Six Shadows to Warn You

Another uneventful journey, another successful delivery and another easy payment. That pretty much summed up the last dozen or so deliveries Applejack had made out to Manehattan. As a major city on a major route, her biggest troubles typically amounted to remembering to take breaks—not that going the whole trip non-stop would put too much strain on her earth pony endurance, but part of being a good vendor was making sure the merchandise was holding up as well as she was.

Secretly, she used to enjoy taking the more dangerous routes to the backwater areas. Sometimes her hooves just craved a tussling and that occasionally left her just a bit too happy to oblige trouble. However, that was a long time ago. Ever since she’d befriended Twilight, Applejack had had more than enough Equestria-shattering outlets for her tension.

And so Applejack kicked back in the motel’s creaky, old chair, letting her eyes wander over the small room. It was a bit lonely and plain, with nothing more than the standard bed, dresser and desk setup. But she was used to the former and preferred the latter, so it hardly bothered her.

She’d briefly entertained the thought of staying at Aunt and Uncle Orange’s, but they were hosting some kind of fancy party for some important guests and she knew better than to get in the way of that. Besides, that kind of fru fru event wasn’t her idea of how to relax after a long day of hard work.

In fact, what she’d really like to be doing was shooting the breeze with Apple Bloom and Big Mac, but there was just no way she’d have made it back to Ponyville before dark. She’d just have to make sure she got an early start, so she could be back in time for dinner.

As she settled into bed, she couldn’t help but think she was forgetting something. But no matter how hard she wracked her brain, it wasn’t coming to her.

Ah, well, I can worry about it in the morn.

“What d’ya mean we’re going out of business?! Didn’t ya just say we were in the black last month?!” Applejack fumed as she flipped through the farm’s dusty old red ledger. There had to be a mistake. It didn’t matter if Big Mac was better at this stuff than her. Money just doesn’t up and walk off during the night.

“Eeeeyup,” Big Mac replied, his voice even quieter than usual.

But there was nothing she could find wrong, and when she hit the last page, there it was: twenty thousand bits of debt.

“Then how?” Applejack’s eyes snapped up to her family. The road weighed heavily upon her, but she shrugged it off; this crisis wasn’t just about her.

Each of them—Big Mac, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom—sat in one of the ancient wooden chairs surrounding the equally old kitchen table. The last strands of dusk filtered through the window, playing across the crumb-spattered surfaces of their forgotten plates.

The kitchen filled with awkward creaks as each of the other Apples shifted in their seats. None of them would look at her.

Applejack sighed. She didn’t want to be too pushy, but they had to solve this now and sitting around on their rumps wasn’t helping any. “Ya didn’t accidentally give our savings to the Flim Flams or anything, did ya?”

“Taxes,” Big Mac finally said.

“What?”

“That dang tax stallion barges in like he owns the place and says we gots to pay back taxes.” Granny Smith snorted. “Just about chased ‘im out ‘til he gave me this.”

Granny slapped the financial notice onto the counter. Applejack’s brow furrowed as she scanned the page. It all looked so official. But it had to be wrong. The Apples always paid their taxes and always on time. There just had to be a decimal point that was accidentally shifted somewhere. She glanced up at Big Mac, feeling the energy drain from her face.

He gave a shake of his head. If it was there, he couldn’t find it either.

“What is this ‘Code Four’, anyway, and how did nopony notice?” Applejack glanced around.

Granny Smith shrugged. “I ain’t ever heard of it before, either.”

“Something ain’t right. I’m going to see Mayor Mare right—” Applejack’s eyes flitted over to the now-dark window. “—first thing in the morning. She’ll clear this right up for us.”

As she felt her rage winding down, Applejack was suddenly tired. Very tired. But as she looked at each of her family in turn, she found a renewed vigour. Ain’t nopony gonna mess with my family.

Town hall was dark and abandoned, almost eerily so. Applejack had to admit that perhaps she had taken the whole concept of “first thing” in the morning a bit far. Still, it wasn’t like she was going to sleep those hours or anything, anyway.

And so she sat by the front doors, patient and determined. Well, moreso the latter, than anything. If she thought it’d do her any good, she’d have busted down those doors in an instant.

