They dropped off the Cutie Mark Crusaders with Applejack and Braeburn first: what they had to say might not sit well with the young ones in the first place. When they approached the sheriff and Skyward produced the piece of ember nettle, the sheriff frowned deeply. "Iffen what ya sayin' be true then we got a real problem on our hooves. It might be th work o' the Nettles."

Trouble Shoes snorted and stomped a hoof. "Aw, sassafras an' salt licks. They're 'bout as welcome as sittin' on a cactus!"

Skyward arched a brow. "I... take it these Nettles art not welcome here in this town."

"They're not welcome anywhere in this here part of Equestria, Miz Skyward. The Nettle family's a bunch of no good low down dirty cheatin sons of'..."

"Sheriff! Mind thine tongue! There art 'small ears' here, remember?"

Trouble Shoes and the two deputy ponies had to choke back a howl of laughter at the wide-eyed look from the tough sheriff---the gimlet glare Skyward was giving him was borderline fearsome "Oh uh...right. Anyways, th' Nettle clan cheated their way through a rodeo couple years back. They pulled so many dirty tricks, we even blamed Trouble Shoes for some of 'em. Uh...no offense, Trouble..."

The larger stallion shook his head. "None taken, Sheriff."

Skyward snorted. "So in essence they art ponies not meant to be trusted nor trustworthy. Didst thee banish them from thine territories?"

One of the deputies spoke this time. "Yeah, but they keep sneakin' in an' nopony knows how they do it."

Skyward switched her tail, starting to pace back and forth. "They must be hiding in something, or using disguises. 'Tis not hard to hide a cutie mark, nor hard to dye one's coat or mane. Are any of the Nettle clan unicorns? Or pegasi?"

Sheriff Silverstar shook his head. "Eenope. They're all earth ponies. But ya can leave it t' us, Miz Skyward. Ya'll go on an' enjoy yaself."

Outside of the sheriff's office, Skyward snorted and slammed an armored hoof against the ground so hard she cracked the earth...Trouble Shoes knew the sheriff meant well, but he also could see Skyward wasn't a frail mare wearing a dress and bonnet. She was a tough pony and she solved her own problems, and he knew that dismissal had stung her pride pretty good, she being a fighter and all.

"Ya did real good figgerin' all that out, ya know? Don' feel too bad about it."

"Tch. I am little more than a weakling. Ponies do not take one seriously around here, it seems."

"T' be honest wit' ya, ya ain't a weaklin'. Yer a lot stronger than ya give yerself credit fer, Skyward. Tain't yer fault if some ponies cain't see it."

Skyward sighed, kicking a small stone out of her path with one hoof and shook her mane out of her face. "One wast not strong enough to stop real trouble when one landed right in it."

Trouble Shoes came up beside her, lifting her chin up with one hoof so she was looking at him, a stern look in his eyes. "Now lissen here, Miss Skyward. Don' go talkin' lahke tha' 'bout yerself no more. Everypony makes mistakes. Hay, Ah've made more 'n mah share. I wuz considered an' outlaw once, jus' cuz I kept messin' everythin' up, thinkin' mah cutie mark meant bad luck. But thanks t' Apple Bloom an' her friends, they helped me find mah way."

Skyward shook her head, facing him squarely now with a defiant look. "But I..."

He put a hooftip to her lips, effectively shutting her up. "Nah-ah, no buts 'bout it. Yer strong, yer smart, ya got enough moxie an' gumption t' make a manticore stop in its tracks, an' considerin' how Apple Bloom tole me 'bout how ya rescued 'em an' then ‘elped chase that pack o' Diamond Dogs clear outta th’ Crystal Empire? Jus' shows me ya got a heart o' gold under all that icy lookin’ armor."

Skyward blushed furiously under her fur, turning her bluesteel coat a lavender shade and ducked her head--she was not used to being complimented like this. What was more, this was no flowery speech from a noblestallion, nor shallow flirting from a fellow guardspony or a knight. This rodeo pony was just telling her how he saw her, and made no bones about telling her exactly what was on his mind.

