Author's Note

Lilac tells the truth. How will Big Mac and the others react?

Oh, and I decided to let the ponies have a little fun at Fleet's expense.

Really, it's the least he deserves after what he's done.

Chapter 8

After a long and painful conversation in which Lilac had explained the events leading to her coming to Ponyville, Twilight and the others at last knew the truth.

What surprised Lilac the most was their reactions. When she had finished speaking, she had expected them to be furious with her for lying to them. But they weren't angry at all. Quite the contrary, they were extremely sympathetic and were disgusted that Fleet had been treating her so poorly.

As for what they planned to do about it, Twilight had explained that the guards would be given orders to arrest Fleet on sight. The sheer relief Lilac had felt at those words was enough to leave her feeling lightheaded. When she returned to her room at the inn, Lilac breathed a sigh of relief. At last, the nightmare she'd been living was coming to an end. All she had to do now was let the guards do their job. That night, Lilac slept peacefully with a smile on her face.

.....

That night, Big Mac found himself sitting in the chair by his bedroom window, his gaze focused on the distant lights of Ponyville. Since learning of Fleet's imminent arrival, a strange restlessness had come over the red workhorse. He felt...anxious. Big Mac didn't like it. Eventually he began pacing back and forth, his green eyes repeatedly being drawn to the lights of Ponyville.

He honestly didn't know why he was so nervous. It's not like he had anything to worry about. Twilight and the guards knew what they were doing. Lilac wasn't in any danger.

Still, he was on edge, and the unease he felt inside refused to go away.

A quiet knock on his door made him stop and turn.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened, and Big Mac wasn't surprised when his sister walked in.

"Can't sleep, huh?" she asked.

Big Mac shook his head. He returned to the window and sat down. His sister joined him a moment later. Both ponies gazed towards the twinkling lights of Ponyville, each in their own thoughts. After a time, Apple Jack spoke.

"You're thinkin' about her, aren't ya?"

Big Mac nodded, his eyes still fixed on the distant lights.

"It's something about that stallion coming after her," he said quietly. "Somethin' ain't right, sis. I..." He paused, suddenly sheepish. Apple Jack said nothing, but waited for her brother to finish his sentence. "I'm worried."

"I'm a bit worried too," Apple Jack said. "But I know she'll be fine, Big Mac. She's in safe hooves." When Big Mac didn't answer she added, "Anyway, I wanted to remind you that Granny said to take the apples to town tomorrow. We've had a good harvest this year and we can't let that surplus go to waste."

Big Mac's face seemed to brighten a little. Undoubtedly it was the prospect of running into Lilac again. But all he said was "Oh yeah. Right...right."

He didn't say it, but Apple Jack knew that his heart was still in Ponyville with Lilac. She smiled knowingly, and gave her brother a reassuring pat on the shoulder as she stood up.

"Okay. Get some sleep, big brother. We've got a big day tomorrow."

.....

The following morning, Lilac was up at sunrise. Knowing that Fleet could arrive at any time, she briefly debated whether or not to stay indoors. In the end though, she decided that it would be best to retreat to a more populated area of the town. After all, there was safety in numbers. But first, she was going to pick up some breakfast.

Exiting the inn, she set of at a brisk trot towards Sugarcube Corner. As she went along, the sound of wing beats made her glance up nervously, but she dismissed the feeling when she realized the town's pegasi were gathering the clouds together. Still, there was suddenly a lump in her throat she couldn't quite get rid of, and she promptly quickened her pace as her destination came into sight.

From his vantage point on a cloud a few yards away, Fleet watched Lilac as she neared the front steps of Sugarcube Corner. He was in fact about to descend when a voice startled him.

"Hey, buddy, do you mind?"

Fleet glanced up. There, hovering in front of him, was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail. Her rose colored eyes regarded Fleet with a somewhat mischievous expression. Annoyed, Fleet quickly descended to the ground below.

"Thank you!" the mare called after him as she quickly steered the cloud away.

Fleet rolled his eyes. "Hmph. Mares," he muttered scathingly.

As soon as Rainbow Dash had corralled the cloud with the others, she motion for a couple of pegasi to move closer.

"Hey. Cloud Kicker, Flitter, mind getting the rest of the clouds together for me?"

"Sure Rainbow," answered Flitter.

"Great," said Rainbow. "I'll be back in a bit. There's something I need to do."

With that, the cyan pegasus shot off in the direction of the Ponyville marketplace, where Apple Jack and Big Mac were just unloading their baskets of apples by their stall.

The previous day, Apple Jack and Twilight had explained Lilac's predicament to the rest of their friends. Rainbow Dash, being the Element of Loyalty, had promptly volunteered to keep an eye out for Fleet. Since she was helping the pegasi prepare a much-needed rainstorm that day, it meant she had the perfect reason and opportunity to be out patrolling the skies. When Apple Jack and Big Mac saw her, they went straight to the point.