The shadows on her left flickered, pulling her eyes over. There was nothing there, of course. She didn’t know why she was so jumpy. It wasn’t like anypony else would be around, not to mention that, despite all of the Everfree Forest’s shenanigans, Ponyville was usually pretty safe to hang around at most hours.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel she was being watched. There was more flickering on her right and her eyes darted over. For just a split second, she swore she saw the silhouette of a stallion. He was tall and slender, not muscular at all, and there was something she couldn’t quite put her hoof on about his posture that felt off.

But one blink later and he was gone. Applejack squinted, taking a few steps forward. She never quite noticed just how dark the shadows under the hall could get. Best she could tell, there was nothing there, nor any trace of anypony having been there.

The planks somewhere on the other side of the porch creaked loudly.

“Hello?” Applejack called out.

No reply, just another, softer creak.

She circled back around to the front, revisiting the left-side shadows. There was nopony there, either.

Great. I’m tired, angry and starting to see things. This is gonna be a fine week.

“Can I help you, miss?” The mare’s voice jabbed into Applejack like a skewer. Applejack jumped about as high as a pegasus.

“Gah!” With a whirl, Applejack glared at the newcomer. ”Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

She was a white earth pony, her dark brown mane pulled back into a tight, bureaucratic ponytail. Large, black glasses sat on her muzzle, while a red-ruffled business collar hung around her neck. Applejack couldn’t put a name to the face, but she was clearly one of the mayor’s aides. It was all Applejack could do not to direct her ire at this poor subordinate.

The aide peered curiously through her glasses. “I cleared my throat several times, miss.”

Some of Applejack’s annoyance turned to herself. She felt like a dang filly, getting so distracted chasing shadows like that. Even worse, that feeling of being watched was completely gone by now.

“Oh. Well, y’just caught me lookin’ at something, I guess.”

“‘Something’?” The aide asked, her brow furrowed.

“Just thought somepony else might be here too.” Applejack let out a sheepish chuckle. “Nevermind that. Mayor Mare gonna be in soon? I gotta talk to her.”

“She won’t be in for another half hour, but I can let you in to reception, if you like.”

Applejack sighed. “I guess that’ll have to do.”

Turns out, it really didn’t do at all. Each minute felt like an hour as she sat alone in the lobby, tapping her hoof against the old, wooden floor.

After a few minutes, a chill ran down her spine. Whoever it was was back. She could feel it. She kept tapping, pretending she didn’t know. Maybe they would show themselves and she could get whatever this game of theirs was out of the way. She had more important things to deal with.

A deafening crash echoed through the hall and Applejack’s eyes darted to her left. The slender pony was there again, barely outlined in the mouth of the darkened side hall. A small streak of light played over the tip of his muzzle and the wall behind him. Applejack couldn’t quite tell if it was black or a really dark brown.

“Um, hello?” She asked.

No reply.

Creasing her brow, Applejack took a few steps forward. “You okay?”

The other pony melted away, leaving nothing more than a featureless wall that bent to the right. Dozens of soft, tiny taps echoed through the door and Applejack's imagination painted a picture of the shadow skittering away. Applejack’s coat stood on end, but she found she couldn’t help but keep walking. She was clearly just imagining things.

“Hey, no need to be shy, here. I ain’t gonna hurt you.”

Still nothing.

As Applejack reached the door, she felt a pressure on her back, like two imaginary hooves were pressing against it, trying to steer her away, telling her to run. She shook her head. What was she, a little filly?

She poked her head in, around the frame. She didn’t know what to expect, and somehow, darkness wasn’t at the top of her list. She squinted until her eyes adjusted. There was nothing by an empty hall, with only the closed office doors to keep it company.

“Applejack?” For the second time that day, a mare’s voice made her jump—this time, straight into the top of the door frame. Pain rippled across Applejack’s face as she staggered back a few steps. She shook it off as quickly as she could.

As she whirled, it clicked with her just whose voice it was. Mayor Mare was standing there, staring out from behind her spectacles, just as her aide had. Her business collar, and its accompanying blue ruffle, were freshly pressed.

