Saturday, April 9th, 11 am, Fluttershy’s Cottage.

Fluttershy carefully adjusted the woven basket to rest its weight on her hip as she approached the root cellar door, the iron frame a fantastic upgrade that helped keep her critter friends out so she could properly manage their food in the winter. Dusk's suggestion to have it automatically lock on closing and to put a push knob on the inside meant that all she had to do was lean her hip into the door, and as long as she was against the knob, it popped open no matter how full her hands got. Stepping out into Harry the Bear’s room in the basement, she was immediately surrounded by excited, noisy critters, all clammering for a treat after her extensive checkups this morning. “Plus, if you little cuties swarm me like this, I don't have to worry about making sure the door closes. Now you guys give me space! The others upstairs earned their treats just as much as you did!”

Carefully threading her way through the collection of excited critters, including at least two ferrets, any number of squirrels, a woodchuck, three skunks, and one grumpy badger, Fluttershy happily sighed as the metal door to her root cellar gave that satisfying clunk as it locked. She still worried one of the critters might someday get too eager and try sneaking through the open door when she was stepping out, and kept an eye on it to make sure none of them got hurt by accident, even though Dusk had assured her the mechanism was sensitive enough that even a kitten's tail would be enough to stop it from shutting. She had yet to see it happen and was determined to prevent that from being tested. Besides, it still worried her how exactly Dusk knew that. He'd never tested that on some poor kitten... right?

The staircase was awkward, even with the basket on one hip to help keep her balance as she climbed the stairs sideways, taking her time and reassuring the little critters they would be even happier to get their treats when she had them ready. The extra food she had packed into the wicker basket just in case Angel needed it meant she was out of breath when she finally stepped into her living room, and needed to lean against the wall to rest for a moment.

“So you're really going to abandon us to run off to Cloudsdale? Now? When the greenhouse is just reaching the perfect time to harvest carrots and tomatoes!? Harry's no good with tomatoes, you know that!”

As if to dispute the bunny’s point, Harry pushed his arms through the open greenhouse door, placing another of the wicker baskets on the floor at Angel’s side, using one long, deft finger to carefully push the basket past the hare until it rested against Fluttershy’s feet, giving her a silent little wave.

Giving the titanic bear a grin, Fluttershy reached through the door to the greenhouse to scratch his cheek just where she knew he loved it, earning her a huge dopey grin. After enjoying the attention for a few moments, the silent titan pulled away and walked quietly back into the depths of the greenhouse, the rake in his paw looking like a child’s toy. Fluttershy put her basket up on top of the icebox so only the craftiest of the squirrels could steal some of the acorns inside. Returning to Angel’s side, she knelt down, shooing her critter friends away from the basket of tomatoes and pulling it protectively into her lap. “Now Angel, you know I'll only be gone for two days, three tops, if Dad is feeling good enough for visitors. I promise I'll let you know right away if I'm going to be delayed, and Amethyst promised she'd come over once a day to help you with feeding the critters, so it's not like you’re all alone!”

Looking conspiratorially over her shoulder and around the crowded house, Fluttershy leaned in closer. “Besides, I heard from Jack the Rabbit and Hopper that Lady Argyle is courting again, couldn’t you invite her over while I'm gone?~”

A less hungry squirrel took advantage of Fluttershy’s lowered stance and shot up her dress, using the hidden wire of her corset to quickly scale her back until he could perch on her shoulder. The chattering little fellow rubbed his bushy fur against her cheek before launching into a rather aggressive speech about the quality of food and clean beds that Fluttershy provided them with, as if chiding the scowling hare, something that Fluttershy couldn’t help but laugh at, even if she did so behind the protection of her hand.

Huffing as he puffed up to his full height, Angel stared down the talkative little rodent, snapping back. “Yeah, sure, and same to you, bub! She had to teach you how to store nuts for winter! What kind of squirrel can't even store nuts without help!?” Turning back to Fluttershy, he grumbled, tightening up his shoulders and crossing his arms as he hunkered down. “Besides, if I'm going to be doing all your work, when would I have time to prepare for a date?”

Trying to head off an argument before they got carried away, Fluttershy stepped closer to Angel and cupped his cheeks in her hands, massaging the tips of her fingers into his jaw on both sides while humming a soothing song to calm the little squirrel leaning against her cheek. When both lost the will to argue, she cupped Angel’s chin and softly tapped the tip of his short snout. “Tell you what, Angel. What if I pay for you to have a spa day? Get Lotus and Aloe to give you a full bath, massage and grooming? They’ll even fluff your tail up special, just for your date. What do you think?”

