Although it has taken many months for me to post everything that happened leading up and after the crackdown of the Associations in Manehattan it all unfolded in my Equestria dreamscape in a few weeks. My household read about the events there in the newspapers but our focus was getting ready for our long road trip and stay in Ft. Trotterdale with Scratch.  

 
Leaving for a trip of 6 weeks or more means we have had to make quite a few arrangements to make sure that our cottage, garden, work, and personal affairs were all sorted out before we left town.
 
Rainbow Dash has agreed to house sit while we were gone. Petina and Carousel were making plans with Applejack to assure the garden was watered, weeded, and taken care of while we were out of town. Several crops would have to be harvested during that time, and part of the payment to AJ would be letting the Apple family have part of the harvest.
 
While my fellow weather-ponies would miss me while I was gone, it was Petina and Carousel who seemed to be generating the most discussion in Ponyville.  
Carousel had informed all of her customers and vendors in the marketplace that her delivery services wouldn’t be available during that time. However she assured them that she’d be back by the end of summer.  
But it was the mares announcing that they would be cancelling their twice a week dance performance at the Bucking Mare Tavern that was generating the most discussion and speculation in the little town of Ponyville. So much that even a filly was aware of it.
 
As the day of our departure drew closer Applebloom starting hearing more and more ponies talking about as she went about her day. Usually it was just snippets of conversation she heard amongst ponies, but even at school she heard foals mentioning it.
 
“Pa is a wondering wut he’s a gonna do fer entertainment on Wednesday nights.” Said Fence Post as ate his lunch. “He says those two mares really git his blood pumping. Whatever that means.”
 
Double Stitch looked up from his sandwich.“Yeah, pop has said he’ll be a staying home on Wednesday and Friday night till they come back. Fer some reason ma is really happy about that.”
 
“What are ya two talking about?” Applebloom finished her apple and tossed the eaten core into the school’s compost pile.
 
Fence Post looked across the table at AB. “What were talking about is two of yer neighbors Bloom. Miss Petina and Miss Carousel. They’re gonna be leaving fer awhile.”
 
“Yeah I’ve been a hearing that around town, but what’s that got ta do with yer dad’s Wednesday and Friday nights?” Asked the filly.
 
The Fence Post shrugged his shoulders. “Not sure myself, but whenever pa mentions them he gits this wistful look in his eyes. Especially when ma ain’t looking.”
 
Double Stitch chewed on a chocolate chip cookie. “Yep! My pop says them mares make fer amazing dreams!”
 
Applebloom nodded her head as she silently processed this new information in her head.
 
Later that evening Applebloom and Applejack were in the kitchen cleaning up the dinner dishes. As they finished up the buttercream yellow filly asked what had been on her mind all afternoon.
 
“Sis. Are yer still gonna be taking care Miss Carousel garden while she’s outta town?”
 
“Sure am sugar cube!” AJ said as she reared up and put a stack clean plates on shelf. “In fact Miss Petina is suppose ta be dropping by tomorrow morning ta git all the details worked out. They’re paying us good ta look after their garden while their gone.”
 
“But ya won’t be a running Miss Carousel’s delivery service will ya?” Applebloom hung a very damp washcloth on a rod.
 
“Nope!” Said her sister. “But she’s made arrangements with all her regular customers. In fact she’s gonna be temporarily shutting it down before they even leave town. She’s doing it a couple days before we git our first heat wave of the year.”
 
Applebloom paused and picked a piece of vegetable peel from one of her front horseshoes then she looked up at her big sister. “Do ya know if anypony gonna be taking over the job they a do on Wednesday or Friday at the Bucking Mare?”
 
Applebloom watched as her sister’s turned a brighter shade of orange. “Um, uh, no! No I don’t know of a anypony taking over that job fer them!” She paused for a moment. “Why ya asking about that?”
 
