Applejack and Galen made it into market at a fairly reasonable time with all things considered, trundling in close to eleven o'clock. There were a few well natured taunts and catcalls asking where her uniform was and dubious questions bout why she was so late compared to usual, but she responded with quick wit and sarcastic replies despite her fetching blush. Galen snickered at the interchange, happy that his forced march hadn't wounded her standing in town at all. Applejack just gave him a look that if he did much more, she'd have words to share with him which made him chortle in amusement at the whole thing. She just shook her head with a smirk without saying a word in reply.

When they arrived to her usual spot, she had Galen move a few of the bushels around to display her wares while she propped up the sign and counter. Quickly enough, more than a few ponies had queued up to get their fresh apples which had Applejack hopping with business and Galen hopping at her requests. He noticed this and quietly thanked her for treating him fairly instead of like a hired hoof (or hand as the case may be). Time seemed to fly by and quickly enough the lunch hour came around and Applejack took the bits earned from their time in business before leading Galen off to Sugar Cube Corner.

The bakery was bustling, a dull roar of general noise greeting them as would be expected of the hour and they spotted Pinkie Pie juggling three conversations at once while serving four others all the while. To be honest, they weren't entirely sure if it was one mare doing all that or several with the speed and fluidity she was exhibiting. A moment after they entered, Pinkie called out to the kitchen, “I'm going on break for a few minutes like I asked for, Mrs. Cake!”

“Okay, dearie,” called a motherly sounding voice from the kitchen. “Just give me a moment so I can take over.”

“Okay!” she called back before she turned her attention to Applejack and Galen. “You two can go pop a squat over there.” She motioned to a comfortable looking booth nestled over in the corner of the large storefront windows met the wall. Applejack smiled warmly while Galen gave an appreciative nod and made their way over. Galen sat facing the window on the sun soaked bench while Applejack took the opposite booth with a grateful smile at being given the shaded bench. They only waited for a few minutes before Pinkie was able to make her way over to the pair, sliding onto the bench with Applejack after depositing a tray of drinks and pastries on the table. She gave Applejack a warm nuzzle and a quick smooch without even a blush before she turned to give Galen a very warm smile that made him smile as he felt his own happiness rise to mirror hers.

“So, how's yer day been goin'?” he asked to start the conversation.

“It's been absolutely cray-cray!” Pinkie said as she flung both hooves up and over her head while she rolled her eyes. “We had five separate catering orders to do that I stalled a bit because of our trip with Discord and I've only just finished helping with that while dealing with the customers. Let me tell you, I almost wish I could have a strong cider or two right about now. I mean, it wouldn't be so bad, but I've been distracted with Discord's advice this whole time and I've had a few dozen eensy-weensy-itty-bitty slip ups that I totally should have caught but didn't.”

“Don't worry about it,” Applejack said as she leaned gently against Pinkie. “Ah'm sure the Cake's will understand if you told them everything that happened.”

“Well, not everything,” Pinkie replied with a nervous titter as her cheeks darkened in color. “But enough that they knew it wasn't my fault I took so long when I had to run out because of my Pinkie Sense. The rest is all my fault...”

“Ah've heard a few things in passin' 'bout this Sense o' yers,” Galen said as he took a glass of ice water from the tray and sipped it before continuing. “What is it?”

“Nopony really knows,” Pinkie said as she shrugged helplessly. “Not even Discord really knows what it's about or even how it works. The only thing that I and everypony else knows is that it gives me hints and clues about vague things that are going to happen in the near future and I'm left to avoid or manage the consequences.”

“Huh,” he said with raised eyebrows. “Like what sort o' things?”

“Falling things, messes, doors opening, world-shattering changes in someponies perception of the world,” she began listing nonchalantly by rote.

“Swarms of bugs, when a friend is feeling down in the dumps, when a squirrel forgets where it stored its cache o' nuts for the winter,” Applejack continued.

“When it's my lucky day, when there's an alligator in the bathtub, when a rainbow's going to appear,” Pinkie added.

“When my cider's been aged to perfection, when she's gonna find money just laying about, when she's going to help somepony find their soul mate,” Applejack said with a grin directed at Pinkie who blushed fetchingly as she brought a foreleg up to partially hide her little smile. “And a whole lot more besides.

