"And who is he?" A second pie was forming with the effort, but Luna was paying more attention to the mare involved. "That would be upset."

"Hm? Big Mac, obviously." She didn't see a thing wrong with that. She grabbed up the second pie and twirled to offer it to Luna despite never actually baking. "Here you are, for helping."

If she didn't know what she knew, that might have been an answer, but... Big Mac was... Oh. "I mean the princess, Sugar Belle, not the imitation." Luna took the horn in her magic, hovering it calmly next to herself. "You know them, don't you?"

Sugar perked an ear. She was holding the first pie in her outstretched arms. "Yeah? Think your sister will like this?" She lifted the pie into an easier view. "I don't want to upset anypony."

Luna sank to her haunches with a scowl. "Sugar Belle, I need to speak to you frankly."

"Yes?" Sugar wasn't holding the pie anymore. "What's wrong?"

Luna smiled at the sign that she had gotten closer to the real pony under the dream fog. "Big Mac knows about Princess Orchard Blossom, or did you make a mistake?"

"Hm? Yes, but it's a secret." She stuck out her tongue softly. "I said that. Are you here for a nightmare?" She looked around at her forest kitchen. "I don't see any nightmares, except the missing cinnamon. You fixed that. Huh, good job."

Luna nodded towards the previously missing container. "Glad to assist, but I need some help in return. I wish to find this princess and reward them for all the hard work they've done."

Sugar Belle considered this with a big frown. "Why don't you just ask Big Mac?"

That she woke up ended the interview without Luna getting to ask further. "Ask Big Mac?!" she fumed to the aether. How would that help?!

Orchard Blossom pinned the would-be mugger to the ground under a hoof. "Yer safe, ma'am."

"Thank you so much." The mare dipped her head and wandered away in the slow plod of an older pony. "So nice having a good princess around, and at this time of night!"

"I'll take that." A guard had arrived with a set of hoof cuffs dangling from his mouth. "And are you Orchard Blossom, ma'am?"

Orchard lifted the stallion up into easy cuffing range. "Ah am, why?"

"Princess Luna is looking for you." The guard poked the stallion into motion. "She'd be thrilled if you could stop by the castle and talk to her for a moment, ma'am. She should be awake at this time of night."

"Ah'll consider it." Orchard marched away from the guard and his captive. "Thanks fer tellin' me!"

"Always happy to be of service." The guard flipped a salute on his way. For whatever ABP had been put out, Orchard wasn't being jumped on and arrested.

Orchard turned her mind back to making the city better. This didn't always involve crime fighting. "I don't get it!" A unicorn stallion, as most of them were, unicorns, was glaring at a shop. "It should be lit up."

Orchard sat next to the upset stallion. "What should be lit up?" The window was dark, with only the reflection of the lit street visible in it. "Am I missin' somethin'?"

"You're not missing a thing, ma'am, which is the problem!" He clopped against the ground, glaring at the window while he did it. "I put up a neon sign that should be all sparkly and big and easy to see." He waved at the darkness. "Do you see a neon sign?!"

Orchard considered the dark pane for a moment. "No. Is it inside?" She set a hoof on the glass.

"Yes." He went towards the door that opened to his glowing door without delay. "Do you know how these things work?"

Well, no. But she didn't admit that. "Let me have a look." She went inside the dim store and slowly approached on flapping wings. There were too many things on the cluttered floor to climb over, so flying seemed the natural way to go. She reached for the sign and began feeling over it.

It was neon, as promised, and she could feel where it bent and turned in many ways. Ah, that's where it plugged into the wall. She felt over the spot with her magic and onwards with a thoughtful hum.

"Find the problem?"

"Just found the light." She had found no obvious issues yet. Not that this stopped Orchard Blossom from exploring onwards with her hooves and magic working together. "Ah ha!" A fine crack went through one of the many tubes. He felt gently over it as her magic focused on the spot, sealing the glass shut firmly.

She had an alicorn's expected magical accuracy! That was handy. "Alright, so..." She felt over it slowly. "Where's the power?"

"Right here." A loud click sounded and Orchard was suddenly holding a dazzling thing that was becoming warmer by the moment.

Orchard squeaked and almost fell backwards, frantically flapping away from the sign. "Uh, fixed, ah think?"

"You're a miracle worker!" The stallion was clapping his hooves eagerly with a big smile. "Now everypony will know where to get some gum."

The sign proudly declared that the store had over a dozen different flavors of gum available. It was impossible to miss with it lit up and waiting to be seen by any passing pony. The shop was clearly some kind of candy shop, specializing in things one chewed. "Here." The pony shoved a small bag against Orchard Blossom. "A thoughtful princess like you deserves at least something tasty to chew on."

She drew one blue thing free and popped it in her mouth. Mmm! It was like chewing a blueberry that one could keep right on chewing, being bubblegum. "Right nice! Ah'll be sure to tell other ponies about this place if they look like they need a snack."

"Even better." He backed out of the way and waved out the door. "You travel safe, ma'am."

