Tuesday, April 12th, Noon, Fluttershy’s Cabin, Ponyville

Buttoning up the last two bright yellow buttons of his brand new baby blue vest, Angel Bunny looked at the mirror two squirrels held propped up for him. He ignored their chittering commentary as he smoothed down the ruffles that had formed in the vest. Looking over where Harry the Bear delicately stirred a vegetable broth with a spoon many sizes too small for his giant hand, Angel exasperatedly questioned, “Well? Are you coming or not? Bronze said Fluttershy is finally coming home and you haven't even changed!”

Sniffing several times deeply at a spoonful of the strewing soup, Harry gave a light and guttural grunt, reaching behind his back where the tiny baby alligator Gummy clung to Harry’s stubby tail by the strength of his toothless jaws. Plucking the young gator free with a sharp - but gentle - yank, Harry put the spoon to Gummy’s muzzle, rumbling softly.

When Gummy only stared passively at the rich broth, Harry shook his head slowly. When Harry looked over at Angel, and the rabbit sighed, hanging his head. “He still won't eat? Fluttershy’s not going to like that. I had a little luck with honey last night, did you try-”

Harry rolled back his lip, eyes narrowing at Angel while grumbling again. He lumbered over to place the unmoving baby gator on the kitchen table before pointing one claw at Angel and letting out an unhappy growl. Wincing at Harry’s blunt phrasing, Angel straightened up and grinned. “No, of course not. Maybe Fluttershy will invite Pinkie Pie over. If she can't cheer him up, nopony can.”

As Harry vocalized his approval, Angel adjusted his vest one last time and turned away, heading for the door. A sudden and aggressive snap stopped Angel in his tracks as what felt like a set of jaws slam shut just behind his back, setting off a twinge of instinctive panic, shooting up his spine and making the hair on his back stand on end. Turning around slowly to look behind his back, Angel found himself staring eye to eye into the wide, unblinking, and passive purple eyes of Gummy, who was latched onto Angel's immaculately fluffed tail.

Frozen stiff in panic, Angel’s eyes shot to look at Harry. “Ummm, Harry? A little help?!”

Looking over from his simmering broth, Harry stared for a moment at Gummy, then turned to ponder at the empty spot on the counter where he had placed the baby gator, scratching at his head with one heavy claw. Dismissively grunting, he shrugged, waving a paw boredly at Angel. Shivering in fear, Angel stomped a foot, struggling to keep his cool. “I know he's been clinging to you all day, but he's nearly my size! Besides, its my tail! I spent four hours grooming it this morning! Lady Argyle says it's the best in Equestria. And. He's. Chewing. It!”

Letting out a low rumble that could be mistaken for a laugh, Harry waved a paw at him before returning to stirring the thick broth. Blushing furiously, Angel switched tactics and began pleading for the giant’s help. “I know he doesn't have teeth! That doesn't make it any better!”

When it was clear that Harry the Bear had no plans to intervene, Angel grew desperate and turned to the little gator, attempting to convince him to let go with logic. “Look, I'm not as big as Harry, I can't carry you like he does! And it's a long walk to town! You'll have way more fun here. I'm sure you can convince Harry to share his honey with you if you just ask for some!”

The little gator simply stood there, staring impassively back into Angel’s eyes. His tail gave a single, uninspired wag. Angel could feel the drool from the alligator’s mouth seeping into his tail fur. When Gummy made no move or noise after five seconds, Angel surrendered to his fate. Taking a firm hold of the baby gator’s hand, his voice was strict as he began heading to town. “Fine, fine. But don't you dare tug on my tail! And stop salivating so much! It's just creepy!”

12:10pm, Cherry Berry’s blimp, en route to Ponyville

Sitting beside Applejack, as Rarity dozed on his shoulder, Dusk enjoyed the calm flight as the airship drifted sedately through the clear skies. But it was impossible for Dusk to miss the nervous way Applejack sat in her chair, strapped down with every belt the seats had, including the ones normally reserved for heavy turbulence. Dusk looked up to the bow of the ship to see Scootaloo and Cheery Berry, deep in conversation, before looking back to Applejack. The way she gripped onto the the wooden frame of her seat made it seem like it was her only chance at survival. Her discomfort was so intense that she was accidentally warping the armrest due to her strong grip.

Hoping to distract his nervous lover, Dusk reached over, extending his long fingers to the thick muscle of her bare left upper thigh, tickling across the tense skin. Her reaction made Dusk glad that she normally wore shorts. With a shocked start, Applejack jerked in her seat, pressing her back straight against the chair frame. Her startled voice was full of surprise as she stared at him, her blush deep red against her freckled cheeks while her eyes shot open wide. “Du-Dusk! Stop that!”

Cracking a smile at the tremor of a giggle and grin that Applejack offered him, Dusk took a risk, sliding his fingers slowly down her leg, dancing across the powerful muscles until he found the sweet spot, in the joint behind her kneecap. The moment his fingers found that soft spot, Applejack uttered a girlish giggle, catching even Dusk’s adventurous side off guard.

Taking a moment to check to make sure that Pinkie and Fluttershy hadn't noticed the noise Applejack made, Dusk moved his fingers along the sensitive joint, tickling with only the lightest dance of his fingertips, being careful to avoid shifting himself too much and waking Rarity. “Oh? So I finally found a way to calm you down, love? Well, maybe I should continue until you calm down enough to undo one buckle...” Playfully cocking his eyebrow, Dusk added in a little more pressure, caressing at the soft spot. “For me?”

Writhing in her seat, Applejack pressed her knees together, trapping Dusk’s hand between them. She squirmed around against the extra-tight safety belts she had fastened, despite Cherry Berry’s reassurances that they were not needed. Starting to tear up and cry from the struggle of not laughing out loud, Applejack managed to wheeze out a cry of surrender. “Ok, ok! Fine, you win Dusk! I'll remove one belt. One. But then, we should- should talk about something, alright?”

Relenting his assault on the soft spot on Applejack’s powerful leg, Dusk sat back, giving her taut thigh a gentle squeeze before resting one hand on her arm. Applejack took a minute to catch her breath, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. Dusk smiled at her, before saying, “Of course, Applejack. What's bothering you?”

Unclipping one of the shoulder straps that lay across her chest, Applejack breathed levely to calm herself down before squeezing Dusk's hand. “So uh-- Dusk, I got a cousin called Braeburn who lives way down south in Appleloosa. And his farm is having one heck of a bad year, got half his orchard flattened by rampaging buffalo. He asked if me an' Mac could help... but I was wonderin’ if you'd like ta come along for a... ummm... bit of private time together?"

Interlocking his fingers with hers, Dusk reached back into his memory to recall the most recent map of the south that he had catalogued. “Appleloosa? That's quite a ways south. I believe that would take even one of the new express trains nearly twenty hours, if I recall correctly. And a stampede took out their orchard? Even with their long summers, do you think they'll be able to get the harvest up and running properly, even with your help? It's a very dry region, Applejack. I doubt somewhere so remote has its own magistrate. Should I start the paperwork to order them emergency support? Some food shipments to smooth over the summer until their harvest rolls in?”

Cocking her head as she looked at Dusk, Applejack’s surprise at how far ahead he was already thinking lasted only a fleeting moment before she threw her head back in laughter. “Dusk, there ain't no need for that. Me and Big Mac are prepping some right drought resistant apple seeds for their orchard, and I'm going along to personally deliver him my pride and joy, Bloomberg. Between me and Braeburn, we’ll get his dang farm up and running properly again.” Applejack’s grin lingered, and she adjusted her grip on Dusk’s hand. “But it’d be nice to get some time alone, together.” The hope in her voice was impossible for Dusk to miss, and he smiled at her reassuringly.

Shifting his weight a little while taking care not to wake Rarity, Dusk leaned over to gently kiss Applejack’s cheek, his warm voice a soft whisper down her neck when he spoke. “If we can arrange it all to line up around Pinkie’s birthday and the Grand Galloping Gala, I'd love to go visit your family with you, Applejack. Seeing such a distinct small town at the far edge of Equestria would make for a fantastic comparison study with places like Ponyville and Canterlot.”

Rolling her eyes at Dusk’s obsession over a new silly project, Applejack kissed his forehead in return, chuckling. “Well, I suppose if the only way to get you to come is by having you do some silly study as well, Dusk, then that's a price I'd be willing ta pay.”

