> Just Us Big Sisters
>  by GrassAndClouds2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> World's Strongest Sister
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raindrops tensed as she watched the clouds of bees flying over the sunny field. The swarm on her left was buzzing loudly and roiling about itself as the bees within it jockeyed for position, with the occasional bee tumbling away from the others and scurrying back into the cluster. The smaller mob of bees on her right was quieter and more orderly, with its members flying in neat formations and brandishing stingers at the ready. But although one was an unruly mob and the other was comprised of disciplined warriors, it was clear that both were ready to fight. The only things that separated them were a flower patch of moderate proportions, Lily Vale (the trembling mare who owned the field), and Raindrops herself.

And Snails, of course.

The colt stood directly in the center of the field with two bees hovering just below his furrowed brow. He occasionally nodded or made noises of agreement as both bees buzzed and flitted around, and at one point he raised a hoof to pet them when they seemed to be getting excited. Raindrops's heart leapt when one of the bees suddenly surged upwards, but rather than sting her little brother, it did a graceful loop in the air before settling back down. The other bee looked at it and buzzed something which resulted in Snails grinning. "Alright, Miss Vale!" he called. "I found out the problem!"

"You did?" Lily beamed and wiped her sweaty forehead with a leg. "Then why are my bees fighting?"

"The bees in your western hive say the other bees have better flowers to pollinate--the purple ones with the really tasty pollen are all on the east side--but the bees in your eastern hive say the other bees have a better home." Snails gestured at the two beehives, one of which was obviously newer and sleeker than the other. "So they're mad at each other."

Lily put a hoof to her mouth. "I had no idea bees were so particular." Raindrops snorted--she had learned from Snails how particular bugs were, down to ants having preferences as to what kinds of sandwich bread they most enjoyed nibbling out of the hooves of innocent ponies--but the farmer didn't seem to notice. "What can I do?"

"The ones on the east want a new home," said Snails. "And the ones on the west want equal access to the really good flowers."

"I could switch the hives every few days so they have each other's flowers," offered Lily. "If I do that , will they stop arguing and pollinate my flowers again?"

Snails thought for a moment, then huddled close with the bee leaders. It only took a few more seconds before the bees buzzed back to their clouds, which began to disperse. "Yep!" said Snails. "They will! They--"

Then one of the bees, a huge bug, with gleaming yellow and jet-black stripes, broke free from the cloud on the left. It argued with its leader before buzzing straight towards Snails with its stinger extended. Snails yelped, "Hey, stop!" but the bee didn't listen. Raindrops lunged forwards, but Snails was too far ahead of her and she knew she wouldn't make it in time--

Then Snails' mane parted and a large black beetle jumped out of it. As the bee neared, the beetle reared back on its hind legs and then kicked forwards. One of its feet slammed into the bee and sent it spiraling away to crash into a flower, scattering pollen everywhere.

Snails grinned. "It's okay!" he yelled to Raindrops, who stopped short of her little brother. "Levi's with me! He'll keep me safe from any meanie bees." He turned to glare at the fallen bee, who flew away, abashed, and then looked at Lily. "He's a Hercule beetle; they're the strongest bugs in Equestria. Princess Luna gave him to me!"

Lily nodded, then paused. "Levi?" she whispered to Raindrops. 

"Short for Leviathan," murmured Raindrops with a smile. "Cheerilee used the word in class and it kind of stuck." 

Snails had turned back to the other bees in the meantime. "Anyways, the rest of you agree with Lily, right?"

The bees buzzed in unison, and Snails quickly bobbed his head up and down. "It's settled!" he announced.

"Thank you!" Lily trotted forwards, hugged Snails--who tolerated this with only a slight scrunching of his face--and pressed several bits into his hoof. "I don't know what I would have done without you. I can't very well grow flowers when all my bees are fighting each other."

"Don't worry about it!" said Snails as Levi climbed up to the tip of his horn and perched there like he had his very own chariot. "Happy to help!"

When Lily had hugged Snails once more and then left with her bees, Raindrops trotted up to her little brother and ruffled his mane. "Knew you could help her," she said. "Good job, squirt."

"Squirt?" Snails tried to frown at Raindrops, but he burst into giggles a few moments later. "I'm not a squirt!"

Raindrops grinned and then began to walk out of the field with him. "She's the fourth farmer you've helped since we got back from Canterlot, isn't she?" The weathermare playfully shoved Snails. "And you were worried you didn't have a good special talent."

"I guess I was wrong." Snails was almost skipping as he scampered down the path, and Raindrops found herself hurrying to keep up. "I've got an awesome talent! I can make sure all the bugs in town are happy!"

"And also that all the farmers are happy because the bugs are helping them," added Raindrops.

"That too." Snails turned back to Raindrops with a huge smile on his face. "Hey, if I'm so good at talking to bugs, can I do that part-time thing in Canterlot? I bet I'd do a real good job!"

Raindrops' smile caught. "Uh..."

Two weeks prior, Raindrops, Cheerilee, Carrot Top, and Snails had been in Canterlot when a group of vigilantes had attacked several individuals in town. Equestria's Minister of War, Archduke Fisher, had declared martial law in the mistaken belief that the vigilantes were involved with the forces of the Tyrant Sun, resulting in the castle being sealed off, all routes out of the city shut down, and the entirety of the city's police and Guard forces being redirected to hunt for the cult. With no way to escape the city and nopony else to turn to, Raindrops had been forced to leave Snails in the underground garden of their old enemy Duke Greengrass while she, Cheerilee, and a hapless noble pony named Baron Max chased down and stopped the vigilantes from killing anyone. Raindrops hadn't liked it, mostly because she didn't trust Greengrass as far as she could throw him, but it had been the only way to protect Snails from the increasingly unhinged vigilantes.

To her surprise and relief, Greengrass hadn't hurt Snails and had even helped Twilight Sparkle and Carrot Top to keep him safe from a squad of mobsters that Raindrops had antagonized earlier in the day. Furthermore, once the crisis was over, Greengrass had offered Snails a weekend job working with the bugs in his garden. This was of course something Snails really wanted, and also something Raindrops didn't like because she really did not want to deal with Greengrass anymore. In total, the offer did little other than annoy her immensely... which, she thought, was probably why he had made it.

"I'll think about it," she told Snails again as they walked towards the next set of fields. The apple trees of Sweet Apples Acres stretched before them, and Raindrops helped Snails climb over the fence so they could cut through the orchard in order to get to Applejack's main barn. "But the farms in town are just as good, and you won't need to travel all the way to Canterlot every other weekend to--"

"Nuh-uh! His garden had some of the awesomest bugs everywhere! All these really cool ones I've only seen in books!" Snails looked at Raindrops with bright eyes. "And he said he might even get a couple other helpers, but I could be in charge 'cause I know so much already! Nopony's ever put me in charge of anything before, so..." He trailed off. "Unless you think he might be mean to me?"

"He wouldn't dare hurt you," said Raindrops at once. "Nopony would. You've got the world's strongest sister. If anypony tried to harm one little hair in your mane, I'd knock them silly." She lightly punched a tree, rustling its leaves. "You don't need to worry."

Snails hugged Raindrops tightly. "Then why can't I go?" he asked. "I promise I'll do a great job and make you really proud and--"

"I'm already proud of you," said Raindrops. She knelt and he quickly clambered onto her back, the Hercules beetle rearing up on his horn as he did so. "You're the best little brother in the world. You've got a great special talent, and you're kind and friendly and loving, and..." 

She trailed off while thinking up more compliments, and Snails cut in with a sly voice. "Well, if I'm that awesome... I can take the job, right? I mean, an awesome pony like me needs an awesome job!" And when Raindrops glanced back she saw that her little brother was beaming.

The weathermare sighed to herself. "Let's talk about it after the party, okay?" An idea for changing the subject occurred to her, and she smiled. "Speaking of which, I need you to remember something when we get there."

"What?"

"When we get to the party, remember--just because you've got the coolest ride of all your friends, that doesn't mean you should brag too much." Raindrops chuckled. "Even though nopony's going to show up there on a mare as cool as me, don't rub it in their faces. Okay?"

Snails laughed. "Okay!" he said as they approached the barn.

Everything had already been set up for Apple Bloom's birthday party. Party games had been set up inside the barn and long tables of refreshments were lined up along the outer walls. A dozen foals had already arrived and were running around in the nearby field. Applejack herself stood by the barn door and waved to Raindrops and Snails. "Afternoon!" she called. "Make yourself at home, Snails. An' you too, Raindrops--if you want an apple-cinnamon donut, some apple cider, or a big 'ol slice of apple pie, feel free to help yourself!"

"Thanks!" Raindrops trotted closer to Applejack as Snails craned his neck around to look at everything. "Don't mind if I do. Your apple donuts are pretty tasty."

"Aw, shucks." Applejack smiled and turned to Snails. "An' how're you doin', Snails? Havin' a good day?"

Snails nodded vigorously. "Yup!" he said. "I helped Lily's bees get along again! And I had really good honey oats for breakfast. And I've got the coolest ride here!" He paused. "Uh, I mean..."

Raindrops blushed, wishing she hadn't put the idea into Snails' head, but Applejack just laughed. "That is a pretty cool ride," she agreed, stepping forwards as if scrutinizing Raindrops. "Might even be one of the best here. Although, since Apple Bloom's gonna be poppin' in on Big Mac's back, I..."

Someone yelled from past the gate. Applejack and Raindrops turned to see a fast-moving cloud of dust approaching, with the sounds of heavy footsteps--almost as loud as thunder--bursting out from inside it. Raindrops yelped and was just able to jump out of the way with Applejack before the newcomer leapt over the front gate and slammed into the ground hard enough to knock both of them over. Raindrops coughed and pushed herself up, then gaped.

The pony in front of her was the largest mortal pony Raindrops had ever seen, surpassing even the titanic Goliath--the largest of the Canterlot vigilantes--for sheer volume. This pony's coat, bulging as if struggling to enclose all of her muscles, was a dark purple with red undertones, and her blue mane was only a few shades lighter. Her cutie mark, a shield with a horn emblem on its front, was a bright pink that looked almost garish on her bulky flank. She wore a sword at her side, a large one sheathed in a black-and-silver scabbard, and her long horn tapered to an exceedingly sharp point. This, Raindrops thought, was a pony built for war.

"We are here," the pony said in a thick Rushian accent. She turned towards her back. "In time for party, like I say." Her mouth twisted upwards in an approximation of a smile. "You happy?"

Raindrops belatedly noted three foals lashed with rope to the newcomer's back. Two, Apple Bloom and Firelock, were dangling as if stunned. When the new pony's horn glowed and the rope untied itself, both half-jumped, half-tumbled off, and Apple Bloom stumbled towards Applejack. "AJ? Can ya get the farm to stop spinnin', please?" she murmured.

The third seemed to be paralyzed with joy. "That was AWESOME!" screamed Scootaloo at last, fluttering down and running in circles around the new pony. "Can I go again? Please please please? Pleeease?" Her voice was somehow even more energetic than usual, and her wings beat rapidly as if she could barely control herself.  "That was the coolest ride ever! Ever!"

Snails looked at Raindrops, who weakly smiled. "Okay," she said. "Maybe you came on the second best ride here."
> Intractable Mares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The large pony dusted herself off as the other foals clustered around her. Applejack hugged Apple Bloom close and demanded, "Would somepony explain to me what in tarnation is goin' on?"

"We were across town and Apple Bloom thought we wouldn't be able to get back here in time for the party!" shouted Scootaloo, still so wired that she was continuing to circle the new pony's hooves. "So I said they could get in my wagon and I'd scoot them here. But we hit a bump and Firelock set my scooter on fire, and when I tried to put it out I crashed into this really big pony and broke a wheel. Apple Bloom was upset because she thought we'd never get here on time, but then she asked if the pony wanted to be real nice and pull the wagon so we could make it, and she said she didn't need the wagon 'cause she could just take us on her back!"

Raindrops raised an eyebrow. "And that seemed like a good idea?"

"Da. It no problem." The pony drew herself up to her full height and examined Raindrops. "My name Juggernaut. I--"

Applejack stepped forwards and cut her off. "Well, then, Miss Juggernaut, I appreciate you helpin' my little sister get back here, but that's no excuse for darn near rattlin' the brain out of her head." She nodded at Apple Bloom, who still looked unsteady. "I think an apology might be in order."

Juggernaut frowned. "Why?" she asked. "She said she late, so I go fast."

The farmer opened her mouth as if to press the point, but Apple Bloom shook her head and said, "It's okay. I mean, we got back to my party on time, and that's what matters, right?" She grinned woozily. "Oh, AJ--Juggernaut said she knows sword tricks! Maybe she can show us a few!"

The foals began chorusing their approval, Snails' voice among the loudest. Raindrops hesitated, but before she could do anything, Juggernaut had drawn her sword. "Da!" she said. "I show you little ponies fun trick!" She swept a hoof towards them. "First, I need volunteer."

Raindrops' heart froze as every single foal, Snails included, raised their hooves. "Me!" shouted Snails in unison with all the others. "Me me me!"

"Wait!" Raindrops grabbed Snails and hauled him backwards. "Snails, stop!"

"But I wanna see the trick!"

Applejack quickly got between the foals and Juggernaut. "Why don't we have the treats first?" she said in a strained voice. "I know I for one don't want to keep that delicious chocolate-marzipan birthday cake waiting. And maybe later this evening--"

She didn't need to continue. The foals cheered and stampeded past her in a little herd, each rushing to be the first to get a slice of the delicious cake.

Applejack and Raindrops exchanged glances before Raindrops sighed and approached Juggernaut. Before she could say anything, though, the massive pony looked at her and smiled. "You are Dame Raindrops, da? Is good luck you here. I come to town just to find you!"

A cold sweat prickled on Raindrops' coat. "And why is that? We've never met."

