Final Verdict

by Material Defender

Chapter 5: Confession

“Oh, so cousin Braeburn got Bloomberg, then? I didn’t know they started up a new town down south,” Jamie said, chuckling. “Nice to hear that they’ve sorted out all their troubles, though.” He and Applejack both stared up at the stars, laying next to each other with their respective hats sitting on top of their chests.

“At least we got all that business with the buffalo all sorted out,” Applejack said, giving her own laugh in return.

“How come I’ve never heard of this happenin’? Seems like it would be some pretty big news for a while if ponies end up settlin’ on buffalo grounds.”

“It was out west, near the top of their turf, Jamie. They don’t got any towns up there, so I don’t think news spread until they managed to talk to the others.”

“Oh. Well, point taken, then.”

“So...” Applejack rolled over, and met Jamie’s eyes. “Tell me what happened.”

Jamie sighed. This had been a long time coming now. “Why... don’t you tell me what you remember about your parents? About what happened to them?”

Applejack stared into the distance in thought for a moment. “I... remember there bein’ a lot of ponies. Practically everypony from the Apple family showed up to pay their respects. I remember Mac being really quiet like, more quiet than he usually was, and... I remember your family bein’ there.”

Jamie nodded, urging her to move on. “And then you were quiet, too... and you didn’t want to talk to any of us. I remember everyone bein’ so sad, and your dad and Braeburn’s dad stepped forward and...” She grew quiet, replaying the scene in her mind. “...and told us that our parents were in an accident, and that they didn’t... make it out.”

“That’s what they told everyone else, anyway... Applejack, your parents were killed. By bandits,” Jamie said.

“I... wh...” Applejack stuttered.

Jamie sat up, remembering the cloth-wrapped heavy crossbow that sat next to him, and stretched for a moment. His underlaying dragonscale vest was tough, but it was definitely built for utility, not comfort. “You remember that we were on our way north, up near the Matterton Route?”

Applejack. “Yeah, but that route was always kind of out in the nowhere...”

“Oh, it was. We loaded up on days’ worth of supplies and headed out like it was nothing, and our wagon was full of apples and all that stuff. But it was nighttime when they struck...”

---

”Hey, Papa Apple?”

“Yes, Jamie?”

“Why’s it got to be so hot out here? Can’t the Princess just move her sun away for a while?”

Papa Apple chuckled. “That’s just the way things are, Jamie. If she moves the sun to make it cooler here, then there might be somewhere else that ain’t gettin’ the sun it needs for crops.”

Jamie pouted. “I guess I can understand that...” He took a sip out of his own canteen, filled with apple juice. “How far away are we goin’, anyway?”

“Real far northwest, Jamie, up near the top of the Commonwealth, right between the griffon and buffalo lands. I’m sure you’ll like it once we get there; some of our family’s been waitin’ for us and they’ll have some right proper vittles to get you back on your feet.”

“I can’t wait!” Jamie said, earning a laugh from his two foster parents. “At least the sun is going down now...”

“That it is, Jamie, that it is.” The sturdy stallion looked around for a moment, gauging the land around him as he looked for a place to set up camp for the night. “Better set up camp before night falls... don’t want to be stumblin’ around in the dark here. Jamie, make yourself helpful and help Mama Apple set up camp, would you?”

“Yes, sir!” Jamie happily responded.

Mama Apple giggled. “Really, boys,” she said. “Come on now, Jamie, let’s see if we can’t get a fire up and runnin’ before our stomachs start grumblin’.” Hopping off of the wagon, she and Jamie followed alongside Papa Apple until they found a nice suitable place to set up, a small patch of flat ground, just right off the route.

“Well, this looks mighty fine,” Papa Apple said. “Flat ground, no brush, and a nice hill to stop the wind from blowin’ dirt into our faces.” Jamie helped bring out some firewood and a pot, as Mama Apple brought out some vegetables for stew.

“Oh, my, it seems that I forgot the spices. Jamie, be a dear and fetch them for me, would you?” Mama Apple asked.

“Certainly!” Despite his grumblings, he was still overjoyed to actually be able to take a trip to learn how actual Apple family business worked, not just bucking trees or making cider. With this, he might actually be able to help Granny Smith fix up those taxes and get the numbers straight. Shoot, he could even help his dad’s farm back in the Southlands!

