It was still dark outside when Babs made her way downstairs to her mother's bakery. It was already the first day of fall, so the sun probably wouldn't appear above the Manehattan skyline for a while yet. That was nothing new for Babs; her mother was always up before the sun to get her day's baking finished before the store opened. Back when Babs was a tiny foal her mother had carried her down to the bakery every morning during prep time, and now a morning just didn't feel complete without the smell of freshly baked bread and the warmth of the ovens. Most days Babs came down here just after sun-up to help out with whatever odd jobs needed doing, and in exchange she got to be the first pony to try out the "Special of the Day". Her daily breakfast was the envy of a great many local shop owners and commuters in the neighbourhood, who had to line up outside and shell out a goodly number of bits to enjoy the same privilege.
But today, Babs was coming down even earlier than usual. She'd been too anxious to get much sleep, and not long after she heard her mother heading downstairs to start baking she decided to give up on sleep entirely and head down to check for mail. Cold Star had promised that when fall came they'd begin their secret Crusader training. She seemed like a pony who took her word very seriously, so Babs was eager to find some kind of message from her new mentor.
She wasn't disappointed. Just inside the bakery door a single envelope was laying on the floor. She dashed over and pounced on it excitedly. Sure enough, it was addressed to her. The hoofwriting on the front was fancy and formal; the kind that you would expect to see on an invitation to a gala or a cute-ceanera. The letter was sealed with wax, and the imprint on the seal looked just like Cold Star's cutie mark - a star surrounded by a swirl. Not wanting to break the wax (it seemed like that would be bad luck, somehow) she brought the letter into the bakery kitchen, looking for a cake-lifter she could use to lever it open.
The lights were on when Babs came in, and soon she was surrounded by the familiar cacophony of a bakery in the morning. A half-dozen stand mixers were spinning along one wall, and the fans from the convection ovens nearby added their hum to create a wall of white noise that washed over you the moment you stepped inside. It was easy for Babs to tune it all out as she made her way over to stand by the huge, stainless-steel tables in the middle of the bakery kitchen.
The two ponies working at the tables paused only long enough to offer a little wave to the filly, both smiling at her warmly before returning their attentions to the doughs before them. Both were large Earth ponies, and both were shades of brown like herself. One was her cousin Rum Ball, a big stallion who had been working here since around the time that Babs was born. The other was her mother, and as usual Babs couldn't help but smile while watching her mother work.
Apple Seed had been born Apple Cinnamon, and you could see why. Her coat was exactly that shade between orange and brown that made you think of a cinnamon stick, and ever since she was very young she'd been one of the Apple family's best bakers. Being an Apple at heart, even falling in love with an ambitious trader and entrepreneur didn't keep her from wanting to make her own way in the world. So while her husband Hay Seed ran a profitable business importing and exporting spices from Saddle Arabia from his offices on the second floor, Apple Seed had opened the Seed Cakes bakery, using her husband's connections to furnish her business with the finest spices from throughout Equestria and beyond (and at cost, no less).
Those spices were arrayed in jars all around her big steel work-space, and Apple Seed opened them and closed them deftly while she seasoned cakes, pie fillings and bread doughs with unique flavours that no other bakery in Manehattan could compete with. While many of the bakeries in town could fairly debate who made the best loaf of rye bread or the most elegant wedding cake, not one of them would would put a spice cake or an apple pie up against a Seed Cakes original. Babs watched her mother season the dough she was hoof-kneading, her nose catching a whiff of pumpkin along with the scents of nutmeg, clove, ginger, and of course cinnamon. It already smelled delicious, and it wasn't even in the oven yet.
"I'm guessin' a Spiced Pumpkin Loaf," said Babs, grinning at her mother.
Her mother grinned back. "Close. Pumpkin Scones. Perfect for havin' with a hot drink on the first of autumn. Ya lookin' for somethin' to do, sugarcube? I got a carrot cake that's goin' to need icing in a couple minutes."
Babs shook her head, still grinning. While Babs had ended up with a Manehattan accent from growing up downtown, her mother had just added bits of the big city slang to her folksy Apple-family twang. It made their conversations sound kind of funny, even to her own ear. "Nah. Maybe in a bit. Can I use one of your lifters for a minute?"
