What Changes May Come

by Bluegrass Brooke

Push Through It

Luna stood in the dreamscape, watching the sea of ribbons below her churn and writhe like some giant snake. Tonight the colors were dim and faded, like clothes after too many washes. It was mildly depressing, but to be expected. Most dreams were neutral, neither good nor bad. Expecting them to leap and dance as they had on that night was a foolish idea, she knew. And yet, she could not help wishing to see it again.

As she walked, a few sparks leapt into the expanse, flickering for an instant before fading. She noticed a few darker strands, perhaps precursors to nightmares, but she did not stop. Tonight she was on a hunt. And, if all went well, she would have more than one criminal to present to her fellow princesses.

Lighting her horn, she focused her energy on remembering that dream. It was not a specific spell like Princess Twilight would have used, but that was to be expected. Magic was fickle in the dreamscape, following a seemingly chaotic set of rules. Spells did not work here, but willpower was a potent force. So, she set every spare thought in her head towards remembering the two ponies from the dream. The mare with the cruel eyes and the harsh voiced stallion.

Sure enough, a thin ribbon zoomed towards her. It coiled itself around her hooves like a python. Luna examined it with interest. Though at first glance it appeared black, this one was a deep navy blue. Lowering her horn, she felt an irrational trepidation overwhelm her. This pony, whoever he or she was, was dangerous. Dangerous and potentially unstable. And yet, she would see justice done. With a deep breath, she pressed her horn to the ribbon and dove into the dream.

The surroundings were far from what she expected. She was standing in a long office with a massive window at the far end. There was little else in the green carpeted room except a large mahogany desk, and a finely carved wooden chair. Curious, she strode over to the window. There in front of her was a beautiful bird's eye view of Manehattan. But, something was wrong.

As she stared at the scene in front of her, she noticed that the city simply looked wrong. Billboards, store fronts, and statues of unicorns were everywhere. On the street unicorns were going about their business as usual, but there was a piece missing. Where are the pegasi? The earth ponies?

"Enjoying the view your majesty?" She wheeled around to see a tall, onyx unicorn leaning casually against the desk. His handsome face broke into an over exaggerated smile.

Luna took a step backward, eyeing him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Me?" He put on an expression of mock indignation, "You don't know me? I'm not surprised. I have little business in Canterlot." The stallion took a theatrical bow, "My name is Storm Scribe. Though you may know me better as the eyes and ears of Manehattan."

"Eyes and ears?" Luna could not follow the stallion's strange logic. Judging from his voice, he was the stallion she was looking for. What is his game?

"Oh yes." His long horn illuminated itself with a green light, picking up a letter opener off of the desk. "You see, princess. Nothing happens in Manehattan that I am not aware of. Nothing."

"Tell me, why does your dream portray this reality?" She raised a hoof, gesturing to the street below. "Where are the pegasi? The earth ponies?"

Storm Scribe gave a cold, harsh laugh that set Luna's hairs on end. "Oh they're still alive. They work for us, you see. Though, I don't let them wander the streets. Can't have the riff raff detracting from the view now can we?"

Luna felt an increasing sense of dread as she stared at the stranger. "I…I do not understand. Surely they are needed as well as the unicorns."

"Of course they are needed. However-" The stallion's emerald eyes flashed with a manic glint. "-who says that they must be our equals? We are far superior to them." He stamped his hoof, sending an echo all around the room. "Without us, there would be no civilization. The pegasi are too free spirited, and the earth ponies, why they have no intelligence of their own."

Luna's blood was up. What right did he have to say such things? "They are every bit as intelligent and capable as earth ponies."

"Don't make me laugh! Magic is the most powerful force in this universe. Why are you, our rulers beings of immeasurable magic to begin with?"

"We must maintain the balance." Luna pinned her ears, glowering at him. "Magic, is but one part of the balance. It is only a fraction of the whole."

