Progress
Chapter 1: Progress
Celestia's sun shined down on Ponyville, casting its light across the various buildings, seeping in through windows and bidding the buildings' occupants to rise and greet the day. Further afield, at a small cottage on the outskirts of town, perched just at the edge of the Everfree Forest, one such inhabitant had already been awake for some time. In the yard outside the cottage stood a young colt, a pegasus. His coat was jet-black, while his mane and tail were an eye-catching silver. However, his most interesting features were his eyes, which sported glimmering blue-green irises, each framing a vertical slit pupil, giving his eyes a distinctive resemblance to those of a cat...or a dragon.
It had been these unique features that had caused this colt a great deal of trouble during his early life, earning him scorn and hostility from ponies all across Equestria. Even after coming to Ponyville and finding a safe haven with the kindly Fluttershy had not spared him from persecution, as it was soon discovered that one of Fluttershy's closest friends took exception to this colt's eyes. Even now, Dawn Lightwing still bore reminders of Applejack's reflexive bigotry.
The blackness of his coat was paradoxically marred by the near-pristine white of the bandages wrapped around his barrel and the light-gray of the cast that incased one of his wings, tangible reminders of Applejack's unreserved attempt to kill him. It would be several days before the colt would recover.
Fortunately for him, things had started to go his way. A visit by Princess Celestia had successfully gotten Applejack to see the error of her ways, causing the mare in question to come down to the cottage, where Dawn lived with Fluttershy, to apologize for her past actions. It had been a harsh, emotionally charged morning for both of them. But Dawn and Applejack had managed to mend the rift between them. Even now, as the colt stood silently out in the yard, schooling his mind to thoughtlessness, two mares were inside the cottage, discussing his future.
"Yer adoptin' him!" exclaimed Applejack as she stared at Fluttershy with wide eyes.
"Yes," replied the canary-colored mare, shrinking back behind her pink mane, "Um, that's not a problem, is it."
Applejack took off her hat and set it onto the table. "Ah don't know. Ah ain't so sure 'o this. But Ah suppose it ain't mah place to say, given that mah judgment hasn't been the best these past few days." The two of them were seated at Fluttershy's kitchen table. Applejack accepted Fluttershy's invitation to join her and Dawn for breakfast, the kind and gentle pegasus having hardly taken any time at all to forgive Applejack for her transgressions now that she had apologized. The country mare hadn't needed any for herself, having eaten before coming to the cottage, but had accepted to spend some time with her friend and try to further mend things with the colt.
Dawn hadn't said a word since they had come in. He had returned to his usual, stoic countenance after calming down from his emotional outburst in response to her apology. Applejack had been a bit unnerved by his silence, but Fluttershy assured her that the jet-black colt wasn't much for conversation at meals. Afterwards, Dawn had gone out into the front yard to meditate while Fluttershy shared her plans with Applejack.
"Could you please tell me what the problem is?" asked Fluttershy, "Is it about Dawn?"
"Well, sorta," replied Applejack hesitantly, "Ah have some experience with this, since Big Mac and Ah we're the ones who raised Apple Bloom after our parents died. Takin' care of a foal ain't an easy job. Are ya sure yer ready fer all that?"
"But...isn't that what I've been doing for the past several days?"
"It ain't quite the same sugarcube," said Applejack, "What we're talkin' about is fer the long haul. It seems easy when it's fer a short while, but carin' fer a foal is a long-term commitment. Once ya make it official, ya can't back out."
"It should be fine," said Futtershy with a smile as she looked out the window and watched the colt sitting motionless in the yard. Once again, her animals were taking to using Dawn as an interesting perch/seat. "Dawn's such a well-behaved colt. And he can take care of himself very well. It will be a lot easier than with most foals."
"Ah suppose," admitted Applejack, following Fluttershy's gaze, "But don't ya think that all 'o that good behavior might be because he thinks of himself as yer guest. Once he's yer son, he might not be so easy to manage."
"That would be nice," said Fluttershy, her smile taking on a wistful quality as she continued to watch her soon-to-be son, "It would be good for Dawn to act more like a colt his age and have fun, maybe get into some trouble.