"I guess so. What for, if ya don't mind me askin'?"
Babs held up her letter. "Got my first letter from our new Astronomy tutor. I don't wanna wreck the neat wax she put on it."
"Fair 'nuff. Grab one offa the wall by the cake station. And make sure ya..."
"...wash it before it goes back. I know, I know." Babs rolled her eyes at her mom and made her way around the cake station with all its fancy metal tools for molding and icing cakes. She took the thinnest lifter from the magnet on the wall and gently slipped it under the edge of the seal, lifting it away ever so slightly to keep it intact.
The Astronomy club idea had been Misty's. She was a master of thinking up excuses for things. The kind of excuses that you could deliver with a straight face, because they contained enough truth that you didn't feel like you were fibbing outright. Which was good, because for all Babs's personal faults being a good liar really wasn't one of them. Whenever the Crusaders were planning to do something they thought their parents might not like, it usually fell to Misty's cleverness to provide their parents with persuasive excuses.
Babs opened the letter and started to read. As she did, the smile on her face grew wider and wider until she could barely keep from giggling and prancing around the kitchen with excitement. The letter wasn't just an invitation. It was some kind of riddle, or perhaps a puzzle. Not even a minute in, and this was already an adventure! She gave the lifter a quick rinse in the sink before tossing it back onto the magnet and rushing out of the kitchen and back up the stairs. She needed a shower, and then it was into her cape and her saddle bags. She needed to get her letter over to Misty's right away.
* * * * *
Misty Morning was roused by a knock on her bedroom door not very long after dawn. She looked over at her clock and groaned. It was far too early for any reasonable pony to be awake. She rolled over as the door opened, squinting against the light from the hallway as her family's maid Broomhilda poked her head into the room. "I'm terribly sorry miss. But your friend Babs is here. She's looking for you, and she seems quite animated."
Misty sat up groggily, rubbing sleep from her eyes with one pale blue hoof. "Does she realize that today is a holiday, and that we don't have school?"
The maid nodded. "Yes, miss. In fact, she asked me quite specifically to remind you that today is the first day of autumn, for some reason. Should I ask her to come back later?"
Misty swung her legs over the edge of the bed, grudgingly tossing her covers off. "No, no. It's fine. Do you know if my father is in his study yet?"
"No, miss. I think he's still in bed."
That was good, at least. Misty's father didn't really approve of her participation in the Cutie-Mark Crusaders, and having Babs wake him up on his day off would have done little to improve his disposition on the matter. "Please invite Babs to wait in the study while I freshen up. Tell her I'll be with her shortly."
"Very good, miss. Also, you mentioned you have been expecting a message by mail. A letter arrived for you quite early this morning. Should I have it brought as well?"
Misty perked up. "A letter? Does it say who it's from?"
"I'm afraid there isn't a return address. In fact, it has no addresses at all. Only your name. I found it slipped under the front door this morning when I arrived for work."
Misty was wide awake now. "Very good. Please bring it to the study as well. And please ask Babs if she would like anything while she waits."
"Yes, miss. Though judging from the smell of the package she's carrying I would suggest that she may have brought breakfast with her."
Misty looked at the clock again and stifled a yawn. "I should certainly hope so."
* * * * *
The study wasn't as big as the one Misty's family had owned back in Canterlot. In fact, that was true of just about everything this house had to offer. In Canterlot they had owned an estate, and this was very much a house. A large house, to be sure, and a comfortable one. But still just a house. There were many bigger ones to be seen around, even just down the street.
Misty's mother liked that about it. It didn't stand out. In the event of a Changeling attack, they were more likely to seek out better spoils that this more modest home seemed able to offer. And so her father had bought the place and they had moved in. The house's former living room had instead become her father's study - a place to house the vast store of books that he hadn't been willing to part with when they moved away from the capitol. It was in that room that Misty found Babs pacing excitedly around the bookshelves.
Misty couldn't help but glower at Babs. She has taken a few moments to splash water on her face and run a brush through her mint-green mane, but she still felt barely presentable, even dressed in her nicest silk housecoat. "Babs, do you have any notion of how early it is? Not all of us keep a baker's hours, you know."
Babs grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that. Did I wake your folks?"
