Orchard Blossom stopped at the train station. "'xcuse me." She tapped at the counter. "Could ah get a schedule of when the train mighta showed up today or tomorrow from Ponyville?"

"Hm?" The stallion inclined her head at Blossom. "Sure thing, officer. Trains don't come from there too often." He gave over a listing of a whole two times. "Once a day at best. That includes when they woulda left Ponyville. Hope that helps."

Blossom scanned over it with a frown. "The train they woulda got on... had to already come..." The next train would be after the show started they wanted to get to. No way they'd pick that one! "Did they get a room?" With what bits?! The girls were clever though. Maybe they had some saved for the trip?

There was only one way to know for sure. "Thanks kindly." She waved at the train station pony and set off to check the local hotels.

"Nope."

"Sorry."

"Three? No. No three fillies."

It seemed to not matter how many places Blossom checked, there were no signs of the crusaders. It was starting to get late, or maybe early depending on what pony one asked. Blossom counted it as late. Walking towards the station, she grunted. If she had to follow it all the way back, she would!

The town was waking up, ponies getting their days started. The arena the show would be at was in full swing, the festivities starting. Movement caught her eye, coming not from the town, but the edge of it, towards a forest. Emerging came three mares and two fillies. "What the?" The mares looked... awful familiar, and yet strange. "Ah'm settin' a bad example..."

She had changed herself, er, Big Mac had, and it was clearly rubbing off. All three had kept their gender, it seemed, but they were all mighty older than they started. They were smiling and talking as if nothing had gone wrong at all. As if nopony was worried about them!

Blossom was in front of them, skipping all the space between. "Apple Bloom!" she thundered, red with anger.

Apple Bloom jumped with surprise, hooves cycling in the air before she came back down. "O-oh! Don't do that!" She swatted at her teleporting relative. "What are you doing here?" She cocked a brow. "And aren't you usually asleep 'round now?"

"Usually," grunted Blossom. "But ah heard some fillies got lost, an' ah couldn't call it quits until ah knew they were safe." All three of them had the sense to look sheepish at that, at least. "Who're yer friends?" She looked to the two foals with them, a colt and a filly. "Did they run off too?"

"No, ma'am," assured the colt. "We're here for the show."

The filly pointed the way. "Our parents know we're here."

Blossom nodded at the two. "Good. Glad y'ain't worryin' nopony..."

Sweetie Belle, larger but just as awkward, rubbed at her cheek. "We didn't get hurt."

Blossom nodded at Sweets. "Glad to see that, but why didn't ya get on the train?! Did ya walk from Ponyville? That's..." She sank to her haunches. "Kinda impressive, actually. How'd ya make it so far so fast? Y'ain't me."

Scootaloo waved wildly. "I told my aunts."

Blossom hiked a brow. "Ya told 'em you were goin' and not much more than that. Still, 'least they didn't seem worried fer ya." She took a slow breath. "Look... We know yer clever."

"Excuse me." The colt was looking up at Blossom. "Sorry... Um. Why are you chastising grown mares like they're fillies?"

Blossom blinked softly. "Um." Saying just because they were fillies felt odd. "We need to talk, later..." She stood up. "But yer here now. May as well enjoy the day. Gonna go call this in." She casually ceased to be there.

Apple Bloom laughed nervously. "Police, right?" The rest nodded, accepting that as a fine excuse. "C'mon!" As a unit, the foals rushed for the stadium and the fair going on around it.

Blossom appeared in an abandoned alleyway, already reaching for her walkie talkie. "Fillies located. No injuries or nothin'."

"Who's this?"

Blossom clopped a hoof to her face. That town wasn't one of her usual stomping grounds. Of course they'd have no idea who she was. "Pardon. Officer Orchard Blossom. Ah was chasin' after some lost fillies."

"Officer... Oh! Welcome. Good to hear. We'll pass the word on."

Blossom made her way at a leisurely walk towards the fairground. Maybe she had time to at least see a little of it, since she was there already...? They had treats and games. They even gave her a discount for being an officer in uniform.

"Big Mac?" She twirled to see Fluttershy looking just about as surprised to see Blossom as Blossom was feeling. "What are you doing here?"

Blossom trotted up to Fluttershy with a smile. "Right nice to see ya! Ah could ask the same. This ain't yer usual place."

"Certainly not... But Twilight and I heard the crusaders went missing. We came to look for them."

Blossom pointed off towards the arena. "Jus' that way." She yawned widely enough to pop her jaw. "It's... mighty late for me. Seein' you's actually a big relief. Can ah trust ya to get them home safe?"

"Of course." Fluttershy bobbed her head quickly. "Twilight?" She circled, but there was no unicorn there. "Maybe she went ahead..."

"She would do that." Blossom reached a wing to give Fluttershy a brief hug. "Thanks kindly. Oh, they're mares fer some reason? All grown up. Still them, just... bigger, is all."

"Oh..." She sighed, as if that made sense for some reason. "I see. We're on the case. You get some sleep."

Blossom nodded and casually ceased to be there. She was over her bed, no in the bed. Gravity insisted. She kicked off her shoes and magicked off the rest of her clothes. Soon she could curl up and let sleep take her away.

Joanamac was doing her job in the orchard. Every day needed her hooves in the dirt if one wanted all the apples they could get. "And..." She didn't get to finish speaking, falling over unconscious without a bit of warning.