"No, but you know my brother Goliath." Juggernaut's smile faded. "You hit him on head, and make him cry, and send him to jail."

Raindrops grimaced as she thought back to her battle against the Canterlot vigilantes, which had included a massive pony named Goliath. He had some kind of mental disability and hadn't really understood that what he was doing was wrong, but Raindrops had still been forced to fight him to save his potential victims. "Juggernaut," she said in a low voice. "I'm sorry about your brother. But he was trying to hurt a lot of other ponies. I had no choice."

Juggernaut was silent for a long moment. "I know. But still, you hurt my brother. Now we must fight." She pointed her sword towards Raindrops. "Dame Raindrops, I challenge you to duel."

This is supposed to be a party! Raindrops screamed to herself. She was half-tempted to take the other mare up on her offer, lead her away from the foals, and pound some sense into her, but one look at her bulk gave her pause. Besides, Raindrops was remembering the things she'd heard about Goliath's mysterious older sister when she'd been trying to hunt down the vigilantes in Canterlot. That she led the elite security forces of Bobbing Fisher, Equestria's former Minister of War. That Fisher had scoured the land to fill that position, offering a munificent salary which attracted thousands of elite mercenaries, soldiers, and warriors, and Juggernaut had been the greatest of all of them. That the Guards came to her for training.

She looked at Juggernaut and thought to herself, I might be able to win, but not without getting hit really bad. I can't risk it.

"Now, take it easy," said Applejack. "Look, whatever bad blood there is between you two, it ain't no reason for fightin', is it? Especially not with foals just o'er yonder?"

Juggernaut frowned. "I have duty," she said. "I not wait. And because Raindrops is knight, under law, I can ask for duel."

Raindrops scowled. "And it's also legal for me to say no. Which I am. I get that you want revenge for Goliath, but still, I refuse to fight you." She took a breath, trying not to panic. "And if you attack me, you'll be arrested for assault. Then who will look out for your brother?"

Juggernaut flinched back as if genuinely distressed. "I not fight you if you not agree," she insisted. "I not break law."

"Then we won't fight." Raindrops stepped closer to her. "Because I. Say. No."

After a moment, Juggernaut nodded. "I see you later then," she said. "Maybe you change mind."

"I won't," snapped Raindrops.

Juggernaut smiled, as if this was a challenge, but did not respond. She just turned and left, soon vanishing as the road back to town curved around a hill.

A few moments later Snails ran up to Raindrops and Applejack with a big slice of cake balanced on a plate levitating next to his head. "Hey! Where'd that big pony go? She was gonna show us cool sword tricks!"

"I think she had something else to do," said Raindrops. "Sorry, squirt."

Snails, as she'd hoped, took the bait. "Hey! I'm not a squirt!" he protested, huffing when Raindrops smiled. "I'm a pony!"

Raindrops scratched her chin, as if deliberating this statement, and glanced at Applejack. The farmer mouthed 'thank you' to Raindrops and then turned to the other foals, who were starting to return with cake. "Alright, colts an' fillies. Miss Juggernaut had to go do somethin' else, but don't worry! We've still got loads of fun games an' treats for y'all. Now, who wants to play pin-the-tail-on-the-pony?"

The foals cheered again and followed Applejack towards the game area. Raindrops took a few moments to stop her heart from pounding, then followed, unable to stop herself from glancing over her shoulder a few times before stepping inside the barn.

#

"I really appreciate you gettin' rid of that pony," said Applejack as she and Raindrops trotted into town. "Wasn't sure what I could do 'sides callin' for Big Mac an' hopin' he got there in time."

"No problem." Raindrops sighed. "I'm really sorry. If I'd known some lunkhead with a grudge was going to show up, I wouldn't have agreed to help you look after the foals."

"Aw, don't worry 'bout it. Ain't like it's never happened before. Every now an' then somepony shows up mad 'bout some bounty Big Mac collected. Granted, most ain't that large, but still, you get used to it." Applejack chuckled. "Snails okay?"

"Think so." The party had gone on for a few hours, and the sun was just starting to set by the time it broke up. Big Macintosh had volunteered to walk Snails home; this usually would have been unnecessary, but Raindrops wanted somepony strong to keep an eye on him just in case Juggernaut tried anything while she, Raindrops, went to see if Trixie could whip up some legal rationale to have the gigantic mare removed. She would have taken Snails with her, but the foal seemed to be having a really good time at the party, and she didn't want to have him in the room while she told Trixie about the new mare that was threatening to ruin her life. "Thanks for having Big Mac take him home."

Applejack nodded. "Let us know if this Juggernaut don't want to leave quietly. She's big, but ain't nopony stronger than our Big Mac. An' I know a thing or two bought wrestlin'." She grinned. "The lasso ain't just for show."

"I'll... keep that in mind." Raindrops chuckled as she approached Trixie's house. "See you later. I'll let you know if I need help."

"Wait, hold up." Applejack hurried ahead of Raindrops. "Look, long as you're goin' to see Trixie, maybe you could ask her somethin' for me. You know that rocky field just south of Sweet Apple Acres?"

Raindrops thought for a moment. "Yeah. Carrot Top said that Duke Blueblood took advantage of some bylaw and appropriated it when he was the Representative here. She knows because Green Grape once tried to buy it but couldn't."

"Right. He told me four or five times he was gonna give it to us just as soon as he was done doin' his 'rock farmin' or whatever the Hay he was using it for, but that never happened. He hung on to it till he left town an' even after. Well, there was finally an audit last week, an' they found that Duke Blueblood don't live here anymore an' can't keep the field. So now it goes back to Ponyville, an' Mayor Ivory Scrolls has to give it to one of the local farming concerns. We've asked for it, but so has the Farmer's Union." Applejack sighed. "I know Trixie's friends with Carrot Top an' probably wants to lean on the Mayor to vote her way, but Duke Blueblood promised the field to the Apple Trust. It's owed to us. An' besides, when I think of what we could do with that land... it's been fallow for years, just get all the rocks out an' fertilize it a little an' it'd be perfect for all kinds of crops..." 

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Applejack said, "Look, you're friends with Trixie too. Could ya just mention to her that Duke Blueblood swore up an' down he'd give us the field? That's gotta have some weight. I've got his letters if she needs the proof."

"I'll tell her," said Raindrops. "I can't say what she'll do, but--"

"I know. Tellin' her's all I want. Thanks." Applejack smiled at Raindrops, then turned. "I'm gonna track down Mac an' make sure Snails made it home okay. See you soon, Raindrops."

Raindrops waved goodbye and then trotted up to the Representative's House. It was a cozy home, no more than two stories and a few rooms, and Raindrops heard sounds from the living room as soon as she entered. She poked her head in and grinned at the sight of Trixie, who was sitting next to a grumbling Carrot Top on the couch and gesticulating wildly. "Have no fear!" the unicorn was proclaiming. "The brilliant and wondrous Trixie will devise a solution to all your woes!"

"That's good," said Carrot Top, whose frown was crumbling under a suppressed laugh. "I'm feeling very woeful today."

Raindrops knocked on the doorframe and stepped inside. "What about my woes?" she joked as she approached the liquor cabinet on one side of the room. "I've got woes that need solving too."

"But I'm not done telling Trixie my woes yet," protested Carrot Top, no longer able to hide the bright grin on her face. "You need to wait your turn."

"Girls, girls!" Trixie's horn flared and shot a few illusory fireworks into the sky. "Rest assured, Trixie is so incredibly brilliant that she can solve the problems of all her friends! Or, at the very least, she can listen to them and provide bourbon. Which is considered the same thing in Neigh Orleans."

"Sounds like my kind of city," said Raindrops, balancing a bottle of bourbon and a few glasses on her wing as she walked over. "I'm guessing this has to do with Duke Blueblood's field? I was just talking to Applejack and she said that he promised it to the Apples in writing--"

Carrot Top shook her head. "He promised it to everypony in writing! Whenever somepony complained about him hogging it and never getting around to doing anything with it, he promised he'd give it to them next year. Green Grape, Red Onion... I'm pretty sure he promised it to Pinkie's alligator once!" She paused. "He may have been drunk at the time." 

Raindrops chuckled. "Figures. Didn't he tell you to spend most of your time in an alcoholic haze, Trixie?"

"Something like that." Trixie grimaced. "But it's a mess. Every farmer in town has claims on it. The Union says they'll be fine with Carrot Top getting it because most of them owe her favors anyway, but Applejack won't back off. And to be fair," she held up a hoof at Carrot Top's look, "She does have an actual claim on the property. I don't think she needs it, but she's got it. So now Mayor Scrolls has to make a decision based on what she thinks is best for the town."

"But even if she rules in my favor," said Carrot Top, "Applejack can take Ponyville to court and try to prove that it'd be better if Sweet Apple Acres had the field. Cheerilee did some research and she thinks Applejack would have about a 1-in-4 chance of overturning Mayor Scrolls, if she argued that Sweet Apple Acres could leverage the Trust's resources to produce more fruit and taxable sales then I could."

Trixie held up a hoof again. "Conversely, if she rules for Applejack, you could take the town to court. Your business is local; it doesn't ship a lot of its produce to other villages and cities like Applejack's farm does, so it's arguably more important to the town. You're also a prominent member of a community business association, which means that when you do well it affects the whole community. And, you know, you are a national hero. That has some weight."

Carrot Top sighed. "Cheerilee thinks I'd have about the same odds of overturning Scrolls as Applejack. One chance in four."

"Oh." Raindrops frowned. "So if Scrolls rules against you, then you can't justify suing because you're probably lose and waste a lot of money on lawyers. But if she rules in your favor, Applejack--who has money to spare--will probably sue anyway, since she can afford to lose and she really wants the land." She paused. "Alright. I'm pouring you extra bourbon."

"Thanks." Carrot Top smiled as Raindrops passed her the glass. 

The three drank in silence for a few moments before Raindrops ventured, "Can't you work out some compromise? Like, maybe she gets the field and you get something else? Or--"

"No!" Carrot Top's face flushed, and Raindrops stepped back. She couldn't recall ever seeing the farmer look so determined. "I always compromise! And I'm tired of always being the pony to back down. I really want some new land, so I can expand my farm, and grow really tasty new vegetables for Ponyville, and... and because I want it! And it's not fair that Applejack's going to take it from me!"

"She won't," said Trixie, rising and lifting her glass. "Because I, the eloquent and silver-tongued Trixie, will convince Mayor Scrolls that the field would do far more good for Ponyville in your hooves than Applejack's! And when she gives it to you, if Applejack sues anyways, I'll go to any court in the land--even the court of Luna Herself--and convince all and sundry that you are the only acceptable choice!" She beamed. "Nopony in the land will dare rule against us!"

Carrot Top laughed as Trixie posed by the couch, and Raindrops couldn't help but smile. "I'll help too if I can," she said. "Nothing against Applejack, but yeah, I think it'd be better if you got the field--and I'll talk to whoever I need to so that it happens." She clapped Carrot Top's hoof. "Nothing to worry about."

The farmer let out a sigh of relief and relaxed into the couch. "Thanks," she said, sipping her bourbon. "You two are great friends."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Trixie grinned and turned to Raindrops. "And what friendship problem can Trixie help you with?"

"Not really a friendship problem." Raindrops sighed, her good cheer vanishing as she remembered why she was there. "Remember how two weeks ago Carrot Top, Cheerilee, Snails and I almost got killed by a bunch of nutjobs in Canterlot? And one was this giant named Goliath?"

Carrot Top nodded, but Trixie frowned. "Which one was he?"

"The really big one with mortar spells. He almost killed Twilight when he ambushed her underground, and then he almost killed me when we fought in the airship docking bay." Raindrops winced at the memory. "He has the mind of a foal, so Luna had him sent to an asylum instead of jail like the other guy, And--"

"Did he break out?" Trixie immediately set down the bourbon. "Is he coming for you?"

"Not him. But while we were in town, we learned he had a big sister. Some kind of super-warrior Fisher hired to head up his factory security. She's in town, and she wants revenge for me putting Goliath away." Raindrops scowled. "She interrupted Apple Bloom's birthday party and challenged me to a duel. I said no and she went away, but she said she'd be back later." 

Nopony spoke for a moment, but then Raindrops continued. "I don't think she'll attack me as long as I keep refusing--I mean, she could have just jumped me without asking to duel first if that's what she wanted. But I still don't want her here. Especially with what Snails just went through in Canterlot, when the mafia and the vigilantes both tried to kill him. The last thing he needs is to be worrying about some giant pony coming after me, so I want her gone before he finds out. Besides, she's..." Raindrops thought for a moment. "Thoughtless. She didn't care if she worried the foals at Apple Bloom's party  by challenging me to a fight there. Or, y'know, waving that huge sword of hers around."

"Can't you just fight her and win?" asked Carrot Top. "I mean, you're... you."

Raindrops smiled at that, but said, "She's huge, armed, and I'm guessing she's good with magic too. I'd fight her but I'm pretty sure she'd hurt me even if I won. Of course, if I don't fight her, she'll hang around town forever, Snails will get worried, and somepony might get hurt."

"Maybe she was bluffing," said Trixie in a hopeful tone. "To annoy you. She might be ready to leave. And--"

Something pounded the front door hard enough to rattle it in its frame.

The three mares looked at each other before Trixie grumbled something, magically summoned her hat and cloak, and trotted to the door. Raindrops and Carrot Top followed as she swung it open to reveal the bulky Juggernaut. Trixie started to say something, then froze as she gazed at the massive, heavily-muscled pony. "Oh."

"Dame Raindrops!" said Juggernaut in the same tone as before. "I challenge you to duel!"

"I said no," growled Raindrops.

Juggernaut frowned. "Then I come back," she said. "If you change mind before I ask again, find me at apartment over Noteworthy Music store."