"And besides," she added, cutting off Applejack when the orange earth pony opened her mouth to interject, "I need to do this, even if it is hard, even if things do go wrong, even if it is more responsibility than I'm used to. Dawn needs me. He needs a pony he can depend on to be his support and his home." Fluttershy's tone was surprisingly resolute as she turned to regard Applejack with determination. "I need to be that pony for him. And yes," she said, anticipating Applejack's next inquiry, "It has to be me. I can't trust this to anypony else. If I were to turn away from Dawn after everything I've said and done, he would break. And I'm afraid no one could heal him."
Applejack stared dumbly at her hat for a moment. "Ya've been givin' this a lot 'o thought haven't ya sugarcube?"
Futtershy nodded.
Applejack let out a soft sigh and set her hat back on her head. "Then Ah won't try to stop ya. Ah'll do whatever Ah can to help. Ah'm sure the others girls'll do the same."
"Thank you Applejack," said Fluttershy, getting up, "Do you want to come into town with us. I'm going to start on Dawn's adoption process today."
"Why not," agreed Applejack, following the pegasus's example, "Ah don't have to do any apple-buckin' today on account 'o the Princess knockin' all the apples we needed of their trees yesterday."
"Um...did the Princess really...apple-buck?" asked Fluttershy, tilting her head in confusion.
"Nah," answered Applejack, grinning sheepishly, "Ah got a mite uppity with her yesterday and she put her hoof down...literally."
Fluttershy giggled at the notion and made her way out the cottage's door, Applejack in tow. It took some time for Fluttershy to dissuade her animals from remaining perched on the young colt's back. However, within a few minutes, the trio of ponies were ready for their trip into town.
Twilight shifted nervously as she waited on the bench at the train station. The guards dispatched by Princess Celestia were due to arrive on the overnight train from Canterlot. She was a little bit worried, not knowing whether or not she could work with the Royal Guards, who were more than a little infamous for their stoic, unflinching demeanor, which made them utterly unapproachable. They were a far cry from the local Town Guard, who were much more personable. Even though Twilight had grown up in the halls of Canterlot's palace, she had seen little of the guards beyond their unflinching guises and motionless bodies. The fact that her brother, one of the warmest and friendliest ponies she had ever known had spent a period of his time standing in a similar manner still seemed quite alien to her. But then again, Twilight rarely had anything to do with Shining Armor when he was on duty.
She was pulled from her introspection by the sound of a whistle and the low chugging of an approaching engine. Looking up, Twilight could see the train slowing down as it entered into the station, the squeal of brakes making her wince even as her nose twitched from the acrid smell of burning coal. Twilight got up from her seat as the attendants opened the doors, allowing the passengers to disembark before any of the ponies waiting on the platform where permitted to enter the cars.
Twilight cast her eyes about, looking for any sign of the expected guards. While she knew that Shining Armor had selected them for their ability to not draw attention to themselves, she hoped that there was some way she would be able to recognize the expected ponies.
Not many ponies got off. Ponyville was just a small town, after all. In spite of its proximity to Canterlot and the fact that the six ponies responsible for Equestria's salvation called it home, the small town never really seemed to get all that much attention. Still, enough ponies were getting off the train that Twilight couldn't track them all. Once the attendants permitted passengers to board, the scene simply became even more chaotic, further reducing any chance Twilight had of spotting the guards. With a sigh, she lowered her head and gave up. Her only hope now was to wait and see if the guards recognized her instead.
As the confusion of the unboarding and the boarding of the train subsided, a whistle sounded and the massive machine began to pull away from the platform, gathering steam as it rolled on towards its next destination. Twilight watched it go forlornly. Had she been mistaken? Were the guards meant to be on a different train? Just as she was about to give up hope and return to the library, Twilight felt the touch of a hoof on her shoulder. Gasping in surprise, she spun around to see two ponies standing behind her.
The earth pony and pegasus stallions waited patiently as Twilight took them in. The pegasus was a dark gray color, with a mane and tail of an even darker gray with dark purple highlights, giving him the appearance of a rain-laden storm cloud. His eyes were a shade of faded green that took everything in slowly and easily, giving the impression that he was aware of his surroundings without having to exercise any real effort. Looking past his front, Twilight was surprised to see a rolled scroll emblazoned on his flank. The earth pony's coat was a deep blue color, the kind of color Twilight imagined she would see in the depths of the ocean, contrasting nicely with his crimson mane and tail. His eyes were an unremarkable shade of blue. Twilight had been surprised by the pegasus's cutie mark, but the earth pony's was even more surprising. His flank was decorated by a purple iris, not the kind of thing one would expect on the flank of a Royal Guard.