Soothed by her song and tender scratching fingers, Angel looked wary, shifting in place while still keeping his arms crossed over his chest defensively, looking back at her from the corner of the eye. “Well… I suppose. But you know neither of them are half as good as you are at fluffing my tail.”

Giggling softly to herself, Fluttershy raked her fingers through his tail bob, giving the fur a gentle fluff. “How about I fluff it for you now, and you can go ask her on the date? That way she can see your tail bob at its best today, then after your spa day, she can see you with a more casual tail fluff during your date?”

Humming gently to himself, Angel let one ear cock higher, looking up at her again over his shoulder, unable to help but get excited at her offer, even if he was trying to sound as if she were putting him out. “Well~ I suppose that would be okay…”

11am, Train Station.

Pacing over the well-worn grass between the train platform and Derpy’s mail barn, Redheart’s posture spoke volumes about her disposition. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her tail constantly lashing side-to-side angrily, scowling at Dusk openly as she crossed over the path time and time again while they waited for Derpy to unlock the barn. Finally, she turned on a heel, pointing an accusing finger at his chest. “You didn’t even give me a chance to consider before offering her a trip to Cloudsdale! Now if I say no, I'm the villain! Regardless of the safety concerns, the fact you have only tried the spell twice and anything else you might claim about the proven efficiency of the spell or the ease of maintaining it won't change that fact! What happens if you get drunk? Or somepony smashes a lamp over your head? Will the spell keep going when you're unconscious, bleeding in a ditch?”

Unable to help himself, Dusk lifted a finger, clearing his throat. "Well, first of all-” Even as he began to prepare what he considered a very important and instructional counter-argument, he noticed Redheart's eyes widen and the fury creeping into them. Breaking off suddenly, he coughed again, finishing off the counterpoint in his own mind while giving her a sheepish smile. “...they don't have ditches in Cloudsdale, due to the nature of how most of the city is built; only in three parks and the University of Cloudsdale garden do they have enough dirt for a ditch to be necessary.”

Restarting his attempt to explain himself, Dusk tried to be more considerate than he'd started originally. “I want to apologize, Redheart. I only finished rebuilding the spell from notes and scraps this morning, and performed my first tests on the spell a few hours before the gathering. I hadn't even considered the possibility of inviting along Scootaloo until she started to beg Rainbow Dash to bring her…” A flash of sudden inspiration sang out and he found himself continuing into a very different topic. “Besides, this would be a positive experience for her in regards to her growth, since most pegasi by her age have been naturally using their magic to walk on clouds without even thinking about it for years. This would be a good learning experience for her, even if she was too busy running around like a foal to realize it.”

Redheart’s frustration was clear as day to Dusk. Huffing out a sharp breath, she lifted her hand, ticking off her fingers as she snapped off her conditions. “First of all, this never happens again. If Scootaloo is ever involved in any new project you’re working on, even tangentially, you ask me first - *no* exceptions, Dusk! Secondly, you need to promise me there is no way she'll be allowed somewhere out of your sight, regardless of how long-distance you think you can maintain the spell. And thirdly! If at any time, you think you'll be in any risk of the spell failing, you'll get her to one of the safe places up there. If you have to sneeze, I want her on one of their walkways first!”

Lifting his hand to mirror her dramatic countdown of conditions, he reiterated her orders with careful rephrasing. “First: I will do my very best to maintain a professional approach to any future encouragement related to Scootaloo, remembering that occasionally I get carried away with my experiments.” That statement alone earned him another scowl from the nurse, but his track record of getting caught up with projects made him cautious about promising her too much when he was sure he would only end up with this shoved back in his face.

Ticking off his second finger, Dusk pressed on before she made up her mind to cut him off. “Secondly, excluding any activities around a location with proper walkways or visits to the facilities, I can assure you this is a condition I have no problem with. As for your final requirement, I can assure you, the magic drain on this cloudwalking spell is so low, I can keep it going for weeks on end, even in my sleep.” The fact Redheart clearly didn't look at all convinced by his final promise of how easy the spell was to maintain hurt Dusk’s ego a little more than he wanted to admit, but he rushed on to keep a grip on his current momentum. “But I can assure you, Redheart, that we will stick close to the walking paths; the clouds are still quite awkward to walk on.”

Redheart clearly didn't quite look fully convinced by his counteroffer but let it go, stepping in close to him so she could thrust a finger into his face. “Just take care of Scootaloo, Dusk. Or even Celestia won't be able to help you.” Giving him no chance to answer, the nurse stormed off, still obviously in a huff.