"You rented an apartment?" demanded Trixie.

"Da! Fisher once tell me Raindrops very stubborn. So I think, if I in town for many moons waiting to duel her, it make sense rent room." Juggernaut hesitated. "But I think it not take long. We duel soon, Raindrops."

"Or what?" hissed the mare.

Juggernaut did not answer. She just turned and trotted away.

Raindrops muttered something inarticulate and looked at Trixie along with Carrot Top. The showmare sighed. "Alright," she said. "Maybe she isn't ready to leave."
> Immovable Object
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Raindrops awoke the next morning, she saw stormclouds in the distance. A cool breeze came with them, rustling the trees and flowers, and a few gusts of crisp wind blew into her room and tickled at her feathers. She yawned, stretching, and luxuriated as the last remnants of sleep left her body. For a moment, she thought it was going to be a perfect day.

Then someone hammered at their front door.

Raindrops stumbled downstairs, trying to ignore how the pounding seemed to be forcing its way into her brain, and opened it. "Whoever this is, you better have a good reason for being so early--" she began before her eyes focused on the bulky purple pony in front of her.

"I challenge you to duel!" said Juggernaut.

Raindrops stared at her as her mouth twisted into a scowl of its own accord. "For the third time, no!" she said. "No, no, no!"

"Then I ask again later." And Juggernaut walked away.

"Argh!" Raindrops slammed the door, then turned and froze as she saw Snails walking into the hallway. "Uh."

"What's going on?" asked the colt. 

"...nothing," said Raindrops, unable to think of a good lie on the spot. She made herself grin and added, "It doesn't matter. Want some breakfast?"

Snails nodded, an uneasy expression crossing his face and trotted towards the kitchen. Raindrops sighed to herself and followed. 

#

"Looking good!" said Rainbow Dash as she flew through the sky. "Nice cloud formations!"

Raindrops nodded as she swooped through a thick raincloud. The weather crew was focusing the clouds for the scheduled rainstorm over the town's outlying farms while leaving the downtown area dry. That way the crops got more water and the shops stayed dry for the tourists. "Thanks!" she called back. "I'm going to head down below and make sure the bottom's are level. Stop any clouds from flying too low and crashing into a tree."

"You just want to fly through the rainclouds," teased Rainbow Dash.

Raindrops smiled at her, then flew high into the sky, reoriented herself, and dove down into the puffy gray clouds. "Woooo!"

The cool moisture of the cloud soaked into her coat, and she laughed as the cool water enveloped her body. She burst through the bottom and reoriented herself, wondering if she could sneak in another few trips through the clouds before getting back to work. "Maybe just one trip," she said, grinning in excitement. "Just enough to get my pinfeathers wet."

"Raindrops! I challenge you to duel!"

The weathermare's good mood vanished as she rolled over and saw Juggernaut standing calmly on the ground. "No!" snapped Raindrops. "And go away!"

Juggernaut did so, but even when she was gone, it took Raindrops a few minutes of splashing through the clouds to calm herself, and even then she couldn't quite recover her good cheer.

#

When it was time for lunch, Raindrops borrowed a cloud from weather control and flew it across town, far from her scheduled patrol route and anywhere that Juggernaut might expect to find her. When she was away from the fields and hovering over Ponyville Elementary, she opened her lunchbox and sighed happily as the scents of the sandwich within tickled her muzzle. Grilled eggplant and melted mozzarella cheese on fresh-baked ciabatta bread, with onions, peppers, and a garlic-pesto aioli. It was a lot of work, but sometimes only her favorite sandwich could help her get through the day. She opened her mouth to take a bite--

"Raindrops! I challenge you to duel!"

Raindrops' hooves smashed together in anger, splattering her sandwich all over her face and barrel. Scowling, she poked her heat through the cloud and looked down at Juggernaut, who was standing on a field just outside the schoolhouse. "How did you know I'd be here?" she demanded.

"I follow you from farms!"

Raindrops' jaw clenched. "Are you seriously going to follow me around all day?"

Juggernaut nodded merrily.

For a moment, Raindrops' vision went red, but she managed to claw back control. "No. Again," she hissed. "And it will still be no next time, and the time after that, and every other time after. I don't want to fight you. Go away."

Juggernaut shrugged. "If you not want fight now, I ask again later." She sat down. "After lunch."

Before Raindrops could object, the school bell rang and foals began trotting out. Raindrops glanced at them and saw Snails chasing Truffle Shuffle onto the schoolyard. "Uh uh!" he was saying. "I took a picture of you with that magic spell Miss Trixie taught me! I saw you smooching Tootsie Flute!"

"I did not!" he protested. "She got cupcake frosting on her face and I was just trying to lick it off!"

"Truffle likes Tootsie!" a few foals chanted, causing the colt to blush and scurry away.

"Hey!" Apple Bloom pointed a hoof towards Juggernaut. "It's that real big pony who knows sword tricks!" She rushed to the fence, followed by the other foals. "Miss Juggernaut! Show us somethin' cool!"

Raindrops blanched, but Juggernaut nodded. "Okay! I eat lunch, then I show you fun things! "

"Lunch?" Snails looked around. "What lunch?"

As if on cue, Pinkie Pie and a gray-coated pony trotted down the road towards the field. Each was toting a wagon behind them. "Juggernaut!" called Pinkie in her usual sing-song voice. "Your super-special pies from Sugar Cube Corner are here!"

The other pony upended her wagon and dumped several boulders onto the field. "So are your rocks," she droned.

Raindrops frowned as Juggernaut trotted to Pinkie's wagon. Pinkie Pie too seemed confused. "That's a lot of pies," she commented. "Do you need anypony to share them with? Maybe a pink and perky party pony with a penchant for peach, pear, and pineapple pies?" She suddenly hugged the gray pony, whom Raindrops vaguely remembered from the Jackelope Valley Festival. "Or her awesome sister Maud?"

"You could share it with us!" called Snips. "We like pie too!"

"Nyet. It all for me." Juggernaut opened her mouth wide and crammed a pie into it. After chewing and gulping it down, she added, "I eat a lot," and gestured to her massive form. "To maintain build."

The foals gasped as Juggernaut consumed a second pie. "Awesome!" shouted Pipsqueak.

Pinkie's eyes were wide. "Do you realize what this means?" she shouted at Maud. "If I worked out and bulked up, then I could eat five pies at once too! I could be enjoying so much more pie!" She lunged forwards and seized her sister around her shoulders. "Alright. We're gonna need weights, treadmills, big rocks, and a shouty pony to yell at us when we don't do enough push-ups. Do you know any shouty ponies?"

Maud frowned. "Well," she said after a long moment. "Right now, there's you."

As Pinkie laughed, Juggernaut ate the rest of the pies, then stood and approached the rocks.  "What're you doin'?" called Apple Bloom as the big mare raised a hoof high. "You can't punch through a rock!"

"Of course I can!" Juggernaut grinned. "I Juggernaut!" Her horn glowed, enveloping her legs in a purple glow, and then she attacked the boulder. Her hooves thundered into it, striking several blows in just under two seconds, and for a moment nothing happened. Then the rock broke apart as if it were paper mache. "Is not hard for me!"

"WOW!" the foals gasped.

Juggernaut proceeded to attack several other boulders, breaking some with her hooves and chopping others into pieces with her sword. The foals gathered by the fence, recess and lunch entirely forgotten, and watched. Only when Juggernaut had broken all the boulders did they start to calm down. "Are you done?" called Scootaloo.

"Done?" Juggernaut laughed. "That just warm up! To be warrior, pony must train for hours every day!" She began doing push-ups as the foals watched. "If you train too, maybe someday you be as big and strong as Juggernaut!"

The foals began murmuring to each other, and a few, Raindrops saw, were already starting to do push-ups. She scowled and flew away as Cheerilee came outside to see what was going on.

#

"What do you mean my new assignment is to follow Juggernaut around with a cloud?" snapped Raindrops to Rainbow Dash. "How is that part of the scheduled weather?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Look, all I know is she asked for it, and I checked the rules--as long as we finish all the weather, it doesn't matter if one of us goes on special assignment." She clapped Raindrops on the shoulder. "So you fly over her head and shade her with a cloud. I'll handle your shifts."

Raindrops stared at her. "Why would you do that?"

"Because she gave me these!" Rainbow Dash's eyes shone as she showed Raindrops a pair of black-and-silver wingplates. "They're a new prototype from Fisher Aviation. You put these over your wings and you go, like, twenty percent faster!" She grinned and slipped them on. "Isn't she the greatest? I mean, when she asked if I could arrange for an Element of Harmony to hang out with her in exchange, of course I said yes! Anypony would!"

Raindrops felt a vein on her head beginning to bulge. "Please tell me this is an elaborate practical joke."

"Nope!" Rainbow Dash shoved a cloud at Raindrops, which smacked into her muzzle. "She's hanging out by Sweet Apple Acres. See you later!"

#

Juggernaut asked Raindrops to duel twice more before her shift was over. When it was finally time to go home for the day, Raindrops flew her cloud back to weather control as quickly as she could, then stopped at Berry's Bar on the way home to drink a large cider. "Ugh," she muttered. "What a day."

Over half an hour passed as she nursed her cider. When she was finally done, she paid and left, trotting home at a good clip. Snails would likely be done with his after-school bug hunts, she thought, and maybe he'd be up for a game of checkers. After everything that had happened, it would be nice to just relax with her brother and forget everything else.

And if Juggernaut knocks again, I'll just ignore her. And if she keeps knocking I'll have her arrested for disturbing the peace. Raindrops nodded to herself as she approached her house and opened the door. "Mom, I'm--"

"Raindrops! I challenge you to duel!"

Raindrops' mouth dropped as she saw Juggernaut squeezed into the front hallway. She was so massive that she almost completely spanned the room; Raindrops couldn't have moved around her if she'd wanted. "What are you doing in here?!" she screamed.

"I ran into her when I was collecting bugs!" called Snails from somewhere behind Juggernaut. "And I told her how cool her exercises were, and she said she could come home with me and tell Mom and Dad about some training programs!" His voice was so gleeful it was cracking and squeaking. "To help me become as strong as you!"

Raindrops pushed her hooves against the walls to stop herself from moving forwards and throttling Juggernaut. Keenly aware that she was digging holes into the wood, she hissed through gritted teeth, "Get out of my house."

"Your parents invite me in. I not trespass--"

"I'm uninviting you. Get lost."

Juggernaut waited a few seconds and then slowly backed towards the door. Raindrops had to leave the house for Juggernaut to get outside and pass her. "I see you tomorrow," she said. "Maybe we duel then."

Raindrops strangled the growl in her throat before it escaped her mouth, but she couldn't stop her eyes from bulging slightly in rage. Juggernaut turned to look at her, but didn't even seem to notice her rage. She just trotted away as if everything was alright.

When she was gone, Snails poked his head out the door. "Why'd you do that?" he asked, looking at Raindrops with drooping eyes. "Don't you want me to become big and tough?"

Raindrops sagged to the ground; her anger fading at the sight of her brother. She reached out and gathered him into a hug. "I do, Snails, but she's not nice. You shouldn't hang out with her. I can find you another gym teacher if you really want--"

"But I like her!" said Snails. "She has a cool sword, and she can punch rocks in half, and when I showed her my bug collection she paid attention!" He frowned. "What's wrong with her?"

"She..." Raindrops trailed off. If she said that Juggernaut was the sister of one of the vigilantes that had almost killed him, he'd probably be traumatized. "I need you to trust me," she said, stroking his mane. "Do you trust your big sister?"

Snails nodded. His mane rustled and the Hercules beetle poked its head out, nuzzling against Raindrops' hoof. She smiled and pat its shell before continuing. "Then promise me you'll stay away from her. I'll talk with Trixie and the others, and we'll sort this out. Okay?"

"Okay." Snails paused. "But I'm still gonna try to become big and strong," he added. "I'll make you real proud of me." He smiled, and his beetle buzzed into the air for a few moments before settling on his nose. "Levi'll become big and strong too! Well, bigger and stronger. We'll be a great team!"

"I know you will." Raindrops hugged Snails again. "Now, head inside. I'm going to talk to Trixie, and then after dinner we'll play some checkers, okay? Or you can tell me some bug stories."

Snails brightened at that and quickly scampered back inside.

Raindrops waited until his hoofsteps died away, then shut the door behind him and headed back to Trixie's house. She entered through the unlocked front door and was unsurprised to find four of the other five Elements in the living room. "Where's Carrot Top?" she asked, noticing the absence of the yellow mare.

"Talking to Mayor Scrolls about the field thing," said Cheerilee. "She thinks Scrolls is stalling on making a ruling." She waved Raindrops over, then draped a warm, fuzzy blanket on the weathermare once she finally sank into the plush couch. "But it's okay. I talked to the mayor earlier today and showed her several precedents that should help Carrot Top's case. I'm sure she'll decide for Carrot Top by tomorrow at the latest."

"And I went too!" chirped Trixie. "To wield my influence and remind Ivory Scrolls that, though she may be mayor, I am the Representative of the Night Court of Luna, with all the power and prestige that position implies!"

Everypony looked at her.

Trixie blushed. "Okay, mostly I helped carry all the law textbooks Cheerilee wanted to have on hoof." As the others chuckled, she waved a hoof. "Details. Anyways, how's your situation, Raindrops?"

"Bad." Raindrops scowled as she sank under the blanket. "I'll put it this way--waiting for Juggernaut to leave isn't going to work, if only because my head is going to explode after another few days of her following me around, badgering me, and talking her way into my house just to annoy me more." Her eyes flashed. "I am tired of her."

"Uh-oh," said Lyra, giving Raindrops a friendly smile. "We need to do something, then, before your head explodes. We don't want to have to clean up Raindrops brains from Trixie's carpet."

