Friday, October 9th, 1700 AFE

Dusk stepped up to the mic, taking up position and looking over the thickly gathered crowd that filled the main square. At his side, the electric-haired mare checked the cord one last time, then shot him a thumbs up, before jogging off the stage and down into the crowd below, passing through to the group of runners who had gathered closest to the podium. “It’s another day, and here I am giving another speech to the people of Ponyville. At least today’s a happy event, and Mayor Mare has promised to handle the rest of the ceremonies if I don’t get back in time. Maybe I can convince Bronze and Thunderlane to keep searching the woods until sunset; things in the Everfree have been calm as of late.”

Of course, even as Dusk considered the idea, he dismissed it, no reason to risk danger just to avoid some silly speech. “Besides! Princess Celestia and Barb are supposed to arrive later today! If we find this smuggler quickly, I can make it back to town in time to see them both! Not to mention being able to deliver the smuggler to her majesty personally!” Delighted by the idea, Dusk suppressed his own squee of delight and instead lifted a hand over his head, waiting for the crowd to quiet down.

“Hello again, my friends! Good ponies of Ponyville, today we gather together to honor an age-old tradition of the Earth Pony Tribe. It is once again time for the Running of the Leaves!” Dusk paused for the cheer that rose, and lowered a hand gesturing to the gathered runners right before the stage. “These proud stallions and mares have stepped up and volunteered to represent their clans in the running, but anypony in the crowd who might wish to step up and join in, feel free to do so! There is no requirements but a willing spirit, and heartfelt enthusiasm!”

The sudden roar of a pegasus stallion that stood out from the crowd by being nearly as tall as even Big Mac made Dusk pause, while the stallion with stubby white wings stepped forward to the sudden applause of the crowd, joining the dozen or so other members of his clan. The action earned him a high five from Rainbow Dash, and Dusk couldn’t suppress his own laughter. “Give this one a hand, ponies! See how he joins the runners! Good choice, my friend! Who knows, maybe I’ll be shaking your hand in the winners’ circle this afternoon!”

The general laughter was heartwarming and the giant of a stallion took the opportunity to strike a pose for the crowd who were now all watching him. Waiting for a moment for the laughter to die down, Dusk couldn't help but be amused as he saw Rainbow Dash now holding the hand she had given the stallion a high five with.

Taking back their attention, Dusk finished his speech, his eyes roaming each and everypony gathered before him in turn. “And don’t forget! Princess Celestia herself is scheduled to be here this afternoon, to reward the fastest runner, the runner responsible for knocking down the most leaves, and let us not forget, the runner who most deserves praise for joining in this arduous run! Remember, water booths are set up every half mile, so please, remember to stay hydrated!”

Dusk liked that part, reminding them to get a drink. It had taken quite some time to set up all the booths, but in the end, he’d found an easy solution: have the ponies who run the early booths move to the later ones once all the runners had passed. That didn’t appear to matter though, as everypony seemed to be uninterested in his comment about good marathon running safety. “Oh well! At least Nurse Redheart and her team are set up and there are plenty of unicorns in the crew. If somepony gets sick, I’m sure they’ll have no issue sending up a flare and getting them help.”

Lifting both hands, Dusk whistled hard, again pulling everypony’s attention. “Runners! If you’re ready, then we shall begin!” At his words, those preparing to run moved into position, while those outside the main group parted, opening up the path from Ponyville and into the nearby woods. “Then on your mark! Get set! Go!”

The roar of the crowd and the rush of feet both kicked up together, but Dusk simply gave it a shrug, stepping from the stage and giving Thunderlane and Bronze a shrug. “Now then, should we be going if we are to beat them back?”

“She’s ahead! She’s ahead already! Run Dash, Run! Applejack and Lyra will never have a chance of catching you now!”

Alone in the crowd, Scootaloo jumped and bounced upon the empty, overturned apple crate she’d found, using it as a viewing platform to allow her to see over the crowd. Her throat was already sore from cheering, but the sudden glare she received from Applebloom, who had been doing nearly the same thing not more than twenty feet away, demanded a reply. “What? Just ‘cause Applejack is your sister, doesn’t mean you can’t admit that Dash is way faster!”

Applebloom’s stink eye never lessened, and she snapped back surprisingly fast, much to Scootaloo’s shock. “So what!? You ever seen Dash buck an apple tree? She’s near useless! In the time she takes to loosen a few leaves, Applejack will easily catch up! I bet she’ll even pass Dash in the first mile!”

Defensive, Scootaloo couldn’t let her get away with talking about Dash like that! She had to quickly snap back, for Dash’s sake! “Will not! Dash doesn’t have to knock down leaves to win anyways! Speed is what really matters!”

Apple Bloom crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her tongue. “Yes you gotta! It’s… whatcha call it? Tradition! It’s why the pegasi don’t fly and stuff! ‘Cause the tree’s and the leaves are what really matter!”

“Is not!”

“Is so!”

“Are not!”

“Is too!”

Applejack huffed for breath as she crossed just under the line of trees that marked the edge of the forest. Far ahead, she could see Dash jump into the branches of a tree and spin around, flapping her wings like a mad woman before leaping free and attempting to pick up speed again. Grinning to herself, Applejack picked a likely looking orange and brown leafed monster of a tree on her left, and kept running at a powerful mile-eating gait, all the while judging her distance. As she neared the tree, she braced herself and leapt with her left leg, kicking out her right and striking the weary wood. Leaping off in the same moment as she made impact, Applejack was able to keep up her pace. “Just you wait, Dash! You might be faster in the open, but this is the Running of the Leaves! You gotta keep stopping to loosen some leaves. Me? I hardly even gotta slow down!”

Behind her, Applejack heard the noise of those who had mostly grouped together, and took just a moment to look over her shoulder. There was Rarity and Sweetie, jogging together and taking turns to pluck leaves with their magic; Bulk Biceps was bodychecking trees and letting the leaves collect in his hair; but ahead of them all and closest to her came Lyra, who- “She’s trying to copy me!?? Who in the hay taught her to jump and kick like that?” Having no time to think, Applejack turned forward again, racing on and picking out another tree. “Besides, her form’s sloppy! Maybe after a good summer or two bucking trees, she’d be a threat at knocking leaves loose.” As she landed and looked back again, she caught sight of the unicorn mare leaping again, kicking another tree with admittedly fantastic style. “Maybe I should slow a little, let her catch up, warn her about doing too many kicks; it can play havoc with your knees.”

“Alright, Dusk! Your turn to look at the damned book. I’ll check the cutting this time, alright?” Even as Bronze talked, Dusk laughed and pulled open the book, flipping through the pages as he looked over the list of plants with blue flowers.

“It’s got giant leaves, all very light blue. Rather pretty to tell the truth.” Bending down at the edge of the patch, where the five cut plants that stood out from the rest. Bronze cupped one of the flowers, taking a strong sniff of the flower. “It’s thick with pollen, even this late into the fall. Green stem and brown roots. Kinda smells rich, like... like... “

As it dawned on Dusk that Bronze had fallen silent, he looked up from the page, examining the mare. “It smells like what, Bronze?”

Looking over her shoulder, and trying to hide a blush that darkened her cheeks to a brilliant rose hue, she struggled to answer, stuttering a little. “It’s like a stallion-, like after a hard- a hard day’s work, rough and rugged, strong and powerful. He- it- it ah- it reminds me of the smell stallions give off when I’m in heat.”

Dusk’s gaze snapped from the mare to the team that had found the cutting, unable to hide the worry from his voice. “Did any of you smell this flower? Examine the cuttings?” When all shook their heads, Dusk looked back to the page before him, flipping over to the next flower listed, before calling out to Bronze, very carefully. “Alright, Squire… Very carefully, I need you to stand up, walk away from those flowers, and reach into your pouch. If you packed your medical kit properly this morning, you’ll find some sleeping salts. You know, the foul smelling things for waking up somepony who's fallen unconscious?”

As Bronze compiled, Clear Skies, one of the mares from the weather team knelt beside him, worry clear in her eyes. “Dusk, what's the matter with her? Why’s she smelling a stallion like she’s in heat?”

Dusk winced, and very carefully motioned for her to back up before answering, still watching Bronze as she walked as if in a daze while answering. “It’s Vananero, commonly known as Mare’s Heat. It’s a rare flower, but it’s known to cause a sudden onset of a mare’s season, even one who smells it casually. But that makes no sense. Mare’s Heat only blooms in the early spring, and its leaves turn red and are normally puffy and damp in the fall.”

Bronze half-stumbled as she walked, grinning to herself and walking only a half-dozen steps from the flowers before dropping her bag and kneeling over it, digging through the heavy leather sack. Drawing a paper pouch free, she ripped open, crushing the two tablets together, blending them together and causing a nose-piercing smell to reach even Dusk where he knelt. She was silent for a while and then looked over at Dusk, smiling a little. “I… I think I’m alright. Hey, uh, Dusk? I didn’t… um… I didn’t say anything too crazy. Right? ‘Cause, um… It kinda felt like my tongue wasn’t connected to my brain.”

Dusk relaxed, letting his shoulders droop, and shook his head. “Clear, keep your team clear of these flowers. Something is very wrong here for a spring flower to bloom this late in the fall.” Passing his book to the mare, he pushed the list of other cuttings they had found to her as well, his voice still tense. “Do me a favor. While I talk to Bronze, look up the other cuttings and mark their blooming season down for me. I’m sure we’d have noticed if they bloomed out of season, but maybe we missed something.”

The mare accepted the book and quickly started flipping through the pages, while Dusk slowly began to walk to Bronze’s side. The mare was weeping a little, but was holding herself up on her hands and knees, still sniffing at the wretched smelling salts. “Bronze, you didn’t say anything wrong. Are the salts helping? Are you still feeling confused? Still smelling a stallion?”