"No. Fortunately, my mother is in Canterlot on business, and my father tends to sleep late when she's away. Much as I had intended to do myself."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I brought scones. Still warm and everything."
As if on command, the scent of pumpkin and spices wafted towards Misty's nose from the parcel on the table. Within minutes the two were seated on her father's comfy reading couch, munching away on lightly buttered scones. Misty's objections at being awake were soon mostly forgotten in a haze of baked goodness.
Babs carefully brushed a couple of errant crumbs off the arm of the sofa before producing a small paper envelope from her saddlebag. "So, have you opened yours yet?"
Misty shook her head, gesturing to the small silver dome that rested on the table nearby. A flicker of magic and the dome was removed, the letter beneath it wafting over to its intended recipient. "So, she really did make contact? She's going to teach us about Crusading?"
"Sure looks like it. She's even starting us off with a challenge."
Misty frowned. "What kind of challenge?"
"You'll see..." Babs seemed quite unwilling to give up her cheeriness, so Misty sighed indulgently at her friend and broke open her letter. She read the text twice before she returned her gaze to Babs. "What is this? Some kind of scavenger hunt?"
Babs nodded, pulling out her own letter. "Sort of, I think. She doesn't want anyone else to find the place, right? So it would make sense she'd send the directions in code."
"What place? What are we trying to find?" Misty looked at Babs, confused.
Babs looked back, equally confused. "The place she wants us to meet her. My letter says that we're supposed to wait until sunset, and then follow the clues she gave us to a secret meeting place. Doesn't yours explain that?"
Misty held up her letter. "Mine starts with something about a red tower, and then fording a river. What kind of place is she trying to take us?"
Babs frowned, coming over to look. They quickly realized the issue - the letters were different. Misty's was clearly a second part, taking over where the first letter left off. Misty looked back and forth between them thoughtfully. "I don't mean to be some kind of a neigh-sayer, but doesn't all of this secrecy seem a bit... much?"
Babs shrugged, looking over the letters again. "I'd be worried too, if I thought the sheriffs were gonna arrest me just for bein' myself."
Misty sighed. "But that's just it. We only have her word that her reasons for being so paranoid are a matter of discrimination."
Babs looked over, her frown mirroring Misty's own. "You aren't scared of goin' to the meetin', are you?"
"I am not being scared." Misty stated each word as though it were its own little sentence, fixing Babs with a stern glare. "I am just being wary, something you and Squall might want to try. She may act like she's our friend, but we don't know her. She's... different. And she's violent. We saw that in the alley."
"She probably saved our beeswax in that alley, ya know. And she told us her secret identity. Why would she do that, if she was up to something weird?"
Misty shook her head. "I don't know. I just... I don't trust her. There's just something about her sets my teeth on edge."
"Could it be the fangs, maybe?" Babs grinned.
"Babs, I'm serious. I've got a bad feeling about this whole thing. Are you sure this is a good idea?"
Babs sighed, shaking her head. "I dunno, Misty. But we've been at this for almost a year, and not so much as a twitch on any of our flanks. I'm starting to think maybe we're goin' about this all wrong. Cold Star seems like a pony who could teach us some new stuff to try, and it all seems like stuff that it would be great to know how to do. I think that's got to be worth a shot, don't you?"
Misty looked down at her letter for a long moment, thinking. Finally, she nodded. "Alright. But I still kind of think that we should tell our parents about all this. Or at least let them know where we're going."
Babs shook her head. "Nah, better we don't. In the first place, we don't actually know where we're going. That's probably going to lead to a lot of questions. I think the less we say about her to our folks, the better."
* * * * *
"So, tell me about this new friend of yours."
Squall's mom was frowning. That was never a good sign. Frowning usually meant spending the day in his room rather than getting to hang out with the Crusaders, and today of all days Squall was bound and determined not to let that happen.
Unfortunately, he was off to a bad start. Yesterday had been Summer Wrap Up, and while there weren't a whole lot of fields to harvest around Manehattan, there sure were a lot of summer breezes that needed gathering. The local Pegasi had put in a full day's work, including Squall and his mother. After that, he'd stayed up a lot later than he should have re-reading the astronomy textbook he'd checked out of the school library in an effort to review some of the things Cold Star had taught them about constellations. He wanted to impress his new instructor with his diligence, given that his size and lack of flying skills weren't likely to do the job for him.
