Author's Notes:

A special thank you to our guest editors for this chapter, jumping in while Thuderblast deals with work and school.

So a big thank you to Mocha Star

and

Bahamuttone

I sat there staring at the evidence board I'd acquired from Barnyard Bargains. Words written haphazardly above and between pictures on scrap paper of scenes and ponies; strings of yarn connecting it all with pins. A timetable of events to the far right was something Cortland made in his off time.

A knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to see Twilight poke her head in. “Shane, you need to take a break. You've missed two meals and I insist you have lunch. Poor Golden asked me to ask you because you yelled at her last time.”

I exhaled. “Yea, I should tell her I am sorry,” looking back at the board. “But, damn it Twilight, the answer is here. I know it. Someone,” I paused and pointed my finger at her with a scowl to boot, “don’t do it.”

But she did, smirking at me. “Somepony.”

I rolled my eyes and continued where I left off. “Set that so-called suicide up. Everything is too perfect; the note, the room, it was what's called an orgy of evidence, it was too good to be true.”

Twilight giggled at my analogy as she walked over and sat down next to me, looking at the board. “You think somepony…” I heard the gulp and forlorn tone of her voice. “M-murdered Arrowhead Trident?”

I gave a nod and gestured to the area with his event. “I think so, yes, and I think they then set things up to look like a suicide.”

I tapped the incident report I had received directly from the Canterlot guard two days ago. "Captain Crossed Swords himself had interceded during the investigation and had gone over the scene with. Seems the name Canterlot Ranger was carrying some weight."

She opened the report to read and I was not surprised by that. Book Princess is Book Princess. This was something new to learn, even if it was a morbid subject. Also, it paid to have someone who didn’t think like a soldier or a cop look at things.

About ten minutes in, while I was sipping a cup of coffee and looking at a different case, she tapped me with her hoof. “Shane, why was the bathroom door found locked?”

Ok, that made me blink and I turned to look at where she tapped her hoof on the page. “Right here, it says the bathroom door was found locked, that seems unusual considering Mr. Arrow was found in the hall,” her face fell some, “having fallen off the banister.”

My mind turned that over and over again as I took the folder and looked at the page when something else caught my attention. “The bathroom window was locked, but they found a small shred of ribbon hanging on the windowsill,” I mumbled to myself and started to tap a finger to my chin.

“What are you thinking about, Shane?”

I turned to the evidence board again, then said in a slow tone, “Let’s say, some- somepony was still there when the maid, Miss,” I glanced at the board finding her name, “Floorsweep came in and found Arrowhead’s body.”

Twilight tilted her head in curiosity, gesturing with a hoof for me to continue.

“Now, let's say they had to get out fast, but they are a professional. They know better than to leave behind anything suspicious. They run into the bathroom and lock the door to keep her from finding them, after hearing her scream,” I paused and flipped a few pages to Floorsweep's interview.

Twilight looked at me again, then at the folder. “So how would they have locked the window again from the outside? Unicorn magic?”

I smiled. “What if they tied a bit of ribbon or string around the window lock, slipped out, closed the window, and tugged the string so it locked and made it look like they were never there, then snapped it off with a harder tug? Unicorn or not, it'd work.”

Her eyes flicked side to side then widened while she banged her hoof into the ground. “It would explain... oh, but Shane, that would mean he was murdered,” her ears went flat “Why? Why would somepony do that?”

I exhaled and pointed at the board with pictures and names on it. “Somepony up there didn’t want Arrowhead to talk. In cop terms, they plugged the leak.”

I could see her grow sad and upset at the idea. I reached down and put my hand on her neck lightly. “Sorry Twilight, I know that doesn’t go over well with you ponies.”

She grew quiet and looked at the pictures before she spoke again. “It still doesn’t answer why the Apples were targeted.”

I frowned and glanced over at her. “What if they were just a means to an end?”

Turning her head and looking at me, I tried to hide my thoughts from her, but she saw right past it all. “You think the attack was an attempt to get to you.” Not a question, a realization statement.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as she brushed her nose along my arm. A kind of fondness thing I have found most ponies seem to do to show care. “Write this up, Princess Celestia should know about your theory.”