Storm Scribe sighed dramatically, "A pity. I would have thought you would understand." He strode over to the window, "You may leave my presence."

Luna's voice echoed around the room, magnified several times its normal volume, "Who are you to tell the princess of the night to leave!"

"Who am I?" Storm Scribe chuckled softly, "The one in control my dear." Then, just as casually as if he were swatting flies, he levitated the alicorn in his magic, tossing her like a ragdoll into the marble wall. "You see, this is my dream, princess. And in my dream, I am in control, not you."

Luna's eyes shot daggers at him, "I will find you and you will pay for your crimes."

"Undoubtedly you will. But, if you do-" He gave a predatory snarl, "-I think you will find there is insufficient evidence. Good evening, princess. I do hope to see you again soon." With that, he opened a portal, and thrust the alicorn through it. The stallion sniggered, then burst into manic laughter. "Who is the one in control now your majesty?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Walking down the empty side street was no easy task with four burned hooves, but Cheese was determined, and that at least accounted for something. Then again, determination could only go so far, and it was not long before he had to rest. He lay down in the grass, grateful for the cool breeze blowing in from the north. Closing his eyes, he listened to the quiet hum that always filled Ponyville. A rather lopsided rolling sound joined in with the voices. Huh?

Opening his eyes, he stared incredulously at Harvey tugging a party cannon along. Well, that's something you don't see every day. He lay there watching until Harvey pulled up to him, panting heavily. His gruff voice sounded a little more irritated than usual, "You're a difficult stallion to find."

Cheese shrugged, "I guess." He smiled brightly at the familiar cannon. "You found it!"

Harvey grumbled something incoherently, and glowered at the younger stallion. "You would have known I've been keeping it for you if you ever bothered to write."

"Ooops." With everything going on, the common courtesy of writing to his employer had slipped his mind. "Sorry."

"Sorry? SORRY?" Harvey clapped Cheese so hard on the head that his own hooves rang with the shock. "What kind of no good, lousy, unreliable scum says he'll work for somepony then just ups and leaves town?"

Cheese winced, clutching his head. "I-"

"-No excuses." Harvey's hoof impacted the ground, forming a rather large crater. "-You're supposed to be my apprentice, remember? You're supposed to be working for me and making my job a little easier. Instead, I've have nothing but trouble from you!"

Harvey's face grew red, "Do you have any idea how backed up I've been on orders? I expected you'd come back to work after you got back from Nickerlite." He gave a loud snort, "You come back to Ponyville for less than a week before you take off again. I've got no idea where you went, or for how long. The only reason I had any idea, the only reason was because I overheard the princess talking to one of her friends."

"Harvey, I'm really-"

"-I'm not done with you yet!" He leaned in closer to Cheese, "My boy starts ranting about seeing the world and next thing I know, I've lost him too. Then you come back too injured to work. Now how do you expect me to get anything done?"

The frustration in his voice was replaced with disappointment, "Celestia above, Cheese, I expected better from you. I trusted you to be reliable. Didn't your parents teach you better?"

Cheese stood weakly, eyes boring into Harvey's. "No, no they didn't." His tail bristled, "What do you know about me anyway? I didn't go to Manehattan for a picnic, Harvey." He stamped his hooves so hard they began to bleed through the bandages. "I suppose you think I'm lying about my injuries too?"

"I wouldn't put it past you." Harvey braced, ready for a fight. "For all I know, you beat the snot out of some ponies in Manehattan and that's how you got hurt."

Is that what he thinks of me? Cheese wanted to be angry, but he could not. It was his fault for not communicating to Harvey in the first place. Now he had lost the stallion's respect. Somehow it hurt worse than the burns. He started to remove the wrappings on his left front hoof. "I didn't go to Manehattan to beat up anypony. I went to pursue charges against my father."

Harvey's stance grew slightly more relaxed. "Your father?"