Unfortunately, his efforts at diligence had ended up with him asleep on his bed with his face in a book. He had intended to set his alarm early enough to check for Cold Star's message before his mom woke up, but instead his mom ended up waking him when she barged into his room to announce that breakfast was on the stove, and he'd better be showered and presentable before he arrived at the table or he would be doing the dishes all by his lonesome.
It was then that they both noticed the letter sitting on the floor by his bedroom window.
Squall had thought about making a dive for it, but abandoned it instantly. Unlike her son, Sunshower was neither clumsy nor awkward despite her larger-than-average frame for a mare. She had told Squall it came from playing on her school's Stormball team when she was younger, and Squall had never doubted it for a moment. Nowadays she was the kind of weather-pony who eagerly took the extra hazard pay that came from wrangling unruly thunderstorms. Squall knew better than to pit his agility against a mare capable of dodging lightning bolts at a professional level.
Besides, if he went for the note she'd know he wanted to keep it secret, and that would be the end of any secrecy in the matter. So instead, he just hopped out of bed and made his way towards the bathroom, doing his level best to act like his mother wasn't picking up the most important, most secret letter he'd ever received in his life. Once he had shut the bathroom door he set himself into a mad rush to get himself cleaned up. He didn't want to leave her alone with the letter any longer than strictly necessary. He loved his mother, but she was the nosiest pony he had even met in his entire life, especially when it came to her son. He didn't think she would go so far as to open his mail, but he wasn't entirely certain.
When he arrived at the table he found the note next to his breakfast plate, obviously put there by his mother. The hoofwriting didn't look familiar, but the seal did - it was obviously from Cold Star, just as she had promised. At least it was still intact. He did his best not to look at it as he ate, and once he'd finished and cleared his place he casually tried to tuck the note under his wing while his mother was busy with the dishes, but like usual she caught him in the act. Squall sometimes wondered if catching him with his hoof in the cookie jar was his mother's special talent. She'd asked politely who the note was from, and Squall had hesitated. He wasn't sure about using Cold Star's real name, but making up a fake one didn't seem right. So he'd said instead that there was a new filly in the neighbourhood who had just joined the Crusaders, and that the letter was from her. That hesitation had likely been another mistake, and had led to this new line of questioning.
He considered his response very carefully, trying to make the imposing Bat-mare sound a little less impressive than she was. "Well, she's got a grey coat and a black mane. She's kind of tallish, so her wings are really wide. And as you can see, she has really nice hoofwriting."
His mother seemed nonplussed. "I see. Well then, why don't you go ahead and open her letter? After all, she went to all the trouble to deliver it to your bedroom window while you were sleeping." She said it casually, but Squall could see a curious glint in her eye.
"Um, because... because it's top secret. I promised the Crusaders I wouldn't open our secret documents except in private." Squall's face burned under his fur, knowing that this was not one of his better excuses. He wished Misty was here. She was a lot better at talking her way out of things.
His mom was tapping her hoof, a sure sign that her frown was starting to spread into her extremities. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind me taking a look. After all, if you're going out adventuring I want to know where you plan to be going, and when you'll be home. I'm sure their mothers would want the same."
Squall took a slow breath. "Right. Of course. Well, this is probably just a formal invitation to attend the astronomy club meeting tonight. The one I told you about."
His mother nodded slowly. "Yes, I remember. You said you'd be going out tonight with the Crusaders to go star-gazing. Is this new friend of yours going with you?"
Squall nodded. "Yep. In fact, she's kind of in charge of it. She's giving us lessons."
"Lessons, huh. I see. And... is she asking you to pay for these lessons, by chance?"
Squall frowned. "No. Why would she?"
"Just making sure. You can't be too careful, with ponies you don't know. Sometimes they can try to take advantage of you."
"Mom, I'm not a little pony anymore. I can look out for myself."
"I know. I just... I worry. That's all."
Squall sighed. "Come on, Mom. I'm going with Babs and Misty. Besides, it's a holiday. You'll be working late anyways, right? So what's wrong with me going out with my friends? I'll still probably get home before you will."
