Shining in the Rain

by NightsongWrites

Rating: mature
Tags: Romance, Tragedy, Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Dark
Length: 4948

When Prince Dusk Shine is attacked by a band of brigand mares, it reveals a conspiracy that threatens to topple the establishment of Equestrian society, all while Dusk Shine's friends struggle to help their emotionally traumatized friend.

When newly crowned Prince Dusk Shine is attacked by a band of brigand mares with an agenda, Princess Celestia and the Mane Six discover a political conspiracy determined to bring down the ages-old society. Struggling to heal their friend and battle this conspiracy, the six friends discover a new-found power beyond even Friendship itself. But can they handle the implications?

( Rule 63 story! Sorta! The 63's are fairly random, and meant to add some levity to an otherwise serious story. For the Mane Six, only Dusk Shine is 63'd, which is something I prefer, to be perfectly honest. It's cute! SUE ME! )

(Herd dynamics come from Xenophilia, which is an AWESOME story. )

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-10-02 18:57:38 UTC

Chapter 1- The Incident

Rainbow Dash frowned deeply as she flew over the countryside, glancing down at the little charm bracelet on her left hoof.

Damn, still grey… where are you, Dusk…

It had not been a good few weeks for Rainbow. Applejack and Rarity were on the other side of Equestria, taking a vacation from their businesses to relax in Los Pegasus. Dash smirked a bit at that thought. One does not relax in Los Pegasus. At least, not till the fourth appletini. To be honest, Rainbow didn’t buy the vacation excuse for one second. She had seen the bedroom eyes, the shy giggles, the ‘I was just taking a nap in the hay loft, Rainbow.’ Uh-huh.

But hey. Rainbow smiled faintly. Her friends were allowed their own lives. Pinkie Pie could go visit her family whenever she liked. That just left more time for Rainbow Dash to spend with Fluttershy! And Dusk Shine, when she found him. Ever since their personal lives had gotten a bit more… dangerous, Dusk Shine had given each of his friends enchanted bracelets that would glow when they were near each other. The day before, Dusk Shine had told his friends remaining in town that he would be going into the Everfree for a quick visit to Zecora’s. Something about rare spell ingredients.

But it had been way too long. Dusk Shine didn’t like to intrude on Zecora’s privacy, and never stayed overnight in the Everfree Forest. He knew how much Fluttershy worried, and… well, he didn’t know how much Rainbow worried too. She was Loyalty, after all. Anytime somepony left Ponyville, her senses twinged. Rainbow hated it. She especially hated this, not knowing where her fr- THERE! Rainbow’s wings instinctively turned towards the west as it gave a faint gleam during one of her arm sweeps.

Finally a lead!

The longer she flew, the more nervous Rainbow Dash got. This was deep in the Everfree, and quite the opposite direction from Zecora’s hut. The trees below were thick and obscured most of the floor beneath their ominous canopy, a silver mist wisping through their branches. Something was wrong; like a hand was squeezing at Rainbow Dash’s heart. She was afraid. Not for herself, nothing could make Rainbow afraid for herself… but for her friends… Frowning slightly, Rainbow slowly lowered herself to just feet above the treetops, highly advanced eyes peering through the foliage for any sign of purple fur.

There! Just below an expansive oak tree, a small strip of purple scurried underneath a set of roots. The heck are you doing, Dusk…

Grunting in exertion, just a bit mind you, Rainbow flared her wings to arrest her forward motion, then flapped once, launching herself back towards the clearing.

“Dusk! Dusk, buddy, it’s Rainbow!” she shouted, fear adding a bit of franticness to her tone.

No response. Yep, that fear from earlier? Triple that. Dusk never ignored Rainbow Dash. Heck, Dusk rarely ignored anypony at all; it made trips to cities fairly unbearable, especially Canterlot where other ponies knew him, but… It just wasn’t in Dusk’s blood, so this scared her. Pawing the loamy soil nervously, Rainbow slowly scanned the clearing. The oak roots had cleared away all the brush around the massive tree, some of them rising out of the ground and curling lightly in the air. And beneath one of those roots was a bedraggled violet pony.