He was being honest.

Skyward bit her lip, doubt still prodding at her soul, but she looked up into Trouble Shoes's warm leaf green eyes. He just smiled at her, and she found herself smiling back at him despite herself.

"So... have ya seen Appleoosa proper yet?"

"Nay, I hath not. Tis' my first visit."

Trouble Shoes removed his hat, looking down at the mare in front of him. "Ah…don' s'ppose Ah could show ya 'round while yer here? Next event's not gonna be till tomorrow anyways."

"Aye. I would love to see thy village."

The huge stallion smiled at her and put his hat back on his head, moving aside slightly and gesturing for her to precede him. She smiled she moved forward...she thought of putting her helm on, but put it in her saddlebag instead, shaking back her loose mane.

"So iffen ya don' mind me askin, Miss Skyward, what's with th' armor? Must be heavy, wearin' it all th' time."

"It is not so heavy as it once was, Trouble Shoes. But where I hail from, danger is ever present. Ye never know if some wild monster seeks to take a bite out of one or an ambush from bandits or raiders. 'Tis habit, as it were. I only take it off when I am bathing, aiding my friend Applejack with her chores, or sleeping."

Trouble Shoes licked his lips, swallowing a little to moisten his suddenly dry throat, and continued talking. "Appleoosa don' get much in th' way of raiders, but we got plenty o' bandits 'round these parts, never mind dust devil wolves, giant boars, th' occasional dragon comin' in from th' Dragon Lands, an' th' Nettle family."

"The more I hear about this clan the more one worries...they must be right bad news for certain?"

Trouble Shoes snorted as they stopped near a cider stand--he bought two mugs of chilled cider and handed her one, much to her surprise and pleasure. "Bad news? Miss Skyward, b'lieve me, tha's one of th' nicer things said 'bout them Nettles."

"Please, call me Skyward. Pray tell, why is that?" She took a drink from her cider and smiled at the taste. Trouble Shoes leaned up against some stacked hay bales and took a pull from his own mug, licked his lips and continued.

"Rumor has it they've done lots worse than jus' cheatin'. Durin' that one rodeo few years back, couple ponies got hurt real bad. An' Ah'm not jest talkin' 'bout mebbe a bruised barrel or a broken leg...Ah mean injuries that could cripple somepony."

Skyward paused in drinking to listen, and Trouble Shoes continued. "Sheriff Silverstar couldn' prove nuthin' 'bout those accidents, 'cept maybe clear my name, but, still. Jest fer cheatin' alone, they can't compete no more, an' they sure as hay ain't welcome here, nor in Dodge City further west o' here."

"...And if they art here? If they art the ones who caused that boar to 'go loco' ?"

Trouble Shoes looked down at her, his green eyes serious. "Iffen they are they're in fer a world o' trouble fer sure. Especially usin' ember nettle. That there plant ain't no good fer nuthin' save maybe using in spice fer stews, an' even then, yer s'pposed t' report any patches t' th' Sheriff right off."

Skyward finished her cider and put the mug back on the stand, her brow furrowed as she sat back on her haunches, thinking hard. Seeing her frown, Trouble Shoes finished his own cider and nudged her gently with one hoof. "C'mon now. There's still lots to see 'round here."

Trouble Shoes showed her around the village...the tavern, where the carriage stand was, the haberdashery, the cider press, the tailor and the barber shop, the clock tower...and finally, Appleoosa's pride and joy...

The town’s massive apple orchard. Unlike the personal ones owned by certain members of Appleoosa, this one could almost rival part of Sweet Apple Acres’s own.

"Goddesses be praised! Look at all those apples!"

Trouble Shoes had to smile at her exuberance and the cute way she pranced in place when she saw the massive orchard. "So, ya like apples, huh?"

"Aye! Mine village grows apples, but we primarily grow pumpkins most of the time. This orchard is amazing. Look how healthy the crop is!"