The others laughed, but Raindrops barely smiled. "What can we do?" she asked once the room quieted down. "There has to be some way to throw her out of town.."

"We have a few options." Trixie raised a hoof and began to tick them off. "If she breaks the law we can just arrest her. Otherwise, Mayor Mare can evict her for trespassing, like she did with that zebra dork who wanted to duel me for my position. I can file a formal complaint with the noble in charge of her province, which I guess is whoever replaced Fisher--hopefully somepony sane. And, all else fails, we can go to Luna. I don't care how big Juggernaut is, a visit from the Princess of the Night tends to make most ponies think twice before they continue whatever they're doing that's annoying her."

"And if she doesn't leave?" asked Raindrops. "Because she really doesn't act like somepony who cares what other ponies tell her to do." 

The other ponies all looked at each other before Cheerilee spoke. "Then I guess we all fight her," she said. "We've taken on the Tyrant Sun. I think we can beat a glorified security guard."

Raindrops let out a long breath. She wanted Juggernaut out immediately, before the revenge-crazed mare did something even more annoying or offensive, but she knew she had to control herself, if only to avoid spooking Snails by causing a scene. "Okay," she muttered at last. "Guess that'll have to do."
> Ultimatum
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day was bright and sunny, and Raindrops heard birds twittering as she flew out of her window and over her backyard before landing in the streets behind her house. Cheerilee and Trixie were already there, and Raindrops waved to them when she landed. "We ready?"

Cheerilee nodded briskly. "I looked up the relevant statutes last night. Mayor Scrolls has the authority to order a non-resident out of Ponyville, especially if she's been documented harassing locals. This should only take a few minutes."

"Good." Raindrops began to walk towards the Mayor's office. "Then let's go."

They walked for a few minutes before Raindrops saw the boulder-like Juggernaut step out of the stairwell next to Noteworthy's shop and trot towards them. Her sword was at her side and she had a large saddlebag dangling over her back. "Raindrops! I--"

"No." Raindrops looked away from her. "Not a chance."

"But--"

Trixie reared onto her back hooves. "Excuse me!" the showmare protested. "But the Honest and Honorable Raindrops has made it quite clear that she will not agree to duel you, no matter how often you ask her!" She smirked. "There is no argument you can make, no threat you can impose, no price you can pay, that will change her mind!"

Juggernaut was silent for a few moments before tilting her head. "No price?"

"None." Raindrops rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to fight you even if you offer me two super-duper fancy wing armor things. Or even if you stay here for a month and a half. So you can just--"

Juggernaut's face brightened. "Then I offer twenty thousand bits for duel!" she said. 

All three mares stared at her. "Twenty thousand?" gasped Trixie. "Where in Equestria did you get that kind of money?"

Juggernaut's smile gleamed. "I strongest warrior in Equestria--Archduke Fisher say so himself! And he pay lot of money so nopony could buy me away." She shifted her saddlebag and opened it, revealing that it was full of silver bits. "That not enough? I pay thirty thousand if Raindrops duel me."

Trixie opened her mouth to say something else, but Raindrops spoke first. "Seriously? You think you can pay me to fight you?" She tried not to think about how that money could help remodel her family's old, cramped house, or enable her to have special horseshoes commissioned to allow Snails to walk on clouds like the rest of his family, or allow her to take a few months off from work and away from Rainbow Dash. "No deal! Not for thirty thousand or any other price!"

She sped up, with Trixie and Cheerilee racing to keep pace with her and Juggernaut following more sedately. They reached City Hall in moments and Raindrops stopped just short of the door when she heard voices from inside. "Scrolls is inside," she announced. "Good. You might as well get on the train now, Juggernaut, because--"

The door slammed open, bonking against Raindrops' muzzle, and Mayor Scrolls stormed out. Applejack and Carrot Top exited behind her, both talking at once. "I know I ain't much with fancy mathematics," said the apple farmer, "but Big Mac's graphs should make it real clear. We can do more with the land--"

"The Farmer's Union is trying to expand, we could use--"

"And let's not forget the Trust has all the equipment needed to clear that field--"

"The Union has more than enough pony power to--"

"ENOUGH!" screamed Scrolls. Everypony stared at her, even Juggernaut, as the mayor glared at both farmers. "I should not need to remind either of you," she continued in a slow, heavy voice, "What happened the last time you two feuded. Your respective farms were almost destroyed due to lack of capital and collapse of your customer base, respectively." She trotted around the farmers so her back was to the entrance of City Hall. "I am astounded that you two would be so eager to court disaster again."

"Ain't no disaster!" protested Applejack. "We--"

"You fully intend to sue if I rule against you," said Mayor Scrolls. "Regardless of the undeniable fact you would risk a consumer backlash even worse than the last one. And you," she turned to Carrot Top. "Are also considering suing if I rule for Applejack, though you would surely bankrupt yourself if you lost the suit."

Nopony spoke for several seconds. Eventually, Applejack said, "Mayor Scrolls, with all due respect, I really don't see what business any of this is of yours. All you need to do is rule--"

"It is my business because I am the mayor of this town!" snapped Scrolls. "Both of your farms are vitally important to Ponyville. You do understand this, I trust?"

The farmers looked at each other. "Of course," said Carrot Top. "I know my farm contributes a lot to the Union and to Ponyville in general. And Applejack's does too."

"It's an honor an' a privilege to feed Ponyville," Applejack added. "That's the code I live by. An' I'm sure Carrot Top here feels the same way."

Mayor Scrolls nodded. "Then I trust you see why I have a vested interest in stopping either of you from wrecking your respective businesses because of this ridiculous rivalry you two have." She took a breath. "And furthermore, I consider you both my friends. On a personal level, I don't want either of your farms to fail. And so I implore both of you to work this out without lawsuits." She moved to the door of City Hall. "I am legally obligated to render a decision by noon tomorrow. I will fulfill my duties. But I would very much appreciate if you would construct some kind of compromise before then, in order to obviate my ruling and spare both of you--plus this entire village--what we all know would be a ruinous lawsuit for all concerned." 

Carrot Top looked like she wanted to protest more, but Trixie, Cheerilee, and Raindrops walked up behind her, and Cheerilee embraced her in a hug. "Now that she mentions it, a compromise wouldn't be that bad, would it?" asked the magenta mare. "Then you'd both get more than you have now." She smiled at both of them. "And neither of you would be run out of town. That's the best case, isn't it?"

Both farmers eyed each other for a long moment before Carrot Top looked away, and Applejack followed suit a moment later. "We'll try," said the apple farmer. "No promises, but we'll give it a shot."

"Fine." Carrot Top stepped forwards and reluctantly bumped hooves with Applejack. 

"That is all I ask." Mayor Scrolls nodded briskly. "If there is nothing else, I suggest you get to it. I have a meeting and--"

Raindrops flew up and then landed in front of the farmers. "Wait," she said. "We've got a problem for you too." She gestured at Juggernaut, who had quietly watched the farmers arguing without saying anything. "That mare is from out of town, and she's been doing nothing but bothering me since she showed up yesterday. We want her gone."

Everypony turned to look at Juggernaut, who approached Mayor Scrolls. "I cause no trouble," she said. "I break no law. All I do is ask Raindrops to duel me. She is knight; I have right to do this."

"Only if you're also a knight," said Cheerilee in a prim tone.

"I am!" Juggernaut smiled. "Minister of War have power to knight one pony. He choose me." She turned back to Scrolls. "So I can ask for duel as many times as I want."

"You asked me five or six times yesterday alone!" snapped Raindrops. "You followed me around! You broke into my house!"

"Your family ask me inside." Juggernaut shrugged. "It legal. And I want duel."

Applejack hesitated, as if reluctant to get involved, but then said, "Juggernaut also made my little sister powerful dizzy after givin' her a horsey-back ride, Mayor."

"She say she want ride," protested Juggernaut. "She say she in hurry and I need go fast. Her friend with coat like ripe orange and mane like bruised grape also say she want go fast. So I run. How I know Ponyville foals more fragile than Rushian foals?"

Scrolls sighed. "Applejack," she said. "It sounds like the incident with Apple Bloom was just an unfortunate misunderstanding. Was Apple Bloom injured?"

Applejack shook her head. "No, she walked it off."

"I see. And Raindrops, has this pony done anything illegal whatsoever?"

Raindrops clenched her jaw. "Not exactly," she had to admit. "But... she's annoying!"

"I can't throw a pony out of town just because she's annoying." Scrolls was silent for a few moments before turning to Juggernaut. "And what do you plan to do while in town, anyways?"

"Ask Raindrops for duel until she say 'da,'" said Juggernaut. "And buy things." She opened her saddlebag again, and Scrolls' eyes glittered at the sight of the bits. "Buy many things. Pay much sales tax."

"Seriously?" asked Trixie. "You can barely speak Equestrian but you know what sales tax is?"

Raindrops took a step forwards until she was standing directly in front of Mayor Scrolls. "You can't be serious about her. She has no business here!"

"By definition, if she wants to buy things, she does in fact have business here." Scrolls turned to go back inside. "And even if she didn't, as I said, I cannot and will not ban a pony from Ponyville just for invoking her legal right to challenge a Knight of the Realm to a duel. I'm sorry, but your request to evict this pony is denied."

She stepped into City Hall and shut the door behind her, leaving the Elements to exchange worried glances while Juggernaut beamed.

#

"Thanks for trying to help?" ventured Trixie to Applejack.

The five mares had retreated to Trixie's home and holed up in the office Raindrops knew she would be late for work, but seeing as how her assignment was just to follow Juggernaut around, she had a feeling work was going to come to her. "Yeah," she managed. "Thanks, AJ."

"Ain't nothin'." Applejack frowned. "Even if the thing with little Bloom was an accident, the way she's botherin' you ain't right. You let me know if she's givin' you more trouble; I can ask Big Mac to try knockin' some sense into her like she did those darned mafia ponies that tried to foalnap Dinky."

"I can get some farmhands from the Union to help too," said Carrot Top. "If we have to. But in the meantime..."

Applejack nodded. "Guess we owe it to the mayor to try workin' this field thing out. Wanna talk at my place? Big Mac'll brew up some mighty tasty apple tea, an' he's got all the facts an' figures 'bout that field ready too."

Carrot Top looked unenthusiastic. "I guess so. Unless you need more help with Juggernaut?" she asked the others.

Trixie shook her head. "We'll work it out. You two go negotiate."

When the farmers had left, Cheerilee rose. "I have to get to school soon," she said. "Trixie, how are your other plans for Juggernaut coming along?"

"I telegrammed Canterlot to see if Rushia has a new noble yet. If so, we can just ask him or her." Trixie thought for a moment. "Fisher had a son, Anatoleap Canterprov Fisher, who's supposed to be a pretty good guy. If he's the pick, we're fine. Otherwise, I'll just write Luna like I usually do when there's something I can't handle."

"So, your daily letter then?" Raindrops smiled, even though she knew it wasn't one of her better jokes. 

"Hey! I write her once every few days at most. And only to ask for her help with really important problems, like late bourbon shipments." Trixie grinned and got up. "You can hang out here as long as you want, although I do technically have some work I'm supposed to do today so I can't really talk long."

Raindrops shook her head. "No, I'll go to work... which is, literally, following Juggernaut around." Raindrops sighed. "But don't worry. I'll try to last a few more hours without punching her."

"That's the spirit!" Trixie grinned. "And hey, feel free to help yourself to a bourbon or two if it'll help." She paused. "Nothing top shelf, of course, but--"

Raindrops grinned and threw a pillow at her. "I'm fine," she said. "See you later." She flew to the door, braced herself, and stepped outside.

"I challenge you to duel!" called Juggernaut from just beyond Trixie's fence.

The weathermare took a deep breath. A few more hours, she thought, And this'll be over.

#

As Raindrops expected, Juggernaut did little for the next few hours except wander through town, occasionally challenge her to a duel, and make a couple of purchases. When lunchtime rolled around she returned to Sugar Cube Corner and simply said, "I buy pies."

"How many pies?" asked Pinkie.

"One wagon of pies." Juggernaut took a double hoofful of bits and put it on the counter. "Plus one chocolate sundae."

Pinkie's eyes brightened. "Alright!" she chirped. "One wagon of pies and one sundae coming up!"

Raindrops scowled. She had followed Juggernaut inside, as per her 'follow Juggernaut everywhere' assignment, and was idly looking over the cakes. "Since when is 'wagon' a unit of measure?" she asked.

"Since Juggy showed up!" Pinkie Pie beamed. "She's a great pie-eater! Why, she could almost beat my record!"

Raindrops, who had seen Pinkie Pie consume enough sweets to paralyze an elephant without batting an eye, winced. 

Juggernaut took the wagon of pies to the field by the schoolhouse, where the foals were all waiting for her. Raindrops frowned when she saw that many of them were wearing white. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had actual martial arts uniforms, but many of the other foals were wearing blankets, cloaks, and...

"Snails!" cried Raindrops when she saw her brother. "Is that my fluffy bathrobe?"

Snails, who was almost swallowed inside the voluminous robe, nodded. "Uh huh!" she said. "Before she left yesterday, Juggernaut said she'd do some training with us today! And everypony knows you wear white when you're training in martial arts!"

"But..." Raindrops saw mud and water dripping from the bottom of her favorite robe; Snails had evidently walked through some puddles while wearing it. "But--"

She was cut off by Juggernaut, who drew her sword. The foals squealed with joy and grabbed vaguely sword-shaped sticks. The unicorns held them with telekinesis while the other pony gripped them in their mouths. Juggernaut pointed hers up and then yelled, "First position!" She struck forwards, as did all the foals.

Raindrops choked as Snails stumbled on his giant robe, fell, and almost poked himself with his stick. "Cheerilee!" she called to the magenta mare, who was sitting on the stairs to the schoolhouse. "Do something!"