With a delighted cry from the always-excitable Derpy, the warehouse door finally opened. Moving to his side, the mail mare tugged the package free from under Dusk’s arm and used one of her wings to support it as she cradled the solid cube on her shoulder. Humming happily as she wandered back to the storehouse, she paused just long enough to look back over her free shoulder, giving him a happy grin. “So what's in the box, Dusk? And why doesn’t it got any openings? A box without a way to open it isn't very useful, you know! It’s been ages since you had me deliver a package instead of getting Barb to send it!”

Dusk was not really sure how to handle himself around Derpy. Since the one night he had been over to stud for her and Amethyst, he had been trying to avoid the friendly mail mare, and even now it worried him that she was so casual about the whole affair. Her question about Barb and the package stirred him from an internal monologue of attempted casual conversation starters, and Dusk stumbled over his answer. “O-oh, Barb’s already in Canterlot visiting Philomena; she’s kinda like a mother to Barb. She tried for years to hatch Barb's egg before I was finally able to. As for the package, it's an annual update to the census of Ponyville's population. The Magistrate’s council will use the information I collected to determine how much money the kingdom directs towards Ponyville, including partial funding for the school, the hospital, and funding for other services. I sealed the box with a spell to hide the seams, as if any of the paperwork inside is lost, it could cost Ponyville a lot of funding.”

Cocking her head as she quickly rushed over to the mail cage, staring back at him still as he lingered in the open doorway. “Ohhh. That is important. ‘Cause that's where my pay comes from too, right?”

Embarrassed by the obviousness of her comment, Dusk coughed into his bunched fist and gave her a sure nod. “Yes, err… yes, that's about it exactly, Derpy.”

Nodding affirmatively with whatever her own thoughts might be, Derpy opened the lockup and settled his package right near the door, taking her time to write down a note about it. Her attention was never fully fixed on just the page, and she gave a quiet giggle, waving him over. “Oh, Dusk! Stop standing out there in the door! I need to rearrange some packages and get them ready for the noon train! Get over here, we haven't been able to talk much recently, and I miss your company!”

Derpy’s happy-go-lucky, carefree smile was heartwarming to Dusk, but he still felt so awkward around the mare. Gripping the doorframe for support, he slowly stepped inside the massive warehouse, trying to word his concerns politely, without sounding prudish. “I know, that- well, that's kinda my fault, Derpy. It's just, well, after Amethyst’s heat, I wasn't sure… I don’t know how to act around you anymore. You’re so casual, so are we just friends? We slept together, and I acted as a stud for your mate, but does that make us lovers? I know I'm probably making a big deal out of this, but it's something I've never had to deal with before.”

Instead of any response he might have predicted, the mail mare made a tick on her clipboard and moved a small pile of parcels to the stack she had already formed by the cage door before settling the sheet of notes down on top of the packages. She folded her hands behind her back and leaned forward, narrowing her eyes at him, giving him a speculative, inquisitive look. The oddness of her offset eye would have made him feel more anxious, if it had not been balanced by her cheerful expression. “Oh, wow Dusk. They really do teach you to be serious about breeding in the noble’s quarters, don't they! We had sex! It's not like we want to form a herd! You did us a favor and if you're comfortable, when Ame’s next heat arrives, we'll invite you over again. If you aren't, well… there's always...” And here Derpy stopped so she could raise her hands to make quotes in the air. “The spa.” Stepping towards him, she slipped her hands around his hips and hugged him, before continuing to talk. “Several stallions do private breedings, but it's just not as nice as knowing the sire personally.” Leaning back from the hug Derpy put a hand on his arm. “Because with you, we know you're a good stallion who means well, is good at the smart stuff, and aren't just in it to make a few bits.”

The merry mare, with her soft grip on his arm, brilliant grin and straightforward, happy nature, radiated simple good will that he simply couldn’t ignore. Unable to help himself, Dusk put a hand on her cheek and kissed the top of her head, drawing her into a hug, his free hand rubbing her lower back. “You’re right, Derpy. In Canterlot, or at least in the noble sections, the suggestion that a stallion might breed with a mare not in his herd was heavily frowned upon. I remember stories of businesses going into debt after unexplained foals were sired, and other foul things like that.” Memories of his recent talk with Octavia brought back equally annoying memories. Frowning absently, he muttered on. “Some of the even more snobbish members will blacklist a pony just for choosing the wrong mate.”

Derpy frowned, gently hugging him with her wings as he talked, a little sigh the only other outward sign of her change of mood. “That, I've experienced. Dinky's grandsire… he spent years trying to prove I was nothing more than a hired breeding mare who'd destroyed any proof of a breeding contract. He finally gave up bothering Amethyst about bringing Dinky back to their ‘real family’ a couple of years ago.”