Galen looked between the pair with a flat expression, quite unsure about what to make of that exceptionally eclectic list of her precognitive skills. With Applejack vouching for the validity of her abilities, he was willing to believe in her natural intuition but felt that he should still take it all in with a grain of salt. At least until he's had a chance to see it in action. He shifted in his seat and coughed into his hand before he smiled back at them, “Ah'll take yer word fer it.”

Applejack snorted with an amused expression as Pinkie giggled. “Just spend a day with her and Ah'm sure you'll be a believer by the end,” Applejack said with a knowing smirk while Pinkie blushed at the proposition.

“Oh, you don't have to do anything like that,” she said quickly enough as her blush intensified while looking down at the table, waving a hoof back and forth as if she were trying to brush the idea away. “U-unless you w-want to, that is...” she finished softly in a perfect imitation of Fluttershy as part of her mane dropped over half of her face while she looked back up at Galen with a glittering cerulean eye. At the sight, he felt a uncontrollable jolt in his chest and felt his neck and cheeks warm up.

“Ah-” he cut off as his voice caught in his throat and coughed into his hand for a quick moment before taking another sip of water. Applejack's smirk turned to a full blown smile at this. “Ah don' see why we couldn't...”

Pinkie's blush blazed to new heights which made her seek refuge as she ducked her head behind Applejack's withers while the farm mare chuckled and held her in a half hug. “Ah think that's a 'yes,'” she said warmly to Galen whose own cheeks felt as though they were radiating heat. “Well, now that you two have a date set for whenever her next day off is, how 'bout we get to eating before Pinkie has ta get back to work, yeah?”

“Y-yeah,” Galen replied as he ran a hand through his hair. Now why'd Ah go an' do tha'? he thought in annoyance at himself. Ah haven't even 'ad a chance ta settle down after Discord went an' told me all o' tha' an' sort it out. Was 'e right after all? Galen forcefully bludgeoned these thoughts aside forcefully after his first bite of a chocolate chip cookie went down the wrong pipe due to his distracted nature. Applejack gave him a smarmy taunt at that as she passed the still 'hiding' Pinkie a apple fritter while she bit into a strawberry cupcake.

They ate quickly and finished their drinks in this way with only a modicum of small talk passing between Applejack and Galen, Pinkie Pie only mumbling a reply from behind Applejack when asked something directly, too shy and distracted with thoughts at the moment to really pay attention to the conversation. When they were finished, Pinkie rushed out from behind Applejack in a barely discernible blur of pink with a flash of red, grabbed the tray after collecting their glasses in a loud clatter and rushed off with a gust of wind at her passage that left Galen speechless and Applejack chortling.

“So, you have a date with Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said with a smirk after she had stopped laughing. “When am Ah gettin' mine?”

Galen choked up and felt his flush return, to which Applejack gave an amused little chuckle. “Yew'll get yers soon 'nough,” he replied a little sheepishly, his thoughts making him uncharacteristically sheepish.

“Ah better,” she replied with a content little smile as she scooted out of her seat and onto the floor. Galen slipped out from his own bench and followed Applejack back outside.

“So 'bout how long is tha market open today?” he asked as they walked back down the street.

“It'll be closin' down soon enough,” she replied. “Half days only run 'till two, so we got less than two hours left. You can go wander 'round for a bit if you want to. Ah'm sure Lero wouldn't mind it if ya dropped by for a visit.”

“Ah suppose Ah could do tha',” he said as he looked around. “But Ah think Ah'll take a little walk 'round first ta work mah meal down a bit.”

“Alright,” she said with a smile. “Ah guess you know your way around well enough that Ah shouldn't worry about you getting lost.”

Galen snorted at that, an easy smile coming to him as the pair reentered the market. “In tha' case, Ah'll meet up with ya near Leera's place.”

“Sounds good,” she replied with a wink as she broke away to hurry back to her stall where several ponies were loitering around for her to get back. Galen couldn't help but notice a little sashay to her flanks as she walked away and looked away guiltily before he turned to wander off into town for a bit. He walked down a side street lined with an assortment of shops that catered to pretty much any small amenities that somepony might want or need. He cut down a side alley and didn't notice the light green form trailing him as his mind was a million miles away at the moment. When he had reached the junction of this alley and another cutting through behind the store shops, the form rushed forward and bucked his feet out from under him as he turned to see what the sudden noise was.

