For the rest of the day, Lyra kept the shillelagh strapped tight around her body and glanced out the window every so often for any sign of the returning mob. Under Rose Jig's encouragement, the festivities for the first Shamrock Day continued, although a dark cloud hung over everypony; though most of the family did not know what had happened, anything going wrong on Shamrock Day was cause for concern.

But by the late afternoon, everything else had gone off without a hitch and the ponies were starting to relax. A round of afternoon tea and chocolate biscuits for dunking went a long way towards improving everypony's mood.

"Now this is more like it," Bon Bon said, licking crumbs from a chocolate biscuit off her lips and watching Tootsie chase some of her cousins around the crabapple trees. "I really need to ask your mom for the recipe for these."

"I know what the secret recipe is," Lyra said slyly. She looked around to make sure that nopony was nearby, then leaned in close to Bon Bon's ear and whispered: "It's a secret!" She doubled over in laughter at her own joke, with her wife soon joining her amusement.

"Hey, Clover!" somepony shouted from over the ridge. "Some ponies here that want to talk to you!"

Instantly, Lyra tensed up. Pushing herself out of Bon Bon's embrace, she hurried over the ridge after her father. Sure enough, the trio of mob ponies was back, with the straw-maned unicorn at the front, still smiling his snake-like grin.

"I suppose you've had the time to think over our offer?" he asked Clover as he approached.

"There's nothing to think about!" Clover shouted. "You're not getting anything from us!"

"Mate, it's a simple matter of economics," the unicorn said, his grin growing wider and his horn sparking threateningly. "A small payment now could save you a lot in property damage later...or maybe medical bills."

Clover's eyes widened and he stepped back a half-pace. "Maybe he needs a stronger demonstration, lads," the straw-maned unicorn grinned. His two partners, a broad-shouldered mud brown pegasus with a red stripe in his black mane and a tall, reed thin light blue unicorn a scraggly brown beard, stepped forward, smiling wickedly as they began to scan the crowd.

"Or maybe you need to learn some manners!" Lyra shouted, swinging the shillelagh off her shoulders and gripping it on the thin end. "Get off our property!"

The thugs crowded around her, casting her in their shadows. "Who's gonna make us?" the pegasus sneered at her.

The next moment, the sneer was wiped from his face when the knob of Lyra's shillelagh was jabbed forcefully into his chest. Lyra followed up with an upward strike underneath his chin, then across his jaw, rising up to stand on her hind legs as she did so. Taking advantage of her enemy's momentary surprise, Lyra moved to the third thug, knocking his legs out from beneath him with a horizontal strike and kicking him in the jaw as he fell. Turning to the leader, she struck at his head, but he ducked beneath the blow and countered by charging forward with a haymaker punch. Dodging back, Lyra struck the offending hoof with the knob of her stick. Grunting in pain, the unicorn swung his other hoof at her, but Lyra countered by striking the inside of his foreleg and smashing him on the temple. The blow sent the thug sprawling.

"All right! Way to go, mom!" Tootsie shouted, having been attracted by the yelling. The other ponies gathered close, cheering Lyra on.

The pegasus got back up and charged at Lyra from behind, punching wildly. Dodging around him, Lyra gripped the shillelagh with both hooves and hit back, striking from multiple angles and forcing her opponent to cover himself with his forelegs. Faking a high blow, she then struck horizontally at his ribs, causing him to flinch, then hit him on the top of the head to stun him.

"Behind you!" Bon Bon warned. Ducking, Lyra struck backwards with the thin end, striking the skinny unicorn in the chest and stalling his attempt to grab her. She followed up by thrusting at the pegasus, but he swatted her attack aside and charged forward with a punch to her face. Lyra sidestepped, allowing the punch to miss her face by inches, then hit him with the knob of shillelagh on the back of the skull. The pegasus staggered under the blow, crashing into his partner and causing them both to stumble over each other.

"You blighter!" the straw-maned unicorn snarled, channeling magic into his horn in preparation for a spell. Lyra spun around, her eyes widening in shock. But before the attack came, a crabapple flew out of nowhere and struck the unicorn on the head, knocking him flat.

"Take that, you big meanie!" Tootsie shouted, throwing more crabapples with her magic. The unicorn yelped as the apples struck him, doing his best to protect himself.

"We're outmatched, lads!" he shouted, getting up and hurrying away. "Let's get out of here!" His two partners ran after him back down the hill, tails between their legs. The Heartstrings family cheered at their retreat.