"Where was he headed?" Big Mac asked.

"Sugarcube Corner," Rainbow Dash answered promptly. "You guys were right. The dude's a real piece of work. I mean seriously! The way he was looking at Lilac just now gave me goose bumps. I'm going to tell Twilight he's here."

Before either of the Apple siblings could say anything, Rainbow Dash had taken flight as was streaking off towards Twilight's castle.

She arrived just as Spike was entering through the door with a wagon full of paper and bottles of ink. Luckily, he caught sight of her in time and was able to pin them down with his arms and wings as Rainbow Dash shot over his head like a bullet. She didn't even slow down until she reached the castle library, whereupon her momentum generated a massive gust of wind that nearly tumbled the books from their shelves. Twilight looked up at her expectantly.

"Princess," Rainbow Dash announced with an exaggerated seriousness. "The eagle has landed."

"Fleet's here?" Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "I spotted him near Sugarcube Corner. He was being a total creep and stalking Lilac."

Twilight looked worried. "How did he manage to sneak past the guards?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Beats me."

Twilight's expression grew serious. "I need to inform the captain. You go back to sorting the weather- and keep an eye on Fleet if you see him again."

Rainbow Dash saluted. "On it, Twilight!"

.....

When Lilac entered Sugarcube Corner, she was relieved to find that it was indeed crowded. Quickly, she made her way to the back of the store, where she sat down at one of the tables.

"Hey, Lilac!"

She knew without turning who that voice belonged to.

"Pinkie!" she hissed. "Please, keep your voice down."

"What's the matter? Oh wait, is it because Fleet's here?" Pinkie whispered back.

Lilac's face drained of color. "What?"

Pinkie pointed towards the entrance with a hoof. Now that she had pointed him out, Fleet was clearly recognizable. All at once Lilac's hooves began to shake, and she bit the inside of her lip.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered to Pinkie.

"I have an idea," Pinkie whispered back. "I'll distract everyone with a trick, and you slip out the back. Ready? Go!"

"Wait, what-"

But Pinkie had already bounced to the center of the room. Clearing her throat, she began speaking loudly and clearly. With everyone distracted, Lilac began to quickly and quietly make her way towards the kitchen, where she could exit the shop via a small door.

"Everypony, I have an announcement to make!" Pinkie was saying. "We have a special guest here today! A good friend of mine from out of town. May I introduce the one, the only, the totally amaaazing Officer Fleet! Let's give him a big round of applause!"

Lilac couldn't help it. Pinkie's words were so outrageous that she had to sneak a peek at what was happening.

She promptly found herself having to fight down a laugh. Fleet's face was the very picture of bewilderment and embarrassment; his ears were laid back against his skull, and his face was flushed a beet red as everyone applauded and cheered. If Lilac hadn't known any better, she'd have thought Fleet's head was about to explode from sheer humiliation.

It was priceless, and Lilac's amusement was to such extremes that she promptly bolted out the back door so she could laugh without being heard.

By the time she'd regained her composure, she noticed Apple Jack and Big Macintosh trotting towards her. They were accompanied by a pair of pegasus guards. Feeling nervous again, Lilac trotted over to them. The guards turned to her immediately.

"Did you see Officer Fleet?" they asked. "Is he inside the bakery?"

Lilac nodded. "Yeah. One of the locals is keeping him distracted. You can't miss them."

"All right miss. We'll take it from here."

Without another word, one of the guards went around to enter through the bakery's front door while the other remained at the back to head Fleet off if he tried to make a run for it. Lilac went to stand beside Big Mac, feeling her heart in her mouth as she anticipated what was coming.

All of a sudden, one of the windows on the upper floor of Sugarcube Corner was flung open, and Fleet came streaking out of the opening, the guard right behind him. In the same instant, the guard keeping watch on the back exit noticed what was happening and took off. Moments later, a fierce aerial battle had commenced, with Fleet flying and spiraling every which way to evade capture. Pretty soon other ponies had noticed and had stopped to watch. All eyes were wide with confusion and horror as Fleet flew higher and higher.

What happened next came as a complete shock to everyone. All at once Fleet froze in midair, his body encased in a distinct purple glow that prevented him from moving a muscle. It was then that everyone caught sight of Princess Twilight Sparkle, her expression stern as she and the guards made their way back down to earth.

Lilac let out a sigh of relief. When the guards marched past her with Fleet between them, Lilac made eye contact with him and didn't react when he glared back. She felt Big Mac's foreleg come around her shoulders, and she leaned against him slightly as Fleet gradually became farther and farther away.

"Good riddance!" said a voice. Turning to look, Lilac realized that Rainbow Dash was standing beside her. "Now we can all forget about that creep!"

"Yeah, he was a real party pooper wasn't he?" Pinkie said as she came trotting out of the bakery. A tray of cupcakes was balanced on her back. "But he's gone now, and we can all celebrate! Cupcake, anyone?"