"Orchard Blossom." She dipped out the door with a swoop of her wings and landed just outside. "Good luck!" They shared a parting wave, and she walked off with a new set of treats to enjoy. Being a princess paid sometimes.

She had a fine night of helping ponies in all kinds of ways. Being a helpful princess just felt nice, an' she enjoyed doing it. "Your mark." A mare was examining her from the side. "Reminds me... Are you an Apple?"

Orchard slowed to a stop. "I am? Can I help you?"

"Not directly." She smiled at Orchard gently. "But it reminds me of Big Mac's mark. It's like the other end of it. Like..." She turned the imagined apple in her hooves. "His showed the back half, with the cut open part facing the viewer. Yours is either the whole apple, or the same apple turned around. I can't tell which is which."

Orchard tensed at the good perception being employed. Where had she seen that mare before? Oh! She had visited Ponyville before, a few times. The last time... She had gotten some cider! "Ya visit a lot?"

"I sure do!" The mystery mare slapped Orchard on the shoulder. "And I know my Apples. They always have something tasty, and it's worth a visit. You work there too?"

"Sometimes?" Technically accurate! "Right now, I'm lookin' fer trouble to fix."

"Huh... most princesses don't do that, well, except sometimes Twilight." She put a hoof to her chin. "I'm Minuette!" She saluted sharply. "Are you like Twilight, fixing problems when your cutie mark buzzes?" She giggled at the image she had conjured for herself. "That'd be funny. Does it vibrate when that happens? That must feel so strange."

Orchard smiled at the would-be friend. "Nice to run into ya. Hey, since I have you, maybe you could help me?"

"Love to." Minuette got back to clapping. "How can I help a princess tonight?"

"After I finish looking around, I need a place to sleep." Orchard angled her head with her hooves serving as a pillow. "I have bits. Where do you suggest? Nice and simple, really."

"Oh, sleep time, gotcha." Minuette clicked her tongue and made a gun firing motion despite holding no firearms in her hooves. "Well, you could sleep with me, but you don't know me that well, so that's probably out." Despite that, she paused to see if Orchard would take up on it. No? Well, alright. "I know a hotel." She got to trotting vigorously. "Right over here." In a spirited jog, she lead the way to a four story tall building. "Any pony with bits can stay here a few days. How long are you going to be here?"

"Um..." Orchard didn't know. She kept that to herself. "Thanks, really. This is a big step up." She patted Minuette on the head, seemingly to the mare's pleasure. "You were an immense help."

"I love helping princesses. Don't tell her, but Twilight's still my fave." She laughed as she started walking away. "Call me anytime something comes up, promise!"

Left to her own devices, Orchard Blossom walked inside. There was a desk with a mare behind it. "Hey." Orchard veered towards the mare with a smile. "Want to rent a room. What're the rules and the prices?"

The mare looked Orchard over. "You get a stipend from Princess Celestia? You princesses gotta tell the truth."

Orchard had not heard that rule, but... "No. Not sure she even knows I'm here. Don't get no stipend from any other princess." Well, she got a 'stipend' from a rich pony, but that wasn't asked! "Does that change things?"

"Pity." She sat up in her chair. "Means you aren't rich. Alright." Her horn glowed as a key floated up from under the counter and settled on it. "Nice normal room. Just you, right?"

"Just me." Orchard pointed at herself. "How much and any rules?"

"I don't try to be complicated about this." The mare shook her head. "Five bits a day. Thirty gets you a week, but you pay upfront for that. Breakfast is not included. Dinner, also not included. Laundry? Guess what, not included. We clean the rooms, though. That's included."

"Well, that's nice." Orchard willed the bits into the air and in front of the mare that seemed in charge. "One week, please. Any other rules?"

The innkeeper took her coins in a smooth slide. "Don't make noise that'll bother the others once the sun sets, or when the sun's up, preferably, but definitely once the sun's down." She hiked a brow. "If you want something to eat, we got plenty of places for that nearby. You want me to point them out? I can do that." She dumped the coins away. "Please return the key before you wander away. I have to have them changed otherwise, and that's a pain. So, if you don't mind my asking, why is a princess just hanging out in my hotel?"

Orchard willed the key up to grab in her mouth. "I'm makin' this city safer, one night at a time."

"You don't say?" She hiked a brow at Orchard. "Nice thought. How are you doing that?"

"I stop crime." Orchard sat up, tall and proud. "And fix what I see that needs fixin'. What you'd, um, want a princess to do?"

"Not any princess I know of." She put a hoof on her chest. "Think I'll enjoy having you around. If anything breaks, I'll write it on a slip of paper and put it into your room. You'll take care of it, right?"

"I... will try, yeah..." Orchard perked up. "Oh! I'm usually up at night, not the day. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Same as me." The innkeeper shrugged. "I mean, we are talking and all. If I was a day owl, we wouldn't be. Come in the day, you'll run into my assistant. Enjoy your room."

Author's Note

Did you think we'd flip back to Big Mac? Nope! Orchard Blossom needs a room, thanks.

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