Leaning over and letting her free hand wrap around his hips, she pulled him in with surprising strength, so she could rest her head on his hip, and nuzzle against him a little. Grinning up at him, she shook the pouch of salts. “Only a little, but then, when a stallion smells as good as you do, who wouldn’t want to smell a little, right?” Giggling to herself, she nuzzled again into his hip, this time pushing against his groin through his pants.

Shocked at how forward she was, Dusk winced, and tried to keep calm, curling his hands into fists. “Are you sure about that? Don’t you think you’re getting a little close? A little… personal?”

Shaking her head, Bronze kissed the lump of his groin through the cloth of his pants, before looking up and smiling at him. “Nah. I asked Applejack. She said she’d be fine with us, you know, together. She suggested I ask Rarity, but that’ll be no problem! I’m more than good enough to be a mare in your herd.”

Dusk winced and looked to the mares looking through the book. Violently gesturing for them to stop, Dusk tried to keep calm. “Clear Skies, what other Blue flowers match the description? Don’t get close, just find anything you can… I don’t think that-”

Against him, Bronze cupped his sack through his pants, squeezing and rubbing. “Dusk, stop ignoring me. I said I want to be in your herd. Will you have me? You can, I’ll even let you claim me, here and now.”

Dusk had to act now, grabbing her by the shoulders and peeling her from his body. “Bronze? Stop. Think about what you’re saying, what you’re doing!” Panicked at the way the lustful mare stared up at him, Dusk tried to both help her stand up and keep her at an arm's reach.

A look of concern and fright cut over Bronze’s eyes, and she half-froze while looking into Dusk’s eyes, rubbing her knees against one another while struggling against herself. From behind them, Clear Skies’ voice suddenly cut through the silence. “Dusk? What about Poison Joke? It alters a pony in any number of ways. Do you think-”

Bronze was the one who answered, throwing Dusk away, leaving him crashing to the ground. She turned from him running into the woods. “I- this isn’t right! What- Oh, by the Light!” Torment in her voice, Bronze disappeared into the trees.

Panting for breath, Dusk scrambled to grab his whistle, blowing rapidly on it, and pointing into the trees when he caught Thunderlane’s gaze. The stallion above bolted off, following after the trail Bronze left, and Dusk let his head fall back, panting for breath.

Standing over him and holding the book, Clear Skies looked with wide eyes at the trees, and then back down at him. “Dusk… I read the rest of the entry on Poison Joke… I-If this book is right, Poison Joke can alter a pony, even their cutie mark. And there’s no known cure. What did it do to her?!”

Closing his eyes, Dusk struggled to catch his breath, biting at the brass of the whistle between his lips, and rolling it between his teeth. When the mare knelt at his side and touched his temple, he finally forced his eyes open again, shaking his head. “I’ve never read much about Poison Joke, but let me read that entry. I think… I think the poison joke removed her inhibitions. We need to burn this patch, but don’t you dare get close. Get the guards. The search… the search for the smuggler is over, we need to find Bronze before she hurts herself.”

After passing the book back to Dusk, Clear Skies launched into the air. The sound of her whistleblowing was a distant but repetitive signal, looping over and over again. The whole time, Dusk found himself still laying there, mesmerised by the memory of that look of terror in Bronze’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Bronze. It’s my fault. It’s all my fault! I was rushing and we didn’t take proper safety into account. I promise, by Celestia, I promise! I’ll fix you, somehow.”

“With another flying kick, Applejack knocks free the leaves of yet another tree! And she’s still running, too! Dash just doesn’t know what to do, Applejack’s easily a quarter mile ahead of her now, and she’s way up on points, too! But don’t count out the unicorns! Together, Lyra, Rarity and Sweetie Belle have just as many points as Dash and Applejack together! I’ll update you all after the judges tally things up, but so far, it looks like even outnumbered five to one, the unicorns might win on points alone!”

Princess Celestia half-covered her mouth as she giggled, the sure joy in the voice of Laughter over the speaker was irresistible. This was why she had come: to see life and joy in the eyes of ponies, to spend a day without the weight of the Wolf of the North’s return burning down her neck. Stepping free of the chariot and looking over the bowing ponies gathered around the podium. “Well, I suppose short of going in disguise, there are some things I can never escape…” Celestia cleared her throat, before speaking to the kneeling crowd. “Ponies! How it honors me! Such a kind welcome to your noble town! But please, let us all return to the Running of the Leaves! There will be time later for speeches and ceremony!”

As if waiting for her cue, Laughter’s voice cut in over the speakers again. “This is Pinkie, and I’m back with the judges’ tally! You heard it here first! The Unicorns, despite only having six runners, have pulled into first place on leaves! In second come the earth ponies, behind by only three points! The pegasi will REALLY have to pick up their game if they want to win on more than just speed this year! But don’t worry, everypony! Bulk Biceps, our late entry from the start of the race this morning? He is in first place for points from loosening leaves! To think, a pegasus stallion is beating even Applejack’s score! Way to go, Bulk!”

Reaching up and tugging at Celesta’s hand, Barb looked worried. “Princess… why are you looking at the Everfree Forest? The runners are in Whitetail Woods.”

Realizing she had been staring, Celestia bent down to scoop up the dragoness, trying to push thoughts from her mind. “Oh, I’m sorry, Barb. I just thought I might be able to see Dusk from here. He is hunting a renegade with the help of some of my royal guards, you see.”

Accepting the hug from Celestia, Barb looked over in wonder, her eyes wide. “You can see that far, princess? That’s incredible! I do hope Dusk’s okay…”

Finding the seat set up for her by the podium, Celestia settled the dragoness in her lap, and tousled her hair. “Oh, don’t worry. He has talents even he doesn’t know of.” But unwelcome, the thoughts she’d pushed away returned. “That was a whistle, a whistle calling for all the searchers to gather, calling the search off. What’s happened, Dusk? Are you okay?”

“Dont think, run. Don’t remember why, just run! Stop trying to catch your breath! Stop thinking about Dusk! Stop trying to think of excuses to go back! I don’t care that he’d easily accept me back… probably kiss me, and from there we’d-” Bronze forced the thoughts away and pushed herself to run faster, ignoring the wetness that ran down her thigh. She couldn’t keep her thoughts under control, every time she tried to catch her breath, another popped up and made her scared of herself.

Ducking under a branch, and then pushing on, she looked over her shoulder, checking to see if she could still see anypony who might be following. That’s when the branch arrived, and caught her in the corner of the head, sending her sprawling through the dirt. Panting for breath, she spit gravel from her mouth, shaking her head and blinking, trying to clear her eyes.

Something was blurring her vision, and she made herself lift a hand, touching her forehead. A shot of pain burst through her where she touched her brow, and she drew her hand back, blood coated her fingers. “Dear Celestia, no. I need to tend to this, quickly.” Shifting her weight, Bronze reached for her pack, only now remembering she had dropped it in the clearing to take out the smelling salts. “Celestia damn it!”

Rolling over and forcing herself to slowly stand up, Bronze fought off the rising tide of nausea. “I bet if I just made Rarity and Dash disappear, Applejack would let me be Dusk’s Alpha mare…” The sudden arrival of that thought made her weak in the kenes. She hadn’t thought that, had she? “I… I’m not that kind of mare!!! Rarity is a noble lady! Dash is an impressive warrior! Why would I want to do such a horrific thing!”

Unbidden, her own thoughts answered her. “But it would be so easy! And then Dusk would be mine. Get rid of Applejack, and he’d be mine alone…”

Bronze took off running again, away from those thoughts, away from herself. She couldn’t stop them from pouring up, filling her mind, and even as the coppery taste ran down her face and into her lips, she ignored it, ignored the spreading black, and focused on the woods, on running.

The guard lifted a hand, snapping his fist shut and whistling sharply. Dusk came running in, and the guard lifted his hands, open palms towards them all before gesturing to Dusk to come forward.

Turning as the stallion approached, the guard knelt, and when Dusk joined him, he pointed to the broken tree branch, and the pool of blood in the dirt a few feet away. Using both hands, he parted the grass, revealing a full footprint too. Dusk gave him a nod, and the guard shifted to stand with the stallion, breathing carefully while the lord’s breath was quick from stress and worry. “She is hurt, sir. I know this isn’t a good sign for her health or sanity, but surely you can accept that at least it gives us a better chance of catching up with her, right?”

Dusk winced at his words, and looked into his eyes, the worry clear in the young lord’s gaze. “What’s your name, guard?”

Blushing, and glad to take off his helmet for once, the guard muttered his name for the lord.

“What? I didn’t catch that. Please, say it clearly. I can’t be calling you guard all the time.”

Suppressing his embarrassment, he tried again. “I’m… Lilly Hammer, sir. Corporal Hammer.”

The lord paused for a moment, looking at him again, and Lilly Hammer winced as his eyes ran over the heavy greatmail strapped to his back, and the twin hammers on his weapons’ belt. But the lord was kind, and asked a very unexpected question. “Have you ever been alone in the woods, without food, friends, or a way home?”

Lilly saluted, and gave a nod. “As part of the guards training, sir. We are escorted to the Castle of the Two Sisters, and left to stand guard there alone for two days. We are given a brass whistle and field gear, but nothing else, and we do it alone. Any who breaks before their two days are up are not allowed into the Royal Guard, only the guard in general.”

Dusk nodded a lot, and pointed at the backpack on his back. “But you get your field pack, A week’s rations, and as you said, a whistle. She is hurt, has no medicine, and her own mind is telling her horrible things. And it won’t stop. Even now, as she is bloody and running, she is probably thinking of all the bad thoughts she’s ever had in her life. Cheat on a test? Steal from a merchant? Bribe a teacher?”

Lilly Hammer couldn’t help it, he tried to picture the idea and a cold shiver ran down his spine. “We should continue, sir. We can’t fly in these trees, but she’s running blind, and we have a trail to follow. I’m sure we can catch her.”