“Dusk Shine!” Rainbow brightened, darting for the root in a heartbeat, “Dusk, are you-”

The whimper stopped her dead. Dusk had only whimpered once that Rainbow had heard; during his freak-out of being late for his report to Princess Celestia. It had been a desperate, frantic noise, like one of Fluttershy’s squirrel friends caught in Applejack’s varmint traps. What she heard there, at that tree, was far different. It was a small, terrified cry, of one who had been through terror before and knew it well. Of a pony who was utterly out of hope.

“D-dusk?” she whispered faintly, entire body paling as the young stallion lifted his head.

Dusk Shine’s eyes were both nearly swollen shut, tears leaking down and mixing with blood from where hooves had sliced his thin facial skin. The skin along the left side of his muzzle was dark with blood and bruised skin, blood running thickly from his nose. From her vantage point, Rainbow could see that his front barrel was pock-marked by cigarette burns, and a thin brand of a stylized B. His wings were an utter mess, stomped on and missing several clumps of feathers, with a few burns running across them as well. But by far the worst damage was to Dusk’s horn. The slender, spiraling point had several massive cracks running down its length, golden ichor slowly trailing down and pooling in his mane. He sobbed weakly, the pitiful noise driving Rainbow Dash out of her stupor.

“DUSK!” she exclaimed in quickly building horror, rushing over to his side, “What happened?! What did this?”

Another whimper, and Rainbow Dash could feel her heart shattering. Gently taking his hoof, Rainbow hesitantly leaned over to nuzzle lightly along Dusk’s ears.

“S-some… mares,” Dusk mumbled, voice uncharacteristically shaky and quiet, “Unicorns. T-they… they were w-waiting…”

Dusk’s other hooves curled in on himself, revealing another B branded over one cutie marks.

“Ponies did this?” Rainbow Dash breathed, her soul a pit of despair and shock, “Who? Did you know them?”

To hurt a stallion like this… it shook Rainbow to her core. Every mare was, or at least should be taught, that stallions were special. You don’t ever hit one. It just wasn’t done! And to do this… If it wouldn’t likely have freaked Dusk Shine out more, Rainbow Dash would have raged till her throat was raw. This was her friend! Maybe even her best friend. Swallowing back the rage before it could consume her, Rainbow leaned down to gently hug the stallion, wincing at another whimper and a deep, frightened tremor.

“Let’s get you to a hospital,” she whispered softly, “Come on, get on my back, and-”

“N-no!” Dusk yelped, tears running thicker down his cheeks, and his fore hooves kneading the ground a bit, “N-not… not th-there, just… I…”

Rainbow winced again, but understood. The hospital wasn’t exactly a comforting place. Her ears suddenly perked.

“How about Fluttershy’s?” she asked softly, smiling as Dusk’s trembles began to subside.

There we go…

“O.. okay,” he mumbled shyly, slowly standing and draping himself over Rainbow’s back, hooking his legs around her body and giving soft apologies all the while.

Not exactly how I thought I’d ever get Dusk in this position, but…

Wisely keeping her thoughts to herself, Rainbow launched into the air, though she shed a lot of her usual style and power, for Dusk’s sake. She could feel his muzzle buried in her chromatic main, body shaking with what were likely sobs. Dusk Shine wasn’t always the most self-confident stallion Rainbow had ever met, but this… what these mares had done to Dusk seemed to had nearly destroyed him. The young pegasus grit her teeth tightly. They better pray, and pray hard, that Rainbow Dash never found them. Ever.

****************************

Fluttershy gave a loud eep as something began to pound away at her oaken door, her body jumping up out of her bed with an instinctive flap of her wings. The buttery pegasus had to take a moment to grin at that. Those wing-ups HAD helped! She really would have to thank Rainbow Dash for showing-

“Fluttershy! It’s Rainbow! Open up, this is an emergency!”

“O-oh, coming!” Fluttershy squeaked immediately, darting downstairs.

