Thursday, October 8th, 1700 AFE

Dusk had slipped out early, leaving a short note in the kitchen for Bronze to lock up before she left, along with a spare daisy sandwich. As much as he worried she might end up sleeping in, he had things to do before the guards were ready.

It was shocking how still Ponyville could be in the early morning, with only a few of the earliest risers out and about. Passing the back door of Sugarcube Corner, Mr. Cake's voice made him pause. "Another early morning, Dusk? Pinkie said you might have extra orders for us over the next few days, but she never really went into detail. Should we be expecting anything?"

Mr. Cake had a nervous but excited demeanor, Dusk always wondered if the early morning work and all the coffee he drank had attributed to some of that frantic energy. "Well, a full wing of the Royal Guards are staying at the Apple farm. And I suppose I should treat the weather team a few times as well. I need to talk with Dash before picking up Rarity and heading to the farm. Could you have, say, one hundred mixed fruit pastries or turnovers ready for when I pass again with Rarity in an hour or so?"

The stallion realized what he'd walked into by asking and nervously gripped his collar, chuckling and squirming at the same time. "I err... really? One hundred? Hmmm and in an hour?"

From the doorway, Mrs. Cake's far calmer voice cut into the crisp dawn. "No problem, Dusk. I'll have Pinkie join us and we'll be ready before you pass again. Now finish your smoke, dear, we have a government order to complete!" Tossing her apron strings over her hips, Mrs. Cake returned to the bakery, while her husband stared lovingly up at his disappearing mare. Dusk knew the feeling, and gave the older stallion a nudge. "Don't say it. We both know she'll hear it, somehow."

From upstairs, Pinkie's head suddenly appeared through a swiftly opened window, the too small t-shirt she wore as a nightie clung tightly to her ample chest, while she waved excitedly. “Morning, Dusk! Thanks for stopping by! We'll get everything ready, no problem!"

Mr. Cake groaned a little, but his smile never faded, and he walked back up the steps, speaking to himself out loud the whole time. "I always planned to bake grand cakes and fantastic new snacks. At least somepony likes my breakfast turnovers. And Dusk, some advice: Don't work where you live. There's always somepony looking for fresh turnovers at midnight."

"Thanks, Mr. Cake, I'll keep that in mind." Dusk worried about the stallion; it had only been a few months since his vacation, surely things weren't going that badly at the bakery. "Maybe I should ask Pinkie. The guy is good-natured, but to be so worked up? I hope things are okay."

Creating a mental note, Dusk continued on to Rainbow Dash's house. When he got there, he rapped on the door with two swift blows. Silence echoed from inside, and for a moment, he worried that Dash would be the worse for wear after whatever drinking she had gotten up to the night before with Bronze. Then a sharp and sudden shrill whistle cut through the peaceful morning air, followed by Dash's shockingly cheery voice. "You're too late, Dusk. I just did four laps with Thunderlane. If you want in on the pre-dawn jog, you gotta get up way earlier!"

The mare's laughter while her assistant stood at her side, panting for breath and holding his hips, was oddly reassuring to Dusk. Waving to them, he quickly jogged over the short distance to Dash's side. "At least whatever she talked about with Bronze Feather, she isn't holding any grudges for last night."

Stopping beside Dash and checking to see if Thunderlane was okay, Dusk spoke with a guarded tone. "Dash, have you had any sudden dispatches about the weather from Canterlot or Cloudsdale? Last night, Bronze was telling me about-"

Grinning and forcing Thunderlane to stand up, Dash patted the stallion on the back. "This guy was going on about it for half of our jog. Apparently, some bad solar flares were in the area, so we are to expect some trouble getting winter storms started. Don't sweat too hard about it, we already planned a solution. Just don't go planting any flowers today." For a moment her face twisted with a flare of worry. "That, err… that was what you were cornered about, right?"

That guilt in Dash's voice tore at Dusk's heart. "She knows. But does she know I've already figured it out? I-no. Stay nice. If I'm going to confront her about this, keep it in private." Shaking his head with relief, Dusk gave a happy sigh. "No, that is it for now. I've got the Cakes making up a breakfast order for the guards and the weather team to thank them for their work. If you want to change before we head that way, I'll wait out here."

Finally catching his breath, Thunderlane stood up again and gave them both a wave. "Guess that's my cue to head home for a shower first. I'll see you at the farm, captain." Flashing Dusk a grin and a small wave, the stallion began to power walk off across town, towards his own home.

Dash followed the retreating stallion with her eyes, and casually pulled her sweatband from her rainbow locks, grunting a little. "Guess I might as well step inside the house and have a quick shower, maybe change into a spare flight suit. Don't want to ruin that beautiful one Rarity did up for my birthday traipsing through the Everfree." Grinning up at Dusk, Dash ripped off a quick salute and stepped into her house.

As she went, Dusk realized she had left the door wide open while she stripped as she walked inside, presenting Dusk with an eyeful of her bare ass as she peeled off her tiny tight jogging shorts. Just as Dusk felt guilty, Dash bent sidewise and tweaked at her thong panties, calling back at him and winking playfully. "Unless you want to come join me?" When he froze up, blushing at the sudden invitation, delaying only because of his worries about her forgery, Dash snorted with laughter. "Oh, Dusk. Those two should really teach you to loosen up!"

