Chapter 10: Exposure
Mayweather's rear hooves smacked against the tree trunk. As she settled back onto all fours, her ears were filled with the repeated sounds of apples landing in their baskets. However, when Mayweather looked up, she was disappointed to see that she hadn't even knocked off half of the apples in the tree with her strike. Shaking her head angrily, Maywather planted her forehooves and kicked again. The next strike succeeded in divesting the tree of its remaining fruit.
Looking at her work, Mayweather let out a frustrated snort. I'm off my game. It wasn't hard to understand why. She still felt rattled about the events of the previous day, unable to reconcile what she had seen and experienced with everything that she had been taught in her years as a member of the Order of Celestial Light. Her rational mind told her to inform Blenheim about the colt's presence. But her heart (at least, she hoped it was her heart) told her otherwise, not wanting to see that memory of Dawn, tucked up against his mother's side, tarnished.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a low thump, resonating through the ground itself and making her hooves buzz. Looking for the source, Mayweather's eyes widened when she saw the large, crimson form of Big Macintosh walking sedately among the trees. As she watched, the stallion came to a stop, simply standing there amongst the trees, baskets already distributed to catch the apples they would drop.
Mayweather moved closer to get a better view, curious to see what Macintosh was up to. Big Mac breathed in deeply, his nostrils flaring. At that moment, the ground seemed to tilt in his direction. All around her, Mayweather could hear the trees creaking and straining, as though they too were being drawn towards the big red stallion.
Macintosh bent all four of his legs to sink into a slight crouch. As he finished inhaling, his eyes snapped open. All four of his hooves kicked down simultaneously, their movements blurring with the speed of the motion. However, Macintosh's downward thrust of his legs didn't propel him off the ground. Instead, the same loud thumping noise that Mayweather had heard earlier echoed out across the orchard. The force of the impact spread out around Macintosh in a perfect circle. The ground beneath Mayweather's hooves jumped, sending a jolt up her own legs. More importantly, the trees around her shuddered and, all at once, dropped their loads into the baskets placed around their trunks.
Mayweather's eyes widened in shock. Macintosh's little trick had harvested at least eight trees worth of apples.
"Isn't it neat?" squeaked a voice near Mayweather's hooves. Looking down, Mayweather was surprised to see a small, grey-coated unicorn filly staring up at her with wide golden eyes.
"Um...yes," replied Mayweather, feeling a bit nervous all the same.
"Sugarcube, Ah told ya to stay close," called Big Macintosh, looking over at them.
"'Kay!" squealed the filly, running over to his side, quickly nuzzling up against his leg in a gesture of unabashed affection. Smiling, Big Macintosh leaned down and nuzzled the filly's blonde mane. Mayweather couldn't keep a smile off her face at the sight of the tender moment. However, the image of Dawn leaning up against Fluttershy once again sprang unbidden into her mind and Mayweather looked away, frowning darkly.
"Ya got somethin' on yer mind?" asked Macintosh, coming over to where Mayweather stood.
"Uh...well..."
"If ya don't want to talk 'bout it, just say so," said Macintosh, "But some things'll eat at ya until ya talk about 'em."
Mayweather glanced around. None of her coworkers were in sight and she knew that Blenheim was in another section of the orchard entirely. "I guess...I'm a bit confused about things now."
"It won't hurt to take a break fer a little bit," said Macintosh, settling to the ground and leaning up against a tree. The little unicorn filly trotted over and curled up at his side, giggling happily.
Seeing the large swath of trees the stallion had already cleared, Mayweather couldn't help but nod. She laid down a short distance away. "So what's your name?" she asked, smiling at the filly.
"I'm Dinky."
"She's mah fillyfriend's daughter," said Macintosh fondly, "Just about the sweetest little thing in all'a Ponyville."
Mayweather tried her hardest to rein in her curiosity, but some of it must have showed. Macintosh frowned slightly at the look on her face. "Her pa was Ditzy's first coltfriend. They were gonna get married when they found out Dinky was on the way. But there was an accident..."