1pm, Rarity’s Boutique, Ponyville

Pacing back and forth across Rarity’s lawn, Redheart again turned to scan the clear sky overhead, cursing under her breath. After a few moments, she turned to glare at Bronze, who sat on the steps of the boutique, working on some paperwork on the portable desk in her lap. The guardspony had shown up to her door this morning with a letter, saying that there’d been an accident in Cloudsdale regarding Dusk. She’d been sparse with the details, irritatingly so, but Redheart had been relieved to hear that nopony had been hurt, and that Dusk was fine as well.

However, Redheart also knew, again from the letter, that Dusk’s spell had failed. And she was going to skin him alive.

Exasperated with the calm way that Bronze just kept writing, Redheart threw up her arms in frustration. “You can't be serious, Bronze. You're not just going to keep calmly doing paperwork with everything that's happened! Not when you can't even tell me who gave you the damned letter!”

Looking down at her paperwork, Bronze rolled her eyes, knowing the tempestuous nurse couldn’t see her do it. She remained silent for a moment, and continued to write with her small portable inkwell, adjusting the desk to balance on one knee while she stretched out her other leg. Finishing a line on a report, she finally looked up at Redheart, and spoke. “I'm not calm, Redheart. I am absolutely livid with our dear, idiotic, foalish magistrate. But after serving under Shining Armor, having notes with the Royal Spy’s sigil show up unannounced right before your eyes has become a frustratingly regular event. So I'm finishing my paperwork, because it distracts me from just waiting for him to get back. And when he’s back, if he hasn't broken anything important, I'll snap his bloody neck.”

Grinning again as she realized that Bronze was upset with Dusk as well, Redheart rubbed her hands together eagerly. Cracking her knuckles, she turned back to face the sky, now grinning widely. “That's more like it, Bronze. I swear I'll give you a turn… but only after I finish with him.”

Nodding sharply at Redheart, Bronze returned to her paperwork. She was glad that the nurse was too distracted by her anger at Dusk to really question her cover story. “I’m just glad that she didn’t ask what one of the Royal Spies was doing passing through Ponyville… But it is handy having one of them stationed here. And thank you for the letter, Lyra. Celestia knows Silk wouldn’t tell me anything unless her life depended on it.”

Growling to herself again, Redheart returned to pacing the lawn, huffing in frustration. “Will they ever show up? Maybe Dusk realized how much trouble he’s in. If he’s smart, he’ll stay away until I die of old age!”

Realizing she would never complete the rest of her paperwork as long as Redheart continued ranting, Bronze signed her current letter off in a sweeping signature, blotted the paper and slipped it inside the desk. Sighing, she turned to gaze up into the sky, focusing against the sun's glare. Once she shaded her eyes, it was easy to make out the black shadow of an approaching airship. “They’re already nearly here Redheart, so stop being so impatient. Given their speed, they can't be more than two kilometers out at best.”

Turning to look where Bronze had, Redheart stared directly into the sun for as long as she could manage before, with a curse, she turned away and rubbed the tears of strain from her cheeks. “Yeah yeah, pegasus eyes, I get it. Stop showing off. If you can see them, I'll take your word on it. All I can see are damned black spots!”

With precise pressure on the edge of the inkpot, Bronze drained what remained of the ink in her quill. She used a small and well-stained cloth to dry the tip of the quill before putting them both aside so she could recap her inkpot. Securing them all inside the portable desk, Bronze found the hidden locks with the tips of her fingers, sliding them in place with a reassuringly solid click that always made her feel better. Standing up and slinging the packaged table across her shoulders by the carrying straps, Bronze turned to look back to the sky, then around town, grinning slightly as a familiar group and their guardian approached from the school. “I know you're upset at him, Nurse Redheart, but here comes Big Mac and Scootaloo’s friends. At least try not to swear too much in front of Sweetie Belle, okay? I'm sure Apple Bloom's heard worse around the farm from Applejack, but Rarity will have your tail if Sweetie picks up bad habits from you."

Ready to reply with a smart remark in return, Redheart looked in the same direction as Bronze, and chose instead to simply let it go. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to calm down and shake the nervousness out of her tense arms as four fillies approached at a run, full of laughter and giggles. “Are you sure they should be here, Bronze? If Dusk got hurt too badly, it might not do them any good seeing it.”

Shaking her head, Bronze offered Redheart only a shrug. “They’re all alright. The worst the note mentioned was that Dash’s hands were badly torn up during a duel in the competition.”

Speeding ahead at a full sprint, Apple Bloom easily beat the other fillies to the yard. The little farmpony was breathless, but excited. The youngest member of the Apple clan grabbed Bronze’s hand, tugging at her enthusiastically. “Featherweight told us he could see Cherry Berry’s ship! Is it nearly here? Can you see mah big sister yet?!”

Trying her best to keep her irritability at Dusk out of her voice, Bronze straightened up and pulled her hand out of the excited filly’s grip. She laughed nervously before pointing towards the sun. “Nearly, Apple Bloom. See it now? They're getting low enough you can make the ship out just below the sun.”

Walking with a calm purpose, Big Mac arrived well behind the fillies, a simple bag slung over one shoulder. Offering only a mellow smile, the towering stallion settled in near Redheart and Bronze, resting his back against the frame of Rarity’s door. He nodded at the two mares before quietly saying, “Afternoon.”

But where Apple Bloom had been energetic, Dinky, Twist and Sweetie Belle were much better behaved. Stopping a few feet away, Dinky lingered back, but Sweetie Belle and Twist stepped right up to Redheart, with Sweetie holding the edges of her dress and curtsying low as they both cried out at the same time. “Miss Redheart!” “Good morning!”

Doing her best to offer the young fillies a smile, Redheart gave her a much more subdued bow in response. “Good afternoon, Twist, Sweetie. Did you enjoyed staying with Apple Bloom on the farm, Sweetie Belle? I hope you didn’t give Big Mac and Granny Smith too much trouble.”

Laughing with delight, Sweetie Belle covered her mouth with both hands to mute an ungraceful snort. “I never climbed so many trees before! Apple Bloom needed a lot of help to catch up on her classwork, though, so I didn't get very far ahead in mine.”

Placing her hands on her hips and turning to stick her tongue out at Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom didn’t even try to hide her open disappointment. “I told ya we could have gone and jumped in the hay loft last night, Sweetie! That report isn’t even due until Friday anyways!”

Distracted, Twist walked a few steps aside while Sweetie and Apple Bloom talked, but sprung to stand up at her full height, tail wagging excitedly as she greeted the next set of arrivals. “Mithter Cake! Miththith Cake! Oh Celethtia! Did you pick a name for your foal yet?”

With one arm around his wife’s hips, Carrot Cake beamed with the pride of a soon-to-be father. While the visibly pregnant Cup Cake had always been pleasantly plump from a lifetime of trying her own sweets, the easily visible increase had only added to the grinning mare's cheerfully glowing and giddily motherly nature as she gently stroked Twist’s hair. “Oh no, not yet, Twist. But we just came from seeing Doctor Horse, and have the best news! Do you want to guess, girls?”

The restless fillies quickly got caught up in the excitement of the couple, abandoning their previous conversations to cluster together before the couple, all shouting eager suggestions.

“You're having a colt?!”

“No, it'th gotta be a filly!”

“Three fillies!”

“Two fillies and a cake?!”

Befuddled, Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom, placing her hands on her hips. “Wait... ponies don't give birth to cakes!”

“They can so! Mr. and Mrs. Cake are proof of that!”

“Now now, young fillies! Let the expecting mother answer before you keep guessing! I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you all if you give her a chance!” Approaching from the town hall, Mayor Mare was accompanied by a clerk carrying a heavy bundle of scrolls awkwardly balanced in both arms and clumsily fumbling with the bulky mess.

Turning as one, the four fillies respectfully curtsied for the mayor, with Apple Bloom fidgeting with her right foot in the grass while Dinky answered first. “You're right Mrs. Mayor. Sorry Mrs. Cake, what's the good news?”

The blushing and slightly befuddled mare looked over the fillies for a moment to make sure they were all done and listening before finally releasing her breath as a sigh and trying to keep calm. “You're kinda right girls. It's not just a colt or a filly. We're gonna have one of each!”

Behind the fillies, in an open patch of grass, a familiar glow of raspberry magic swelled up and caught Bronze’s eye. But before she could even make the connection already forming in the back of her mind, the laughing cry from a mare above their gathering pulled her attention to the sky above. “Hey you all, lookout below! Dropping some dead weight!”