I nodded my head. “Yea, and now we have to wait for whoever did this to tip their hand, er, hoof, again.”

---

I spent the rest of the day working after making up with Golden for yelling at her. Cort was out south of Ponyville looking into a report we had of a bandit. He had Lightning with him, it was her first time on a field mission.

Cort and I had talked a lot about her in private and both of us agreed she had the makings of a good lawmare, his words not mine. She was a bit green, still a young and arrogant, but with some training she might just make the leap from message corps to a sworn badge carrying officer.

Speaking of, I had Cort’s Christmas, or Hearthswarming as they call it, gift to pick up. I had given him a rugged oil coat, but this was something I really wanted him to have.

I said goodnight to Golden as I walked past her and into town, heading for the blacksmiths.

Ponies didn't look at me with mistrust or fear and it was a good feeling to get a wave, smile, or a heartfelt 'evening ranger' as I walked past. Folks seemed to have taken to the idea of having real law enforcement in Ponyville.

I spotted the old grey stallion selling wood and he gestured me over. “G’d evenin', Burnt Oak, getting ready to close up shop?”

He gave me a nod, tipping his hat up. “Here in a bit. Listen, Ranger, I wanted to talk to you. Ah know you and Applejack are," he paused, "growing closer.”

I gave him a bit of a nod. “We, are yes,” I said with an honest feeling in my heart while looking him in the eyes.

He gave a nod. “Ah figure I owe her Pa to keep my eye on things. I also figure you are a right good stallion.” I saw his eyes sparkle a bit, this was pretty clearly an emotional thing for him.

He stuck his hoof out to me and I reached out, gripping it with my hand. “Her Pa would have approved to have you around the family.”

Of all the things ponies had said to me in the last few months this hit me pretty hard. I tightened my grip, and I gave him a nod back. “That means a lot. More than I got words for.”

He smiled and pulled his hoof back, setting it on the ground. “Ah figured, you just keep doing what you're doing. Ah think Buttercup and Bright Mac would have been downright proud of Applejack’s choice in a stallion.”

I smiled back at him and tipped my hat to him, changing the subject. “I hear tell someone moved in with you.”

He smiled and tipped his hat up, showing the brightness of his face. Guess being a guy in love is just like being a guy in love no matter what world you are in. “Don’t know why she puts up with me, but I guess it took us long enough to figure things out.”

I chuckled and turned heading for the blacksmith’s shop. "Yer a good stallion's why, Burnt Oak. Now, I've gotta go, but we'll catch up again soon."

He hummed agreement and turned back to his wood chopping.

---

The front of the shop was unlike what one might think for a blacksmith's shop. It was clean with displays of not only household items like coat racks and art, but there was a wall of weapons and armor for sale as well.

The center of the big showroom floor was dedicated to large items such as plows and cart wheels.

Standing behind the counter was a large purple mare with yellow mane. Next to her standing in the opening of the counter was a little purple and pinkish maned filly.

“Well, Ranger, what brings you in this evening. We were just getting geared up to close.”

The quite filly spoke up in a soft tone, knowing why I was there. “Daddy's in the back, Ranger McDonald, sir.”

I smiled. “Good afternoon Hammer Forge, and hello to you too Lili, I was wondering if Anvil was done with that special order?”

Hammer Forge smiled and gave a nod. “Lili dear, go and get the ranger’s order. It's in the back, on the shelf... and tell your father to come out and say hi.”

The little filly trotted to and through a door leading to the back. The scent of iron wafted out. I leaned on the counter. “Lili's going to be as big as her mother soon,” I smiled.

The mare nodded with a smile. “Bigger. I think she might rival Big Macintosh when she grows up,” she joked.

I spent a minute making small talk with Hammer before Lili came back out with a large and very ornate stained oak box on her back with her father behind her. I watched as a mountain of a stallion looked at me with a toothy smile, his deep purple mane set off by the dark black of his pelt. You could see the hints of Lunar Pony heritage in him.

“Why Shane, good to see you. I just finished that up yesterday,” he gestured to the box his daughter carried out like it was nothing. She waited until I had a good grip, then stepped back as I lifted it with an exhale, setting it on the counter.

“Thank you for getting this done, Anvil. I hope it wasn't too much of a pain, what with regulations and all.”