As he dove into the wagon, though, he noticed something strange. Looking up over the hill, he first thought it was just some brush moving in the wind as the night began to fall, but he could make out that it was something more. Something unnatural. He stayed in the wagon, fully intent on spying whatever it was that was out there.

Then, suddenly, more figures rose. Jamie was definitely sure that it wasn’t just plants now, there were too many of them... and they started shifting around, moving left and right as they fanned out across the hillside.

“Oh, I forgot the ladle. Silly me,” he heard Mama Apple say from outside. “Now where did I leave that thing...?”

Suddenly, the figures exploded from the hilltops, charging down the inclines as they gave a shouting cry. Jamie could see that they were griffons, wearing armor and... wielding weapons!

“What the—?” Papa Apple immediately dove into action and bucked two of the charging bandits straight in the face. Apple family strength certainly came into play in this very moment. Mama Apple grabbed a frying pan and slammed a trio of of them straight in the face in quick succession, as Jamie watched on in awe.

That advantage, of course, did not hold up in the long run, considering that their opponents had the advantage in numbers, but were also only down, not out. They quickly rushed Papa Apple and pinned him to the ground, as Mama Apple was hit with one of their blunt weapons, knocking her to the dirt.

“Well, well, looks like we have a couple of fighters...” one of the griffons said. “You know, if you just played nicely and let us have everything you had on that cart, we would have let you leave alive...” He hefted his club. “But since you didn’t, well...”

“No!” Mama Apple screamed, before the griffon’s buddies joined in on beating the stallion. “Leave him alone! Please, stop!”

“Well, looks like the mare has a mouth, too.” The griffons laughed, as one of them kicked her. Jamie was shocked, horrified: he sat numbly in the wagon, his arms shaking as he held a fire stoker in his hands. Attempting to step forth, he accidentally kicked over the box of spices he had originally come to find.

The griffons all turned to him. “Well, well, a human, too? I didn’t know ponies were into that sort of thing,” he said, laughing. One of them began approaching him.

“No! Run! Run, Jamie, just run!” Mama Apple shouted, before receiving another kick to her side.

And that was what he did. Slamming the door on the other side of the wagon open, he sprinted as fast as he could, and as far as his legs could take him. His mind blanked out, focusing only on him, daring not to look back for fear of being caught. He ran through the darkened desert, eventually only collapsing once he’d reached a small tree, in the middle of nowhere.

He spent the rest of the night crying, until a pegasus guard patrol found him the next day, absolutely delirious. There was nothing he could have done for them, he knew... but in his mind, he already made his choice. He was going to fix that.

---

"I... they said... they said that rocks fell on their wagon when they were going through a pass..." Applejack said, staring blankly at the ground. And part of it was true: the Matterton route went through several passes, all lined with precariously-placed rocks. "So then the reason why they didn't hold an open casket funeral was...?"

Jamie nodded. "That was why... I learned after I became deputy that the bodies were... they weren't treated kindly. And it angered me, gave me no closure. I had to find those that did it, and make 'em pay."

"I can't believe it..." she said, but swallowed hard and met his eyes with resolve. "I thank you for tellin' me 'bout this, Jamie. It... it means a lot to me. Though I'm not sure whether or not I can actually thank you for puttin' all of this on me..."

"I'm sorry, Applejack," he said, bringing her into a hug. "But I felt that you needed to know. And with that, you could understand why I'm doing what I do now. Why I'm a bounty hunter and everythin'."

"So what happened next?" she asked. "What'd you do after you went back home?"

"That was easy for me. I went down to the sheriff's office and demanded to sign up. Of course, given that everyone back at home heard about what happened to me... they all got the hint. Never told my Ma or Pa about it, but I could tell... they knew, and they understood, as well as I would let them, anyway."

"So that's how you ended up as a bounty hunter..." she said.

"Yeah, it's also how I met Anora and Redhorn. We all signed up together, and the job pays decently well. But my first job was one I did alone. I tracked down those who killed your parents... and I ended them." He sniffed, shaking his head. "It was easy to find them. Even around the period where I started to track 'em down, they were still raidin' groups on the road. It was only a matter of time until someone had to deal with them, and I wanted it to be me."