Trouble Shoes chuckled at her, pleased to see her happy for a change. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she was when she was smiling, or that bright twinkle in those sweet royal blue eyes of hers. She stood atop an outcropping of rock, one hoof slightly raised off the ground. With the armor on, she looked like a warrior of old like in the stories his ma used to tell him, fierce and proud. But when she smiled, or laughed, with the prairie wind blowing through her mane and tail...

She looked so beautiful.

A light pink tinge touched the stallion's cheeks and he glanced down at the stones under his hooves. He could look, aye, dream, certainly, but actually be lucky enough for her to maybe like him back?

"Trouble Shoes? Is something wrong?"

He looked up and saw Skyward was right in front of him, a concerned frown on her pretty face, and head tilted to the right. He forced a chuckle and grinned at her. "Ah'm all right, Skyward. Jus' takin in the sights, ya know? Tain't everyday ya get t' come up here an' see all this. Besides, ya looked like ya were enjoyin' yaself."

"I am. This is the most fun I hath had since I was a foal, playing in my mother's weaving basket," she giggled, and he laughed. "Bet ya got yerself inta all kinds o' trouble."

"Oh believe me, my mother had a fit when she saw me in her basket tangled in her yarn. My sire could not stop laughing, even when she was chasing him with a rolling pin to get him to shut his muzzle."

Trouble Shoes guffawed, pawing the ground with one hoof. "Sounds like th' time Ah got mah head stuck in a barrel when Ah wuz five. See, I wuz practicin' t' enter rodeo school, 'an wouldn't ya know it, Ah trip over mah own hooves somehow. Don' ask me how Ah did it--Ah ended up muzzle first in that barrel an' couldn' fer th' life o' me figger out how th' hay Ah got in there."

Skyward grinned when he finished telling her his story, and responded with one how her brother Tempest Wing had woken up one day with his mane dyed bright pink and had bows in it, and he roared with laughter.

"Now who coulda it 'ave been Ah wonder?"

"Nopony one is certain," Skyward replied, but there was a none too innocent grin on her face and she started laughing too. "Now tha' reminds me o' th' time I went an..."

They stayed up on the ridge and swapped funny stories and pranks for about a good hour or two, before he escorted her back down the ridge and back to the rodeo ring. She nibbled at a caramel apple and laughed at Trouble Shoes's antics along with the other clowns during his training. He shot her a wink and she grinned back at him in return--then started laughing when one of the other clowns pegged him with a mud pie by 'mistake'.

"Hey, Skyward!"

Still giggling, the unicorn mare turned her head and saw the other Ponyville mares coming up behind her.

"Where were ya, sugarcube? We've been lookin' all over for ya," Applejack wanted to know, and Skyward smiled. "Ah, Trouble Shoes just wanted to show one about his village before the next show on the morrow, 'tis all."

She took another bite out of her apple, turning her head back to watch the show, and Rarity smiled knowingly. "Ooooh, did he now? Are you sure that is all he..."

Rarity suddenly found a half eaten caramel apple in her mouth and a warning look from the Haylian mare. "Do not even think of going there. He wast just being nice, is all, and truth be told this is the first time I hath been to this village. T’was kind of him to show one about."

Applejack choked back a snicker at Skyward's move on shutting Rarity's mouth, and smiled instead at her friend, though some small part of her 'squeed' at the thought of Skyward on a date with somepony, impromptu though it had been. "True 'nough. But, seems t' me ya had a good time, right? S'what matters."

Skyward nodded, turning back to watch and snickering at Trouble Shoes' antics along with the other clowns. What she didn't notice was the smirks, knowing glances, and stifled giggling from her friends. As ponies began to disperse, she caught his eye and he waved at her. She smiled back at him, and gave him a jaunty salute and a wink before she turned and walked off.

