Author's Notes:

Next chapter: Galen and supper at the palace

Two days after Celestia and Galen signed their agreement, a member of the Royal Treasury came by with a writ of transaction for Galen to take to the Ponyville branch of the treasury to be redeemed and to establish an account. That turned out to be surprisingly easy and they even provided a notary public service, so he and Applejack worked out the document for the sale of her plot of land and had it verified. The only thing he needed to finalize the transference of property was to go up to the town hall and speak with the pony in charge of the surveying department and had the deed drawn up to show that he now owned that specific plot of land on her property. Never in any situation in the past would he have ever imagined himself to become an inter-dimensional landowner. With those things taken care of he made a trip to Rarity's and payed her for her generosity, giving her a healthy tip for the exceptional quality of his clothes and commissioned another set of work clothes and a couple sets for casual wear. He payed in advance this time.

Now, he had to make a trip to Canterlot to see about the purchasing of his building supplies and the date of their arrival, not to mention a trip to one of those forges Twilight had mentioned for some tools and accessories. So, here he was this morning, sitting on the six thirty train to Canterlot with Twilight, Spike and Lero. Lyra and Rainbow Dash both had work that day, but with Twilight being a scholar and a Princess, she had the ability to free her schedule at almost any time. Lero had a few odd jobs around town to take care of, but he could postpone them until the afternoon and could accompany them until the noon train while Twilight and Spike would take the afternoon train so they could show Galen the sights and provide advice if needed. Galen, however, would be staying overnight in Canterlot as his business would take a couple days minimum to see it all concluded. The Princess had extended an invitation for Galen to stay at the castle during his stay and he decided to take her up on her offer.

“So, yer a dragon, huh?” Galen asked from his seat beside Spike, Lero and Twilight sitting in the seats mirroring theirs. It turned out that Spike had been up in Canterlot for the past week, attending a comic convention and stayed at Twilight's parents' place. He had returned the day of Celestia's latest visit and had yet to be properly introduced to Galen and was brought along so the two could get to know each other a bit better.

“Yeah,” he replied as he glanced over at the man. “Want me to go burn down a village or something?”

Everyone choked back their laughter at his response, Galen finally going on to say, “Nah, nah. Just wondering how yew ended up with such an odd group.”

“I ask myself that every once in a while,” he said with a mock sigh, his grin giving away the joke. Twilight and Lero grinned at that while Galen had a good laugh out of it. “Well, to be honest, Twilight hatched me during her entrance exam for Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Long story short, I've been with her ever since I can remember.”

“So yer like her little brother for tha most part?”

“More like her keeper until Lero showed up,” he replied with a snort. That had Twilight blushing as Lero chuckled and comfortingly patted her withers. “Now, I'm pretty much free to do what I want. I help Twilight and the others stay in touch with the Princess since I can send scrolls and such with my fire.”

“Huh,” Galen replied. “Tha's pretty cool. Have yew ever tried sending things to places or ponies other than tha Princess?”

“Not really,” he replied with a thoughtful scratching of his chin. “Never really had a reason to before.”

“Tha' migh' be somethin' ta give a try,” he said with a thoughtful look of his own. “So, when we get to Canterlot, we're going to drop by this Doughnut Joe's place?” he asked Twilight, changing the subject.

“Oh yes,” Twilight replied, bouncing slightly in her seat like an excited filly. “He has the best coffee and doughnuts ever. Ever.” she finished in a firm tone and with a firmer expression that showed how devout she was in he opinion of this pony's confections.

Galen held up his hands in mock surrender and smiled. “Ah'll take yer word for it.”

Lero chuckled and said, “They are pretty phenomenal.”

“So,” Galen began as he changed the topic. “What're some of the things ya do most often round town?”

“Oh, this and that,” he replied with a tilting of his hand. “I do have a steady part-time job at the spa as a masseuse. The owners even sent me abroad to study massage therapy.”

“Huh,” Galen replied. “Oddly enough, that seems like a good fit fer ya.” Lero snorted as a smile split his face.