Any annoyance at being scared yet again was quickly lost, the energy redirected as Applejack remembered the reason she was even there.

“Mayor Mare! Just the mare I needed to see! Ya have to help me with this back tax hoo-ha! Some stuffy old pony in Canterlot is trying to steal my farm!”

“Walk with me.”

Applejack obliged, if only to help move things along faster. They passed the still-empty reception desk as they started down the wider, main hall.

After a few more steps, Mayor Mare glanced over, “Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do.”

“Whaddaya mean, there isn’t?! You’re the Mayor!” Applejack just stared.

Mayor Mare gave her an apologetic look. “While that is true, the official is also part of the Canterlot office, so he isn’t a direct subordinate. Believe me, Applejack, I’m just as surprised as you. My records don’t quite mesh with the documents provided. I’ve sent out an official request for confirmation, but as our office is also effectively being audited, all I can do is politely ask Mr. Pennyworth to wait.”

“And I’m guessing he ain’t too keen on that.”

Mayor Mare shook her head. “He insists that an error on Canterlot’s part is impossible.”

“Consarnit! I wish I could give him a piece of my mind! The Apples ain’t no dishonest folk!”

“You can. In fact, he should already be in. He’s got a bit of a thing for always being the first.”

Applejack blinked. “You mean I can just waltz in and talk to him?”

“No, you still need an appointment. But since you’ll have to meet sooner or later, I can set something up.”

“Please do.”

Pennyworth’s temporary office was off in one of the side halls, probably just crammed into whichever spare room they had available. The door was closed, although light filtered out from under it.

Applejack breathed deeply, taking a moment to put on her business face. She reached a hoof up and gave the door a firm knock.

“Come in.” The voice that replied was just a touch raspy, and Applejack felt herself tense up.

As the door creaked open, she half-expected some sort of den of evil, with red light and the deeds of repossessed properties hung on the wall like trophies. Thankfully, the room was about as plain as could be. A couple heavy bookcases framed a large, equally-heavy desk, and that was about it.

However, behind that desk was a tall, slender unicorn, whose coat was the darkest of dark browns. Unlike the mayor and her staff, he was in a full business shirt and coat. He was hunched over a spread of paperwork, his eyes barely visible beneath his raven mane.

Applejack froze. Pennyworth’s silhouette was a dead ringer for the one that had been watching her. As his eyes turned up, he looked at her like a Timberwolf.

She swallowed hard, but kept her voice level. She couldn’t let him have the advantage. “Pennyworth?”

“That’s Mister Pennyworth to you.” He scowled.

“Er, sorry, Mister Pennyworth. I meant no offense. I’m—”

“Applejack. Yes, I know who you are.”

“So you know why I’m here.”

“To pay your back taxes, I should hope.”

“No way. Not until you explain this ‘Code Four’ hooey. The farm’s been in the family for decades and this here thing has never come up.”

Pennyworth looked at her and sighed. “Look, don’t you think that’s why you owe so much?”

“Uh, huh. And how did your ponies miss it?” Applejack glared.

“I can’t speak for my predecessor, but rest assured, Miss Applejack—now that I’m in charge, you will be making proper payments.” There was that grin again. Applejack almost took a step back. For a second there, his teeth looked jagged and pointed. But that couldn’t be right.

“Gee, thanks. And how, exactly, do you expect us to come up with such a big payment?”

“Regardless of what you may think, I am not in the business of running you out of business. My job is to keep part of the country running. Bankrupting every farm would do very much the opposite.”

“Uh, huh. Prove it.”

“Patience, Miss Applejack. I was just getting to that.” He held a hoof up, which, infuriatingly, Applejack swore he deliberately kept there longer than he needed to. “Perhaps if you can provide, say, twenty percent of the full amount, by the end of the week, it might convince me to extend your deadline.”

“What, so you can line your own pockets?”

“Why, Miss Applejack, I’m appalled you would ever think such a thing of me. I am an honest bureaucrat.”

Applejack kept her face hard and unwavering. “Sorry, but your wording came uncomfortably close to that of several of my would-be clients.”

“You have heard of payment in installments, have you not, Miss Applejack? I assure you, the full amount will be applied straight to your debt.”

