It was early in the dawn as Twilight and Sunset packed the relief supplies in their carriage just as Spike-wearing his armor and helmet-approached them with four other guards. Twilight smiled at the guard wearing golden armor next to Spike as her brother formally introduced his troops.
"Twilight, Sunset, this is Sir Flash Sentry, Sir Spitfire, Sir Soarin' Skies, and Sir Bulk Biceps." they bowed at the ladies.
The girls curtsied back at them with Twilight saying, "It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
Sir Spitfire said in a deep voice, "The pleasure is ours, Maid Twilight Sparkle."
Flash stated, "When Spike told us about your plan, we wanted to join right away."
Bulk proclaimed, "Yeah!"
Soarin' told his comrade, "Easy there, pal, we don't want to wake up the entire castle."
Spike said, "Right, it's still pretty early, the sun hasn't even come up yet."
Sunset told them, "We're doing this without the prince's knowledge, so the less he knows about this the better. Instead, he thinks that Twilight is visiting relatives and that is why we need you to keep quiet about our true mission."
Spitfire motioned, "You have our vow as Queen Celestia and Princess Luna's most trusted knights of the realm." he bowed followed by the others.
Twilight smiled, "I commend you on your loyalty."
Soarin' explained, "Most of the knights haven't forgotten who our true rulers are and try their best to keep the example set by the royal sisters of helping those in need. Of course, Prince Blueblood has made that mostly difficult."
Sunset and Twilight nodded.
Flash mentioned, "That's why we want to thank you for giving us this opportunity."
Sunset beamed and replied, "You're very welcome. Now, then, we should get going before someone catches on to what we're really doing."
They all agreed as Twilight and Sunset went straight into the carriage while Spike climbed onto the coachman's stand, taking the reins to signal the horses to get going. While the other guards walked on foot forming a platoon around the carriage.
The sun had risen high into the sky by the time they were on the road away from Canterlot. Twilight had inquired to Flash that was close to her from her carriage window.
"Are you sure we shouldn't stop for you and the other knights to rest?"
Flash assured her, "This is what we were trained to do, milady, so we're perfectly fine."
Sir Spitfire was ahead of him and looked back to state, "He's right, your ladyship, we wouldn't be the Queen's guards if we needed to stop to rest all the time."
Soarin' pointed from the other side of the carriage, "We had some intense training so that's why we're able to stick it out as long as we can."
Twilight said uneasily, "Well okay, but if any of you feel tired or hungry, you let me know right away."
Flash smiled, "As you wish, my lady."
They kept on going.
Applejack wore a cloak and dark glasses, while using a cane making people think she was a blind person as she wandered through the village watching the people she and her friends had helped with Baron Rich's money. It made her heart swell with joy as she could see their happy faces. Then some wanted posters on a nearby tree caught her eye and she could see she and her family were there and it stated that the sheriff was offering a huge reward for their capture but there was an extra reward for her if she was taken to Lord Trenderhoof.
She thought bitterly, Guess that means that varmint is not givin' up on marrying me…
By then, Rainbow Dash-also wearing a cloak-came close by her side and inconspicuously whispered to her, "We got trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"Three of the Sheriff's men, the Diamond Brothers, have been sent here to protect the Rich family, which means-"
Applejack filled in, "Which means, they'll be watching Filthy's every move and he won't be able to give us anymore money without him bein' seen."
Rainbow added, "Not mention there's a chance of us getting caught if we try to stage another robbery."
"Is it possible to get a message to him?"
"Not unless you want one of those brothers to intercept it."
Applejack pondered long and hard on this as it was quite the tricky situation. Till finally she said, "The only thing I can think of is to wait them out. Eventually they'll realize that the baron won't need protection and go back to Canterlot."
Dash voiced out, "Except there's a major flaw in that plan. For as much as we have given the people what they need to tie them over for awhile, you know we're going to need the Baron's money again to help them out again and if those Diamond Brothers haven't left by then…"
"I know, but let's see if this does work first. In the meantime, this gives us a chance to finish training the girls and for us to work on our outposts."