Blossom sat up sharply in bed, almost crashing into somepony else on the way. "What?" She knew that pony. "What're you doin'?" She scowled at Fancy Pants.

Fancy sat back with a little sigh. "Ah, you're awake, good. I received a call from your employer. Seems there's some disturbance at the place you were at earlier today? I insisted you would be asleep, but they insisted in kind I at least try to contact you."

Blossom rubbed at her head and the throbbing pain coming from inside it. "Fluttershy an' Twilight are there. Doubt they'd let any..." She paused to yawn. "--thin' bad happen. 'Sides, Ah'm beat."

Fancy brought over a floating glass of water. "Dreadfully sorry to be part of that reason. I've delivered the message. They can ask no further from me."

Blossom took the glass in her own magic, sipping once before she flopped back in bed. "Hope Joanamac's okay."

Fancy pinned his ear back. "Oh my. Did I...?" He trotted from the room in a hurry.

Blossom didn't think too much on it, passing back through that velvet barrier between one life and the next.

Joanamac stirred, sprawled on the ground before she could gather herself up to her hooves. "Let's not... do that 'gain..." Being woken up unexpectedly was awkward, at best. Now where was ah?" She got back to work. A little narcoleptic fit was no excuse for slacking off!

She was busy in the fields for a few more hours before she had lunch with Granny Smith. "Oh, Jus' so ya know, don't wake me up 'less it's a real 'mergency. If ah get woke up, Blossom'll fall asleep whatever she was doin'. It ain't fun."

Granny rubbed at her cheek. "I would imagine now. A pony could get hurt... Ah'll be careful. Now..." She leaned in with a smile. "Ya went through all that trouble. How's the new you turnin' out? Ya likin' it?"

Joanamac colored with a little smile. "Ah'm likin' me."

"Sure sure, and that's powerul good, ain't no doubting it." Granny waved it off. "But are you liking it? Yer somethin' new. Don't go tellin' me y'ain't even curious. Couldn't keep my hooves off of things if--"

"--Granny!" boomed Joanamac, dark in the cheeks. "Watch yerself."

"Ah'm too old to be sayin' that to." She stuck out her tongue at her prudish grandchild. "Apple Bloom ain't here. Speakin' ah that. Ya did find her, right? Ya didn't mention, so ah've been assumin'."

"Yeah! Yeah... Twilight an' Fluttershy should be bringin' em home." The thought of that unknown emergency came to her mind. But, Blossom was exhausted. She couldn't bail everypony out of trouble, even if she wanted to. "Don't 'magine those two will let us down."

"That's good..." She leaned in consiprationally. "So, gonna tell me, or is it a secret?"

"Granny!" Her cackle implied that Granny felt no shame. "That the door?" Both perked ears to hear fresh clopping knocks. "Ah got it." She skipped to her hooves and power-walked over to open the door.. "A.... lo?" Of all the ponies that coulda been there, Fancy Pants was low on the list. "What're you doin' here?!"

Fancy Pants bowed his head. "I was told I might have caused you a terrible inconvenience. I came as quickly as I could to be sure you were alright, and to apologize for my part in any misfortune that resulted."

"Um, come on in..." Joanamac stepped out of the way for him. "Granny, Fancy's here."

"Who? Oh." She came from the dining room, spotting him. "Hello there. You come with a new set of gifts?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am." He nodded at her, closing the door behind himself. "I was an unthinking cad earlier, and came to give my apologies."

Granny inclined her head. "Hard to imagine you doin' somethin' like that." Her eyes turned to Joanamac. "What'd he do?"

Joanamac rubbed behind her head. "Well, he woke Blossom up while ah was workin', which meant I just fell over in the field."

"Dreadfully sorry." Fancy dipped low. "How can I properly make amends?"

Joana grabbed for his front, forcing him upright. "Stop that! It was an honest mistake, an' ah didn't get hurt, just surprised mostly... Took a little nap on the dirt for a few moments..."

Fancy relaxed a little. "Glad to hear it came to no serious harm. Still, a dreadful thing. It was not my intention to send a mare to nap in such an undignified manner."

Granny lifted an ear. "You still got the hots for them?"

Fancy coughed into a hoof. "Ma'am?"

Granny inclined her head at Joanama. "I didn't stutter. Do ya, or don't ya."

Fancy turned to regard Joanamac fully. "Miss... I feel I barely know you, though that is something we could rectify." He bowed briefly, but smoothly. "I am Fancy Pants. Pleasure to meet you."

Joanamac's ears danced atop her head. "Ya know me! Ah'm still Big Mac. That's Big Joanamac. Ya can call me Big Mac or Joanamac, either's fine." She paced in place lightly. "Sorry... Ah know ah did change... Um... Like it?"

"You are still a vision of enchantment. You've changed the nature of things, but you are just as breathtaking as the first day I laid eyes on you, ma'am."

Granny snickered wildly, watching the two.

Joanamac colored at the praise. "Um, thanks... So... mare now." She turned left the right to show off her big mare form. "Still big!"

Fancy began to color. Granny's laughing increased in volume. "Methinks he just saw that you're still big in all the ways."

Joanamac's tail snapped down to cover herself. "Um... Um..." She backed several steps away. "Sorry..."

"Madame, there is nothing to apologize for." Fancy inclined his head. "Everything I said remains entirely as true."

Author's Note

To awaken as one is to sleep as the other, which includes when it's forced on the pony.

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