Holding Dusk with both hands as she glided a dozen feet overhead, Rainbow Dash threw her head back with laughter. She let go of Dusk, releasing him directly over the pink mass he had prepared. While the airship slowly passed above them, Dusk impacted with the pillow of mana, a slow puff of wind mixed with magic spreading out around him. Straightening up easily out of his landing, Dusk rushed swiftly forward, snagging Mr. Cake’s hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “I just heard the great news! Congratulations! It's simply fantastic luck to have not one foal, but one of each!”

Flummoxed by Dusk’s rapid arrival and cheerful mood, the gangly baker could only shake Dusk's hand in return while nodding dully, eventually managing to mutter a gentle response. “I- er. Well thank you, Magistrate. It’s- err… good to see you too, Magistrate, and, uh thanks?”

Redheart and Bronze were much faster to react than the distracted stallion. Closing in on Dusk as a pair, Redheart started first, jamming a finger into his chest. "Celestia give me the strength not to boil you alive, stallion! Where in Tartarus is Scootaloo? And what were you thinking?!” Raking a hand through her hair in frustration, she hissed, seething anger boiling up as she continued. “How'd you manage to drop the spell?”

Rushing to land nearby, Dash swiftly tried to come to Dusk's defense, still a little breathless and giddy. “Red, calm down! Scootaloo’s fine, really! She was super brave and tried helping Fluttershy save Dusk like a real hero.”

Bronze, from her side of Dusk, ignored Dash’s defense and took a fierce grip on his bicep with one hand, looking like she was ready to start dragging him away. "You're a mad fool of a stallion! I'm going to lock you up in the library and you're not leaving my damn sight for a week! I don't care what else happens, you are getting some rest. You and your brother push yourselves too hard! Dear Celestia, he actually kept going one time, three days with no sleep, until Cadance pinned him in his room with her magic."

More than a little shocked and overwhelmed by the surprise attack, Dusk attempted to defend himself. “Redheart, Bronze Feath-”

But already in a fury, Bronze clearly wasn’t in a listening mood for his excuses. "No, you just shut up! I'm not going to let you even try to weasel out of this! I can't use magic, but I sure as Tartarus can pin you down physically, tie you up, and barricade the doors and windows if you make me!”

As much as Redheart wanted to help Bronze drag Dusk off to make sure he actually got some rest, Redheart needed answers, and pushed past Dash, grabbing Dusk’s other bicep. “The point is she was never supposed to be in danger or have to be ‘brave’, Dash. So until I see my Scootaloo and get a full, acceptable answer from Dusk, he isn't going anywhere!”

Calling out from above in a winded and desperate tone, Fluttershy’s soft-spoken but endlessly hopeful voice interrupted the others from above. “Wait, Redheart, just~ just wait a second, please!?”

Looking up to where Fluttershy glided down towards them, the heavy load she had strapped to her chest was instantly identifiable by vivid dark pink hair. Grinning with glee, Scootaloo fought against the belt Fluttershy had restrained her with, leaning forward to wave ecstatically at her friends while crying out as loudly as she could. “Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle, look! Dinky, Twist, Redheart! Fluttershy is helping me fly!”

Thrown off balance, Redheart broke off as she felt relief flood into her at the sight of Scootaloo, who did her best to beat her wings to assist with Fluttershy in the awkward, unbalanced flight. Whatever had been bothering Scootaloo before was now gone, and she gushed with delight, continuing to call to her friends the whole way down.

Off balance from watching Scootaloo’s first ‘flight’, Redheart simply watched slack-jawed and dumbfounded for a minute as the filly and Fluttershy made it the rest of the way to the ground. As soon as she landed, the pair were instantly swarmed by Scootaloo’s excited and noisy friends, full of questions, while Fluttershy was left struggling to remove the makeshift harness. The first to reach Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle leaped eagerly into her friend’s arms, her voice standing out above the others. “Scootaloo! Welcome back! Was Cloudsdale as exciting as everyone says? Did you get to meet a Wonderbolt? Or watch Rainbow Dash fly with them?”

Laughing as she hugged Sweetie Belle back, Scootaloo did nothing to make Fluttershy’s life any easier, giggling back with the other fillies and nodding. “I got to see everything! Dash won a fight against Fleetfoot herself! And she got to show off a Sonic Rainboom for Princess Celestia and all the judges! Plus she came in first while Princess Luna was cheering so loud you could hear her screaming over the crowd! It was so awesome!”

Again the fillies flew into a flurry of noise, each crying out at Scootaloo, throwing back questions and stampeding over one another, turning the conversation into a jumbled mess.

“She won a fight with a Wonderbolt!? No way!?”

“But my momma said the Sonic Rainboom was just a legend.”

“Why would thomepony want to fight Rainbow Dathh?”

“Shows what she knows!”

“Well Applejack and Dash fight all the time!”

“And mah sister wins most of their fights, too!”

“That's only because she’s a cheat. She's taller than Dash and that’s an unfair advantage!”

“Is not! Dash has wings! She's the cheater!”

“Are so!”

“Isn't!”

Fluttershy finally managed to free them both from the strap, and Scootaloo leaped free of the harness, diving straight into a friendly brawl with Apple Bloom.

Laughing even as he was forced to break up Apple Bloom and Scootaloo’s small tussle, Dusk found himself and Bronze holding the shockingly powerful farm filly back, while Redheart easily wrangled up Scootaloo. Anger returning to her voice, Redheart turned to glare over at him. “Dusk! You and Rainbow Dash had better not have been encouraging this kind of behavior from her in Cloudsdale!”

Crossing the short-trimmed lawn with her dress held suspended off the ground with one hand, Rarity’s soothing voice carried a gentle grace. “I can assure you, Redheart, that the only bad behaviour Dusk or Rainbow Dash got Scootaloo into was assisting me in breaking my diet. Otherwise, the young filly behaved better than anypony could have ever asked of her. She even attempted to assist Fluttershy in saving Dusk when the spell broke and he fell from the stadium. If it hadn’t been for her whistle, Dash might have never had the time to save my beloved stallion.”

Bronze frowned, just barely biting back a curse as she let go of Applebloom and placed a hand on Dusk’s shoulder, her eyes flashing angrily. “I knew it! I should have known you’d do something crazy and insane the moment you told me about that half-cocked spell, Dusk! Well, that’s it! Let’s ge-”

With a gentle touch that hinted at her powerful grip, Applejack placed her open palm on Bronze’s shoulder. Offering Bronze as casual a smile as she could, Applejack tried to act as a peacekeeper for the guard. “You don’t gotta go too hard on Dusk, Bronze. He already spent half a day with everypony from me and Rarity, both Princesses and too many doctors to count at the ‘Bolts’ military hospital dragging him over the coals. Rarity checked him out with a spell of Princess Cadance’s and despite all the weird stuff that’s happened, Bronze, we've just decided- well it’s a long story. I can talk about it later, but trust us, Dusk’s okay.”

A torrent of emotions clouded Bronze’s expression as she listened to Applejack talk, worry begrudgingly relenting its hold as she slowly relaxed. Still visibly tense, Bronze gave a grunt before grumbling softly. “We can talk more tomorrow then. I still think he should get some rest if he can’t even hold onto a spell. He should have a nice, easy night at the library for once.”

Looking somewhat sheepish, Dash rubbed the back of her neck with a hand, her gaze lingering on Dusk for a moment before her expression solidified, and she stepped closer, gesturing nervously with her hands as she talked. “Actually, Bronze… I sort of- well, see before you came to town, Dusk and Rarity gave me tickets to the Wonderbolts show in Canterlot tonight for my birthday, and I- well I kinda asked Dusk to come along… but only cuz he didn't get to watch the show in Cloudsdale yesterday.”

With her cheeks instantly re-flushing a burning red, Bronze gave Dash an odd look, an unsure frown still on her face. Letting out a defeated sigh after a moment, she felt like she had to make one last attempt at taking care of her magistrate - no matter how much she wanted to throttle his neck and kiss him. Looking over towards the nurse, she called out, “Redheart! Are you okay with this? Not five minutes ago you were talking about tar and feathers!”

But it was Rarity who had caught the nurse's attention first, walking to the nurse and offering up a decorative bag stuffed full of colorful scrap paper. Despite how sure Scootaloo had seemed about the gift in the shop, she now stood fidgeting nervously on her tiptoes while Redheart slowly unwrapped the highly polished glassware. The nurse’s jaw hung open in a moment of uncharacteristic awe as she slowly rotated the jar, so distracted by the tiny storm that she had she missed Bronze’s question entirely.