He was about to reply, but Twilight chimed in,“We're almost there.” Galen twisted around to look out the window and saw the many roofs on the edge of the plateau and the gilded tops of the castle in the distance. There was only one more switchback until the station which filled Galen with a healthy dose of adrenaline and his heart started pumping in anticipation. The conversation died away after her announcement as they made preparations for their arrival which mostly involved a healthy amount of stretching and yawning. Galen didn't have much on him aside from a moderately sized bag of bits that he had tied to his waist and his hammer so that he could test the stock he would be getting through the forges foundry.

They pulled into the station ten minutes later and departed the train amid a billowing cloud of steam that chilled and obscured. Twilight broke through the cloud first with Spike on her back as she led Lero and Galen out onto the main thoroughfare. Galen looked around as he followed subconsciously, trailing Twilight's lavender form in his peripherals as he gawked like the worlds most obvious tourist. He was astounded as he walked down the relatively narrow lane at the London-like feel this place had with its dark gray stone, narrow houses comfortably pressed next to one another and the familiar scent of wood smoke from thousands of morning meals being cooked. They passed by chandlers, souvenir shops and countless other businesses set up near the station for ponies who would be passing through and looked to profit from their transient visits.

Twilight knew where she was going and soon had them cutting into the thick of the city, taking them through narrow alleyways and little market squares until they suddenly stepped into a massive plaza that easily took up two acres of precious space in front of the castle. The tall buildings and narrow alleys had kept the castle from casual sight and it seemed to suddenly burst out from hiding, commanding all of his attention. Galen had been silent as he took in the sights and sounds of the city but was actually stricken with a sense of awe at the sight of the castle. Its alabaster stone and gilded towers conveyed a sense of stately grace and uncompromising strength at the same time.

“Tourists,” Spike commented with a grin. Galen gave a little twitch as he snapped out of his slight daze and grinned at Spike.

“Everyone's a tourist 'til they've been there,” Galen said with a wink.

“I guess,” he replied with an odd look.

“Come on guys,” Twilight said with a slightly pleading tone as she shuffled her hooves a bit. “Doughnut Joe's is right there and it's just before the morning rush. Let's go before everypony else shows up.”

“Alright,” Lero said with a chuckle at his wife's behavior. Twilight took off at a brisk trot and the two men had to walk briskly to avoid being left behind. She led them across the plaza that was rapidly beginning to fill with ponies going briskly about their business. Their destination became clear as Galen spotted an older looking diner that had aged remarkably well. They walked in with a chime and Twilight took a deep breath and sighed with an almost euphoric expression on her face.

“Mornin',” said a slightly gruff looking stallion behind the counter where he had been wiping down a mug. “Take a seat and I'll be right with ya.”

Twilight led them to the corner booth and scooted herself in to allow Lero beside her and levitated Spike to her other side. Galen took the spot beside Spike and settled in to wait. They didn't have long to wait as the stallion from before came up to them with a smile and asked, “So, what'll ya be having.”

“Good morning, Joe,” Twilight said with a smile. “I'll have the usual.

“The usual,” Spike said as well.

“I think I'll try out your raspberry supreme this time with a small black coffee,” Lero said. “I wanted to try it last time, but I got filled up on your long johns.”

“Good choice,” Joe said with a little grin. “Those're pretty popular right now.”

“What would yew recommend?” Galen asked his companions and Joe.

“Pretty much anything,” Twilight said with a grin. “They're all good.”

“Ah guess Ah'll have a half dozen and two tall milks,” he conceded with a helpless grin.

“No problem,” Joe said with a grin. “Anything in particular you want?”

“Surprise me,” Galen replied. Joe gave a nod and a smile before walking off to fulfill their orders. As they waited for Joe, the store surged with patrons getting ready for the day. The sudden influx of noise into the little diner was almost deafening and conversation was almost pointless as they almost had to shout to be heard above the general noise. Joe returned sooner than Galen expected and soon found two ice cold glasses of milk along with a large plate proudly displaying an assortment of confectionery perfection.

Galen had only eaten plain doughnuts in the past, so he had no idea what the names of these were and was more than happy to eat them anyway. He looked at what his companions were having and saw Twilight with a pair of round pastries with chocolate icing, yellow custard leaking out of puncture marks and a large black coffee. Spike had one that looked to have been twisted around skillfully before being baked and had several shards of sapphire liberally dusted on top while Lero had a round one that had a light pink icing and a deep red jam seeping out.