"Yes. You see, he's not nice, not nice at all. In fact-" Cheese kept unwrapping the bandage, looking up occasionally at Harvey. "-apart from beating me as a colt, he's guilty of a laundry list of crimes from blackmail to missing persons cases. After a few weeks, we thought we had enough evidence to prosecute, but the night before the trial-" Cheese released the final layer of bandages, revealing the raw burnt skin underneath. "-he hired a few ponies to set the office we were in on fire. We nearly burned to death." Cheese looked Harvey square in the eyes, "I didn't want you getting the wrong impression."

Harvey tried to speak but no words came out. The stallion's bloody leg looked like something from a horror novel. It made him want to vomit. He had been so sure that he was in the right. But now he felt so wrong. "Sorry, kid. I uh…guess I misjudged you a bit. I didn't mean to snap."

Cheese sighed, gingerly placing his hoof on the grass and wincing as the blades scraped against his skin. "It's not your fault, Harvey. You have a right to be angry." His legs began to shake uncontrollably. "I won't bother you anymore. Thanks for bringing my cannon back."

"Right." Harvey started to turn away, then paused. "I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks." Cheese watched until the stallion faded from sight. Then he sunk to the ground, moaning in pain. Smooth going, Cheese. You had a perfectly good relationship and you threw it out the door chasing ghosts. Guess you were right after all, Quill.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Huh, that's not right. Maybe this way. Ooopsies. Maybe not. Pinkie turned the pipe upside down and sideways, trying to figure out just how it would fit in the sink. But, no matter what she did, it would not connect. "I give up!"

She flopped on her back, staring at the ceiling. A soft morning breeze snuck in through the open window, tantalizing her to go out and play. But, she had to focus. This was her day off, a chance to catch up on all the renovation work. Unfortunately, that meant staying inside away from all the fun.

The kitchen was now relatively clean, though her mother would have called it in dire need of a scrub. Sorry Mom, I'll fix it later. Hopping up, she shuffled around, looking for the wayward home improvement manual. "There you are!" The heavy book was being used as a makeshift doorstop. Pinkie giggled, scooping up the book. "Sorry, but you were super heavy."

"Hey, Pinkie. Are you there?"

Pinkie trotted over to the stairs, "Yupadoodles."

"Great, 'cause we need yer help."

Pinkie cantered down the stairs, "What is it? Is Timmy stuck in the well?" Sliding to the floor, she nearly collided with a confused looking Applejack.

"What in tarnation are you going on 'bout now?" Sighing, she started to walk back to the door. "Come on, I need you."

Pinkie stopped, "For what?"

"You'll see." She lowered her head, pushing the bewildered party pony out the door and into the daylight. The side street was quiet as ever, but as they neared the main drag, the happy hum of the townsponies could be heard.

To Pinkie's surprise, they turned towards Rarity's boutique. "Say, Applejack? We finished the costumes, so what are we doing at Rarity's?"

Applejack looked casually away, "We've got a situation that needs yer uh, special approval."

"Huh?"

Now at the boutique, Applejack shoved Pinkie unceremoniously through the door. "See?"

"Oh, hiya girls." Pinkie started in surprise at the scene she walked in on. There, gathered around the boutique were Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and an unusually subdued Rainbow Dash. "Wow, the gang's all here."

Rarity coughed, "Yes, quite. Do sit down, Pinkie. We've got something important to tell you."

"Something important?" Pinkie cocked her head in curiosity, but strode over to the girls none the less. "What's up?"

"Well, you see…" Twilight looked around for backup, only to discover they were all expecting her to speak. "We've all had a talk, and we're all in agreement that we should inform the Princesses about Cheese's situation."

"WHAT? And you didn't ask me first!" Pinkie snorted, pinning her ears. "It's his decision, not yours, Twilight."

Why's she being so stubborn? I thought she'd be happy. "I know, but-"

Rainbow's eyes flashed passionately, "-we can't let that no good crook get away Scott free!"