Left alone, Dusk could only stare at her open door, stuck. "I...I'm sorry, Dash. I really am. But I can't ignore what you've done, not when your paperwork leaves a trail..." Torn, the stallion looked at that empty doorway unable to move on. "If you'd just asked, I could have helped!"

Pinkie giggled, and with one hand, hefted the platter of still-steaming turnovers above her head, pirouetting in place before lowering to her heels again. "Oh, Dusk! If you needed help carrying these, you should have said something! Why use your magic to lug them all the way there? The Cakes are all caught up, so of course I can carry them for you!"

Distracted by his own thoughts, Dusk looked at Dash who gave him a shrug and answered first. "Well, thanks, Pinkie. But are you sure? The Apple Farm is a bit of a walk and all."

Giggling to herself, Pinkie balanced her load on the palm of one hand and hopped in two steps to Dash's side, leaning in and kissing the taller mare on the nose. "Don't be a spoilsport! Besides, I'm up early anyways! Maybe AJ will want to hang out while you two are busy wandering the Everfree. Lately, all she's wanted to do is get back to the farm and get back to preparing for the Running of the Leaves. But at least I get to announce for the race again this year! I even rented a small airship!"

The thought of Pinkie patrolling the skies over Ponyville in an out-of-control airship sent a sudden chill of apprehension down Dusk's spine, pulling him back to the present. "I... I, err, hope you've got your license for piloting an airship, Pinkie." Dusk looked to Rainbow Dash for support, but the mare shrugged and shook her head, quickly joining Dusk in looking quite worried. "Has she pictured the same disaster I'm predicting?"

Releasing a noise that almost sounded like a 'pff' of dismissal, Pinkie proudly took up the lead, heading out towards the Apple Farm. "No, I haven't! But my newest bestest friend, Cherry Berry, offered to pilot it for me, and she's had a license for years!"

With warning signs of doom lessened, Dusk relaxed a little, and gave a shrug at Dash. "On the topic of the Running of the Leaves, I'll be out of town for most of the festivities tomorrow, along with much of the weather team. If we're delayed on returning, should I get Mayor Mare to hand out the ribbons? I'd rather not ask Princess Celestia, and Rarity said Sweetie Belle wouldn't leave her be until she agreed to enter them both. That leaves me with very few alternatives. Since you're announcing the race, Pinkie, I don't want to be a bother, but-"

Pinkie giggled but shook her head. "No, Dusk. It's okay! Really, ask Mrs. Mayor! She loves that kind of thing!" And that was that, Pinkie continued to lead the way to the Apple Farm, a hop in her step and an infectious smile on her lips.

Dusk drew the last two red beads to the eighth square, while Bronze Feather called the last two names from the Guard’s list. Together, the two named moved to stand before the impromptu command table Applejack had set up just outside the main barn. Before they'd finished lining up, Dash was calling out another four members of the weather team, the group rushing forward to join the guards.

Straightening up, Dusk handed over two smaller copies of the main map of the Everfree forest, including markings of the grid they were to search. Then came the eight detailed maps (or at least, the best as he could manage; details and landmarks below the treeline of the Everfree were scant and often miles apart.) of the grid they were to search. He gave two copies of that map to the weather mare in front, along with glass tubes with sharpened coal pens. While Dash double-checked each member of the weather team, making sure their whistles worked and that they had their emergency rations, Bronze and one of the sergeants were busy handing out spare short swords to those who didn't have their own blades, while the other sergeant took aside any with their own weapon to test it, before approval was grudgingly granted. When everypony was sorted out, Dusk turned to the four waiting squires and sixteen remaining weather team members.

"And lastly, those of you who remain: I need you to act as my eyes in the sky over the Everfree. Rainbow Dash will discuss patrol patterns with you, and set you all up on the outer radius of the grids we are searching. If something rated as dangerous as a manticore approaches within two kilometers of the search teams grids, you are to send the warning signal."

Bronze waited for Dusk to finish, and as the newly arranged groups peeled off to finish a last bite of breakfast or to finish some personal business, she leaned in beside him frowning. "Are you sure you don't want to at least keep a few of the squires, Dusk? I know me and Dash can ferry you around from one grid to another, but I'd feel a lot safer with a few more helping hands to handle anything that might go wrong."

The sound of clashing blades from the far side of the field began as the two sergeants started drilling those on the weather team on some basic swordplay. "I'd rather leave them on patrol, let them intervene on lesser threats to the patrols like the R.O.U.S. Besides, they would never be enough to ensure absolute safety, and I'm confident enough in my teleportation. If necessary, I can be well out of the way in an instant, so you and Dash need only worry about getting away safely."

Unable to banish the worried look from Bronze's eyes, Dusk reached down, following on the path Sweetie Belle had drawn for him. Lifting a hand, he pointed to a distant patch of red on a far field, where Big Mac was busy sowing the field with winter wheat. "Let me prove it. I can just make out Big Mac's red shirt from here. You're a pegasus, I’m sure it's easy for you to tell, right?"

When the mare turned and looked at the distant figure, she was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Sure. Applejack is there too, helping him tow the sledge with the extra seeds. And?"

Dusk, wanting to make this perfect, lifted a hand before her eyes, drew a breath, and focused on the barely visible red blur, snapping his fingers while simultaneously releasing the magic.

In an instant, the blur of raspberry magic enwrapped him, but just as quickly, it dissipated, and Big Mac stood a few feet away. As Dusk turned to look up at the taller stallion, Mac's look turned from confusion to a hint of mild amusement. "Welcome, Dusk. The turnover this morning was good."