"So you're a peacekeeper now. Of sorts, I guess," she muttered. "I... I don't rightly like how you've ended up. Haven't you been hurt before?"

He shrugged, tapping the scaled plate on his chest. Applejack noticed the telltale gleam of dragonscale, and she ran a hoof over the light, but tough, material. "Been hurt plenty of times, AJ. Don't worry, I try to help out as best as I can, but even we only take some of the more lighter jobs... plenty more vindictive bounty hunters to deal with the dirty work."

Such was the nature of Princess Luna's domain. Jamie and his friends had managed to keep their hands clean of some of the most disgusting and vile parts of the underground, instead opting to leave the job to the more veteran Judicators or bounty hunters to deal with. He'd met some of them before, and after speaking with them, it was clear why Luna had chosen such outliers to be the judges behind the most heinous crimes: no allegiance, no family, no loose ends. Only an obligation to duty and a loyalty to the crown to ensure that retaliation against the Princess would not only be discouraged, but utterly crushed, ensuring that turncoats were an impossibility in the higher ranks of the peacekeepers.

The crimes that demanded such brutality were few. Jamie knew none of them, and he intended to keep it that way.

"Just... have you ever thought about stoppin' all of this business? Just come back to the farm and settle back down with us?" she asked. She pawed the ground in front of her; a small blush formed on her cheeks as she realized the underlying reason why she wanted him to return. "I want you to return here... return home..."

"I will," he said. "Just not... right now. Princess Luna is... well, let's just say that my oath to her is absolute. I guaranteed her my service until the contract is finished. Then I can leave, though it's... it's usually permanent. But I think she'll listen if I talk to her."

"And if she doesn't," Applejack said. "You can tell her to talk to me. I'm Applejack, the Element of Honesty, after all."

"Oh, are you now?" he said. That little fact wormed his way back into his mind, and he wasn't sure how he forgot about it: Ponyville was the home to the bearers of the Elements, and Applejack was one of them. Now that he recalled, Pinkie Pie was also one of them, as well. He'd yet to meet the others, and hoped to keep it that way: the town was most likely abuzz with talk of his arrival by now, and the last thing he needed was the entire town thinking that the Elements were somehow involved.

"Yep! Saved Equestria a couple of times now, heh..." she said. "So I guess... you know about the whole... thing? You know, with the door and... and our initials and all that..." She stopped, waiting to judge his reaction.

"I do," he replied. "Mac told me all about it. To be honest, I... never really thought you felt that way. Or maybe I did, and I just chalked it up to you bein' a foal and everythin'." He rolled onto his side and balanced his head on his arm. "D'you still feel that way 'bout me, AJ?" he asked, smiling at her.

Applejack couldn't figure out a response, too busy staring at his grinning face to say anything. Instead, she just slowly looked away from him and covered her face with her hooves, giving a tiny squeak that Jamie interpreted as some sort of response.

"So... is that a yes or a no...?" he inquired. Applejack covered her face with her hat, rolling around several times as she deliberated on a better answer. "You know, you don't have to say anythin' if you don't want to..."

"Okay, I still like you, okay?!" she shouted, jumping to her hooves and giving him her best pouting look. "I remembered you as this sort of... all the best things Pa told me to look for in a stallion, except you weren't a stallion! But I could tell he was fine with it, the way Ma took me aside one night and talked to me 'bout... 'bout havin' a crush on somepony. And how that somepony could someday be your special somepony..."

"And you talked... 'bout me," he simply said, standing up himself and finding himself gazing down upon her. "So... what is it you liked about me, anyway? So your Ma just told you 'bout all the good stuff you'd be lookin' for in a stallion, and then you started matchin' up other colts against the best example you could think of: me. Or your brother, but I guess he doesn't count."

"Yeah, pretty much," she said, giving a suggestive smile as he checked him out. "Though you're a lot more rugged and handsome than I last remembered you bein'..."

"Thought you said you didn't like me anymore?" he joked.

"That was... spoken in the heat of the moment," she said. "You... wouldn't mind tryin', at least, would you?"