The earth pony stallion wore a belt of light blue silk, slung over his right shoulder and diagonally across his back. Holstered on the back of the belt was what looked like a long-handled knife with a crimson tassel hung from where the handle joined the blade, worn so that the handle projected just over the stallion's right shoulder, seemingly so that he could reach up and draw the weapon in an instant. The pegasus, on the other hoof, wore a dark purple silk shirt. The front was held together by a series of ties. It seemed rather loose on him, the sleeves in particular, but he wore it with the ease of comfortable familiarity. The cuffs and collar of the shirt were decorated with modest, white embroidery. Twilight wasn't sure, but she thought that Rarity might like the fashion sense of these two stallions.
Twilight blinked in confusion as she and the stallions sized each other up. Their bodies weren't like what she was used to seeing among the Royal Guards. Their musculature didn't seem as substantial as that of the usual guards, but more supple and flexible. She realized that their bodies were like Dawn's, the kind of martial artists. Furthermore, their silent demeanor was different from the forced stoicism Twilight was familiar with when she saw the guards accompanying Celestia or guarding different wings of the palace. Theirs was more of a relaxed watchfulness that allowed them to keep track of their surroundings and spring into action at a moment's notice.
"Uh...hello?" Twilight wasn't sure what to say in this situation. These two were not the kind of ponies she had been expecting when she had heard that guards were coming from Canterlot. They didn't strike her as being like the Royal Guards at all.
For a moment, the awkward silence continued and Twilight was afraid that she had been a bit hasty in her initial assessment and that they were the silent type after all. But then, the earth pony's face broke into a pleased, beaming smile. "Miss Twilight Sparkle, it's such a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Uh yeah..." said Twilight, pausing uncertainly, "Nice to meet you too. Are you the ponies my brother sent?"
"We are indeed," replied the earth pony in a pleasant tone. He stooped his head in a polite bow. "I am Red River and this is my friend and comrade in arms..."
"Storm Front," finished the pegasus, bowing as well.
Twilight tilted her head in confusion. "Are you two really from the Royal Guard?"
Red River threw his head back and laughed uproariously. "That's an amusing notion," he said, "Us! In the Royal Guard. Can you imagine us acting like those stiffs Storm?"
Storm Front didn't join in the laughter, but Twilight spied a brief smirk flitting across his face. Apparently the notion amused him as well. In spite of this, he quickly stilled his face to a more neutral, though friendly tone and answered the flustered unicorn's question. "We are not from the Royal Guard. Ultimately, your brother didn't feel that there was anypony on the Guard who was up to the mission he needed them for. Because of that, he turned to a mutual friend of ours, who recommended us for the job."
Twilight frowned. "A mutual friend...? Wait, so you were hired for this, not assigned?" A nod confirmed her suspicions. "Are you two...mercenaries?" She drew back slightly at their affirmative nod.
Mercenaries were a rare breed in Equestria. Given the state of affairs within the country and its peaceful relations with its neighbors, ponies who made a living on their skill at arms and combat were few and far between. Most ponies with an affinity for combat ended up in the Guard. Others might find themselves employed as retainers of the various noble households, although their roll was considered more decorative than useful. True mercenaries, who moved around and sold their skills for the sake of fighting, whatever the reason, were generally looked down on as uncouth louts who dirtied the nation with their presence. After all, they made their living on bloodshed and violence. Could there be anything more despicable for a citizen of Equestria?
And yet, Shining Armor apparently trusted his friend and, by extension, these two enough to send them on an important mission ordered by Princess Celestia herself. Twilight just didn't know what to make of that. Nonetheless, she realized that she needed to work with what she had. Twilight made the decision to reserve her judgment until she knew more about these two strange ponies.
"Thank you for coming," she said, smiling politely, "I look forward to working with you. Perhaps we should adjourn to the library for now."
"Certainly Miss Sparkle," agreed Red River while Storm Front nodded politely. Twilight set out from the train station, the two stallions falling into step behind her. Given their rather unique appearance, they drew some odd looks from the citizens of Ponyville. However, those did not concern Twilight as much as the prospect of running into a particular pink pony who would propose perpetual parties if provided the possibility.
Happily, Pinkie Pie did not make an appearance and the three made it to the library without incident. The two stallions stared around at the myriad number of books lined up on every wall, covering every conceivable subject and genre.