Dusk brushed a hand through his hair and smiled at the taller stallion. "You're welcome, Mac. I hope AJ is settling back in. Are you going to join her and take part in the Running of the Leaves?" From the corner of his eye, he could see two distant winged figures soar up from the rest of the crowd, heading in his direction.

Mac shifted his weight and looked to where his sister still stood, spreading the heavy sack of winter wheat seeds. It was quiet for some time, until the sound of approaching wings began to grow overhead. “The farm is in her blood. She settles in quickly, and finds work even I’ve overlooked. Race? Nope, no reason to disappoint nopony.”

Confused, Dusk looked up at the giant, but the laughing voices that announced Dash and Bronze Feather’s arrival cut through his brain and prevented him from devoting any time to that line of thought. “Thank you for putting up with us ripping up one of your fields, Mac. I hope we can get out of your way soon.”

Mac set down the heavy sack of grains and stepped forward, offering a hand out to Dusk. “Catch the smuggler, Dusk. Good ponies live here; we don’t need this.”

Dusk accepted Mac’s hand and shook it, giving a sigh. “I’d ask how you know, but I don’t need to. Just try to keep it quiet. Too many ponies don’t have a level head like you do.”

Mac released the hand shake and started to return to his work, smiling softly. “I’m good at secrets, Dusk. Even better at calm.”

Laughing, Dusk shook his head and walked towards Dash and Bronze’s landing, Dash’s voice finally reaching him. “I could still totally beat him in a race! He has to stop occasionally, or how is it a race?”

Bronze nudged Dash in the ribs, laughing in return. “It’s a race because he got to the finish line faster than you did. Maybe you could argue that if there was laps required, Dash, but if it’s a one lap race, or a match to see who can get to Canterlot first? No way you can keep up.”

Dusk waited for them to land, and twisted his head to the side, arching an eyebrow high. “So? Do I pass, Bronze? Do I have your approval to go into Everfree Forest without forty guards now?”

Dash nudged Bronze in return, loud whispering for effect. “See, Bronze? You challenge him on something, and once he proves he can handle himself, he gets all cocky. This is why we mares have to stick together, otherwise foolish stallions start getting all these crazy ideas about being able to do stuff without our help.”

Grinning, Bronze ignored Dash’s nudge and shook her head at Dusk. “I’d still rather have a few extra hands around, Dusk. But you’re right, you will never slow us down if something goes wrong. But I still want to take a few weeks and teach you and the rest of the weather team how to use a sword or spear properly.”

Laughing, Dusk stepped forward, extending a hand for the mare. “Deal, Bronze. We can have classes when you come visit during the winter for Rumble’s tests.”

Twisting to look over a book upon her table, the mare ran her finger across a line of text, screwing up her face as the effort of translation made her pause in thought, save for continuing to stir the heavy cauldron upon her blazing hearth. Muttering low to herself, she repeated the words a few times beneath her breath before a stiff breeze blew against the wall of her squat hut. Shivering from the cold, she reached up, ripping off two or three different small herbs from the line and threw them into the pot, counting out loud, as each dried herb plopped into the brew. “Herbs of red, and herbs of blue, mix together in a toxic stew. Leaves of green and roots of brown, purify the stew, let the toxin die down.”

The heavy cauldron continued to bubble and hiss, while the mare continued to stir and mix the thick concoction, the mixture finally beginning to clear and settle down, as the hissing, popping noise started to thin out. Satisfied, the mare leaned down and drew a deep breath. “Still a little bitter, but I am no quitter.”

Dusk clung to the leather straps, bracing himself against the stiff wind that kicked up as they twisted around and began to race towards the whistle’s origin that rose over the noise of the forest, calling for him to come see signs that yet another group had found. “I need to figure out a warmth spell; this is simply becoming silly!”

Dusk knotted an arm around one of the bands of leather, and adjusted the spare shirt he had made into a makeshift scarf to protect his face from the worst of the wind that Thunderlane and Bronze kicked up as they sped through the sky above the forest. Licking his raw lips, Dusk was glad when the whistle dropped off, and he felt them slow, the sling again lowering as they swooped around to let him settle on the ground, the two guards rushing over to help him stand up. Accepting their help and glad to finally be able to stretch his legs again, Dusk peeled open the shirt, gesturing at the weather mare who still had her whistle in her lips. “Fl- Flitter?”

The mare let her whistle drop and shook her head. “No, sorry, Dusk. I’m Cloudchaser. But come quick! We found some cut herbs over here!” The mare turned and bent aside a bush of long green leaves, to reveal a smaller plant Dusk didn’t recognize with red buds growing on the end of many of the stocks.

Dusk quickly walked over, kneeling down and pulling the shirt fully free of his face, while he called back to Bronze who was already opening the book, flipping through the pages. “Red stalks with red buds on the tips. I’m guessing each stalk is around six inches long. Strong smell of red pepper and cinnamon.”

Muttering to herself, Bronze flipped through the pages and called back at last. “If you cut one of the blooms, does it bleed brown? Or are there green sacks inside the buds?”

In the air overhead, Thunderlane took up position with Dash, returning to watch duties while Dusk and Bronze rattled on below.