Dusk smiled at him, and grabbed his hand. “Thank you, corporal. I am glad the guard care for their own. We will find her, I only hope she is still okay. Call the troops off break, and lead on. You’ve got good eyes. I need you to use them and find us any more hints like this.”

Dash could hardly even see Applejack anymore, the mare was so quick to shake leaves free and recover! It just wasn’t fair! “I mean, how can she kick a tree that hard and still land running! She’s gotta be cheating somehow!”

Leaping into another tree, the way it rocked under her weight made Dash pause and reach out, gripping at the trunk. Catching her breath, she realised a leaf had landed on her nose, while others fell to the ground below. “What… what if I-” Taking no time to think, Dash gripped the thickest branch she could find, and leapt into the air, beating her wings as hard as she could, and bent the tree away from Applejack. “Sling-shot Launching.. They talked about it in Flight School… maybe I can use it here too?”

Her answer came when she knew she couldn’t push the branch any further back. Twisting around in place and bracing her weight on the branch, she relaxed her wings, folding them tightly to her back. The tree sprang back, and as she watched, divested itself of most of its leaves. “Yes! I might not be able to do it in one kick, Applejack, but can you match me in speed?”

Roaring forward on the momentum of her glide, Dash started running to keep up her pace, three quick steps and then she leapt again, catching the upper branches of another springy feeling tree. “I bet I even removed more leaves from that tree than any of the ones that AJ kicked! Lets try this again!”

Launching herself forward again, Dash didn’t waste momentum watching the tree this time, instead waiting for her speed to drop, and spread her wings to extend the glide. When she had to kick her feet out again, she felt her heart leap to her throat. “Dash, you’re a genius! Applejack’s only twenty feet ahead! Keep it up, you’ll lap her before this is over!”

Grinning from ear to ear, Dash looked at the treetops, getting a good measure of them before selecting her next target. It was just a leap away, and she’d-

Applejack needed a breath, and her right knee was aching; too many leaps and landings with the same leg, still sore from before, though she’d be damned if she admitted it. Pressing on, she ignored a few good trees, until the sudden burst of laughter made her look over her shoulder at the blue-feathered blur that was suddenly racing towards her. Shocked, she half-stumbled, half-stepped, still trying to keep running, even as Dash roared towards her, feet only kicking off the ground to keep up her pace. Off-balance, Applejack felt herself shifting a little, struggling to catch her balance.

That’s when Dash blew past her on the right side, the impact of their bodies had been minor to Dash, but to Applejack’s sore knee, it was like somepony had hit her with a bat. Falling over and gasping for breath, Applejack looked up, and saw Dash simply carry on. “What is she, ignorant?!! She just bodychecked me to the dirt and now she just runs on!?”

A shadow looming over her, Lyra bent down, and offered AJ her hand. “That was bad luck, her brushing against you while you were off-balance. Come on, get up. I’ll slow down, give you a chance to catch your wind.”

Applejack was shocked, and accepted the help up, ignoring the throbbing ache in her leg as she shifted around and caught her breath. “I-... yeah. Accidental bump, right. Thanks… um... Lyra. You sure you don’t wanna go on ahead? You’re probably the only pony that could match Dash in speed if you really tried.”

Lyra laughed and passed her a cup of water, Applejack could only guess she’d been carrying it with her magic since the last booth. She drank it and started jogging alongside the unicorn, who matched her pace for now. “Are you kidding me? I’m only doing this run for Dusk’s sake. He asked nicely, and it’s good to know I’m making other unicorns proud. I don’t want to win, but thanks, AJ. I bet once you’ve caught your breath, you’ll blow her away.”

Applejack gritted her teeth, but gave Lyra a nod. “Oh, trust me, she’ll learn a thing or two, that I promise.”

Something cold and wet touched her lips, and Bronze Feather let them part, sipping at the refreshing chill that could only be water. Her head pounded, and her left eye wouldn’t open, but even with her right eye alone, she couldn’t focus on her surroundings well enough to make anything out. It was... a hut maybe? A house of some kind. And somepony was spooning water to her lips. That was all that mattered. The mare was- had- She couldn’t focus, the pain was too much and her mind was numb. “Did… did I hit another tree? I feel like I’ve been running for hours. Dear Celestia, let this mare be friendly.”

As if called by her thoughts, the mare leaned closer, a black blur in Bronze’s eye that still refused to focus. But when she spoke, she spoke in riddles and that made the words just as hard to follow. “Awake again, I see. The timing will make this a pity. This will hurt you much, though it will clean the dirt and such.”

The ladle of water left her lips, and something noxious, yet also smelling of lilacs, was poured over her face. The lancets of pain shot through her, and Bronze passed into the black again. The last she heard as she sunk into the black was that same voice trying to comfort her. “First we clean, but from what I glean, there isn’t much you haven’t seen.”

Bronze felt a piercing bolt of pain in her face, above her eye and tried to scream, but a hand clamped down on her mouth, and hissed. “Awake again? Do not strain. I can do little for your pain.” The hands left her face, and the pressure above her eye remained, but in seconds, the mare was back and an ice chip was placed upon her tongue. “Suckle on this and let me work, I stress, make not a single sudden jerk. I am Zecora, of the Long Grass Tribe, do not worry, I’ll take no bribe. Whoever you were running from, do not be glum, I’ll trust no scum.”

Bronze closed her lips around the small piece of ice, and found it soothing to her raw throat and swollen tongue. She must have bitten it at some point, that was it. No wonder she felt like she'd been run through a wall at some point or another. The pressure above her eye changed, and with her good right eye, she finally found out why. The mare kneeling over her was using a needle carved from bone, and was stitching the wound above her face closed.

As she rolled the ice around her tongue, it dawned on Bronze she could finally focus with her right eye again, and her hair and face felt wet… and she was naked. And she was sweating; the sound of a roaring fire not far away answered that question at least. Turning her eye up, she made herself focus despite the pain, to see who this Zecora was.

The mare was… the mare was beautiful, but not like Rarity, with her good looks and sense of style. More like Applejack, but slimmer, but not skinny, like the divas who dominated the stage in Canterlot. Attempting to judge her weight, she had to be near two hundred pounds, six feet tall, her eyes were teal, her skin was an even darker brown than Princess Celestia’s famous golden tan, and her hair was-

“Her hair is black and white. The reports said she had black and white hair… Is this the smuggler? Have I been saved by the very pony we were sent to capture?”

Unbidden, too weak to keep silent, Bronze felt the words forming on her lips, against her will. “Why did you harvest the Black Lotus, yet stay in the woods. What kind of smuggler does that?”

The mare appeared shocked by her words, and laughed a little, yet continued her stitching without breaking her pace, still focused on the act yet answering all the same. “Such an act is smuggling here? I must say that does sound rather queer. How does your herbalist gather her stock? Perhaps by hanging up a massive wind sock?”

Shocked at the question, Bronze tried to focus, to get a hold of her tongue, but she couldn’t; it kept going against her will. “No, but ponies that collect outlawed herbs for resale are smugglers. Are you going to stop helping me now that I’ve given myself away?”

The mare arched a brow and leaned in, biting off the thread she had been using to stitch Bronze’s eyebrow. Lingering over her lips, she glared into Bronze’s own eye. “So if I never planned to sell my crop, for what reason would I ever need to stop?” When Bronze started to try and speak again, she put a finger to her lips. “Your speech is such a shock. What makes you always need to squawk?”

Crying now, Bronze felt her lips run wild on her, unable to prevent it. “I don’t know!!! I ran into a patch of blue flowers, and ever since, my mind and body are doing things that I can’t control. First Dusk, and now you asking questions! I can’t make it stop!”

Zecora drew back, an eyebrow lifting high while she crossed her arms over her chest. “Blue flower and endless chatter... but this is not some unknown matter. Have none told you? I shall state it while I mix my brew: ‘Beware! Beware, you pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!’"

The instant recognition Zecora payed to Bronze’s description of the flower made her sit up, and grip the mare’s shoulders. “You know it!?? You know of a cure for it? To stop these idle thoughts from taking over my body, my mind!?”

The mare simply pushed Bronze to lay back and stepped away from the bed. “It will take some time to stew, but you can trust my magic brew. Now sleep dear mare, you’ve had quite a scare. While I prepare, you are safe now, I swear.”

Lowering her head to the pillow, Bronze tried to ignore the returning nausea from sitting up so suddenly. She tried to recall the name the mare had given her, and once she found it she repeated it in her mind, time and time again. It was so strange, she needed to hold onto it. “Zecora of the Long Grass Tribe… and now I owe the smuggler my life."

Lilly Hammer touched Dusk’s shoulder and pointed through the trees, his voice a low whisper against his ear. “It was hard to find, but they drew us a path. I can show you where she collapsed, but whoever lives in this home found her, and brought her inside. By the tracks, that was probably two, maybe three hours ago. I admit I didn’t even see the door until I was nearly touching it. See the tree on the north side? Follow it up. It’s hollow, and it acts as the chimney. See where the smoke leaks out forty feet up? Somepony cut tons of small holes from the forty foot mark and up. The smoke is hard to see since it’s so spread out.”

Dusk gave a small nod, holding a hand up so the stallion fell silent. They were the closest to the house, and its small clearing, but all around the house, the guards and the weather team were falling into position. With no windows, and made of a mixture of a dozen trees and three massive rocks, it really blended into the surroundings until you knew it was there. Dusk leaned his head back so he could whisper in return. “So our smuggler has Bronze, and Bronze was bleeding so bad she could be dead by now. So we rush the hut in hopes of finding Bronze before she bleeds out, or we attempt to approach her diplomatically, and hope she doesn’t kill Bronze in the meantime. Both horrible options, and yet we have no other choi-”

The door of the hut was suddenly thrown open, and wrapped in a heavy cloak, the smuggler stepped out through the door, raising her hands above her head. “Ponies of Equestria, step out from beneath your shield of trees. Bronze Feather is well, but still not at ease.”