"And don't come back!" Lyra taunted, thrusting her shillelagh into the air victoriously. "This day belongs to the Heartstrings!" Cheering, her family crowded around her and lifted her up onto their shoulders, tossing her up into the air in celebration.

"That's me girl!" Clover shouted in pride. "Three cheers for Lyra, and for Shamrock Day!"

The triumphant huzzahs carried down the hill to the ears of the three mob ponies, who were tenderly rubbing their wounds. The sandy-maned unicorn growled quietly. "Oh, this is not over, mate. Not by a long shot."

Coin Toss trotted down the Green Bull's stairs into the serving area. A number of couples were entering the tavern, drifting to the candlelit tables in search of a meal promised by the tantalizing smells from the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are," Tankard greeted him from behind the bar as usual. "I've been holding a table for you." He gestured to a corner booth that had a folded newspaper sitting in the chair, apparently left behind by a former customer.

"Thanks, Tankard," Coin said, trotting over to the table and scooping up the paper. Opening it up, he discovered a note hidden inside: "Corner of Oak and Main, 7:00." Memorizing the message, Coin crumpled the note up and dropped it beside him before calling a green-clad server over and ordering some potato soup and soda bread. A few minutes later, his supper was delivered to his table. The scent of his potato soup lifted Coin Toss' spirits: Tavern's meals weren't his grandmother's cooking, but it was definitely good for his soul. Taking a spoonful and slurping it down, he allowed the warmth to fill his being, dispelling the stress of his journey. All would be well: the mob would take care of him. He was one of their own, just as his grandfather and his father had been before him.

The sun was setting, casting reddish hues across the Trotterford sky. Bon Bon and Lyra sat on the hill, watching the sunset. Tootsie was curled up at their hooves, worn out from playing.

"Who taught you how to fight like that?" Bon Bon asked.

"My uncle," Lyra replied, holding her shillelagh up in her magic. "He always told me that the Mareish really know how to stick it to our enemies! Get it?"

Bon Bon snorted with laughter, shaking her head. "You think you could teach me how to fight like that?" Tootsie asked, eyeing the weapon with curiosity.

"When you're a little older and bigger, sweetheart," Lyra replied, tussling her daughter's mane affectionately.

"Girls! Supper's on!" Rose Jig called from the kitchen window.

"All right!" Lyra cheered, leaping to her hooves and bounding towards the kitchen door. Lifting Tootsie up onto her back, Bon Bon followed after in a more sedate pace. Suddenly, she heard running hoofsteps behind her and turned just in time to see a pony clad in black with a ski mask covering his face bearing down on her. The next moment, a hoof struck her underneath the jaw, knocking her to the ground.

"Get her!" the intruder shouted. Several more ponies, similarly clad, raced up the hill and tackled Lyra. The shillelagh fell to the ground as Lyra struggled futilely against her attackers in panic. Two burly kidnappers seized her and started dragging her away. "Help! Help!" she called.

"Mama!" Tootsie shrieked in dismay. Bon Bon, paralyzed with fear at the sight of multiple kidnappers, curled herself protectively around Tootsie Flute. Behind her, the kitchen door burst open and three Heartstrings ponies burst out to see what was going on. One of the masked kidnappers whipped out a large black pepperbox revolver and fired twice. The two thunderous gunshots echoed off the walls of the manor, causing Tootsie to cry out in terror and forcing the would-be rescuers to retreat.

"No! Let me go!" Lyra screamed, still kicking uselessly. The kidnappers began to hurry her back down the hill. "Bonnie, help!"

Spurred to action, Bon Bon chased after the kidnappers, hurrying back down the hill to the edge of the manor grounds. Up ahead, she saw the kidnappers loading Lyra into the back of a carriage. Desperately, she put on speed, but was forced to stop suddenly when a gunshot struck the ground in front of her, causing dirt to fly into her face. By the time her vision recovered, the carriage was already speeding away down a side street. Panting, Bon Bon tried to sprint after it, but her legs burned in protest as her stamina failed her, collapsing like wet noodles after only a few yards. She struggled to crawl back to her hooves, but all her efforts were in vain, and she could only watch while the carriage and her wife disappeared around the corner.

"Nooo!" she cried out in agony, furious tears falling from her eyes.

Meanwhile, Coin Toss exited the Green Bull out the side door. Taking a breath of the cool evening air, he tightened his magical grip on his suitcase, causing it's contents to jingle slightly, and looked around. There was nopony in sight, save for a silver-maned beggar with a scraggly beard and squinting eyes huddled up in a tattered coat, leaning up against the wall of the building opposite.