"Oh..." Mayweather's hoof went to her mouth.
Macintosh sighed. "It was a weather accident. Problem is not many ponies got to meet him before it happened. 'Cause 'o that, and 'cause a lot 'o ponies don't have the highest opinion 'o Ditzy's smarts on account 'o her eye problems, quite a few ponies think she just went out and plain got herself knocked up one night."
Mayweather gasped, directing a distressed look at Dinky, who was currently batting at a few particularly tall blades of grass.
Macintosh followed her gaze and smiled. "It don't bother Dinky no more. She's used to hearing 'bout it. Ponies would talk and their foals would hear 'em. Then the foals would take it to Dinky."
"Is it still happening?" asked Mayweather.
"Not so bad anymore," said Macintosh, smiling down at Dinky fondly, "Little Dinky's got some friends lookin' out fer her. Ain't that right sugarcube?"
"Eeyup," agreed Dinky happily. Something about hearing her use Macintosh's trademark phrase in her high filly voice struck Mayweather as so adorable that she couldn't help but giggle.
"That's good to hear," said Mayweather with a smile as she reached out to ruffle the filly's blonde mane, "So where's your mother now?"
"She's out doing a special job," said Dinky proudly.
"I see," said Mayweather with a chuckle, "And so you're staying with the Apples right now."
"Yeah!" squealed Dinky.
"Now then," said Macintosh softly, giving Mayweather a pointed look, "What's on yer mind?"
Mayweather looked down at the ground. "I...I met someone in town yesterday."
"Dawn huh."
The stripe-maned mare's eyes snapped open wide and she looked up at Macintosh in shock.
The red stallion merely shrugged. "Applejack warned us about you folks. Ah'd thought it was just a matter 'o time." He shook his head. "Ah ain't surprised that's gotcha all rattled."
"You met Dawn?" asked Dinky, looking bemusedly up at Mayweather. When she nodded, the filly's face broke out into a radiant grin. "He's really cool isn't he?"
"Huh?" Nowhere in the confused mess of descriptors Mayweather had for Dawn was a thought that he was cool. "How do you know him?"
"He's my friend," said Dinky, her innocent tones sending a chill down Mayweather's spine, "He saved me from some bullies and he's been helping Mama with her flying."
"What?" Mayweather leaned back, unable to process this information. "But your mother's a grown mare. What could a colt have to offer her."
"Ditzy's got some serious eye problems," said Big Macintosh sadly, "She can't see straight in front 'o her own nose half the time. Even when she can, she can't tell how close or how far somethin' is. Fer the longest time, she ran into a lotta things, had all sorts 'o problems with weather work, had all kinds 'o accidents."
"But Dawn's been teaching her a special trick," said Dinky, jumping back in, "He taught her how to see things with her wings."
"Huh?"
"Turns out pegasi can feel things through the wind," explained Macintosh, "Dawn learned to do it 'cause he's a martial artist. He taught that trick to Ditzy."
"And now Mama's not running into things anymore," finished Dinky gleefully.
"I..." Mayweather's voice caught in her throat. She'd half-expected to see the colt's insidious influence corrupting innocent minds like this filly's. And yet, when she learned just what kind of influence Dawn was, the less insidious it seemed. "Th-that sounds...nice..." She couldn't find anything else to say within range of Dinky. She reached around to the canteen dangling from her flank and took a deep draught of water.
"Eeyup," squealed Dinky again, "Dawn's gonna be my special somepony someday."
Mayweather's cheeks ballooned outward and she spurted a blast of water straight into Big Macintosh's face. "What?"
Dinky was unable to answer because she was too busy rolling on her back and giggling at Macintosh's soaked face. The stallion merely sighed and shook his head back and forth, throwing the water off.
"Wha-what do you mean your special somepony?" asked Mayweather seriously.
"Sugarcube," said Macintosh in a consoling tone, "Ah think yer still a mite young fer that."
Calming down, Dinky let out a despondent sigh and slumped. "Yeah, I know. Dawn doesn't see me like that. Scootaloo's probably gonna ask him first..."