Drawing a pocket knife, Dusk slashed one of the buds in half, and was rewarded with a squelch of thin and sticky brown goo that poured forth, the smell intensified and Dusk had to take a step back while wiping his knife clean on the leaves of a nearby tree. “Definitely brown blood. And a much stronger smell. What do we have?”

Flipping over one more page, Bronze began to read a quick version of the notes in the lengthy book. Dash was still hovering overhead, her eyes on the broad forest around them. “It sounds like we’ve got Red Leaf Arbrok, Dusk. Properly harvested, regrows its buds in two to four weeks. Used to purify toxins from other herbs. Considered an essential herb, but also very common, and easily grown in a garden.”

Dusk winced and shook his head. “That is the fourth cutting we’ve found around here that is at least two weeks old. Whoever our smuggler is, they haven’t been around here since the Black Lotus harvest, I’m sure of it.”

From above, Dash finally cut in, her voice annoyed. “So then, let’s move to the area that Thunderlane said he and the new stallion saw her! Why are we wasting our time here!?”

Dusk wanted to argue, but after three hours and several stops to check the cuttings their searching teams had found, it was all the same. Looking up to Dash, he gave her a shrug. “We need to know if she passes through here regularly or not. I know that all signs so far look like she doesn’t, but we need to be sure. Besides, there is only an hour or so left, then we move to the second set of grids. Put up with it a little longer Dash.”

Bronze grinned as Cloudchaser and the rest of her team moved on to continue searching their area. While Dusk marked the location on the map he carried, she kicked into the conversation while he was busy. “Besides Dash, we’ve found out one thing for sure. Not one herb except for the Black Lotus is considered dangerous, or even controlled. Maybe our smuggler isn’t a smuggler at all? Maybe it was just a mare who saw an opportunity to get her hands on something rare and unique? I mean, there is a patch of Longleaf Bliss not twenty feet from here. Any smuggler worth their salt could turn that over in a bar for thirty or forty bits an ounce, and even that’s only a regulated drug. Herbalists just have to keep track of how much they sell to anypony.”

Dusk folded up his map and ignored Dash’s groan. “Bliss might not be contraband, but you’re right, Bronze. Why would anypony ignore easy money to hunt beneath other bushes for a plant that you could grow in your backyard?”

Applejack looked over the dinner table Mac had pulled out of storage in the barn, grinning with satisfaction. “So you’re saying this was left over from the last big Apple Family Reunion from when you were eight or so, Mac? I’ll be hogtied if it isn’t perfect! A little cleaning up and we can settle everypony, guards and weather team together, in for a good dinner.”

The stallion, smirking a little at his younger sister, simply gave a nod, and cleared his throat. “A-yep! Now how’s about I go find some sandpaper and you go find a smoothing plane.”

Applejack grinned and nudged the stallion. “Sounds like a plan to me, Big Mac. I’ll ask Pinkie if she can come help with dinner. That girl has enough spunk to make enough for everypony if this takes too long.”

Dusk straightened up, sealing the glass vial with his sample and slipped it safely back into the pouch on his hip. In the distance, Dash began to blow the signal for the patrolling teams to head back to town while Thunderlane kept track of the teams as they took to the air. Standing up, Dusk gave Bronze a nod and stretched his back by extending both of his arms over his head, groaning a little. “Mark that down, Bronze. That’s sample ten, but at least it’s fresh. We can start again tomorrow using this grid as the starting point.”

Bronze finished scribbling a few more words before closing the book and stuffing it into her backpack, shrugging at him. “Sure, we can do that. It’s the first sample we’ve found since we moved though, Dusk. Are you sure you want to start directing the search from this original set of grids?”

Dusk shrugged, relaxing and slinging an arm around her shoulders. “Well, look at how good our team has done so far. In four hours, we found nine samples, all two to four weeks old. Then we moved, and now we only managed one sample in four hours. I’ll take it that they didn’t get lazy, simply that there was just less to find. So let’s follow this lead, and see where it takes us.”

Dusk only realized that Bronze had frozen up and was blushing when Dash suddenly cried out from above them. “Hey, if you two are done, everypony but us has already left the trees and are flying home. So can we go now? Or do you wanna have a picnic down there where it’s more romantic?”

Bronze pulled away from Dusk, and he watched her mumble and mutter to herself before she shoved the seat of the sling into his hands. Only able to make out a few of her words, but what little he could get was priceless. “Bloody Dash, can’t let a mare have a few seconds of quiet peace!”

As soon as he had the seat in place, she shot airborne, and passed Thunderlane the other end of the harness, muttering something that made Dash and Thunderlane laugh out loud as she fled. “I guess last night really wasn’t just the cider. I’m sorry, Bronze. We had better sit down and talk, before somepony gets their feelings hurt.”

The three heavy cauldrons were steaming when Dusk was within sight of the Apple Farm again, and the mixed scents rising to fill the air had him remembering just how hungry he was, and how long it had been since breakfast. Dusk looked up at the pegasi towing him in and adjusted the brass whistle between his lips. "Now let me think... what did Dash say the signal was... oh! Right! Three long blasts, a long pause, then three more long blasts!" Dusk had hardly finished the last call on the whistle when he saw them slowing, looking back at him, then over at Dash who had turned around and was heading straight for him.. "No time better than the present for a field experiment!"