Looking down at Derpy while maintaining the light hug, Dusk saw a flare of something in her normally innocent eyes he had not seen before. An anger that simply felt wrong on the playful mare. But his own keen memory would not let him ignore the other day at Diamond Tiara's Cuteceñera, and the stallion that had been talking to Dinky. “A… an old unicorn? Likely in his late 70’s with a dull gray mane and tail, but a vivid blue horn, probably artificially dyed? Very downplayed outfit matching an old style from the unicorn nobility?”

The ever-cheerful Derpy vanished as Dusk described the old unicorn, her hands falling off his sides to hang while her wings drew away, folding down against her back. Her voice openly quivered, but her eyes were firm, watching him. “That's an awfully... accurate description, Dusk... just how do you know him?”

The defensive yet threatening tone that had suddenly jumped into Derpy’s voice, as well as her accusation, had caught Dusk so off-guard that it sent his mind reeling. Instinctively, he just pointed towards the Rich’s manor. “He was talking to Dinky at Diamond Tiara's Cuteceñera and she looked upset, but I didn't want to make a scene asking why. I've been meaning to get time to question her privately. Is he-” A thousand questions sprang to mind, but Dusk pushed those of heritage and legality aside for the most important. “-dangerous?”

Derpy’s defensive new attitude didn’t shed quickly. She followed his every movement with her eyes as best she could, while listening to his explanation. By the end, she was just calming down, but her normal smile still felt distant. “That sounds exactly like Dinky's grandsire. I wish she'd told me. He's never had the gall to try and approach her directly before. I'm sorry, Dusk, but he's got connections everywhere. He’s had judges wrapped around his horn and was pushing every way he could to steal Dinky from me, even before she was born. I think he even has a magistrate or two helping him out.”

That gave Dusk pause. He'd never heard anything about a corrupt magistrate in recent years, but he was well aware of how they use their influence often for one reason or another. He, himself, was shocked by the financial influence he could have over Ponyville, if he wanted it. Immediately he recalled all the financial help he had given to Dash regarding the weather team, including diverting some of his own finances to help pay for her mistakes… “A magistrate willing to abuse the law for somepony is very unethical, but you’re right, Derpy, it does happen. Do you want my help? I'm sure I could speak with Shining Armor or even Princess Celestia if necessary to find a way to get him to leave your family alone.”

A harrowed, sad look overcame the quiet mare, and she audibly sighed, putting a hand on his arm and squeezing gently, at last smiling a little. “Just- just forget about him. I never want to see him again and other than that one night, he's left us alone for years. Let's- It's time to just move on.”

The suggestion they simply leave the old stallion be, and hope he continued to avoid any more public confrontations with Derpy’s family didn't sit well with Dusk. He had studied so little of privacy law and harassment, but now he began sorting through the scant details he could quickly recall, trying to build a quick mental list of what few books he had on hand. “Another matter to look into on my own time then, Derpy. I can't leave a friend to suffer some old fool’s abuse.”

For Derpy’s sake, Dusk gently squeezed her arm and offered her a small grin, nodding encouragingly. “Then hopefully he will respect your wishes, Derpy. But if he is ever an issue for your family again, tell me, Derpy. I have connections, and they're all yours.”

The mare gave him a gentle smile at last, her tail softly brushing his hip as she began to truly relax. Looking back up at him again, she giggled before answering. “It's just too bad you've got such a large herd already, Dusk, or I swear I'd steal you away and give you to Amethyst as a birthday present!”

Audibly clearing her throat as she stepped into the doorway, Bronze Feather raised a hand to snap off a sharp salute. “I'm back, Dusk. Rainbow Dash is well on her way to Cloudsdale, and everypony else in town is abuzz about some cloud trick you pulled…?”

As Dusk looked at Bronze, he could already feel her eyes inspecting him. It was something she and Dash seemed to do often, detailed examinations with their keen eyes looking everywhere. Perhaps it was simply a pegasus thing, but the worried look and her intense stare together were simply too much. “I- oh Celestia, Bronze, just- blink, breathe, do something other than dart your eyes around like that, please! I can't take it!” Wrapping his arms around his belly to hold back the unexpected, raucous laughter, Dusk struggled to stand upright, wiping the backside of his hand to dry tears of laughter from his cheeks.

Dusk's unexpected laughter clearly confused Bronze, as she stepped back from the door frame, putting a bit of extra distance between them, still staring at him and inspecting his every movement. “What?! I'm not even doing anything this time, Dusk! Honestly, what’s so funny? I don't get the joke!”