Oh, she had really left her living room a mess. She had rescued a family of foxes from a small flood caused by a broken beaver dam, and they had never been in a pony home before. Fluttershy would have to run into town and get… some new… Opening the door, Fluttershy’s world froze in place. Rainbow Dash stood on her doorstep, panting faintly and looking red-eyed. She and Fluttershy had been friends since foalhood, and Fluttershy knew the tell-tale signs of an all-mighty rage. But on her back…

“D-dusk Shine?”

The young stallion peered up at her, and Fluttershy gave a strangled cry at the sight of his damaged face, zooming forward and picking him up with surprising strength. Dusk was struggling not to break into hyperventilating sobs, and Fluttershy knew from experience that that meant Dusk Shine was in the grip of an absolute panic attack.

“Rainbow Dash, get a bowl of soup on the fire, now,” Fluttershy ordered in a tone that brooked no argument, “Then please get my medical bag from upstairs.”

“On it, Flutters!” Rainbow replied at once, zooming through the house with the speed of one who knew it well.

Fluttershy was in her zone; if she knew anything, anything at all, it was helping those hurt and in need. As Dusk’s eyes, swollen nearly shut and full of pain, turned to her desperately, she gave the stallion a soft smile, laying him gently on her well-loved couch, and began to slowly lap his fur clean. Rarity had long ago explained to Fluttershy the complex relationship unicorns had with grooming; for a tribe so dedicated to civilization, the act of grooming was as primal as that of pegasi preening: a vice they could never truly chase from their psyche. The first lick, along Dusk’s cheek and up towards his trembling right ear, tugged a faint gasp out of the shaking stallion. The next, a little lower but following the same path, got more of a low mrr, and before long Dusk was limp and relaxed, trembling slightly beneath Fluttershy, but no longer outright panicking. As Rainbow Dash flew back into the room, medical bag in her mouth, she paused, blinking slowly at the strange sight.

“Uh…”

“Get his wings, Rainbow Dash. I need him relaxed while I work.”

“Y-you mean-”

“Mhm.”

Blushing furiously, Rainbow Dash scooted over to the pair, depositing the bag beside Fluttershy before slowly stretching out Dusk’s left wing. Fluttershy knew of Rainbow’s crush on their friend, but right now that was not her concern. Her only concern was to treat her friend before he lost his sight, or his magic, forever. Turning to her bag, Fluttershy withdrew some anti-swelling gel she had paid Zecora for, humming faintly to herself as she began to rub it on Dusk’s eyes, her dexterous wings reaching down to take out some horn repair serum Rarity had given her long ago, for worst-case scenarios. It was a soft, lightly enchanted putty, meant to lock in the golden ichor that helped channel unicorn magic. Using a feather, she slowly patted the putty along his cracked horn.

Just hold on, Dusk, it’ll be alright…

***************************

Alright Rainbow, you can do this. Yoooou can do this. Just like you’ve day-dreamed. Just less… sexy. Right.

Taking a deep breath, and catching a rather strong whiff of Dusk Shine’s scent with it, Rainbow gently buried her muzzle into his downy feathers, her tongue lightly sliding over and smoothing the secondaries and down that had seemingly been stepped on and twisted. Indeed, as Rainbow’s tongue smoothed over one section, she found herself distinctively tasting the iron tange of a slightly rusted horseshoe, and grit from mud, suddenly her body into an angry bristle. Who would do this to Dusk Shine? He was one of the best stallions she had ever met, and beyond that, he was a friggin’ Prince. Did that mean nothing to anypony anymore?

“M’a failure.”

Rainbow’s head jerked free of his feathers in surprise, her ruby eyes widening. Dusk’s eyes were mercifully closed, but he had started to tremble again.

“Why would you say that, Dusk?” Fluttershy asked softly, holding up one of her hooves before Rainbow could speak indignantly.

Dusk, eyes still closed, sniffled, lightly pawing his nose.