He hit the ground hard and quickly found a pair of hooves pressing hard into his chest as he looked up to see a clearly angry mare glaring with an ugly snarl a few inches from his face. Galen froze, not knowing who or why this pony would attack him out of the blue like this, but unwilling to do anything until he knew the entire picture. “What the buck do you think you're doing with Applejack, you freak,” she said roughly as she leaned a little harder into him. “I've known her for years, but I've never seen her do the things she's done with you, not to mention that little stunt you pulled with her and that trampy little get up of hers. She has a mare already, so you just keep your distance.”

“Ah have no idea what yer so pissed 'bout,” Galen replied in confusion. “She did tha' all on 'er own. Besides, they both have their own uniforms...”

“Don't you lie to me,” she said snarling as a ugly sneer twisted her face. “I know how you two legged freaks operate.”

“Wha' tha fuck is yer deal,” Galen shot back with a surge of anger. “Ah haven't done a damn thing!”

“Oh, so she just decided to go running around town like that all on her own?” the mare said mockingly. “You didn't have a thing to do with it? I saw her carrying around some sacks of grain that I know she didn't need to go out and buy while you only carried a copper pot... So you're telling me that she suddenly felt that she needed to be your maid all on her own?”

“Tha's exactly what she did,” Galen snarled. “She said she felt she had ta pay me back an' tha's how she figured she'd do it.”

“What could a monkey like you do to make her even want to pay you back,” she said derisively. “Lero's a good for nothing pervert who makes his living getting all touchy-feely with mares stupid enough to pay for it and I doubt you have much of anything to bring to this town apart from trouble and embarrassment for hard working, honest mares like Applejack.”

“Ah ain't gotta give you shit fer explanation,” Galen replied as he tensed. “Ah know mah own worth an' Ah bet yer jus' jealous tha' yew couldn't get Applejack ta even look yer way.” That got the reaction he wanted as the mare reared back a hoof to strike him. He whipped his hands up, one to grab her raised hoof before she could bring it down and another in a fist that he slammed into her ribs with a satisfying thud and a whoosh of air leaving her involuntarily. She staggered and Galen quickly wrestled her around so that he was in the dominant position with another solid punch to her stomach to drive the point home that he was in charge now. She writhed and groaned with a pitiful cough that only made Galen angrier.

“Now yew listen here, bitch,” he snarled menacingly into her ear as he leaned down in the same way she had done to him, though he pinned her forelegs tightly to her chest, her ankles popping from the force of his grip. Her expression of shock and fear incensing him further because she was nothing more than a bully who was used to getting her way through intimidation and violence more often than not. “What Applejack or Ah get up ta ain't none o' yer god damned business. Ah ain't some pissant who'll jus' roll over an' tuck tail at some harsh words. It'll take a hell of a lot more ta scare me away from a mare tha' Ah like. Ah've dealt with a meddling god of chaos already this mornin' an' yew ain't got shit on 'im, so yew can jus' fuck off or Ah jus' may use yew as an excuse ta blow off some steam. Start any trouble with me again, an' Ah'll be tha one ta end it... fer good.” he finished in little more than a rumbling growl. “Now, Ah'm gonna let yew go an' if Ah hear even a whisper 'bout this floating 'round, Ah know we'll be having words again sometime real soon.”

The mare shuddered and nodded at his words laced with promises of retribution. Galen levered himself up while keeping a grip on her forelegs, letting them go last as he took a quick step back to get out of striking range. The mare got back to her hooves slowly with a look of anger that she quickly snuffed out. Galen hocked a glob of spit and lobbed it into the dust at her hooves to put action to his expression of anger, scorn and contempt. She grit her teeth and turned to walk away with a slight limp from the bruised knot forming on her ribs. Galen felt the tension leave him as her shadowed form walked out into the street and turned off.

He sighed and leaned against a nearby wall. Of all the things here in Ponyville, a mean spirited bully like that was among one of the last things he would have expected. Hopefully that mare would take those bruises as a lesson and keep her snout out of his business from now on. He really didn't want a repeat of his younger years now of all times, getting in scuffs and scrapes with hard headed assholes who thought they were the only law that mattered.

“Mmhmmhmm,” a scratchy feminine voice reminiscent of Rainbow Dash chuckled from somewhere in the alley. Galen pushed himself off from the wall and looked around to see who it was but didn't see anything. “Up here, smith.” It called. Galen looked up and saw what looked to be a rather large eagles head looking over the ledge of the store he had leaned against.