Cheese's terrible injuries came to the forefront of Pinkie's mind. He was not just in pain, he was terrified. Terrified at what his Father could do. Pinkie sighed, dropping her head. "You don’t understand. If we try to stop him, somepony's going to get hurt. They already have."

Twlight rested a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder, "Nopony's going to hurt us. We're the Elements of Harmony after all. It's not like anypony would touch us here in Ponyville."

Pinkie nodded, "Guess you're right. But, I need to talk to Cheesie before we do anything. Kay?"

After a quick confirmation check, Twilight nodded approval. "Okay. Let us know soon, okay?"

"Can do." Seeing that their little powwow was wrapping up, she turned to leave. "I'll see you girls later, I've got to work on the house."

They all waved her out the door. When she was gone, Twilight gave a sigh of relief. "That went well."

Applejack gave an incredulous stare, "Well? Twilight, I don't think she was very pleased 'bout us butting into his life."

Twilight shrugged, "They'll come around. With the princesses on our side, I'm sure we'll get a fair trial."

Applejack sighed, rubbing her forelock, "I hope yer right, for both of their sakes."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Pinkie trotted down the street, head swimming with all the possible repercussions of what the girls had said. If Cheese agreed to it, and Pinkie was not so sure he would, that would mean another few weeks of digging up bones. The last thing he needed now was to be constantly reminded of the past. For a moment, she was sorely tempted to not tell him anything, and simply lie to the girls. But that wasn't right either.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she actually ran straight into Sugarcube Corner's front door. "Ouch. Oopsies." Flushing a little, she opened the door and trotted inside. The wonderful, all pervasive smell of baked delicacies wafted to her nose. That was her favorite part of working there. Well, apart from getting to see the townsponies and chatter away to Mrs. Cake.

The mare looked up from the counter, a broad smile on her face. "Hello Pinkie Pie. You're back early."

"Yupadoodles. But, only for a bit." She flounced over to Mrs. Cake's side of the counter. "I have to get some more of my books."

Her smile faded a little. "Pinkie, do you have a moment to talk to us?"

"Sure!" Pinkie watched the mare lead her quietly into the dining room. What's got into her? She's normally so chipper.

They settled down at the dining room table, and Mrs. Cake called to her husband. He joined them at the table, finishing off their little circle.

Pinkie's heart skipped a beat. Judging from Mr. Cake's serious expression, it must be something really important. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, but-" The orange stallion rubbed his forelock in frustration. "Pinkie, something's come up and we're going to have to ask you to move out early."

"Oh, I thought you said I could stay until I get the repairs done." She glanced between the two ponies who looked more than a little awkward. Her heart was pounding like a hammer now. "Did I do something bad?"

Mrs. Cake shook her head, "Oh no dear, nothing like that. It's our fault."

Her husband chuckled, "Well, you see. My parents are building a new house. But, since they sold their old one, they need a place to stay. I completely forgot that you would still be here, and I said they could come stay."

"Oh, is that all." Pinkie's heart stopped pounding, and she put on her best smile. "That sounds super exciting for you. I don't mind moving out early." Something about the couple's reaction was just a little off. "Was there something else?"

"Well…" Mrs. Cake suddenly became rather fascinated with the table.

Mr. Cake cleared his throat, "Pinkie, I know you live your own life, and that's fine. But, I don't think you ought to be inviting Cheese into your room at night. You aren't married yet. Think about your reputation."

Blood pounded in Pinkie's ears. They can't be serious. "It was one night! And we didn't do anything I promise." Her voice began to quaver, "-I'm a good mare and Cheesie's a good stallion. We wouldn't do something like that." She felt the anger coming now. Why would they think that? They know us, they know we wouldn't do anything. "I'm a good mare! And I don't make a habit of bringing stallions into my room! Cheesie was hurt, what was I supposed to do, kick him out?"