"That reminds me, I almost got enough building material to starting working on my half of the forest but I still need some things."
Applejack inquired, "Such as?"
"Rope, for starters. Then I need some more nails and string, and an axe to chop more wood."
"What happen to your own?"
"I was just chopping the firewood last night when suddenly the handle broke off!"
Applejack shook her head and sighed, "I can get you the rope, nails, and string, but you're goin' have to wait on that axe. I'm usin' it right now to cut the wood I need for my outpost."
"Well hurry it up! The faster we get these outposts done, the faster we can do more good for this village."
AJ sarcastically replied, "Gee, never thought of that."
The carriage was still going by the time the sun was up high in the sky. From the position of the sun, Twilight could tell it was noon. She also noticed that their guard escorts were slowing down looking hot and weary. She told Sunset, "I think now would be a good time for us to eat our picnic lunch we packed this morning."
Her lady-in-waiting agreed, "Yes, we do need to keep our strength up especially since we're almost there."
Twilight called out, "Spike!"
He called back, "Way ahead of you." he slowed the horses down and pulled them to the side of the road where he stopped them in a meadow full of wildflowers. Sunset and Twilight wasted no time in unpacking their basket they brought with them just as their escorts took a load off to rest in the pasture. Spike had set the horses free so they could graze on the grass.
Twilight offer the knights food and drink to which they graciously accepted.
Flash had commented, "You're very kind, milady."
Twilight could only blush.
Spike had noticed their brief exchange, and felt unsure of how to feel toward them. On one hand, he was happy to see his sister expressing interest to his friend but he was also hesitant on encouraging the attraction given he didn't want Twilight to get hurt. Not that he thought Flash wasn't a great guy but he wanted his sister to be happy and he hoped Flash could deliver that happiness if possible.
While they were still busy eating, they didn't see the two men walking up the road pulling a cart full of merchandise. They had red and white hair and one of them had a mustache.
The one without the mustache commented when seeing the travelers, "Well looky what we have here brother of mine. Weary travelers that are stopping for a bite to eat."
"Indeed, brother. And judging from that grand carriage they're traveling in, they're very rich travelers."
The brothers exchanged smirks as they got closer. The group turned to them and Twilight inquired, "May we help you, good sirs?"
The one with the mustache said, "Other way around, young lady, we can help you."
Spike gave a skeptical look and asked, "How so?"
"Permit us to introduce ourselves, I'm Flim and this is my brother, Flam."
Flam took over, "We are but humble merchants selling our wares to raise money for those suffering under the new tax laws."
This intrigued the group with Spike and Twilight saying, "You are?"
Flim replied, "But of course!"
Flam motioned toward the cart full of stuff, "We got spinning wheels, a wine press, mechanical clocks, a compound crank, and even a chess set!"
Sunset commented, "That sure is a lot of wares."
Flim stated, "All the more you can buy! And it's such for a good cause… Why just the other day we were passing a child and his mother who were on the verge of starvation and thanks to a recent sale we made, we were able to give them the money they needed to end their hunger!"
Spike smiled, "That was nice of you."
Flam said, "It's our honor to help those that need more than we do, wouldn't you agree?"
Twilight declared, "We do. And we would like to purchase some of your items so we can help too."
Both brothers said with a grin, "Help yourself!"
Twilight, Sunset, and Spike looked over the choices with Twilight choosing the chess game, Sunset taking a clock, and Spike took a crank. Once they paid for their items. Flim proclaimed.
"Pleasure doing business with you." he shook Spike's hand before he and his brother took their cart and went back on the road.
Once they were sure that the travelers weren't listening, Flam smirked, "There's one born every minute, brother."
Flim smirked back, "Indeed, brother. Our business has certainly been booming ever since Prince Blueblood took charge. By appealing to someone's kind nature by making them think we're giving that money to the needy, when really, we keep it all to ourselves!"