Mayweather's mind was catapulted to the previous evening, where the orange filly had accosted her on her way back to the farm. Given how protective Scootaloo had been, Mayweather wouldn't have been surprised to find out that she had feelings for the colt.
"But," said Dinky, seizing their attention once again, "Scootaloo might not ask him. You know how she hates mushy stuff..." Dinky was in full-on scheming mode now. "...And I bet Dawn only thinks of her as a really close friend right now and doesn't realize she has feelings for him...'cause he's a colt after all. If I wait, maybe I'll be old enough for Dawn and then Scootaloo will be friend-zoned and Dawn will be my special somepony!"
The two adults were silent, both staring in a combination of shock and horror at the small grey filly, who turned to beam up at them as innocently at them. Macintosh and Mayweather looked up at each other, then back down at Dinky, then back up at each other again.
Finally, Mayweather broke the silence. "A filly's mind is a scary thing."
"Eeyup."
The sound of rushing wind faded as Scootaloo settled to the ground, the muscles and joints of her wings aching fiercely. The movements of the Third Form were completely different from the first and second, a disparity only further enhanced when she used the form in conjunction with her magic. However, it was easier than it had been when she'd been working on the previous ones. Weeks of practice were beginning to show their fruits as the burning sensation in Scootaloo's muscles began to subside to bearable levels and she felt she could go again.
In many ways, she hardly recognized the filly that looked back at her from the mirror anymore. Her wings were getting larger and more mature. Her figure was beginning to build as she put on more muscle, particularly on her shoulders and between her wings. The rest of her wasn't being neglected either, as her body rebounded from the strain that came from moving the wind.
"Well done," said Dawn, "I think you're ready to move on to the next form now."
"Cool!" said Scootaloo, smiling eagerly.
Dawn coughed nervously and averted his eyes. "I'm sorry." he said.
Scootaloo's smile dropped and she gave the ebony colt a confused look. "Huh? Why?"
"I could have moved you along to the next form earlier," said Dawn, "However, I chose to check your progress and keep you focused on it."
"Why?" asked Scootaloo.
Dawn turned his gaze back on her. "When you practiced the First Form, you worked at it until it became nearly unrecognizable, something completely your own. When I realized that you could do that, it became my hope that you might strive towards a similar effort in the latter forms. That's why I used more time than you actually needed to become truly proficient."
"Oh..." Scootaloo thought about it for a moment. Part of her was surprised that Dawn's admission hadn't sparked the faintest hint of anger or resentment in her. Her mind dwelled on the First Form and how it had become the very thing that had helped her get her cutie mark. When she thought about doing the same with the Second Form and all the others, Scootaloo could understand Dawn's desire to take his time teaching her the other ones.
"To be honest," said Dawn, "You are already advancing faster than I did." He gave her a proud smile. "You are much better suited to this than I am."
"But you're still so much better than me," Scootaloo pointed out, "I don't think I can even do half the stuff you can with the Gale King."
"That's because I've been working at it longer," replied Dawn, "But you are catching up, quite quickly at that. It may very well be that, someday, you will be the one teaching me."
Scootaloo blushed fiercely at his praise. "I hope that doesn't come too soon," she murmured softly. She liked learning from Dawn. Although...Maybe being the teacher wouldn't be bad.
Looking up at him, Scootaloo smiled. "Hey Dawn..."
"Yes?"
"I think I'm gonna stick with the Second and Third Forms for a little while longer," she said.
Dawn smiled back. "If that's what you want then..."
"Yer goin' 'bout this the wrong way," said Big Macintosh, pacing forward a few more steps. Once again, he sank into a slight crouch, inhaling deeply before thrusting downward with his hooves. Another shockwave caused the earth to buck beneath Mayweather's hooves, actually bounding little Dinky all the way off the ground with a giddy squeal, and knocking the apples off of several trees in a nearby radius.
"What do you mean?" asked Mayweather, taking a second to survey the scene, in awe of the stallion's skill.