Cheerilee gave her a helpless look. "I tried," she said. "After school yesterday I told her to leave my students alone. But the PTA overruled me this morning and decided that foals should be offered 'martial arts training' by an expert during recess."

"But--but you're an expert!" protested Raindrops. "You're my teacher, for Luna's sake! You don't need her; you could do it!"

"Not according to the PTA." Cheerilee scowled. "Or at least Spoiled Rich, the PTA's president. Which I'm sure has nothing whatsoever to do with Juggernaut spending a ridiculous amount of money at the Rich family's Barnyard Bargains last night."

Juggernaut didn't seem to notice the argument. "Next position!" she called, slashing her sword out. It struck a boulder in just the right way to shatter it, and the foals cheered. "Strike, little ponies! Strike like disgruntled bear!"

The foals followed suit, a few tripping and poking each other, but most swinging their 'swords' successfully.

Raindrops cringed as Snips stabbed his stick into Raindrops' robe, ripping a gash in it. Choking back her anger, she forced herself to fly away.

#

"Um, Raindrops? I might have some bad news."

The weathermare turned to Trixie and felt a scowl creeping over her features. Her shift would end in minutes, and Juggernaut had gone into Heavy Roller's wagon shop to purchase a new pie wagon. Raindrops glanced at the mare through the window of the store, then turned back to Trixie. "What?"

The showmare weakly waved a telegram with her telekinesis. "The new Rushian noble wrote me back," she said. "And it's... not quite what we wanted. But it's not the end of the world! It just--"

Raindrops snatched the telegram and opened it. "Dear Representative Lulamoon. I have received your notice that a citizen of my province is annoying one of your friends. However, I do not feel it is an appropriate use of my power to force an Equestrian citizen to relocate herself simply because her presence is objectionable to a knight. As such, I will be taking no action. Sincerely, Archduchess Svelte Lord-Fisher." She scowled. "Who's Svelte? You said some guy named Anatoleap would be taking over!"

"Anatoleap is Fisher's son, but apparently they can't find him. He's probably in hiding with his dad. Svelte was Fisher's wife and the Representative of Stalliongrad. She's..." Trixie trailed off. "She's not a bad pony, but she's really cynical. Something really bad happened to her in Stalliongrad--I don't know the details, but I heard that's how she lost her horn--and when I talked to her a couple years ago, she more or less told me she thinks ponies are inherently corrupt. I don't think she's made a single friend in years." Trixie shuddered at the memory. "Anyways. She probably figured our request was just two ponies that Luna favors--us--asking one of our government contacts to get rid of a pony we personally find annoying, since that's how she sees the world."

Raindrops' mouth moved silently for a moment. "So now that Luna finally purged the corruption from the government, we've gone so far the other way that the nobles aren't doing useful things because they're worried it might be corrupt." She thumped her head against the window of Roller's shop. "Terrific."

"So I'll write Luna." Trixie carefully embraced Raindrops. "Trixie is your friend, remember. She'll solve this!"

"Hope so," Raindrops managed. "Because I'm getting tired of this, and if it doesn't stop soon..." She trailed off. She didn't need to explain what would happen if she lost control and just decked Juggernaut. She didn't need to. Being arrested for assault would be the very least of her problems.

"Maybe you should take a few days off," suggested Trixie. "Go out of town?"

Raindrops shook her head. "I'd have to take Snails with me, so that Juggernaut couldn't do something crazy like hold him hostage. And I don't want to worry him. He's been through a lot lately, and I just want him to be happy and have fun with his bugs. Not hide from some brute in a Trottingham or Hoofington hotel with--"

Juggernaut stepped out of the wagon shop with a heavy-duty wagon trailing behind her. "Raindrops!" the mare called. "You ready to duel now?"

Raindrops sighed and looked at Trixie. "Get Luna as soon as you can, okay?" she asked before flying into the air and heading home.

#

"Seventeen!" gasped Snails as he pushed himself off the ground. "Eighteen! Nineteen!"

Raindrops frowned as she flew into her backyard and saw her little brother doing push-ups. His beetle was in front of him, doing push-ups as well, albeit twice as quickly as Snails. As she watched, it raised a leg and clacked its mandibles, and Snails nodded. "Right. Gotta go faster!"

"Snails?" Raindrops flew down to his side. "What are you doing?"

The colt grinned when he saw her and then staggered to his shaking hooves. "Practicing!" he said. "Juggernaut said if we worked out like she did we would become big and strong!"

Raindrops gathered Snails into a hug. "Maybe I could exercise with you?" she offered. "I'm pretty tough myself." She grinned and flexed a wing.

"Really?" Snails beamed. "That'd be awesome! Then I might be ready by Saturday!"

The weathermare froze. "What's on Saturday?" she asked.

"Juggernaut agreed to do special training in the park with me. I asked if she could give me extra help this weekend and she said yes!" Snails's horn sparked and his eyes shone with excitement. "Isn't that awesome? I'll get to train with one of the most awesome fighters in Equestria for a whole day! I mean, she's not as awesome as you, but she's still pretty awesome! She chopped down that dead tree by Lily's shop with a single cut!"

Raindrops' heart pounded. If she agreed to this, Snails would be spending the whole day with Juggernaut, who could reveal her real purpose in town--to avenge her brother by beating Raindrops into the dirt--and horrify him. If she refused to allow him to go, Snails would know something was wrong anyway. Unless she could get Juggernaut out of town by then--which was looking less and less likely by the hour--Snails was going to suffer.

"Dropsie?" Snails frowned as he wriggled out of Raindrops' hug. "Is something wrong?"

Raindrops didn't trust herself to speak for several moments. Her thoughts were too full of visions of her strangling Juggernaut. "Snails," she eventually managed. "Could you go inside please? You need to wash up."

"But I'm not done getting strong yet!" Snails protested. "I..."

Raindrops gave him a long look, and his voice trailed off. The Hercules beetle jumped back into his mane as he slowly began to walk inside.

When he was gone, Raindrops punched a hoof into the ground, driving her leg down almost up to the knee. "Luna," she muttered to herself, "I know you're our princess, and I'm supposed to love and honor you, but I'm just saying--you'd better come through."

#

The sun had set by the time Raindrops returned to Trixie's house. She once again entered through the front door and reached the living room, where she heard a lively debate.

"...I know he's a jerk, but I'm just saying, that whole martial law thing was to protect us, right?" Lyra was saying. "If we can find him and tell him what Juggernaut's doing, wouldn't he try to call her off?"

"The Shadowbolts and Guards have been hunting him for over a week," said Cheerilee. "If they can't find him, I don't think we'll have any better luck."

"Then what about Greengrass?" ventured Ditzy. "Maybe he could run one of his 'games' on Juggernaut."

Trixie snorted. "Even if he wasn't a total scumbag, he lost all his influence, remember? He can't do anything."

Cheerilee brightened. "There's Baron Max. He worked with us in Canterlot. If we wrote him, maybe he could help."

"How, by bucking Juggernaut in the face?" asked Trixie. "I've heard that's how he solves most of his problems, but that's not really applicable here. And even if he did, Juggernaut would kick him back, and then Duchess Posey would send ten feet of snow to Ponyville for getting her coltfriend killed. We--" She turned slightly, and Raindrops' eyes met hers. "Raindrops! Hi!"

The weathermare's glare silenced her. "I'm guessing Luna's response wasn't good."

The other mares in the room all looked at each other before Trixie took a telegram off the table. "My faithful student... yadda yadda... I will of course intervene if you genuinely believe Juggernaut may assault Raindrops, or any other pony in Ponyville. However, if this is not the case, I would encourage you to continue searching for your own solution to this problem. I believe that you and your friends are more than capable of devising a method of removing this intruder from your town without violence." Trixie paused for a moment, but Ditzy nudged her, and she sighed and continued. "A noble of my Court is expected to be creative and resourceful, able to effectively deal with small problems in her province without requiring support of the crown. Please bear this in mind before you decide that Juggernaut is truly an insurmountable obstacle."

Nopony said anything for a long moment. Then Raindrops snapped, "In other words, because Trixie has political ambitions, Luna thinks we should be able to handle this without her. Except we can't. So Juggernaut's going to camp out in town forever."

"No." The showmare sighed. "Trixie will write back to Luna and inform her that we have tried everything and failed. Surely she will not think too much less of Trixie." She was silent for a few seconds. "And besides! What's a noble title when friends are suffering?"

"We'll support you," said Ditzy. "We have the Right of Approach."

"And we are kind of stopping Corona from taking over," added Lyra. "That's gotta be worth something! And--"

"No."

Everypony turned to look at Raindrops. The yellow-coated mare scowled but continued. "You're not sacrificing your political career over this. If Luna won't help, I'll find another way." She felt a wave of anger building inside her, rage that everything had failed and she once again had to protect herself and her brother from some thoughtless brute who didn't care who she hurt as long as she got what she wanted, but she managed to push it aside. "See you all tomorrow."

She made it to the front yard before Trixie caught up with her. "Raindrops! I--"

"I'm not mad at you," said Raindrops. A light rain was starting to fall, but Raindrops barely noticed as she walked on with Trixie following. "It's Juggernaut I'm mad at. Well, her and all the other ponies who apparently don't think this matters." Her eyes blazed. "My brother was frightened out of his mind in Canterlot. He was almost killed. Now I have to worry about him finding out this Juggernaut wants to beat me to a pulp!" She scowled. "How am I even supposed to tell him that this new pony he thinks is so awesome is actually here to knock my muzzle in? I can't--"

Something moved in the darkness besides her.

Trixie and Raindrops jumped back as a shadowy, bulky figure rose up. It had been so still that it had just seemed like a large lump at first, a broken-down wagon or pile of trash carelessly fallen out of a garbage cart, but when it moved, its bulk made it clear who it was. "You not tell Snails why I here?" Juggernaut asked. "You not want him know?"

"Hey!" Trixie flushed. "Why're you skulking around like that?"

Juggernaut ignored her. "My brother not stop hurting until we fight, Dame Raindrops. He not be at peace until I beat you." She stepped closer, shadows shifting around her body. "We will fight."

"Never." Raindrops felt her teeth grinding. "Not in a million years."

"Then, next time your brother leave house, I tell him why I here." There was no edge of cruelty in Juggernaut's tone; she sounded as if she were calmly describing a useful chess tactic, not something that could traumatize a foal. "You understand?"

Raindrops tensed, and only Trixie's legs suddenly wrapped around her middle stopped her from leaping at Juggernaut's face. The other mare just turned to go. "I see you tomorrow," she said, and left.

"Raindrops," whispered Trixie as she hugged the other mare. "Raindrops, stay calm. If you just hit her she can hit you back. Snails won't be happy if you wind up in the hospital--"

"I know!" shouted Raindrops. "I know, but apparently there's nothing I can do about it!" She struggled against Trixie's grip. "All I want is to protect him! Is that too much to ask?"

Trixie hugged her further. "Just don't do anything rash," she whispered. "Keep Snails home tomorrow; I'll clear it with Cheerilee. We will work this out, I Pinkie Promise. Okay?" 

Raindrops said nothing.

"Okay?" urged Trixie. "Please, Raindrops. I--"

"Okay." Raindrops heard her voice, as if from a distance, and realized how toneless it was. Like she had already given up. "I'll stay home with Snails tomorrow."

Trixie hugged him for a few more seconds before letting go. "Alright. We'll think up some more ideas, and if all else fails, I'll tell Luna we really do need her help. Sound good?" She waited until Raindrops nodded, then smiled. "Need me to walk you home?"

Raindrops shook her head and flapped her wings. "I'll fly," she muttered. "See you tomorrow."

She soared high into the air and began moving towards her family's home. Her friends, she thought, would try their very hardest to find a way to deal with Juggernaut. But they wouldn't succeed. There were too many factor working against them.

Juggernaut was going to traumatize her brother all over again, and there was absolutely nothing anypony could do about it.
> Shield and Sword
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raindrops rested her muzzle on the sill of her bedroom window and stared out into the night. A distant peal of thunder echoed through the air, and when she strained she could even hear the sounds of rain falling in the Everfree Forest, but she knew from the weather schedules that it wasn't expected to get anywhere near Ponyville. Even if it had, though, she didn't think it would cheer her up like storms usually did. Morning would come in just a few hours, at which point Snails and Juggernaut would meet and everything would fall apart.

She didn't know if it was even worth keeping Snails home from school. Juggernaut could just call to Snails from an open window, or put up signs, or somehow lure the colt outdoors. Even if the massive pony played fair, Snails couldn't hide in the house forever. He'd have to go outside sometime, and since Juggernaut was apparently wealthy enough and obsessed enough to stay in Ponyville indefinitely, she could easily wait for days, weeks, or even months until Snails did so. Besides, telling Snails he couldn't go outside would probably scare him almost as much as telling him that Juggernaut wanted to beat her into a pulp because she'd laid a hoof on Goliath.

If she was stronger, she thought, she could have settled this already. A really strong mare could have taken Juggernaut's challenge, pounded her against a couple rocks, dumped her in a freight car, and shipped her back to Stalliongrad. But Juggernaut was too tough for her, which meant Raindrops couldn't get rid of her, which meant she couldn't stop the other mare from hurting Snails or anyone else she chose to. She was supposed to be his protector and guardian, but she couldn't keep one trumped-up mercenary away from him. Raindrops growled softly as she felt shame settling over her. She had failed, again, and it was her brother who would pay.

She tried to tell herself that she'd fought many enemies that she hadn't been able to deal with on her own, and that this hadn't bothered her before, but it didn't work. Those opponents--the golem, the windigo, the lich of Tambelon, Corona Herself--were literal monsters. No reasonable pony could expect to beat them alone. So she'd worked with her friends, used the Elements of Harmony, and won the day. But Juggernaut wasn't a monster. She was just a pony. And, Raindrops thought, that meant she should be able to deal with her before the brute hurt her family. Her friends, allies, and contacts in the government couldn't help force Juggernaut out of town, since the other mare had stayed just barely within the law and so denied them any legal reason to evict her, but that shouldn't have mattered. Raindrops should have been able to deal with the problem and couldn't.