Suppressing the mental image of Bronze as a smothering mother hen, intensely double-checking on her chicks, Dusk straightened back up, wiping away the last few tears from his cheeks. “No, I'm sorry, really I am, Bronze. It's just, well I've been planning to ask you to watch over Ponyville for the next few days, while I'm gone, and then you return from escorting Rainbow Dash off towards Cloudsdale, only to immediately start doing pretty much exactly that. It was just-”

Bronze had relaxed a little as Dusk tried to reassure her, but at his suggestion that he was leaving her and going somewhere, the mare scowled openly at him, interrupting him as he carried on. “Leaving Ponyville? Wait, why? What's happened? Is Ponyville under threat? Has something happened in Canterlot?! Don't tell me another dragon’s invaded!”

Derpy frowned, putting aside her clipboard and moved quickly to Dusk’s side, her open concern hardly subtle as she placed a hand on his elbow. Dusk resisted the urge to start laughing again, seeing how concerned both mares immediately became, and squeezed Derpy’s shoulder reassuringly, giving her a moment to relax before pulling free and walking over to Bronze’s side. “No, nothing at all like that, Bronze, really. It's just, I've discovered a spell that will allow for a small group of ponies to cloudwalk, and going to Cloudsdale to support Rainbow Dash during the Young Fliers Competition feels like a fantastic idea for a vacation I can treat the other Elements of Harmony to while things are still quiet. Summer is coming, and that means Rarity and Applejack are soon going to be far too busy for any kind of extended time away from Ponyville.”

Bronze looked both proud and disappointed, unsure how to react or respond; for just a moment she hovered uncertainly, her mouth slowly opening as she started to form a reply before cutting herself off, and trying again. “I-I'd be honored to watch over Ponyville while you're away, Dusk. You can rest assured that I'll do my best to make sure that everypony is well cared for during your absence. Besides, Ponyville didn't catch on fire last time you were away, I'll be fine!”

Dusk relaxed a little and gave Bronze’s hand a squeeze, stepping in close so he could brush their cheeks together in a tender nuzzle. “Thank you, Bronze. I've already written up a short list of the few things that you'll need to deal with when I'm away. Nothing important, really, except a meeting with Mayor Mare and the business community to renegotiate their Bazaar rental fee schedule for the summer. You'll just be there as an arbitrator in case the two sides can't come to a mutually agreeable contract.”

Bronze had blushed deeply at the close physical contact, before stammering out a reply. “I’m sure that I can... handle... tha- wait, wait a second, Dusk.” The pegasus shook her head as though she was trying to clear her thoughts, before giving him a confused look. “You have to arbitrate contracts between the mayor and the business community? Why!? That doesn't sound like a normal part of a magistrate’s work!”

Dusk was about to offer her a more detailed explanation when Derpy plopped down her clipboard again, moving a pile of twenty parcels on a cart from the cage to where they stood talking at the door and cut into their conversation. “Are you kidding!? Ponies are ecstatic that Dusk’s finally here to act as an arbitrator for things like this. Normally that would be the mayor's job, but since she also owns the bazaar, that's a huge conflict of interest. Plus, business owners want the bazaar fees to double, but ponies who run stalls in the summer think costs are already too high, and I agree! Sometimes Amethyst sells her knitting at a booth in the summer, and the fees almost make it too expensive to be worth the effort when we could just sell the knitting from home instead!”

Clearing his throat and coughing a little into his balled fist, Dusk was impressed by Derpy’s rather succinct explanation, and wasn't ashamed to openly admit as much. “Dear Celestia, Derpy! I think you said that better than the explanation I'd prepared. Good job!”

Grinning back at him, Derpy shrugged, picking up her checklist and going over it one last time. “Well, it’s important to Amethyst, so I made sure to memorize the argument she made last ye-”

The sudden ear-piercing cry of an approaching train whistle drowned out Derpy’s voice, making both the sensitive pegasi jump in shock. His own ears ringing, Dusk scowled off towards the train platform and raised his voice so he could hear himself over the ringing in his ears. “Dear Celestia, how do you deal with that all the time, Derpy?!”

But Derpy was already in a panic, rushing back into the cage and picking up an armful of loose packages, rushing back to stack them up onto the already-full cart, the whole time openly crying out her despair. “Oh, no no no no! I'm late! I didn't even hear the first whistle! Oh! The conductor is going to be so mad!”

As Derpy attempted to pile the loose packages on top of the already-full cart, Dusk looked back at the other loose packages and made a quick mental estimate, before stepping in and gripping the handles of the cart while Bronze knelt down to scoop up the packages that had fallen off the pile. “Derpy, you and Bronze should be able to carry the the rest of the packages, I'll take the cart and make apologies to the conductor for you.”

Looking back at him over her shoulder, Derpy took a deep breath to steady herself and smiled a little. “Thank you so much, Dusk, Bronze. I'm so sorry for causing you both trouble, really!”