With his stomach growling promises of retribution if he held out any longer, Galen grabbed one of his rolls and bit into it, adding a mouthful of milk to dull the sugary edge. His eyebrows shot up as he ate that first bite. Lero and Twilight were watching him expectantly so he gave them a grin and a nod to show his enthusiastic approval. Twilight looked smug and Lero laughed when he noticed her expression. Spike was busy as he ravaged his poor pastry.

Galen demolished his rolls and milk in good order, finishing with a deeply rumbling belch that drew more than a few stares from the other patrons who either laughed or shot him a dirty look before returning to their own food and drink. With their meals finished, Galen glanced at the others and saw that they were ready to leave as well. Completely unsure about what to pay, Galen fished out ten bits and tossed them on the table. Twilight raised an eyebrow and levitated half of them back to him with a little smirk. Lero brought out an equivalent amount for their orders and moved out from their booth.

The rest followed suit and made their slow way out of the packed diner. “Tha' was pretty good,” Galen said with a deep sigh as he patted his stomach. “Thanks fer showin' me this place, Twilight.”

“Told you,” she said with a chuckle. “So what was it you wanted to do first?”

“Ah wanted ta get tha materials fer tha forge an' cottage in order first,” he replied. “Ah was thinking about visiting tha local smiths after tha' an' see what Ah can arrange.”

“So why the two day trip then?” Lero asked with a slightly puzzled expression.

“Like Ah told Spike,” he replied with a little laugh. “Ah'm a tourist an' Ah figured tha' Ah'd make tha most o' mah trip an' see tha capital.”

“I wish I'd done that after I first got settled in Ponyville,” Lero said with a slightly wistful expression. “Can you believe that I never made it to Canterlot until a couple months before we all got married?”

“Huh,” Galen said. He paused for a couple moments before continuing, “So, where are we goin'?”

“We'll have to cross the city to the mountain side,” Twilight replied. “They quarry directly into the mountain for their stone and their lumber business works in the valleys around the area. They only log a certain number of trees every year and maintain a laudable reforestation effort.”

“Yew certainly do yer research,” Galen said with a little grin.

“Of course,” Twilight replied primly with a pleased smile. “You should always know who you're buying from and if you're getting a good value.”

“Can't argue with tha',” Galen said with a slightly sheepish smile.

“Alright,” Twilight said as she turned and started to trot off. “Enough dawdling. We have building supplies to buy.”

“Yer more excited about this than Ah am,” Galen said with a laugh as he trailed after her, Lero and Spike falling in on either side of him.

“She gets this way sometimes,” Spike said conspiratorially. “Especially when it involves projects she can micromanage.”

“I just like making sure that everything goes smoothly,” she said primly.

“An' Ah really appreciate it,” Galen said warmly. “Be sure ta drop by anytime yew guys might need somethin'. Ah can always make time fer mah friends.”

“Thanks for the offer, Galen,” Twilight replied in as warm a tone. “We'll keep that in mind if something comes up.”

With that, the conversation died off as they focused on making their way across the city. The streets were bustling and they just went with the flow of traffic, following Twilight's lead. The traffic steadily thinned out until they broke free of the last line of houses, seemingly stepping into a fairly thin forest that flanked the city. In the distance, Galen even spotted the telltale silvery sheen of a large pond. Twilight took a right, skirting the houses until they came upon a moderately wide gravel path which wound off between the trees. She led them down the path for a few minutes until the dark mouth of the cavernous quarry revealed itself. As they got closer, the large archway loomed an easy thirty feet at its apex.

Soon enough, the path widened out into a large yard with a modest two story building nestled along the right side of the arch. It was quiet and peaceful, something that Galen found strange as he had been expecting to hear foremen shouting and the sounds of ponies hard at work. He looked over at Lero with a curious expression and he found a similar one on his face as well. The group walked over to the house and up onto the modest porch before knocking on the solid door. It took barely a moment before a light gray pegasus mare with a bone white mane and tail opened the door and grinned at Twilight before her eyes widened as she noticed the two men towering over them. Her mouth hung open for a moment before Twilight cleared her throat politely with a small smile.

“Oh!” she said with a start, chuckling nervously. “I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Slate Gray and I'm the secretary for my dads business. What can I help you with?”