Red River snorted in amusement. "At least you're going to be well entertained, Storm." The dark-colored pegasus huffed and continued to examine the books.
"Do you like to read?" asked Twilight.
"That's like asking if a fish likes to swim," quipped Red River, earning him a reproving glare from his companion.
Twilight felt an amused smile spreading across her face. "I think we're going to get along just fine."
"Hey Twilight, who are these guys?" The three ponies looked up to see Spike descending the staircase from their room, carrying a stack of books in his arms. The lavender unicorn lifted the tomes from the dragon and set them back in their places on the shelves, earning a thankful look from the dragon. A closer look around saw that Spike had been working on his chores while Twilight had been out. It saddened her slightly as she was reminded how much she still tended to take her assistant for granted.
"This is Red River and Storm Front," said Twilight, indicating them respectively, "These are the ponies my brother sent to help us with Dawn."
Spike nodded and headed off to the kitchen. Twilight could hear him busily getting together implements to make lunch. Both of the stallions had watched the little dragon with a great deal of interest.
"An interesting little fellow," murmured Red River. Storm Front nodded.
"That was Spike," explained Twilight, "I hatched him for my entrance exam into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The Princess raised him after that and then entrusted him to me as my assistant. He's actually closer to a little brother."
"Interesting," muttered Storm Front, looking at the door to the kitchen, "I wonder what kind of dragon he'll grow up to be."
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.
"We've run into all sorts of dragons over the years," explained Red River, "And they are always different. No two are ever really alike. There's no clear division between types, like there are between pony tribes. Dragons come in just about every size and shape imaginable. This guy..." He jabbed a hoof in Storm Front's direction. "Has always been as curious as heck as to why."
"Really!?" squealed Twilight, seemingly conjuring a notebook and quill from nowhere, "Can you tell me about it. This could be a huge boon to the scientific community! Can you imagine what it would be like to have such extensive knowledge of dragons."
Storm Front tilted his head, perplexed by Twilight's enthusiasm. "Perhaps another time."
"Oh, okay then..." Twilight drooped, a blush covering her cheeks as she realized that her inner scholar had once again gotten the better of her.
"If anything," Storm Front continued, "We should be discussing the nature of the assignment. I understand that the situation is not simple bodyguard duty."
Twilight nodded. "Calling it bodyguard duty would be a mistake. Dawn Lightwing is more than capable of protecting himself...or he will be, once his injuries heal. What the Princess and I are concerned about is the notion that any conflict involving him might affect other ponies, especially as we get him more settled in Ponyville. What we need are guards who can help protect civilians and maintain order in a conflict and ensure that nopony gets caught in the crossfire, should such a conflict occur. At the same time, we don't want the guards to have an overt presence, as that might give the impression that we think that Dawn himself is a source of danger for Ponyville."
"An interesting situation," mused Storm Front, "I take it that we will be operating incognito."
"We'll need jobs then," agreed Red River, looking more serious than he had all day as he stroked his chin pensively.
"We will also need to secure housing."
Twilight blinked and stared at the two stallions. "Aren't you already here on a job?"
"Well yeah," replied Red River, his tone slightly irritable, "But you said it yourself that we can't let on why we're here. And obviously, it would be suspicious if two such able-bodied stallions moved into Ponyville and didn't take on any kind of job. If we're going to blend in, then we need to go the whole way."
"I see," said Twilight, slightly taken aback by the sudden change in Red River's demeanor. Are these guys really the right choice?
"That said," remarked Storm Front smoothly, defusing the mounting tension in the room, "Do you have any recommendations for jobs we could take that would also allow us to get a handle on the community and quickly respond to any problems that come up?"
"Hmm," Twilight mused, tapping her chin, "I can't be sure. The best way would be to ask the girls and see if they have any suggestions. They're already aware of the whole situation, so we don't have to hide the reason you're here from them. They could be a big help."
As though summoned by Twilight, there came a knocking at the door. "Twilight! Are ya home sugarcube!"
"Applejack!" exclaimed Twilight, opening the door with her telekinesis. She was relieved to simply hear the orange mare's voice again, having worried about what she might have been like after having been chastised by Princess Celestia. Applejack came trotting into the library, followed by, of all ponies, Fluttershy and Dawn.