Drawing up at his magic, Dusk aimed to land by a haystack just outside the barn. This was also, unfortunately, when he was reminded of the laws of motion, and found himself running face first into that very same haystack, though thankfully not the barn wall right beside it. In the end, it was up to a rather worried Big Mac and Applejack to help him out of that haystack, Pinkie had collapsed from laughter with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Cupping his cheek, Applejack made him look up at her so she could examine him. “Dusk? What in Equestria was that!??”

The effort of holding his head up properly was hard when he wasn't quite sure which way was up, so Dusk was grateful for the mare's strong grip. "I think it was my first reminder about physics. Do not try teleporting when you are already moving at high speeds unless it's an emergency!"

Still snorting with laughter Pinkie stood up and pulled Dusk, and by association, Applejack, into a hug. "Oh, by Celestia, that was priceless! Dusk! Don't tell me they never taught you how to throw a banana cream pie while doing backflips!"

Confused, Dusk could only stare bleary-eyed at the giddy mare. "What in da f-"

Putting a finger on his lips she shook her head. "No!!! I'm super serious, Dusk! It does relate! When you do a backflip and throw a pie, you have to compensate for the pie throw or it messes up your backflip and you wind up flat on your face!"

Dusk had to take a breath and force his head to stop spinning, because somehow, Pinkie's suggestion made sense. Looking up at AJ for support, he tried to puzzle it back together, his hand stroking at Pinkie's wild and fuzzy hair to help him focus. "So you are saying that if I want to teleport while moving quickly, I need to take that into account and aim short of my target?"

Disappointed, Pinkie shook her head and gave him a pout. "Nooo!~ Cause then you'll end up running and possibly falling flat on your face. You have to figure out how much momentum you have and how much you need when you land, and compensate! Like when AJ lassos a baby calf!"

Again, Dusk searched for some sort of translation from Applejack, a calm rock in this turbulent ocean of quick concepts and comparisons that Pinkie kept making. Applejack gave him a thoughtful look before answering. "I reckon she might be right, Dusk. Now stop giving me that skeptical look and listen, all right?" Dusk tried his best, and gave AJ his full attention, while trying to take it all seriously. "You see, when I'm hogtying a varment, it all starts with lassoing them. If you're really good, and I am, you can learn to hit the beast's head almost every time. Gotta time it just right, and remember that the beast always violently jumps in the opposite direction when you least expect it!"

Concentrating on a mental image of Applejack and a lasso, Dusk struggled to picture the relationship between a wild beast and his control over his magic. "But my spells are slowly focused and organized. The spells work with very organized and orderly rules. There is no wildly moving beast... except!"

Finally having a finger on the concept, Dusk took a very gentle grip and tried to maneuver around the idea without breaking the concept. "So you're both saying, my spell is the lasso, thrown with care and precision, and I'm the wild beast that moves with wild abandon that needs to be controlled?"

Unsure herself, Applejack helped Dusk into a seat on the long bench, waving away the guard's medic who had come over to check on him. Pinkie, however, gave a sagely nod. "Exactly! So next time, make your magic compensate for your motion! That way, you'll land safely instead of running into haystacks... unless you want to do that again, cause it was funny!"

Dash and Bronze finally forced their way past the other gawking pegasi, trailed by Thunderlane. Dash stormed up to Dusk's side, looming over him, an eyebrow twitching. "Now just what in Equestria was that, Dusk!??" Behind her, Bronze took up position, her own worried eyes roaming his body, and he reminded himself of the conversation that needed to come, soon.

Sitting up taller and bracing his back against the wooden table, Dusk lifted his brass whistle, giving Dash the same cocky grin he'd seen her give a dozen times before. "What!? I gave you the warning whistle, remember? You called it the-"

Dash released a groan and thrust a hand into her face, dragging fingers through her thick bangs before looking up at him again. "You gave the 'I'm gonna do something stupid call' alright, but do it again without warning me properly, and I'll really give you one hell of a thrashing! Right, Bronze!?"

Behind her, Bronze quickly realized that people were looking her way, so she stood up tall again and aggressively crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, right, Dash. We'll have to knock him around if he does something that dumb again!"

Glad for the support, Dash put her hands on her hips. "And that's before we even get AJ or Rarity's support!"

Looking up from one of the boiling pots, Pinkie cut in with a voice that cut off all conversation. "Mushroom and potato stew is ready! I made apple pie for dessert! And don't worry everypony, there's enough for everypony to have seconds! Thirds even, if you want!"

That, at last, ended it for now. As much as the guards might have enjoyed a good show, nopony stood between them and a meal after a long day on the wing. The weather team realized their portion of dinner was now being threatened, and soon everypony was rushing to answer Pinkie's dinner call.

Thunderlane leaned in, catching Dash’s elbow before she finally gave up and moved off to eat, unable to hide a wicked grin. “So I guess my brother isn’t the only fool around here, is he?” Dash didn’t answer; she simply groaned and gave Dusk another glare before moving away.

Dusk had remained sitting, so as Applejack moved to stand, she leaned in, lightly kissing his cheek before yelling into his ear to be heard over the din. "Just wait here, darling. I'll bring you dinner once I've helped Mac and Pinkie serve dinner to the others. And don't take Dash too seriously, she's just fond of you and isn't good at showing it. She's always doing crazy things, no matter how often I tell her that she worries me."

Applejack had felt eyes on her throughout dinner, and only when she served Dusk was she finally able to catch Bronze doing her best to not look at her. So it wasn't a surprise when a few hours later, as the rest of the guards moved to their own small groups to begin training routines, Bronze came to her alone, nervous but an inquisitive look in her eye.