“Ten percent.”

Pennyworth blinked. “Miss Applejack, this is not the Ponyville bazaar. Further, I am already being more than reasonable. Twenty percent or one hundred percent. The choice is yours.”

“Hmph, fine,” Applejack grumbled. “But I want this in writing.”

The orchards of Sweet Apple Acres was filled with an unending chorus of thuds. Applejack and Big Mac moved rapidly from tree to tree, each trunk swaying under the power of a firm Apple family buck. They’d been at it like that for well over four hours and Applejack was almost convinced that somepony had shaved her and dumped a bucket of sweat all over her.

But she couldn’t stop. Every time she felt herself slowing down, she thought back to last night. They’d gathered in the kitchen again, with everypony glumly seated in their usual spots.

“Between the slush fund and the savings, we’re a few bits shy of three. If we work our flanks off, four shouldn’t be too hard.” Applejack looked to her brother for confirmation.

He nodded.

Next, Applejack took a deep breath. She really hated to do this to her sister. “Now, Apple Bloom, I know I said if we saved enough, I’d help you furnish your club house—”

Apple Bloom waved a hoof, though she was clearly fighting to keep her face straight. “Nah, s’okay, Sis’. We already waited this long, we can wait a little longer.”

Applejack cracked a smile as her mind returned to reality. Apple Bloom was a good filly. When all was said and done, Applejack would find a way to make it up to her, even if Applejack had to build every piece herself.

Her next buck had a little extra oomph behind it.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom’s voice echoed over the hills

Scanning the orchard, Applejack wondered just what was so important to pull Apple Bloom away from the cows. Every moment mattered.

Apple Bloom appeared on the crest of the closest hill, scrambling toward Applejack like she was being chased a swarm of bees.

Without even stopping to breathe, Apple Bloom blurted out, “Applejack! I saw some creepy stallion messing with the wagons and when I told him to stop, he chased me off!”

“What?!” Applejack rushed to meet her, eyes searching her coat for any sign of injury. Thankfully, there was none. “He didn’t hurt you, did he? When was this? What did he look like?”

“N-no, he just ran after me all threatening-like.” Apple Bloom stiffened.

“When, Apple Bloom? What did he look like?” Applejack was more insistent this time.

“Er, just now? He was real skinny and tall and had a dark brown coat.”

Applejack’s body filled with pure, unbridled rage. “Why, that low down, dirty… C’mon, Big Mac, we’re gonna give him a piece of our mind!”

They charged over to the barn, Applejack’s blood pumping the whole way. It was all she could do to not think of ten different ways that she’d clobber Pennyworth when they found him. But the barn was empty, save for the sabotaged wagons.

What shards remained of the wheels and axles lay in a neat pile in the middle of the floor. He was mocking them.

“Consarn it!” Applejack threw her hat down. “This is going to take all afternoon to fix!”

“What do we do?” Apple Bloom moaned.

“You’re gonna stick with me an’ Big Mac from now on. We’re gonna lock the barn up and we’re gonna keep an eye out. If that yellow-bellied jerk sets hoof in here again, we’re gonna let him have it.”

Applejack would protect her family. She loved them dearly and she sure as Tartarus wasn’t going to let anypony mess with them and get away with it.

Somehow, Applejack’s body had found a way to get even sweatier than before. Given that she was hitched to a wagon full of baskets that were, in turn, full of apples, it wasn’t wholly unexpected. She very rarely pushed herself this far, as it usually ended badly. But this time, she felt a sort of tired vigour that let her go well beyond what she’d once thought her limit. She just loved her family too much to let a little exhaustion get in her way.

As she approached the barn, she mentally chalked up one less wagon until they were safe again. Even coming in from the side, Applejack could see that the barn doors were wide open.

“Big Mac? Ya in there?” she called out.

“Uh… Sis’?” Apple Bloom replied. “You better get in here.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, what happened no—” Applejack froze for a second before shrugging the wagon hitch off her back.

She joined Big Mac and Apple Bloom as they stared at the mushy red-white mess in front of the nearest two wagons. The wagons themselves were just fine, but each and every basket was empty. Applejack frowned as she caught a few of the hoof-shaped prints in the mass of mutilated apples.