It was a little bit of a cheap shot, and Squall knew it. Weather didn't take breaks for holidays, and the fall changeover meant a chance for some big holiday overtime bonuses for any weather-pony who was willing to work the day after wrap-up. Sunshower always worked an extra shift on holidays if she could, to put a few extra bits away for a rainy day. Squall's father had died in an accident before he was even born, so his mother was the only haywinner in the house. That meant holidays usually left Squall with a long, boring night alone while his mother worked a double. Neither of them were ever really happy about it, and Squall hoped that would work to his advantage for a change.
Unfortunately, she didn't look convinced. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on their apartment door. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Squall dashed out of the kitchen in the direction of his bedroom, bearing his secreted letter away with him. From the front door he could hear the voices of Babs and Misty, and he thanked his lucky stars for their timely arrival.
When Squall came back out, he had his cape and his saddle bag on, and a determined look on his face. His mother had brought Babs and Misty into their tiny apartment's kitchen, and they were both sucking on juice boxes when he came in. For a change, his mother was not also putting them through an inquisition about school and their club activities. Instead she had gone back to doing the breakfast dishes, though she still looked over at them with obvious interest in what was being said.
"Hey, Squall," said Babs. "You get any mail today?"
Squall nodded, glancing at his mom to check that her back was turned before pointing at her with one hoof. "Yeah. I got the invitation from our new friend. But since it's top secret, I didn't want to open it until I was in private, and I was eating breakfast until just now."
Babs and Misty glanced at each other, and then Babs glanced over at Sunshower before nodding slowly. "Right. Good job, keepin' our top secret messages under wraps. But now that we're here, maybe we should all go and decode them together."
Squall's eyes lit up. "She wrote them in code! That's awesome!" He glanced at his mother. "Um... but, I guess that makes total sense for a top secret message. So what's the plan?"
Misty finished her juice and put the empty box on the table. "We thought that since it's a message about an astronomy club meeting, the message is probably about the meeting place she has picked out. We thought that we'd begin at the library, and spend a few hours looking up some star charts and decoding the directions. Then we'll head back over to Seed Cakes and stock up on provisions for our evening, and maybe play a couple of board games to pass the time. After all, there won't be much astronomy to do until it starts getting dark. After that, we head over to the meet-up, do some stargazing, and then head back home."
Squall grinned from ear to ear. Having Misty talk about things made him almost believe that an astronomy meet-up was their actual plan, instead of running off to meet Cold Star in secret. "Sounds like a good plan to me." He looked over to where his mother was standing by the sink, anxious for her approval.
In fact all three of them looked over at Squall's mother, who had always been the most vocal impediment to their excursions. She was the sort of mother who always checked that her son's homework was done before allowing him to go out and play, and she refused to let them go out if the weather was going to be bad. Not to mention single-hoofedly vetoing their plans to become "Cutie-Mark Crusader Gem Miners". (Admittedly, that had been an especially poor piece of planning on their part, but having her march them back to the store to return their pickaxes had been terribly embarrassing.)
Sunshower shook her head slightly, then sighed. "I hope you three aren't planning any mischief."
Misty smiled sweetly. "Why would we want to do that?"
Sunshower grunted. "Because that is the nature of fillies and colts. But as long as Squall is home before ten, I'm fine with it."
The crusaders shared a round of smiles and hoof-bumps while she towelled off the last of the dishes and put them away. Then they gathered up their stuff and started to head out of the kitchen, but stopped when Sunshower cleared her throat.
"Just be careful, my little ponies," she said, looking at each of them one at a time with her stern, searching gaze. "Ending up with a Cutie Mark in keeping secrets doesn't sound like much fun to me."
The three Crusaders looked at one another as they left, all three of them wondering what she had meant but none of them feeling quite secure enough in their narrow escape to ask for an explanation. They left Squall's appartment building at a walk, but all of them broke into a gallop as soon as they had cleared the front door.
"So what's the real plan?" asked Squall, flapping along next to Babs in an effort to keep up.
Babs looked up towards her flying friend. "Just what Misty said. We hit the library to start decoding the letters, then over to Seed Cakes for a late lunch, and as soon as the sun starts goin' down we head for the alley were we first met. And from there..."
Babs smiled wickedly. "... And from there, we're off to find ourselves a dragon!"