“We're here to see about some stone and lumber for a project we've been working on,” Twilight replied with a pleasant smile.

“Oh! Wonderful!” Slate turned around and waved for them to enter with a wing. “I'll let my dad know you're here and he should be with you shortly.” She led them into the house which had the feel of age to it. It was well taken care of and had a comforting feel to it, the faint smell of beeswax and oil prevalent amid the fading aroma of the morning meal. She took them to a small sitting room furnished with several plush chairs and a modest coffee table where she told them to make their selves at home and left to go tell her father about their presence. They settled around the room though Galen remained standing as he walked around the room inspecting the little things around the room that decorated it, including a fairly large painting hanging between the two windows that depicted a rough featured earth pony stallion with the same coloring as Slate, his stance and demeanor as indomitable as stone.

“That's my great great grandfather, Granite Bluff,” a gravelly voice said from the doorway. It belonged to a slab muscled stallion that looked a lot like his ancestor though his features were more weathered. He shared the same coloring as well. “He was a hard stallion. He was also incredibly sharp of mind, cutting out the unicorns of Canterlot from the local market. His trick back then was buying plots of land underneath the mountain in large swaths for dirt cheap since it hadn't been officially declared as inclusive to properties at the time and it was still in a legal gray area. They took the matter to Princess Celestia and tried to get him to sign over his leases, but she upheld his claims under the condition that he neither charged ponies for living above his land and to maintain a one hundred fifty foot distance from any dwelling above ground, never quarrying underneath said buildings either.

“Once the dust settled, there he stood with the deed to the mountain. He had bought nearly half of the mountain by that time and the Princess prized such cleverness, so she gifted him the remaining portion of the mountain. That being said, the property tax she levied almost broke his bank, but he persevered and so here we are.”

“Come on, dad,” Slate said with a groan from the doorway. “You always tell that story to whoever shows any interest in that portrait. You don't have to tell it every single time.”

“You should have a little more pride in your family,” he said gruffly.

“I have plenty of pride,” she replied. “I just don't go around retelling that tale at the drop of a hat.”

“Bah,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Well, anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Basalt Spire, the current owner of this quarry. What can I do for you?”

Well,” Twilight began with a small, confident smile. “There's a few things...”

Back in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie was humming happily to herself as she was making lunch of long, thin honeydew and watermelon wedges. She had a vibrant flush across her face as she planned something special for her and Applejack. She moved around the kitchen of Sugar Cube Corner as though she had electricity coursing through her veins, laughter barely held in check from how excited she was. Mrs. Cake walked in and raised her eyebrows slightly at seeing Pinkie in such a state.

“What's going on, dearie?” she asked as she tried to keep the pink pony in sight.

“Oh! Hi there, Mrs. Cake,” she replied with a huge grin as she stopped in front of the older mare. “I'm just making lunch for Applejack and myself. I thought I'd surprise her with it.”

“That's very thoughtful of you,” she said with a warm smile. “It's good to see things working out for you, especially with such a lovely young mare.”

Pinkie blushed profusely and looked away bashfully. “Well, it's not just with her I'm hoping to be with. We're interested in the same guy, so we're seeing how things work out between us first, especially since he hasn't had a chance to settle in yet. We didn't want to try and start anything when he's still trying to get established.”

“I see,” she said with a warm smile. “Do I know who the lucky stallion is?”

“A little,” she said in a bashful tone. “He's still kinda new in town, but he made a big entrance.”

“Uh huh,” Mrs. Cake replied with a sly look. “I see. I know you had your eyes on Lero a while ago, but it never worked out with you. Galen seems like a good sort from what I've heard, so I wish the two of you the best of luck.”

“Thanks,” she said as her blush intensified. “I hope it does too.”

“I'll let you be about your lunch, then,” she said as she turned around. “I'd recommend adding some apple wedges with the melon. The sweet and tart goes amazingly well together.” With that, she left the blushing Pinkie to quickly scrounge a few apples together and sliced them up to join the thinner wedges. She finished her preparations a little after eleven and hurried out the kitchen door with her basket in mouth and a smile evident on her face. The ponies she passed on her way perked up as they saw her bright, if slightly goofy smile and waved or nodded, Pinkie returning the favor as best she could while keeping her pace up.