“Well sis. I’ve been a hearing ponies all about town talking about them and a Sky Brush heading off ta Ft. Trotterdale, and today during lunch Fence Post and Double Stitch were a going on about how their dads were all sad those two mare were a leaving town. Apparently they don’t know they’re gonna do on those nights.”
 
The filly cocked her head to one side causing the red bow in her mane to flop to one side. “What do they do anyways? Whatever it is Double Stitch says it gives his dad some amazing dreams.”
 
AJ’s white freckles suddenly took on slight pinkish tone. “Ah, well, um, uh I’m really sure what they all are exactly doing.” The mare suddenly changed the topic. “Don’tcha have homework ta do fer class?”
 
Later that evening Applebloom was sitting in bed getting ready to go to sleep. However as she removed her bow and set in on the nightstand her mind chewed over the various bits of information she knew about Miss Petina. Apparently she was some kind of writer, and she’d arrived about a year and a half ago looking for a unicorn stallion named Baron who had arrived in Ponyville injured and with no cutie mark. Baron had vanished a couple months later after some business that involved a big old explosion that had destroyed a part of the Everfree Forest.  
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That was when she had been abducted by the Lord of Shadows and possessed by the Deception.  
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Almost immediately after Petina had settled down in the nearby cottage with Sky Brush and Carousel who both had arrived soon after the whole explosion thing. For newcomers Miss Petina and Carousel sure were on the lips of a lot of ponies. Heck, Applebloom figured she heard her sister muttering Petina’s name under her breath at least once a week. Why was that so?
 
The filly kept thinking about what Double Stitch had said.
 
My pop says them mares make fer amazing dreams!
 
Maybe that was what they did on those nights. Were those two mares doing some kind of secret service like she was being trained for? Were Miss Petina and Miss Carousel a couple of private dream workers as well? If so why hadn’t Princess Luna sought them out as well, or did they have different talents from her’s?
 
The filly started chewing an idea over in her head. Princess Luna had told her not to go in other ponies dream fabrics, but if she was quick and just took a peek she should could get in and out in just a few minutes. Maybe she could see Miss Petina at work and get a better idea why so many ponies were talking about her.
 
I’ll just take a quick peek. A quick in and out. She won’t even know I was there.
 
With that plan in mind Applebloom began practicing her breathing exercises. A few minutes later she found herself standing on the front porch of the Sweet Apple Acres in her dream fabric. She’d reconstructed after the battle with the mimic. <da:thumb id=”793492984”> This caused her to pause. Princess Luna had been mighty angry with her for bringing her friends into her dream fabric, but she wasn’t going to be bringing anypony into her fabric and she wouldn’t be interacting with Miss Petina in hers. She’d just be a passive observer.
 
True Princess Luna really didn’t want her wandering outside her own dream fabric, but Miss Petina’s dream fabric was really close by. In fact they passed it all the time when she ventured out into the Dream Realm with the princess for her lessons. <da:thumb id=”449241962”> And with her locator pendant she’d have no problem finding her dream fabric again.
 
So with this plan Applebloom exited her own dream fabric. She paused to admire the shimmering veils of color that danced throughout the Dream Realm. Remembering her promise to make this a short trip the filly headed off to her destination. In what seemed like a few minutes she was hovering above the shimmering violets, blues, and pinks of Petina’s dream fabric.
 
Applebloom always thought Petina’s dream fabric looked very pretty. Spying a nearby cloud random dream material the filly quickly fabricated an equivalent of a pegasus stay-there totem and planted in the cloud. The filly summoned her locator pendant and temporarily added this location to it. This way she had guaranteed location point in case she needed a quick exit. Just in case.
 
With that done the filly looked around the Dream Realm one more time then dove down into the dream fabric. The filly emerged to find herself floating in large, dimly lit room. A fireplace merrily crackled away. Applebloom saw nopony but from behind her she began to hear various nonverbal moans and groans. Then she turned around.
 
To be continued.