As Lilly reached for his weapon, Dusk shook his head and lifted his hands over his head, stepping out of the wall of trees. The mare turned to him, her cloaked head shaking and … “Is she shivering?? In this weather, dressed in a heavy cloak like that, and she shivers from the cold?”

Dusk nearly couldn’t suppress his curiosity and stepped out from the treeline, his hands still held up. Something about the way she shivered meant something, he knew it, but he just couldn’t remember. And the way she spoke, the rhymes. Something.. something. “Of course! You’re a Zebra!”

Blurting it out without even really meaning to, Dusk was shocked when the mare turned to face him, and raised her hands. For a moment he thought she might be surrendering, but instead she threw back her hood, revealing long hair that hung around her shoulders, black and white in hue, and rich teal eyes. Dark brown skin, like none he’d ever seen. Crossing her arms over her chest again, she pointedly looked at those still in the trees. “My words were no joke, stallion of the pony-folk. That you know my clan, means you are no con man. I am Zecora, once high Priestess of the Long Grass Tribe. From your look, I take you for a scribe?”

Dusk tried to remember what little he had studied of the Zebra tribes. Political ties were nearly non-existent, yet they worshiped Princess Celestia as ‘The Queen Who Rides Upon the Sun’. Their priestesses were chosen from birth and trained with great dedication, yet Zecora looked young, too young to be this far from home. Dusk lifted a hand and gestured to the treeline behind him. “I am. Or was, until recently. I am a student of The Princess, your people would know her as ‘The Queen Who Rides Upon the Sun’. Recently, we heard rumors of somepony smuggling Black Lotus in these woods. We had come searching for them until my dear friend was struck down by Poison Joke. Now we only wish to take her home, to safety.” When Zecora’s eyebrow shot up at his use of the word smuggle, he lifted his hands defensively. “We don’t care about the Black Lotus now. We only want to make sure that our friend is okay. The rest is unimportant compared to her life.”

Zecora lowered her eyebrow, and shivered as a stiff breeze lifted, blowing through her hair. She pointed a single finger at him, her voice confident, almost teasing. “As another servant of the queen, I have given her a vaccine. The poison has come clean, but her conscience has yet to be seen. This has all left my stores rather lean. Two may enter, and take her from the scene.”

For a moment, she fell silent, and then stepped forward again, walking slowly until she stood before Dusk, tall enough to be just eye to eye with him. “Scholar, what you have yet to have seen? I’ve a cure that would make a sage green. Black Lotus alone, I can not condone. Bring me Snap Beans, the kind with spleens. Lorvitta with yellow petals, not with nettles. Calidrom I know from home. And an Ester Root; I'll take no dispute. Gather that all? And together we will brew, a true cabal. I promise you, no Black Lotus brew.”

Dusk felt himself sweating, something about her words made his lips ache; the suggestion she could brew together Black Lotus safely pulled at the memories of that one night… when he walked through the- Dusk forced the idea aside and snapped his fingers. Lilly Hammer and Thunderlane charged from the bushes and stopped at his side. Dusk pointed to the open door. “Bronze is inside. Carefully retrieve her, and be respectful. We are in her territory and her home. I’d rather not have to replace anything even rarer than what she’s already asked for.”

The stallions gave him a respectful nod and then rushed inside. Dusk was already setting up the flight sling, giving it to Flitter and Cloudchaser to strap on. As the stallions returned, Dusk looked at the unconscious mare and changed his mind. “Z-... Zecora? Can she handle a teleportation spell? Or would it make her condition worse?”

The mare arched a brow and looked him over again, before offering a shrug. “The medicines in her blood are at no risk. Her body is safe for you to whisk. But can you handle such a task? My interest in this, I will not mask. The distance, the effort, I’ll not dispute, but take great care, stallion, or fear will take root.”

Dusk stepped forward, and accepted the weight of Bronze from the stallions. He gave her good cheek a tender stroke and looked up to the men. “I gave her my word. We leave, now. I’ll see you back in town, so fly fast, because if any pony touches a hair on this mare’s head, I’ll see he wishes he were dead.”

Zecora gave him a small nod, but Dusk ignored it, and ignored the effort it took to keep holding Bronze’s broken body up. The magic came quickly, and Pinkie’s words made him re-examine the spell, reshaping it to fit over Bronze with great care. “This is a horrible time to experiment, but I don’t think you’d last if I sent you the slow way… I’m… I’m sorry, Bronze.”

In a flare of magic, Dusk and Bronze were gone. For a moment, the gathered weather team and guards all looked at Zecora, who simply arched an eyebrow at them despite shivering from the cold that they hardly appeared to notice. Bored of waiting, she gestured at them. “Well? Is this time for you to take a stroll? If that’s not your goal, I could use a hand gathering coal.”

Celestia shot up, turning to face the deep woods of the Everfree Forest, the sensation of power building up was unmistakable and yet- in an instant it changed, jumped to… to the new hospital. Twisting around, she cupped Barb’s jaw and scratched under its curve. “Barb, dear. I feel the need for a walk. Would you keep my chair warm?”

Unintersted in arguing, the dragoness hopped into the offered seat, happy to recline in the extra space. But now the mayor and others were approaching her, both worried and excited looks dancing in their eyes. Raising a hand, she shook them off, but they continued to approach, and she was forced to speak. “Be well, my children. I wish for a moment of peace and quiet. I am going for a walk. Please return to your seats.”

Order given, they finally relented, leaving Celestia at last alone to walk into the town, heading for the new hospital and the fading flare of magic.

Dusk felt numb as the world blurred around him, his eyes unfocused and the strain on his magic burned, burned from his horn, down through his neck and into his shoulders. For a moment as he staggered to regain his balance, he worried, worried he’d rushed the spell and reached for the wrong source, for his blood and not his magic.

Then everything snapped into place, and while the ache still throbbed in his back and around his shoulders, he pushed it aside as best he could manage, straining to support Bronze’s weight as he stumbled forward, trying to reorient himself. The sound of running water pulled his attention, and he looked up at the ivory fountain of Princess Celestia that stood before him. “Right… the courtyard of the new hospital. I did it, Bronze... simply amazing.” Staggering around, he looked for the entrance to the hospital, and there stood a mare he needed a moment to place. A moment he didn’t have. “I need a doctor, and somepony needs to call for Nurse Redheart, ASAP! This mare’s suffered severe blood loss and multiple head wounds.”

Shocked, she staggered back a few steps staring at Dusk, but was pushed aside, as a golden-haired young mare with dark blue feathers pushed past the unbalanced nurse, looking from Dusk to Bronze and back again before turning to the nurse and grabbing her by the elbows. “Well?! Wake up, girl! You get the nurse, I’ll get a doctor, alright?” Nodding to Dusk, she rushed back inside the hospital doors.

The nurse stumbled forward a few feet, still staring back towards the pegasus who had ran back inside, then turned back to Dusk and drew together her magic, casting a flare into the sky over the hospital. Finally regaining his balance, Dusk turned back towards the hospital and pushed in through the door, defensively cradling Bronze’s limp form close and using his magic to pull open the double doors.

It was only seconds later that he found himself in the company of Dr. Horse, and escorted to the emergency room, the broken mare taken from his hands. In a daze, he found himself sitting upon a spare gurney, while the doctor called for a second surgeon, and soon they had rushed into the clear room.

It was Redheart’s voice that pulled Dusk out of his trance, her fingers before his eyes snapping violently. The nurse from outside was there as well, with a chart, and they kept stopping and talking to one another. Pushing aside his exhaustion, Dusk sat up again. “I’m- sorry, Redheart. I think I over did it, my mind and my magic both feel like a stretched out rubber band. I kinda… I have to focus to keep my mind from drifting. Is… is Bronze okay?”

Red gave a sigh as he spoke and relaxed a little, but as he continued, she shot a glance at the nurse and stepped forward, cupping his chin in both hands and turning it up so she could look into his eyes. “Dusk, you’re impossible, really you are. Teleporting two ponies over a dozen miles? I don’t know if I’ve ever read about somepony managing such a crazy feat. I’m surprised your brain isn’t gushing from your nose right now. Look, I’ll get something to help with your head, but I’d suggest letting your magic regenerate. Should I call for Princess Cadence to check you out again?”

From the ER doorway, the golden-haired pegasus mare peaked in and gave Dusk a small wave, but when Redheart turned to glare at her, she meekly blushed and backed out, still waving. Dusk gave a sigh and pushed the stranger from his mind, focusing instead on Redheart’s lack of an answer. “Bronze Feather. Answer me, is she okay?”

Scribbling on a sheet, Redheart pushed the unicorn nurse Dusk’s chart, and the mare rushed off to gather the meds listed. Turning back to him, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him the full weight of her glare. “Look, Dusk? She’ll probably live. She’ll have one hell of a scar over her left eye, and will probably need most of the winter to recover. She lost way too much blood, but whoever found her did a fantastic job of stitching her head. Beyond that? No promises. She needs time, and you can’t help her, so let it go, alright?”

Dusk winced, but slowly nodded. “Alright, alright. I-I understand. Thank you for the truth, Redheart. I’ll … I’ll try to be a good patient.”

Accepting a glass from the nurse, Redheart pushed it into Dusk’s hand, along with the first of a handful of pills. “Good, then let’s start. First a sedative, and after that, we’ll deal with your blood pressure and your exhaustion.”

Dusk sat in the hospital garden, the soft splashing of water in the ivory fountain lulling him back into a half-doze. Spaced out, he didn’t even notice the dark, blue-feathered pegasus with her golden hair sit down beside him until she spoke, mostly to herself. “So, the nurses say she’s awake and talking. But they also told me to warn you she isn’t taking any visitors. They’ve even sent for Princess Cadence. I-I’m sorry I don’t have any better news than that.”

