Orchard Blossom swooped down on light wings. "Stop right there!" She landed against the back of a mare and sent her tumbling to the side even as Orchard bounced forward, eyes on her partner. "There ain't no escape!"

He wheeled on Orchard with a stick in his mouth. No, a wand, glowing with the same color as his horn. "Back!" The expanding blast threw Orchard Blossom back with a sudden pulse of magic in a sphere, sending her flying with a yelp. "That's better." With his partner rejoining him, both fled as quickly as their hooves carried them.

Orchard picked herself up from the pile of garbage. "Yuck." But there was her target! She scrambled free and shook off. "Ain't gettin' away from me!" She tried to wrap her magic around them, but they were too far away to do more than lightly tug at them from that distance.

They were still getting away. She charged after them, but they slipped in to a busy street and out of sight. "Consarnit..." She had lost them. It was her first failed apprehension. She danced in frustration at the idea. She could fly! But from above, they'd fade into the background all the more easily. Super strength wouldn't help, and she knew no fancy magic trick that'd get the job done. "Consarnit..."

She turned back the way she had come from and quickly trotted up to a jewelry store. "Everypony alright in here?"

One of the ponies in charge nodded at her. "Thank you for chasing them away. Oh, um." She noticed Orchard Blossom hadn't made it untouched. "Do... You should go home and wash up."

Orchard sagged in place. She had no place to do that! "Thank you, um, citizen?" She turned and marched away. At least she had made the site of the crime safe for the moment. That counted, right?

But she was dirty, and she had failed to capture the bad pony and she had no place to go to fix either of those things. A world away, a princess was hunting for her. The life of her alter-half felt removed. It was as if she were two ponies in a way.

But then, she was two ponies. She was the big and stoic Big Mac, and she did chores for the Apple Family with the determination they knew him for. Orchard was proud of that part of her, being a family stallion for both new and old family. She smiled she strode down the street, thinking of her other self. But she wasn't just him, not by a little.

She was also Orchard Blossom, a princess! She had big wings that were... They were normally quite nice, but running around without a proper place to clean up had taken their toll. She was grungy, to put it mildly, and showing the fact with every awkward step.

Perched atop her head was a long and curved line. She didn't know why most unicorns had that over their horn. Did it help magic flow? She was proud of it, anyway. It let ponies know at a glance she was a magical princess with arcane powers she'd use to help them to the best of her abilities.

And that is what she was. Both sides of her were ready to lend a hoof if it meant another pony would have an easier day. But she was still a mess, and that was working against her. To start, it meant she stank and was messy to herself. That counted, even if one wanted to forget the rest. She had to fix that right away, ah! There was one way.

The Apples she knew mostly lived in far-off corners, or in the big cities. They liked somewhere they could fit their orchards, given the choice. While fleeing to one of the other cities was an option... It wasn't one she wanted to do, just—"Pardon." She had almost crashed into a pony with her thoughts. "Didn't see you there."

"Not a problem." Fancy Pants adjusted his monocle with his magic. "Say..." He was examining her intently. "Are you a rogue princess?"

Orchard shied back a step. "Hold up a moment there, if you would." He sounded so calm and reassuring. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Fancy Pants and I don't think I've had the pleasure of hearing your name, miss?"

She glanced side to side at the ponies walking past them and ignoring them both. "Ah... try to help ponies. My name is Orchard Blossom, an' if you could not tell Luna you've seen me?"

Fancy's brows went up together. "How clandestine!" He clapped his hooves with a soft smile. "I love it. What could you have done to draw Princess Luna's ire? Are you also drawn to dreams? You're awake at quite the wrong time for that, one imagines." It was late at night. If Orchard wanted to explore dreams, she should have been in the dream world, looking.

Orchard considered that. "Ah ain't followin' the rules very well... Don't want to be no princess."

"But you do want to help ponies?" Fancy nodded along with Orchard. "You do realize, not every pony that helps another pony has to be a princess." His nose wrinkled, perhaps catching a whiff. "You..." A want to be polite held back his words. "You have your reasons, no doubt."

Orchard grabbed his shoulders suddenly. "Ah don't want to smell! Ah don't want to be dirty." She spread her soiled wings, dirt gathered from many days without a proper cleansing. "Ah just want to help ponies and be a princess they can count on. Is that so much to ask?"

Fancy Pants allowed her to grip him. "I see..." But did he see? "You like being called princess, but seek to avoid the responsibilities of the title."

Orchard inclined her head slowly. "Don't mind being responsible fer savin' ponies. Not so good at governin'..."