She made her way out to the farm a short while later, just as Applejack appeared from wherever she had been in the orchard. Pinkie cantered over and Applejack pulled up short with a little grin for her. “What brings you out here, Pinkie?” she asked with a big smile.

“I thought I'd surprise you with a nice lunch,” she replied after she sat the basket down. “Do you know a nice place where we can eat by ourselves?”

“Sure,” Applejack said with a curious expression. She knew better than to ask the pink mare when she asked for certain things. She'd tell her sooner or later. “Just follow me.”

With that, she turned and led Pinkie back into the orchard, Pinkie following with her basket. They walked for roughly ten minutes before Applejack stopped on the edge of a very small clearing between two hills that was filled with vibrant wildflowers. Pinkie strode forward, leading Applejack to a shaded section amid the flowers and settled down, Applejack sitting beside her. She lifted a flap and pulled out a medium sized bowl filled with the sliced melon and apples which had Applejack smiling in anticipation. When she didn't pull anything else out, Applejack looked curiously to Pinkie and asked, “Did you forget the plates and silverware?”

“Nope,” Pinkie replied with a blush. “I thought we could try something different.”

“Different?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Different how?” Instead of answering, Pinkie leaned down and selected a wedge of honeydew and held the end of it in her mouth, the majority pointing at Applejack as she turned to her. “Ah think Ah like different,” she said in a low, slightly husky voice as a slightly sultry expression crossed her face. Pinkie's blush turned brilliant as Applejack leaned in and took the majority of the wedge in her mouth, biting it off once she had gotten close enough to Pinkie that she lightly grazed her lips with her own. She pulled back with a slight huff and chewed the crispy melon, an incredibly pleased expression on her face.

Applejack leaned down and did the same with a piece of watermelon and waited for Pinkie to do the same. Pinkie finished her morsel of melon that was left over from Applejack's first helping before leaning in and mirrored what the other mare had done, only she gave a firmer kiss than Applejack had before pulling back with a proud expression. They repeated this until there was nothing left and the kisses turned more prolonged until they were simply leaning against one another, heads touching and eyes closed as they enjoyed the close proximity of one another.

“That was really nice,” Applejack whispered as she grew sleepy. “Thanks for lunch, Pinkie.”

“I thought it'd be a good way to make up for messing up our first date,” she replied just as softly as she nuzzled Applejack slightly.

“You didn't mess anything up,” she replied with a gentle kiss to the side of her muzzle. “Ah thought everything turned out just fine.” Pinkie gave a content sigh in response and seemed to relax even further, leaning into Applejack with a little more weight which made Applejack do the same. Without thinking about it, they ended up falling asleep for almost an hour, only waking up as the sun shifted and the light fell across their eyes. They stirred gently and woke up with slight blushes of embarrassment and started as they realized how long they had been asleep for and had to get back to their respective duties. Applejack and Pinkie hurried back to the farm at a trot and soon arrived at the yard.

“Wait a moment,” Pinkie said as she stopped, basket on the ground a pace behind her. Applejack turned back and was caught off guard as Pinkie closed the distance and kissed her warmly. Applejack wasn't normally one to believe that a kiss could paralyze somepony, but Pinkie's came damn close. She melted into the kiss as Pinkie pushed a little harder to prolong the kiss, pulling apart finally with a little gasp and leaving Applejack a little flustered and Pinkie blushing. “I'll see you later,” she said with a little grin.

Applejack just nodded slowly, a slightly goofy smile on her face as she watched Pinkie turn around to grab her basket before cantering over to the road. She looked back at Applejack and waved goodbye, she waved back a couple seconds later after her mind had caught up with her. Pinkie giggled and hurried off, leaving Applejack alone in the yard. She stood there for an unknown amount of time as she worked through what she was feeling for Pinkie Pie at this time. It was definitely more than what a date and a lunch should leave her with, but she wasn't about to push it away. She knew she was falling for the pink mare and had no qualms about it.

Now, she only had to wait for that blasted man to finish building that blasted forge of his and the two of them could start turning their attention on him.

Over in Canterlot, Galen shivered and looked over his shoulder for reasons he couldn't explain.