Realizing she was losing her ally, Bronze rubbed her temples gently, her chest deflating as she finally gave up. Turning to look at Dusk, she gave him a fond grin, before rolling her eyes as she said, “Well, I’m outnumbered here, so I guess I don’t have any choice now.”

Finally realizing she’d missed something, Redheart wrapped one arm around Scootaloo’s shoulders before looking over to where Dusk’s herd and other friends had gathered protectively around him. Redheart gave an exhausted sigh and finally relaxed a little, squeezing Scootaloo’s shoulder gently as one thumb ran along the glass containing the bottled storm. “I suppose if they’re all going to defend him, and they really let him leave Cloudsdale's military hospital… I have to accept their word on it. If somewhere as respected as Cloudsdale like that let you go, Dusk, you must really be recovering. You're still a Light-blinded, silken-tongued, poison-oak-eating, blathering idiot, but I suppose that's besides the point…this time.”

Giving a soft but delighted cry of laughter, the Mayor clapped her hands together eagerly where she had been waiting silently. “Well then, since all of that is finally settled, Bronze, I was going to drop this one letter off for you originally, but since Magistrate Shine is going to be busy in Canterlot, I’d better deliver the rest of these to you as well, dear Vicarius.”

The mayor's assistant swiftly sorted nearly a full third of the pile out of the ugly mass of scrolls, passing them en masse to Bronze before trying to resettle it all. When she looked like she wasn’t about ready to drop it all, she found one last scroll and placed it neatly on top of the stack she’d given Bronze while offering her a self-satisfied smile and a little happy nod. “The letter’s from somepony called Brown Bread. A friend? It’s always nice to hear from penpals!”

Watching the way the fillies had gotten bored and gathered around Redheart to watch the bottled storm, Pinkie, with a tender kiss to Dusk’s cheek, turned away from the rest of the group, wandering over to join the young fillies while crouching down to join them in watching the rolling storm. Bronze, adjusting her new stack of paperwork, seemed distracted, shaking her head a little at the mayor’s assistant’s commentary. “He’s not a pen pal, he’s my sire. He’s not a big writer, though.” Briefly smiling before shaking her head, Bronze gave the mayor a half-hearted smile. “Thanks Mrs. Mayor. I’d better go start dealing with this new paperwork.”

Realizing that Bronze intended to take off with the paperwork, Dusk squeezed Rarity’s hand, and brushed a touch across Fluttershy’s hip as he made his way through the mares that surrounded him, until he caught up to the guardspony’s side. Resting his hand on her shoulder, Dusk kept his voice gentle, and the smile he gave her lit up his eyes. “Bronze, I really want to thank you for all of your help, and your concern. I promise that after tonight's trip to Canterlot and back, I will take as much time off as I can. And… we really should talk.”

Separating the top scroll from the rest of the pile with her wing, Bronze turned around to playfully bop him square on the nose with it. She then shook her head. “By Celestia’s Light, Dusk! Don't be a foal and make a promise you know you'll never be able to keep! Now hurry up. The sooner you finish your side trip, the sooner I can give you back all of this bloody paperwork.” Playfully flicking her tail in his face, the guardspony left, suddenly in a good mood, and humming contentedly.

Announcing his approach by grumbling loudly, Angel Bunny stormed around the side of a house, while using one hand to pick and tease a little at his wet and droopy tail, attempting to convince it to poof up, but clearly failing. As soon as he caught sight of Fluttershy, the hare jumped in place, before quickening his pace to bolt to her side. “Oh thank the Light! You're finally back, Fluttershy! You'll never believe what I've had to put up with the last few days! First Mr. Badger had a fight with Mr. Mongoose, and then Lady Argyle accepted my invitation for a dinner, but that baby gator you brought back has been gumming on my tail the whole way to town and there's simply no way she'll have me if I can't even keep my tail properly fluffed and puffed! And Harry was no help at all! He even got grumbly at me when I suggested bribing the drooling menace with honey. Just ‘cause he thinks all the honey in the cabin is his doesn't mean he can't share some in the name of my poor tail!”

Squatting down and pulling the little bunny into a hug, Fluttershy softly cooed, running her fingers through his tail’s short, deflated, dripping tail hair and shaking her head. “Oh, there there, poor Angel. Don't worry, I'll be able to save your tail in time for your date, no problem. But where is our newfound friend? Did you leave him at home with Harry?”

For just a moment, Angel buried his head into her hair, chittering with relief even while his tail bobbed against her soothing hand. Then the question she asked made him freeze up, and turn with a dreaded slowness to look back over his shoulder where the baby gator should have been. His voice hollow, the bunny began to sweat. “I brought him with… me… I even had him by the hand, just- just so he wouldn't go back to sucking my tail…”

The whisper-quiet clink of jaws snapping shut was too soft for anypony to hear, but Pinkie felt a sudden pressure tugging on her tail and lept several feet into the air with a startled cry. “Ahhhhiieeee!!! Something’s got me, and it's gonna drag me away! Somepony, help!”

Like the fillies she had surrounded herself with, Pinkie too was very easily caught up with ideas. Rather than looking back at what had gripped her tail, she instead bolted out of the circle of fillies that gathered around Redheart, running at Dusk and jumping into his arms. Staggering to keep his balance under her sudden weight as she climbed into his arms, the stallion couldn't see around her and called out in a gasp, “Applejack? Dash? A little- a little help?!”

Covering her mouth to try to hold back from giggling, Dash gestured for Applejack to go support Dusk while she moved to up behind Pinkie, struggling to talk casually the whole time. “Not a problem, Pinkie Pie, after all, saving a friend from a horrible monster like this is exactly- exactly why I-” A giggle snuck past her hand, and she barely suppressed a snort. “Why I get out of bed in the morning. So- so just- just hold still, alright?”

Having seen what had given Dash a case of the giggles, Applejack also struggled to resist a guffaw at the whole situation, stepping in behind Dusk and bracing his shoulders, shifting so that his head rested against her chest. “I don't know, Rainbow Dash, this seems like a situation you're going to have to call in a real expert to deal with. Rarity? Fluttershy? Can you two come help consult? This is a rather delicate situation. I'd reckon.”

Throwing her head back with laughter, Dash gripped something behind Pinkie’s back where Dusk couldn't see. “Nah, no reason to trouble Fluttershy. This'll only take half a second, Pinkie, and then you'll feel like a real foal.” Bracing herself and tugging slowly, Dash backed a step further away, and finally Dusk saw what the others already had. He found himself unable to help but smirk as the tiny green gator’s body stretched out while Dash tugged at his tail and hips. Practically elastic, the little gator boy clung to Pinkie’s tail by his maw, refusing to let go.

Taking a second step back, Dash’s right foot slipped, and arms flailing, she spilled over backwards onto her her ass. As a group, the young fillies burst out laughing, Sweetie Belle leaning on Scootaloo’s shoulder for support, while Apple Bloom snorted into her shirtsleeve before crying out loud. “And she’s the one who beat Applejack in a fight?!”

Moving over to try her own hand at the problem, Fluttershy covered her mouth to mute a titter of laughter, walking past the fillies so she could crouch down where the baby gator hung, still clinging to Pinkie’s tail. Feeling the need to instruct, the gentle mare softly stroked a finger across Gummy’s spine while pointing out little details as she talked. “Now girls, baby gators like Gummy here can have very soft scales that are a little stretchy, so it can be very hard to get a firm grip on them. Instead, if you have to grab a scared baby gator, you’re better off talking softly and rubbing the underside of their jaw, like this.” Demonstrating by rubbing the tip of her finger across the underside of Gummy’s jaw, Fluttershy’s tone grew only more sugar-sweet. “Hey there Gummy guy! You're safe now. I promise if you let go of Pinkie’s poor tail, I'll keep you safe!”

For all of her efforts, the unblinking baby gator never once altered his firm jaw’s grip on Pinkie’s tail. Surprised at how stubborn he was being, Fluttershy gave Pinkie a nudge on her hip. “Here now, Pinkie, I’m sure I can talk the poor lil’ guy into letting go, but only if you calm down and get out of Dusk’s arms and back on your own two feet.”