"I'd... like to give it a try." Jamie flapped his hat around and reseated it on his head. "I like you, too, AJ, but I'm just... I don't know. Guess I'm just not that sure yet. Maybe when we have more time, we can sort these things out, but I didn't come back to stay... not yet."

"One more." Applejack blinked for a moment, letting Jamie tilt his head in confusion. "Just one more job, and promise me you'll come back to the farm. And if the Princess won't let you do it, I'll talk to her. Agreed?"

"I..." Jamie paused, putting his hands in his pockets. He walked around in a circle several times, conflicted over what he truly wanted to do. If he left, that would have meant that he would be leaving Redhorn and Anora to operate in a pair now—unless they were willing to resign with him. They'd had their run and things would be fine in the hands, hooves, and claws of the rest of the force. There wasn't any harm in it, and with Jamie around in Ponyville, maybe he could help keep the peace here instead.

"Er, you don't have to give me an answer right now," Applejack said, nervously waving her hoof at him. "Just... let me know when you have somethin'. It's a tough choice to make, ain't it—"

He stopped pacing. "I agree."

"Eh?"

"I agree," he said, picking her up into a hug and spinning around in their embrace. "I agree, Applejack! Oh, it'll be so nice to come back home to the farm, and just go back to plain applebuckin', and maybe we can even get my friends to help, too, 'cause Redhorn's super strong and Anora's—"

"Ahem," the aforementioned zebra interrupted. Jamie fell over in surprise and tumbled along with Applejack to the ground. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Huh? Oh, nothin', Anora, absolutely nothin'... um, what're you doin' up here?" Jamie asked.

"The guards have arrived and have whisked the foals away to safe haven," she said. "What was that you said about returning to the farm? Thinking of leaving the force already?"

"It's nice and all..." he said, his lips creasing into a sideways frown as he thought it over some more. "...but... I was thinkin' that maybe I'm done with this sort of life. Maybe just have things go back to normal, and you and Redhorn can settle down here with me!"

"Jamie, you know our contract hasn't ended yet. Ten years of service, minimum. We've only done six so far, though I assume that Luna might be willing to allow us early resignation if we can appeal to her." Anora shook her head, reaching into her bag and withdrawing a small sack of bits. She tossed it to him, and he caught the vessel, shaped about as big as a pair of fists atop each other. "There, the payment for the impromptu job. I counted them, and we all received the same: roughly around two hundred bits each."

"The Princess is nothin' if not generous," Jamie noted, but looked at Applejack. "Is the farm hurtin' for cash?"

"Jamie, that's blood money! You know I could never take that," she said concernedly.

"Yes, but this is payment from savin' your sister and stoppin' a group of criminals from operatin' in this loosely-guarded region, AJ," he countered, dropping the bits on her back anyway. "And I haven't been hurtin' for cash for a while, and you could probably spend this better than I can."

"Hmm, what was that about bolts costing an arm and a leg to buy?" Anora said.

"Can always make some more," he said, shrugging. "And 'sides, I got plenty left."

"I guess so," Anora said. "Still, though, I guess it wouldn't hurt to settle down here. Ponyville seems to be a nice place, and the zebra living in the Everfree Forest is actually a shaman from my homeland. I learned a great deal of alchemy from her, even during my short stay, and I think I have several new potions I'd like to test. For Redhorn, though... well, I'm not entirely sure what he might do. He may just return back to his tribe."

"Seems like him, yeah," Jamie agreed. "Though it wouldn't be too bad since I'd be traveling between the Southlands and Equestria every so often. Maybe I can finally take you all for a visit there." He looked at his childhood friend. "And that includes you, too."

"You think they'd have me?" Applejack asked. "I know your family's nice, but I... I ain't so sure 'bout the rest of the folks."

"Plenty of folks have known about the Harper-Apple family dynamic for some time now, AJ," Jamie comforted. "T'ain't nothin' to be scared 'bout. I'm sure folks will love you all the same."

"So does this mean you're an item now?" Anora asked. "Ooh, I'm sure Princess Luna would love to hear that. An Element of Harmony getting hitched with one of her own beloved Judicators..." She snorted and trotted down the hill before he could respond. "Don't stay out too late, Jamie! It's pretty cold tonight..."