Back at Braeburn's, where the lot of them were staying, helped to fix dinner and set the large picnic table in the backyard. Apple Bloom and the fillies were playing under a huge apple tree while the elder ponies got everything ready. Skyward carried dishes to the outside and set them on the table while Applejack and Braeburn were grilling hayburgers, Fluttershy was peeling potatoes for home fries and more apples for other dishes, Rainbow Dash set the table in 'ten seconds flat', Rarity put out breadbaskets and napkins, butter and preserves and honey, and Pinkie Pie was checking on the apple crumble, apple pie...and Skyward had brought her pumpkin soup recipe from home. It was bubbling away on the hearth, the unicorn checking the flavor, shaking her head and adding a touch more goat cheese. She stirred it in, nodded, and replaced the lid, turning--

"Mmm-mm! Whatever ya got cookin' in that there pot sure smells great, Skyward!"

Skyward almost smacked Braeburn with the wooden spoon out of shock--Din's ruby horn, did the stallion make any noise?

"It...it is mine sire's pumpkin soup recipe."

"Well, it sure smells mighty tasty!"

Applejack glanced over her shoulder-- she knew Skyward liked Braeburn, but as a friend. Unfortunately for Skyward, Braeburn did seem a little too interested and the orange coated mare knew that was going to scare her friend off from even thinking about going near her cousin. Braeburn didn’t mean any harm and he was naturally outgoing, but Skyward didn’t seem to like that kind of temperament—especially since the orange coated mare knew that the Haylian unicorn had been hurt before and was, as a result, skittish of stallion attentions. She shooed her cousin out, telling him to go get the cider ready, and once he was out of earshot, she turned to her friend.

“Braeburn didn’ scare ya, did he, Skyward?”

The Haylian mare heaved a sigh. "Truly, Applejack, thy cousin is a good stallion, I doubt it not...but..."

"Yer not interested in him, right?"

Skyward pawed the floor with one hoof. "...I pray ye are not angry with me for not being so. Do not misunderstand--he is nice, a handsome one to be sure, but...he is not, as Rarity would say; 'my type'."

Applejack shook her head at her friend, flipping apple rings in a skillet, adding sugar and butter to the hot pan. "Honey, yer gonna find somepony who's gonna take one good look and he's gonna fall head over hindquarters fer ya. Braeburn's gonna be loud an' besides--Ah know Cherries Jubilee's got her eye on 'im fer sure."

Skyward grinned and elbowed Applejack. "One wouldst think thou wanted them to be wed, eh?"

Applejack snorted, but both mares busted out laughing at that. Braeburn stuck his head in the back door, smiling at seeing his cousin and her friend laughing.

"Hey, AJ; we got a small problem out here."

"Oh, consarn it...what is it, Brae?"

The amber stallion looked sheepishly at his annoyed cousin. "Uh, we're almost outta cider...an' we're gonna need some considerin' most of it went towards makin' those fritters."

"Oh good gravy...Skyward, think ya could be a dear an' go get some more?"

"Assuredly, Applejack. One wouldst find it at the cider press, aye?"

"Got it all in one, sugarcube. Here's th' bits for the keg."

Skyward took the bit bag and was gone in a flash, heading for town. She did get a few odd looks from ponies, given she still wore her armor and hoofcovers, and had her sword and shield, but she ignored that.

She entered the cider press and explained her situation to the group of stallions behind the counter. She handed them the bag of Bits for the huge keg they got for her, and as Skyward began examining the keg, her right ear twitched backwards, picking up on what the group of stallions were saying.

“Ha! M’bettin’ ten Bits she can’t lift that there keg!”

“Heh, she’s gonna hafta use her magic t’ get the job done, so Ah won that bet already, Fresh Press.”

“Hey, Ah don’ see her movin’ it jest yet so don’ go countin’ the apple seeds afore they’re planted, Hardy Arbor.”

Insulted and annoyed at their arrogant presumptions, Skyward squared her shoulders and set herself to pushing the keg of cider proper—damned if she'd use her magic in front of these stuck-up bunch of jackasses. To the other ponies’ surprise, it was moving—how physically strong was this unicorn anyway? The stallion with the rolling barrel on his flank came around from behind the counter and approached Skyward, who was easing the barrel off the lip of the porch and onto the ground using her hooves, leverage, and her back to carefully get it onto the ground without jarring it open.

"Uh...okay; guess we were wrong 'bout 'cha. Yer pretty strong all right. Ya want any help with that?"