As the colt came walking, in a slightly lopsided manner, into the library, he immediately noticed the presence of Red River and Storm Front. In an instant, the atmosphere of the library thickened. Dawn's uninjured wing extended partially as his body fell into the slightest of crouches. It was subtle, but noticeable. The reactions from the two mercenary stallions were even subtler still. Storm Front's right front hoof lifted the barest fraction of an inch off the floor, while Red River's head twitched to put his muzzle a tiny bit closer to the handle of his weapon. All three of them froze in their respective positions, as still and silent as statues. For a moment, the air felt as though it were heaver than lead and weighed down heavily on the three mares as they found themselves caught in a dangerous situation without any slightest idea as to the cause or reason.
A few seconds later, Dawn's stance relaxed and he closed his good wing. Storm Front and Red River likewise resumed their normal postures and settled back into their places. The oppressive atmosphere evaporated like the morning dew.
"Um...what just happened?" squeaked Fluttershy, having dived to the floor and covered her face with her hooves. She peaked out from behind them long enough to take in the two unfamiliar ponies before squeaking and covering her face again.
"Ya got me on that one," admitted Applejack, "Ah'm just as bamboozled as y'all are."
"My apologies," said Dawn calmly, trotted over to Fluttershy and gently leaning against her, trying to reassure her with his presence, "You startled me. I was surprised to encounter two ponies as skilled as you. I admit that I am quite inferior."
Red River let out a snort of laughter as the two stallions shared a glance that hovered somewhere between amused and impressed. "You've got a fair bit of experience to be able to tell that much from just that. You need to give yourself more credit squirt."
"So, this is what a student of the Gale King is like," remarked Storm Front, "And to think that he is merely a novice. What a frightening notion indeed."
Twilight found herself more than a little surprised that neither of the stallions seemed to have noted Dawn's most prominent feature. It seemed once they had marked him as a fellow martial artist, they hardly noticed anything else.
"So I take it that this is Dawn Lightwing," said Storm Front.
"A pleasure," greeted Dawn, his tone surprisingly warm.
"While we're at it, I'd like to introduce my friends," said Twilight, jumping back into the conversation, feeling as though, if she didn't say something, she would be left behind, "This is Applejack..."
"Howdy." Applejack tilted her stetson in salutation.
"And down here is Fluttershy."
Encouraged by Dawn, Fluttershy came out from behind her hooves and mane and bobbed her head in greeting. "H-hello. Nice to meet you."
Red River and Storm Front bowed their heads in acknowledgment and gave their names in turn. Twilight's eyes narrowed as she listened to the stallions beginning to chat with her friends. Their demeanor had shifted in subtle ways. Red River's previous boisterousness had been toned down. Meanwhile, Storm Front's quiet mannerisms had gone from aloof and distant to a placid neutrality similar to the kind that Dawn typically exercised, but more relaxed and at ease than the colt.
The two stallions happily explained their reasons for being in Ponyville, along with the nature of their assignment and solicited advice from the mares. Twilight found Applejack and Fluttershy's reactions surprising. Applejack, having already experienced the consequences of being overly suspicious and paranoid, had returned to her natural mannerisms of greeting the newcomers in her typically enthusiastic manner. What truly surprised Twilight was how quickly Storm Front and Red River were able to lead Fluttershy out of her shell and get her comfortable with their presence.
In the space of a few moments, these two stallions had subtly altered their behavior in ways that, while minuscule in degree, had the tremendous effect of quickly endearing them with two ponies they had only just met. Twilight wouldn't have even noticed had she not just been talking to them right before this. She thought about asking them about it, but hesitated when Dawn caught her eye. Her eyes widened as she realized that the colt seemed to understand what she was thinking and slowly shook his head. Twilight opted to withhold her comments.
"So ya need a job 'o some sort so ya don't stand out all suspicious-like?" asked Applejack, now that the two stallions had finished their explanations.
"Yes, and preferably ones that give us a wide range of access to the town and surrounding areas so that we can keep an eye on things," replied Red River with an easy smile.
"Oh, I have an idea," ventured Fluttershy softly, "Storm Front should talk to our friend, Rainbow Dash and try to see if she can get him a position on the weather team."
Applejack smacked one hoof on the other. "That's brilliant 'Shy. On the weather team, he'll have a birds-eye view of things and be able to move over the entire town without causin' a fuss."
Fluttershy blushed and sank low at the praise as she smiled timidly.