They stood there for a few moments, just the cowboy and the cowfilly taking in the weight of their situation. Such an odd couple they were: a humble farmpony from Ponyville who went and embarked on a quest to save the world more than once, and a farmer boy who grew up to be a proud upholder of the law, with badge and pistolbow. And they were together now.

"So... I guess... I'll see you back. After you've talked to the Princess, right?" Applejack slowly asked.

"Eeyup," he said.

---

When they returned to the Apple family household, they noticed that the guards still hadn't left. Rather, Anora was speaking quickly with one of them, only for her to stop upon realizing their presence. "Jamie," she said. "Change of plans. Princess Luna needs us back at headquarters immediately. She says it's urgent."

"What 'bout the foals?" he asked, gesturing at the group peeking their heads over the rim of the chariot cart that the guards were pulling. A third Night Guard sat with the foals, ensuring that none of them would fall over during the course of their journey to Canterlot.

"They'll be taking them back. We're to take a separate route, and she has proposed that Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville as the one to speak to." She looked at Applejack. "I'm sorry, Miss Applejack, but I must ask that you return to your household."

Applejack reached a hoof to touch Jamie's hand. "One more job, Jamie. Promise me."

"I... I promise, AJ," he said, closing his hand around her hoof. "I'll come back, don't you worry."

She said nothing and trotted back to the doorway, where Big Mac stood waiting for her, but never breaking her gaze on him. It was only when Mac said something to her that she finally looked away, and entered the house. The door closed soon after, leaving him with Anora and the guards.

"Where's Redhorn?" Jamie asked.

"He's returned to the inn to gather his things," Anora said. "I'd propose that we join him soon." She looked to the Night Guard ponies, and nodded to them. "Thank you for relaying Her Majesty's message to us. You may leave now... I'm sure the foals have had enough of things."

They nodded, and with a powerful rear, galloped forth and took the skies, the foals gasping in wonder as their newfound protectors brought them higher into the air. Jamie and Anora simply watched as they left, waiting until their speck was indiscernible among the stars of Luna's night sky. Anora began to trot for the orchard gates as Jamie followed, and the cowboy checked his pistolbow. "Did the Princess say what we were needed for?" he asked.

With a quick flash of her hoof, Anora replaced the hood on her head. "She did not specify. I assume it must be something important, a lead, or perhaps an assassination. Either way, the need to convene so suddenly brings up many questions that I intend to ask."

"Supposed to be our last job, and it might turn out to be our biggest yet... I'm not sure if I like the sound of that..." he said uncertainly. Urgent callbacks were something that Luna only did when things were bad... but the severity of situations that demanded it was never discussed. Every agent only knew of the job he or she worked on; only Luna knew of the whole picture of the Commonwealth's underground machinations, and that was to preserve their exposure to other agents.

"It can't be that bad if she's chosen to call us back instead of one of the elites," Anora said. "Perhaps she merely has something to say to us... it is no mystery to her that you came to Ponyville without being assigned a contract, after all. And she does know of your past..."

They walked through the road, weaving on that dirt line between the sturdy trees of the orchard. A small flock of fruit bats crossed across their way, and Jamie remembered the days of leaving out small bits of fruit for them to eat as he and the others played in the field. He swallowed hard; the years had given him a different take on sudden appearances, and he relaxed his grip on his pistolbow, which he'd aimed up into the skies.

"Gettin' a bit too antsy for my likin'..." he said, stowing the weapon away in its holster.

"Only a healthy paranoia, Jamie," Anora said. "Perhaps an occupational perk that you've learned on the job, if you will. Don't think too badly of it; I'm sure it will come in handy some day when you have to catch an apple before it hits the ground." She chuckled at his action, remembering that humans could certainly react much faster than an average pony with the hands that they boasted.

"Hmm, so I hope." They exited the gate and proceeded down the road to Ponyville, the moonlight guiding their way. Idyllic was the scene before them, painting the town in a quiet peace that Jamie realized he missed the simplicity of such a life, and his heart ached. "I'm... surprised that this place doesn't really have any security."

"As am I," Anora said, still boasting her repertoire of bags filled with containers, holding liquids of all sorts. "Zecora—that's the zebra living in the forest—told me that she found it surprising, too. Unusually enough, there is more security to be had within the forest's depths than a place such as Ponyville. She told me she set up in the Everfree because it reminded her of Zebrica, and that she had no reason to fear animals stealing her stock."