"Ye wanted me to move this thing, and so one shalt move it," came the cool reply. That told the others right off they'd offended her, and they looked at one another as she continued to roll the keg along on her own. She wasn’t even using magic—unicorn or not she was obviously stubborn as all hay get out. The stallion with the cider press cutie mark on his flank walked around the counter and crossed to where the mare was messing with the keg…

But the second he got too close Skyward aimed a kick at him, which missed as he jumped back to avoid being struck: she laid back her ears, her royal blue eyes snapping with anger.

"Leave me be, damn you. Thou hath made thy opinion known; so, one shalt prove ye wrong," she snarled, and turned back around as she continued pushing the keg along.

"Oh c’mon now! We didn' mean anythin' by it! Jest--hey! Watch it!"

"I said, get away. Last warning," came the growled reply as Skyward turned around to face the stallion in question--her ears were fully backed and she was more than ready to kick or bite.

"For corn's sakes, ya crazy mare, we're jest tryin' t' help ya!"

"Oh well one shalt keep that in mind the next time ye open thine maws and spew forth insults." came the icy retort as she spun on her heels, smacking the stallion in the muzzle sharply with her tail as she began to move the keg once more, leaving the shocked stallions in her wake.

"Can ya believe..."

"We didn' mean her no harm..."

"Well, Ah say it serves th' lot o' ya right. Ah can't blame her fer bein' mad. Just 'cause she's a unicorn n'all, don' mean she ain't strong like us earth ponies."

Skyward stopped in her tracks in surprise and turned around to see Trouble Shoes leaning against the next storefront over, and he was glaring at the cider press ponies, who had the grace to look ashamed. He was chewing on a stalk of wheat before he spat it aside and glowered at the group of stallions. "Honestly, didn' yer mothers teach ya any manners? She's a visitor t' our town an' a lady, an' ya don' treat a ladylike that!"

Fresh Press backed his ears, stepping forward. “Look, we…”

Trouble Shoes snorted at them, cutting the stallion off mid-sentence. “Shut it, Fresh Press. Besides, ain’t ya forgettin’ th’ boar she tossed on th’ ground like a sack o’ winter wheat? Th’ only magic she used was fer her sword an’ shield…an’ she barely used ‘em t’ begin with, aside from givin’ that boar th’ ‘eadache o’ th’ century when she bashed tha’ boar wit’ it, never mind giving it a solid buck t’ the snout first off. Ya might wanna remember that afore ya mess wit’ ‘er.”

The group of stallions looked properly chastised—Trouble Shoes crossed to Skyward, who twitched her ears, looking up at the huge stallion when he approached her. “I thank thou for coming to mine defense, Trouble Shoes. I…”

Trouble Shoes chuckled gently at her. "Nonsense. Here, mind if Ah lend ya a hoof, Miss Skyward? Ah know ya got 'nough gumption t' move it on yer own, but if ya don' mind...?"

Leaf green met royal blue, and she blinked, wondering at the strong sense of familiarity. She mentally shook it off and inclined her head. "...If thou so kindly insists, then aye--I shalt accept thy help, thank thee."

"No trouble at all, Miss Skyward. Where ya tryin' t' take this thing?"

"Farmer Braeburn Apple's ranch-house. His cousin Applejack asked me to obtain more cider since they ran out."

Trouble Shoes grinned at her as he rolled the barrel into a cart close by and indicated for her to lead the way. The cart belonged to the cider press ponies, but that was also what the cart was there for—delivering cider kegs and other things besides. Skyward bit her lip, glancing down at the beaten earth beneath her hooves before she glanced at him again.

"...One owes you much...thou didst not have to defend me, good stallion."

Trouble Shoes shook his head at her as he carried the heavy keg for her, giving her a comforting smile. "Ain't no call fer 'em t' treat ya the way they did, Miss Skyward. Yer a visitor t' our town, an' yer a lady t' boot. They shoulda known better than t' treat as as bad as they did. 'Have t' admit, 'm surprised ya was able to roll this thing as far as ya could. Most unicorns wouldn' even think o' doin' that."