"Applejack, I was wondering, if you're not busy now that dinner is finished, would you mind doing some basic quarterstaff sparring with me? Of course, I can bug the squires instead if you've got plans."

It only took a moment to assess the mare's mood, but Applejack was instantly sure that there was more to her motives than just not wanting to bother the other guards. Smiling for the mare's sake, Applejack gave a nod. "Well of course, sugarcube! But you'll have to go easy on me starting out, I've never had any real training in fighting."

Shocked, Bronze nearly dropped the twin quarterstaffs she had behind her back. "What? Really!? That's crazy! You're in such good shape! How'd you never get some kind of combat training? Hasn't Dash ever asked you to help her with a little sparring?"

AJ gave the mare a shrug, and reached out, stealing one of the wooden poles from behind the other mare's back. Testing its weight and attempting to spin it around like she'd seen Dash do, Applejack threw her head back and laughed when the padded end caught her in the jaw, thankfully only lightly. Rubbing her jaw and fetching up the staff, she offered Bronze a shrug. "Cause I've been able to put my foot through the wall of the barn since I was a filly of fourteen, and after seeing that, most ponies around town learned to treat a filly with some proper respect. 'Course I did get into a few brawls here and there, but mostly, they were over quite quickly; and save for a few of the more rock-headed scoundrels, I rarely had to throw a second punch."

Fluttershy fell to her knees in the grass, gasping for air. "Dash! Why do you go so fast! You know I can't keep up!~"

The distant sound of gravel as Dash came to a skidding halt, followed by the light crunch of the shifting loose stones as she returned to the patch of grass where Fluttershy still rested. Before she even looked up, Dash knelt down, and stroked her hair. "Hey, you okay, Fluttershy? Sorry if I'm pushing you kinda hard."

Finally looking up through her bangs, Fluttershy found herself eye to eye with Rainbow Dash, who was kneeling right before her and offering out a hand. Accepting it, and letting the younger mare help her get back up, Fluttershy tried to ignore the flush forming in her cheeks. "Oh, no. I'm sorry for not being able to keep up." When Dash shrugged that off, Fluttershy stepped in closer and started to walk along the path with Dash at a much more comfortable pace. "So what's got you so worked up, Dashie!? Is there something I could do to help?"

Dash turned to look at her, and for a second, it also looked like her face contorted through a dozen different emotions before she suddenly laughed, lifting her left wing as if she were about draw it over out before pausing, as if reconsidering. Just as Fluttershy began to worry, Dash stepped suddenly around to her other side, brushing her right wing as she unfurled it, across Fluttershy’s back, pulling her into a half-hug. "Well, I suppose it can't hurt to talk to you about stuff, Fluttershy. I've known you forever; besides, you're the best at keeping quiet about stuff."

Flustered again, Fluttershy leaned into Dash's wing hug and gave a little nod. "I, uh... well, I don't like telling other ponies mean things and making sure my friends aren't hurt is important to me. Sure, if it'll help Dash, I'll listen."

Leaning over, Dash kissed her on the cheek, and Fluttershy felt as her lower lip began its trademark wobble, against her will. "Oh! Why does this always happen when somepony besides Mistress gives me attention! I don't wanna be such a sad sack! Oh Princess Celestia, give me strength!"

Lost in her own thoughts, Fluttershy missed most of Dash's passionate opening tirade. Realizing she was so far behind, she tried to catch up again, leaning in to pay attention again as Dash ranted on. “- and that’s when we found the first cutting that isn’t two or more weeks old. That was really exciting for a few minutes, but Dusk and Bronze spent forever pouring over it, and even after a few more hours of searching, we never did find anything else! Now Dusk’s taking almost the whole weather team back with him again tomorrow! It’s all pointless!” Giving a sigh and leaning against Fluttershy, Dash looked a lot calmer than she started. “Anyways, thanks for listening, Fluttershy. I hope you don’t mind keeping stuff from Dusk and the others, I’m sure things will calm down with winter coming soon.”

“Oh no! I missed something important! Now she’s trusting me to keep it all a secret and I don’t even know what to keep secret from who! Oh no! Ohhh, what do I do now!” Stuck with Dash looking down at her, Fluttershy pulled herself back together, and tried to smile up at her and leaned her head in against Dash’s neck. “N-no problem, Dashie! I promise I won’t tell anypony about any of that stuff.” Realizing that Dash was looking at her still as if expecting something more, she pushed on, quickly getting carried away with her own train of thought. “But if you’re busy with the run, who's gonna take care of Dusk while they go back into the Everfree? Aren’t you worried that he might get into some kind of trouble looking for this dangerous smuggler mare or all those other crazy creatures that fill the rest of the forest?!”

Dash laughed, and gave her another kiss on the cheek, this time lingering on the edge of her earlobe and tugging at it, making her knees feel weak. “Oh, don’t worry about that, Fluttershy! Dusk’s got Bronze to look after him, and I’ll have Thunderlane be my eyes. He isn’t a bad guy, and Dusk can look after the others. Now come on, let’s at least jog the rest of the way back to your place!”

Flummoxed by the tender affection and nibble, Fluttershy worried the smell she knew was drifting from under her dress might be so strong Dash would notice, and only realized they were supposed to be racing again when Dash peeled off, bolting down the path and leaving her behind. “Thank Celestia for small favors!” Picking up her pace, Fluttershy called out to her rapidly disappearing friend’s back. “Wait, Dash!!! I still can’t run near as fast as you!!!”