Somepony knocked on the front door below. Raindrops' heart thudded against her chest and she wondered if Juggernaut was actually trying to get in at two in the morning, but then she realized that the knocking was a lot softer than Juggernaut's. She hurried downstairs and opened the door, blinking at the sight of one of her best friends. "Carrot Top?"

"Hi." Carrot Top smiled weakly. "I know it's really late, but I kind of need somepony to talk to, and... well, you know how Trixie gets when somepony wakes her. Can I please come in for a few minutes?"

Raindrops nodded and let Carrot Top inside, then shut the door and led the farmer to the kitchen. She lit a couple candles and then put a pot of tea on the gas stove. "What's up?"

Carrot Top slumped her head on the table, her mane spilling over her eyes. "Applejack and I spent most of the day trying to compromise on the field."

"It didn't go well?"

The other mare shook her head. "We tried to find a way to split it fairly, but we couldn't agree on how. I mean, you'd think we could just cut it in half, but the field's not uniform. There's parts of it that are rockier than others, and one corner's near a natural well, and a small part of it actually backs right into the Everfree so it's not really useful for cultivating most crops..." She trailed off. "So, yes, it didn't go well."

Raindrops awkwardly draped a wing over Carrot Top, who leaned into her. The weathermare frowned, not really being used to comforting friends in this manner, but just said, "What about some kind of contest? You both plant flowers or something, and the field goes to whoever gets more of them to grow?"

"We thought of that too, but the field's too rocky for us to do anything with. Applejack suggested we have the contest be whoever can more of the field cleared faster, but clearing rocks at high speeds is a really easy way to injure yourself. We both have spring harvests coming up soon and can't risk breaking our hooves on a rock. We'd need to hire ponies from out of town, which I guess would be fair since that's part of running a business, but Applejack would have a huge advantage since she could just grab the best Trust farmers who grow other crops that won't need to be harvested for a few weeks. Besides, that would take days to set up, and Mayor Scrolls needs to make her ruling tomorrow."

"Oh." Raindrops heard the teakettle whistle and rose, then poured two glasses. "Well... maybe Scrolls will rule your way?"

"She won't." Raindrops turned to see Carrot Top's long face. "I took a break from the negotiations so I could get dinner in town, and I ran into Cheerilee. She... may have convinced me that we should break into Mayor Scrolls' office and check her notes. We did, and she's already written her speech for tomorrow where she gives the field to Applejack." Carrot Top sighed. "Applejack can produce more revenue from the field. More revenue means more sales tax. After what happened last summer, when Corona attacked Ponyville with that party spell and the Night Court almost didn't pay the 900,000 bits we needed to fix the damage, she wants to increase the town's emergency funds in case that the government screws up again."

Carrot Top's muzzle sank down onto the table. "I know this isn't like the last time I went up against Applejack," she said. "I won't go bankrupt if I just give in. But I don't want to give in! I always roll over and let other ponies have what they want, but this time I wanted it to be different. To stand up for myself and win, instead of being like the other me from that other Equestria--the one who gave up, sold her farm to Applejack, and became an alchemist."

"I thought she was pretty happy with her life," said Raindrops.

"She was, and that's fine--I mean, she's a great pony and there's nothing wrong with her life--but it's not the one I want." Carrot Top looked up at Raindrops with steady eyes. "I'm a farmer. I want to grow things. That's my special talent and it's what I love to do. And I really wanted some more land to do it with. I'd be happy if I even got a little bit of the field, as long as I got something so I could grow some new plants. Maybe some magic herbs, so I don't have to go into the Everfree and wrestle Ursas every time I want to mix up a potion." 

Raindrops was silent for a long moment. "I'm sorry," she said at last. "Is there any way I can help?"

"Probably not." Carrot Top sipped her tea. "But if you listen to me while I complain, then I'll feel better. That's something, right?"

Raindrops smiled at her friend. "I can do that."

They drank tea in silence for a few more moments before Raindrops asked, "Applejack doesn't really need the field, does she? Maybe this is just revenge for when you thrashed her at the farming competition last year."

Carrot Top immediately shook her head. "She wouldn't do that," she said. "She's not a bad mare. And we made up when we both went to cater Vicereine Puissance's birthday, remember?"

"Still. She's got more than enough land already, and I can't imagine that she couldn't buy a field which isn't covered in rocks if she really wanted to expand. Maybe she's just taking it because she knows you want it."

"If she wanted to do that," said Carrot Top, "She wouldn't negotiate with me. She'd just hope that Mayor Scrolls ruled her way and that I wouldn't sue the town over it." Her mouth quirked up. "Not everything is about revenge."

Raindrops sighed. "Guess I'm just thinking about that because... well, you know. The world's largest pony who's camping out in town and demanding that I fight her." She glanced out the kitchen window and wondered if Juggernaut were lurking in the darkness, hoping Raindrops would go on a late night stroll so she could challenge her to yet another duel. "I didn't even want to hurt Goliath. I mean, I don't think he's a bad pony--he literally didn't understand that what he was doing was wrong. I only fought him to save a bunch of lives. But all Juggernaut cares about is getting revenge because I hurt her precious little brother..."

"I don't really understand her, though," said Carrot Top. "If she just wanted to hurt you, why is she going to all this trouble? She could just break into your house and hit you."

"She doesn't want to go to jail."

Carrot Top shrugged. "So she does it at night when nopony's awake to see her. And she threatens to come back if you tell anypony who she was." She sipped her tea. "Or she hires mercenaries. I mean, Fisher's in hiding and his Factory Security forces aren't doing anything right now, are they? Juggernaut could have just hired them to abduct you and drag you back to Rushia."

Raindrops opened her mouth to argue the point, then paused. Carrot Top's argument made sense. And if Raindrops hadn't been so stressed about Juggernaut's incessant harassment, she would probably have realized it earlier. "Huh."

"She's probably here because of honor," continued Carrot Top. "You know, a 'you hurt my family so I have to hurt you back to restore my family's name' kind of thing."

"Fisher didn't hire anypony who cared about honor," said Raindrops. "Went against the whole point of him having his own private military that would do whatever he wanted without saying things like 'this might not be legal' or 'we might be acting like complete idiots.''" 

"Hmm." Carrot Top finished her cup of tea and put it down. "But if it's not revenge and not honor, why does she want to fight you so badly? She wanted to do it at Apple Bloom's birthday party, right?"

"And threatened to scare Snails. But it wasn't like she really wanted to hurt them... or like she was reluctant. It was like she didn't even notice they'd be hurt." Raindrops frowned. "I don't think she really cares either way about the other ponies in Ponyville. They're just tools to her, and she wants to use them to get what she wants." She nodded. "Yeah. She's not trying to be cruel; she's just really, really self-absorbed. Only thinks about what she wants."

"And her brother." Carrot Top smiled slightly. "Maybe you two could bond over that."

Raindrops snorted. "I don't want to beat up ponies that hurt Snails. I just want to get rid of everything that's hurt him, like Juggernaut. I want to keep him safe and... oh." Her eyes widened. "Oh. I get it."

"What?"

"I know why Juggernaut wants to fight me." Raindrops rose.

"To keep Goliath safe from you?" asked Carrot Top. "But even if you wanted to fight Goliath again, he's in an asylum. You couldn't get to him."

Raindrops shook her head and took one of the candles, then blew out the others. "I'll explain on the way. Come on--let's find her. I want to settle this tonight. And then we--"

She heard a squeaking board as she passed the staircase and pointed the candle in its direction. Snails was there, Levi perched on his dimly-glowing horn, and was looking at Raindrops with a guilty expression. "Raindrops!" he stammered. "I, uh, just woke up! I wasn't eavesdropping or anything!"

Carrot Top giggled, and Raindrops smiled. She started towards Snails, who backed up as if afraid of being yelled at for spying. Levi hopped down onto his muzzle and raised his two front legs as if preparing to fight Raindrops, but the weathermare just shook her head. "I'm not mad," she said. "In fact, you can come with." She turned. "Climb on my back and we'll go on a trip."

"A trip?" breathed Snails. Raindrops stifled her laughter, knowing that the concept of being outside at two in the morning--a time when only serious, mature adults were allowed outside--would be irresistible. Sure enough, in a few moments she felt Snails climb onto her back. "Okay!" murmured Snails as Levi buzzed back onto his horn. "Ready!"

Raindrops pushed open the front door and led Snails, Carrot Top, and Levi outside. She looked hard into the darkness around them and soon spied the boulder-like thing that hadn't been there before, then stepped through the front gate and approached it. "Juggernaut," she called as she reached it. "Let's talk."

The bulky mass moved, and then Juggernaut lowered her head. "We duel now?"

"No." Raindrops sighed, then shifted so that Snails could get a better grip on her back. "I think I know why you're here, Juggernaut."

"I already tell you why I here. You hurt Goliath--"

"If all you cared about was that, you could have hit me while I wasn't looking."

Juggernaut snorted. "How that make Goliath not hurt?"

"Huh?" Snails crouched low over Raindrops and spoke directly into her ear. "I don't understand, Raindrops."

"I do." Raindrops looked up at Juggernaut. "When you say I hurt Goliath, you don't just mean physically, right? I frightened him. Made him upset."

"Da." Juggernaut's voice grew slightly darker. "He scared. He always very strong pony, but you beat him easy. He have nightmare. He worry you break into jail and hurt him. I try tell him you not do that. You only hurt him to stop him from hurting other ponies. He know, and he thankful you stop him from doing bad things. But he still scared."

Raindrops nodded. She should have seen it earlier, she thought; she had spent the past couple days worried about Juggernaut hurting Snails by scaring or traumatizing him. Of course Goliath, who had the mind of a young foal, would also be hurt if he were convinced that an unstoppable force could show up at any time to crush him. "And if you beat me, he won't be scared."

"I tell him he not worry; I keep him safe. He say maybe I not able to fight you." Juggernaut's voice caught for a moment. "He my brother. I protect him. I tell him, if he want, I prove I can fight you. No sneak attack, no hit you while you not look. I prove I can beat you fair. Then he know you never hurt him again, because you know I hurt you if you try, even if you see me coming."

For a long moment, nopony spoke. Raindrops glanced back and saw Snails watching with wide eyes, and reached up with a wing to stroke her brother's side. He calmed slightly and she turned back to Juggernaut. "I understand," she said. "I have a little brother too. And he's the most precious pony in the world to me. If I thought something was hurting him, I'd do anything to set things right."

"Then you understand." Juggernaut drew her blade. "We big sisters. We shield to protect brother. And we sword to cut anything that hurt them. You hurt Goliath. Now we fight, Raindrops."

"No." Raindrops shook her head. "Like I said, I have a brother. And if I fought you and got hurt, if you put me in the hospital--or killed me--that would hurt him too. Far worse than anything else you could do to him." Snails stiffened and then hugged her, and Raindrops embraced him with her wings. "I know you care about your brother, Juggernaut. Please accept that I care about mine."

Juggernaut looked flustered. "This not my problem. Snails not my brother. Why I care if he hurt?"

"Hey!" said Snails.

Raindrops thought for a moment. "You don't really deal with other ponies a lot, do you?"

"What you mean?"

"I mean, who were you actually friends with? You've worked with Fisher for years, right? Did you talk to him about anything besides business?"

Juggernaut tilted her head. "No. We talk when he give me order."

"How about other Factory Security employees, did you talk with them?"

"Only to give them order. I professional. I not waste time with chat."

"What about other workers in the factories?" pressed Raindrops.

"Why I talk them? That distract from work."

"Neighbors?"

Juggernaut sounded baffled. "Of course not. Factory Security live in factory; we have no neighbors. If we go home for night, how we protect factory?"

"Did you ever really talk to anypony?"

"Da." Juggernaut nodded. "My brother! I tell him stories and show him sword tricks to make him laugh. He have good laugh."

Raindrops nodded. "You're not used to thinking of other ponies, then, except for Goliath. You see everypony else as tools or enemies." She heard the other mare growl softly and tensed, but made herself continue. "You don't hate me, or feel anything at all about me; you just see me as an obstacle making Goliath unhappy. So I need you to do something for me. And then maybe we can find some way to make Goliath feel better."

"What?" asked Juggernaut in a taut voice.

"I need you to understand that I care about my brother just as much as you care about yours." Raindrops helped Snails down from her back and then hugged him with her front legs; Snails looked surprised but returned it. "Snails, you'd be upset if I got hurt, right?"

"Of course!" said Snails. "I'd be really really sad. You're my big sister!"

Raindrops nodded and held Snails close. "Juggernaut, wouldn't Goliath feel the same way?" When the other mare nodded, Raindrops continued. "So how you would feel if somepony stronger than you wanted to hurt you? Let's say the Tyrant Sun showed up and wanted a fight. Would you give her one?"

Juggernaut's reaction was instinctive. She shook her head violently and said, "No. I not let her kill me. Goliath--"

"Wouldn't have his shield and his sword. I know." Raindrops took a breath. "Think about how hard you would try to escape from that fight. I'm going to do the same, because I love Snails just as much--if not more--than you love Goliath. I'm not going to hurt him by getting myself beaten half to death in a pointless brawl. You could stay here for the next five years, and I wouldn't change my mind."

It was dark, but after a few moments, Raindrops could swear she saw Juggernaut's eyes gleam slightly as she thought. "I see," she said after a very long moment. "But then--you not say da then? No matter how many time I ask?"

"No."