“H-how?” was all she could stammer.

“Don’t know,” Big Mac replied.

“We unlocked the door and he was just here. We chased him into the loft, but he just vanished.” Apple Bloom’s eyes never left the floor.

“What?! How could you lose him in the loft?!”

“Don’t know,” Big Mac said again.

“Ugh!” Applejack threw her hooves in the air, though a pang of pain shot through her head, quickly returning her to the ground.

“S-sorry, Sis’. The windows weren’t even open.” Apple Bloom’s eyes never left the floor.

“But that’s…” Applejack couldn’t find the words, but a nagging thought in the back of her mind filled in the blank. Just like town hall.

That was when Applejack noticed the streak on the side of the wagon. It was a sort of neon green with a smattering of yellowy-orange that almost reminded her of bug guts. Upon closer examination, little bits of it were also spread across the top of the smashed apples. Applejack bent down and snuffled at it, but the only scent she caught was of apples.

“What is it?” Apple Bloom leaned in beside her.

“Something our unwanted guest brought with him. What do you think, Big Mac? Some sick prank? Poison?”

Big Mac took a whiff of his own and shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“That going to be your answer to everything today?” Applejack sighed. The pain in her head returned, but this time it was a bit duller. These stupid shenanigans were really starting to get on her nerves. She placed a hoof to her forehead. “Well, whatever it is, we can’t sell contaminated apples. This is gonna take all night, nevermind bucking out another two carts. Wish we could actually catch him, so I can drag his sorry flank over to town hall to get arrested. All right, look, we can’t give up. We’ll guard the barn in shifts. It’ll be slow going, but we can still do this.”

“Eeeyup.”

“Yeah! We’ll show him!” Apple Bloom chimed in.

Applejack would protect her family. She loved them dearly and she sure as Tartarus wasn’t going to let anypony mess with them and get away with it.

“Applejack! Applejack! Git your butt over here!” Granny Smith yelled as she did her best to hurry up the road. By this point, Applejack didn’t even need to guess.

But I was just there! Applejack groaned. He must have been hiding out, waiting for her to leave. Thankfully, he’d failed to account for Granny. In one smooth motion, Applejack unhitched and spun herself around. If there was one small comfort she could take, the wagon was empty, so she wasn’t risking much by leaving it be.

She broke into a full gallop, planning to zip straight by Granny.

“Now hold on a second!” Granny’s call brought Applejack skidding to a halt.

“What? Time’s a wastin’!”

“Darn tootin’ it is, but just listen for a second. Don’t got running in soon as we get there. We’ll surround the barn, then you go in. Flush ‘em out and we’ll get ourselves a rattlesnake!” Granny swung a hoof in the air with a viciousness that surprised even Applejack.

But, if she was being honest, the prospect of finally catching this varmint had her grinning from ear to ear. “Gotcha, Granny. Let’s get ‘em!”

As they gathered around the barn, Applejack pawed at the dirt. He wasn’t getting away this time.

Finally, Granny gave the signal and Applejack burst through the door, eyes darting over the first floor. All was still; this time the carts were completely untouched.

Where is that varmint? She narrowed her eyes, giving the floor another look. There!

A shadow skittered up the loft stairs. It was unmistakably tall, slender and the object of Applejack’s rage. She pursued with a speed that even she didn’t realize she had in her.

She arrived just in time to see Pennyworth lunge at the window. But it wasn’t like a running jump. Even accounting for the low light of the lanterns, he moved less like he was inside the shadows and more like he was the shadows. And yet, the windows still flew open with a crack as his form slid into it.

Applejack was only a second behind, but when she poked her head out, the yard was completely empty. She scanned all the way to the horizon, which proved to be a fruitless endeavour.

Big Mac skidded around the left ground corner.

“You see him?” Applejack called.

As he glanced up, his confusion told her everything before he even opened his mouth. “Nope.”

“What the hay?! I just saw him jump out!” Applejack’s eyes darted behind her, half-expecting him to be behind her, cackling from atop the staircase. No such luck.