Finally gathering enough courage to turn her head and look down her own back, Pinkie’s eyes went wide and her cheeks turned a brilliant red. She tentatively extended her legs back down to the ground, climbing down out of Dusk’s arms as she crouched down and pulled her tail over her leg until little Gummy lay in her lap. “Oh, Gummy! I'm so sorry! I shoulda figured it was just somebody cute like you, not some big scary monster eating my tail. Now I look like the biggest foal ever. Will you forgive me?”

In silence, the small alligator boy simply hung there, his deep purple eyes watchful as Pinkie rubbed his short muzzle. As stubbornly as he had refused to let go before, he now let her tail slide out of his mouth, and he pressed against her gentle caresses against his scales. Pinkie giggled, and scooped him up in both hands, kissing the top of his scaled head. “There we go! I knew we would understand each other! Now you should really go home with Fluttershy, she's the bestest at taking care of young animals without a home.”

Offering the baby gator out to Fluttershy, everypony was shocked to see him slump back like a lead weight, falling out of Pinkie's outstretched hands down to the grass. Then in a shocking blur of motion, he rushed on two legs to scramble back into her shadow, clinging to her right leg with both hands. Securely in place, the little gator buried his head against Pinkie’s calf, refusing to move, and earned another doting round of ‘Dwaas’ from the watching foals.

Recovering from her giggling fit, Dinky spoke up, cupping her hands together against her cheek. “He thinks you’re his mama, Pinkie!”

With a good-natured look of befuddlement, Pinkie looked from the little gator to Fluttershy and back again, scratching her head with a hand. “Nah, it can't be that. I don't even look anything like a momma gator! I don't even have that many scales! Plus, I'm not nearly green enough!”

Shaking her head and bending further down to get closer to the little gator that hid his face behind Pinkie’s knee, Fluttershy wagged two fingers before his face and softly cooed again. “You really don't wanna go with me, Gummy? I promise I'm a great friend if you just want to talk.”

His only response was to scurry further behind Pinkie’s leg, clinging tighter to her calf. Sighing gently, Fluttershy sat up while shaking her head and dusted off her hands. “I just don't get it. I've never had such trouble with a baby creature. Anthro or feral, this little guy is one of a kind… Just like you, Pinkie.”

Crouching down again and rubbing her nails over Gummy’s ribs, Pinkie awkwardly tried to comfort the baby gator. He remained defensively squatting against her calf, refusing to blink or move as he looked up at her with wide eyes. “Gummy, I wouldn't make a very good momma. I eat nothing but sweets, and don't know the first thing about gators. Are you sure you wouldn't rather go with Fluttershy?”

Again the gator’s mute response was to stare unblinking back into her eyes, before finally flicking his forked tongue out, playfully licking her cheek. Snickering with glee, Pinkie snatched him up and spun around, giving him a kiss on the snout in return. “Well, when you put your answer that eloquently, I'd have to be heartless to say no!” Turning to her employers and housemates, she cradled Gummy against her expansive chest. “Mr. Cake? Mrs. Cake? Can I bring him home? I promise I'll clean up after him!~~”

Groaning into his hand, Mr. Cake’s muttered reply was easy to miss. “A baby gator? Pinkie, you hardly even manage to pick up after yourself.”

But with the authority of a matriarch who ruled her home and kitchen with a kind but firm hand, Mrs. Cake sweetly swept in and drowned her husband out. “Why of course, Pinkie dear! This little guy will give all three of us practice while we wait for my foals to arrive. This will be perfect!”

Grinning from ear to ear, Pinkie hugged Gummy close, scratching him behind the head. “You hear that, Gummy? You'll fit right in! We’ll have you eating cupcakes and baking cookies in no time!” For a moment, Pinkie frowned and she looked befuddled at the gator, finally wiggling her nose and leaning well off to the side to not-so-inconspicuously whisper at Fluttershy. “Err- What do baby gators eat, anyways?”

Giggling, Fluttershy clapped her hands together eagerly, nodding dutifully at the Cakes as she answered Pinkie. “Oh, don't worry at all! Baby gators eat bugs and insects of all kinds. But it’s also best to give him the occasional small fish to keep his strength up. You'll have the cleanest stockroom ever if you let him act as your pest control!”

Cheering gleefully, Pinkie tossed Gummy into the air and caught him in a new hug, giggling. “See, Gummy! You're perfect!" Looking around conspiratorially, Pinkie grinned before loudly whispering to the gator. "But if you're good, I'll teach you how to eat donuts. They're just like beetles, except they move even slower and sometimes contain jam if you're lucky!”

2:30 pm, the Canterlot Express, en route to Canterlot

There was something soothing to the soft and steady, rocking rhythm of the train. As it swayed gently from side to side despite rushing down the track, Dusk found himself relaxing. It was so calming and conducive to his peace of mind. Looking up from the heavy tome he had picked out for the short trip, Dusk looked over Rainbow Dash’s trimmed head, out the window to distant mountains and the golden city of Canterlot.

Resting her cheek on his shoulder, Dash had drifted off while watching the passing scenery, the mint-scented liniment on her freshly unwrapped hands giving a refreshing scent to the sterile cabin. As she murmured in her sleep, Dusk turned a little and gently kissed the top of her head. “Just rest, Dash. We're still a little more than an hour out.”

In response to his kiss, Dash’s wing wrapped around his shoulders behind his back as she murmured quietly, tugging herself closer so she could nuzzle in against his neck. Afterwards, she grew still again, breathing a gentle sigh that tickled his throat.

Sliding a bookmark into the tome before closing it, Dusk smiled gently at Dash before drawing a stack of parchment and a quill from his portable desk. Like the other profiles he had written to Princess Celestia and Luna, Dusk had started with only a name. But after the last few days, he felt confident in finishing a few of the papers he had started ages ago. Flattening the top page, Dusk double checked the paper he had written for Cherry Berry, nodding quietly before moving to the next page. His deft hand dipped the tip of his quill in the ink and began adding details to the new page. “Rainbow Blitz recently re-joined the Wonderbolts, to act as an advisor to Spitfire and Fleetfoot during their peacekeeping actions in Griffonstone.”

The steady rocking motion that shifted the train from left to right as it rolled down the track kept Dusk’s quill hand attentive, hovering over the inkwell, only daring to move the quill over the page only after the train rocked again, rebounding off the tilt to one side. Only then, when it was safe, did Dusk dart the sharp tip of his quill over the page, writing rapidly, before bringing it back to hover again over the inkwell, dipping it in only when absolutely no amount of ink remained.

Working with care, Dusk added a final note to the page, feelings of guilt rising even as he wrote. “Regardless of my own personal bias on this letter, I begin to ache for the chance to step up in some way. The politics of two nations may be beyond my study, but surely, my beloved princess, there must be some way I can help with the situation in Griffonstone. It has already claimed years of my mother's life, must it also take Dash’s sire away?”

Working carefully, Dusk blotted the ink on the page dry, taking a minute to rock the page from side to side before at last putting it away. With a content sigh, Dusk reached for the next page. The name already written at the top made him pause as he internally debated over having ever written this paper up in the first place. Finally sighing, Dusk drew his quill, writing swiftly. “Winter Harvest continues to present a frustrating presence. After a false introduction and then our recent reintroduction at the Rainbow Factory, I find it hard to give her any extra trust. Is my paranoia at the greed of the Canterlot Elite getting the better of me?”

As the train began the final approach to Canterlot, Dusk could feel the way it lost speed. At first there was the natural fall off as the stokers slowed the feed of coal, then as they drew closer, the brakes were applied. Dusk's eyes however, lingered on the newest report, the one he had just started mere minutes ago. It had seemed obvious, since Winter reported to Celestia, why not write about Moonlight Dreamer, her counterpart for Princess Luna? Yet the more he had worked, the less he could say about the mare. Finally, a single answer presented itself, and Dusk couldn't help but smile as he wrote. ”Like the moon by daylight, Moonlight is an enigma that only makes me ask more questions. There are no records of her birth, education, or past, which implies she might be an agent, the top tier of Princess Celestia’s spy organization. But then why introduce herself to me? My back injuries are a medical mystery all of their own, and not something a spy would be brought in for.”

Slowly stirring awake, Dash groaned and stretched, before tugging Dusk over sideways so hard he nearly spilled his inkwell. Only a tuft of magic at the last second managed to save it from ruining his work. Murmuring sleepily, Dash glared out of the corner of her eye. “Are we finally here?”

Fighting to sit back upright despite Dash’s powerful protests, Dusk laughed softly and stroked her jaw when he had a free hand. “We are. Did you sleep well? We can stop by my observatory and change before going for a walk around campus or the church, if you want.”