Applejack twisted the staff around Bronze’s guard, up and forward, using her full weight in the process to force the smaller mare to bend at the knee while she extended her arms to their full length, straining to keep Applejack from being able to reach those last few inches needed to make contact. But relentless, AJ shifted her fingers a few extra inches up the pole, while sweeping her right leg forward, locking hips with the guard. Suddenly, it was down to millimeters, and while sweat poured across her eyes, her legs were set solid, and her shoulder pressed in.

The soft impact of the leather-wrapped tip of the quarterstaff tapping against Bronze’s cheek was nearly silent, even compared to the grunting mares. The moment the crowd gathered around them saw leather compress flesh, a roar went up, drowning out all other thought or sound. Surrendering to gravity, Bronze fell to her back, and Applejack quickly found herself forced to catch her balance, no longer being able to rely on the pressure pushing back up against her from Bronze to keep her upright.

While the mob swarmed in and buried her in attentive pats on the shoulder, and sudden frantic yelling, Big Mac ignored them all, quickly making his way to the fallen mare, and helping her to stand back up. Brushing her off, he gave her a light smile before turning back to Applejack, giving her a little nod and a grin. “Oh Mac, It’s enough to know you care, ya big softy!” Against the roar of the crowd, she simply lifted a hand and gave him a tiny wave, before pushing her way past the lively guards, to the waiting mare, now leaning on her own staff. Leaning in close so she could speak without screaming, Applejack simply had to ask the question. “Why didn’t you fall before I got locked hip to hip? You’re fast, for how much that cloth armor weighs you down. I’m sure you could have gotten back to your feet before I’d closed the distance, and we’d be back to where we started this round.”

Bronze grinned, and pushed out a hand, wrapping a solid grip around AJ’s wrist, and thrusting both of their hands into the air, calling out to the crowd loudly enough to be heard over the cheering fools. “Here we have it! A humble champion! You’ve done very well to go from student to teacher this quickly!” Pressing in closer, she gave her version of an answer to Applejack’s question, leaning up to her, whispering in her ear. “Because this wasn’t about beating you by being sneaky or using tricks. If I’d wanted to use tricks, sure, I could have won. But now, I’ve gone nearly nine rounds with a mare, and don’t take offence to me saying this, who’s nearly a half foot taller than me, and a good sixty pounds heavier too. For me? Today was a damn good day.”

Relaxing and relenting at that, Applejack let Bronze hold her hand up for the crowd to cheer on. The thinner group of weather ponies had stuck around, and the fight had gotten them riled up again. When at last they were calming down again, she leaned into Bronze while ponies continued to offer her their hearty congratulations. “If you care, me and Mac spent most of the day, while you all were away, setting up one of the old stalls in the barn as a makeshift shower. How's about you get out of that armor and we go take turns? Besides, that way you can finally ask me what’s been on your mind all night, sugar.”

Bronze took a half-step back, shock and guilt evident in her eyes as she tried to keep her cool. "That- I nev- I mean, I'd love to take you up on the offer. I could really use a shower."

Unable to help herself, Applejack laughed a little, wrapping an arm around the mare's shoulders and peeling away from the last few guards still helping Big Mac clean up the mess from dinner.

Applejack wasn't surprised that Bronze kept quiet the whole time she was in the impromptu shower. Standing watch just outside, Applejack tugged at the sweaty collar of her thick cotton shirt, caught off guard when Bronze finally found the courage to speak. "Applejack... what was it that drew you to Dusk? Was it just they way he treats everypony? Or was there something more that made him special to you?"

Caught off guard by the rather personal nature of her question, Applejack felt her cheeks redden, as she tried to think of a good way to answer. "Oh, why me! Rarity, you'd know how to help her with romantic stuff like this!" With only the sound of Bronze drying off with a towel and shaking out the damp water from her wings, Applejack stumbled forward. "I- well, it's complicated. Dusk did a lot of things that made him attractive, but it really all started when he fell off that cliff while we were searching for some way to stop Nightmare Moon. As we hung off the cliff, Dusk looked into my eyes. I knew I was slipping, but I hung on until I knew that Dash and Fluttershy were close enough to catch him. But he was scared, and I didn't have the time to explain it to him, we were both about to fall off the cliff. But when I told him to let go and promised he would be okay... he-he looked up at me, and he accepted my word. He let go never knowing Dash was right beneath him, ready to catch him. That look of trust at my word, it was all I ever needed."

Wrapping her arms around herself and giving a sigh, she heard a matching sigh from the other side of the wall. "That must have been incredible, Applejack. To have anypony, most of all a noble stallion like Dusk, put so much trust in you." The mare gave a girlish shiver and a faint murmur. "Mmmm. And then to share him with your best friend. You're all so lucky."

As the stall door opened and Bronze stepped out, her wings folding in so she could fit through the doorway before splaying out again, Applejack took a minute to look, really look at the young mare. "She has a number of scars... of course she does, what mare in her kind of work doesn't?! But she is an attractive mare, cute face and good hair. Not much more chest than poor Dash. I suppose it’s better for flight, though. Considering it all as a package, I'm sure she could find a stallion easily enough."