"My sire wast an earth pony. And what he told me made sense...one has a strong back and four good hooves. Magic is nice, but...when all fails, a good bite or kick usually gets one's point across."

Trouble Shoes chuckled at her. "Yer pappy's a wise stallion, sounds like. So, yer here fer the rodeo with yer friends?"

"Aye. Applejack was gracious enough to have us all along, since her kinstallion Braeburn cannot compete because of a recent injury to his right foreleg. The doctor told him he could compete if he willed, but he strongly advised not doing so."

The Clydesdale-esque stallion shook his head. "Nah--when Doc says 'don' do somethin foalish', it means ya ain't gonna do it nohow. Braeburn was smart 'nough t' call in a stand-in."

Skyward nodded her head. "One had to do that as well, once. Once, I caught a cold...it got so bad, I could not stop sneezing. Shot a spell out of my window doing so and turned the guardspony outside into a bird by mistake..."

She rolled her eyes, and Trouble Shoes laughed. "Ah remember bein' sick mahself once. Trouble was; back then, Ah always thought mah cutie mark meant bad luck. Upside down horseshoe n'all, yanno? But anyways. Ah coughed an' fell outta bed, tangled mahself up in th' sheets--mah Ma screamed t' high heaven 'cause she thought Ah was one o' those ghost ponies she'd been hearin' bout from mah Pa."

Skyward sputtered and tried not to laugh, but it was no use--she started giggling. "Mine...mine apologies--snicker--one did not mean to <sputter> hurt thy feelings, 'tis just..."

Trouble Shoes chuckled, giving her a nudge with one hoof <albeit a light one so he didn't push her over> and winked down at her. "Hey, iffen Ah made ya laugh, then it means Ah'm doin' mah job right. Funny thing is, fer th' longest time Ah thought mah cutie mark meant bad luck. But thanks to Apple Bloom an' her friends, they helped me figger out what mah mark really means."

Skyward sobered, turning to look at her own flank. Though she knew what lay there, hidden beneath her princess's glamour spell...

Was her mark, her ancestor's mark, only meant to make her line suffer? How many heroes had borne this, and for what cause, aside from saving Hayrule? There had to be a reason...

"Maybe one day I shalt find out what mine is..."

Trouble Shoes gave her a comforting nudge, and she glanced up at him. "When yer mark comes in, it'll tell ya, Sky. What d'ya think yer gonna get?"

Skyward opened her mouth to reply, but a whoop from up ahead got their attention as Applejack came up to meet them. "There ya are, Skyward! Ya run inta any trouble?"

"Ah--nothing that we could not handle, Applejack," Skyward replied, and Trouble Shoes smiled at her as Applejack went to retrieve the cider keg. "Ah'll be on mah way then, an' return this t' the cider press..."

The farmpony snorted, beckoning to the bigger stallion with her forehoof. "Nonsense! We got plenty o' room! C'mon in, Trouble Shoes!"

When the fillies spotted their huge friend, they ran over to him and hugged him, chattering all the while about how happy they were to see him and how great he was in the clown show. Skyward smiled at the sight--t'was heartwarming to see indeed how gentle he was with the fillies. She set another place for the stallion, and when mealtime came, found herself seated next to him.

Applejack smiled from further down the table as she watched the Haylian unicorn interact with the rodeo star. She had a good feeling about those two--she hoped she was proven right. Unicorn or not, Skyward was no stuck up mage like Trixie had been, and she was a farmpony by birthright. She grinned when Skyward laughed at something the large stallion said, and caught the Haylian mare's eye, giving her a knowing wink.

Skyward flushed and shot her a look in reply, only to get a "I-Don't-Believe-Ya" grin from her honorary kin-sister. The orange farmpony hid her giggling as the bluesteel unicorn turned back to her food. It was funny seeing two ponies showing interest in one another, but it was bucking obvious to everypony else but themselves. Applejack wasn't one for matchmaking, but...

Maybe this once, she could make an exception.