Mr. Cake frowned, "You should have woken us up, Pinkie. Trying to hide it was wrong." She stroked Pinkie's face motherly, "You need to consider the consequences of your actions. We're worried about you doing something you'll regret."

Pinkie stammered, trying to regain control of her shaking voice, "I wouldn't…I'm a good mare. I'm a good mare." She lowered her head, mane deflating like a balloon until it rested flat on her neck. "Okay, I'll try to be better." Head hung low, she walked slowly towards the stairs. "I'll get my stuff."

Mr. Cake stopped her with a hoof, "I'll bring it over myself later with some help. No need for you to move everything."

"Kay." Her eyes flashed back towards the Cakes, then around the empty room. Then, turning, she headed out the door. Can this day get any worse?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Not even close. Cheese ticked off yet another posting from the paper with a large x. He was going over the Ponyville classifieds for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. Though there were several help wanted ads, none were even remotely feasible for somepony who could barely walk. With a heavy sigh, he rolled in the long grass outside of Bulk's house, pondering.

It had been a few days since he had spoken with Harvey. A few days of nothing but restlessness and searching for work. He hated doing nothing, it made him feel incredibly useless. Bulk was busy doing whatever it was he did, leaving before Cheese got up and coming back late in the afternoon. Cheese had yet to figure out what the pegasus' occupation was. Something to do with lifting. At least that was what he got out of Bulk's one line answers. Ah well, it did not really bother him.

Glancing back down at the paper, he realized that he had crossed out every single help wanted add. "Argh! Why is it so difficult?" A soft giggle behind him made him wheel around. "Pinkie?"

The mare was leaning casually on the white fence marking the edges of the lawn. Her long mane was straight and her eyes were red, but her smile was genuine. "Heya, Cheesie."

He felt a sickening lurch in his stomach. Pinkie never had her mane flat unless she was really upset about something. Without considering the consequences, he lurched to his hooves and trotted over to her, eyes filled with concern, "What's wrong?"

Pinkie's eyes filled with panic. "Cheesie. You shouldn't do that, you're legs."

"I'll be fine." He wiped her forelock gently out of her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I uh…I uh…" Why's it so hard? Spit it out. She lowered her head, avoiding his gaze. "I got kicked out of the Cake's house."

Cheese stared unbelievingly at her, "What? Why?"

She felt her face heat up. "Mr. Cake's parents need the room since they'll be staying a while."

It was obvious to Cheese she was hiding something. "And?"

"And, they-" She pawed the ground nervously, "-they ur…they weren't happy about me letting you stay the night. They seemed to think that-" Her heart started to beat fast again, "-that we were doing something inappropriate."

"WHAT? They can't be serious! We would never-"

"-I know, and I think they know. But, they seemed to think I needed a good warning." Pinkie burrowed her face into his chest. "Sorry, I guess I should've though things through better. Now the Cakes think I'm a bad mare."

"It's not your fault and they don't think you're a bad mare." Geeze, why are you the one apologizing? Cheese held her close enough to feel her heart racing. "Sshhh, it's okay, Pinkie. You didn't do anything wrong. It was my fault. I'll go over and apologize to them later. Don't be sad."

Pinkie closed her eyes, savoring the familiar warmth of his body pressed to hers. It always calmed her down. "Guess I was over reacting again." Her eyes drifted to his shaking limbs. "Lay down before you fall down, dear."

Sighing, he turned back to his spot, lying in the cool grass. Pinkie snuggled up close beside him, staring curiously at the paper. "Wow, that's a lot of x's."

"Yeah, unfortunately I'm still unemployed." Of course he had told her about Harvey and she had adamantly assured him he would eventually find more work. But that did little to alleviate his frustration at the current situation. "Argh! Why can't my legs heal faster?"

"Healing has its own pace. That's what Granny always said." Though, the thought of Cheesie limping around for another few months was enough to drive her crazy. Pinkie pawed at the grass, watching the blades bend and twist as she brushed over them. "Guess we're both out of luck huh?"