Impatience took over and she vaulted out the window. Big Mac raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“He’s gotta be around here somewhere. Spread out and check everything a pony could hide behind,” Applejack ordered.

She set to work, her fury practically overturning the lighter objects; even then, she was pretty sure she bowled over an errant hay bale. However, aside from letting her blow off a bit of steam, the search was of little help.

Applejack was about to give up when she spotted movement on one of the orchard hills. She broke into a gallop and, as she got closer, she was certain the figure to be Pennyworth’s. For the first few seconds of her charge, he didn’t even move. He just stood there, waiting, mocking her.

“You!” she cried out as she reached the foot of the hill.

Wordlessly, he disappeared over the crest.

Applejack followed without hesitation. “Grrr! Get back here!”

He was rude enough to, yet again, be gone without a trace.

“That. Is. It!” Applejack fumed. “I’m ending this now!”

She stopped back at the house just long enough to tell her family to guard the barn. She was going to town hall and she was going to expose Pennyworth’s skullduggery. Then maybe she could settle the debt with somepony reasonable.

Applejack would protect her family. She loved them dearly and she sure as Tartarus wasn’t going to let anypony mess with them and get away with it.

As she stormed into the reception area, Applejack’s eyes locked on her target. He was chatting up the receptionist about something or other that Applejack didn’t care about. She marched right up to him.

“You’ve got some nerve!”

“Who? Me?” Pennyworth pointed a hoof at himself.

The receptionist, a fuchsia-coated mare with a snowy mane, stared blankly between the two of them.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Applejack yelled. “You’ve been skulking ‘round our farm, sabotaging us so we have to pay up!”

Pennyworth puffed out his chest. “I don’t know what possessed you to make such baseless—”

“We saw you! All four of us, three separate times!” Applejack advanced, the fire in her cheeks stoked by each step.

“Ahem.” Pennyworth seemed unfazed. “As I was saying, I don’t know what possessed you to make such baseless claims, but I was here all afternoon. Isn’t that right, Sound Memo?”

“Um, yes. He was here all day. He couldn’t have done what you said.” The receptionist’s nod was rather mechanical, a fact that nagged at Applejack, but she was too angry to care.

“What?!” Applejack fumed. “But we saw you!”

“Hmph, typical. Some bumbling bumpkins with poor eyesight can’t even run a farm and their first instinct is to blame me? Oh, no, Celestia save us from the bad tax stallion!”

“You… you take that back! My family ain’t no incompetents!”

“I would love to, Miss Applejack,” Pennyworth smirked, “but then I’d just be lying.”

“Grah! That’s it!” Applejack cried out as she lunged. Pennyworth hardly had time to react before her head slammed straight into the bottom of his chin.

With a crack, he was sent sailing, slamming into the wall behind him. His eyes rolled back as he slid down the wall. But something wasn’t quite right; his coat was melting. It become a low, green glow before disappearing entirely. Pennyworth was gone: in his place lay a dazed and confused changeling. Applejack just stared.

“What is going on out here?” Mayor Mare called as she galloped around the corner. She quickly joined Applejack in her gawking.

It was another full ten seconds before Applejack finally got ahold of herself. “He… Pennyworth was a changeling!”

It made so much sense and now, she had no remorse for what she was about to do. But before she could exact her revenge, the changeling snapped to and rocketed out the main doors with alarming speed.

Applejack was right on his heels. “Oh, no, you don’t!”

She burst into the town square, eyes darting here and there. Her search didn’t last long: the changeling, now back in his Pennyworth disguise, was already halfway down the road. How the hay did he get that far ahead of me?! He’s not even going that fast!

Applejack was so intent on the changeling that, when she redoubled her effort, she almost didn’t notice the bewildered mare who was staring after “Pennyworth”. Luckily, Applejack swerved just enough to avoid bowling over the other mare, though she was certain she felt their coats brush.

“Hey! Watch it!” the mare shouted.

“Sorry!” Applejack didn’t even look back.

The changeling kept running down the main road, seemingly content to make the whole thing a sprinting competition. Applejack wanted to yell to the ponies ahead to stop him, but she wasn’t even sure what she could say. This was just as well, since that apology had already cost her breath she couldn’t afford to spare.