Something wicked flashed in Dash's eyes and her hands slipped around Dusk's lap, right hand rubbing suggestively over his groin. “Does your observatory have a shower?”

Dusk couldn't miss the way that his hand shook as he pressed the familiar key into the lock on the observatory’s front door. “The last time I opened this door for a mare, it was the final time I saw Sunset Shimmer.”

Even as he thought it, he knew it for a lie, as he had brought Rarity here months ago during Fancy Pant’s wedding to Fleur-de-Lis, but for some reason the invading memory of that night was demanding his attention. Frowning to himself, he shoved that memory aside and turned the lock. For a moment, the fluid way the lock turned reminded Dusk about Shining’s story of discovering Trixie hiding in his abandoned rooms, and for a second, just a second, he felt hope. The door swung open, he stepped into the stoop, and-

The observatory was empty. Standing still and silent, Dusk was surprised to find it was not as cold as he had expected. The grand stone fireplace held only embers, but their banked ruby glow was enough to tell him that someone had been here recently, had remembered that Dash was coming today. The soft highlight it gave the room made it feel more intimate than he remembered his observatory being. A small basket of freshly baked muffins had been left on the small dining table, the very one that Barb and Princess Cadance had fawned over as the ‘perfect’ centerpiece to the room. Placing his portable desk on the bench beside the door, Dusk turned back to Dash and waved her in. “It looks like Cadance remembered you were scheduled to visit, even if Shining Armor’s too busy. She loves leaving muffin baskets, Celestia bless her.”

Stepping through the open door, Dash tossed her duffle bag onto the floor beside the portable desk before pushing the door closed with her heel. Looking around the hollow building, Dash admired the high ceiling, and how open the whole area was. She grinned, stretching out her wings before stepping closer to Dusk from behind. She wrapped her arms around his hips as she pulled him against her body, biting the side of his neck gently before licking the same spot. “Such a high, domed ceiling, are you sure this place was made for a unicorn? That big… what do you call it, telescope? Thing? If this was my place, it’d go in a second. Blocks a perfect roof entrance that I could use like twenty times a day. Otherwise I love this open space design.”

Dusk couldn't help but groan as Dash’s aggressive biting made his knees weak. Reaching back with his right hand, Dusk attempted to repeat a trick that had been so helpful the last few days, taking hold of Dash’s rapidly whipping tail, tugging it sharply.

Dash’s reaction to Dusk's tug wasn't like Pinkie Pie’s, however. Instead of going weak in the knees, or making a cute little squeak, she growled in the depths of her throat, growing more aggressive. She raked her hand across his chest, before cupping his groin, squeezing his balls through his pants, even as her other hand slid up into his shirt, dragging her nails across his bare skin.

Rocking his groin against Dash's explorative grip, Dusk gave her tail a second tug, firmer this time, while his free hand joined hers over his loins, unbuckling his belt and letting his pants sag open. Dash hissed in an excited breath, and her hand rushed to explore further, sliding inside his pants, under his silk boxers, until she got a firm grip around the semi erect shaft of his cock, right near the base. Releasing his throat, she nipped the tip of his ear before purring aggressively. “You're a hungry boy, aren't you, Dusk? Think you're ready for a meal?”

Dusk couldn't help himself; there was something so different in Dash’s flirting, with the way she teased him, gripping the base of his cock a little too firmly, stroking in a painfully slow beat that made him ache for her to pick up the pace. And she was stronger than him, just like Applejack, so he couldn't shift the tables back on her, to turn the game in his favor without using his magic. Panting for breath, Dusk nodded, voice cracking as he revealed his need. “Dash, you know I want you, you've known that since Celestia made us do that silly interview.”

Dash couldn't help but remember that day, the interview nearly a year past, and she couldn't help but frown at how they'd been interrupted by Barb’s arrival. An evil idea occurred to her at that moment, and a predatory grin slid onto her face as she brought her lips to Dusk's ear. She sucked on his earlobe before whispering, "Oh, poor Dusk... it'd just be so cruel if we were interrupted the same way we were that afternoon… sort of like yesterday in the hospital, huh?"

Dusk let out a long haggard breath as something changed in Dash's tone, but he smiled as he settled confidently back against her body. Tugging playfully on her tail again, he laughed softly as he replied, "Yes, but I know you won't let anything interrupt us again. After everything else we've been through? You want this as much as I do." Her grip suddenly shifted, and his hips jerked in a primal response. He felt the shiver go along her body as his cock hardened against her grip.

Biting his neck again, Dash was rougher this time, no longer afraid to leave marks behind. At this point, she wanted him to bear her affectionate nips, like tiny little declarations that he was her stallion. Dash let her grin turn into a full blown smirk before backing off and flapping her wings once, to put some distance between herself and Dusk, whipping her tail out of his gentle grip.

Dusk nearly stumbled backwards without her support, and turned to look at her. She could see the shock, confusion, and hungry disappointment clear in his expressive eyes. She almost wanted to laugh at him, or give him some relief - but she already had a better plan in mind. "Oh, you know so much, huh, egghead? Well I think I still need to take that shower... I'll be back in a few minutes."

She watched Dusk for a few moments, still smirking even as different emotions flew across his face. Lust and hunger, she recognized, and wet her lips at seeing. Disappointment, as well - but when Dusk took a step towards her, Dash felt her heartbeat pick up in pace, and an urgent, almost painful throb between her legs. “C’mon. Do it, Dusk... tell me you're going to have me right now. Oh Light, do it.” Dash licked her lips as Dusk put his hands on her hips. She closed her eyes and placed her hands on his forearms, tilting her head back slightly in preparation. Her wings lifted off her back slightly even as her thighs began rubbing together in anticipation.

"Very well, Dash." The softly whispered words shocked her almost as much as the chaste kiss he placed to her forehead. "I already made the mistake of almost forcing one mare when she wasn't ready. I'd never want to rush a mare or pressure her to do something uncomfortable like that again."

As Dusk turned from her and rebuckled his pants, Dash watched him move over to his desk, where there was a newspaper sitting folded on top. Tail lashing violently, almost angrily behind her, Dash let out a small huff of disappointment - What mare? Who? Dusk would never do something like that... even if I did just want him to take me. - and cleared her throat before turning towards the bathroom. "Lemme know if there's anything good in that paper when I get back, Dusk."

Reluctant to leave him, yet feeling almost like she had to after Dusk’s refusal, Dash tried to act casual, to keep calm, and rushed into the waiting bathroom. With the door closed, and some privacy, Dash went straight to the sink, turning on the cold water and rinsing her burning hot face. Finding some kind of sanity with the shock of the cold water, Dash looked up, and stared into the mirror, trying to clear her thoughts. “Dusk… Dusk must have meant Bronze, or one of the other girls… Pinkie? No, had to be Bronze... He isn’t like Gilda. That kind of selfish greed just isn’t in his nature.”

With her nerves settled, Dash turned the shower on, before quickly stripping down. Rushing under the shower the moment the water was hot, Dash could feel the way her feathers plastered together as they absorbed the near-scalding water. Unfolding her wings, she tried to spread them out in the small shower, but ended up having to expand them along the walls, her primaries overlapping one another in front of her. Dash reveled in the heat for a few moments before lowering a hand down between her legs. Biting her lip, she began stroking slowly over the lips of her sex, spreading her folds, and already feeling her knees go weak as she teased her aching sex.

Allowing the flowing riptide of pleasure to overtake her for a moment, Dash slipped a finger inside her sex. She braced one open hand on the wall of the shower to support her weight while her knees trembled from the bolts of pleasure that shot throughout her body at the single probing digit.

She was struck with sudden inspiration to get her point across to Dusk in a way so obvious that even he wouldn’t be, couldn’t be such a blind egghead to misunderstand her this time. Growing more aggressive, Dash began applying more pressure, to torment her wet lips, until she began mewling like an eager filly experiencing her first heat, aching sex throbbing with need, and dribbling its own moisture.

Only when Dash was sure she couldn’t take any more, when she felt her climax nearing, when she could barely restrain the greedy need for release that screamed in every fiber of her body, did she stop. With nothing but thoughts of Dusk above her, pounding himself into her, Dash shut off the shower, resisting the overwhelming urge to play with her erect nipples and the silver piercings to stoke the fire within even more.