“They… t-they got the d-drop on me. K-kicked me around, I… I couldn’t s-stop them,” he whimpered out, voice hoarse and thick with unshed tears, “T-they were r-right… m’a sorry excuse for a P-prince…”

“How many were there?” Fluttershy asked, hoof raising higher as Rainbow stuffed to puff up.

“T-three… u-unicorns, and an earth pony…”

“Four against one is long odds, even for a Prince, Dusk,” Fluttershy whispered softly, giving his cheek a gentle lick, “You’re a great Prince.”

“Totally!” Rainbow finally managed, doing her best to keep her voice as calm as possible, “Maybe we should get you a Guard unit, like the Princesses! I know I’m gonna find those mares, and-”

Fluttershy’s look stopped her rant before it began, Rainbow’s cheeks flushing lightly.

Dusk gave a low moan, hiding his head, “W-when Princess Celestia h-hears about this… sh-she… she’ll think…”

The young stallion couldn’t go on, curling up tightly for the rest of the night, even when Fluttershy sent Angel Bunny off to fetch Spines. Rainbow Dash was quiet as well, not trusting herself to speak past her rage. And Fluttershy… Fluttershy was the calm center to her friends, nuzzling and whispering soothingly to them both, as needed. Rainbow could see the usually shy pegasus’ own rage, buried deep down, and shivered faintly. She had seen Fluttershy angry, and it had been a sight to behold. She hated to be in the Castle when their letter got to Princess Celestia…

******************

“Rouse the entirity of the Guard, and sweep Everfree Forest! I want the perpetrators of this… this travesty before me in chains!”

Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria and Princess of the Sun, was angry. Indeed, rather… beyond angry. Furious was more accurate. When the letter, marked with a red ribbon for urgent, had appeared during Day Court, Celestia had halted proceedings to read it. Only those who knew her well could see the tension rising with each line read, or feel the slowly rising heat in the room. In a calm, if cool, voice, Celestia had postponed Day Court for the following day, ordering everyone but her advisors and the Captain of the Solar Guard out of the throne room. Only once the great royal doors were shut and locked into place did she stand, fire replacing the beautiful pastel colors of her mane and tail, eyes blazing like the heart of her Sun.

“The Prince Dusk Shine has been assaulted by brigands of our own kind!” she had roared, stomping her hoof on the marble floor, “The Guard will bring them to me! I will have them grovel for my forgiveness, BEG FOR MY LENIENCE, AND I SHALL-!”

“Celestia.”

Princess Luna had soundlessly teleported into the throne room mid-rant, easily stepping into the aura of blazing heat around her sister to lay a hoof on her withers. Celestia glared back at her, then at her advisors; the mares and single stallion in the room were cowering to the floor, heads bowed low and bodies shaking in abject fear of their raging Goddess. Remorse grew in Celestia’s heart, and she slowly sat back into her lightly glowing throne, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out as a cloud of white steam.

“I am sorry, my little ponies,” she replied quietly, “I… lost my temper. Sword Dance, send word to Princess-Consort Glimmer Shield in the Crystal Empire. She must be informed of what has happened to her brother, and I would like for her to bring several of her Crystal Lancers.”

Sword Dance, the first Guard Captain stallion in generations, slowly rose to his hooves, nodding at his diarch, “Of… o-of course, Your Highness, it will be sent at once. Shall… shall I rouse the Guard still?”

Celestia nodded, once, and the Captain was off, wings spreading to take flight the second he was out of the castle. Luna gave a noiseless whistle, and a figure dropped down from the rafters; the azure batpony landed without a noise on the marble floor, ears perked even as she bowed her head low, wings spread in submission.

“Mistress.”

“Rouse the Night Guard,” Luna replied coldly, “And prepare a chariot. I will go to Dusk Shine. We have things to discuss. Will you come with us, Sister?”

“Of course. I… I’ll bring our physicians as well. We must tend to Dusk Shine… my poor little colt…”

She closed her eyes and bowed her head; the advisors quietly backed from the room, just as the batpony turned to launch out of the throne room as well. They would leave their Goddess to her grief… and stay far away from her wrath to come.