Taking a firm grip on the overloaded cart, Dusk used a simplified version of Shining Armor’s shield spell to contain the packages, so he wouldn't need to fetch up any that fell out. Then he ran, glad for the well-worn rut from the mail warehouse to the train station, making his path easier.

Just as he crossed the threshold of the warehouse, Dusk couldn’t help but smile as he heard Bronze attempting to casually question Derpy. “Really, it's no problem, Derpy. I don’t mind helping at all. Oh, and why were you and Dusk talking about herds? Hunting for a live-in stallion?”

Noon, the outer boundaries of Cloudsdale’s ever wandering borders.

“This is real living, this is true freedom, available only to those who breathe the wind.”

Dash twisted her right wing a quarter of an inch, twisting her trajectory to spiral off into a nosedive, turning against the breeze just to feel the thrill of it blowing through her hair.

Her feathers danced as they cut the air, picking up speed, faster, harder. She turned herself into a deeper dive, a sharper angle, a headlong rush with the ground.

Her backpack shook, in spite of how tight she had pulled every single strap. The wind found gaps and forced its way in, making the sealed buckles rattle as they shifted and pulled at their bonds.

With her goggles pulled down to keep the blinding breeze out of her eyes, Dash pushed herself to the edge, her wings screaming with every flap for her to drive past her limits, past the barrier that roared in her ears and made her blood boil.

She had even done it, once. She remembered that pressure, the stress that made her spine scream and crushed her lungs. She wanted that again, wanted just for one second to feel it again.

To once again be the Sonic Rainboom. To be the one with speed and sound and light in all its colours.

Against the impossible barrier, Dash threw everything she had. She heard raspberry, tasted lightning, and saw nothing but blurs as the ground passed under her at an immeasurable rate. Straining with all her will, bending back against the muscle-rending pressure, she beat her wings one more time, one last push, one final lunge of speed face-first into the wall…

And the barrier stood. Just like every other time before, it wouldn't let her through, tossing back her greatest efforts as if they were a futile attempt to break down a wall with a handful of water.

That, more than anything, hurt the most. As desperate efforts were taken to stabilize her flight and get back on track towards Cloudsdale, Dash still lingered in her memories of the moment it had let her in… a moment the barrier had opened and she'd heard every color and soared effortlessly on a wind powered by the thunder in her veins. The Sonic Rainboom. Her Sonic Rainboom.

12:30 pm, Ponyville Bazaar.

Dealing with the train’s conductor for Derpy had been another reminder of how some ponies simply liked to shout… and how Bronze’s rather physical approach to solving problems could be helpful, on occasion. When the conductor had refused to listen to Dusk’s explanation, and returned to red-faced screaming while jabbing a finger stiffly into Dusk’s chest, Bronze had very politely bent his ear back, until he quieted down and acknowledged Dusk and Derpy’s attempts to atone for the delay.

Leaving Derpy to ride the train unescorted had worried Dusk, but she had gently assured him that even she couldn’t possibly lose the contents of a box with no opening. In the end, he capitulated to her logic and left her be. Instead, he and Bronze began walking mostly without purpose through the bazaar once they had return to the town proper, discussing a few details of other minor matters Bronze would have to deal with while he was away.

“Dusk, do you really think Dash needs your support? She's been training so hard for the Young Fliers’ Competition, my wings were starting to go numb from trying to keep up with her. Trust me, if she isn't the best competitor in the show, it's only because Princess Celestia put on a disguise and joined in for fun!”

“I don't think Dash needs anypony’s help, but I still want to be there for her, Bronze. Just like how I want to be there for your Ordeal of Knighthood. Even if I can't help you during the trial, I want to be present.” As he spoke, Dusk had to seriously consider her remark for a minute before deciding that was simply impossible. “No, I don't think either princess could fool anypony, unless they've mastered some sort of shape-shifting magic. Even Princess Cadance towers over most pegasi by at least six or eight inches, not to mention that she’d have to hide her horn. Now, a changeling has natural magic that would allow them to sneak in, but Shining Armor's guards know plenty of spells to detect them."

Bronze was quiet for a few minutes, staring at him and slowly shaking her head in disbelief. Finally, she asked a simple question. “Do they regularly use those spells? I've never noticed them running around casting anything big around the training grounds or barracks.”

“Honestly, the most common spell they use is a light spell they teach all unicorn guards very early on, allowing them to patrol at night without using any invasive magic. It also gives every guard a way to search for changelings during their routine patrols. It's even a very low drain spell. Most adult unicorns can maintain the spell all night without stress.”