He shook his head. “Think nothing of it,” he said as I opened the box and smiled at the contents inside, closing it up again as he continued. “Lili here forged the side plate with the cutie mark on it.”

I blinked and looked down at the blushing little filly. She gave a squeak and whispered, “I wanted to make it extra special.”

I smiled to her with a tip of my hat. “Thank you, Lili. I think it will be perfect and Cortland will love it. Now, remember, mums the word. If Apple Bloom finds out she might slip and say something without meaning to.”

Lili lifted her hoof and crossed over her heart then put it to her eye.
I reached down and gave her a soft pat on the head and got another adorable squeak in payment for the gesture.

“I assume Dusty Shelf got your invoice filed?”

The big stallion gave a nod to his wife who smiled at me. “Paid in full, Ranger, it's all yours.”

They helped me wrap the large wood case up in plain paper and with a little help getting in onto a dolly they let me borrow, I went right for home. I hummed as I walked at the word home. I really was calling the farm that, and truth be told it felt like it. Perhaps even more than the cabin had ever felt and there was a good reason why.

---

Once more, like most days this winter, Applejack was spending time with me in my barn room. The fire roared inside the old Franklin stove warming the place nicely. I glanced over at her, the two of us were sitting on the small sofa she and Big Mac had given me for a birthday present last month just before the attack had happened.

Currently, I had my arm around her and we were both reading: her the paper, me one of Dash’s Daring Do books. I had promised her I would give them a chance even if they were total Indiana Jones rip-offs.

I set the book onto my lap using my thumb to hold my page. “Just a lot on my mind, Jackie.” She always got a light pink blush on her cheeks when I called her that. It brought a smile to my face. “This case just keeps getting harder and harder to figure out.”

She gave a nod and her ears lowered slightly as she turned her head to look me right in the eyes. “Ah was meaning, more... this, us," she asked with wavering confidence. "How yer feeling about, well, about me being a pony and all that.”

I gently closed the book, setting it aside, and looked at her and sighed. “It’s hard for me Jackie, but it isn't at all about you. I mean every word when I say that I am honestly in love with you.”

She looked up into my eyes, judging me before she pounced on me and I was suddenly reminded just how powerful ponies were compared to me. She planted her right hoof on my chest and held me back into the arm of the sofa.

Sliding her body so her barrel was pressed against my belly and chest I found myself pinned and looking right into her emerald colored eyes, I swear I could feel her soul.

“Shane, Ah know and," she gulped, "Ah feel the same way. I ain’t felt this way bout nopony, but I figure it's a right good feelin' to follow.”

Lifting my right hand up to cup her cheek I leaned in. A part of my brain thought about such things as upbringing and social problems started to scream at me. It was a sin, but I was about to kiss a horse.

My heart knew better, and just to shut that stupid voice up I tilted my head to the right and moved forward the scant few inches that separated us, pressing into Jackie’s soft lips with mine in our second kiss.

She hesitated at first, then kind of melted into it as her eye closed and she relaxed into my embrace. I didn’t care about anything but her, even though my heart hammered in my chest like a boy getting his first real kiss.

I slid my hand up into her mane and the kiss went from soft to something far more as I pulled her mane a bit. For just that moment, as odd as our face shapes were together, things fit. I couldn’t help myself, I was lost in it as much as she was as I moaned into her mouth.

It was when she mewled that I gave in and parted my lips letting our kiss go far deeper than I had shared with anyone since or even before, Shawna. Our tongues danced the dance of lovers shared for eons only to break as she lifted her head back and took in a long gasping breath of air.

For my part, I shifted some, hoping to hide things that had... reacted from pressing into her lower belly. I hoped it wasn't in her teats, no excusing that one. She looked down at me and smiled softly. “Ah'll have to give you a nine point eight on that one.”

It was my turn to blush as I looked up at her and chuckled. “Jackie, thank you for, for understanding how hard this has been for me and helping me through it.”

“Sugarcube, Ah'm here for the long hall. Ah don't have any intentions of going at any pace but yours,” then she paused and got that sly, knowing smirk of hers on her face. “But, Ah would say that ain’t the only thing that’s hard on ya.”

To quote the great Sheriff Buford T. Justice ”Ooof”