"Spare some change for an old fool?" the beggar asked in a croaky tone, holding up a battered tin can. With a smile, Coin Toss flipped a couple bits into the tin, which rattled happily. "Thank you, and a long life to you," the beggar thanked him.

"To you, too," Coin replied, turning and going down the alley. Oak Street was not far from here, and these alleyways would provide a good cover for him to shake off any pursuers. He would be safe here.

But if he had cared to turn around as he left the alley, he would have been quite surprised to see the old, wrinkly beggar suddenly stand up and with an agile leap, grab onto the ledge of a window over his head. Climbing hoof over hoof, the beggar lifted himself up onto the roof of the building, tossing off his wig and coat as he did so to reveal a green vest and a graying black mane. Phillip Finder began to silently follow his target across the rooftops, leaping across alleyways directly over his head. Not once did Coin Toss look up. Nopony ever looked up if they didn't have a good reason to.

Coin Toss zigzagged through the narrow alleys, completely unaware of his pursuer, until he emerged at the intersection of Oak Street and Main Street. He paused beneath the street signs, looking up and down the cobblestone roads for any sign of any pursuer. He did not think to check the roof of the barbershop behind him, upon which Phillip perched, watching his target with an hawkish gaze.

Distantly, a steeple clock struck seven o'clock. As the final chimes died away, an earth pony with a silver-blonde beard, reddish coat and a cutie mark of an iron safe trotted up to Coin. "Hey, mate, would you happen to know the way to O'Barn's?" he asked through the paper bag in his mouth.

"I was born there," Coin replied, repeating the memorized code phrase. The earth pony dropped the paper bag onto the ground. With a relieved sigh, Coin reached out to take the bag, attempting to exchange it for his suitcase, but the earth pony held the package back.

"You're sure you weren't followed?" he asked gravely, giving Coin a serious look.

"Of course I'm sure," Coin replied, offended. "I did everything you taught me."

"You'd better," his contact replied. "The last thing we need is Phillip Finder following you here."

The sound of that dreaded name made Coin Toss shiver with fright and he glanced around in dread. "Don't worry, mate; we look out for our own," his contact reassured him. "Head back to Ponyville as soon as you can. We'll help you take care of—" He stopped suddenly, struck by a sudden realization, the feeling of being watched. Whirling, he looked up at the rooftop. His gaze locked onto Phillip.

Damn. With a snarl, Phillip leapt off the rooftop, tucking and rolling as he hit the ground and charging right at Coin Toss, who turned just in time to see him coming. His eyes widened in horror and he managed to shriek out half of a terrified curse before Phillip struck him down with a right cross to the jaw. Whirling, Phillip reached out to grab the messenger, but the earth pony deflected it to the side. "Wait!" he cried.

Undeterred, Phillip elbowed his foe in the face to make him stumble, then swung his other elbow at his jaw. The messenger blocked the attack and tried to shove him back, shouting, "Wait a min—!" His protest was cut short when Phillip grabbed his forelegs, pulled him into a knee strike to the gut and dropped him onto his back with a takedown. As he fell, the earth pony knocked over his paper bag, causing its contents to spill out: five thick bundles of brownish powder wrapped in clear plastic. Pinning his captive down with a knee, Phillip seized him by the neck and squeezed. "Where's your boss?" he snarled in his deepest voice, perfectly pitched to sound like distant thunder.

The messenger glared at him, struggling beneath his grip. "Stop...stop!" he choked out. "You bloody gobdaw! I'm with the Guard!"

Phillip did not loosen his grip. "'They say it might rain,'" he growled.

"'Hopefully not until Tuesday!'" the other pony snapped back.

The recognition flashed through Phillip's mind: the phrase was known to all Royal Guard Investigators, one of a number of methods used to recognize undercover agents. He froze for a moment, then slowly released his grip and stood up off the undercover Guard, the weight of his mistake pressing down on his back. The earth pony sat up, rubbing his throat and glaring at Phillip. "Months of undercover work...all gone arseways thanks to you!"

Phillip winced a little at the accusation. Well, mate, this is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into.

Author's Notes:

Indeed, this is a rather fine mess we've all gotten ourselves into. The question is, how do we get out of it?

I've gotten pretty good at keeping regular updates with this. Hopefully, you won't have to wait too long to see what comes next!