"But..." Juggernaut sounded genuinely distressed. Raindrops was willing to bet that the massive mare wasn't used to being denied. "Then how I make Goliath better?" she demanded. "He sleep bad. He barely eat. He very scared you hit him again. If I not fight you because Snails become sad, how I show him I stronger than you?"

Raindrops smiled as she finished working out her plan. "Again--there's more ponies around than just us." She turned to Carrot Top. "Such as a couple of farmers who need some strong ponies for a competition to clear a field?"

"Well, yes, but we need two..." Carrot Top trailed off as she glanced between them. "Oh." And she smiled. "Yes. That could work."

"I not understand," said Juggernaut. "What you suggest?"

"A challenge," said Raindrops. "A way to see which of us is stronger without killing each other. That would calm Goliath, right?"

"Da?" Juggernaut hurried to keep up, hoofsteps pounding into the dirt road. "I think so?"

"It would solve your problem too," said Raindrops, turning to Carrot Top. "And lastly..." She looked to her side, where Snails was trotting along. "You're going to get to see your big sister being awesome," she said. "Happy?"

The little colt nodded. "And... you won't get hurt, right?" He frowned, and his beetle crawled out of his mane to give his muzzle a strong little hug. "I'd be upset if you got hurt."

"I won't." Raindrops smiled as she advanced down the road, and she draped one wing over his shoulder. "And neither will you. I promise."
> Old Friends and New
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Raindrops finally laid eyes on the field which Duke Blueblood had promised to every farmer in Ponyville, she saw that it was in even worse shape than Carrot Top had described. Dozens of rocks and boulders were nestled between thorns, rotting logs, and ancient tree stumps that were anchored to the ground with long, thick roots. There was even a rusting plow half-buried next to a boulder, and when Raindrops looked closer she saw that it was crawling with red war ants. All in all, it wasn't her ideal place to spend a morning.

But she was helping out a friend, and besides, it would be great to deal with a problem that she could physically subdue instead of the legal shenanigans Juggernaut had trapped her in for the past couple days. And so, when she turned back to her brother, Carrot Top, and the dozens of other ponies who  were watching her, she had a big smile on her face. "Ready!" she said as she flew back to the front of the field. "Let's do this!"

Carrot Top nodded and gave her a hug. "Thanks again for doing this. You're an awesome friend."

Raindrops blushed. "Yeah. I know."

"Good morning!" called Mayor Mare. Those gathered around the field, which included the Elements, most of Ponyville's farming community, and several foals, turned to see Mayor Scrolls walk up to the group. "Representative Lulamoon just contacted me. I understand that our contenders for this field have come to an agreement?"

Raindrops looked at Applejack. The apple farmer hadn't been happy to be woken up the previous night, but she'd cheered up when Raindrops explained the compromise. "We have," Applejack said. "We're gonna race to clear the field."

"Cheerilee's dividing the field into 100 equal blocks," added Carrot Top. The teacher in question, clad in a beekeeper's outfit to prevent her from being scratched by thorns, poked her head out from behind a boulder and waved. Several miniature flags were strapped to her back, and as they watched she pounded one into the ground to finish marking off another square. "Our helpers will start at the same time and clear as many squares as they can. When they're all done, we get to keep the squares our champions cleared."

"Who're your champions?" called Red Onion. "We've all got harvests next week! If you break your hooves and the Union has to bail you out--"

"Not a problem!" Carrot Top grabbed Raindrops' leg and held it high before she could do anything. "My good friend Raindrops will be my first champion. I know she's tough enough to take whatever this field's got. And my second champion will be her little brother Snails!"

There was some clapping, mostly from the Elements and Union ponies, as Raindrops trotted onto the field. "You're a very important part of this team," she called to her brother. "Get ready for when I call you!"

"Right!" Snails saluted, but though he was clearly trying to look serious, he was unable to hide his massive grin. "You got it!"

Applejack nodded. "An' my champion is Juggernaut." There was more clapping as the massive pony entered the field. "Although, I understand she's got somethin' to say first?"

Juggernaut looked nervous for a moment but then bowed her head. "I say sorry," she told them. "For bothering ponies. For distracting foals at school. And," she turned to Apple Bloom and Firelock, both standing near Applejack. "For making little fillies dizzy. I very sorry."

"It's okay!" called Apple Bloom, who was smiling brightly. "Just do a real good job clearin' the field an' all will be forgiven!"

Ponies laughed, and Juggernaut began to say something else, but then Pinkie Pie jumped out of the crowd. "And Gummy's champion is my super-duper big sister Maud!" she chirped. The gray-coated pony plodded onto the field as Pinkie grinned. "Don't forget her!"

Applejack and Carrot Top looked at each other, Juggernaut frowned, and Raindrops snorted to herself. Mayor Scrolls wasn't shutting Pinkie down, she thought, so apparently the rumor about Duke Blueblood having promised his field to Pinkie's alligator as well as Applejack and Carrot Top weren't entirely false. But ultimately Raindrops knew it didn't matter--just another competitor, nothing more than that. She'd fight hard, beat one or two or a hundred champions, and claim as much of the field as she could for her friend.

Cheerilee had meanwhile finished setting up the grid. "We're good," she said. "100 squares, as equal as I could make them. If anypony wants to check--"

"I trust ya," said Applejack, and Carrot Top nodded her agreement. "No problems here." She turned to Mayor Scrolls as Cheerilee slipped out of the field. "If you'd kick us off?"

"Of course," said the Mayor. "On 3. One!"

Raindrops knelt, facing the big boulder right in front of her. She saw Juggernaut draw her sword next to her. From somewhere in the crowd, Trixie yelled, "Go Raindrops! Show that Rushkie what you can do!" The other Elements chimed in similar comments.

"Two!"

Time seemed to slow. Raindrops took a deep breath.

"Three!"

#

Raindrops blasted into the field and almost rammed into the first boulder. She stopped just short and wrapped her hooves around it, then heaved with all her strength and managed to start prying it loose from the dirt.

It was tough. The rock wasn't just big, but it was attached to the ground by decades of vines, long grasses, and other plants which had grown around it and held it down like a net. But Raindrops grit her teeth, put her back into it, and managed to yank it into the air. She staggered for a moment as the heavy rock bore down on her, but then reared back and managed to hurl it out of the field. It thudded to one side as ponies gasped and applauded, but before it had even stopped moving, Raindrops had charged at another. She glanced briefly to one side to see Juggernaut pounding a boulder into gravel, and to her other to see Maud Pie lifting a massive rock with a single hoof and casually lobbing it clear across town. The next moment, though, she reached the next rock and began pulling it up.

She moved four boulders before her first square looked like it was close to clear. At one point her hoof smashed against a rock which was hidden under the grass, and she yelped as she felt her horseshoe chip, but she shook it off and pulled up the rock before throwing it with the others. Then, wiping sweat from her forehead, she began working on the tree trunks. She glanced to one side and saw that Juggernaut was finishing up her first square; as she watched, the massive mare shattered another boulder with a well-placed sword stroke and then flung the shards away with her telekinesis. But then Raindrops brought her gaze back to her own task as she yanked at the last tree trunk in front of her and ripped it out of the ground, roots and all. She hurled it to one side with the other debris and then, as Cheerilee dashed out to plant a flag with her cutie mark in the center of the now-clear square, she ran to the next part of the grid.

The minutes bled into one another as she worked. Boulder after boulder flew from the field, some smashing into each other and cracking, others stacking in formations that she knew countless foals would later try to scale. She pushed those thoughts aside and continued to labor, ripping at rocks, dead trees, tangled vines, and even the occasional bit of trash. All went flying out of the field, with only pristine soil remaining by the time Raindrops moved on.

And--as she cleared her fourth square--she noticed that Juggernaut wasn't that far ahead of her. Raindrops glanced at the other mare and saw her lumbering from one boulder to another as she moved through a square where the rocks were sparser. That made sense, she thought; Juggernaut was blazing fast when she could build up speed--like when she'd given Apple Bloom, Firelock, and Scootaloo a pony ride--but there was no space for that in the field, and her body was too massive for her to be able to sprint every time she had to move a few feet to another rock. Raindrops was a relatively slow-moving mare, but Juggernaut seemed slower still, at least in the confines of the challenge. 

Of course, the mercenary was still stronger than Raindrops. Big Macintosh, who was keeping score for Juggernaut, had planted flags with the Rushian's cutie mark in the five squares she had already cleared; Cheerilee had only been able to plant flags with Raindrops' mark in four. But Raindrops knew that didn't necessarily matter. Raindrops had another advantage which she wouldn't hesitate to deploy as soon as it would be useful, and with that, she might be able to pull ahead and get Carrot Top the majority of squares.

That time came three squares later. She heard Juggernaut yelp and turned to see the massive mare slapping at herself while black and red ants ran over her coat. Raindrops snorted and then looked at the boulder in front of her, then realized that the bug-infested plow was next to it. She froze with her hooves inches from the debris as the ants all turned towards her. "Snails!" she called. "Help!"

Snails scampered through the field, taking care to stay in the squares that Raindrops had cleaned of debris so that he wouldn't crack a hoof on a rock by accident, and skidded to a halt by Raindrops' side. Levi flew to the ground as Snails knelt and began to communicate with the bugs. Nothing happened for a few moments, but then Snails chirped, "Okay!" and Raindrops saw the ants dispersing into the grass. She gave her brother a high-hoof before ripping the plow from the ground and disposing of it. And, in the time it took Juggernaut to get the bugs off her coat Raindrops cleared three boulders and a tree trunk, almost halving the gap between them.

Time passed, but Raindrops barely noticed. She had to stop three more times for Snails to run out and deal with bugs, but Juggernaut had to stop just as often, and the larger mare took much longer to get started again whenever critters swarmed towards her. Snails also occasionally carried water or cider to his sister, as well as a hat when the sun began to move directly overhead. The Elements and farmers cheered her from the sidelines and Raindrops let that drive her, pushing thoughts of exhaustion or pain out of her mind. She also heard the Trust farmhands and most of the foals rooting for Juggernaut, as well as Pinkie squeeing Maud's name, but ignored them. There was only the field in front of her.

She felt the cooling presence of shade and realized that she'd made it to the Everfree's border and the last few squares of the field. She heaved a boulder aside and found herself looking at a timberwolf, which growled at her and snapped its jaws. She narrowed her eyes at it, then casually turned to one side, picked up a boulder, and hurled it away. The timberwolf blinked, then squeaked something and scampered away. Raindrops chuckled before continuing on.

And then, at last, there was nothing left to clear. She moved one last boulder and found herself staring at Juggernaut's bulk. The other pony was breathing heavily and sweating so hard that her coat was matted, but she seemed more excited than exhausted. "We done, da?" Juggernaut asked.

"Da," agreed Raindrops. Exhaustion began prickling up through her mind, but she shoved it away for a few moments longer. The field behind them was empty of everything but grass and dirt, and Cheerilee and Big Macintosh were already counting the cleared squares. "Good match."

"Indeed!" Juggernaut clapped Raindrops' hoof in a grip so hard that it hoof. "You worthy opponent! I glad we compete!"

Raindrops managed a smile as she extricated her hoof. "Uh, sure," she said. "Me too."

"Not like other pony." Juggernaut frowned back towards the front of the field. "She not do much. I not know why she here."

Turning, Raindrops saw that Maud appeared to have only cleared a few squares, after which she seemed to have dug some kind of pool and set up a picnic area. As Raindrops watched, the mare lifted a massive stone bench which she had apparently sculpted from a boulder using only her hooves and set it down. "I don't think the Pies wanted to grow crops here," said Raindrops. "They just wanted a nice picnic area for Gummy... or Pinkie did, anyway." Indeed, Pinkie was bouncing around and tossing flags with Maud's cutie mark all over the squares she'd cleaned up. "Maud is Pinkie's big sister, so when Pinkie told her she wanted a picnic for her alligator..."

Juggernaut slowly nodded. "I see," she said, and sounded like she did. Raindrops smiled to herself. Maybe, she thought, Juggernaut was making progress after all.

Cheerilee and Big Macintosh trotted up to Mayor Scrolls and conferred with her for a moment before they all nodded. The mayor turned to the crowd and raised her voice. "All the squares have been cleared," she said. "And the pony who cleared the most was..."

Raindrops tensed. In the distant crowd, she could see Carrot Top doing the same.

"Juggernaut, with fifty-two squares! Raindrops cleared forty-four; Maud Pie cleared four. As such, Sweet Apple Acres will be granted the 52% of the farm that Juggernaut cleared, Golden Harvest will take 44%, and Gummy the Alligator's owner Pinkie will take the remainder."

Raindrops let out a long breath even as she heard Pinkie and Applejack cheering. She knew that even doing that well against Juggernaut--against the pony whom the Minister of War had judged to be the strongest in Equestria--was a great accomplishment, and that she'd managed to get Carrot Top over forty percent of a property she'd had no chance at acquiring otherwise. Still, she thought, it would have been nice to win.

"YAY!" Snails darted into the field and crashed into Raindrops, then threw his legs around her in a big hug. "We were awesome!" he cheered. "We did really really good! And now Miss Carrot Top's happy! And I made a whole bunch of new buggy friends!"

"Friends?" Raindrops blinked, then saw the hoof Snails waved in front of her. Hundreds of ants were running around it, with a dozen of them carrying Levi on their backs. Raindrops watched as the beetle gestured and directed the ants this way and that. "Uh."

Snails nodded. "War ants are really good at following orders! Me and Levi are gonna get them to do tricks!"

For a moment, Raindrops thought she should probably worry about that, but then she looked at her brother's smile and could only say, "That sounds great, squirt." She hugged him. "You did good."

The two embraced for a moment, and then Raindrops felt somepony big moving to her left. She turned to see Juggernaut sheathing her sword and looking around awkwardly, as if she wasn't sure what to do next. Which she probably wasn't, Raindrops thought. "Hey," she said. "Juggernaut, look."