"That seems prudent," agreed Storm Front, nodding in approval.
Red River sighed in disappointment. "I guess that leaves me. You're lucky Storm, it's always easy for you to find a job in situations like this."
"True enough," the cloud-colored stallion nodded in agreement.
"Working on the weather team definitely gives you the advantage of range. I'll need some job where I can listen to ponies talk and find out if things are happening behind the scenes, so it needs to be a place where ponies meet and speak regularly."
Applejack opened her mouth and seemed about to suggest something, but apparently thought better of it and closed her mouth again, her eyes shifting about nervously. Nopony seemed to notice this.
"How about the Sugarcube Corner!" suggested Twilight eagerly, "It's one of the most popular establishments in Ponyville and ponies are always coming and going there."
Applejack blanched, her face taking on that peculiar expression one might get when a juicy apple one has been admiring has been snatched away before one has a chance to try it. The one who did the snatching had done no wrong, but, for some reason, it still seemed unfair.
"No wait!" exclaimed the orange mare, deciding to take action, "If yer wantin' a place where ponies meet and talk regularly, it's gotta be the market! Almost everypony goes there at some point."
"That's sensible," admitted Twilight, "But there's still the issue of finding Red River an actual job. Most of the stalls are operated by family businesses, so they probably wouldn't be all that willing to hire a new hoof out of the blue. The only other option we might have is if Red River opened a stall of his own. But what product would he sell?"
"Maybe his special talent could tell us the answer," suggested Dawn, speaking for the first time since the conversation began in earnest.
"Um...what exactly is your special talent, Mister Red River? That is, if you don't mind me asking?" Fluttershy shrank back as she made her inquiry.
Without the slightest hesitation or embarrassment, Red River answered, "Flower arrangement."
The entire conversation ground to a halt as all the participants, save Storm Front, froze as they processed what they just heard, their eyes drawn to the purple iris decorating Red River's flank as its meaning finally registered with them. If Rainbow Dash were here, she'd be on her back laughing.
"Well, you might be able to get a spot with Rose or Daisy," mused Twilight, "But their stalls are off the beaten path as far as the market is concerned. You wouldn't be in a good position to keep an eye on things."
"He can work fer us," said Applejack, a little more haste in her voice than she would have liked, "If we have somepony who can sell the apples in town, then Big Mac and Ah can get more done on the farm; and our apple stall is set up in the main thoroughfare."
Red River tapped his chin. "As cover stories go, that is a good one. I would still like to see if this Sugarcube Corner place is a good possibility as well. I can make a decision afterwards."
He got up and trotted for the door, closing it just as Spike came out of the kitchen, plates of food resting on his claws and one balancing precariously on the top of his head and yet another poised on the tip of his tail.
"Here's lunch Twilight, I made extra when I heard the others come in."
"Thanks Spike." Twilight took the food from him and levitated it to the table.
Now free to look around, Spike's eyes settled on Dawn and widened considerably. "Whoa! Your eyes are just like mine!"
Dawn blinked and returned Spike's gaze. Twilight coughed politely. "Dawn, this is Spike, my Number One Assistant. Spike, this is Dawn Lightwing."
"Nice to meet you," said the little dragon cheerfully as he moved around the table and offered a claw, which Dawn met with a hoof. Introductions finished, the ponies moved to settle around the table.
As they started to eat, Twilight cast a dubious glance at Applejack. "Why exactly were you so insistent that Red River work for you?"
"Uh...well...ya see..." Applejack's glance roamed across the room, looking everywhere except for the eyes of her lunch companions as the orange mare did her best Fluttershy impression. "Ah really do think it's a good place fer him to keep an eye on things. And Ah meant what Ah said about Big Mac and Ah bein' able to work at the farm more. That'll increase our yield, which'll help our profits. If Ah can spend some more time bakin', Ah'll be able to diversify our products, which'll help things sell better and..."
"Dawn's life and the peace of the town hinge on this and you want one of our guards to work for you so you can improve your business?" The reproachful tone in Twilight's voice forced Applejack to sink in her seat. Glancing over, she saw Dawn raise an eyebrow at her. Strangely, there was no reproach in his look, but rather an innocent curiosity.
She has a rather poor poker face. But there's enough truth in what she says that it doesn't make all that much of a difference. She's lying by omission. He was curious about Applejack's true reasoning, but didn't ask.