Shocked as the stranger suddenly started talking to him, Dusk resurfaced and looked over at her, confusion piling up, but he pushed forward a calm front and gave her a nod. “Well, thank you for looking in on her for me. I’m kinda surprised Redheart let me leave so quickly.” Watching her, Dusk searched for a hint, a suggestion, a single word that might help him identify who she was. All failed him, leaving him floundering. “I- forgive me, I’ve never forgotten a name before, but here I appear to be missing yours, you are?”

Laughing a little, the mare shook her head relaxing into the bench and folding a leg over her knee. “Oh no, It’s my fault really. I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Winter Harvest, a snow expert from Cloudsdale Weather School. My herd sister had a foal while we were passing by yesterday and needs a few days to recover before we go home. But I’ve read about you and what the elements have done. Never thought I’d get to meet you in person.”

Dusk considered again the golden hair and dark blue wings, before shrugging it off. “Oh? Well, congratulations. I hope she has a strong foal. As for my achievements? Most of them were only due to the incredible support I’ve received from my dear friends.”

Winter Harvest grinned at him, laughing a little. “Oh? So your Princess Celestia’s favorite student, and you’re humble? No wonder why you have so many frien-”

The sudden sound of screaming drowned out Winter’s voice, and Dusk found himself on his feet, looking around even before he had been able to understand the words. Walking three steps towards the main road he froze, looking back at the hospital doors, back towards Bronze. Pressure from a hand rested on his shoulder and the mare offered him a smile. “Go ahead, I’ll go back in and take a look in on your friend. You’re an easy-to-find stallion. It sounds like somepony else needs you.”

Dusk winced, yet gave her a smile. “I... thanks, Winter Harvest. I owe you again.” Dusk bolted out of the small garden, heading towards the familiar sounding voice.

Scootaloo couldn’t believe it, even though she’d seen it with her own eyes, everything had felt like it had happened in slow motion. Dash had been sailing, no, more like gliding along, and Applejack had kicked a tree just ahead of her. One moment they were heading in the same direction, the next, Applejack half-stumbled, a look of pain on her face, and she fell forward, against Dash’s wing. Then suddenly, everything started happening too quickly, they’d spilled and tumbled over one another, and then they started shoving and shouting. “Dash!!! Applejack! Stop I said stop it! You’re both being so dumb! It was an accident! Just… Just stop this!”

That’s what really hurt, that they ignored her and kept shouting at one another, pressed face to face. Scootaloo just couldn’t handle all this. Her eyes blinded by tears, she pushed in between them, attempting to force the enraged mares apart while screaming at the top of her lungs.

But she wasn’t strong enough, and rather than push them apart, they ran her over. They just continued shoving one another again, leaving Scootaloo alone in the middle of the street, while Applejack gave Dash a shove, pushing her back against a house.

After getting up and spitting out dirt, she turned to them, screaming once more.. “Why the fuck are you two so angry!?!?!? You’re best friends!”

Pressure on her shoulder made her look up, Dusk smiled down at her for just a moment, but he was huffing for breath as if he had been running hard, then shoved two fingers into his lips, piercing the air with a sharp whistle. When even that didn’t work, Bubbles formed around both mares, Dusk’s magic spell finally separating them at last.

Looking from one fuming mare to the other, Dusk’s voice was almost heart broken, the pain in his words made even Scootaloo feel bad for the stallion. “Applejack... Rainbow Dash... What in the hell are you both doing!? You’re friends! Hell, sometimes I’m jealous of how well you two get along! Just what in the world is going on!?”

As both mares started talking over one another with accusations of cheating, tripping and low blows, Scootaloo reached up and squeezed Dusk’s hand, pulling his attention down. “It- I didn’t see it all or anything, Dusk, but I saw it start. Applejack sorta tripped, and fell against Dash’s bad wing, and then they just went crazy.”

Dusk knelt down and wrapped her in his arms, glaring back at the mares who were finally calming down, guilt spreading in both of their eyes. Dusk looked from her and back to the mares before giving a sigh. “Look, I love you Applejack. Dash? You’re a dear, dear friend, maybe more. But this? This ends right now. Bronze Feather’s in the hospital and I’ve still got to go back to the woods. Settle this, one way or another, and then come find me at the hospital. This? This fight? This is pathetic. The Running of the Leaves is a fun, traditional holiday.” Squeezing his hand, Scootaloo tried to show the sad stallion some support. Sensing it, he smiled down at her for a moment before looking back up at them again. “If you two agree that this never happened, I’ll never bring it up again, but me and Scootaloo? We’re disappointed with you both. Come on, Scoots, I need the help of somepony reliable.”

Dusk’s spell didn’t drop until he was out of sight, and as it did, Applejack was still panting for breath, suddenly feeling like a foolish child. Bracing both hands on the ground, she slowly forced herself to stand up, shame darkened her cheeks and she lifted a hand, hardly able to look Dash in the eyes. “Look, Dash-”

Dash gripped her hand, squeezing it and looking her in the eyes. “Applejack, I’m a fool. I should have stopped to check on you when you tripped earlier, instead I saw you were talking with Lyra, and figured it was a chance to get ahead of you both. I-I’m sorry.”

Stepping in, she cupped Dash’s jaw with her free hand, still squeezing her hand in return with her other hand. “No, I totally blamed you for cutting me off on purpose. I’m the one at fault, Dash. Look, I know this was foolish, it makes me feel like a dumb foal that we came to blows over something this dumb. Is… is your wing okay?”

Dash unfolded her left wing, flexing and flapping it a few times, before nodding. “Fact is, I think it’s nearly healed up anyway. It was more the shock impact that had me being stupid. Your knee?”

Applejack lifted it and thumped the ground a few times, shrugging. “I might’ve just let myself get too caught up. Look, let’s just go to the hospital. Bronze… Bronze was asking me about being allowed to be with Dusk. Whatever’s happened to her is more important than this dumb race, right?”

Dash, shook her head, pulling off her number. “What, Bronze too? Geeze, so much for taking things slow with Dusk. Alright, agreed. Somepony being hurt is bigger than this, bigger than us. Besides, my weather team was in charge of making sure Dusk stayed safe, they failed, and now I need to know what happened.”

Dusk rolled the whole Ester Root between two fingers, chewing at his lower lip. “It’s fresh, too. Look… thank you, Redheart.” The nurse gave him a nod, kneeling still before Scootaloo, brushing gravel from the filly’s hair and muttering under her breath.

“You say she’s a Zebra, Dusk? Look, I’m no herbalist, I’ve only got some basic pharmacy experience, but if she’s trying to claim this will do something to Black Lotus? That’s just insane. Alchemists and Herbalists have tried for centuries to find a way to cure it, to weaken it. To help addicts. Almost nothing works.” A wet hand towel pushed through Scootaloo’s face again and the girl protested, though weakly. “Go ahead and take them, but don’t expect any world-changing miracles, alright?”

“Thanks, Redheart… I’ll keep my hopes from getting too high. Look, about Bronze-”

“Did you know that Princess Celestia brought some of her advisers with her today? Some psychologist is looking in on Bronze as a favour to the Princess… What was her name? Oh! Summer Orchards. Apparently, she was one of Princess Cadence’s teachers.”

Dusk struggled for a moment, trying to place the name. “Has- Yes, I’m sure Cadence has mentioned her. Unicorn mare, in her late fifties. But one of Celestia’s advisers? I guess this is proof I’ve never payed enough attention to politics until now.” Shaking that off, Dusk finished packing the herbs into a carrier bag. The sound of two mares talking drifted down the hall into the pharmacy, and Dusk looked up watching Applejack and Dash enter, a little sheepishly, yet walking together.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Dusk stepped forward, and smoothed down Scootaloo’s hair, while Redheart began to rise, the dirty alcohol rubbing cloth clenched in one hand. Before she could start, Dash looked from Scoot to Redheart to Dusk, before shaking her head. “Look, Redheart. You can scream at me for being an idiot all you want. I deserve it, I swear. Scoot was just trying to keep us from fighting, and we pushed her over and kept fighting. But too much is happening right now. My weather team just started showing up, and Bronze is hurt, and now Dusk’s talking about going back to the Everfree Forest again? So tomorrow you can scream at me about mistreating Scootaloo, and I’ll even sit quietly and listen, but today, can we both just agree that I’m an idiot?”

Redheart tossed the dirty wipe into the garbage bin, and pointed a finger square at Dash’s heart. “I’ll do you one better. Tomorrow, six am. My shift starts. You’re going to be taking notes for me, Dash. You’ll be my helpful little assistant for the day. I don’t care what comes up with the weather team, get somepony else to handle it. You’re busy.”

When Dash suppressed a groan and snapped a salute, Scootaloo took it as things were at last okay, and pulled out from Dusk’s hand, to run over and slap both mares on the hand. “See! Dash, Applejack, I told you! You’re friends. No more of this, or I’ll find Mac and get him to scold you next time!”

Both mares pulled a hand back after Scootaloo’s attempt to add to their lecture. But it was Dusk who stepped forward next, again gently toying with the filly’s hair before stepping up to Applejack’s side. “Is it over? Are we done with that mistake? It’s never going to come up again?”

Almost sheepish, but too bull-headed to be ashamed, AJ gave him a nod. “We are, Dusk. Thank you for giving us a chance to look past all this. But look, if you're going back into the Everfree-”

“I’m going into the smuggler’s den alone, and that is final. I’ll take an escort from the guards and the weather team, but I owe Zecora this much trust. She found Bronze and risked being found herself to take care of her. If I don’t offer her this much faith in return, I’ve failed Bronze. Can… Look, can you look in on Bronze while I’m gone? Redheart won’t let me in, says Bronze has specifically refused to see me. I-”

Applejack kissed him, and he fell silent, though Scootaloo’s open commentary on public displays of affection got her point of view across quite vocally. When the kiss broke, Applejack, looked guilty again. “Dusk… did you know she’d asked to join our little herd?”