Macintosh glanced over his shoulder at her. "Whenever ya think somethin' nice 'bout that colt, ya start second-guessin' yerself, wonderin' if he's just that goshdarn good at hidin' his true nature. Take it from me, that ain't no way to think."
"How do you know?" asked Mayweather.
"'Cause AJ was the same way," said Macintosh, pausing to repeat his trick once again, "When she first saw Dawn, she was so dead set on makin' him responsible fer every bad thing goin' on that she never thought about what she was doin'. She got all her friends angry at her with her shenanigans and still blamed it all on Dawn. It took the Princess herself to sort things out."
"So she really did come..." mused Mayweather.
"That she did."
"But how can you be sure?" asked Mayweather, "He could simply be waiting, biding his time, earning your trust..."
"Ah can't be sure," said Macintosh firmly, "'Cause there ain't no way in Tartarus that yer gonna be able to prove that that colt ain't gonna do some ill turn someday." He stopped and turned to face Mayweather directly. "But that's true 'o everypony, from me to mah sis, to Ditzy, to little Dinky here. It don't matter what kinda eyes they got. Ya ain't got no guarantee that they ain't goin' to do somethin' bad someday. At some point, ya just gotta let it go and believe in 'em. That's called faith."
"Faith..." Mayweather knew the word, of course. But she had been schooled in a different kind of faith, the kind that had taught her to trust the teachings of her elders and superiors in the Order.
Macintosh shrugged. "Princess Celestia comin' to set AJ straight could just be an illusion, one 'o those hallucination type things. Dawn could just be actin' nice to soften us up fer when he's ready to show his true colors. Princess Luna could just be pretendin' to be reformed...Ya start thinkin' like that and ya start diggin' a hole ya can't climb outta. What ya've got ain't no kinda faith if it's built on doubt."
Mayweather was silent, thinking over the red stallion's words. Macintosh simply continued on his way, using his strange technique to buck several trees at once, Dinky trailing along behind him, giggling happily. After watching them go, Mayweather returned to her own work. However, because of the time she'd spent with Macintosh, she wasn't able to finish her allotment for the day.
"What are we doing up here?" asked Scootaloo, casting a dubious look across the wide expanse of cloud that Dawn had apparently fashioned.
"The next step in your practice," explained Dawn calmly, a slight smirk on his face, "Have you been practicing the third exercise I taught you?"
Scootaloo responded by lifting up a forehoof and thrusting it out. An intense gust of wind churned up the clouds in front of her. "How's that?"
"Good enough," said Dawn, "You once asked me how our techniques are meant to be used in the air and I showed you."
Scootaloo, nodded, remembering his demonstration and how he'd kicked out with his legs, using the air thrust from his hooves to keep from being blown away by the recoil of his own technique.
"This is an exercise to prepare you for just that eventuality," said Dawn, "You will run through your form as usual. However, you will not be using your magic through your wings. Instead, when you set your hoof down..." He thrust his hoof straight down into the cloud beneath him. When he lifted it back up, there was a hole punched through the cloud, right where his hoof had been.
"The purpose of this practice is to help you get used to using your hooves to reinforce your stability in the air," explained Dawn. He pointed at the hole he'd made in the cloud layer. "The holes will chart the progress of your form and their absence will indicate any missed steps. Are you ready?"
Scooaloo nodded, a little unnerved by the prospect of practicing so high up. Though she was loathed to admit it, after months of working in the quarry, and in her and Dawn's respective yards, she'd gotten used to practicing on the ground. However, she remained determined. The Gale King was a pegasus art, which meant that it was supposed to be used in the air.
"Hey there." The two of them looked up to see Rainbow Dash swoop in for a landing on the cloud's surface. She alighted next to Dawn. "What are you guys up to?"
Scootaloo grinned and explained Dawn's plan to her. Rainbow nodded as she listened, impressed by the ingenuity of the exercise. "That sound's pretty cool. Mind if I watch?"
"That would be awesome!" said Scootaloo, grinning widely, "I'll get started."
Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo closed her eyes, letting it out. As she did, Rainbow's attention turned to the clouds beneath them. After a lifetime of working with clouds and the weather, Rainbow's experienced eyes noticed something Scootaloo had not. Eyes widening, she opened her mouth to shout a warning, but was stopped as Dawn extended his wing, holding the leading primary to Rainbow's lips. He met her gaze with a sly smile and shook his head softly.
Nervous, Rainbow settled back and watched, her wings flared, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Dawn also watched intently, though his expression was far more confident and his manner more relaxed.
Releasing her breath, Scootaloo went into motion. As she took her first step away from her starting point, Scootaloo's hoof came down on the cloud, sending a burst of wind straight down. However, instead of penetrating cleanly through the cloud layer, the clouds around Scootaloo, including the one holding her up, evaporated into wisps of vapor, leaving the filly completely unsupported in the air, with the unforgiving ground waiting down below.
However, Scootaloo did not fall. Instead, she moved smoothly and fluidly into the next steps of her form without the slightest hesitation, going through the motions that had become completely natural to her after endless hours of practice. Even though there were no clouds beneath her hooves, Scootaloo did not fall, the bursts of wind she was releasing with each step being sufficient to keep her aloft.
Rainbow's jaw dropped. She marveled at the sight of the filly dancing through the sky, using nothing but her hooves to keep from plummeting. The amazing thing was, Scootaloo wasn't even aware of it. She was simply going through her form as usual, just with an added wrinkle. She had no idea that the clouds were no longer there.
Finally, Scootaloo's form carried her towards a section of cloud that hadn't evaporated, an extension of the section Dawn and Rainbow were waiting on. Her hooves touched down with some final bursts of vapor as they punched through, but the clouds held. Settling into her finishing stance, Scootaloo smiled and opened her eyes.
"How was that?" she asked, grinning.
She was surprised to see one of the happiest expressions she had ever seen on Dawn's face. The colt was positively beaming. "See for yourself," he said, gesturing with his hoof towards the place where Scootaloo had started.
Now it was Scootaloo's turn to gape as she stared at the empty space where she had started. "Wha-wha-what did you do?"
"I made sure the clouds in the area around your starting position were thinner and weaker than the rest," said Dawn, "So the moment you applied that pressure, they dissipated completely."
"Are you nuts?" exclaimed the filly, whirling to stare at Dawn, "I could have fallen. I'd have been killed."
Dawn raised an eyebrow, "Lest you forget, you know how to fly now."
The filly's orange cheeks turned pink. "Oh...right..."
"And even if that wasn't the case," continued Dawn, "Do you think I would have let anything happen to you?"
Her cheeks transitioning from pink to red, Scootaloo ducked her head and averted her gaze. "No," she admitted.
"My Master did the same thing when he trained me," said Dawn, "The fact that you didn't even notice until you were finished means that your techniques were so completely integrated into your form, that those clouds and the sky itself felt the same to your hooves, exactly enough power to hold you aloft and in control."
"O...kay." Scootaloo blinked and looked once again at the empty space she'd danced through.
Dawn chuckled softly. "I should add that it took me three tries before I managed it," he added, earning a surprised look from Scootaloo and Rainbow, "The first time it happened, my technique wasn't polished enough, so I immediately noticed the difference. It disrupted my focus and I fell. Even the second time, I was still in doubt of my own abilities. Even though I got all the way through on the third attempt, my finish was less than graceful."
Scootaloo looked down at her own hooves, mulling Dawn's words over for a minute. When she looked up, she saw that he was still smiling at her.
"From now on," said Dawn, "We will be holding our morning practice sessions in the sky."
"Really?"
Dawn nodded. "Also, we will start going through the techniques used in the First Form again. However, we will be practicing them in the air."
"Oh..." said Scootaloo, finally grasping Dawn's intentions, "And when I have that down, you'll have me use my magic for the First Form in the air." At Dawn's answering nod, the orange filly leapt into the air, performing a quick loop and letting out an exultant yell.
Looking around, Rainbow Dash noted that the sun was beginning to dip. "I think you kids should be heading back."