Chapter 2- Vacation Plans

“M’so sorry…”

Celestia could feel her heart shattering as she held her young student close, his head tucked firmly against her barrel. Arriving at Fluttershy’s home with nearly an entire contingent of Royal Guards had frightened the poor pegasus by quite a bit, but it couldn’t be helped now. The young animal caretaker was talking the physicians through every wound she had seen and treated so far, and they were comparing notes on long term treatment. Rainbow Dash had been taken outside to give a report to Sword Dance, so he could set up a proper search pattern for the offenders. Of course, with them being unicorns, it was very likely that they had already escaped, using their magic. Still…

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Dusk Shine,” Celestia replied softly, “Rainbow told me what you told her. There were four opponents, and they caught you by surprise. We never had extensive battle training.”

There was a soft sniffle from the young stallion, and he peeked up at her shyly. The look was so like the ones Dusk had given her as a colt when she had caught him sneaking a cookie at night, or staying up past curfew to read. Celestia’s eyes misted somewhat, and she gently kissed the tip of his heavily bandaged horn.

“I don’t want you to blame yourself for this, Dusk Shine,” she told him softly, keeping her “order” voice out of the tone, “I’m going to handle those mares. I just want you to focus on healing. Stay with your friends, you and Spines. Maybe… get out of Ponyville for a few days. NOT… n-not alone, please.”

Dusk Shine bit his lip nervously, slowly turning to look over at Fluttershy. She was flitting about the house quickly, passing various herbal remedies to some very thankful physicians. She glanced back at Dusk Shine during the transaction, smiling warmly and nodding, and Dusk’s cheeks heated lightly. Celestia hid her smile behind a daintily raised hoof; thank Mother her little colt had such good friends. Rainbow came trotting back inside a few moments later, and made a bee-line straight for Dusk, peeking nervously at Celestia as she settled on her haunches by the couch.

“I uh… I told the Captain everything I know, Your Majesty,” she explained sheepishly, “I’m sorry it wasn’t more. I just… don’t think anypony in Ponyville would have done this.”

“Neither do I,” Celestia replied immediately, “I’m more worried about ponies from other parts of Equestria. Nonetheless… perhaps it will be best for you three to go on a vacation of sorts. My treat.”

Celestia grinned at the wide-eyed smile that brought, inwardly chuckling. Hey, she ran a country that could farm gems. Equestria had a very sizable expenses fund, and this was something Celestia had no qualms at all about doing for her little colt. And while they were away and out of the line of fire, she and Luna could scour their country with a fine-toothed comb.

“W-where?” Dusk asked sheepishly, peeking around at the two mares, “I uh… d-don’t know many v-vacation s-spots…”

Celestia chuckled as she watched Rainbow’s chest and eyes slowly expand, obviously thinking of a place of her own; glancing back at the kitchen, she could see a quivery yellow ear peeking around the frame.

“I think your friends have some ideas,” she replied softly, chuckling again, “Just stick with them, my little colt. These two will take good care of you.”

And so would Celestia… she just hoped it could be done a little quietly.

*****************

“Mareami here we come!” Rainbow shouted eagerly, woohooing as she cork-screwed through the air.

This was going to be awesome! All expenses paid trip to Mareami with her two best friends (and a secret escort of Night Guard, but she could mostly ignore them), in the biggest and best hotel bits could buy. Mareami was well-known as a vacation hotspot; a pegasi cloud city, it had been located close enough to the ground that the water was a simple glide or rainbow-slide away, all the while boasting the amenities that only a cloud city could provide. Fresh fish, salt bars, alcohol bars, the best nightclubs outside Manehatten… the whole shebang! It even had a Wonderbolts stadium directly over the glistening waves.

Smiling brightly, Rainbow zoomed back to the chariot carrying her friends, with two stallion Guards pulling it along as quickly as they could manage. Dusk Shine was hunkered down in the back of the chariot, mouth lightly drooping; Fluttershy was grooming his ears, and she shot Rainbow a sheepish smile.