"Yup. Looks that way." He stared up at the clouds, watching the formations overhead. It was such a beautiful day. Too beautiful for everything to fall to pieces. "Say, who's moving you in?"

"Mr. Cake and his friends insist on doing it all." Pinkie moaned, burrowing her face between her legs. "They're treating me like some little filly."

"Well, at least you don't have to lug boxes around all day." Cheese chuckled, nudging her playfully in the ribs. "You've got Big Mac's party tomorrow and Nightmare Night next week. There's something to look forward to. Plus, living in your own place, you'll be able to be as loud as you want and stay up as late as you want. That's pretty cool."

Pinkie nodded, "Yeah, there is that." Then, she remembered the books she forgot. She looked towards Cheese, examining his physical state. He doesn’t look too tired today. Maybe he's up for it. "Yeah, about that. I kinda have a problem."

He raised an eyebrow, "Yeah?"

She gave a sheepish smile, "Well, you see I've been trying to fix the pipes for ages now. I've got most of the stuff in, but I can't figure out how to fit it together to actually turn on."

Celestia help me now. "Please don't tell me you used gum or something?"

"Nope, but, I think I might have stuck a few of the pieces together backwards."

Cheese groaned, placing a hoof to his forehead. "Come on, I'll get you set up. You should at least have running water."

"Thanks!" Pinkie hopped up and proudly led the way. At least she would have company for today's renovations.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Cheese was rather good with repairs. Years of odd jobs and party planning had prepared him for just about anything. Unfortunately, there was little that could prepare him for Pinkie's brand of home repair. He was sprawled on his back, looking at the strangest piping job he had ever seen. It more closely resembled a game of mouse trap than actual piping. "Pinkie, dear. What made you think this went there?"

"I dunno. I tried to follow the book. Is it that bad?"

Cheese gave her an "are you serious look" before turning back to the pipes. A story Harvey had told him months ago stuck in his head. During the setup for Rainbow's Birthaversery Bash, she had decided to try other professions apart from party planning. Much to Harvey's displeasure, she attempted to help with a construction project. Apparently she learned the hard way that balloons are not a structurally viable replacement for timber.

Pinkie cocked her head to the side, "So, can you fix it?"

"Yup. Hand me that wrench and I'll see what I can do." Cheese worked quickly and efficiently, glad to have a job that did not require walking. In a matter of minutes, he had completely disassembled the apparatus.

Pinkie watched him start to piece it together with interest. How does he know where everything goes? He's fast too. Feeling a little useless, she trotted around the kitchen, mentally going through all the repairs left to do. "So, how do you like it?"

Cheese's voice was muffled, "What?"

"This place. I know it's kinda falling apart, but I can see the potential." Pinkie sighed, staring out the window at the street below. Everything seemed in order down there, ponies going on about their day as normal without a care in the world. "It's so much work. I just want everything fixed now."

Cheese laughed loudly, dropping the wrench with a clatter. "Are you sure you're talking about the house, dear?"

Pinkie raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've noticed that you get stuck on the way things should be." He picked up the wrench, speaking around it, "Like everypony ought to be happy all the time, or everything should work out just the way we plan it, or nopony should ever be sad. But life's not like that, dear."

Pinkie huffed, "Why can't it be?"

"Cause, our lives are kinda like this house. We've got a lot of potential, but a lot of problems too." He dropped the wrench, sliding out from under the cabinet. "We're not going to get anywhere unless we put some effort into it, and even then it might not turn out the way we want it to."

Pinkie lay down next to him, thinking it over. "Guess we can mess up repairs too?"

"You bet. I wasn't exactly properly repaired before we met." He took a long swig from the water pitcher. "I thought I'd just hide my past from everypony and somehow things would work out. But, you helped me face reality."

She rolled her eyes dramatically, "Yeah, some help I was. I made all the hurt come back."