Dusk gave a small nod. “I got the hint, yes. Look, AJ, I-”

Applejack put a finger to his lips, silencing him. “I said yes to her before because I felt guilty for feeling jealous… You know, that thing that we aren’t talking about from earlier? It reminded me that I need to be more honest about my feelings. I don’t know how a herd could work with so many mares. But if me and Dash can be friends after fighting like cats? Then I think we can make it work. If Bronze will see me, I’ll talk to her. I’m glad you care for her. She seems like a good mare.”

Dusk gave up on what he had been trying to say, giving her a small nod, and for just a moment, held her around the hips. “I... Thanks, Applejack.” Releasing her, he turned to look at Dash, arching an eyebrow at her. “Well? Go gather me an escort. If your wings are up to it, come along. We still need to talk about a lot of stuff. But that can wait until later, right?”

Worry shot through her eyes, and Dash gave him a slow nod. “I- err, yeah, right. Sure. Let’s go. Thunderlane and a few others should do. Maybe some of the guards just to be safe?”

Dusk shifted the sling over his shoulder to get it more comfortable, stepping in beside Dash and walking towards the exit. “Sure, and Lilly Hammer. He has a good head on his shoulders, and is a good tracker.” He paused and gave her a light nudge. “No, I’m not joking. It’s really his name. Go easy on him, he seems like a good guy.”

Dusk leaned forward in the sling, ignoring the whipping wind as Thunderlane and Lilly Hammer soared through the sky, dragging him along while the rest of their escort fanned out to keep watch over the forest around them.

Dash suddenly spiraled up from the trees below, flying in beside him while trying to yell over the whipping wind. "Alright, I'll admit it, that patch of poison joke? That's a huge and ugly mess. Got a dozen of my team making sure it burns without wrecking the whole forest. Gas masks and everything, I promise. But... are you sure you can trust this smuggler, Dusk?"

Jealous of the goggles she wore to protect her eyes in flight, Dusk held a hand to shield his face, making a mental note to find a pair and make sure they are kept with the sling for all future emergencies. Clearing the poison joke from his mental to-do list, he yelled back at her. "Like I said in the hospital, Dash. She risked exposure to us to save Bronze. She even returned her only bargaining chip, all without any thought of protecting herself. She's shown us nothing but good faith. I have to return that good faith."

Dash bit her lip but gave him a nod, pulling away and joining the dozen other pegasi in escorting Dusk.

It was Lilly Hammer's steady soft whistles before he pulled up short that made Dusk look around, hunting for signs of the smuggler's cottage. Thunderlane didn't argue with the old soldier, simply following his lead and circling slowly around before they lined up on a good gap between trees and working together, began to lower him. It was tricky; even though he remembered a clearing around the cottage, Dusk found that it was nearly invisible from above, the overlapping trees formed a wall that looked nearly impenetrable until you were right above them, and a thin gap finally opened up.

Settling his feet on the ground at last, Dusk was shocked when Dash burst through the foliage and stepped to his side, again wearing her worried look. "Look, Dusk, I-I just wanted to warn you. Take my whistle at the very least, okay?! That way you can call for help!"

Dusk closed his fingers around the chunk of brass as she forced it into his hand, smiling a little as he leaned in close so he could answer without embarrassing her in front of the others. "I think you've grown soft on me, Dash. I'll take it, but I'll be fine."

From behind them, the soft laughter echoed through the woods before reassuring her as well. "Fear not for your stallion, you'll find no harm here. I only close my door to keep out this cold that I fear. If you’ve brought me the ingredients, like that of a diligent daughter, perhaps I may offer you a cold glass of water?"

Turning together, Dusk felt his cheeks go red at the sight before him. He couldn't ignore the thoughts in his head. "If she's scared of the cold, she should be wearing a little more." The zebra was nude, save for a single line of cloth that ran over her loins. A proud mature woman, she was bare-breasted, dark skin radiant in the glow of a blazing fire inside the concealed hut. Upon her right hip, a massive sun had been painted in white mud, while white streaks of the same mud had been painted all over her bare body, across her naked breasts and erect nipples, small streaks were painted over her cheeks, her temples, and her jaw, all parallel lines had been drawn to run from one side to the other, to meet up with its opposite twin. And a long thick line had been drawn from the edge of her hairline, straight down between her eyes and over her nose, her lips, her chin, throat and breastbone. The line went between her breasts and over her belly before disappearing under that tiny shred of fabric. Other lines outlined her ribs, white designs Dusk couldn't identify had been drawn all over her arms and legs. Sweat ran down her neck under the thick locks of her black and white hair, while goosebumps spread over her front, exposed to the cool night air.

As she realized that Dusk was stunned by the woman before them, Dash stepped in front of him and dismissed the confusing words she had thrown together. "I'm not some good girl to fetch presents for some wild mare in the woods, that's more Dusk’s domain. But if he trusts you, I'll give you a chance, but only one. Harm a hair on his head, and I'll burn your little hut down personally."

Zecora laughed gently at Dash’s threat, and gave her a small nod. "I'd expect no less, I must confess. I've intruded upon your realm, and now I offer aid to the stallion who mans the helm. I did not intended to stammer, trust me dear mare, this isn't some glamour."

Dusk had finally recovered, squeezing Dash's shoulder and stepping past her. "The aspect of the sun, you really painted it all just like they drew in the books. Got the cutie mark right and everything. You really are a priestess back home, aren't you?"

This time, it was Zecora’s turn to bow low to him. "The goddess whispered in my ear, to obtain the title I now hold most dear. Come scribe, chosen by the Sun, let us get to work, to do what must be done."

The mare backed away, never leaving her deep bow, and Dusk loomed to Dash, squeezing her hand for one fleeting moment of support before following the mystic into her lair. No lights had been set up, so it was only the faint glow of the banked coals that lit up a little of the inside of the hut.

He closed the door as he passed through the threshold, cutting off the last of the late afternoon light.

High above again, Dash rose, worrying about the stallion and the exotic mare. She had smelled perfume, or scented oils of some kind burning in her house. Plus she'd been NAKED! Who cares if she wore some kind of loincloth to cov-

Thunderlane cleared his throat, and flew closer to Dash's side wearing his own worried look. "Look, Dash. The thing is- well, uh. I can't exactly keep teaching him everything alone and all. Not if he's going to pass those entrance exams you talked about. So, um. Well, it's just-"

Worried about Dusk and embarrassed at being worried, Dash snapped at the meek stallion. "Enough stammering, Thunderlane! Just say whatever it is that's on your mind already!"

Shocked out of his nervous stutter, Thunderlane straightened up and blurted out what had been on his mind. "I want to ask for permission to allow Rumble to start tonight's storm. It's a small one, but it would really do him a lot of good to get in a little more practical experience!" Realising he'd been shouting in the end, he blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I, umm... sorry, Dash. I just thought it'd do him some good."

Something in the way Thunderlane went meek again after bursting out in frustration amused Dash. So much so, she couldn't suppress it and just let loose. At first, Thunderlane was frustrated by this, then he started to get worried when Dash kept laughing so hard she began struggling to stay aloft. At last, she got a grip, and straightened up, nodding to her second. "Alright, Thunderlane, alright. I'll give you that leeway. He can help tonight. The shower tonight will be small, so if you can keep him on a short leash, I'll allow it."

As soon as Dusk turned away from the door, Zecora held out a hand for the bag hanging from his shoulder. “I do not mean to be the one to disturb, but may I please have every single herb?”

Dusk was shocked at just how forward she was, and started second guessing himself. But as those rich teal eyes rested unblinkingly on him, he found no reason to question her intent, and unslung the pouch, holding it out for her. “I was able to gather all this from our new pharmacy. If things like this are hard for you to gather, you need only come to us in town next time and ask. I’m sure we can find a way to make a deal. Maybe if you gathered us rare herbs you can find in the woods?”

Zecora opened the pouch, inspecting the four herbs, specifically pulling out the root, rolling it between her fingers, unable to hide a smile. “Clean, peeled, pressed and sealed. Not even a hint that it might be congealed, this will prove to have fantastic yield.” Placing the herbs onto a clean wooden platter, Zecora turned back to face him again. “An exchange? That I don’t find very strange. Be it knowledge or herbs, I have a very high range.”

Relaxing a little, Dusk watched as she moved back to her deep stone hearth, pushing it open and letting the heat pour forth. From a sack he hadn’t seen beside the hearth, she very selectively pulled out two handfuls of black coal, expertly throwing them all into the roaring fire before wiping her hands clean on the bag. Turning back, she lifted a heavy iron cauldron upon the hearth, the sound of sloshing liquid inside. Next, she lifted one of the dozen earthenware pots off the wall, pouring it empty before looking back over at him. “The root, if you please, dice into squares as small as peas.”

Stepping up to help her, Dusk fetched a knife from what lay out on the counter, quickly rubbing it clean in two passes over a clean piece of cloth before he began chopping up the root into as small of squares as he could while trying to word his next question. “May… May I ask you just what you’ve got planned with this experiment with the lotus? Ponies have been trying to find any solution to the negative side effects, through any number of attempts to reduce or alter the drug results in making the horrific side effects worse."

Zecora almost froze up for a moment at his question, before drawing a heavy three foot wooden spoon from a hook on the wall. Thrusting it into the slowly bubbling heavy pot, she began to stir while staring into the quickly darkening liquid as the powder blended in. “A question I have for you, have you tried lotus too?”

Dusk winced, but if honesty was to be the course of this truce, he had to follow through. "A few weeks ago. A cadet who had been charged with my care had a fatal wound, and the gift of healing magic is impossibly rare. With all my power, I've only ever managed to master healing papercuts and other tiny wounds. The medics came to me, because their patient was the younger sister of one of the medics. I took the Black Lotus, and I healed her."