The streets were empty with only the soft glow of streetlights to pave their way back towards the inn. Within the next day, word of their deeds would reach the ears of every pony before the day's end. However, it was not a problem, since they would be gone before then. Those more inquisitive would find their trail leading to Sweet Apple Acres, but he knew that Applejack would tell them the truth: that he and his group had saved her sister and a group of foals from a band of criminals operating from the Everfree Forest.

Stemming from that, the standard response left him unworried: no doubt that Celestia would now be allocating a patrol to Ponyville after their eventual outburst at the knowledge that such disconcerting groups were easily operating within the city's bounds. Mayor Mare may even hold a speech about it, with Applejack to testify what had happened. The ponies would be calmed down, and things would return to normal, albeit with an increased guard presence.

But the Equestrian Royal Guard was not limitless: they were already stretched thin enough as it was, and their stringent requirements meant that they didn't have every stallion or mare lining up to join the ranks. And the Royal Protectors were far too busy dealing with the protection of the politicians of the Commonwealth to be of any use, so the task again fell to the police departments and the bounty hunters.

"They really need to step up the Guard recruitment campaigns," he said aloud.

"Oh, they certainly do... the police force can only do so much, and it must certainly be a drain on the Commonwealth's coffers to continuously rely upon the bounty hunters to deal with things," she said. They were bearing down on the inn now, and the shadow of Redhorn moving about in his room could be seen from the street. "Notwithstanding the Judicators, since we are, at the basest, also bounty hunters, as well."

The innkeeper was absent from the front desk as they entered, but they ignored it. Shuffling could be heard coming from Redhorn's room as they ascended the stairs, catching the buffalo in the midst of packing his bags. "Oh, hello," Redhorn said, still clad in plated armor now devoid of blood. "Glad to see you've both finally caught up."

"You have any idea why the Princess called us to headquarters?" Jamie asked him.

Redhorn shook his head, unceremoniously tossing his travel packs on his back. "No idea myself. The Princess is prone to keeping secrets like that... how are we to return to headquarters so quickly, anyway?"

"Twilight Sparkle is to assist us with that," Anora answered. A tilt of a smile appeared on her face. "It would be interesting to see what exactly the Element of Magic is capable of. No doubt that the request definitely involves teleportation... but whether Her Majesty or Miss Sparkle herself is to cast the spell has yet to be revealed."

Redhorn waved a hoof at them, and they relocated themselves to outside his room. He locked the room again for their departure, and tossed the key to Jamie. "Best to grab your things now, huh?" he said to Jamie. The cowboy nodded, pocketing the key and going into his own room. All of the bags were still there, though he'd planned to stay for much longer, and he picked them all up from their short-lived positions. Most were basic amenities, food supplies, and spare clothing changes.

He appeared back in the hall with them in tow, dropping several and kicking them aside as he locked his door. Anora returned, carrying nothing more than she already was, key in mouth as Jamie relieved it from her. "See, this is why you always pack light," she said, giving herself a confident hum. "Less trouble that way."

"Uh-huh," Jamie mumbled, picking up his bags again. They returned to the front desk to find that the innkeeper had returned, and Jamie placed the keys on the table. The pony raised an eyebrow at him.

"Leaving already?" he asked. "I heard there were bounty hunters in town today..."

"There was trouble," Jamie said. "Nothin' that we couldn't handle, though. Ponyville should look into havin' some more guards 'round here sometimes."

"Hmm, yes, an issue that has been brought up before in several town meetings." The innkeeper rubbed his chin, shaking his head at the state of affairs. "The Guards would normally be better used elsewhere, but seeing as we now have malcontents skulking about so close to town, I guess it can't be avoided. I bid you all safe travels, wherever you are going. Good night."

"G'night to you, too," Jamie said. They exited the lobby into the freshness of the night air, catching the sight of that gargantuan tree house just down the street from the inn. "If anythin', at least Miss Sparkle's house is easy to find..."

"Wait!" they heard a barely-restrained whisper call out. They stopped, turning towards a pair of bushes at the side of the road when a pink mare jumped out. "You're all leaving already?! But I haven't even thrown you all a party yet! Can't you stay a bit longer?"