"Oh, Pinkie." He rested his head on her shoulders, inhaling the familiar sweet scent. "I had to break the illusion before I could start to heal." His hooves knocked over the pile of pipes, making a loud clatter. "Ooops." Seeing her worried expression, he continued, "You know something? I couldn't have repaired the sink if I left that repair job of yours in."

"Sorry. Guess I messed up, huh?" Cheese's wet tongue on her ears made her giggle loudly. "Cheesie! What are you doing?"

He gave a mock innocent expression. "Nothing."

Pinkie glowered at him, "What was that for?"

"You didn't let me finish my story." He cleared his throat, "I was like that sink when you found me you know. Sure I tried to repair it myself, but I didn't get anywhere. So you came along and tore it all out so we could fix it the right way." His soft nicker made her heart beat fast. "You saved me, Pinkie. I don't want you to be guilty for the bit of hurt you caused. It was necessary."

"M'kay." Without any hesitation, she pressed her muzzle to his. After what felt like forever, she broke the kiss. Their bodies were so close enough that she could feel his heart beating every bit as fast as her own. It was the best feeling in the world, and one she didn't want to let go of. But, she had to at some point. "Cheesie, there's something I kinda forgot to ask you. Going back to what you said about repairs."

"Yeah?" What she going to tell me she repaired the electrical work too?

"Uh, the girls all agreed on something, but they wanted me to ask you first." Her voice was a little shakier than normal, "They want to write a letter to the princesses. Twilight thinks she can arrange a fair trial for your parents."

Cheese gave a blank stare. "But, there's no evidence."

"Yes, well, I think trying to burn you and Milo to death counts for something." Pinkie leaned against him, looking into his eyes. "I wanted to know if you were okay with that. 'Cause if you aren't, we won't send it off. I don't want you to feel like you have to."

His laugh was a little less than convincing. "No, no. It's a good idea, and I'm all for it."

Pinkie sighed and nodded, "Okay. But, you let me know if you decide not to. M'kay?"

"Okay." Cheese nudged her gently off of him, "I'd better get back to work. Maybe you can clean your room?"

"Why?"

Cheese shrugged, picking up the wrench in his mouth. "Well, they're moving all the furniture in today. Don't you think you ought to get it really clean first?"

"Ooops. You're right." Pinkie leapt to her hooves, trotting towards the bedroom. Then, pausing, "Thanks for everything, Cheesie."

He smiled around the wrench. "Yup. No problem."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

Luna glowered down at the piece of parchment, wishing beyond hope that its contents would change. She had found the stallion, but, his crowing seemed to be legitimate. There was nothing remotely incriminating about millionaire philanthropist Storm Scribe. Even her best guards had been unable to dig up a single successful case against the stallion. To compound the issue, the only attorney who had dared to prosecute him was currently comatose in a Manehattan hospital.

Though she had searched for days, she had yet to find either Storm Scribe or his wife. The mare's dreams were either elusive or she simply did not dream. In any case, it was looking as though it would be impossible to convict either of them for so much as pickpocketing.

A loud knock on her chamber door awoke her from her reverie. "Enter." To her surprise, it was not her guards who entered, but her sister. "Tia, what brings you to my chambers? I should have thought you would be conducting business."

"I was. However-" Celestia levitated a small letter onto Luna's desk. "-I received a most interesting letter this morning."

Luna looked skeptical, but began to read. As she did, her eyes grew wide. By the end, she was beaming brighter than she had in days. "This is wonderful news, Tia!"

Celestia grinned back. "Yes, I imagine even Storm Scribe will be unable to wriggle his way out of this one. Shall we act now, Lulu?"

"Yes, sister!" Luna leapt to her hooves, sliding into her royal garb. "We must arrange for his arrest."

"Just a moment. First we should validate this mare's claim." Celestia placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder, "Would you recognize her if you were to meet?"

"I would." Luna smiled, trying to hide the nervous tattoo her hooves were making on the ground. They were on the hunt now, and she would not waste a minute.