“He was g-getting nervous again,” she explained sheepishly.

Rainbow winced and nodded in understanding, glancing over at the bundle on Dusk’s back. From what she had understood, Spines had spent the entire night taking care of Dusk alongside Fluttershy, and had been woken up several times by Dusk’s night terrors. Poor thing had to be exhausted.

“M’sorry,” Dusk mumbled softly, gasping as Rainbow leaned in to give his other ear a gentle lap.

“Don’t be,” Rainbow replied softly, “But you don’t have to be nervous. Me and Flutters are gonna take good care of you, and you will love Mareami. The sun, the beach, the fun! We’re going to make SURE you have a blast!”

“T-they have just an amazing aquarium too, Dusk Shine,” Fluttershy added, both mares grinning as his ears perked up.

Such a nerdy little stallion. But if it makes him happy…

The chariot pulled alongside the new Ponyville Air Ferry; a massive boat hull suspended under a helium and magic balloon, they were one of the fastest ways to travel long distance in Equestria, besides trains. And unfortunately, no trains ran to Mareami. Fluttershy gently nuzzled Dusk Shine out of the chariot, while Rainbow eagerly got their bags, zooming down to their rooms.

...dang Celestia. Just how much is she paying for all this?

The master suite was enormous, boasting gleamingly polished ebony wood in almost every surface, offset by brilliant ivory columns and frames. The bedsheets to the single, king-size bed with bright white, while the frame and mattress were a dark black, and they looked incredibly soft. So much so, well…

“Whee!”

Bouncebounce. Rainbow Dash giggled faintly as she wriggled around on the bed, wings spread wide as she soaked in the amazing softness of the sheets, and the springiness of the mattress beneath. Man, this would make for the best naps ever. She idly hoped their room at the hotel had beds like this. She had heard from Rarity that some Mareami hotels actually had water beds, which painted an odd picture in Rainbow’s mind.

“Having fun, Rainbow?”

Meeping, Rainbow Dash sheepishly peeked up, giving a small smile at the giggling Fluttershy and a blushing Dusk Shine. Mustering her dignity, Rainbow Dash quickly spun back up to her haunches, flicking her mane out of her eyes.

“Yes. Yes I am.”

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Fluttershy gently Dusk Shine over to the bed, helping him stiffly crawl onto it before hurrying to settle their bags away. The trip would only take one day, so there was no need to really unpack.

“T-there’s only one bed?” Dusk asked shyly, peeking around, and both mares sheepishly flushed.

“O-oh um… we could a-ask for cots, Dusk Shine.”

“Yeah, I’m fine with that too. Only be for one night anyway!”

Rainbow Dash inwardly cursed as Dusk Shine’s eyes went wide, ears and tail laying back.

“N-no!” he instantly replied, waving his forehooves, “I-I… I should sleep on a cot, if anypony. I’ll just keep you u-up… stupid nightmares…”

“Yeah, not gonna happen, Dusky,” Rainbow replied without a thought, smirking, “We’ll just… have to share the bed, then. All of us. T-together.”

Hoo-boy.

Judging from Fluttershy’s own blush, her thoughts were straying to the same places Rainbow’s were. All the mares had talked about, at some point, possibly trying to court Dusk Shine. Despite his neurotic behavior and many quirks, he was also the nicest, most honest stallion any of them had ever met. They had briefly talked about forming a herd, but it hadn’t been long after that Pinkie Pie met Cheese Sandwich, and Rarity and Applejack had begun to develop feelings for one another. Rainbow would need to possibly bring that idea up to Fluttershy again… but only once they were in Mareami.

“R-right,” Fluttershy added softly, giving a gentle smile to the quivering stallion, “Go ahead and lie down, Dusk Shine. We’ll take care of you.”