As he continued to chop, Zecora let go of her ladle, stepping over and suddenly placing her arms around him from behind, pulling him very gently into a hug. Dusk was shocked as the pressure of her large breasts pressed into his back, but struggled to remain focused on carefully chopping the root. This was made harder as she placed one hand over his face, and another over his heart, shoving it under his loose shirt. Sensitive points where every one of her fingers touched tinged under the pressure of her fingers, and she whispered into his ear. "You need not fear, it seems your magical pathways are clear. Curious this, but your body isn't amiss."

Realizing she'd somehow tapped into his energy, his magic, with only a touch to the pressure points of his body, Dusk was astounded. A million questions sprung up, and he struggled to organize and suppress them, sorting out only the most important for now. "My magic? I... well, I was about to find it again by copying the way a friend of mine drew at her magic. I sort of- well, I was able to sort of see the pathway she was drawing her magic from in my head, and followed it myself. You can really tell all of that just by touching my face?"

"No stallion, not just your face but also the flow of your energy, and my does it race. It pounds strong and clear, a roar, not a hiss. Impressive for one who so recently tasted bliss." Releasing him and returning to her ladle, she again resumed stirring. "Tell me the truth, and make it clear: did you pierce the veil?! Have you visions without peer?"

Stunned, Dusk stared at her for a while, slowly shaking his head. "’The veil?’ Forgive me, I was too concerned with fitting back into my own tiny body. I’m not hurting anypony else. The things I saw were all wild, uncontrollable chaos... at least, until Pinkie came and sat with me. She was the stability in the flow, and I was able to hold onto her like a sorta... like a mental rock. A placeholder in reality I could depend on no matter how much everything else distorted. Her and the cold water, and the searing pain in my back."

"A shoulder ache? How odd! Most only talk about dreams of being a god." Scratching her jaw for a few seconds, Zecora was quietly lost in thought. Stepping over and snatching up the platter from him and inspecting the chopped roots with care, Zecora poured them into her slowly bubbling cauldron, returning the wooden board and giving him a smile. "Use a mortar and pestle and grind the Calidrom flowers whole, with only the yellow petals of the Lorvitta flowers in a bowl. Give me the stems along with the Snap Bean, do not peel them, I do not need to see that scene."

Wilting under the growing heat pouring from her roaring hearth, Dusk finally removed his sweat-drenched shirt, hanging it on an empty hook on the wall and moving to do as she'd ordered. The Lorvitta stems were plucked of their petals and added to the pound of beans, then placed into a spare empty bowl and passed to Zecora's waiting hand. The mare examined a random stem, chewing thoughtfully at it for a moment before giving a happy sigh, spitting on the dirt floor. "You selected fine herbs, young sir. What is your name? The day has been a blur."

"I'm Dusk Shine, student of Princess Celestia and new magistrate of Ponyville." Grabbing the heavy pestle, Dusk began grinding the yellow petals together with the whole Calidrom, a paste of vivid yellow quickly forming.

"Dusk, I see. Then a truth for thee. The lotus drink we brew? It does more than any knew. It opened the mind like no other. It makes all able to see a hint of the true mother. Beyond the veil, lies the true tale. Of a mother above all she prevails."

Confused as he struggled to translate her words into something more logical and less mythical, Dusk lifted the churned yellow mess for her to examine. "So... you want to know who, or what came before? Before Princess Celestia and Luna... before the old empires. Before history itself?"

Sticking a thumb into the mess, she pulled it back and gave a sniff before nodding at him. "This is indeed a proper blend, I'll take your good mood as a sign your friend will mend?" When Dusk gave her a nod, she smiled. "I wish your friend no ill will. This research is my only true thrill. I wish to see what will be. But managing that will not be easy. In fact it makes me feel a little queasy. The goddess mother holds her veil close, and nopony can handle more than one dose."

Stepping around Dusk and grabbing yet another earthenware jug from the shelf, she sniffed it and licked a fingerful of the contents, nodding in satisfaction and throwing it too into her brew. "Have you never seen the need to use the eyes of another? A sister? A mother or your other secret lover?"

Stunned, Dusk had to watch her for a while before he finally decided she'd been asking a question, not revealing some secret insight into the hectic days he'd been dealing with recently. "Thinking about it, I'd love to be able to see through Dash's eyes. To know what secrets made her try to pull a con like that with her budget." Fanning himself with one hand as she continued to stir a now gloopy concoction, the bubbles still formed just under the skin. "I have a mare friend, call her 'D', and just after my recent promotion, she handed me a stack of paperwork months overdue to the mayor, but suddenly ready the moment I'm in charge. The numbers and math are all logically sound, but she is well under budget, and yet everypony on the force has identical hours of overtime to the second. It... it worries me because we've become so close recently."

"So then I ask, my fair scribe, doesn't her affection appear to be a bribe?" Zecora continued to stir the concoction with the heavy wooden ladle, as it thickened on the roaring hearth, she soon needed a second hand to assist with stirring the thickening brew.

Dusk was shocked, almost insulted at the suggestion. "No, not 'D'! She's just not that kind of mare. She might make a mistake and try to piece together a rushed solution, but she'd never be the type to use her body as a bargaining chip."

Zecora grinned at him, drawing her hands from the pot and picking the lid off a thick earthenware jar. The scent hit Dusk like a sledgehammer, and instantly he found himself drooling against his will. She'd crushed the lotus petals into a fine dust and the smell coming from her jar set his sinuses on fire. As she began to tip in the grounded black remains, she gestured for him to take over stirring for her before speaking again as she very slowly mixed in the black powder. "So already you see something from her eyes, she'd never do that you protest. You know she is not one for you to despise, of that you can contest. Maybe this all is simply a mess and she can't even possibly confess?"

Slowly nodding, and struggling to ignore the need to scoop out the tiny flakes of dust that lined the new empty jar, Dusk leaned back against the wall, still watching her as she continued to mix. "I... I want to believe that, Zecora. But the money, the paperwork, the numbers. They dance in my head. I've seen the team work. The idea that somepony as busy as Thunderlane put in the same amount of overtime as a mare with a foal and a second job like Derpy? It just doesn't mesh. A mess she had to rush to explain? We did have that horrific storm. Do you mean she had to rig the schedule to pay for dealing with that?" Zecora simply gave him a shrug and placed a lid upon the cauldron, waiting for him to continue to piece the idea together. "It does make sense. Some were probably on days off. Even holidays. But she needed everypony she had on hand to handle a storm that bad. Oh... and I've been thinking she'd simply pocketed the bits for herself."

Zecora walked over and sunk a hand deep into his sweaty hair, fondly scratching at the curve of his head while gazing into his eyes. "Much simpler, yes? No big cause for distress. A mare simply doing her best to let the stressed have a faithful rest. Go home, and don’t you foam, for our brew must stew for a month, maybe two. I say ado, but still admire you. So return should you wish, I'll make up some kind of dish. As for our barter, we will see what we can charter. Coal is best. It’s far colder than I'd guessed."

Realizing he'd been dismissed, Dusk fetched his shirt and pulled it on again. Looking around her thin cottage, Dusk hesitated, then plunged in. "If cold is what you detest, and you need a proper rest, come stay by my side, the fire in my heart has never died. My little girl Barb needs coal to stay at her best. But should you come near some better garb, I'd suggest."

Arching a brow at him, Zecora considered his rhyme before giving a nod. "If you offer it would be my delight. Thank you scribe, until next we unite."

Barb couldn't believe the crowd as Lyra shook hands with the earth mare from Princess Celestia’s escort. The fact Dusk and Celestia were missing never seemed to phase them, it was all cheers and clapping even general laughter. The fact that a unicorn won, and that the odds-on favorites had both dropped out no longer mattered. Then Celestia’s representative had allowed Mayor Mare to take over and soon the Celebration began to move away. Behind her chair on the alley, Barb heard two voices talking, but a hush fell over them, and no wonder! Whoever had been talking she couldn't see, but as Princess Celestia emerged from the alley, they’d have had good cause to fall silent.

Barb hopped from her chair pouting a little. "I kept your chair warm, princess. But you missed the end of the race!"

The princess laughed gently, bending down and scratching the dragoness beneath her jaw with a deft finger tip. "My apologies, dear little friend. One of my retainers brought me news about how badly hurt Bronze Feather was. I went to check in on her, but Cadence has arrived and taken over. The poor mare will need a few weeks, but she's better now. And she has Dusk to thank for that."

Barb nodded more seriously, and then looked up with delight at the sound of roaring wings, and as one, twenty pegasus guards gathered before the stage. Stepping up to join them, one stallion knelt before the princess before offering her a letter. "Magistrate Dusk Shine sends word, Princess. He has solved the question of the smuggler. In short summary, he has determined that she is no outlaw, but a wandering priestess of the zebra tribe. He sends word that her stock of illicit herbs have been accounted for, and asks permission to give her special permission to possess and use such herbs as her research allows, as long as she remains in good standing.”

Amused, Princess Celestia arched one eyebrow and accepted the letter, skimming over it briefly before folding the paper up and handing it to one of her handlers. “Dusk, you are always finding new ways to amuse. Very well. If your people are done here, we will need an escort for Bronze Feather’s return to Canterlot; Princess Cadence says the mare is still very weak. If half your number will stay to assist with that, the other half? We fly for home in twenty minutes.”

Barb sighed and stepped in beside the princess again, biting her lower lip and shaking her head a little. “I wish you could stay longer, princess… You and Dusk never seem to have time to just sit and talk.”

Cupping the dragoness’ chin, Celestia scratched under the curve, smiling warmly down at her. “It’s alright Barb, I find even our occasional conversations deeply enlightening. Now run along home, I’m sure Dusk will return soon, and you’ve been gone far too long already.”