Dawn also looked at the horizon. "I suppose we should."
"Okay then," said Scootaloo, already ready to take off, thanks to her excitement, "See you tomorrow." She was of like a shot, winging her way back home.
"Wow," said Rainbow as she watched Scootaloo go, "The squirt's really coming along."
"That she is," admitted Dawn with a smile, "Once she learns how to compensate for the force of her own attacks in the air, she will also get a sense of how to feel how much power she is using. Once she does, she will also learn how to moderate it."
"Moderate it?" asked Rainbow, casting a curious glance at Dawn.
"The Gale King is powerful," explained Dawn, "Powerful enough that Red River and Storm Front were willing to put my own life at risk to remind me of how dangerous I could be. If she uses such power carelessly, Scootaloo could hurt somepony she doesn't mean to...or hurt somepony that she does mean to far more than she wanted to."
"What does that mean?" asked Rainbow, a bit worried by the nervous tone of Dawn's voice.
Dawn didn't answer, his mind already going back to the events of the previous evening and Scootaloo's confrontation with Mayweather. "Nothing...I hope..."
"Alright, we're not all that far away from bein' finished," declared Applejack, "Another three or four days and we'll be all set fer the winter." She grinned at everypony who had come in from the orchards. "Yer dismissed. Ah'll see y'all tomorrow."
The others turned to head towards the bunkhouse. However, Mayweather stopped when she heard Blenheim call her name.
"Something wrong boss?" she asked, trying her best to keep her nervousness from her tone. She was still trying to work through the things that Big Macintosh had said to her earlier.
"Yer fallin' behind," said Blenheim, no anger in his tone, but plenty of concern, "It ain't like ya to slack off. Ya ain't been yerself since yesterday. Somethin' happen in town?"
Mayweather turned away from Blenheim and thought about her answer. Her initial impulse was to shrug off his question and defer having to tell him for a little while at least. However, she was also conscious of her status as his employee and the responsibility she owed him. She'd allowed her confusion over Dawn Lightwing to affect her work, which was slowing down the entire operation. But if I tell him...? She couldn't even begin to imagine how knowledge of Dawn's presence would affect Blenheim's actions.
"Ah'm just worried," said Blenheim, "Ya know ya can come to me if there's anythin' wrong."
Mayweather nodded. Whatever else she might have thought about the Order, especially considering her current confusion, there was no question that they had saved her life. They had taken her, a homeless, moneyless foal, off the streets of Fillydelphia and given her a home, a purpose, a life. She realized that she owed Blenheim her honesty, if nothing else.
"Actually, something did happen," said Mayweather, "I met a pony while I was in town...a colt..."
"What about him?" asked Blenheim.
Mayweather took a deep breath. Here goes... "Well..."
The bunkhouse was silent. Nopony said a word as Mayweather finished her story. Even Breaburn, uninitiated as he was, knew better than to interject at this time. At the moment, the younger Apple stallion was mostly confused, uncertain as to what Mayweather and the others were even talking about.
"Ah can't believe it," said Blenheim, "A pony with the Eyes here...with the Elements of all things."
"And they're all on his side too," mused Garnet, "If Twilight Sparkle is supporting and aiding him, then it's clear that the others would as well."
"Applejack knew," said Blenheim, "And she didn't say one word to me."
Rivercrest looked around. "I'm not sure about this. Did anypony else notice anything out of the ordinary when we were in town yesterday?"
The others exchanged looks and shook their head. "Well, there's that weird mare from Sugarcube Corner," admitted Quicksilver, "But I don't think there's anything 'wrong' with her per-say. She's just a bit loopy.(1)"
"Fluttershy and her coltfriend were a bit suspicious," said Mayweather, "But I think that's because they were worried about how I would react when I found out about the colt."
"What about the boy?" asked Blenheim, "What's he like?"
"Quiet," said Mayweather, "He acts a fair bit older than he looks too."
Blenheim lowered his head, apparently deep in thought. His four workers shared uncertain glances. "What should we do boss?" asked Garnet.