“Yew gonna go tell somepony 'bout what yew saw?” he asked in a resigned tone.

“Oh, nothing of the sort,” she replied with a wave of a talon handed foreleg. “Although if she does, I'm sure you'd appreciate my testimony.”

“Ah probably would at tha',” Galen replied with a rueful smirk. “Name's Galen.”

“Alexandria of Clan Sprocket,” she replied as she stood up and dropped down with a few flaps of her wings. Now that she had fully revealed herself, Galen saw that she was a griffon and was eyeing him up and down in clear approval, if her slowly swishing tail gave any indication. The tips of her primary feathers were a coppery color he noticed as she folded them back to her sides while her leonine half had its familiar tawny color. Her eyes were a smoky gray that seemed to sparkle as they were framed with a gunmetal gray liner. “But I must say, that was quite a display. So many of the ponies around here shy away from violence while others can't seem to find any other way to go about getting the things they want. You seem to know how to use violence quite well, but only after words don't seem to do the trick.”

“Sometimes a good beating's tha only thing some can understand,” he replied with a sigh. “Ah don' like it, but Ah won' shy away from it either if it's tha only way...”

“Ah,” she said in a musing tone. “The fight not fought is the best fight, no? I happen to agree whole heartedly in that sentiment, but sometimes, others don't agree.”

Galen nodded with a little smile. “So, what were yew doin' up there? Jus' watchin' tha show?”

“I would have intervened if it looked like you were in trouble,” she replied cheerily. “That was Honeydew. She's a mare who has a history of causing trouble for ponies who get into interspecies relationships. I'm an auxiliary guard under the command of Lyra Heartstrings. I noticed her suddenly start tailing you when you left Applejack's company and thought I should keep an eye on things just in case.”

“Lyra's a guard?” Galen asked as his eyebrows rose in surprise. “Ah never would 'ave guessed it.”

“Nopony ever does,” Alexandria replied with a smirk. “That's the whole point of us auxiliaries.”

“An' Ah suppose yew want me ta keep tha' bit o' information a secret?”

“If it wouldn't be too much trouble,” she replied thankfully. “I thought it would be a good idea to let you know just in case you ever need our help. Lero knows, of course, as do a few others that we've helped before, but we're not full time guards. We only intervene when and where it's needed if we happen to be in the area, so it wouldn't be conducive for us constantly being sought out for nonsense claims.”

“Ah could see how tha' would be a trouble,” Galen replied with a little grin. “Ah suppose Ah should thank yew fer lookin' out fer me.”

“No thanks are necessary,” she replied. “I'm just doing my job.”

“Ah know,” he replied with a smirk. “But tha thing is, Leera an' Ah are havin' a little cookout this Friday evening an' figured tha more tha merrier, righ'? Yew should come over with us an' 'ave a bite ta eat.”

“I wouldn't want to intrude,” she replied demurely.

“Didn't say yew would,” he shot back. “Besides, Ah'm sure yew'd appreciate a meal yew didn't have ta hunt yerself.”

“Meat?” she asked with a slight widening of her eyes, a suddenly eager expression coming over her expression. “What kind?”

“Ah was thinkin' a brace o' rabbits an' some trout from a local stream,” he replied casually.

Alexandria was practically drooling at the thought. Even though she bought wild rabbits from Fluttershy, she couldn't afford to very often and her hunting time was severely limited due to her primary and secondary jobs, so being offered a veritable feast, her self control shattered spectacularly. “I...” she paused to swallow as her mouth had quickly flooded in anticipation. “I suppose I can as long as you're absolutely sure you don't mind.”

“Don' make me repeat maself,” he replied with a laugh.

“Okay,” she said with a laugh of her own. “You live out at Sweet Apple Acres, no?” Galen nodded. “How about I just fly out there and meet up with you when it's time?”

“Tha' works fer me,” he replied. “Ah was thinkin' sometime just after seven.”

“Fantastic,” she said with a wide smile that curled her beak up at the corners. “I'll see you there. Be sure to stay out of trouble until then,” she said with a laugh as she turned and trotted back to the street proper. Galen just snorted his amusement and gave a little sigh before he too left the alley, reemerging back into the bright light of the day.

Author's Notes:

Two updates in a week? What madness is this?! Also, a new character enters the fray