The chase went on for what felt like ages and both changeling and Applejack were starting to slow. Sneaking a glance backward, the changeling frowned. He dug his hooves in, skidding a couple feet before making a hard right.

Applejack felt a grin creep up her lips. She knew that alleyway: it was a dead end.

However, as she ripped around the corner, her smile faded. The alley was totally empty; there wasn’t even anything large enough for him to hide behind. To add insult to injury, she was just in time to catch the shadow of something slipping over the top of the roof.

“Consarn it!” Applejack shouted before doubling back. She had to find something that would help her get up there. It was her only chance not to lose him. But there wasn’t anything that looked sturdy enough to not crumble under the power of her legs.

Another idea hit her, but died almost as soon as it was conceived. As she scanned the smattering of confused ponies, she realized that none of them were pegasi.

“Applejack!” Mayor Mare called out as she galloped up, leading a trio of Royal Guard. One of them was a unicorn, the other two, pegasi. Each of them glanced around in turn before Mayor Mare spoke up again. “What happened? Where did he go?”

“Over the roof!” Applejack flailed at the pegasi. “Hurry!”

Both pegasi nodded and shot up on different sides of the alleyway. Applejack watched them soar and swerve, hope rising in her chest. But after about a minute, the guardsponies turned back—and her heart sank. One remained in the air, while the other glided down.

The guard who came down gave them an apologetic look. “Sorry, ma’am. It’s like he just disappeared.”

“What?! Again?!” Applejack practically shrieked as she fell to her haunches.

“We’re not out yet,” Mayor Mare said, placing a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “We’ve got one more lead. C’mon.”

Applejack kept replaying the scene in her mind. Mayor Mare had led them to Pennyworth’s hotel room, where there would certainly be evidence. Thing was, Applejack wasn’t even sure what could possibly be big enough to lead them to something as slippery as a changeling. As the guards set up to breach the door, she wondered if they felt the same way.

With a heavy crack, the door swung open. Everyone froze, including Pennyworth, who was hooves-deep in a suitcase. Documents and clothing practically spilled out onto the floor around him.

The mutual staring continued long enough that Applejack thought she heard crickets chirping. Then, everything jumped to double speed, both pegasus guards launching across the room and slamming into Pennyworth. He was restrained before he could so much as lift a hoof.

The unicorn guard approached and cleared his throat. “Changeling, you are under arrest for fraud, identity theft and fleeing from officers of the law. Come quietly and no further harm will come to you.”

“What?! This is absurd! I am not a changeling!”

“Likely story.” Applejack narrowed her eyes.

But now that she had time to think about it, it almost seemed too easy. The changeling had gotten clean away, yet decided to come back to the only place the guardsponies would know about. Whatever he was packing, it must have been valuable beyond compare.

After Pennyworth was arrested, Mayor Mare had pulled Applejack aside. She promised that she would contact Canterlot and sort things out with the real Pennyworth. Until then, the debt was suspended. Not only that, but she hinted that she thought the whole thing was bunk.

So, Applejack, despite the fatigue, the headache and the thoughts hanging over her, happily trotted up the path to the farm. Her family was still waiting by the barn, expectant looks on their faces.

“We did it,” Applejack said. “Turns out he was a changeling, but he still couldn’t get away.”

“A... a changeling?” Apple Bloom shivered.

“Yeah. But don’t you worry none. He’s behind bars now.” Applejack recounted the whole turn of events, while her family listened with rapt attention.

“Well, I’ll be,” Big Mac said as he shook his head.

“Hah, ain’t no rattlesnake that can match the Apple family.” Granny Smith beamed at Applejack.

“Yeah.” Applejack stared up at the barn. “I don’t get it, though. Why come after our farm of all things?”

“Who knows how them crazy bug things think?” Granny shook her head and shrugged.

“Maybe he just ain’t as smart as he thought?” Apple Bloom pointed out.

Applejack chuckled. “Maybe, Apple Bloom. Maybe.”

All that mattered was that Applejack had protected her family. She loved them dearly. And they found it delicious.