Still naked, dripping mixed liquids between her thighs and not bothering with a towel, Dash strutted out of the bathroom confidently. Dusk still sat at his silly desk, back to her, with that damned newspaper in his hands.

She had far more interesting plans for him.

Making her way across the room, she kept silent, the only noise that might give her away was the dripping of water as she walked on her tiptoes, using the fact that Dusk seemed absorbed in his reading to give her an opening. Resting one hand on top of the desk, Dash braced herself on her open palm and used it as a pivot point to hop on top of the table, landing bare assed before Dusk. Just as abruptly, as soon as she was settled into place, she reached forward and grabbed the paper out of his hands before tossing it to the side. She placed her feet on his knees, her legs spread wide, so that her aching, leaking slit was exposed, demanding his attention. Cocking an eyebrow high, Dash fixed her stallion with her lustiest gaze. “Well, Dusk? Did you find anything interesting in the paper?”

As obtuse as Dusk was when it came to understanding what she wanted him to do, the blatant nature of Dash’s invitation struck him squarely in the libido. Further bolstered by the hints of her musk that hadn't been totally washed away by the hot shower, the primal side of Dusk's mind knew exactly what she wanted him to do. Sliding forward, Dash’s legs were spread even wider, and Dusk slid his arms under her knees and around her hips. Locking his hands onto Dash’s taut ass, Dusk tugged her forward and began kissing his way from her knee down along her inner thigh. When he took longer than a full second to reach where she wanted him, she gently grabbed his horn and directed his face squarely between her legs. She could only hope that her excited cry as his lips met her nethers was the final hint about what she wanted.

Knocked off balance by Dusk’s rapid tug on her hips, and with wet wings too awkward to maintain her balance, Dash wound up flat on her back. She squeezed Dusk's head with her taut legs while she buried her hands in his hair aggressively, scratching and tugging as she tried to drive Dusk’s probing tongue deeper into her aching loins. She found herself already nearing a climax, given her previous ministrations in the shower. “Dear Celestia, fuck yes, Dusk! Just-just like that!”

Dash’s cries of pleasure were fast, powerful moans mixed with shocked yelps and broken up by gasps or soft whines while she continued to encouragingly rake the tips of her nails through his hair, over his shoulders and across his back. “Oh! Fuck, Dusk! More! I want you. Please? Oh Light please! Come on, I'm really ready for you now!”

Withdrawing only after a final kiss to Dash’s clit, and smirking at how she’d jerked at the attention, Dusk rose up, squeezing her ass again as he dragged Dash to the edge of the desk. With his erection tenting the tight fabric of his pants, Dusk wasted no further time trying to be sweet with Dash. He unbuckled his belt and let his pants pool around his ankles, already aligning his needy shaft with her wet, eager sex. Using the low height of the desk to help his thrust, he drove forward, lifting her hips off the desk as he hilted deep inside her warm depths.

With her stallion finally - finally - inside her, Dash let out a deep moan, biting his neck again. She wiggled her hips eagerly, feeling him throb inside her. “Oh Light, no wonder AJ was telling me I needed to get with Dusk. This is just…” She let out another ecstatic groan when she felt Dusk shift himself, planting his feet more firmly.

Finally able to do more than claw at Dusk’s back and neck, Rainbow Dash wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled her bare chest up against his, pressing her erect nipples and the silver piercings against his chest through the fabric of his now-wet silk shirt. Lifting her legs so she could pin her ankles across his ass, Dash moaned into his ear, voice purring with delight. “Duuuuuuuskk… more. Faster. You can go faster, right?”

The sly wink and playful nip on his earlobe both oozed with her needy lust, and the way she ground her naked flesh to his chest made Dusk burn with need. Peeling away from her for just long enough to rake his fingers down the buttoned front of his shirt, he popped open the buttons with a deft twist of his magic. With his bare chest now exposed, Dusk slipped his arms around Dash’s back, up under her wings to prop her up off the table, and finally began to rock his hips. He started slowly, trying to build up to a faster speed as he launched back and forward against her tight walls. With each thrust, Dash tightened her ankles harder over his back, locking him in place for a moment. Dash fought to keep him from pulling out of her, delaying those dreadful moments where he left her feeling empty until he managed to overpower her powerful leg muscles, and at last was able to pull back before filling her again, where she needed him.

Every time Dusk pressed into her again, making her feel complete, Dash was more and more reluctant to let him go, but she made sure to pull him back in tighter, harder, with each thrust. Now that she had access to Dusk's bare chest, Dash’s aggressive hands roamed beneath his shirt, eventually driving deep under the cloth to rake her nails down his spine until she found his tail. Still gasping and moaning loudly as he drove in and out of her, she grasped his tail firmly, giving it a teasing tug, sending an electric bolt up his spine and making his knees go weak. Whispering into his ear, Dash’s voice was full lust, her eager moans spurring him on. “Mhhhhphhhh. That's so good. You got the spot, Dusk. Oh Celestia, more!”

Struggling as Dash toyed with his tail, and slowly losing strength from constantly fighting back against Rainbow Dash’s powerful legs, Dusk moved his hands to focus on her tense wing bases. His thumbs pushed in on the sensitive spot from below, while the rest of his fingers massaged the taut muscle. Gleeful squeals and loud cries of pleasure escaped from Dash’s open mouth as her legs finally relaxed their bone-crushing pressure on his hips, giving him a modicum of freedom to move once more. With his experiment on just how sensitive pegasi were on that muscle now successfully field-tested, Dusk resumed a fast pace, continuing his aggressive assault on her back muscles even as he felt the growing pressure that warned of his upcoming climax. Bending lower over her, Dusk cupped the back of her head by her short-cropped hair, leaning into her as he struggled to speak. “D-Dash?” Huffing for breath, Dusk kissed her neck before struggling to continue. “Light, I-I’m so close, I can’t-”

Still panting for breath herself, Dash released his tail, slipping her hand down in between them to playfully roll his balls in her fingertips, groaning at the feeling of his hands on her flight muscles . “I-I'm nearly there too, Dusk. But you aren't going to give up on me after just one round, right?”

Feeling his climax hit even as she spoke, the tide of pleasure slammed into him as he released his seed in a hot torrent inside her walls. Feeling her sex reactively clenching down on his pumping shaft, Dusk did his best to keep bucking, flexing and thrusting deep inside her as he lost the strength to speak in the face of the all-consuming pleasure.

Dusk’s effort was rewarded when he heard Dash’s needy cry of pleasure, her body jerking and spasming against his. She slid both her hands slid smoothly up body to his head, her fingers gripping his hair, nails digging into his skull. As she mashed her lips against his he felt her body continue to quake against his own, with Dash’s loud moans muffled against Dusk’s mouth. For a moment, in the bliss of exhaustion and climax, Dusk felt his tail find Dash’s and wrapped around it, and he squeezed her tightly with his arms, feeling her cold nipple piercings against his chest.

Dash eventually released his head and lowered hers to his neck, her breathing quick and aching. As they both took their time regaining their breath, she tenderly nibbled at his earlobe, a wide, goofy smile on her face. She brushed her fingers through his hair, teasing at it as she laughed softly, flexing her legs around him once more. Her fingers moved down to brush over his chest, before she leaned back and played with her own nipples, eagerly arching her body so he could get a better view of her. “So… just how long does a unicorn need before round two?”

Wednesday, April 13th, 3am? Dusk’s Observatory, Canterlot

The glow of faint moonlight through the open grand glass dome on the roof of the observatory was an unfamiliar feeling after so long in Ponyville, and Dusk couldn't help but wake as its soft aura crossed his face. With an arm resting comfortably over Dash’s hip and his open hand resting on her flat stomach, Dusk tried to ignore the glow as he closed his eyes and curled back into the sleeping mare, softly kissing the back of her neck.

Laying in the bed, the soft exhales of Dash’s breath were the only sounds he heard at first. But as the minutes dragged on, the distant sounds of a big city at night started to slip in through the open dome. Familiar with the noises of the university grounds at night, Dusk’s ears automatically picked out the usual conversation of half-drunken undergrads sneaking in after the gates had been closed and locked, with the arrival of the morning cooking staff, or… was it the departure of the overnight cleaning staff? His memory wasn't clear in the afterglow of Dash’s aggressively exhaustive demands for a ‘round two,’ which had swiftly been followed by a third. Dusk was glad that at least for that last session that he had convinced Dash to use the bed, unsure of whether he would have been able to half-carry Dash for that final round.