"Ah think this is over our heads," said Blenheim softly, "Ah knew that certain ponies in the Order are supposed to be on the lookout fer ponies like that one. But nopony ever told me to do anythin' 'bout it."
"So that's it?" asked Quicksilver, "We leave it alone because it's not our problem?"
"Ah'm sayin' that we're just gonna have to let somepony higher up in the Order know and let them handle it," said Blenheim.
"Are you kidding?" demanded Quicksilver, "If what they say about that colt is true, then we can't afford to leave him hanging around, especially not with the Element Bearers here."
"And if what they say 'bout that colt is true, then the last thing we should do is go rushin' off to try and do somethin' 'bout it," Blenheim snapped back, "If what Mayweather says is true, that colt's got half the town, at least, wrapped 'round his hoof. If we stir up a ruckus, we’ll look like the bad ponies.”
“Um…” Mayweather’s hesitant tone caused the other four to freeze and look at her, “Maybe we should wait and see. I’m not sure that Dawn is actually all that dangerous…at least, if we leave him alone.”
Blenheim gave Mayweather a speculative look. However, Garnet and Quicksilver were not so neutral in their reactions.
“Are you nuts?” exclaimed Quicksilver, “You know what the proselytizers are saying about ponies like that. You can’t trust that demon!"
Unnoticed by the rest of the group, Braeburn was slowly edging towards the door.
Quicksilver stilled when Blenheim held up a hoof. "What makes ya say that?" he asked, not taking his eyes off Mayweather.
"It's just..." She struggled to find the words to describe what she had seen, the memory of him tucked contentedly up against Fluttershy's side resurfacing once again. "I don't think he wants to hurt anypony. He's been staying with Fluttershy. He just seems really happy with her."
"Of course he's happy," groused Garnet, "He's tricked one of the Elements into giving him sanctuary."
"Or maybe..." Rivercrest, having been careful about what to say, "Maybe the Elements are reforming him."
"Don't be ridiculous," scoffed Quicksilver, "A demon can't be reformed any more than Nightmare Moon can be." He turned to look pleadingly at Blenheim. "We can't just sit here waiting for something to happen. We need to act!"
Blenheim sat silently, bowing his head in concentration once again as he weighed the words of his workers. Braeburn was still standing near the door, however, the younger Apple stallion waited to hear what his elder's verdict was going to be.
"Ah want to see this colt fer mahself," said Blenheim, "Ah can't right say what to do until Ah know what he's like and what's goin' on in town."
The others seemed to accept his words. However, Braeburn quietly slipped out the door and made his way up to the farmhouse.
"Yer sure 'bout this?" asked Applejack.
"Sure as shootin'," replied Braeburn, shifting nervously, "Ah ain't right sure of what they were talkin' about, with all that there talk of demons and the like. But Ah know they think Dawn's one 'o them demons and Uncle Blenheim's gonna go and see him."
"Thanks Braeburn," said Applejack, "Ah'm glad ya told us this." She turned to look at Red River, who had joined them in the kitchen. "What do we do?"
"Nothing," said Red simply.
"What?"
"Like I said," replied Red, "We do nothing. We will continue with the harvest as usual tomorrow. I will pass along word to Storm Front and he will monitor the situation. But I don't think we need to start worrying just yet. Even if Blenheim does turn out to be hostile, Dawn is able to defend himself. All that Storm and I will need to worry about is making sure that nopony else gets caught up in it.
"More importantly, this is an opportunity. If Dawn can convince Blenheim that he is not a demon, then perhaps that could lead back to undermining the Cult Solar's unity and create friction in their ranks, which could impair their ability to take further action against Dawn."
"Ah'm not so sure Ah like this," muttered Applejack.
"It's what Dawn wants," said Red, "He doesn't want to hide away forever. Once we put the plan in motion, it will be a moot point anyway." He rested his neck over Applejack's. "Have some faith in him."
Applejack's eyes flicked uncertainly to Braeburn, who simply shrugged. She sighed. "Alright..."