To everyone's surprise, Storm Front came to Applejack's rescue. "Those are sound reasons, which would help us justify his presence. It's perfectly logical from a business perspective. If she has any reasons other than that, it is not our place to press, so long as she means no harm."
Twilight frowned, but decided to let the subject go. The group resumed their lunch. As they ate, Fluttershy explained her plans, prompting a round of congratulations from Twilight and Spike. After they finished, Spike cleared the dishes away while Twilight and Fluttershy went over to help the yellow pegasus go over the particulars of the adoption process. Dawn moved to help Spike with the cleanup while Storm Front began to peruse some of the books in the library. Applejack joined Twilight and Fluttershy, the three of them planning things out and trying to assemble a list of all the things Fluttershy would need to go through with the adoption.
Things were proceeding smoothly, right up until everypony caught the sound of hooves rushing right up to the door. Their eyes snapped over to watch as it swung open with surprising violence, allowing Red River to gain entrance. He slammed the door back shut with tremendous force and braced his back against it, leaving the stallion standing there, gasping wildly as he surveyed the library, his pupils shrunk in terror. For a moment, he simply stood there, still heaving before settling his gaze on Applejack.
"Your stall, I'll work it!"
For a brief moment, nopony said anything. No one really had any idea what to say. The three mares turned and looked at each other, sharing a knowing glance.
"Pinkie Pie!"
"Pinkie Pie?"
"Pinkie Pie."
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Yay!
I personally enjoied Foal of the Forest A LOT this series you have planned so far is amazing! I have a huge amount of hope for this series becoming very well know in the Fimfiction community. If it doesn't then well, they are missing out huh? (No offense intended if you find all or some offending to other works here on Finfiction.)
~With much joy
Dusk Flame
I'm looking forward to reading this. Foal of the Forest was a VERY refreshing take on an OC character interacting with the Main Six. I especially loved the familial bond Fluttershy was developing with Dawn and the interaction between Scootaloo and Dawn.
Here's to another wonderful story, keep up the excellent job!
EDIT - Congrats on a well earned spot in the feature box as well!
Dammit Pinkie Pie
Pinkie Pie.
Yay. I'm looking forward to read more about the Three Pillars in action.
You cannot hide from Pinkie Pie!
Oh look, somepony else afraid of Pinkie! I honestly don't know why most people aren't scared of Pinkie. She screws around with science more than a screwdriver, hyperactive to the point of near-insanity, and not to mention the ridiculously weird body contortion. Even though she's one of my favourites, she scares the heeeell out of me...
On another note; Woo Savage Skies!
Yyyyyeeaaahhhhhh buddy! It's back in action!
Stellar quality here. the writing has dramatically improved from the previous section, and I approve of the new characters and plot threads. I sense some genuine fight scenes coming up, which makes me happy. I'm all for a balance of plot twists, cunning plans, and the kicking of copious amounts of ass.
Man, am I glad to see the sequel up and running! I really like Dawn's story and am very curious how his life will change through settling in Ponyville. And Fluttershy, my fav heroine actually, will also have her own trials to overcome, like this promised date with Caramel!
The ending of this chapter really got me laughing!
Case closed!
if you did name the story School Days, Dawn would literally f*ck his problems away and die via a knife from scootaloo at the end... Great first chapter, keep goin and stay golden^^
Hcbuhsdbcubsjhbsdjbb frvjnbsdkncn skjsnc!!!
You're back!?!!!
I love you as a person!
Also why does Applejack REALLY want him to work for her? Hmmmmm?
Lol nice.
You must have had fun with the alliterations
Tempting to place but hardly necessary in most cases. Not the case with yours, mind you 
I've also noticed you haven't put up anything to divide for your scenes yet. Yeah, I know this is just a minor detail that won't affect the story in the slightest, but this will help organize the structure of your narrative.
Allow me to make an example of a little passage from Admonishments....
The problem here is that, nearing the end of this scene at the library, the perspective briefly cuts away to an insert showing a disconcerted Luna handling Canterlot politics. With the insert finished, we swiftly come back to what little remains of the discussion between Twilight and Celestia, which then abruptly shifts to the Princess' confrontation with Applejack.
As you can see, there isn't so much as a hint to the transitions between any of the scenes. Comedic inserts as with Luna's stint on the throne can be easily overlooked as they don't come up very often, but the absence of these division for scenes are completely uniform throughout the entirety of the 1st story...in that there are none at all.