Gulping noticeably, the purple stallion shyly laid down on his back, wings spread out and fore hooves drawn up to his chest. His tail flicked up immediately, hiding his sheath from view, though both mares got a quick view of it. Rainbow had to admit… she was impressed. Smiling, Rainbow settled gently against Dusk Shine’s side, leaning down to bury her snout in Dusk’s right wing, carefully preening his wing. Judging from his gasp seconds later, and the quivering in his sides, Fluttershy was tending to his other wing.

Dusk Shine’s feathers had a rather unique taste to them. While pegasi wings tended to be filled with sky magic, giving them a tingling, electric tang, Dusk’s feathers were a popping, crackling… almost fruity sensation. Whether that was unique to Dusk, or if it was an alicorn thing, was unknown to Rainbow, but she had to admit that she kind of liked it. Humming softly, she worked her way along the primaries, smoothing each out and setting them back in their proper place. As she reached the upper bone in his wing, Rainbow paused, a blush coloring her cheeks. This might be going a little too far, but… She placed the flat of her tongue along Dusk’s soft, velvety fur, tracing her way slowly down the velvet-covered bone.

“A-aaah… haaaa…”

Oh… maaaan…

Rainbow had to admit, the faintly mare-like moan that rose out of her friend was… quite encouraging, and she peeked sheepishly over at Fluttershy… only to watch in awe as her friend did the same motion, her eyes half-lidded, one hoof gently resting on Dusk’s barrel as he moaned out again. Sucking in a tremulous breath, Rainbow nuzzled closer to Dusk, focusing her laps and nuzzles at his outstretched throat, humming warmly. All three of them needed to sit down at some point and probably talk this out, but…. They could enjoy this closeness together, at least for the time being.

*****************

Dusk Shine had to admit, he was… pretty dang relaxed. And even a bit excited! Peering out the porthole in their room, Dusk’s eyes widened as he took in the sights of Mareami. The buildings, like Cloudsdale, were made up entirely of solidified clouds, though they lacked the ancient Pegasopolis grandeur and column-love. These were modern buildings, more in the style of Manehatten than any of the old-style pony cities, with skyscrapers rising high into the sky, and large rainbow falls gushing down to the sea below. The city had several layers, each connected by little steps of clouds; their airship was bound for one of these layers, very close to the beach. Several large buildings made up this resort, with enchanted grasses and trees growing atop the cloud. In the center of the resort stood a massive swimming pool, and Dusk’s wings fluttered a bit in excitement.

“Pretty cool- err sorry,” Rainbow managed, blushing faintly as she nuzzled the stallion, who had jumped nearly a foot at the sudden voice, “P-pretty cool, isn’t it?”

Blushing furiously- and mentally cursing his jumpiness- Dusk Shine gave a sheepish nod, glancing back out the porthole as the resort got larger, letting him see the dozens of ponies lounging about.

“I-it really is,” he managed sheepishly, letting out a slow breath to regain his nerves, “We seriously get three weeks h-here?”

“Yep! And Celestia’s paying for everything! It’s gonna be totally awesome!”

Paying for everything… Dusk Shine wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He knew that, practically, three weeks at a resort wouldn’t put the tiniest of dents in Celestia’s expenditure fund. But it still felt like mooching. And Dusk Shine was no mooch. No matter…

No matter what those mares told you when they laughed at your size.

Despite himself, Dusk glanced back and down at himself, ears laying back slowly. He had gotten a fair bit pudgy, and he wasn’t nearly as strong as he should have been at his age. Maybe this resort would give him a chance to work on that! Grinning faintly, not noticing the small twitch of his left eye, Dusk levitated out a small scroll and a fountain pen, getting to work on a new checklist. He didn’t notice Rainbow peeking over his shoulder, or the paleness that lightened her color considerably.

“Ugh… Dusk... “

“H-hold on Rainbow, I gotta g-get this done before we land…”

“B-but-!”

She squeaked as the airship suddenly came to a stop, and Dusk was off like a shot for the upper deck. Rainbow Dash stared after him for several minutes before launching to find Fluttershy, her mind still whirling around the headline of that checklist.

Three Weeks To Become a Proper Stallion

“Crap, crap, crap…”