Dusk waited for the last of the guards to take to the air, then slipped an arm around Applejack’s hips, resting his head against her shoulder. “So she gave me some advice, but beyond that, we really just barely even talked. She did make a few suggestions, and hinted at some other things… I… I think I can trust her, AJ. She’s very odd, and talks in riddles and rhymes, but she shows a lot of wisdom and insight.”

Leaning against him in return she gave a shrug and sighed. “A priestess of the zebras... It hits me as strange, Dusk. I hope you’re right trusting her, but you’ve got a good head for ponies.”

Dusk shook his head, enjoying her soothing words. “You’re kind, AJ, but I’m just doing my best to make things work. Did Mac and Granny give you a rough time about today?”

She winced a little, rubbing at her still tender earlobe, but at last grinned. “You know, I got a real earful from Granny. And Mac… well, Mac just looked disappointed. You know him, he doesn’t talk more than he has to. I think I’m probably confined to the farm, if you or Rarity aren’t around to keep me in check, for a few weeks.”

Dusk couldn’t help it, the idea of her being grounded was simply too much, and he had to laugh. “And here I thought…” A giggle and a snort slipped out. “I thought Dash was the bad girl!”

Applejack winced at first and started to draw herself up in an attempt to be offended, but finally gave in to the humor of it, shaking her head. Looking up to the sky, she saw the dancing members of the weather team collecting clouds high above and spreading them out roughly evenly above the town. Relaxing she gestured with a nod towards the soaring pegasi. “What about Dash? Have you finally decided what to do?”

Dusk smiled a little, giving a shrug. “The truth is, I already knew. Bronze told me the same thing that Zecora did today. I need to go talk to Dash, admit that I was thinking ill of her and let her know that I understand. Maybe she can come to me in the future when things go wrong.”

Applejack laughed openly, enjoying herself and shaking her head. “Dash? Ask for help? Unlikely! Maybe to help with a stunt or the like, but that’s about the most you’ll get most days.” Thinking back to the afternoon, she scratched her jaw. “I suppose you’re right. Dash and me compete too much, that’s gotta be a huge part of why she doesn’t come to me for help often. You’re different. I think you might do better.”

Dusk sighed, and finally made himself stand up, leaning up to kiss her cheek. “I’d better go then, before I get you in trouble for spending too much time with city boys who cause nothing but trouble.” Winking to her, he turned, heading back to town.

Dash spun around and dove, the thrill of free flight made her whole body itch with excitement. "Forget the Running of the Leaves! Forget any race or competition anywhere! This is real! Nopony can beat me in an open sky, and for tonight at least, I rule this sky!"

The cold winds didn't even bother her, but as she dove through a heavy cloud in order to split it in half, memories of the wonderful silk of Rarity's birthday gift returned. "I need to break that out more often. Most of winter, really. Can't believe how well she made it." That thought brought back the weight of reality and her confrontation with AJ at the finish line. Things were unsettled, and it left a weight in her stomach she really didn't like. Twisting back, she surveyed the clouds, watching as the last few drifted into place and gave Thunderlane a solid thumbs up.

At her signal, he blew a few quick notes on his whistle and as one, the weather team returned home. "Thunderlane, you and the kid can handle the rest. Me? I've got plans for tonight!" She didn't even salute the distant stallion as she turned for home. He'd asked hours before, and he'd get his request. "Let's just hope the kid can handle doing something small this time."

Soaring over Ponyville, Dash headed for home. The home that Ponyville had given her anyways, she was going to change that, starting tonight! Just as she started to dive back towards the ground, a lone figure sitting on her front step made her freeze up, and look around for anypony else she might have missed.

Dash twisted defensively behind a cloud and bent around it to get a look at the stallion on her doorstep. Her heart now beating at a rapid pace, and her mouth suddenly felt thick and dry. "Dear Celestia! It's Dusk! It's Dusk, with PAPERWORK! It's Dusk, with paperwork with my signature on it! Crap! CRAP! CRAP!"

Guilt and shame reddening her cheeks, Dash flew free of her shield and descended to the ground, approaching her house at a walk while folding her wings against her back. Dusk was busy writing some notes on a sheet of parchment, and only noticed her when she stopped in front of him and cleared her throat. Shocked, he jumped a little In place and looked up at her, a little sheepish. "Oh! Sorry, Dash. I finished some paperwork after visiting the smu-" Dusk stopped and corrected himself, now looking twice as sheepish and a little flustered, making Dash wonder just what had happened in that zebra's hut. "Zecora gave me a lot to think about. Most of all, how if you look at a situation from a different angle, you realize that what used to look like an embezzlement or forgery might really be somepony just trying to fix some out of control problem that was dumped in their lap."

At first she was confused, then she was angry at the accusation implied in his words. When she started to stride towards him, ready to rip him a new one, she was cut off, as Dusk thrust a folder up at her, smiling. "Here, Dash. I wanted you to have a copy of this for your records. I was shocked how quickly you put together so much paperwork about Ponyville's weather team when I first took over as magistrate, but you did a fantastic job. When you're ready, we can talk scheduling for the winter sometime."

Stunned and accepting the offered papers, Dash stared down at him, able to summon up only one thought."You.. liked my paperwork?"

Dusk shrugged up at her and gave a grin and a wink. "I'm glad you got Thunderlane and Rumble’s help, but considering the fact you put together nearly a year’s worth of reports in only a few days? I'm impressed. The fact is, even with winter approaching, I factor you coming in at almost 20% below budget. Is that because you are always pulling extra shifts and you're paid on salary, not wages? Maybe. Regardless, we need to get a few more bodies in place in the future, Dash. It's safer for everypony anyways if they have a friend watching their back, right?"

Finally catching on, Dash's face light up, and sat down on the step at his side, nudging in against him as she placed the paperwork in her lap. "Thanks, Dusk. I’m glad you've got mine. I hope I can repay you sometime?"

Dusk shrugged, but kept smiling, and leaned against her when she sat down, opening the second folder and displaying his own sketches. "I also said some mean things about your house. Your suggestion of building a proper home for a weather captain made me wonder just what could be done. I've only been to Cloudsdale once, but they have a massive hospital there and it's built so anypony can safely visit since so many doctors are unicorns. Based off that, I sketched up a silly kind of idea based on that while I was waiting..."

Dash looked down and over the cloud home Dusk had sketched together, and had to struggle to resist laughing at his crude understanding of the rules for building solid objects into a cloud. "Well, first of all, you don't have nearly enough support built under the staircase from the ground, up to the main cloud. I mean, I'm no architect, clouds or not, but even if you build the staircase from wood, it'd be really fragile in a sharp breeze. Besides, you don't even have a retaining pool, and where are all the rainbows!??"

Dusk blushed, but Dash was too distracted by the light white flakes that began to collect on his hair and shoulders. As a single flake fell past his nose, and landed on his lower lip, she couldn't help herself. She leaned in and kissed the white flake away. When she sat back, he stared at her, slack-jawed. Reaching into his vest, she pulled out the feather quill he always kept hidden there, and quickly drew in a crude holding pool and two arching rainbow support streams. "Now this? This could work. And you did a good job, left plenty of space in case I need to host some guard patrol or ... dare I say? The Wonderbolts?!!"

Flushed in the cheeks, Dusk simply stared back at her, and lifted two fingers to stroke over his lips. Distracted by her daydreaming and drawing on the sketch Dusk had started, Dash only noticed he had moved closer when he placed a hand around her hips and leaned down to look at her work. "Alright, holding pools and rainbows. I saw those in Canterlot, but never realized it was that important to the construction of a good house. What else?"

Enjoying the feeling of his arm around her hips, Dash leaned in against him in return and gave an overly loud hummm of consideration. "Well, I'll have to build in support beams on the main floor so I can put in wooden floors for when you guys wanna visit. No reason to make my house inaccessible to my best friends, right?"

Laughing along with her, Dusk leaned in closer and nodded, rubbing his cheek against her own. "Mmmh. Very good point. Maybe double the size of the master bedroom, put in a shower, maybe even a full bathroom just for the master suite? And make the downstairs living room into a meeting room for the weather team's meetings; that way you can have everypony in one place all at once?"

Dash handed him the quill and let him make the changes, while more snow collected on their shoulders. In the distance, she could hear Rumble's cry of excitement at a job well done, and Thunderlane's attempts to congratulate the colt, but warn him to keep it down. She ignored them and looked back to Dusk, his eyes burning with creativity, even as he lowered his quill and looked at their rough design for her new home. He looked up back into her eyes and grinned. "Well, what do you think? That's quite a nice house, right?"

Cupping his chin with one hand, Dash leaned in and kissed his lips again, holding it this time so he could return the tender moment. Pulling free and resting her head on his chest she laughed a little and nuzzled his throat. "That's not a house, Dusk. It's a home."

Luna reopened her eyes, smiling quietly and rolling over the bed, wrapping her arms around Silk’s neck. “A strange day in Ponyville. But Dusk managed to find a way through. And who would have guessed that poor flightless filly could pick Lyra out as being odd? Do you think we should watch her more?”

Silk had only just laid down, and at Luna’s mild affection, she felt herself blushing again. “Filly? Do you mean the girl… oh, what’s her name? Scootaloo? Maybe she just spends too much time around Dusk and Rainbow Dash? Both are suspicious and inquisitive. I doubt she’d have really made Lyra out this quickly.”

Luna shook her head, resting a finger on her spymaster’s lips. “She might not know it yet, but she’s already very suspicious. For that alone, I must give her great credit. She is added to the list. Besides, she is a filly, she daydreams a lot. It’s easy to check in on her.”

Author's Notes:

Zecora is fun. Zecora hurts to write. Dash is cute. Dash/Dusk is cute. Dash/Fluttershy is cute. I hope you all like.

Oh, and Scootaloo is cute too.

See you all next time in: Interlude 7: Winter / The Mail Mare!