Now if you will, think of this as a waltz between you and the reader's brain, wherein you are leading the skittish imaginary feet of the unbeknownst latter through the new and exciting 'dance steps' of the physical typography of your story. Each waltz is particularly unique, depending on the author's own execution of his/her story. So, while all of them follow a general rhythm (on account of it being conveyed through words), they all have 'shifts in tempo' as well, i.e. the end of one scene/setting and the transfer to another. Placements of these depend solely on where the author wants them to be. Ergo, it is common courtesy than your warn your partner of these 'shifts in tempo' so that they themselves shift smoothly into the new tempo and don't stub a toe. Neglecting to do so isn't a crime, but it will put you off as lazy to a handful, especially since this happens all throughout the 'Foal of the Forest.'
In the end, it's you're choice. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't matter to most since everyone's only after the narrative, yours being above par over a great majority. But if you got to it, it wouldn't take you half a day to get all the transitions set and right; a few more extra spaces between scenes and inserts, or to simplify things even more, the use of a 'bottom border' in MS Word if you're on Windows. After all like any other author, you'd want to make your story easier for people to read
I can see two reasons AJ wants Red River to work for her. The first, and logical reason, is to prevent her from slipping back into her old way of thinking. Sort of a preemptive strike. The other reason is... love at first sight. Yeah.
A
The good thing about mercenaries, as long as you have enough money, you have secured their loyalty. The bad side.... well, pretty much the same as the good side.
Congrats on the Feature Box
I'm thrilled that Dawn's story will continue! I love how you focus more on the ethical side of things and less on the side of "you tick me off, I'm going to beat you now!" Don't get me wrong, that's fun too, but too much and it gets old. I think you balance them very well. Can't wait for the next of those "30 chapters you wrote in advance!"
Nice starting chapter! This sequel is looking up!
Iris, as in flower. I'm an idiot.
I thought iris as in the irises in your eyes, so I was really confused when you said that it was an unexpected cutie mark for a royal guard.
2994868 I thought the same thing for a minute lol.
Can you please make a bonus chapter showing us what exactly happened, with Red River and Pinkie Pie. I would make for excellent comedic relief and get quite some attention.
Either you spoiled the plot (
) in 'authors notes of the last chapter of "Foal of the Forest", or you're clever manipulator, and those two aren't in fact agents of Cult Solar.
"Pinkie Pie!"
"Pinkie Pie?"
"Pinkie Pie."
That pretty much sums it up
Nopony expects the Pinkie Inquisition!!!
fimfiction-static.net/images/story_images/108950.png?1370666564
So these two stallions... learned in the other two Pillars then?
blahblahblahKABOOM! INTRO OF DARKNESS THEN REDNESS THEN PINKIENESS!!!
you saying you were thinking of calling it school days, was that a spoiler?
I hate you.
(JK, loving this series
)
pursue
[peruse means to go over something thoroughly and at length. Unless you meant to say that he was thoroughly going over some books.]
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I love Pinkie Pie, especially when she's done right, and not flanderized. Good job.
Needs a second Fluttershy tag.
5419153 I must say, you hat is quite fabulous if I do say so myself!
This story is beautiful.
Celestia'a sun shined down (replace "shined" with "shone").
Dang it, you did that on purpose.
role
____________
Okay the first time you pulled done of these it might of been accidental, now I KNOW it was intentional.
I fucking Love alliteration <3 Makes my day.
I also gotta say I LOVE how your OC's are reacting to pinkie pie XD. I feel like we're gonna find she practices some obscenely obscure form of Earth pony Magic or martial arts at some point, and honestly? I'd be a bit disappointed if we don't with the way this story is going.
You just crammed as many "P" words as you could into this sentence didn't you?
What is with Aj crushing on a pony she just met? I don't need to read the whole story, let alone the whole series, to know that Aj has it bad for Red River.
Red! Storm! Good to see you so young buddies!
Ah, the refreshing knowledge of foresight reveals yet more foreshadowing. You are most definitely an expert at this stuff author!
7412244 It's not even that funny.
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You get a cookie
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Ponies who are marital artists right out of a Lam Ching-ying film! To me, that's like combining chocolate with pizza. Very awesome is my point!
Pinkie Pie. Nuff said.
This is my favorite book.