They chuckled.
Meanwhile, Spike was telling his sister, "Those were some nice fellows, they were doing the exact same thing we're doing by helping others."
She agreed, "It is pretty admirable."
Sunset was looking over her clock in which the hour hands weren't moving and slightly shook it. "Hmm… I think I might have gotten a defective clock…" she shrugged, "Oh well, it's not important, just knowing we did a good deed is what matters to me."
The others nodded in agreement.
Applejack wiped her brow after finishing with chopping the wood she needed for her outpost. She looked up to the large tree that she would make her base out of and started to make a pulley system to get the wood up to the top. She looked down to see her plans one last time as she began to pull with her saying.
"Won't be long now." and went back to work.
Spike had the carriage roll right into the village with the other knights walking right beside it.
"It's just as how we had left it." he said.
Twilight commented with a smile, "It certainly is…" but she had noticed from her carriage window that the townspeople they were passing by seemed less lively then they were in her youth.
Spike had noticed the same thing and felt troubled by it, making him think.
This used to be the happiest place in the world… But now thanks to Prince Blueblood, he's just made things miserable… Giving no one a chance to enjoy life as they should…
Suddenly a handful of guards came up to them and commanded them to halt.
The head guard addressed them, "Sir Spike, what are you and Maid Twilight Sparkle doing here?"
Spike tried to think of an excuse but couldn't, luckily his sister got out of the carriage to tell the knight, "We're on our way to meet with Baron Rich as we have some important business with him involving the condition of my family's lands. I want to see how they have fare in this time of the Prince's new laws."
The guard replied, "Oh, of course, your ladyship. We would be honored to escort you and your entourage to the estate."
Spike inquired, "Why is that? We can easily get to the estate by ourselves."
"Yes, Sir Spike, I have no reason to doubt that you and your men can protect your sister and her maid but this is just extra precaution if you will given we had a recent scare with bandits robbing from the Baron."
"BANDITS?!" the group shouted out in surprise.
The head guard stated, "And I'm afraid that's not all, one of our men was attacked by an insurgent by shooting an arrow into his leg as he was patrolling the boarders of the forest and that is where the Baron was also robbed only there was more of them."
Twilight voiced, "This is very troubling news…" she eyed Sunset who nodded.
"So if you will please follow us…" the head guard took the lead with his team right behind him. Spike signaled the horses to go and they were on their way to the Baron's estate.
Filthy had greeted Twilight with open arms before taking her, Spike, and Sunset into his office where the Diamond Brothers were there standing guard on the side of the room.
"I must say this is quite an unexpected visit, I thought everything was settled between us once you and Sir Spike moved away with Prince Shining Armor."
"It was," Twilight started. "But as we are still the owners to the property that you have cared for so long now I wanted to check in to see how things were going."
"But you've always sent someone else to do that, why now are you doing this?"
She quickly replied, "I always wanted to come back to see how everything has fared since I left, but my duties prevented me to do so until now. The point is, Filthy, that I have come to inspect my holdings and it is your duty to let me see them."
He motioned, "Go right ahead."
"One more thing, we've also heard that bandits had robbed you, I'm very pleased that you and your family were not hurt during that."
Filthy made a slight flinch since he knew firsthand that the robbery was staged and the fact that he knew that those bandits happen to be Maid Twilight's own childhood friends. He wanted to tell her this but with the Sheriff's men watching this very moment, he couldn't. Instead he told her, "Yes, we were very fortunate to live through that."
"Did you lose much?" Spike asked.
"Oh, just a couple of stacks of gold and some jewelry. But nothing too damaging to my wealth. As you well know, I am the richest baron in these parts."
Twilight said, "Yes, we do know that, that's why my brother and I made you the caretakers to our lands."
Filthy exclaimed, "And it was a very wise decision you made!"
"We'll be back." she told him and started leaving the room with her brother and Sunset right behind her.