"Chap... Have you even met Twilight Sparkle?" He perked an ear when Orchard responded to the name. "You have then? She is a princess, but not very good at governing, as you say. She's getting better, have no doubt, but she isn't there, but is a princess while she works that out."

"Don't wanna work it out." Orchard danced from hoof to hoof. "Ah'd save you if you were bein' mugged."

"I have little reason to doubt that." Fancy inclined his head. "Will you follow me? Princess or not, seeing an alicorn in such a sorry state is almost maddening. Let's get you freshened up, then we can decide, together, what to do with you."

Orchard followed him to his home. He lived in a big manor with multiple butlers and maids. One butler took notice of Orchard right away and scurried off without a word. A maid returned in his place with several towers hovering next to her. When she saw Orchard, her brows went up. "He wasn't joking... Mister Pants, sir. May I?"

Fancy nodded at the maid with a jolly smile. "I was hoping you'd come. Please, see to her every need and bring her back to me when she feels ready."

"Of course, sir." The maid closed with Orchard with a bright smile. "Let's get you cleaned up and sparkling fresh!" She casually tossed one of her magically held towels over Orchard's withers. "This way!"

Orchard followed the maid through the fancy manor she kept looking at with wide eyes. "This sure is a fancy place."

"And you'll look the part soon enough." The maid escorted Orchard to a bathing room and started scrubbing at her with the towel she carried in. "Now I suggest we start with a brisk shower, then a longer bath. I'm here to help either way." The brushing didn't pause or slow as her magic worked the towel firmly. "We'll get you all cleaned up! What was your name?"

"Orchard Blossom." Her voice was a little tense. She wasn't used to such fancy living conditions. It was certainly a step up, oh! She lifted a wing to let the maid work under and around it. "Is that normal?" It felt good, too good? She flapped her wings slowly as she worked them over, one and the other and back again. The towel was damp. When did it become wetted?

She didn't care, letting out a happy and extended sigh as she melted into the attention. Whatever the maid was doing, she was doing it right. "Like that?" The maid draped the towel over Orchard's back. "I've had a few pegasus targets over the years." Her magic grabbed a new towel that she put to work on the primary pelt of Orchard. "And now for the main course. It's time we got you all the way wet."

Orchard allowed the maid to guide warm water as soon as it pelted her. It was cold at the first moment, making her shiver and tense, but it became warm quickly. The scrubbing never stopped, and the scent revealed some sort of fragrant shampoo joining it. "Noticed, did you? Some orchard blossoms, like your name." The maid looked quite pleased as she worked, even if it meant she got wet, too. "Nice and clean!"

She decided quietly that she rather enjoyed the presence of the maid. She twisted left and right to help the maid reach whatever she seemed to reach for and becoming cleaner quickly as a result. "Is this supposed ta be so pleasant...?"

"Exactly as nice as you let it." The maid worked where one limb met the barrel of the princess she was working on. "Never got to help a princess before." She gasped just as suddenly. "Are you a princess? There I go, assuming!"

"Y-yeah?" Orchard perked an ear towards her, but went back. She danced forward as the maid reached a sensitive point in her back. "Eee!"

"You have to be clean everywhere." The maid sounded like she was chastising as she moved to get a better view of things. "Front and back. It's still me, just relax."

Orchard Blossom did her best to relax as the touch returned. It was a friendly reminder that the maid was just doing her job, even if it felt mighty funny to be cleaned in some places. She colored despite going still. Female at the moment or not, she was not used to any touching back there. "Almost done?"

"All done." She whipped Orchard on one of her rumps. "You should clean more often. It isn't right for any mare to be in such a state." She pouted a bit as she guided Orchard towards the big bath. "Now, you're mostly clean. Step in and just relax. Come out when you feel all the way. I'll keep cleaning, but most of you is looking good now."

Orchard stepped into the bath with a soft splash and settled down into the warm water. That she knew how to enjoy and soon stretched out and let out a joyful noise as she stretched out in the tub. "This is mighty big an' nice." She couldn't normally stretch so far in her home bath, but she had no complaint about the one Fancy provided. "The one you use this big?"

The maid seemed perplexed by the statement. "I live here, ma'am. I have to, to be always available for Mister Pant's every need." She willed a bottle of thick stuff with a powerful but pleasing smell. "Let's make you smell nice."

Orchard Blossom allowed it to continue, to feel that cool gunk spread over her in a fragrant patch that was spread around. She was clean and she felt good, for lack of better word. "Is there a way for a crime-fighting mare to get a few bits to have her own house?"

"That's a better question." Her magic and hooves were working together to massage Orchard completely. "You should speak to Fancy Pants. He's an expert when it comes to that and he always does it the proper way."

Author's Note

Orchard has quite a nice time. This is a nice change of pace.

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