and wears segmented plate with a red tunic underneath. His tail is short and even.

"You look like you will do just fine. You are the soldier I was told to expect from Coupledye, yes?" questions the militia commander.

“I believe so,” says the unicorn with a nod.

"Excellent. Temperance, I have a few more questions for Praetorian. Did you have anything else you wanted to say first?" asks Flamberge.

Temperance shakes his head.  “Oh, no, no, nothing else on my mind.”  He looks between all of the military ponies present and takes a step back.  “I’ll let you all get acquainted.  If anypony needs me I’ll be counting the bags of seeds.”

"So, Praetorian. I was told you have combat experience? Is that true?" asks Flamberge.

“Yes, commander. I’ve served my sixteen years,” says the spearpony.

"Sixteen years? Very good." Flamberge wasn't sure what else to say about that, Praetorian had served longer than him and yet he was the one supposed to be in command, it felt odd to him to have seniority over a more experienced soldier.

Flamberge looks over the soldier's segmented mail. "I am glad you brought some equipment of your own, we are chronically under supplied out here."

“Well, of course,” says Praetorian. “Not much else for me to do, eh?” He smiled. “Don’t really have much of a talent outside the military. It’s good to be doing something I know again.”

Flamberge nods, “With you here, that brings us to only three soldiers, but hopefully we’ll be enough for now. Now, I’ll show you around the camp such as it is, and you can get settled, you’ll join Crosshair and I for training starting tomorrow.”

“That sounds good, commander. It’ll be good to be serving with you,” says Praetorian, following the militia commander.

 and

After unpacking the last of her work materials and storing them safely in Temperance’s office, Serenity heads out into the fields, searching for her first ‘patient’.

Maize is easy enough to find. She’s lying amongst her crops, in a small bed-like mound of dirt, and staring at the clouds. She looks rather childish with her hooves hovering over her small frame.

Well, that certainly looked odd enough to be her. The doctor approaches her. “Excuse me, are you Miss Maize?”

The mare quickly, if unsteadily, rolls over to her feet and picks herself up, giving her body a quick shake to get rid of a little dust. She looks up at the new face, a little red-cheeked. “Y~yes, ma’am?”

Serenity extends a hoof. “I’m Dr. Serenity. Mr. Temperance asked me to come speak with you, if you have the time.”

“Oh...” The mare glances at the ground worriedly. “Did... did I do something wrong?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. He just... wanted me to ask you a few things, that’s all.”

Maize nods a little and looks up again. “Oh. So... what do you want to ask me, then?”

Serenity moves to sit beside Maize. “Well, Mr. Temperance told me that you’ve been acting very... evasive. You seem to go out of your way to avoid interacting with the others.”

Maize backs away a little, her head dipping down and her eyes falling. “I’m sorry... I’ve really been trying, but it’s kind of new to me... I’m sorry...”

Serenity raises a hoof to stop her. “Nopony is upset with you about this, Maize. Just... concerned. Now, why do you avoid other ponies so much? Is there something about them that bothers you?”

“N-no... everypony here is so nice...” She offers a quick smile before looking at the ground again. “I just... I can’t really handle other ponies... I get overwhelmed...”

“So then I take it you aren’t accustomed to working alongside other ponies? What did you do before you came out here?”

“I...” Maize seems to be really conflicted. “I... lived on the street. I never really knew anything I could use in the city, so... I just looked through folks’ trash and slept on whatever soft patch of grass or dirt I could find.”

“That’s quite a hard life. You didn’t have any family to stay with?”

Maize’s eyes begin to tear up a little as they go out of focus, her head pointing solidly at the ground. “I... I don’t really want to... talk about my family...”

Serenity pauses. There was definitely something there, but if she pressed for more information Maize may shut her out. “...Okay. Let’s talk about something else, then. You said you’ve been trying to socialize with other ponies?”

Maize brushes the tears forming in her eyes away and looks up again. “Y~yeah, I have... I talk to Cream Puff, and sometimes I talk a little with other ponies...”

Serenity nods. “I’ve met miss Cream Puff, in passing. She seems like a nice enough mare. Do you two get along well?”

Maize nods. “Yeah, she’s really nice. It’s... really nice to talk with her as I tend the plants.”

“That’s very good. Having a friend like her will make improving your social skills much easier.”

Maize looks around. “Yeah... I guess so...” She tries think of something. “M-may I be... excused, please? I’d like to... check the plants, and... you know, to...” Her voice falters off.

Serenity quirks an eyebrow at this. “Well, I did have a few more questions... will you be gone long?”

“I... y-yeah... I will...” Maize is obviously uncomfortable, her hoof scraping the dirt as she avoids eye contact as best she can manage, and her head hanging extra low.

The doctor stands. “Well, in that case, I suppose we can speak more later. Could you come by Mr. Temperance’s office after you’re done?”

“Umm... okay...” Maize starts to back away. “S-see you, I guess...”

Serenity smiles. “Yes, see you.” With that, she turns to leave.

Maize doesn’t even pretend to ‘check her plants’ as Serenity departs, instead opting to plop down into her bed and cover her face. Serenity can faintly hear the sound of sobbing for a moment before the sound can no longer penetrate the air between her and the mare.

Serenity quickens her pace, heading back to the office.

 and

Temperance was sitting in his office.  Or well, he was sleeping in his office, propped against his table and snoring almost inaudibly.  It was late in the afternoon, and his sleep schedule had been off for the past few weeks as he worked as needed and when he could.  He’d only

been there a few minutes too, but that’s all it took for him to slip off into dreamland.

Without bothering to knock first, Serenity opens the door and pokes her head inside. “Mr. Temperance?”

He starts in response and snaps up.  “Huh?  What?”  He blinks a few times.  “Oh, Dr. Serenity.  How can I help you?”

Serenity enters the office, finding a chair and slumping into it with a sigh. “I just had a talk with Maize.”

He runs a hoof down his face and tries to jostle himself awake.  “Oh, you did?  You... don’t sound too enthusiastic.”

“She’s obviously suffered some type of severe trauma, something to do with her family. I wasn’t able to get much information out of her about it, though.”

Temperance is silent for a moment, but he’s clearly troubled.  “I see... that’s not what I was hoping to hear...”  Not that he really knew what he wanted to hear.

Serenity sits upright. ”...I’d like to start seeing her regularly, in your office if you don’t mind. Maybe if I get to know her, earn her trust, she’ll open up to me more...”

He nods.  “That sounds like a good idea.  If you had a specific time for regular appointments I can work around that.”  He pauses and asks in a quiet tone, “You think you can help her though?”

She raises a hoof to her forehead. “I’ve seen a lot in my line of work. Mental disorder. Loss and grief.” Serenity stares at the floor, her voice hushed. “... domestic abuse...” She looks back to Temperance. “I don’t think it’s anything I can’t handle.”

“Good.  That’s... that’s good,” he replies.  “I didn’t realize it was anything that serious.  She was quiet on the trip out here, but seemed alright otherwise.  I certainly don’t want anypony around here to suffer through something like this though.”  He glances down to his desk and back up.  “I understand that you’ve probably got some privacy concerns here, but... would you mind keeping me updated on her?  I’d like to know she’s alright.”

“Of course. As expedition leader, you have a right to know.” Serenity allows a small smile to cross her muzzle. “It’s good that you’re so concerned for the well-being of those under you.”

Hearing that makes him smile a bit himself.  Maybe he was doing things right.  “Thank you.  I’m sure you’ll do a good job.”