He drifted towards sleep again, with Dash’s wings faintly shifting so the soft feathers tickled at his bare chest. Grinning to himself, Dusk kissed her under the earlobe and tried to let his mind shut off as he felt his breathing mellow out.

The joyful cry of foals shot through Dusk’s lazy mind like a jolt of magic to his heart. Moving carefully, to avoid waking Dash, Dusk quickly tried to slide out of bed. Once on his feet, he rapidly found the balcony door, throwing it open and rushing out to the railing. Naked and still damp from the energetic activities of a few hours earlier, Dusk gripped the golden railing and leaned forward, straining his bleary eyes to try and find the source of the distant noise.

Far across the campus, the old brick student's residence loomed as a silent, towering shadow that had been under refurbishment when he had left for Ponyville last summer. Now a new facade of carved red bricks had replaced the weather-worn old bricks that had faded with age. Hooded lamps of wrought iron lined the ground-level walkways around the refurbished building, while the windows of many of the rooms had been converted into balconies without railings.

For only a moment, Dusk began to wonder who would do something so dangerous, and then even as he considered it, a black shadow landed on the edge of one balcony, running inside. Followed rapidly by two more shadows, Dusk’s jaw dropped as his half-sleeping mind finally caught on. “They’re bat foals! Bat foals living in the old university grounds! Dear Celestia!”

He watched as another door opened and two more bat foals ran out over the open ledge before taking flight. Their cheerful cries were soft, yet Dusk could tell how it aided their flight. The young foals twisted and soared, nowhere near as fast as the pegasi youths he had seen in Ponyville or Cloudsdale, yet they flew between trees and across the walls of building effortlessly in the dim moonlight. A soft breeze ran across Dusk’s back, and reluctantly, he stepped back into the observatory’s bedroom.

Wasting no time in snatching up the fine black silken robe Rarity had put into his luggage, Dusk rushed to tie a quick knot. With some basic defense for his decency and protection from further breezes, Dusk returned to the balcony, excited now. “There were never bat ponies in Canterlot, before! And if there were, they were usually a mercenary band staying on the outskirts, or doing bodyguard work for the nobles! Who…”

Before Dusk could turn his gaze to the looming monolith of the Castle, he knew the answer. It could only be Luna’s presence, the return of the Lunar Goddess that had brought the nomadic and reclusive bats together to settle in a single location.

At the furthest edge of his vision, in the towering spire of Celestia's grand overlook, Dusk could make out faint outlines under the silver glow of the full moon. Those same young bats that had flown around the rising spire had found perches around the flat rise where Celestia traditionally stood as she raised the sun each morning.

Pouring raw magic into his eyes, just as he had with his ears all those weeks ago, Dusk marveled as the scene upon the far spire came slowly into focus. Luna stood in the middle of the flat lookout, with the bat mare Silken Flight at her side. At her feet sat a dozen bat foals, gathering close with eyes that were bright in wonder. Occasionally a foal would raise their hand, and Luna would point to them. Then, always smiling, her mouth moved in what Dusk assumed was a reply. The distance was too far for Dusk to dare bother attempting to eavesdrop on their class, but the soft way that Luna’s shoulders shook and her face lit up with laughter made Dusk’s heart soar, as if a hidden weight had fallen off his shoulders.

Lost in the distant show, Dusk never noticed the activities below his balcony until the sound of gruff voices rose high enough to catch his attention. The familiar but foreign accent sent a nervous shiver through his body and made his horn itch.

“Redfeather you lazy mollen! You'll get your ass out of bed and join us in the kitchen or you'll move the Tartarus out of my damn apartment! I promised the princess you'd set a good example, and I won't let you make a liar out of me!”

Trying not to stare as he rubbed the scar on his horn, Dusk turned his gaze back to the old student building, where an older mullen with graying hair and feathers stood in the open doorway, berating a younger griffon girl who looked to be in her mid-twenties. The daughter scowled at her mother before raising her own voice in response. “Mother! I'm not some young chug! We've only been here two weeks, but I know the rules! Besides, I'm ready, so let's get going if you're in such a rush!”

Watching as the two mollen headed towards the university library together, still playfully bickering as only family could, Dusk began to relax again. Lowering his hand from his horn as the itch faded away, Dusk gave a gentle sigh before finally speaking out loud. “Griffons too… I hope Princess Celestia knows what she is doing. The nobles are not going to take them living in the upper city well.”

Dusk nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt arms wrap around his waist. Dash had snuck up behind him, surprising him with an aggressively sleepy hug. He heard a soft yawn, and then felt the mare nip at his neck before speaking. “Here you are. Thought you could sneak out on me? Not going to happen, Dusk. You’re stuck with me now.”

He laughed gently as the faintly shivering, naked mare pressed herself fully against his body. Turning in her grip, he opened the robe and forcefully wrapped Dash into it with him. Kissing the top of her head, he murmured, “I wasn't trying to escape. Just got distracted by the moonlight and the new ponies living in the old student residence. Just… what's a chug? Is it a griffon word for foal?”

Nuzzling Dusk’s chest inside his robe, Dash wrapped her arms around his waist, enjoying the feel of his flesh on hers. Her still-damp wings pressed back against the robe for a moment, before she pulled them in tightly against her back. Giving a comfortable sigh as they shared body heat, Dash turned to look down where he had been watching, trying to blink the sleep away. “What? Oh! Huh, I didn't know griffons lived in Canterlot. Anyways, chug is their word for a filly, chuck is for colt. That was probably a mother or former clan nursemaid if the Alpha was a female. The Alpha’s aren't very possessive about children unless they excel at a young age, so I can see a nurse adopting the chug she raised.”

Shaking his head a little, Dusk rubbed his hands over her back to help warm the goosebumps that riddled Dash’s flesh as she spoke. Once she felt warmer, Dusk lifted her chin up with one hand and kissed the soft spot on the underside of her throat, grinning lightly at the soft groan she let out. His voice was warm and teasing against her throat, and his other arm squeezed her against him as he felt her shiver when he spoke. “Interesting. It's so different from most ponies… except breeding sires, I suppose. They don't often get that close to their foals…” Dusk let out a long breath through his nose, before meeting Dash’s eyes. “Hey, Dash… what do you think about me acting as a stud for Amethyst?”

Struck by the suddenly intense expression on Dusk’s face as he looked at her, Dash pressed closer, shaking her head. “I understand why you’d do it, but given my own foalhood, I’m kind of leery about wanting foals.”

Confused, Dusk’s eyebrows raised as he watched Dash, rubbing at her lower back with a hand all the while. “Wait, just what do you mean, Dash? Your father gave up everything for you.”

Shaking her head, Dash nuzzled his neck, warm breath caressing his throat. “Yeah, and that’s why it makes me nervous. My folks were basically heroes before Mom died, but... They were never around, always working. I had more foal-sitters than I could name. Then suddenly, Dad was there at home. Every day, every night. It was almost worse than being alone. At least I knew they were happy when they were on missions. Suddenly Dad wanted in on everything I did, and wanted to know where I was, with who, what I was doing... And things just got worse after I started seriously dating Gilda, and we started to fight all the time.”

Breathing out a sigh as he finally came to understand, Dusk held the mare closer for a second, comparing her words with his own memories of childhood. There had been bad times, like with any family, but his father had snuck him into the forbidden book section in the Canterlot Library at eight, and he had learned so much… And his mother was the smartest mare he knew besides the Princess. Twilight Velvet never ceased to surprise him with her seemingly endless knowledge and compassion. Being Celestia’s diplomat was the perfect calling for her.

But Dusk had to admit that every family was different. He needed time to think, and brushed his lips against Dash’s ear before whispering to her. “Come on, let’s go back inside, I've seen enough of this for tonight.”

Grinning with delight, Dash pressed in closer, pushing her hands around his back to squeeze his ass. “Mmmm… how about a round four? By the time we leave, all I want you to remember about that desk is you fucking me on it.” The mare turned her face to look up at him, lust and eagerness clear in her eyes. She wet her lips in anticipation.

Laughing gently, Dusk shook his head, one hand slipping up to tease at her nipple piercing, tugging lightly and earning an excited hiss from the mare in his robe. “Sure, anything for my brave rescuer. And then we take tomorrow to relax.”

Author's Notes:

So, you guessed it: Another Chapter got away from me! So expect Part 2 sometime soon. On the plus side? Some sex, and a lot of fun stuff.

And a visit to Griffonstone if you're all good