"Well... uh, no," Jamie said, looking over her at the brush. They were a pair of nondescript bushes, sitting out in the open. How had she managed to hide in them without being seen? They were far too small to fit a pony of her size. "You must be Pinkie Pie."

"Yep, that's me! But I'm really sad that you can't stay around for a party..."

"Sorry, maybe next time," he said. "I promise."

"You promise?!" She darted up to him, going all googly-eyed and smiling widely. "Pinkie Promise?!"

"Uh, sure... Pinkie Promise," he said, gently pushing her back and stopping her from invading his personal space any further. "Want to shake on it?"

"No, no! You have to do it differently for a Pinkie Promise! See, here, just follow me." She stood on her hind hooves, dangling her upper ones in the air. "Cross my heart..."

"Cross my heart..." he copied, including her hoof movements.

"..and hope to fly..."

"...and hope to fly..."

"...stick a cupcake in my eye!" She jabbed her hoof directly into her optical organs, eliciting a sharp gasp from her. "Yowch!"

"...stick a cupcake in my eye," Jamie finished, though avoiding accidental damage to himself. "Is that good?"

"Perfect!" she said. "Where were you all headed to, anyway?"

"Twilight Sparkle's place, on extremely important business for the crown," Anora said.

"Oh, boy! Are you guys planning a party?" she asked, hopping up to Anora now.

"Er... no. We're bounty hunters, Miss Pie." Anora took her turn to slowly push Pinkie away. The party pony simply opted to lean forward farther than normal instead. "Though you are cleared to listen in on our conversation given your position as an Element of Harmony, we would rather prefer to limit exposure of our mission's nature as much as possible."

"That doesn't sound fun, so I think I'll just leave you guys to it," she replied, shaking her head and beginning to skip away. "Good luck with whatever it is you're doing!" She bounced away humming to herself.

"That was..." Jamie said.

"...strange?" Anora ended. "Well, she is the Element of Laughter. It figures that parties would be her expertise... Zecora tells me that she can throw quite the gathering."

Jamie turned to look at the treehouse down the lane. The lights were still on, so Twilight must have been told to expect them soon. He recalled hearing about her assistant, a young dragon who had the ability to send missives through the use of dragonfire. Perhaps that was how they were to communicate with Princess Luna to notify her that they'd arrived?

Such a communication device would have been useful... if it weren't for the fact that dragons were near impossible to see outside of the Empire. Jamie waved Anora and Redhorn back on track, passing down the dirt road towards the treehouse. A small sign boasting the words "Golden Oaks Library" could be made out in the dim light.

They stopped outside the red door, and Jamie knocked.

"Who is it?" someone asked. The voice wasn't Twilight's, nor was it Spike's.

"It's Jameson Harper, from earlier today," he said. "Is that you, Twilight?"

"Ah, yes..."

The door glowed with midnight blue magic, and opened to reveal the alicorn standing within. Behind her, within the library's lobby, was Twilight Sparkle, sitting at a table with two steaming cups of tea before her. They'd apparently interrupted their conversation, but since the Princess was here now...

"You called for us, Your Majesty?" Jamie asked. She had come here of her own accord. He both was both curious and apprehensive of what was to come... Luna almost never saw fit to leave her station in Canterlot, and certainly not for the more regular Judicators such as he, Anora, or Redhorn.

"Indeed I did," she said. "Please, come in. There is much to discuss..."

Comments

[LupoMikti]

Hmm, no comments on this chapter yet? Well, don't mind if I do.

I'm glad to see this up and running again. It's pretty much the only fic with humans (so far that I've read) that I actually enjoy and feel has an amazing world built that includes a multitude of races. I definitely can't wait to see where this goes from here.

[Material Defender]

2082309 Thank you, but given that this story doesn't have as much exposure compared to my other ones, it's understandable that the comments aren't all just flooding in. I'd gladly trade viewership of any of my more popular stories with this one.

[Material Defender]

2082526 In terms of parallels, the human technology level is comparable to the same as during the 1800s (most notably the budding southwestern United States around the same time), minus the gunpowder, so it is indeed in line with the Equestrians. The shape of their progression takes a different form given the presence of magic.