When the other mare glanced at her, Raindrops gestured at the smiling Snails, who was giggling as he played with his ants. Then she pointed at Carrot Top and Applejack, who both looked much happier than they had in the past few days. Applejack laughed at something, then shook Carrot Top's hoof, and the other mare beamed as they spoke. "Isn't this better than if we just fought?" she asked.

Juggernaut looked puzzled but then considered for a long moment. Raindrops saw her eyes flick over the smiling ponies around her, and she watched as they relaxed and enjoyed themselves. "Da," she said at last as a smile crept over her face. "I think so."

"Great." Raindrops sighed in relief. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Before you leave town, want to go to the party?"

"Party?"

She nodded at Applejack and Carrot Top, who had turned to the chattering crowd. "Alright everypony!" called the apple farmer. "To celebrate this here contest, Carrot Top an' I'll be hostin' a big ol' shindig at Sweet Apple Acres. Gonna have some great apple an' carrot treats for all y'all. Anypony who wants some is welcome!"

Most of the crowd cheered and began to follow her, though Raindrops saw her friends approaching her instead. They reached her and began to congratulate her, with Trixie loudly proclaiming how the Strong and Mighty Raindrops was indeed the most powerful warrior to be found, and Lyra already working out how she'd turn the struggle into a ballad. Snails bounced around, growing more antsy by the moment, and eventually asked. "Can we go to the party, sis? Please?"

"Sounds good." Raindrops began to move in that direction with her friends. "Coming, Juggernaut?"

The big mare mostly looked confused. "Why I go to party?" she asked.

"Well, if you're hungry you can eat pie." Raindrops pointed at Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing towards Sweet Apple Acres with her sister by her side and a pie-laden wagon hitched behind her. "You can tell tell jokes. And you can play games." She saw another pony walking up behind Juggernaut and grinned. "For instance, you could offer to hoof-wrestle other ponies in Ponyville to see if you're the strongest pony here."

Juggernaut chuckled. "I beat you," she said. "I know I strongest pony in Ponyville!"

Raindrops glanced behind Juggernaut, and the gigantic mare turned to see Big Macintosh looking at her with a faint smirk on his face. "Eeenope," he said.

"Da!" insisted Juggernaut. "I strongest!" She trotted to the edge of the field and kicked a boulder, shattering it.

Big Macintosh followed Juggernaut and kicked the boulder next to hers. It burst into shards and disintegrated. Big Mac smiled serenely at Juggernaut, but a smirk tugged at his mouth as he repeated, "Eeenope."

The two ponies looked at each other, and smiles crossed their faces. "Okay," said Juggernaut, turning back to Raindrops. "I go party. And I hoof-wrestle this pony!"

Raindrops couldn't stop herself from chuckling as Juggernaut and Big Macintosh began to trot off. She felt herself grinning, and as she began to lead the Elements along the same path, she heard them laughing as well.

All in all, she thought as her brother hopped onto her back and she began to walk with her best friends towards a party full of her other friends, it was a pretty good day.

#

Raindrops hadn't thought she would want to return to Canterlot for months after she'd been trapped in the city by Fisher's inane declaration of martial law, but barely three weeks later, she found herself walking from a quaint cafe to the historic district on the north side of the Canterhorn. She smiled as a low-hanging cloud pushed around a building next to her, shedding a bit of water which dripped down and spattered over the ground. The entire city was wreathed in clouds, and it looked like a storm could break out at any time. A good day, Raindrops thought.

Bridlam Asylum had been built in an old mansion once owned by a prominent philanthropist, separated from its neighbors by spacious fields, elegant hedges, and enough magical wards to keep out an invading army. Raindrops reached the asylum at the far end of the historic district, made her way through the checkpoints, and reached the visitor's area only slightly behind schedule. She found herself in a bucolic conservatory which had couches and tables arranged in an irregular pattern. Except for the occasional bulky orderly stationed by some of the other ponies seated in the room, it looked little different from any large lounge.

"Raindrops!" The weathermare turned to see Juggernaut walking in. Behind her was another pony, this one almost as massive and with a horn that looked like it had snapped off at the halfway. "I glad you come!"

The other pony, Goliath, looked up and stared at Raindrops for a moment. Then he looked at his big sister with a nervous expression.

Juggernaut smiled and gently embraced him, then spoke several sentences in Rushian. When Goliath finally nodded, Juggernaut turned to Raindrops. "You come close? Say hi?"

Raindrops cautiously advanced. "Um. Hi," she said to Goliath. "Are you okay?"

Goliath slowly nodded, as if it was taking him a while to process the question. "Hurt me?" he asked in a labored voice, as if it was taxing him to even vocalize that much.

Raindrops shook her head. "No."

Goliath looked to his big sister, who nodded. "She tell truth," she said in Equestrian, which Raindrops guessed was for her benefit. "And if she lie, I stop her! I beat her in competition; I show how strong I am." She drew closer to her brother. "Nopony hurt you. I swear."

Her little brother smiled slightly and turned to Raindrops, who nodded. "It's true. She's stronger than I am. She would never let anything bad happen to you." She stuck out her hoof. "And I don't want to hurt you anyways. You won't hurt other ponies again, will you?"

Goliath tilted his head. Juggernaut quickly translated, and then Goliath shook his head no rapidly. "No!" he insisted. "No!"

Two orderlies began to approach, but Juggernaut hugged Goliath and he calmed. Raindrops smiled at him. "Then I not hurt you. Your sister not let me hurt you. Okay?"

Goliath slowly smiled as he understood. "Okay," he said, and then enveloped them both in a massive hug. Raindrops winced--it was a rare experience for her to be trapped in a bone-cracking hug, instead of being on the giving end of it--but she was strong herself, and she just smiled and squeezed back as hard as she could.

When the hug was over, Goliath looked from his sister to Raindrops. "Friends?"

"Raindrops and I friends," agreed Juggernaut.

"Yes." Raindrops smiled and pointed at Goliath. "And if you don't hurt ponies, then we all friends."

After almost a minute, Goliath smiled even more brightly. "All friends?" he repeated. "Good!"

They spoke for a few minutes more before Raindrops excused herself to let the siblings talk. Juggernaut and Goliath both waved goodbye to her, and she returned it, then exited the mansion and flew down to the warehouse district of the city. She made her way towards one particular building and flew inside through a broken window, ignoring the rusting pieces of machinery and half-rotten crates stacked against one wall. Instead she flew to the nondescript door on one side of the warehouse and then down the staircase beyond it. She reached the bottom within moments and then stepped into another world.

A garden stretched before her that was as big as a city block. Flowers of all kinds grew in riotous patterns, apparently chaotic but somehow flowing so smoothly from one patch to the next that it could only be the result of some intricate design. There were bushes, shrubs, even a few short trees heavily laden with fruit, and interspersed with them were a couple of open spaces for resting and a small water feature. It was a little slice of paradise buried under the grime of Canterlot's dingy warehouse district, and Raindrops had to admit that--as much as she disliked the pony who tended this garden--he was undeniably good at his job.

"Ah, Raindrops! Hello!" Duke Greengrass, a brown-coated stallion with a garish red mane and a red 'X" for a cutie mark, trotted out of a small closet set in one of the walls. He was balancing a potted rose on his back and had a spade clipped to his saddlebag. "So glad you allowed Snails to take me up on my offer. He's truly been an invaluable help today."

Raindrops looked around and saw Snails kneeling down by a patch of flowers which seemed a little duller than the others. He was examining some bugs, bee-like creatures that had purple instead of yellow stripes and flew upside down, with a magnifying glass. The big field guide that his mother Shutterbug had gotten him for his birthday was on the dirt to his left. After a moment, though, he looked up and waved. "Hi Raindrops! Look!" He stuck out his hoof and two of the upside-down bees flew to it, flipping over just before landing. "Zaldian inverted bees!"

"They're supposed to be perfect for that kind of daisy, but they haven't been working out," said Greengrass. "So Snails, after first saying hello to as many bugs as he could find, has been helping me learn why." The Duke nodded. "And he's made excellent progress."

"Uh huh!" Snails nodded vigorously. "They need mango juice in their diet to keep their energy up. And these bees say that the juice Mr. Greenie is giving them doesn't have enough sugar, so they're tired." Snails beamed as he put the book away and trotted over to Raindrops. "I also helped sort out the ants on the west wall so they aren't feuding anymore, and before lunch I cheered up a bunch of sad worms so they can dig more tunnels and let more water into the soil!" His face was as bright as Raindrops had ever seen it. "Mr. Greenie said I did great!"

Raindrops nodded. "I'm glad to hear it--but you do have to go soon." Snails sighed, but Raindrops just chuckled and said, "Go get your things together and I'll take you home."

When Snails ran to find his bags, Greengrass turned to Raindrops. "Incidentally, I appreciate you looking past your dislike of me and allowing your brother to take advantage of this opportunity. You won't regret this."

Raindrops shrugged. "I didn't want to let him do this," she said in a frank tone. "But let's just say I've been reminded how it's important to consider other ponies besides myself. He really wanted to do this, and I'm his big sister--I'm supposed to support him, not just make him do what I want." She chuckled. "You might think about that sometime."

"Why else do you think I would do this?" Greengrass watched as Snails stopped and knelt to talk to a bug poking its head out of the ground. "I might not have much power in the Court anymore, but I'd rather like to do something more with my life than just tend a garden nopony sees. If I can help encourage a few colts and fillies to develop their talents... nurture them, as I would any flower..."

Raindrops snorted. "You know, Baron Max told us about your silly garden metaphors."

"My dear Raindrops, if I didn't make silly gardening metaphors, I might never talk at all. And then where would we be?"

Raindrops considered. "Paradise?" She hoped to annoy Greengrass, but instead the Duke just laughed, and she rolled her eyes. After verifying that Snails was still talking to the bug, she added, "How is Max, anyways?"

"Quite well," said Greengrass. "The Princess provided him with a small corps called the Special Investigative Unit, which is basically a few investigators and detectives under his direct command. It seems Duchess Posey was growing concerned that her 'secret' coltfriend can't go six weeks without charging head first at some nasty criminal, so she prevailed upon Luna to give him a few ponies to handle that sort of thing on his behalf."

"Did that work?" asked Raindrops.

Greengrass chuckled and passed Raindrops a newspaper from his bag. Raindrops opened it and immediately saw a picture of six ponies, all wearing red coats, big hats, and badges labeled 'SIU', standing in front of a banner labeled 'FASHION FAIR.' Three shackled ponies stood between the SIU investigators, and other ponies with fancy outfits and relieved looks--including Rarity, Raindrops noticed--were scattered about. She began to read the article aloud: "The Spring Fashion Fair was attacked yesterday by Popped Stitch, a clothes designer who had been disqualified for stealing designs from her competitors, and who planned to spatter all the models with paint and destroy her competitor's clothes in revenge. Fortunately, the new Special Investigation Unit was able to intervene and capture these malcontents just before this attack took place. According to Silverstar, a former sheriff who now runs an orphanage and volunteers with the SIU part-time, if Stitch had succeeded she could have ruined literally dozens of dresses and the hopes of twenty-five designers, many of whom had traveled to Canterlot from distant provinces just to showcase their wares in front of the Court." The weathermare snorted. "Where was Baron Max when this happened?"

"Left side of the picture."

Raindrops looked and quickly saw the mountain-themed cutie mark which let her identify the hapless stallion with the overturned paint bucket on his head. "Baron Mounty Max of Nulpar was on hoof to supervise the first investigation of his new unit, and he personally saved the dress of the Zaldian ambassador by jumping in front of Stitch's last paint can. When Duchess Fragrant Posey, who was in the area for unclear reasons, asked him if he had anything to say for himself, he tugged at the can and told her, 'It's stuck.'" Raindrops couldn't help but laugh as she lowered the paper. "You have strange friends."

"I try." Greengrass hesitated. "Speaking of friends, and gestures thereof, I can have one of my staff personally escort Snails to and from Ponyville when he comes to work in my garden if you wish. You don't need to personally chaperone him."

"Maybe eventually," Raindrops said. "But today he wanted me."

"Oh. I thought perhaps you feared I might try to abduct him--"

"If I was afraid of that, do you really think I'd have left him with you for the afternoon?" Raindrops shook her head. "Max says you've reformed. And you did save Snails' life instead of sell him out to the mob. So even though I don't like you, I'll tentatively trust you, and I'll let him work in your garden if he really wants. But if you harm one hair on his mane..."

Greengrass sighed melodramatically. "You buck me off the Canterhorn. I know."

"Glad we understand each other." Raindrops smiled at him, then turned to Snails as her brother finally approached. "So long as that's true, I'm sure Snails will be able to come back here... oh, at least once every two weeks or so." Snails grinned, and Raindrops chuckled and continued. "Maybe more in the summer when school's out."

"In the summer I'll be starting work on some above-ground plots," said Greengrass in a light tone. "I'll probably need more helpers, perhaps even enough that I won't be able to watch them all myself. So, Snails, when that time comes, I might put you in charge of some of my other assistants--if you do a very good job now. I trust that's acceptable?"

Snails' face brightened even further until it was practically alight with energy and Raindrops realized that she was smiling too. She turned to the Duke and said, "I think he's okay with that."

Raindrops had Snails wave goodbye to Greengrass and left with him. No sooner had they stepped into the street than Snails embraced Raindrops. "Thanks again for letting me help Greenie with his bugs!" she said. "You're the best big sister ever."

"I know." Raindrops lifted Snails onto her back. "And don't you forget it." 

She steadied him with her wings, then called, "Hold on!" and took off. He whooped behind her as she flew towards the train station, and she couldn't help but grin. She'd made some new friends, and she'd helped out Carrot Top, but most important of all was that she'd fulfilled her duty as a big sister and done right by her brother. 

That was what mattered.