Bronze seemed to relax a little as they talked, her wings folding flat against her back. Taking a deep breath, she linked an arm with him and pressed her side against his as they continued to walk. “I've been thinking about your time in Cloudsdale, Dusk. You should visit the Rainbow Factory. It's probably the only relic left of the Old Empires the pegasi brought south during the Great Exodus. I really think you'd get a kick from the ancient architecture. And who knows, you might even be able to make sense of the old magic carved into the walls.”

That caught Dusk’s attention, and he suddenly lit up at her suggestion, gleefully squeezing her hand on his arm. “You're absolutely right, Bronze! Detailed documentation of the factory exists, but even from the perspective of a unicorn's magic, it's been at least a hundred years since Abra Kadabra wrote her thesis on how the ruins process ambient magic and turn it into raw rainbows that pegasi can handle easier. If somepony else has done any fresh work since, I have never heard of it.”

As they crisscrossed the bazaar again, the familiar voice of Flitter called out playfully. “Bronze! Just the pony we wanted to see!”

Cloudchaser looked up from the sugar coated oat treats on display at the booth they had been lazily inspecting, a mischievous smirk spreading as she heard her sister's words, quickly joining in on Flitter’s game. “Oh that’s right, Flitter! So we heard that you were Shining Armor’s squire? We keep meaning to talk with you about that! Not to mention that you’re his little brother’s bodyguard now. Dusk, you don’t mind if we borrow Bronze for a while, do you? We just want to have some mare-talk, completely harmless, honest!” The wink and smirk Cloudchaser gave Dusk told him that the talk would be anything but that.

As if suddenly wickedly self-conscious of the fact that she was holding Dusk’s arm, Bronze stiffened up, blushing darkly. As her back straightened up hard and her wings puffed out in spite of her struggle to hold them tight against her back, she hissed to Dusk in a low whisper, “Help me!”

Dusk struggled not to laugh at how poorly Bronze had reacted to the implication the twins made. He let his eyes quickly search the bazaar, trying to quickly find something to distract the mischievous twins from escaping with his Vicarius. The sudden sight of Thunderlane’s distinctive dark magenta-gray wings as he crossed the bazaar, obsessed with a note in hand that could only be a shopping list based on the basket of food staples he carried in his other hand gave Dusk a spark of inspiration. He pounced on it before the twins could do more than pry Bronze’s grip off his arm. Placing a hand on Flitter’s shoulder, he redirected the twins’ attention. “Oh, I don’t mind, really. I have to ask though, do you two know how Thunderlane’s been recently? I’m sure with his brother gone to Cloudsdale, he’s probably been lonely. It seems like that might be changing, though. Maybe he’ll have time to live as a bachelor now, without a little brother around to get in the way of him trying to find a mare.”

Like one creature, the twins turned to look where Dusk’s idle gesture with his chin had directed them, discovering together that Thunderlane had paused at a booth selling freshly baked rosebread. The young earth mare behind the counter was unsubtly toying with her hair as she spoke to the stallion, who so far appeared to have totally missed the look in the mare’s eyes, or the fact she had undone the top three buttons of her shirt just as they started talking. The twins, however, did not miss it, and were suddenly falling over one another to excuse themselves. Cloudchaser began backing away from Dusk and Bronze, repeatedly looking back over her shoulder at the distant stallion. “Well- it's, um.. not like we don't have more to talk about, Dusk, Bronze… but er… a mare needs to keep an eye on her coworkers. Can't let Thunderlane get himself ripped off by some trollop using her looks to distract a distraught stallion from how much... she's… umm… she's overcharging him. Yeah…”

Flitter seemed to have entirely forgotten that Dusk and Bronze were there. She nearly shook with rage at the blatant flirting, balling her fists up as she followed after her sister, in a far less subtle mood. “She hasn't put in the years of hard work like we have! She never even foalsat Rumble!” If she said more, it was lost as she trailed after her sister, rushing as stealthily through the crowd as they could to Thunderlane’s side. To the stallion, it seemed as though they had suddenly popped up out of the crowd. Flitter stole the shopping list from his hand, and Cloudchaser took his basket, both sisters using the moment to ambush the stallion with a kiss on the cheek. Before Dusk’s eyes, the normally-collected stallion was rendered a confused and nervous wreck. The last Dusk saw of the trio, the twins had each linked an arm with Thunderlane, and were leading him away from the booth, towards another part of the bazaar, Flitter’s wing extended to cover Thunderlane’s back.

Feeling a little guilty for his part in the sudden ambush, Dusk muttered quietly under his breath. “I'm sorry, Thunderlane. I promise, I'll find some way to make this up to you.”

Bronze had gone silent, and had replaced her hand on the crook of his arm, so Dusk let her be for now, leading her across the bazaar one last time, deciding to explore the last row before heading back to the library. Stepping around a booth, Dusk was shocked as, from a dozen booths away, Pinkie began hopping up and down, waving excitedly. “Hello Dusk! Hey Bronze! How are you guys doing! I'm picking up supplies, you?!”