"Very well. We will go and speak with her. If what she claims is true, we will arrest the stallion."

Though she was quite tired, Luna kept pace with Celestia as they strode out of the castle. Determination like she had not felt in months coursed through her. She would dispense justice, and no force of Tartarus could stop her now.

Author's Note:

Wow. This was a tough one. I must have written and re-written this chapter five or six times before I was satisfied. I hope you enjoyed it. We're heading into the climax (if I can I call it that) and things are about to get interesting. Thanks for reading, and, as always, comments are ever appreciated.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

Great chapter. i think you did a great job with this one. I wonder what is goign to happen next. Also I wonder if Cheese will ever get employed. Also that was a bit mean of the cakes to even purpose to think that. I understand, but Cheese and Pinkie's smiles are hanging by threads. Good luck with the next chapter.

[Black sun and white mist]

Storm Scribe is practically asking for a punch in the face. You go, Luna!

[Bluegrass Brooke]

5141070 Oh he's going to have bigger things than employment to worry about soon enough. The Cakes can get a little overprotective at times, so they overreacted to Pinkie's slip up. But you can bet they'll apologize to her once they realize it.

[Sketcha-Holic]

Blue, this story got into the feature box!

[Bluegrass Brooke]

5141270 Yeah! I'm really excited about it. It's the first of my stories to get featured.

[scoots2]

5141191 Well, GOOD. Because I was about to say that I was profoundly out of sympathy with the Cakes here. Cheese shows up, burnt, in the middle of the night. He stays one night--ONE NIGHT--and then finds somewhere else to stay. They have to know that in his condition nothing happened to offend their delicate moral sensibilities. He still has new skin and bleeding burns. So what the heck are they freaking out over? The look of the thing? Seriously?

Dang, I hope Luna gives them a serious talking to about being unkind and uncharitable and overly concerned with appearances. And if I were Pinkie, I wouldn't be in any hurry to accept their apology, either.

I don't know if you intended for your readers to be that ticked off at the Cakes, but I certainly was.

And actually, just in general, it doesn't seem so magically friendshippy to me.

But congrats on the Feature Box. I thought it must have been there before.

[OmniFox]

Finally!!! Somepony gonna teach that jezebel racist once and for all.

[Bluegrass Brooke]

5141522 Yeah, I might have gone a touch overboard with the Cakes. It just bothered me how I was only showing them as the perfect friendly couple that always do the right thing. I wanted to show they could mess up, and badly. They weren't really mad at Cheese staying, they were mad at Pinkie for hiding the truth. At least that was what I was trying to convey. But, with a tendency towards overly serious writing and my depression, I kinda made it come out a bit too strong. Ooops.

I'll be tying up that loose end next chapter. Probably going to have Cheese get a little overprotective while talking to Mr. Cake. Maybe bring in the princess, I dunno. I'll figure some way of resolving the conflict. Thanks for pointing that out. Sometimes I can't tell if I'm coming on too harsh with my scenes. I've got the author's goggles bad.

[scoots2]

5143174 No worries. We all do it. I think it was Mrs. Cake tossing her out after she'd apologized and said it was unusual and wouldn't happen again that got to me. "You have to think of the consequences of your actions" is something you say before you give someone another chance, not what you say when you're going to lower the boom. It just felt . . . unnecessarily cruel. And the kind of thing that your Cheese would especially object to. But that's an author's choice, of course, and I don't think all your readers would necessarily agree.

[hootscootaloo101]

I really want to know what's going to happen to Storm Scribe

[Beta Bookworm]

5225394 "Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty! Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty! Cupcakes Cupcakes Cupcakes!"

[Jax 2024]

"Oh, hiya girls." Pinkie started in surprise at the scene she walked in on. There, gathered around the boutique were Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and an unusually subdued Rainbow Dash. "Wow, the gang's all here."

Now we can die together. -Yang Xiao Long