Stepping forward and offering a spare shirt to Bronze, Applejack gave her a warm smile. "It's okay, Bronze. I think any stallion worth his spit would be lucky to have a mare like you in his herd, or if you're interested, I know a few mares who could use some company."

Now this time when Bronze broke out in a flustered blush like Fluttershy, Applejack cupped her chin and made her look up. "I ain't kidding you, sugarcube. I've got enough love in my life, but you could find yourself some good company easily enough."

Shocked at Applejack's tender touch and her focused gaze, Bronze murmured and wobbled for a moment, her legs unbalanced and her breath hot against AJ's neck. A spark lingered in those eyes, and the question that followed caught Applejack totally off guard. "So then... if I- if I asked Dusk out on a date, would you be okay with it?"

Catching herself at the question, Applejack let her hand drop. "Dusk? Why do you want Dusk? Why is everypony after him of late! First Trixie, and now you too, Bronze?"

Pushing those thoughts aside, Applejack made herself stand up again, and pushed aside the waves of jealousy. "Well, Dash and Pinkie have both agreed to Rarity's offer to have small turns to date Dusk. If you ask her gently and show you're no threat to our relationship, I'll-I’ll try to help smooth things over. It's the least I can do to help a mare learn what it's like to have a stallion's company."

Delighted, Bronze rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Applejack’s hips and hugging her close, burying her face in Applejack's cleavage. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, AJ! I promise I can prove myself to be worthy of your trust and Dusk!"

Fighting back simultaneous feelings of both jealousy and guilt, Applejack brushed the mare's hair, forcing a happy smile. "Sure, n-no problem, Bronze. I'm sure you'll be an easy pass for Dusk's affections."

Scootaloo sat by the front door, carefully prepared and waiting eagerly for the shadow that signaled Redheart's arrival. Giving a second nervous glance at the mirror by the front door, she checked her hair and adjusted her shirt.

Filled with anticipation, she found herself standing on her tiptoes, her wings beating at full speed to help her stand that few extra inches taller, in an attempt to look down the street towards the new hospital, in hopes of catching sight of her sooner, without opening the door. “Come on Redheart!!! It’s a quarter past eight! Hurry up!~”

In the quiet house, Scootaloo found the sound of the ticking clock pulling her attention. Bored and worried, she started pacing back and forth around the kitchen, her wings again began to twist and fidget until she hopped up and down in place. “Stop it, wings! I’m nervous enough as it is! I don’t need you twisting and dancing so wildly all the time!”

“Scootaloo?!! Why are you shouting to yourself! Shouldn’t you be doing your homework still?” The shock of Redheart’s voice from the front door entrance caught her off guard, and Scootaloo twisted around and rushed back to the front entranceway, nearly skipping as she rushed to get back into position.

“Redheart! Redheart! You’re finally home!” Scrambling through the house, she found herself struggling to keep her cool and wrapped her arms around Redheart’s hips to hug her. “I got great news, Redheart! They’re letting any of us who’s got all their schoolwork for the weekend done attend the Running of the Leaves tomorrow!”

The way Redheart winced at her words made Scootaloo worry, but she’d prepared, and was sure this time, she’d win! Taking Redheart’s coat as she removed it, Scootaloo jumped up using her wings to keep herself aloft long enough to hang up the the coat before landing, and stumbling a little. Redheart bent down and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to smile a little. “Now Scootaloo, I know you want to watch Dash in the running, but I’ve had a really busy day, and I’m running a first aid booth in the morning. I don’t know if I’ve got time to help you go over your school work tonight.”

“Yes! You’ve got her now, Scootaloo!” Delighted, with herself, she smiled up at Redheart, her confidence growing. “Don’t worry about that, Redheart! I had Sweetie Belle help me out with most of it during class today, and after school I came straight home and finished the rest of it off! So all I need is for you to sign off on my permission slip!”

Redheart’s face went through a wide variety of emotions, confusion and annoyance were very quickly replaced with surprise and delight, and she phrased her words carefully. “Sweetie Belle? You mean Rarity’s little sister? Isn’t she a few years younger than you?”

Scootaloo couldn’t help but blush at the suggestion here, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Hey now, just because she’s smarter than me, doesn’t mean I’m dumb! And I promise I didn’t copy her work or anything! She helped me in the english and the math work, but I did the rest myself! If you want, you can look it all over. Heck! Test me! Ask me one of the questions. I can answer anything!”

With an amused smile growing as Scootaloo continued on, Redheart stood back up, and offered her a hand. “Alright, you get your classwork ready, and I’ll grab something for dinner. Show me what you’ve learned and I’ll see about signing that note for you.”

“Oh! Don’t worry, I chopped up extra veggies and Pinkie stopped by with a big batch of leftover soup from the Apple farm. And I already set up my classwork on the kitchen table for you! I’ll heat up the soup while you read! It’s mushroom and potato!”

Taking Redheart’s hand and leading her to the kitchen, Scootaloo couldn’t ignore the voice in her head. “And she scores! Just wait, Dash! Tomorrow I’ll be there to cheer you on. And Lyra? Just cause Dusk brought you in as a ringer, doesn’t mean you’ll ever beat Dash!”

Author's Notes:

Cut the parts at this point as there is still another massive portion of the chapter to go and the rest will take at least another week to finish. Expect the final part sometime next week, and I'm sorry that we only get one scene with The Smuggler. Hopefully this little tease has tickled your itch for this week!