As boisterous as the excitable mare was, it was not a shock when most of the ponies around turned to look at what had her so excited. Attempting to downplay Pinkie’s neverending energy, Dusk pointed to the row of houses that bordered the bazaar, calling back to her in a calmer voice. “If you'd like to talk, why not meet us by that house, Pinkie? Over there we would be out of everypony’s way.”

A bundle of excitement, Pinkie saluted him in return, before crying out ever louder. “Okie dokie, Dusk-a-rooney!” She returned to the vender she'd been busy with, trading coins for some clear blue liquid Dusk could only infer was for some cleaning project or another.

Escaping the bazaar was easier than Dusk had worried. While most of the booths were packed close together, they only had to go down four or five spaces to find an empty spot, stepping through to escape the heavily populated rows to the longer grass that marked the obvious perimeter. Remembering a proposal from the mayor, requesting the city fund a wall or fence around the crowded marketplace, Dusk nearly laughed to himself at the thought. “It isn't even proper summer yet. Any fence built this year would likely need replacement in the next five to make room when they inevitability expand the space allocated for the bazaar.”

Checking on Bronze, Dusk was glad to see she had finally relaxed, and had released his arm to look over the nearby booth of polished metalwork, picking up a brass piece and examining the workmanship. Fascinated with the work, she looked up at him, beaming. “This is a surprise, Dusk! This must have been the work of a student of old Box Kicker, the supply sergeant for the Royal Guard in Canterlot! See these rivets? And the interlocking layers with these perfectly round bolts? He liked that stuff, ’cause if you did it right, you could set the armor down on the bolts so it stood balanced and could be cleaned or repaired without needing to worry about it tipping over.”

The fact the mare was examining a bowl and not a piece of armor didn’t appear to bother her in any way, so when she shoved it into his hands to examine, he turned the brass mixing bowl upside down, drawing mental lines between the rounded tips to see if her statement about how the bowl would really sit flat without having a flat bottom. Impressed as he connected the dots, he found that it really would sit flat despite its rounded base. “You have an eye for metalwork, Bronze?”

The mare laughed, shaking her head. “Not really, I just got plenty of punishment duty polishing spare metal armor in the barracks as a foal, and after a few months you started recognizing a blacksmith’s work.”

When Dusk looked up from the brass piece in his hands, he realized that Bronze had already moved on. Currently she was looking at a dense iron stove, so Dusk set down the bowl and turned to look back to where he had last seen Pinkie. She hadn't made it much further, quickly exchanging a few coins with another merchant and finally stepping between the booths, waving excitedly at him. “Dusk~! Sorry! I just found the perfect seasoning for a welcome back cake for Rainbow Dash! Did I make you wait too long?”

Watching Pinkie as she hopped on one foot between the booths and scrambled over to the protective cover provided by the shadow of the houses, Dusk relaxed a little, shaking his head at her happy hops when in a tight spot, her goggle-eyed expression, which still somehow held a devious smirk, and … and… and the wild wag of her tail, spasmodically wiggling in such an odd way. Confused by how hard her tail was shaking, Dusk didn't see the flowerpot on the sill overhead slip off its shelf.

Noticing it too late, Dusk only had the time to gasp for a breath, his lips straining to cry out a warning as the heavy clay pottery came crashing directly for her head… and without even looking up, Pinkie took a single step to the side, while her tail continued its frantic dance.

Able to only stare slack-jawed with the protective bubble spell dying on his horn, arms outstretched, he tried in desperation to find a way to understand how she could so casually sidestep something she couldn’t have possibly seen. Pinkie seemed to take that as an offer to hug, and she swept him into her arms, lifting him off his feet to plant a happy kiss on his cheek. “Dusk, you’re so quiet. What's wrong? You're never this quiet!”

Panting to regain the breath Pinkie’s arms had so enthusiastically squeezed from his lungs, Dusk again pointed, this time at the crushed flower pot on the grass behind her. “Pinkie! What in Tartarus was that!? First your tail goes berserk, and then suddenly you dodge that heavy ceramic pot without even looking up at it!”

Settling him back down on his feet and gently reaching up to ruffle his hair, Pinkie grinned, looking down at the broken pot and lost flowers as if seeing them for the first time. “What? Oh, that? That’s cause my Pinkie Sense warned me I needed to beware of falling objects, silly!”

Author's Notes:

Finally getting into the most difficult chapter to write of the story so far. Pinkie is a nightmare to write properly sometimes so placing no bets on the development time of the next chapter.